On This Day: December 29

On This Day December 29

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Celebrity Birthdays
Celebrity Birthdays

1808 – 17th U.S. President Andrew Johnson (d. 1875), the first American president to face impeachment.

1936 – Emmy and Tony-winning actress Mary Tyler Moore (“The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Ordinary People”) (d. 2017)

1938 – Golden Globe-winning actor Jon Voight (“Midnight Cowboy,” “Mission: Impossible,” “Pearl Harbor,” “National Treasure,” “Ray Donovan”)

1946 – Singer-songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull

1947 – Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor-producer Ted Danson, best known as bartender Sam Malone in the 1980s sitcom “Cheers”

1972 – Actor-producer Jude Law (“Gattaca,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Cold Mountain,” “A.I.,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Spy”)

History Highlights
History Highlights

1845 – Six months after the Congress of the Republic of Texas votes for annexation by the United States, Texas is admitted into the Union as the 28th state.

1851 – The first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) location in the U.S. opens in Boston.

1890 – In the tragic final chapter of America’s long war against the Plains Indians, the U.S. Cavalry kills 146 Sioux Indians at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

1940 – On a Sunday evening, German bombers launch their deadliest World War II attack (“Blitz”) on London, destroying buildings and triggering hundreds of fires that make up what is termed “The Second Great Fire of London.”

1972 – Eastern Airlines Flight 401 — an L-1011 jumbo jet en route from New York to Miami — crashes in the Florida Everglades, killing 101 people. Seventy-five survive. Investigators determine that the pilot and co-pilot were distracted by a faulty indicator light and accidentally bumped a lever which deactivated the aircraft’s autopilot setting.

1975 – A bomb explodes inside the main terminal at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people and injuring 75 others. The crime is considered the deadliest terrorist act in the city prior to the infamous September 11, 2001 attack, and remains unsolved to this day.

Musical Milestones
Musical Milestones

1958 – “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” by David Seville and the Chipmunks, is the No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for four weeks. The band is later known as Alvin and the Chipmunks.

1962 – The Tornados remain in orbit around No. 1 on the singles chart for a second week with “Telstar.”

1966 – Paul McCartney begins laying down tracks at London’s Abbey Road Studios for “Penny Lane,” derived from the name of a street near John Lennon’s house in Liverpool.

1973 – Three months after his death in a plane crash, folk-rock singer Jim Croce scores his second No. 1 single of the year with “Time In A Bottle.”

1984 – Madonna’s first No. 1 single, “Like a Virgin,” marks its second week atop the Billboard Hot 100. Her breakthrough hit remains a chart-topper for six weeks. The pop superstar goes on to score 11 more No. 1 singles later in her career.

1990 – “Because I Love You (The Postman Song),” by Stevie B,” enters its fourth and final week as a No. 1 single.

2001 – Nickelback is midway through a four-week run as Billboard chart-toppers with “How You Remind Me,” off the band’s “Silver Side Up” album. The track is later named the most played song on U.S. radio during the 2000s by Nielsen Soundscan.

2007 – Alicia Keys reigns over the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth and final week with “No One.”

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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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