On this Day: June 21

On this Day June 21

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1905 – Nobel prize-winning philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (s. 1980)

1921 – Actress Jane Russell, considered a Hollywood sex symbol during the 1940s and 50s (“The Outlaw,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Son of Paleface”) (d. 2011)

1925 – Oscar and Tony-winning actress Maureen Stapleton (“Reds,” “Cocoon”) (d. 2006)

1932 – Grammy-winning film composer and arranger Lalo Schifrin (“Mission: Impossible,” Dirty Harry“ films, “ “Bullitt”)

1940 – Emmy-winning actress Mariette Hartley (“Peyton Place,” “The Incredible Hulk”)

1944 – Singer-songwriter Ray Davies, who founded the band The Kinks

1947 – Actress Meredith Baxter (“Bridget Loves Bernie,” “Family Ties”)

1973 – Actress-singer Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Old School,” “Whip It”)

1979 – Actor Chris Pratt (“Everwood,” “The O.C.,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Jurassic World,” “Fallen Kingdom,” “Jurassic World Dominion”)

1982 – Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

1985 – Singer-songwriter and model Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (“Video Games,” “Summertime Sadness”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1956 – Playwright Arthur Miller defies the House Committee on Un-American Activities and refuses to name suspected communists. The move garners him a contempt of court conviction which is later reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

1964 – Three civil rights workers—James E. Chaney and Andrew Goodman, both 21, and Michael Schwerner, 24—disappear in Mississippi. It’s later determined that they were killed by a group of Ku Klux Klansmen. In 2005, exactly 41 years later, Edgar Killen is convicted of manslaughter in trio’s deaths. The case was dramatized in the 1988 movie “Mississippi Burning.”

1982 – A jury finds John Hinckley, Jr. not guilty of attempted murder by reason of insanity in connection with the shooting of President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington, D.C. hotel.

1989 – The U.S. Supreme Court decides in the case of Texas v. Johnson that burning the American flag is protected under the First Amendment.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1964 – Twenty-year-old Peter Roberts of Liverpool, England climbs a drainpipe to the eighth floor of the Sydney, Australia hotel where The Beatles are staying to meet the band. John Lennon is so impressed, he invites him in to their room for a drink.

1969 – “Get Back,” by The Beatles with Billy Preston, begins its fifth and final week as a Billboard No. 1.

1975 – The Captain & Tennille are chart-toppers with “Love Will Keep Us Together,” the duo’s first big hit which holds at No. 1 for four weeks.

1980 – “Funkytown,” by Lipps Inc., kicks off its fourth and final week as a Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. The track, off the band’s “Mouth to Mouth” album, is considered the swan song for the disco era.

1981 – Donald Fagan and Walter Becker announce the break-up of Steely Dan. However, in 1993, the group resumes playing concerts and in the early 2000s releases two albums of new material, the first of which earns a Grammy for Album of the Year.

1997 – “I’ll Be Missing You,” by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans featuring 112, tops the Billboard Hot 100. It remains at No. 1 for 11 weeks and goes on to win a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

2008 – Lil Wayne featuring Static claims the top spot on the singles chart with “Lollipop.”

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On this Day: June 20

On this Day June 20

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1909 – Australian actor Errol Flynn, best known for his romantic swashbuckler movie roles (d. 1959)

1924 – Grammy-winning country music (“Nashville sound”) guitarist Chet Atkins (d. 2001)

1931 – Actor Martin Landau (“Mission: Impossible,” “Space: 1999,” “Tucker: The Man and His Dream,” “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” “Ed Wood,” “The X Files,” “The Majestic”) (d. 2017)

1933 – Emmy-winning actor Danny Aiello (“The Godfather: Part II,” “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” “Do The Right Thing,” “Moonstruck”)

1942 – Grammy-winning Beach Boys founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Brian Wilson

1945 – Grammy-winning pop-country vocalist Anne Murray (“Snowbird,” “I Just Fall in Love Again”)

1949 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and former Commodores front man Lionel Richie (“Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Still,” “Truly”)

1952 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor-comedian John Goodman (“Roseanne,” “Raising Arizona,” “The Babe,” “The Flintstones,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Monster’s Inc.,” “Argo,” “Flight,” “Treme,” “10 Cloverfield Lane”)

1967 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress-producer Nicole Kidman (“Dead Calm,” “Days of Thunder,” “Far and Away,” “Batman Forever,” “Eyes Wide Shut,” “Moulin Rouge!”, “The Interpreter,” “Australia,” “The Hours,” “Rabbit Hole”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1948 – Ed Sullivan’s long-running variety show, “Toast of the Town,” premieres and is later renamed “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

1963 – After reaching the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S. and Soviet Union agree to set up a telecommunications link to prevent a nuclear catastrophe.

1967 – Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturns the conviction on religious grounds.

1975 – Director Steven Spielberg’s movie “Jaws” opens in U.S. theaters, terrifying millions of beachgoers with its tale of a menacing, man-eating great white shark. “Jaws” sets the standard for the summer blockbuster, becoming the first motion picture to gross over $100 million at the box office. It was the highest grossing movie of all time until “Star Wars” was released two years later.

1977 – The U.S. achieves an energy industry milestone, as oil begins to flow through the Trans Alaska Pipeline.

1980 – After premiering in Chicago days earlier, “The Blues Brothers,” starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, opens in movie theaters nationwide.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1969 – David Bowie records “Space Oddity” at Trident Studios in London. It becomes one of his signature songs and eventually climbs to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100.

1969 – Newport ’69, also known as the Newport Pop Festival, opens in California and kicks off the era of the rock-pop festival. It’s the first of seven events that year. Acts include Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, The Rascals, CCR, Ike & Tina Turner and Joe Cocker.

1981 – The medley “Stars on 45,” by the Dutch novelty band Stars on 45, is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart.

1987 – “Head to Toe,” by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, is the most popular single in the U.S.

1992 – Mariah Carey’s cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track is on her “MTV Unplugged” live EP.

2000 – The Ronettes are awarded $2.6 million in back earnings from Phil Spector. New York judge Paula Omansky ruled that the legendary producer had cheated them out of royalties.

2009 – The Black Eyed Peas own the top spot on the singles chart with “Boom Boom Pow.”

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