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On this Day July 26

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Celebrity Birthdays

1928 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning director Stanley Kubrick (“Spartacus,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “The Shining,” “Full Metal jacket,” “Eyes Wide Shut”) (d. 1999)

1943 – Legendary Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger

1945 – Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren (“Prime Suspect,” “Caligula,” “Shadowboxer,” “Elizabeth I,” “The Queen,” “Hitchcock,” “Woman in Gold”) 

1956 – Olympic gold medal figure skater Dorothy Hamill 

1959 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor-director-producer Kevin Spacey (“Seven,” “The Usual Suspects,” “L.A. Confidential,” “American Beauty,” “House of Cards,” “Elvis & Nixon”), who went on to face multiple accusations of sexual misconduct

1964 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Sandra Bullock (“The Net,” “Speed,” “Miss Congeniality,” “The Blind Side,” “Gravity”) 

1965 – Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Piven, best known for his role as Hollywood agent Ari Gold in the TV series and movie “Entourage”

1973 – Actress Kate Beckinsale (“Pearl Harbor,” “Underworld,” “The Aviator,” “Click,” “Total Recall”)

History Highlights

1775 – Signed, sealed and delivered. The U.S. Postal Service is established and the Continental Congress appoints Benjamin Franklin as first Postmaster General.

1908 – The Office of the Chief Examiner, later named the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is founded. It begins with a short memo signed by Attorney General Charles J. Bonaparte, describing a “regular force of special agents” available to investigate certain cases of the U.S. Department of Justice.

1947 – President Harry Truman signs the National Security Act, creating the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

1964 – Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa is convicted of fraud and conspiracy. The man long suspected of mafia ties serves four years in prison before President Richard Nixon commutes his sentence. 

1990 – President George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, extending civil rights protections to people with disabilities, guaranteeing them equal employment opportunities as well as accessibility to buildings and transportation.

Musical Milestones

1952 – Vera Lynn is in the midst of a nine-week ride on top of the Billboard singles survey with “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart.”

1968 – Motown Records signs the Jackson 5 to a one-year contract. 

1969 – Johnny Cash releases the single, “A Boy Named Sue,” which was recorded five months earlier during a performance at California’s San Quentin State Prison.

1975 – Disco anthem “The Hustle,” by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, boogies its way to the top of the singles chart.

1984 – Movie-goers line up to see the premiere of “Purple Rain,” the semi-autobiographical story of musician Prince. 

1986 – Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” off his “So” album, is the No. 1 single. The accompanying music video goes on to capture a record nine awards at the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. Gabriel also earns three Grammy nominations: Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You,” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, tops the Billboard Hot 100.

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