On This Day: March 15

On This Day March 15

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1933 – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the position (d. 2020)

1935 – Emmy and Tony-winning actor Judd Hirsch (“Taxi,” “Ordinary People,” “Independence Day,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Numb3rs, “Forever,” “Superior Donuts”)

1941 – Singer-songwriter Mike Love of The Beach Boys

1959 – Male supermodel Fabio, born Fabio Lanzoni

1963 – Poison lead singer and reality TV star Bret Michaels

1975 – Actress and director/producer Eva Longoria (“The Young and the Restless,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Harsh Times,” “The Sentinel,” “Over Her Dead Body,” “Overboard”)

1975 – Grammy-winning rapper and The Black Eyed Peas founder/frontman Will.i.am, born William Adams 

History Highlights
History Highlights

44 B.C.  – Caught in an ambush, Roman dictator Julius Caesar is stabbed to death by a group of his own senators. March 15 of 44 B.C. is known as the “Ides of March” in the Roman calendar.

1820 – As part of the Missouri Compromise between the U.S. North and South, Maine is admitted as the 23rd state in the Union.

1965 – Just days after a deadly police assault on civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, President Lyndon B. Johnson addresses a historic joint session of Congress to urge passage of legislation guaranteeing equal voting rights for all Americans. Congress passes the Voting Rights Act that summer, and Johnson signs the measure into law on August 6, 1965.

1970 – Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins becomes the first defenseman in NHL history to score 100 points in a season, after scoring four goals in one game against the Detroit Red Wings. 

1975 – “Funny Lady,” starring Barbra Streisand, James Caan and Omar Sharif, opens in movie theaters. It is the sequel to the 1968 musical film, “Funny Girl,” the story of Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice.

1977 – The sitcom “Three’s Company” debuts on ABC, starring John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers. It runs until 1984.

1988 – “The Wonder Years” premieres on ABC and runs for six seasons. Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous late 1960s, the series follows a suburban American family, focusing on the growing pains of youngest son Kevin, played by Fred Savage. 

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1964 –  “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” The Beatles’ first No. 1 single in the U.S., begins its seventh and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100 only to be replaced by The Beatles’ second No. 1 hit: “She Loves You.”

1969 – “Dizzy,” by Tommy Roe, starts a four-week run as the No. 1 single.

1975 – The Doobie Brothers rule the Billboard Hot 100 for a week with “Black Water,” from their “What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits” album.

1980 – Queen wraps up a four-week run on top of the pop chart with “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” the band’s first No. 1 U.S. hit.

1986 – “Sara,” by Starship, tops the singles chart for a week. The track is one of two No. 1 hits from the band’s “Knee Deep in the Hoopla” album. The other is “We Built This City.”

1997 – The Spice Girls’ debut single, “Wannabe,” marks its fourth and final week on top of the Billboard Hot 100. It becomes the best-selling single ever by a female group.

1999 – Bruce Springsteen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by U2 frontman Bono.

2003 – 50 Cent scores his first No. 1 single with “In da Club.” The track holds the top spot for nine weeks.

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On This Day: October 16

On This Day October 16

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1925 – Oscar, Emmy, Tony and Grammy-winning actress Angela Lansbury, best known for playing sleuth Jessica Fletcher in the popular CBS mystery series “Murder, She Wrote” (d. 2022)

1946 – Actress Suzanne Somers, best known for her role in the TV sitcom “Three’s Company”

1958 – Oscar-winning actor-director-activist Tim Robbins (“Bull Durham,” “The Player,” “Shortcuts,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Hudsucker proxy,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Mystic River,” “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”)

1962 – Musician Flea, born Michael Balzary, bassist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers

1975 – Actress Kellie Martin (“Life Goes On,” “ER”)

1977 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter John Mayer (“Your Body Is a Wonderland,” “Daughters”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1934 – Embattled Chinese Communists break through Nationalist enemy lines and begin a year-long, 6,000-mile pilgrimage north from their encircled headquarters in southwest China in what comes to be called The Long March.

1964 – A new contender joins the nuclear arms race as the People’s Republic of China successfully tests an atomic bomb.

1967 – With the Vietnam War raging, folk singer Joan Baez is among more than 100 draft protesters arrested in Oakland, California.

1973 – Henry Kissinger, then U.S. Secretary of State, and North Vietnamese diplomat Le Duc Tho are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the Paris peace accords. Kissinger accepts, but Tho declines the award.

1987 – Millions of TV viewers around the world watch live news coverage as 18-month-old Jessica McClure (“Baby Jessica”) is rescued from an abandoned well in Midland, Texas, where she was trapped for 58 terrifying hours.

1991 – One of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history begins when George Hennard drives his truck into a Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, and opens fire on the lunch crowd. He kills 23 people and injures more than 20 others before turning the gun on himself.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – “Yesterday” plants The Beatles in the middle of a four-week ride atop the Billboard singles chart.

1966 – Grace Slick joins the San Francisco-based rock band Jefferson Airplane (which later becomes Jefferson Starship and then Starship), contributing her unique vocal talents to songs like “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.”

1971 – Rod Stewart is midway through a five-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Maggie May,” off his “Every Picture Tells a Story” album.

1976 – Rick Dees, who would go on to become one of the nation’s most popular DJs, quacks his way to the top of the singles chart with “Disco Duck.”

1982 – “Jack & Diane,” by John Cougar Mellencamp, is in the midst of a four-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1993 – Mariah Carey rules the pop chart with “Dreamlover,” which holds the top spot for eight weeks.

1999 – “Heartbreaker,” by Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z, enters its second and final week as a Billboard singles chart-topper.

2004 – Goodies,” by Ciara featuring Petey Pablo, enters its sixth week at No. 1 on the pop chart.

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