Wings - Time Rewind

On This Day April 17

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On This Day March 26

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Celebrity Birthdays

1874 – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Robert Frost (d. 1963)

1911 – Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams (“The Glass Menagerie,” “A Streetcar Named Desire”) (d. 1983)

1931 – Actor-director-writer Leonard Nimoy, best known for his portrayal of Mr. Spock in the “Star Trek” TV and movie series (d. 2015)

1934 – Actor Alan Arkin (“Wait Until Dark,” “The In-Laws,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Argo”)

1940 – Actor James Caan (“The Godfather,” “Brian’s Song,” “Rollerball,” “Alien Nation,” “Misery”)

1944 – Legendary Motown singer-actress Diana Ross, formerly of The Supremes

1948 – Rock singer-songwriter and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler

1950 – Comedian-actor and “SCTV” and “SNL” alum Martin Short

1950 – R&B soul singer Teddy Pendergrass (d. 2010)

1968 – Country music singer-songwriter and producer Kenny Chesney

1985 – Actress Keira Knightley (“Bend It Like Beckham,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Pride & Prejudice,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” “Atonement,” “The Imitation Game”)

History Highlights

1920 – “The Great Gatsby” author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, publishes his first novel, “This Side of Paradise,” launching a successful literary career.

1945 – The U.S. military declares the west Pacific island of Iwo Jima secured after weeks of combat against Japanese forces. More than 6,000 Marines died fighting for the island, along with almost all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers trying to defend it.

1953 – Dr. Jonas Salk goes on national radio to announce that he has successfully tested a vaccine against polio, a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease.

1979 – At a White House ceremony, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign a peace treaty ending 30 years of war between their two countries.

1982 – Ground is broken in Washington, D.C. for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which was founded by Jan Scruggs, who served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam from 1969-70 as an infantry corporal. Scruggs wanted to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of all who served in Vietnam.

2000 – Comedian Billy Crystal hosts the 72nd annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Best Picture honors go to “American Beauty,” and Best Actor to its star, Kevin Spacey. Hilary Swank wins Best Actress for her role in “Boys Don’t Cry.”

2024 – The container ship Dali collides with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the wee hours of the morning. The resulting bridge collapse kills six people and cripples the Port of Baltimore for almost three months.

Musical Milestones

1955 – “The Ballad of Davy Crockett,” by Bill Hayes, begins a five-week run at No. 1 on the pop chart. Other versions were recorded by Fess Parker and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The song originated with Walt Disney’s wildly popular “Davy Crockett” dramatization, a three-episode Frontier Land segment starring Parker that aired on the new ABC television series “Disneyland” between December 1954 and February 1955.

1966 – Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler mans his post at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ballad of the Green Berets.”

1971 – The Rolling Stones introduce their iconic tongue logo, known officially as “Tongue and Lips.”

1975 – The film version of The Who’s 1969 rock opera “Tommy” opens in London, featuring Elton John as The Champ, singing “Pinball Wizard,” and Tina Turner as the Acid Queen.

1976 – Wings, featuring Paul McCartney, release the “At the Speed of Sound” album, containing classics like “Silly Love Songs” and “Let ‘Em In.” Less than a month later, it reaches the top of the Billboard album chart.

1983 – Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” is in the midst of a six-week ride on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

1994 – “The Sign,” by the Swedish band Ace of Base, Is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart. The track enjoys six non-consecutive weeks in the top spot and goes on to become an international smash.

2005 – “Candy Shop,” by 50 Cent featuring Olivia, is in the middle of a nine-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On this Day August 3

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Celebrity Birthdays

1926 – Legendary Grammy and Emmy-winning pop-big band-jazz singer and painter Tony Bennett, born Anthony Benedetto

1940 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Martin Sheen (“Apocalypse Now,” “Gandhi,” “Wall Street,” “The American President,” “The West Wing,” “Catch Me if You Can,” “The Departed”)

1941 – Home decor queen and media mogul Martha Stewart

1950 – Director John Landis (“National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” “Trading Places”)

1959 – Actor John C. McGinley, best known for playing Dr. Perry Cox in the NBC sitcom “Scrubs”

1979 – Actress Evangeline Lilly (“Lost,” “The Huirt Locker,” Real Steel,” “Ant-Man,” “Avengers: Endgame”)

History Highlights

1492 – Italian explorer Christopher Columbus leads three sailing ships from Spain on a journey to find a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

1923 – Vice President Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 30th president of the United States hours after the death of President Warren G. Harding. A man of few words (he was nicknamed “Silent Cal”), Coolidge gains popularity as president, winning more than 54 percent of the popular vote when reelected in 1924.

1949 – The Basketball Association of America (BAA) merges with the National Basketball League (NBL) to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). Six NBL teams join the 10 BAA teams, plus an expansion team in Indianapolis, with the new league divided into Eastern, Central and Western Divisions.

1958 – America’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN 571), becomes the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater.

1977 – Roger Moore returns to the big screen as secret agent James Bond in “The Spy Who Loved Me.” The movie features a sleek, powerful Lotus Esprit sports car that doubles as a submarine.

1981 – Some 13,000 unionized air traffic controllers (members of PATCO, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) walk off the job and days later are fired by President Ronald Reagan.

2008 – The first published photos of former celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s newborn twins go up on People magazine’s website, and two weeks later, are published in a 19-page photo spread. People won the rights to the photos after a bidding war that, according to some reports, reached as high as $14 million — the most ever paid for celebrity baby pictures.

Musical Milestones

1963 – Allan Sherman releases his classic summer camp parody “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (A Letter From Camp).” Inspired by actual complaint letters that Sherman received from his son, Robert, while away at summer camp, the song climbs as high as No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart.

1968 – The Doors have the hottest single with “Hello, I Love You (Won’t You Tell Me Your Name).” It’s the band’s second chart-topper.

1971 – Paul McCartney announces the formation of his new band, Wings, featuring wife Linda and ex-Moody Blues member Denny Laine.

1973 – Stevie Wonder releases “Innervisions,” playing virtually all the instruments on six of the album’s nine tracks.

1974 – “Annie’s Song,” by John Denver, begins its second and final week as a No. 1 single.

1985 – “Shout,” by Tears for Fears, begins three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the British duo’s second U.S. No. 1.

1987 – Def Leppard releases “Hysteria,” which sells more than 25 million copies worldwide and becomes the band’s best-selling album to date. It spawns no less than seven hit singles, six of which make it to the Top 20.

1991 – “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” from the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” keeps Bryan Adams on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week. The track remains there for a total of seven weeks.

1996 – “Macarena,” by Los Del Rio, shimmies its way to the top of the Billboard pop chart and holds there for 14 weeks. Decades later, the song remains a favorite at wedding receptions, parties and sporting events.

2002 – Nelly burns up the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hot in Herre.” The track maintains a hold on the top spot for seven weeks.

On this Day June 26

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Celebrity Birthdays

1904 – Actor Peter Lorre, born László Loewenstein in Hungary (d. 1964)

1911 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias, considered the world’s greatest woman athlete (d. 1956)

1956 – Rock musician-actor Chris Isaak (“Wicked Game,” “Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing,” “Somebody’s Crying”)

1970 – Actor Chris O’Donnell (“Scent of a Woman,” “Batman Forever,” “Batman & Robin,” “NCIS” Los Angeles”)

1970 – Emmy-winning actor-comedian and producer Sean Hayes, best known for his starring role in the sitcom “Will & Grace”

1974 – Retired New York Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter

1980 – NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who served nearly two years in prison for his role in illegal dog fighting

1992 – Actress Jennette McCurdy, best known for her role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom “iCarly” and its spin-off, “Sam & Cat, which co-starred Ariana Grande

1993 – Actress-turned-Grammy-winning pop sensation Ariana Grande (“The Way,” “Break Free,” “Problem,” “Thank U, Next”)

History Highlights

1927 – Coney Island’s iconic Cyclone roller coaster begins operating. The ride quickly becomes a fan favorite, with long lines of repeat customers paying 25 cents per ride. In 1988, it is designated a New York City Landmark, and in 1991, it is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1948 – Known as the “Berlin Airlift,” U.S. and British planes begin delivering food and supplies through airdrops to (West) Berlin, Germany after Soviet forces seal off rail, road, and water access with a blockade. The crisis finally ends almost a year later when Soviet forces lift the blockade on land access to the city.

1959 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II preside at a ceremony marking the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which creates a navigational channel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.

1963 – President John F. Kennedy speaks the famous words, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” in a speech before cheering throngs in democratic West Berlin.

1974 – Grocery shopping is revolutionized with the introduction of the bar code. The first item scanned is a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

1993 – President Bill Clinton punishes Iraq for a plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

2015 – Marking a major milestone for civil rights, the Supreme Court rules that same-sex marriage cannot be banned in the United States and that all same-sex marriages must be recognized nationwide, finally granting same-sex couples equal rights to heterosexual couples under the law.

Musical Milestones

1961 – Gary U.S. Bonds kicks off two weeks on top of the pop chart with “Quarter to Three,” ranked among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.

1965 – The most popular single is The Byrds’ interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.”

1971 – “It’s Too Late,” by Carole King, is in the middle of a five-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. The track goes on to capture a Record of the Year Grammy — one of four Grammys associated with King’s “Tapestry” album.

1976 – Paul McCartney and Wings hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Silly Love Songs.”

1977 – Elvis Presley makes his last ever live stage appearance when he plays to a crowd of 18,000 at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Less than two months later, the 42-year-old music legend is dead.

1982 – Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder enter their seventh and final week as chart-toppers with “Ebony and Ivory.” The duet becomes one of the top-selling singles of 1982 and, in 2013, is ranked by Billboard as the 69th biggest all-time Hot 100 hit.

1993 – Janet Jackson rules the Billboard Hot 100 with “That’s the Way Love Goes.”

1999 – Jennifer Lopez is midway through a five-week run atop the singles chart with “If You Had My Love.”

2004 – Usher holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a sixth week with “Burn.”

On this Day May 22

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Celebrity Birthdays

1813 – German classical music composer Richard Wagner (d. 1883)

1859 – Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (d. 1930)

1907 – Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actor Sir Laurence Olivier (“Wuthering Heights,” “Hamlet,” “Marathon Man”) (d. 1989)

1938 – Golden Globe-winning actor Richard Benjamin (“Goodbye, Columbus,” “Westworld,” “The Sunshine Boys”)

1950 – Pop music lyricist and longtime Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin

1959 – Singer-songwriter and former The Smiths frontman Morrissey, born Stephen Patrick Morrissey (“This Charming Man,” “How Soon Is Now?” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” “Girlfriend in a Coma”)

1970 – British supermodel and actress Naomi Campbell

1979 – Model-turned-actress Maggie Q, born Margaret Quigley (“Mission: Impossible III,” “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Nikita,” “Divergent,” “Designated Survivor”)

History Highlights

1947 – The Truman Doctrine takes effect, providing U.S. aid to Greece and Turkey in an effort to combat Communism after World War II.

1960 – The most powerful earthquake ever recorded (9.5 magnitude) strikes southern Chile, killing 2,000 people and leaving two million people homeless.

1966 – Bill Cosby, the first African American actor to star in a regular dramatic series, wins the Best Actor Emmy for his role in “I Spy.”

1967 – The educational children’s series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” hosted by creator Fred Rogers donning his famous cardigan sweater, premieres on Pittsburgh public television station WQED. Less than a year later, it airs coast to coast on National Education Television (NET), which later becomes Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

1980 – Gaming is revolutionized with the release of PAC-MAN. The iconic video game features a maze filled with dots and prizes and menacing bright-colored ghosts that players must gobble up or avoid in order to win. It becomes one of the highest-grossing video games of all time.

1992 – After nearly 30 years as the king of late-night television, Johnny Carson makes his final appearance as host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

Musical Milestones

1961 – “Mother-in-Law,” by New Orleans native Ernie K-Doe, is the No. 1 single. The song was written and produced by Allen Toussaint, who also played the piano solo.

1965 – The Beatles have a ticket to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard singles chart with “Ticket to Ride,” from the “Help!” soundtrack.

1971 – “Sticky Fingers,” by The Rolling Stones, begins a four-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, spawning the hits “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses.” The iconic album features a cover photo of tight-fitting jeans with an actual working zipper, conceived by celebrated pop artist Andy Warhol. And the sleeve features the first use of the now-legendary “tongue and lips” logo designed by John Pasche.

1976 – “Silly Love Songs,” by Wings featuring Paul McCartney, begins a five-week run as the hottest single in the U.S.

1982 – The Paul McCartney-Stevie Wonder duet, “Ebony and Ivory,” is in its second of seven weeks as a chart-topper

1999 – Grammy-winning pop vocalist Ricky Martin is midway through a five-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

2004 – Usher sears his way into the top of the pop chart with “Burn,” which stays at No. 1 for eight weeks.

On this Day May 20

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Celebrity Birthdays

1908 – Oscar-winning actor Jimmy Stewart (“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Vertigo”) (d. 1997)

1944 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Joe Cocker (“With a Little Help From My Friends,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “Up Where We Belong”) (d. 2014)

1946 – Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning singer-actress Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere and nicknamed the “Goddess of Pop”

1965 – Emmy-winning TV host, “Iron Chef America” and “Top Chef” judge and author Ted Allen (“Queer Eye,” “Chopped”)

1966 – Actress Mindy Cohn, best remembered for playing Natalie in the sitcom “The Facts of Life”

1971 – NASCAR champion Tony Stewart, nicknamed “Smoke”

1972 – Rapper-producer Busta Rhymes, born Trevor George Smith, Jr. (“Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” “Dangerous”)

History Highlights

1873 – Blue jeans enter the fashion world as San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada tailor Jacob Davis receive a patent to produce work pants reinforced with metal rivets.

1927 – Charles Lindbergh begins the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from Long Island, New York aboard the Spirit of Saint Louis and touching down in Paris late the next day.

1932 – Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world’s first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, landing in Ireland the next day.

1956 – The arms race heats up as the United States proves it can deliver a hydrogen bomb from the air by dropping one from a B-52 bomber on the small Pacific Ocean island group known as the Bikini Atoll. At approximately 15 megatons, this bomb was more powerful than those previously tested.

1989 – Chinese authorities declare martial law and send troops into Beijing in an unsuccessful bid to stop pro-democracy demonstrators.

1996 – In a victory for the gay and lesbian civil rights movement, the U.S. Supreme Court (Romer v. Evans) votes 6 to 3 to strike down an amendment to Colorado’s state constitution that would have prevented any city, town, or county in the state from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians.

Musical Milestones

1967 – “Groovin’,” by The Young Rascals, begins four non-consecutive weeks as the most popular single in the U.S. The track is on the album of the same name.

1970 – The Beatles film “Let It Be,” originally entitled “Get Back,” premieres in the U.K., one week after premiering in New York.

1978 – “With a Little Luck,” by Wings featuring Paul McCartney, is No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart and holds there for two weeks. The track is from the band’s “London Town” album.

1989 – Paula Abdul tops the Billboard Hot 100 with “Forever Your Girl,” the second of four No. 1 hits off her album of the same title.

1995 – For the sixth week in a row, Montell Jordan holds the top spot on the pop chart with “This Is How We Do It.”

1998 – Some 400 celebrities pay their final respects to entertainer Frank Sinatra during funeral services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California.

2000 – “Maria Maria,” by Santana featuring The Product G&B, is midway through a 10-week domination of the Billboard Hot 100. The track is off the “Supernatural” album, which sweeps the 2000 Grammy Awards with eight trophies, tying Michael Jackson for most Grammys in a single ceremony.

2006 – Rihanna rules the pop chart with “SOS,” which holds the top spot for three weeks. The dance track samples Soft Cell’s 1981 recording of “Tainted Love.”

On This Day April 17

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On This Day March 26

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On this Day August 3

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On this Day June 26

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On this Day May 22

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On this Day May 20

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