On This Day: April 23

On This Day April 23

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1564 – Poet-playwright William Shakespeare (d. 1616)

1928 – Oscar-winning child star Shirley Temple (d. 2014)

1936 – Rock and roll singer-songwriter Roy Orbison (“Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Crying,” “Dream Baby”)  (d. 1988)

1939 – Actor Lee Majors, best remembered for his role as astronaut Steve Austin in the 1970s hit series “The Six Million Dollar Man”

1942 – Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Dee, nicknamed “Queen of Teens” (“Gidget,” “A Summer Place”)  (d. 2005)

1954 – Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (“Roger and Me,” “Bowling for Columbine,” “Fahrenheit 9/11″”Capitalism: A Love Story”)

1960 – Actress Valerie Bertinelli (“One Day at a Time,” “Touched by an Angel,” “Hot in Cleveland”)

1961 – Actor-comedian George Lopez, best known for his self-produced sitcom “George Lopez” that aired on ABC-TV for six seasons

1977 – Actor and former Obama administration aide Kal Penn, born Kalpen Suresh Modi (the “Harold and Kumar” films, “House,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Designated Survivor”)

1990 – Actor Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “The Newsroom,” “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Chappie,” “The Man Who Knew Infinity,” “Lion,” “Hotel Mumbai”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1896 – Entertainment is revolutionized as an audience at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall on 34th Street in New York City watches the first movie ever projected onto a screen. 

1953 – Paramount Pictures releases “Shane,” starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur and Van Heflin, a film considered by many to be one of the greatest Westerns ever made.

1968 – Columbia University students, opposed to the Vietnam War and the school’s plans to construct a gymnasium in a Harlem neighborhood adjacent to the campus, seize administration buildings, take the dean hostage and shut the university down for a week.

1969 – Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to the death penalty following his conviction for the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York. In 1972, Sirhan’s sentence is commuted to life in prison after California abolishes the death penalty.

1985 – Coca-Cola replaces its original formula Coke with a beverage called New Coke. However, consumers overwhelmingly reject the new soft drink. Three months later, the company backtracks and announces the return of the original formula, which is branded Coca-Cola Classic.

2004 – The romantic comedy “13 Going on 30,” starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, opens in U.S. theaters. Garner plays the adult version of a 13-year-old girl whose dream of being “30, flirty, and thriving” comes true with the help of some magic dust.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1961 – In what’s been called “the greatest night in show business history,” Judy Garland — beloved for her role as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” — performs at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Garland sings 27 numbers, frequently interrupted by extended standing ovations. The double album of the historic performance becomes a smash, charting for 94 weeks on the Billboard chart, including 13 weeks at No. 1. It also captures five Grammy Awards.

1966 – “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration,” by The Righteous Brothers, marks its third and final week as the No. 1 single. It is the duo’s first major hit after leaving their longtime producer, Phil Spector.

1977 – Thelma Houston’s disco smash, “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song goes on to capture a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

1983 – The hottest single belongs to one-hit-wonder Dexys Midnight Runners: “Come On Eileen.” 

1988 – “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?,” by Whitney Houston, begins a two-week hold on the No. 1 slot on Billboard Hot 100.

1994 – R. Kelly rules the singles chart with “Bump n’ Grind.”

2005 – “Candy Shop,” by 50 Cent featuring Olivia, begins its eighth week on top of the pop chart. It will remain there for one more week.

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On this Day: May 7

On this Day May 7

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1901 – Oscar-winning actor Gary Cooper (” Sergeant York,” “High Noon,” “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” “The Pride of the Yankees,” “City Streets”) (d. 1961)

1922 – Actor Darren McGavin, best known for playing the grumpy father in “A Christmas Story”) (d. 2006)

1923 – Oscar-winning actress Anne Baxter (“The Razor’s Edge,” “All About Eve,” “The Ten Commandments”) (d. 1985)

1946 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Thelma Houston, best known for her 1977 disco smash “Don’t Leave Me This Way”

1950 – Journalist/former NBC “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert (d. 2008)

1954 – Director Amy Heckerling (“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “European Vacation,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Clueless”)

1968 – Actress Traci Lords (“I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell,” “Zack and Miri Make a Porno”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1915 – Without warning, a German U-boat fires on the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. The ship, which was sailing from New York to Liverpool, England, sinks within 20 minutes, claiming nearly 1,200 lives — including 128 Americans. While packed with passengers, the vessel was a German target because it was transporting wartime munitions to England and was sailing through an established war zone.

1945 – Germany unconditionally surrenders to the Allies in Reims, France, marking the end of World War II in Europe.

1954 – Vietnam’s victory over France at Dien Bien Phu on this day ends the Indochina War. The battle is considered one of the greatest victories by a former colony over a colonial power.

1960 – Leonid Brezhnev, one of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev’s most trusted proteges, becomes president of the U.S.S.R.

1994 – Norway’s most famous painting, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch, is recovered almost three months after being stolen from a museum in Oslo.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – Keith Richards awakens in his Florida motel room in the early morning hours with a riff in his head, grabs his guitar and flips on a tape recorder. He only lays down 30 seconds of music before falling back asleep, but what he records leads to The Rolling Stones’ signature “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” once Mick Jagger adds lyrics. The song becomes the Stones’ first U.S. No. 1.

1966 – The Mamas and The Papas start a three-week run at No.1 on the singles chart with “Monday Monday,” the first hit by a coed group.

1977 – “Hotel California,” by the Eagles, checks in at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart for a week. The track, off the album of the same title, goes on to capture a Record of the Year Grammy.

1983 – Michael Jackson is in the midst of a three-week ride atop the pop chart with “Beat It,” from the “Thriller” album.

1988 – Terence Trent D’Arby has the hottest single for a week with “Wishing Well.”

1998 – Country-pop musician Eddie Rabbitt, best known for his 1980 hits “Drivin’ My Life Away” and “I Love a Rainy Night,” and who wrote Elvis’ popular single, “Kentucky Rain,” dies of lung cancer at age 56.

2005 – Gwen Stefani kicks off a four-week run on top of the Billboard pop chart with “Hollaback Girl.” The track is from her debut solo studio album, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.”

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