On This Day: April 8

On This Day April 8

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1892 – Actress Mary Pickford, known as “America’s Sweetheart,” as she became a legend of the silent film era (d. 1979)

1938 – Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who, along with the U.N., won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 

1963 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Julian Lennon (“Too Late for Goodbyes,” “Valotte”)

1966 – Golden Globe-winning actress Robin Wright (“The Princess Bride,” “Forrest Gump,” “House of Cards”)

1968 – Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Patricia Arquette (“True Romance,” “Flirting With Disaster,” “Medium,” “Boyhood”)  

History Highlights
History Highlights

1974 – Playing for the Atlanta Braves, Hank Aaron hits the 715th home run of his career, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935. The historic shot is hit off of Al Downing of the Los Angeles Dodgers into the left field bullpen at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. 

1985 – The government of India files suit against Union Carbide for the Bhopal disaster which killed more than 2,200 people.  

1986 – Actor-director Clint Eastwood is elected mayor of Carmel, California, and serves for two years.

1990 – Filmmaker David Lynch’s surreal prime-time series, “Twin Peaks,” premieres on ABC. Set in a small fictional logging town, strange and intriguing characters and their relationships are revealed as investigators try to solve the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer.

1992 – Tennis great Arthur Ashe stuns the world when he announces that he has AIDS, acquired from a blood transfusion during heart bypass surgery he underwent in 1983. Ashe, the first black man to win Wimbledon, dies from the disease less than a year later at age 49.

2013 – Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, dies in London at the age of 87 from a stroke. Serving from 1979 to 1990, Thatcher was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. She was nicknamed the “Iron Lady” because of her her fierce determination and unyielding will.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1964 – Diana Ross and The Supremes record “Where Did Our Love Go,” which eventually becomes the first of the girl group’s five No. 1 singles.

1967 – The Turtles’ “Happy Together” marks its third and final week as a No. 1 single.

1972 – America gallops into its third and final week atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “A Horse with No Name.”

1975 – “Toys in the Attic,” the third studio album from Aerosmith, is released. It contains the hit singles “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion” and becomes the Boston rockers’ best-selling album to date, with more than 8 million copies sold.

1989 – “The Look” by Roxette is the No. 1 single and becomes the Swedish duo’s international breakthrough hit after success in Europe.

1995 – “Take a Bow” marks its seventh and final week as a No. 1 single, becoming Madonna’s longest-reigning chart-topper.

2000 – “Maria Maria,” by Santana featuring The Product G&B, kicks off 10 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track goes on to capture the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. 

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On This Day: December 3

On This Day December 3

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1930 – Pioneering French “new wave” director Jean-Luc Godard

1948 – Grammy-winning heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne

1960 – Actress Daryl Hannah (“Blade Runner,” “Splash,” “Legal Eagles,” “Roxanne,” “Wall Street,” “Steel Magnolias,” “Kill Bill”)

1960 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress Julianne Moore (“The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” “Boogie Nights,” “The End of the Affair,” “Far from Heaven,” “The Hours,” “Children of Men,” “Game Change,” “Still Alice”)

1968 – Actor Brendan Fraser (“School Ties,” “Encino Man,” “George of the Jungle,” “The Mummy” trilogy, “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Inkheart,” “Gods and Monsters,” “The Quiet American,” “Crash,” “Gimme Shelter”)

1985 – Actress Amanda Seyfried (“Mean Girls,” “Veronica Mars,” “Mamma Mia!” “Red Riding Hood,” “Big Love,” “Les Misérables,” “Lovelace”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1967 – Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the world’s first successful human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa.

1979 – After five years of production, the last AMC Pacer automobile rolls off a Kenosha, Wisconsin assembly plant.

1984 – An explosion at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India and the resulting leak of deadly methyl isocyanate gas kills over 4,000 people and injures 200,000 others. It is the world’s worst industrial accident.

1992 – The world’s first text message is sent by a British engineer who uses his personal computer to transmit “Merry Christmas” to a mobile phone.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – The Beatles release “Rubber Soul,” their sixth studio album. It incorporates a mix of pop, soul and folk musical styles, and contains such classics as “Michelle,” “Drive My Car” and “Nowhere Man.”

1966 – “Winchester Cathedral,” by The New Vaudeville Band, is the hottest song on the radio.

1968 – Elvis Presley’s first TV special airs on NBC and becomes the top-rated program of the year. It has long been considered The King’s comeback show. The 33-year-old Presley recorded the special the previous June. 

1977 – Debby Boone is in the midst of a 10-week ride at No. 1 on the singles chart with “You Light Up My Life,” a song that garners her a Best New Artist Grammy.

1994 – Fresh off a 14-week domination of the Billboard singles chart with “I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men begin two weeks at No. 1 with “On Bended Knee.”

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