On This Day: April 6

On This Day April 6

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1937 – Actor Billy Dee Williams, best known for his portrayal of Lando Calrissian in “Star Wars Episode V” and “Star Wars Episode VI”

1937 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Merle Haggard (d. 2016)

1947 – Actor John Ratzenberger, best known for playing letter carrier Cliff Clavin in the sitcom “Cheers” and being the voice of Hamm, the piggy bank, in Pixar’s “Toy Story” trilogy 

1952 – Actress and author Marilu Henner (“Taxi,” “Evening Shade,” “The Celebrity Apprentice”)

1969 – Actor Paul Rudd (“Clueless,” “The Object Of My Affection,” “Anchorman,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Ant-Man”)  

1975 – Grammy-winning actor-director Zach Braff (“Scrubs,” “Garden State,” “Oz the Great and Powerful,” “Going in Style”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1896 – Opening ceremonies for the first Olympic Games of the modern era take place in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens 1,500 years after the event was banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Some 80,000 spectators welcome about 240 athletes from 14 countries to the international competition, which featured nine sports.

1917 – Two days after the U.S. Senate votes 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, the U.S. House of Representatives endorses the decision by a vote of 373 to 50, and the United States formally enters World War I.

1938 – Roy Plunkett invents Teflon, whose non-stick properties revolutionize cooking.

1947 – The first Tony Awards for theatrical achievement are handed out. The Tonys are named after actress-director-producer Antoinette Perry, the dynamic wartime leader of the American Theatre Wing who had recently died.

1973 – Major League Baseball’s American League uses a designated hitter for the first time.  

1980 – The 3M company revolutionizes the workplace when it introduces Post-it notes, which adorn computer monitors, cubicle partitions and walls the world over.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1963 – The Chiffons are in the midst of a four-week domination of the singles chart with “He’s So Fine” which was written by Ronnie Mack.

1968 – Simon & Garfunkel reach No. 1 on the U.S. album chart with the soundtrack to the movie “The Graduate,” featuring their hits “The Sound of Silence” and “Mrs. Robinson.”

1974 – “Hooked on a Feeling,” by Blue Swede, is the No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1985 – Phil Collins’ “One More Night” begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single. 

1991 – “Coming Out of the Dark,” by Gloria Estefan, kicks off its second and final week on top of the pop chart.

1998 –  Country singer Tammy Wynette dies in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 55. Known as the First Lady of Country Music, Wynette scored 12 hit singles including “Stand By Your Man,” and sold more than 30 million records world-wide.

1999 – An all-star tribute to singer-songwriter Johnny Cash takes place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, with Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Willie Nelson and U2 all performing for the special, broadcast on TNT.

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On this Day: June 13

On this Day June 13

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1892 – Actor Basil Rathbone, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in more than a dozen movies by the mid-1940s (d. 1967)

1926 – Actor-comedian Paul Lynde (“Bewitched,” “Hollywood Squares”) (d. 1983)

1943 – Actor Malcolm McDowell (“A Clockwork Orange,” “Star Trek Generations,” “Heroes,” “Entourage,” “The Mentalist”)

1951 – Actor Stellan Skarsgård (“Breaking the Waves,” Good Will Hunting,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”)

1951 – Emmy-winning actor Richard Thomas, best known for playing John-Boy on the CBS series “The Waltons”

1953 – Actor-comedian Tim Allen (“Home Improvement,” Buzz Lightyear in the “Toy Story” movies, “Galaxy Quest”)

1962 – Actress and “Brat Pack” member Ally Sheedy (“War Games,” “The Breakfast Club,” “St. Elmo’s Fire”

1981 – Actor Chris Evans, best known for portraying Captain America in the “Avengers” and “Captain America” films, as well as the Human Torch in “Fantastic Four”

1986 – Actress-turned-fashion designer Ashley Olsen, best known for sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with twin sister Mary-Kate Olsen in the ABC sitcom “Full House”

1986 – Actress-turned-fashion designer Mary-Kate Olsen, best known for sharing the role of Michelle Tanner with twin sister Ashley Olsen in the ABC sitcom “Full House”

History Highlights
History Highlights

1966 – In a landmark ruling (Miranda v. Arizona), the Supreme Court establishes the Miranda Rights, requiring police officers to advise criminal suspects of their rights before questioning them.

1967 – Calling it “the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place,” President Lyndon Johnson nominates U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Thurgood Marshall as the first African American Supreme Court Justice. Two months later, after heated debate, the Senate confirms Marshall’s nomination by a 69 to 11 vote. Two days later, he is sworn in by Chief Justice Earl Warren.

1967 – The fifth James Bond movie, “You Only Live Twice,” opens in theaters across the U.S. Once again, Sean Connery stars as suave British secret agent 007.

1971 – The New York Times publishes the “Pentagon Papers,” revealing the growing political and military involvement of the U.S. in Southeast Asia.

1983 – The NASA spacecraft Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the solar system.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1960 – The Everly Brothers are chart-toppers with “Cathy’s Clown.”

1963 – The Dixie Cups are midway through a  three-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart with “Chapel of Love.”

1970 – Before breaking up, The Beatles enjoy their last No. 1 single in the U.S.: “The Long and Winding Road.” The album it came from, “Let It Be,” tops the Billboard album chart that same day.

1981 – Kim Carnes is in the middle of a nine-week reign over the Billboard Hot 100 with “Bette Davis Eyes.” The song goes on to capture Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

1987 – “Always,” by Atlantic Starr, is the most popular song on American radio.

1992 – Billy Ray Cyrus’ debut album, “Some Gave All,” launches a 17-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. The album spawns Cyrus’ breakout single, “Achy Breaky Heart.”

1998 – Brandy and Monica own the No. 1 spot on the pop chart with “The Boy is Mine.”

2005 – A California jury clears pop sensation Michael Jackson of all charges following a four-month-long child abuse trial. Charges were brought against Jackson after the airing of a 2003 TV documentary in which he admitted to sharing his bed with young children.

2009 – “Boom Boom Pow,” by The Black Eyed Peas, is in the middle of a 12-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

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