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On This Day October 1

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Celebrity Birthdays

1910 – Outlaw Bonnie Parker (Bonnie & Clyde) (d. 1934)

1920 – Actor Walter Matthau (“The Odd Couple,” “The Fortune Cookie,” “Grumpy Old Men,” “Dennis the Menace”) (d. 2000)

1921 – Tony and Emmy-winning actor James Whitmore (“The Asphalt Jungle,” “Them!,” “Kiss Me Kate,” “Battle Cry,” “Oklahoma!,” “Planet of the Apes,” “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” “The Serpent’s Egg,” “Nuts,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Majestic.” (d. 2009)

1924 – 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter

1927 – Actor Tom Bosley (“Happy Days,” “The Father Dowling Mysteries,” “Murder, She Wrote”) (d. 2010)

1928 – Actor George Peppard (“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” “The Blue Max,” “The A-Team”) (d. 1994)

1930 – Actor Richard Harris, best known for his performances as King Arthur in Broadway’s “Camelot” and Albus Dumbledore in the first two “Harry Potter” films (d. 2002)

1935 – Oscar and Tony-winning actress-singer Julie Andrews, born Julia Elizabeth Wells (“Mary Poppins,” “The Sound of Music,” “Camelot,” “My Fair Lady,” “Victor, Victoria,” “The Princess Diaries”)

1950 – Actor and “Saturday Night Live” alum Randy Quaid (“National Lampoon’s Vacation” and its sequels, “Independence Day”)

1969 – Comedian-actor Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover” movie series, “Due Date,” “The Campaign,” “Are You Here,” “Birdman,” “Keeping Up with the Joneses”)

History Highlights

1890 – Yosemite National Park, located in the Sierra Nevada mountains of central California and home to such natural wonders as El Capitan and Half Dome as well as the giant sequoia trees, is established by an act of Congress. The sprawling 760,000-acre park typically draws about four million visitors a year.

1961 – Americans meet a talking horse with the premiere of the TV comedy “Mister Ed.”

1961 – New York Yankee Roger Maris becomes the first Major League baseball player to hit more than 60 home runs in a single season. He hits his 61st homer on the final day of the season against the Boston Red Sox.

1962 – Johnny Carson begins hosting “The Tonight Show” on NBC. He succeeds Jack Paar, who took over from the original host, Steve Allen. Carson remains host until turning his seat and microphone over to Jay Leno in May 1992.

1971 – Ten thousand visitors converge near Orlando, Florida as Disney opens its second theme park — Walt Disney World. Admission to the Magic Kingdom costs $3.50 for adults and $1 for children.

Musical Milestones

1966 – “Cherish,” by The Association, parks itself at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

1970 – Funeral services are held for Seattle native Jimi Hendrix. The legendary rock guitarist and singer-songwriter died in London two weeks earlier at the age of 27.

1977 – Meco’s disco interpretation of composer John Williams’ theme from the motion picture “Star Wars” (later retitled “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”) kicks off two weeks as the No. 1 single.

1982 – A revolution in the way we listen to music takes place, as the first compact disc (CD) player goes on sale in Japan for about $1,000. It’s the Sony CDP-101, and it lands in stores around the world six months later. The first CD to officially hit the market is Billy Joel’s “52nd Street.”

1988 – “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” by Bobby McFerrin, marks its second and final week as a Billboard No. 1 single. 

1994 – Boyz II Men own the top spot on the pop chart with “I’ll Make Love to You,” which remains at No. 1 for 14 weeks and captures a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

2005 – “Gold Digger,” by Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx, is in the middle of a 10-week run atop the Billboard Hot 100. The track, which samples Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman,” is the second chart-topper for West and Foxx. It goes on to capture a Best Rap Solo Performance Grammy.

2011 – “Moves Like Jagger,” by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera, is the No. 1 single.

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