On This Day: April 17

On This Day April 17

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1837 – Financier J. P. Morgan (d. 1913)

1918 – Actor William Holden (“Stalag 17,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” “Network”)  (d. 1981)

1923 – Network television anchor-reporter Harry Reasoner (d. 1991)

1959 – Actor Sean Bean (“The Field,” “Patriot Games,” “Ronin,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “GoldenEye,” “National Treasure,” “Flightplan,” “The Island,” “The Martian”)

1972 – Golden Globe-winning actress Jennifer Garner (“Alias,” “13 Going on 30,” “Juno,” “The Odd Life of Timothy Green,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” “Miracles from Heaven,” “Daredevil,” “Love, Simon”)

1974 – Singer-actress and fashion designer Victoria Beckham, known as Posh Spice when she performed with The Spice Girls

1985 – Actress Rooney Mara (“The Social Network,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” ” Side Effects,” “Carol”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1961 – The Bay of Pigs Invasion sees 1,400 CIA-trained and financed Cuban exiles invade Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow dictator Fidel Castro. 

1964 – Jerrie Mock achieves what Amelia Earhart could not, becoming the first woman pilot to fly solo around the world. It takes her 29.5 days to achieve the historic feat. Later, Mock is honored with the Gold Medal Award from President Lyndon Johnson on behalf of what is now the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

1964 – The Ford Mustang is officially unveiled at the World’s Fair in New York. That same day, the the so-called “pony car” debuts in Ford showrooms across the U.S. with buyers immediately snapping up almost 22,000 vehicles. Price tag for the base model is $2,372, half the cost of a Corvette.

1964 – Shea Stadium opens as the new home of the New York Mets in Flushing Queens, just a short distance from the World’s Fair.

1969 – A jury convicts Sirhan Sirhan of first degree murder for the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy a year earlier. Sirhan continues to serve a life sentence at a federal prison in California.

1970 – The Apollo 13 astronauts return safely to earth after an oxygen tank explosion robs them of a moon landing and nearly costs them their lives. 

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1965 – Freddie and the Dreamers wrap up two weeks as chart-toppers with “I’m Telling You Now.”

1970 – At the invitation of President Richard Nixon, country music legend Johnny Cash performs for an invited audience in the East Room of the White House. One of the first songs that Cash plays is a track that Nixon personally requested: “A Boy Named Sue.”

1971 – ”Joy to the World” launches Three Dog Night on a six-week ride atop the singles chart. 

1973 – Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which delivers classics like “Money” and “Us and Them,” begins a week at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, but remains on the chart for 15 years — the longest stretch of any rock album. 

1982 – Vangelis rules the album chart with the soundtrack to “Chariots Of Fire,” for which he later wins a Best Original Score Oscar.

1998 – Linda McCartney dies at the age of 56 following a long battle with cancer. She was married to Paul McCartney for nearly 30 years, was a member of his band Wings, and was an accomplished photographer and animal rights advocate.

1999 – “No Scrubs” becomes TLC’s third No. 1 single and holds the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. The track also garners the girl group a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.

2004 – “Yeah,” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, is in the middle of a 12-week domination of the single chart.

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On this Day: May 8

On this Day May 8

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1844 – 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman (d. 1072)

1926 – Stand-up comedian-actor Don Rickles, known for his insult style of humor and as a frequent guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and “Late Show (d. 2017)

1932 – Former World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston (d. 1970)

1940 – Vocalist Toni Tennille of the Grammy-winning 70s duo Captain & Tennille (“Love Will Keep Us Together,” “Do That To Me One More Time,” “Muskrat Love”)

1940 – Actor-singer Ricky Nelson (“The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “Hello Mary Lou,” “Travelin’ Man”) (d. 1985)

1964 – Actress-writer-producer Melissa Gilbert, best known as Laura Ingalls from NBC’s “Little House on the Prairie”

1975 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias, known as the “King of Latin Pop” (“Hero,” “Be With You,” “Escape”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1945 – Millions of people in cities across Great Britain and the U.S. celebrate Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) one day after Germany ‘s unconditional surrender to Allied forces.  British Prime Minister Winston Churchill takes to the radio airwaves at 3 p.m. local time to announce that World War II in Europe had ended.

1963 – The first James Bond 007 movie, “Dr. No,” starring Sean Connery as the British secret agent, opens in U.S. theaters. 

1973 – A 10-week standoff between federal authorities and American Indian Movement members occupying the Pine Ridge Reservation at Wounded Knee, South

1984 – The Soviet Union announces that it will boycott the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1980, the U.S. and more than 60 other countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

2010 – Actress Betty White, known for her former roles on “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” becomes the oldest person to host  “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) at age 88. White’s hosting gig came about, in part, after fans rallied for her in a Facebook campaign.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1961 – “Runaway,” by Del Shannon, is midway through a four-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart. Co-written by Shannon and keyboardist Max Crook, the track becomes a major international hit. It ranks 472 on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

1970 – Almost a month after the band’s breakup, The Beatles release their 12th and final studio album, “Let It Be,” in Britain. It reaches the top of the Billboard album chart five weeks later.

1976 – The theme from the ABC sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter” (starring Gabe Kaplan and a virtually unknown John Travolta) sits on top of the singles chart. It’s “Welcome Back” by former Lovin’ Spoonful front man John Sebastian.

1982 – Vangelis’ instrumental theme from the motion picture “Chariots of Fire” is the No. 1 single in the U.S. Vangelis later wins an Oscar for Best Original Score.

1993 – Aerosmith lands on top of the Billboard album chart with “Get A Grip,” which spawns two Grammy-winning singles: “Livin’ On the Edge” and “Crazy.”

1999 – Ricky Martin kicks off five weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”

2004 – “Yeah!,” by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, continues its 12-week reign over the singles chart.

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