Today in History - Nov 27th
Today's Birthdays
1874 Charles A. Beard, historian (The Basic History of the United States) died Sep 1, 1948
1874 Chaim Weizmann, Israeli statesman, died Nov 9, 1952
1909 James Agee, writer (A Death in the Family) died May 16, 1955
1911 David Merrick (Margulois), Broadway producer (Gypsy, Hello, Dolly!, 42nd Street) died Apr 25, 2000
1916 Chick Hearn, sportscaster (LA Lakers) died Aug 5, 2002
1917 ‘Buffalo’ Bob Smith, TV host (Howdy Doody Show) died July 30, 1998
1935 Al Jackson Jr., drummer (Booker T. and the M.G.’s) died Oct 1, 1975
1940 Bruce Lee (Lee Jun Fan), actor/martial artist (The Green Hornet, Return of the Dragon, Fists of Fury, Enter the Dragon) died July 20, 1973
1941 Eddie Rabbitt, singer/songwriter (Kentucky Rain, I Love A Rainy Night, Drivin’ My Life Away) died May 7, 1998
1942 Jimi (James Marshall) Hendrix, singer/guitar virtuoso (Foxy Lady, Purple Haze, All Along the Watch Tower) died Sep 18, 1970
1942 Manolo Blahnik, Spanish shoe designer
1948 James Avery, actor (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
1951 Jayne Kennedy, sportscaster/actress (The NFL Today)
1952 Daryl Stuermer, touring bassist/guitarist (Genesis)
1953 Curtis Armstrong, actor (Revenge of the Nerds series, One Crazy Summer, Better Off Dead)
1954 Patricia McPherson, actress (Knight Rider)
1955 Bill Nye, TV personality (Bill Nye the Science Guy)
1956 William Fichtner, actor (Armageddon, Contact, Black Hawk Down, Crash)
1957 Caroline (Bouvier) Kennedy, former First Daughter
1958 Mike Scioscia, MLB manager (Los Angeles Angels)
1959 Charlie Burchill, guitarist (Simple Minds)
1961 Steve Oedekerk, film director/actor/comedian (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist)
1962 Mike Bordin, drummer (Faith No More, Ozzy Osbourne)
1962 Charlie Benante, drummer/guitarist (Anthrax)
1963 Fisher Stevens, actor (Hackers, Short Circuit series, The Flamingo Kid, Bob Roberts)
1964 Robin Givens, actress (Boomerang, Head of the Class, The Women of Brewster Place, Beverly Hills Madam)
1968 Michael Vartan, actor (Alias)
1973 Samantha Harris, model/host (Dancing with the Stars)
1975 Martin Gramatica, NFL placekicker (Dallas Cowboys)
1976 Jaleel White, actor (Family Matters)
1978 Jimmy Rollins, MLB shortstop (Philadelphia Phillies)
Today's Deaths in History
0008 BC Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), Roman poet, dies at 57
1901 Clement Studebaker, automobile manufacturer, dies at 70
1934 Baby Face Nelson, gangster, shot and killed by the FBI at 25
1953 Eugene O'Neill, playwright (Beyond the Horizon) dies at 65
1975 Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records, dies at 50
1978 Harvey Milk, politician, assassinated at 48
1978 George Moscone, Mayor of San Francisco, assassinated at 49
1981 Lotte Lenya, Austrian singer/actress, dies at 83
1988 John Carradine, actor (The Grapes of Wrath) dies at 82
2005 Jocelyn Brando, actress (The Big Heat) dies at 86
2005 Joe Jones, American R&B singer (Iko Iko) dies at 79
2007 Sean Taylor, NFL Safety (Washington Redskins) shot and killed at 24
Today in History
1779 The College of Pennsylvania became the University of Pennsylvania and the first legally recognized university in America.
1889 Curtis P. Brady was issued the first permit to drive an automobile through Central Park in New York City.
1901 The Army War College was established in Washington, D.C.
1910 Pennsylvania Station, the largest railway station in the world, opened to traffic.
1924 The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in New York City.
1926 Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong recorded "You Made Me Love You" on Okeh Records.
1934 Bank robber Baby Face Nelson died in a shoot-out with the FBI.
1942 The French navy at Toulon scuttled its ships and submarines to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
1945 C.A.R.E. (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere) was founded, as 22 American organizations formed a cooperative to rush lifesaving CARE packages to survivors of World War II.
1960 Gordie Howe became the first player to reach the NHL landmark of 1000 points.
1967 The Association earned a gold record for the hit "Never My Love," on Warner Bros. Records.
1967 The Beatles released their Magical Mystery Tour album.
1969 The Rolling Stones used portions of their stint this date at New York’s Madison Square Garden for their live album Get Yer Ya-Yas Out, released in 1970.
1970 Pope Paul VI, visiting the Philippines, was slightly wounded at the Manila airport by a dagger-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest.
1973 The Senate voted 92-3 to confirm Gerald R. Ford as vice president, succeeding Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned.
1975 The Provisional IRA assassinated Ross McWhirter, after a press conference in which McWhirter announced a reward for the capture of those responsible for multiple bombings and shootings across England.
1977 John Travolta set box office records with Saturday Night Fever.
1978 San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk were shot to death inside City Hall by Dan White, a former supervisor.
1985 The British House of Commons approved the Anglo-Irish accord, giving Dublin a consultative role in the governing of British-ruled Northern Ireland.
1986 Lou Holtz signed a five-year pact to lead the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
2001 A hydrogen atmosphere was discovered on the extrasolar planet Osiris by the Hubble Space Telescope, the first atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.
2002 U.N. specialists began a new round of weapons inspections in Iraq.
2003 President George W. Bush flew to Iraq under extraordinary secrecy and security to spend Thanksgiving with U.S. troops.
Chart Toppers
1950
Harbor Lights - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Tony Alamo)
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
All My Love - Patti Page
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
1958
It’s Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty
To Know Him, is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears
One Night - Elvis Presley
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
You Keep Me Hangin’ On - The Supremes
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder &
The Detroit Wheels
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
I Can Help - Billy Swan
Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied) - B.T. Express
Longfellow Serenade - Neil Diamond
Trouble in Paradise - Loretta Lynn
1982
Truly - Lionel Richie
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Mickey - Toni Basil
It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Easy - Janie Fricke
1990
Love Takes Time - Mariah Carey
More Than Words Can Say - Alias
I’m Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
Come Next Monday - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.
George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 - 1950)
Full Version: Today in History
Today in History - Nov 28th
Today's Birthdays
1628 John Bunyan, author (A Pilgrim’s Progress) died in 1688
1757 William Blake, poet/engraver (Songs of Innocence) died in 1827
1922 Wes Westrum, MLB catcher/manager (San Francisco Giants) died May 28, 2002
1923 Gloria Grahame (Hallward), actress (The Bad and the Beautiful, Oklahoma!, It’s a Wonderful Life) died Oct 5, 1981
1929 Berry Gordy Jr., founder (Motown Records)
1932 Ray Perkins, singer (The Crew-Cuts)
1933 Hope Lange, actress (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Bus Stop, Peyton Place) died Dec 19, 2003
1936 Gary Hart (Gary Warren Hartpence), U.S. Senator from Colorado/former presidential candidate
1938 Michael Ritchie, director (Fletch, The Bad News Bears, The Candidate) died Apr 16, 2001
1939 Gary Troxel, singer (The Fleetwoods)
1942 Paul Warfield, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Miami Dolphins)
1943 Randy (Randall Stuart) Newman, singer/songwriter/composer (Toy Story, Avalon, Parenthood, The Natural, Ragtime)
1945 R.B. Greaves, singer (Take a Letter Maria)
1948 Beeb Birtles, guitarist (The Little River Band)
1949 Alexander Godunov (Boris Alexandrovich Godunov), ballet dancer/actor (Die Hard, Witness) died May 18, 1995
1949 Paul Shaffer, band leader (Late Show with David Letterman)
1950 Ed Harris, actor (Nixon, Apollo 13, The Firm, Glengarry Glen Ross, Places in the Heart, The Right Stuff)
1952 S. Epatha Merkerson, actress (Law and Order)
1953 Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security
1959 Judd Nelson, actor (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club)
1961 Alfonso Cuaron, director (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
1962 Jon Stewart, comedian/actor (The Daily Show)
1962 Matt Cameron, drummer (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
1966 Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, actress (NYPD Blue)
1967 Anna Nicole Smith, Playmate (May 1992, PMOY 1993) died Feb 8, 2007
1968 Dawn Robinson, R&B singer (En Vogue)
1973 Jade Puget, guitarist (AFI)
1974 apl.de.ap, hip-hop artist (Black Eyed Peas)
1984 Marc-Andre Fleury, NHL goaltender (PIttsburgh Penguins)
1984 Mary Elizabeth Winstead, actress (Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Live Free or Die Hard, Grindhouse)
Today's Deaths in History
1859 Washington Irving, writer (Sleepy Hollow) dies at 76
1939 James Naismith, inventor (basketball) dies at 78
1945 Dwight F. Davis, U.S. Secretary of War/donor of the Davis Cup, dies at 66
1954 Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, dies at 53
1960 Richard Wright, African-American author (Native Son) dies at 52
1976 Rosalind Russell, actress (His Girl Friday) dies at 69
1983 Christopher George, actor (The Rat Patrol) dies at 54
1993 Jerry Edmonton, drummer (Steppenwolf) dies at 47
1993 Garry Moore, entertainer (To Tell the Truth) dies at 78
1994 Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer, is killed at 34
Today in History
1520 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.
1582 William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway paid a £40 bond for their marriage license.
1843 The Kingdom of Hawaii was officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation.
1895 The first automobile race in America began, as six cars traveled from Jackson Park in Chicago to Waukegan, Illinois.
1922 The first skywriting display occurreed, as the words “Hello USA” were written in the sky over New York City.
1925 The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville made its radio debut on station WSM.
1929 Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals scored all the points in this game as the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears 40-6.
1942 Coffee rationing began in the United States, lasting through the end of World War II.
1942 A tragic fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston, MA killed nearly 500 people, including popular western actor Charles ‘Buck’ Jones.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran during World War II.
1953 New York City began 11 days without newspapers when a strike of photoengravers shut down publication.
1958 The African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.
1963 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in a televised address that Cape Canaveral would be renamed Cape Kennedy in memory of President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated six days earlier.
1964 NASA launched the Mariner 4 probe toward Mars.
1974 John Lennon appeared in concert for the last time, at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
1975 President Gerald R. Ford nominated federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.
1981 Alabama football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant won his 315th victory to become college football’s all-time career victory leader.
1984 More than 250 years after their deaths, William Penn and his wife Hannah Callowhill Penn were made Honorary Citizens of the United States.
1984 Phil Donahue took his daily talk show to New York, reaching an estimated 7 million people each day.
1986 NBC’s Ahmad Rashad heard the acceptance of his marriage proposal from Phylicia Ayers-Allen during halftime of the Detroit Lions-New York Jets football game.
1988 Picasso’s Acrobat and Young Harlequin brought £21 million at Christie’s in London.
1990 Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who conferred the premiership on John Major.
1994 Convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was clubbed to death by an inmate in the Columbia Correctional Institution gymnasium.
1995 President Bill Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.
1996 The U.S. space shuttle Columbia had a stuck hatch (later blamed on a loose screw) which prevented astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Tom Jones from performing a spacewalk.
1999 Hsing-Hsing, a giant panda who arrived at the National Zoo in 1972 as a symbol of U.S.-China detente, was euthanized at age 28 because of his deteriorating health.
2000 George W. Bush's lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to bring "legal finality" to the presidential election by ending any further ballot recounts; Al Gore's team countered that the nation's highest court should not interfere in Florida's recount dispute.
2001 Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion deal to take it over.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Because of You - Tony Bennett
And So to Sleep Again - Patti Page
Slow Poke - Pee Wee King
1959
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods
Deck of Cards - Wink Martindale
Country Girl - Faron Young
1967
Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
That’s the Way (I like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
The Way I Want to Touch You - Captain & Tennille
Rocky - Dickey Lee
1983
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Holding Her and Loving You - Earl Thomas Conley
1991
When a Man Loves a Woman - Michael Bolton
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
That’s What Love is For - Amy Grant
Shameless - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science.
Henri Poincare, French mathematician & physicist (1854 - 1912)
Today's Birthdays
1628 John Bunyan, author (A Pilgrim’s Progress) died in 1688
1757 William Blake, poet/engraver (Songs of Innocence) died in 1827
1922 Wes Westrum, MLB catcher/manager (San Francisco Giants) died May 28, 2002
1923 Gloria Grahame (Hallward), actress (The Bad and the Beautiful, Oklahoma!, It’s a Wonderful Life) died Oct 5, 1981
1929 Berry Gordy Jr., founder (Motown Records)
1932 Ray Perkins, singer (The Crew-Cuts)
1933 Hope Lange, actress (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Bus Stop, Peyton Place) died Dec 19, 2003
1936 Gary Hart (Gary Warren Hartpence), U.S. Senator from Colorado/former presidential candidate
1938 Michael Ritchie, director (Fletch, The Bad News Bears, The Candidate) died Apr 16, 2001
1939 Gary Troxel, singer (The Fleetwoods)
1942 Paul Warfield, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Miami Dolphins)
1943 Randy (Randall Stuart) Newman, singer/songwriter/composer (Toy Story, Avalon, Parenthood, The Natural, Ragtime)
1945 R.B. Greaves, singer (Take a Letter Maria)
1948 Beeb Birtles, guitarist (The Little River Band)
1949 Alexander Godunov (Boris Alexandrovich Godunov), ballet dancer/actor (Die Hard, Witness) died May 18, 1995
1949 Paul Shaffer, band leader (Late Show with David Letterman)
1950 Ed Harris, actor (Nixon, Apollo 13, The Firm, Glengarry Glen Ross, Places in the Heart, The Right Stuff)
1952 S. Epatha Merkerson, actress (Law and Order)
1953 Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security
1959 Judd Nelson, actor (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Breakfast Club)
1961 Alfonso Cuaron, director (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
1962 Jon Stewart, comedian/actor (The Daily Show)
1962 Matt Cameron, drummer (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam)
1966 Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, actress (NYPD Blue)
1967 Anna Nicole Smith, Playmate (May 1992, PMOY 1993) died Feb 8, 2007
1968 Dawn Robinson, R&B singer (En Vogue)
1973 Jade Puget, guitarist (AFI)
1974 apl.de.ap, hip-hop artist (Black Eyed Peas)
1984 Marc-Andre Fleury, NHL goaltender (PIttsburgh Penguins)
1984 Mary Elizabeth Winstead, actress (Final Destination 3, Black Christmas, Live Free or Die Hard, Grindhouse)
Today's Deaths in History
1859 Washington Irving, writer (Sleepy Hollow) dies at 76
1939 James Naismith, inventor (basketball) dies at 78
1945 Dwight F. Davis, U.S. Secretary of War/donor of the Davis Cup, dies at 66
1954 Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, dies at 53
1960 Richard Wright, African-American author (Native Son) dies at 52
1976 Rosalind Russell, actress (His Girl Friday) dies at 69
1983 Christopher George, actor (The Rat Patrol) dies at 54
1993 Jerry Edmonton, drummer (Steppenwolf) dies at 47
1993 Garry Moore, entertainer (To Tell the Truth) dies at 78
1994 Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer, is killed at 34
Today in History
1520 Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait that now bears his name.
1582 William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway paid a £40 bond for their marriage license.
1843 The Kingdom of Hawaii was officially recognized by the United Kingdom and France as an independent nation.
1895 The first automobile race in America began, as six cars traveled from Jackson Park in Chicago to Waukegan, Illinois.
1922 The first skywriting display occurreed, as the words “Hello USA” were written in the sky over New York City.
1925 The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville made its radio debut on station WSM.
1929 Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals scored all the points in this game as the Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears 40-6.
1942 Coffee rationing began in the United States, lasting through the end of World War II.
1942 A tragic fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston, MA killed nearly 500 people, including popular western actor Charles ‘Buck’ Jones.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin met in Tehran during World War II.
1953 New York City began 11 days without newspapers when a strike of photoengravers shut down publication.
1958 The African nation of Chad became an autonomous republic within the French community.
1963 U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced in a televised address that Cape Canaveral would be renamed Cape Kennedy in memory of President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated six days earlier.
1964 NASA launched the Mariner 4 probe toward Mars.
1974 John Lennon appeared in concert for the last time, at NYC’s Madison Square Garden.
1975 President Gerald R. Ford nominated federal Judge John Paul Stevens to the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by William O. Douglas.
1981 Alabama football coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant won his 315th victory to become college football’s all-time career victory leader.
1984 More than 250 years after their deaths, William Penn and his wife Hannah Callowhill Penn were made Honorary Citizens of the United States.
1984 Phil Donahue took his daily talk show to New York, reaching an estimated 7 million people each day.
1986 NBC’s Ahmad Rashad heard the acceptance of his marriage proposal from Phylicia Ayers-Allen during halftime of the Detroit Lions-New York Jets football game.
1988 Picasso’s Acrobat and Young Harlequin brought £21 million at Christie’s in London.
1990 Margaret Thatcher resigned as prime minister of Britain during an audience with Queen Elizabeth II, who conferred the premiership on John Major.
1994 Convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was clubbed to death by an inmate in the Columbia Correctional Institution gymnasium.
1995 President Bill Clinton signed a bill that ended the federal 55 mph speed limit.
1996 The U.S. space shuttle Columbia had a stuck hatch (later blamed on a loose screw) which prevented astronauts Tammy Jernigan and Tom Jones from performing a spacewalk.
1999 Hsing-Hsing, a giant panda who arrived at the National Zoo in 1972 as a symbol of U.S.-China detente, was euthanized at age 28 because of his deteriorating health.
2000 George W. Bush's lawyers asked the U.S. Supreme Court to bring "legal finality" to the presidential election by ending any further ballot recounts; Al Gore's team countered that the nation's highest court should not interfere in Florida's recount dispute.
2001 Enron Corp., once the world's largest energy trader, collapsed after would-be rescuer Dynegy Inc. backed out of an $8.4 billion deal to take it over.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Because of You - Tony Bennett
And So to Sleep Again - Patti Page
Slow Poke - Pee Wee King
1959
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods
Deck of Cards - Wink Martindale
Country Girl - Faron Young
1967
Incense and Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
That’s the Way (I like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
The Way I Want to Touch You - Captain & Tennille
Rocky - Dickey Lee
1983
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
Holding Her and Loving You - Earl Thomas Conley
1991
When a Man Loves a Woman - Michael Bolton
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
That’s What Love is For - Amy Grant
Shameless - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science.
Henri Poincare, French mathematician & physicist (1854 - 1912)
Today in History - Nov 29th
Today's Birthdays
1607 John Harvard, clergyman/scholar (Harvard College) died Sep 14, 1638
1816 Morrison R. Waite, seventh Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Mar 23, 1888
1832 Louisa May Alcott, author (Little Women) died Mar 6, 1888
1895 Busby Berkeley (William Berkeley Enos), choreographer/director (Forty Second Street, For Me and My Gal) died Mar 14, 1976
1898 C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, Christian novelist/author (Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet) died Nov 22, 1963
1908 Adam Clayton Powell Jr., civil rights leader/politician, died Apr 35, 1972
1917 Merle Travis, songwriter/singer (16 Tons, Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette) died Oct 20, 1983
1927 Vin Scully, radio/TV sportscaster (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1928 Paul Simon, politician/Presidential candidate, died Dec 9, 2003
1932 Jacques Chirac, President of France
1932 Diane Ladd (Rose Diane Ladnier), actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Chinatown, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
1933 John Mayall, songwriter/bandleader (The Bluesbreakers)
1933 Dr. David Reuben, author (Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask)
1939 Meco (Domenico Monardo), musician (Star Wars Theme)
1940 Chuck Mangione, composer/flugelhornist (Feels So Good)
1941 Denny Doherty, singer (The Mamas and The Papas) died Jan 19, 2007
1944 Felix Cavaliere, singer (The Young Rascals, The Rascals)
1947 Suzy Chaffee, Olympic skier
1949 Garry Shandling, comedian/actor (The Larry Sanders Show)
1951 Barry Goudreau, guitar (Orion the Hunter, Boston)
1951 Roger Troutman, funk musician (Zapp) died Apr 25, 1999
1954 Joel Coen, director (Fargo, No Country for Old Men)
1955 Howie Mandel, comedian/actor (St. Elsewhere, Deal or No Deal)
1958 Kim Delaney, actress (NYPD Blue, Darkman II: The Return of Durant, Mission to Mars)
1958 Michael Dempsey, bassist (The Cure)
1960 Cathy Moriarty, actress (Casper, Soapdish, Kindergarten Cop, Matinee, Raging Bull)
1961 Tom Sizemore, actor (Saving Private Ryan, Heart and Souls, Big Trouble)
1962 Andrew McCarthy, actor (Weekend at Bernie’s series, Mannequin, St. Elmo’s Fire)
1964 Don Cheadle, actor (Devil in a Blue Dress, Boogie Nights, Bulworth, Mission to Mars, Rush Hour 2, Ocean’s Eleven)
1965 Ellen Cleghorne, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Jonathan (Rashleigh) Knight, singer/dancer (New Kids on the Block)
1971 Gena Lee Nolin, actress (Baywatch, Sheena)
1972 Brian Baumgartner, actor (The Office)
1976 Anna Faris, actress (Scary Movie series)
1981 Ringo Garza, drummer/singer (Los Lonely Boys)
1982 Lucas Black, actor (Sling Blade, Friday Night Lights)
1982 Ashley Force, funny car driver
Today's Deaths in History
1530 Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal/adviser to King Henry VIII of England, dies at 55
1924 Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer, dies at 65
1974 James J. Braddock, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 69
1979 Zeppo Marx, actor/comedian (Marx Brothers) dies at 78
1981 Natalie Wood, actress (Miracle on 34th Street) drowns in a boating accident at 43
1986 Cary Grant, actor (An Affair to Remember, The Philadelphia Story, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest) dies at 82
1991 Ralph Bellamy, actor (Trading places, Coming to America) dies at 87
1999 Gene Rayburn, game show host (Match Game) dies at 81
2001 George Harrison, guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Beatles) dies at 58
2005 Wendie Jo Sperber, actress (Bachelor Party) dies at 47
2007 Henry Hyde, U.S. Representative (Illinois) dies at 83
Today in History
1825 Rossini’s Barber of Seville was presented in New York City, the first Italian opera to be presented in the United States.
1890 The first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, New York. with Navy winning 24-0.
1904 President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a letter to his distant cousin Franklin, saying that he approved of Franklin’s engagement to the President’s niece, Eleanor.
1910 A patent for a traffic light system was issued to Ernest Sirrine.
1929 Lt. Commander Richard E. Byrd flew over the South Pole, becoming the first American to do so.
1934 The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 19-16 in the first nationally broadcasted game.
1938 Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra waxed "Hawaiian War Chant" for Victor Records.
1947 The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for Palestine to be partitioned between Arabs and Jews.
1948 Otello became the first opera to be televised, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1952 President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower kept his campaign promise to visit Korea to assess the ongoing conflict.
1959 The Grammy Awards were shown on network television for the first time.
1961 Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited Earth twice before returning.
1962 Major-league baseball decided to return to playing only one All-Star Game a year beginning in 1963.
1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson named a commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1967 Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank.
1972 Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, released Pong (the first commercially successful video game) in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California.
1975 The name "Micro-soft" (for "microcomputer software") is first used in a letter from Bill Gates to Paul Allen.
1982 The United Nations General Assembly passed United Nations Resolution 37/37, stating that Soviet Union forces should withdraw from Afghanistan.
1986 The blockbuster five-record set, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85, debuted at #1 on the album charts.
1989 In response to a growing pro-democracy movement in Czechoslovakia, the Communist-run parliament ended the party's 40-year monopoly on power.
1990 The U.N. Security Council voted 12-2 to authorize military action if Iraq did not withdraw its troops from Kuwait and release all foreign hostages by Jan. 15, 1991.
1994 The city of Seoul celebrated its 600th anniversary as the capital of Korea.
1996 A U.N. court sentenced Bosnian Serb army soldier Drazen Erdemovic to 10 years in prison for his role in the massacre of 1,200 Muslims - the first international war crimes sentence since World War II.
1999 Protestant and Catholic adversaries formed a Northern Ireland government.
Chart Toppers
1944
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
Dance with the Dolly - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: Al Jennings)
I’ll Walk Alone - Dinah Shore
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Lady of Spain - Eddie Fisher
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Hank Williams
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Last Date - Floyd Cramer
A Thousand Stars - Kathy Young with The Innocents
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion
Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
Good Woman Blues - Mel Tillis
1984
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
I Feel for You - Chaka Khan
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break - Johnny Lee
Quote of the Day
Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.
Herman Melville, US novelist & sailor (1819 - 1891)
Today's Birthdays
1607 John Harvard, clergyman/scholar (Harvard College) died Sep 14, 1638
1816 Morrison R. Waite, seventh Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Mar 23, 1888
1832 Louisa May Alcott, author (Little Women) died Mar 6, 1888
1895 Busby Berkeley (William Berkeley Enos), choreographer/director (Forty Second Street, For Me and My Gal) died Mar 14, 1976
1898 C.S. (Clive Staples) Lewis, Christian novelist/author (Chronicles of Narnia, Out of the Silent Planet) died Nov 22, 1963
1908 Adam Clayton Powell Jr., civil rights leader/politician, died Apr 35, 1972
1917 Merle Travis, songwriter/singer (16 Tons, Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette) died Oct 20, 1983
1927 Vin Scully, radio/TV sportscaster (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1928 Paul Simon, politician/Presidential candidate, died Dec 9, 2003
1932 Jacques Chirac, President of France
1932 Diane Ladd (Rose Diane Ladnier), actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Chinatown, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
1933 John Mayall, songwriter/bandleader (The Bluesbreakers)
1933 Dr. David Reuben, author (Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask)
1939 Meco (Domenico Monardo), musician (Star Wars Theme)
1940 Chuck Mangione, composer/flugelhornist (Feels So Good)
1941 Denny Doherty, singer (The Mamas and The Papas) died Jan 19, 2007
1944 Felix Cavaliere, singer (The Young Rascals, The Rascals)
1947 Suzy Chaffee, Olympic skier
1949 Garry Shandling, comedian/actor (The Larry Sanders Show)
1951 Barry Goudreau, guitar (Orion the Hunter, Boston)
1951 Roger Troutman, funk musician (Zapp) died Apr 25, 1999
1954 Joel Coen, director (Fargo, No Country for Old Men)
1955 Howie Mandel, comedian/actor (St. Elsewhere, Deal or No Deal)
1958 Kim Delaney, actress (NYPD Blue, Darkman II: The Return of Durant, Mission to Mars)
1958 Michael Dempsey, bassist (The Cure)
1960 Cathy Moriarty, actress (Casper, Soapdish, Kindergarten Cop, Matinee, Raging Bull)
1961 Tom Sizemore, actor (Saving Private Ryan, Heart and Souls, Big Trouble)
1962 Andrew McCarthy, actor (Weekend at Bernie’s series, Mannequin, St. Elmo’s Fire)
1964 Don Cheadle, actor (Devil in a Blue Dress, Boogie Nights, Bulworth, Mission to Mars, Rush Hour 2, Ocean’s Eleven)
1965 Ellen Cleghorne, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Jonathan (Rashleigh) Knight, singer/dancer (New Kids on the Block)
1971 Gena Lee Nolin, actress (Baywatch, Sheena)
1972 Brian Baumgartner, actor (The Office)
1976 Anna Faris, actress (Scary Movie series)
1981 Ringo Garza, drummer/singer (Los Lonely Boys)
1982 Lucas Black, actor (Sling Blade, Friday Night Lights)
1982 Ashley Force, funny car driver
Today's Deaths in History
1530 Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal/adviser to King Henry VIII of England, dies at 55
1924 Giacomo Puccini, Italian composer, dies at 65
1974 James J. Braddock, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 69
1979 Zeppo Marx, actor/comedian (Marx Brothers) dies at 78
1981 Natalie Wood, actress (Miracle on 34th Street) drowns in a boating accident at 43
1986 Cary Grant, actor (An Affair to Remember, The Philadelphia Story, To Catch a Thief, North by Northwest) dies at 82
1991 Ralph Bellamy, actor (Trading places, Coming to America) dies at 87
1999 Gene Rayburn, game show host (Match Game) dies at 81
2001 George Harrison, guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Beatles) dies at 58
2005 Wendie Jo Sperber, actress (Bachelor Party) dies at 47
2007 Henry Hyde, U.S. Representative (Illinois) dies at 83
Today in History
1825 Rossini’s Barber of Seville was presented in New York City, the first Italian opera to be presented in the United States.
1890 The first Army-Navy football game was played at West Point, New York. with Navy winning 24-0.
1904 President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a letter to his distant cousin Franklin, saying that he approved of Franklin’s engagement to the President’s niece, Eleanor.
1910 A patent for a traffic light system was issued to Ernest Sirrine.
1929 Lt. Commander Richard E. Byrd flew over the South Pole, becoming the first American to do so.
1934 The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 19-16 in the first nationally broadcasted game.
1938 Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra waxed "Hawaiian War Chant" for Victor Records.
1947 The U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution calling for Palestine to be partitioned between Arabs and Jews.
1948 Otello became the first opera to be televised, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1952 President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower kept his campaign promise to visit Korea to assess the ongoing conflict.
1959 The Grammy Awards were shown on network television for the first time.
1961 Enos the chimp was launched from Cape Canaveral aboard the Mercury-Atlas 5 spacecraft, which orbited Earth twice before returning.
1962 Major-league baseball decided to return to playing only one All-Star Game a year beginning in 1963.
1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson named a commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
1967 Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara announced he was leaving the Johnson administration to become president of the World Bank.
1972 Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Atari, released Pong (the first commercially successful video game) in Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California.
1975 The name "Micro-soft" (for "microcomputer software") is first used in a letter from Bill Gates to Paul Allen.
1982 The United Nations General Assembly passed United Nations Resolution 37/37, stating that Soviet Union forces should withdraw from Afghanistan.
1986 The blockbuster five-record set, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-85, debuted at #1 on the album charts.
1989 In response to a growing pro-democracy movement in Czechoslovakia, the Communist-run parliament ended the party's 40-year monopoly on power.
1990 The U.N. Security Council voted 12-2 to authorize military action if Iraq did not withdraw its troops from Kuwait and release all foreign hostages by Jan. 15, 1991.
1994 The city of Seoul celebrated its 600th anniversary as the capital of Korea.
1996 A U.N. court sentenced Bosnian Serb army soldier Drazen Erdemovic to 10 years in prison for his role in the massacre of 1,200 Muslims - the first international war crimes sentence since World War II.
1999 Protestant and Catholic adversaries formed a Northern Ireland government.
Chart Toppers
1944
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
Dance with the Dolly - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: Al Jennings)
I’ll Walk Alone - Dinah Shore
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Lady of Spain - Eddie Fisher
Jambalaya (On the Bayou) - Hank Williams
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Last Date - Floyd Cramer
A Thousand Stars - Kathy Young with The Innocents
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion
Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
Good Woman Blues - Mel Tillis
1984
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
I Feel for You - Chaka Khan
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
You Could’ve Heard a Heart Break - Johnny Lee
Quote of the Day
Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well- warmed, and well-fed.
Herman Melville, US novelist & sailor (1819 - 1891)
Today in History - Nov 30th
Today's Birthdays
1667 Jonathan Swift, satirist (Gulliver’s Travels) died Oct 19, 1745
1835 Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), writer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Roughing It, Life on the Mississippi, The Prince and the Pauper) died Apr 21, 1910
1874 Sir Winston Churchill, statesman/prime minister, died Jan 24, 1965
1918 Efrem Zimbalist Jr., actor (The F.B.I., 77 Sunset Strip)
1920 Virginia Mayo (Virginia Clara Jones), actress (Captain Horatio Hornblower, The West Point Story, The Best Years of Our Lives)died Jan 17, 2005
1924 Shirley Chisholm, politician (first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress) died Jan 1, 2005
1924 Allan Sherman (Copelon), comedian (Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!) died Nov 20, 1973
1926 Richard Crenna, actor (The Real McCoys, Our Miss Brooks, Rambo series) died Jan 17, 2003
1929 Dick Clark, TV producer/host (American Bandstand, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve)
1931 Bill Walsh, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (San Francisco 49ers) died Jul 30, 2007
1936 Abbie Hoffman, 1960s countercultural revolutionary, died Apr 12, 1989
1937 Robert Guillaume (Williams), actor (Soap, Benson, Sports Night)
1937 Ridley Scott, director (White Squall, Black Rain, Someone to Watch Over Me, Legend, Blade Runner, Alien)
1943 Leo Lyons, bassist (Ten Years After)
1944 Rob Grill, singer (The Grass Roots)
1944 Luther Ingram, singer (If Lovin’ You is Wrong I Don’t Want to be Right) died Mar 19, 2007
1945 Roger Glover, bassist (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
1947 David Mamet, director/playwright (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables, The Verdict, The Postman Always Rings Twice)
1951 June Chadwick, actress (This is Spinal Tap, Jumpin’ Jack Flash)
1952 Mandy Patinkin, actor (Alien Nation, The Princess Bride, Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me, Criminal Minds)
1954 George McArdle, bassist (Little River Band)
1954 June Pointer, singer (The Pointer Sisters)
1955 Billy Idol (Broad), guitarist/singer (Mony, Mony, Eyes Without a Face, Dancing with Myself, White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Cradle of Love)
1957 John Aston, guitarist (Psychedelic Furs)
1957 Colin Mochrie, comedian (Who's Line Is It Anyway?)
1958 Stacey Q, singer (Two of Hearts)
1962 Bo (Vincent Edward) Jackson, baseball/football player (Chicago White Sox, California Angels; LA Raiders)
1965 Ben Stiller, actor (Reality Bites, Flirting with Disaster, The Cable Guy, There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Zoolander)
1969 Mike Stone, guitarist (Queensryche)
1970 Des’ree, singer (You Gotta Be)
1970 Sandra Oh, actress (Under the Tuscan Sun, Arliss, Grey's Anatomy)
1973 John Moyer, bassist (Disturbed)
1978 Clay Aiken, singer (American Idol)
1978 Gael García Bernal, Mexican actor (Y tu mamá también, The Motorcycle Diaries)
1982 Elisha Cuthbert, actress (24, The Girl Next Door)
1985 Kaley Cuoco, actress (8 Simple Rules)
1987 Dougie Poynter, singer/bassist (McFly)
Today's Deaths in History
1900 Oscar Wilde, author/playwright (Salomé) dies at 46
1993 David Houston, country music singer, dies at 54
1994 Lionel Stander, actor (Guadalcanal Diary) dies at 86
1996 Tiny Tim, entertainer (Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips) dies at 64
1999 Charlie Byrd, jazz guitarist, dies at 74
2005 Jean Parker, actress (Black Tuesday) dies at 90
Today in History
1782 The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.
1804 Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial, accused of political bias; he was acquitted by the Senate.
1872 The first-ever international football (soccer) match took place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England.
1875 A.J. Ehrrichson of Akron, OH patented the oat-crushing machine.
1887 The first softball game was played, in Chicago, IL.
1934 The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman became the first to officially exceed 100mph.
1935 The president of Yale University, James Angell, is said to have suggested that professional football “may someday surpass college football in popularity.”
1940 Lucille Ball and Cuban musician Desi Arnaz were married.
1954 In Sylacauga, Alabama, an 8.5 lb (3.86 kg) sulfide meteorite crashed through a roof and hit Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges in her living room after bouncing off her radio, giving her a bad bruise, in the only unequivocally known case of a human being hit by a rock from space.
1956 Archie Moore was defeated by Floyd Patterson; at 21, Patterson was the youngest boxer to be named heavyweight champion.
1962 U Thant of Burma was unanimously appointed Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly.
1968 Diana Ross and The Supremes hit the #1 spot on the music charts with "Love Child."
1971 ABC-TV presented Brian’s Song as the ABC Movie of the Week.
1974 The Eagles hit "Best of My Love" was released.
1977 Eric Sevareid retired from CBS-TV after 38 years.
1979 Pink Floyd's album The Wall was released.
1981 The United States and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.
1986 Ivan Lendl became the first tennis player in the world to gain career earnings exceeding $10 million.
1988 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. bought RJR Nabisco for $25.07 billion.
1989 Richard Mallory of Palm Harbor, Florida became serial killer Aileen Wuornos's first victim.
1991 PM Dawn’s "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" hit #1 in the U.S.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
1993 Authorities in California arrested Richard Allen Davis, who confessed to abducting and killing 12 year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma.
1994 Nearly 1,000 passengers and crew fled the cruise ship Achille Lauro after it caught fire off the coast of Somalia en route from Genoa to the Sychelles.
1995 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.
1999 The opening of a 135-nation trade gathering in Seattle was disrupted by at least 40,000 demonstrators, some of whom clashed with police.
1999 British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems merged to form BAE Systems, Europe's largest defense contractor and the fourth largest aerospace firm in the world.
2001 Robert Tools, the first person to receive a fully self-contained artificial heart, died in Louisville, Ky., after living with the device for 151 days.
2004 Longtime Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah finally lost, leaving him with $2,520,700 USD, television's all-time biggest game show haul.
Chart Toppers
1945
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
That’s for Me - Dick Haymes
I’ll Buy That Dream - The Pied Pipers
Shame on You - The Lawrence Welk Orchestra (vocal: Red Foley)
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1961
Runaround Sue - Dion
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Goodbye Cruel World - James Darren
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Come Together/Something - The Beatles
And When I Die - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam
Okie from Muskogee - Merle Haggard
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want to Get over You) - Waylon Jennings
1985
Separate Lives - Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Never - Heart
Too Much on My Heart - The Statler Brothers
Quote of the Day
Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.
Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 - 1592)
Today's Birthdays
1667 Jonathan Swift, satirist (Gulliver’s Travels) died Oct 19, 1745
1835 Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), writer (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Roughing It, Life on the Mississippi, The Prince and the Pauper) died Apr 21, 1910
1874 Sir Winston Churchill, statesman/prime minister, died Jan 24, 1965
1918 Efrem Zimbalist Jr., actor (The F.B.I., 77 Sunset Strip)
1920 Virginia Mayo (Virginia Clara Jones), actress (Captain Horatio Hornblower, The West Point Story, The Best Years of Our Lives)died Jan 17, 2005
1924 Shirley Chisholm, politician (first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress) died Jan 1, 2005
1924 Allan Sherman (Copelon), comedian (Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!) died Nov 20, 1973
1926 Richard Crenna, actor (The Real McCoys, Our Miss Brooks, Rambo series) died Jan 17, 2003
1929 Dick Clark, TV producer/host (American Bandstand, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve)
1931 Bill Walsh, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach (San Francisco 49ers) died Jul 30, 2007
1936 Abbie Hoffman, 1960s countercultural revolutionary, died Apr 12, 1989
1937 Robert Guillaume (Williams), actor (Soap, Benson, Sports Night)
1937 Ridley Scott, director (White Squall, Black Rain, Someone to Watch Over Me, Legend, Blade Runner, Alien)
1943 Leo Lyons, bassist (Ten Years After)
1944 Rob Grill, singer (The Grass Roots)
1944 Luther Ingram, singer (If Lovin’ You is Wrong I Don’t Want to be Right) died Mar 19, 2007
1945 Roger Glover, bassist (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
1947 David Mamet, director/playwright (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables, The Verdict, The Postman Always Rings Twice)
1951 June Chadwick, actress (This is Spinal Tap, Jumpin’ Jack Flash)
1952 Mandy Patinkin, actor (Alien Nation, The Princess Bride, Chicago Hope, Dead Like Me, Criminal Minds)
1954 George McArdle, bassist (Little River Band)
1954 June Pointer, singer (The Pointer Sisters)
1955 Billy Idol (Broad), guitarist/singer (Mony, Mony, Eyes Without a Face, Dancing with Myself, White Wedding, Rebel Yell, Cradle of Love)
1957 John Aston, guitarist (Psychedelic Furs)
1957 Colin Mochrie, comedian (Who's Line Is It Anyway?)
1958 Stacey Q, singer (Two of Hearts)
1962 Bo (Vincent Edward) Jackson, baseball/football player (Chicago White Sox, California Angels; LA Raiders)
1965 Ben Stiller, actor (Reality Bites, Flirting with Disaster, The Cable Guy, There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Zoolander)
1969 Mike Stone, guitarist (Queensryche)
1970 Des’ree, singer (You Gotta Be)
1970 Sandra Oh, actress (Under the Tuscan Sun, Arliss, Grey's Anatomy)
1973 John Moyer, bassist (Disturbed)
1978 Clay Aiken, singer (American Idol)
1978 Gael García Bernal, Mexican actor (Y tu mamá también, The Motorcycle Diaries)
1982 Elisha Cuthbert, actress (24, The Girl Next Door)
1985 Kaley Cuoco, actress (8 Simple Rules)
1987 Dougie Poynter, singer/bassist (McFly)
Today's Deaths in History
1900 Oscar Wilde, author/playwright (Salomé) dies at 46
1993 David Houston, country music singer, dies at 54
1994 Lionel Stander, actor (Guadalcanal Diary) dies at 86
1996 Tiny Tim, entertainer (Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips) dies at 64
1999 Charlie Byrd, jazz guitarist, dies at 74
2005 Jean Parker, actress (Black Tuesday) dies at 90
Today in History
1782 The United States and Britain signed preliminary peace articles in Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.
1804 Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase went on trial, accused of political bias; he was acquitted by the Senate.
1872 The first-ever international football (soccer) match took place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England.
1875 A.J. Ehrrichson of Akron, OH patented the oat-crushing machine.
1887 The first softball game was played, in Chicago, IL.
1934 The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman became the first to officially exceed 100mph.
1935 The president of Yale University, James Angell, is said to have suggested that professional football “may someday surpass college football in popularity.”
1940 Lucille Ball and Cuban musician Desi Arnaz were married.
1954 In Sylacauga, Alabama, an 8.5 lb (3.86 kg) sulfide meteorite crashed through a roof and hit Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges in her living room after bouncing off her radio, giving her a bad bruise, in the only unequivocally known case of a human being hit by a rock from space.
1956 Archie Moore was defeated by Floyd Patterson; at 21, Patterson was the youngest boxer to be named heavyweight champion.
1962 U Thant of Burma was unanimously appointed Secretary-General by the United Nations General Assembly.
1968 Diana Ross and The Supremes hit the #1 spot on the music charts with "Love Child."
1971 ABC-TV presented Brian’s Song as the ABC Movie of the Week.
1974 The Eagles hit "Best of My Love" was released.
1977 Eric Sevareid retired from CBS-TV after 38 years.
1979 Pink Floyd's album The Wall was released.
1981 The United States and the Soviet Union opened negotiations in Geneva aimed at reducing nuclear weapons in Europe.
1986 Ivan Lendl became the first tennis player in the world to gain career earnings exceeding $10 million.
1988 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. bought RJR Nabisco for $25.07 billion.
1989 Richard Mallory of Palm Harbor, Florida became serial killer Aileen Wuornos's first victim.
1991 PM Dawn’s "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" hit #1 in the U.S.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed into law the Brady bill, which requires a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases and background checks of prospective buyers.
1993 Authorities in California arrested Richard Allen Davis, who confessed to abducting and killing 12 year-old Polly Klaas of Petaluma.
1994 Nearly 1,000 passengers and crew fled the cruise ship Achille Lauro after it caught fire off the coast of Somalia en route from Genoa to the Sychelles.
1995 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. chief executive to visit Northern Ireland.
1999 The opening of a 135-nation trade gathering in Seattle was disrupted by at least 40,000 demonstrators, some of whom clashed with police.
1999 British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems merged to form BAE Systems, Europe's largest defense contractor and the fourth largest aerospace firm in the world.
2001 Robert Tools, the first person to receive a fully self-contained artificial heart, died in Louisville, Ky., after living with the device for 151 days.
2004 Longtime Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings of Salt Lake City, Utah finally lost, leaving him with $2,520,700 USD, television's all-time biggest game show haul.
Chart Toppers
1945
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
That’s for Me - Dick Haymes
I’ll Buy That Dream - The Pied Pipers
Shame on You - The Lawrence Welk Orchestra (vocal: Red Foley)
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1961
Runaround Sue - Dion
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Goodbye Cruel World - James Darren
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Come Together/Something - The Beatles
And When I Die - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam
Okie from Muskogee - Merle Haggard
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
The Wurlitzer Prize (I Don’t Want to Get over You) - Waylon Jennings
1985
Separate Lives - Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Never - Heart
Too Much on My Heart - The Statler Brothers
Quote of the Day
Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.
Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 - 1592)
Today in History - Dec 1st
Today's Birthdays
1886 Rex (Todhunter) Stout, mystery writer (Nero Wolfe series) died Oct 27, 1975
1897 Cyril Ritchard, actor (Hans Brinker, Peter Pan) died Dec 18, 1977
1913 Mary Martin, actress/singer (Peter Pan, South Pacific) died Nov 3, 1990
1923 Dick Shawn (Richard Schulefand), comedian/actor (Bewitched, Love at First Bite, The Producers) died Apr 17, 1987
1929 David Doyle, actor (Charlie’s Angels) died Feb 26, 1997
1933 Lou Rawls (Louis Allen), singer (You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine) died Jan 6, 2006
1934 Billy Paul (Paul Williams), singer (Me and Mrs. Jones)
1935 Woody Allen (Allen Konigsberg), actor/writer/director (Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Mighty Aphrodite, Manhattan)
1939 Lee Trevino, World Golf Hall of Famer
1940 Richard Pryor, comedian/actor (See No Evil Hear No Evil, Brewster’s Millions, The Toy, Some Kind of Hero, Silver Streak) died Dec 10, 2005
1944 Eric Bloom, singer/guitarist (Blue Oyster Cult)
1945 John (Paul) Densmore, drummer (The Doors)
1945 Bette Midler, singer/actress (The Divine Miss M)
1946 Gilbert O’Sullivan (Raymond Edward O’Sullivan), singer (Alone Again Naturally)
1951 Treat Williams, actor (Mulholland Falls, Prince of the City, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead)
1951 Jaco Pastorius, bassist (Weather Report) died Dec 21, 1987
1958 Charlene Tilton, actress (Dallas)
1960 Carol Alt, supermodel/actress
1961 Jeremy Northam, actor (The Net, Amistad, Enigma, The Tudors)
1967 Nestor Carbonell, actor (Resurrection Boulevard, Suddenly Susan)
1970 Sarah Silverman, comedian/actress
1971 Emily Mortimer, actress (Scream 3, Match Point)
1976 Matthew Shepard, murder victim, died Oct 12, 1998
1977 Brad Delson, bassist (Linkin Park)
1977 Jared Fogle, Subway spokesperson
Today's Deaths in History
1866 George Everest, surveyor/namesake of Mt. Everest, dies at 76
1969 Magic Sam, blues guitarist/singer, dies at 32
1973 David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, dies at 87
1987 Punch Imlach, Hockey Hall of Fame coach/general manager (Toronto Maple Leafs) dies at 69
1989 Alvin Ailey, dancer/choreographer, dies of AIDS at 58
1997 Stéphane Grappelli, jazz violinist, dies at 89
Today in History
1824 The House of Representatives convened to decide the presidential election because no candidate had received a majority in the Electoral College; John Quincy Adams was eventually chosen the winner over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay.
1835 Hans Christian Andersen published his first book of fairy tales.
1879 Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta H.M.S. Pinafore opened.
1913 The first drive-in automobile service station opened, in Pittsburgh.
1913 The Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line.
1917 Father Edward Flanagan opened Boys Town, a farm village for wayward boys in an area west of Omaha, Nebraska.
1919 Lady Astor was sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament.
1934 Sergei M. Kirov, the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, was assassinated as Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a massive purge that would claim tens of millions of lives.
1941 The Director of Civilian Defense, former New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, signed a formal order creating the Civil Air Patrol.
1942 Nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.
1945 Burl Ives made his concert debut, appearing at New York’s Town Hall.
1952 The New York Daily News reported the first successful sexual reassignment operation.
1955 Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, defied the law by refusing to give up her seat to a white man aboard a Montgomery, Ala., city bus; Parks was arrested, sparking a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.
1959 Representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.
1963 The Beatles' first single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," was released in the United States.
1965 An airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.
1969 The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.
1973 Jack Nicklaus won the Walt Disney World Open Golf Tournament to become the first golfer to win $2 million in career earnings.
1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Oscar Robertson as pro basketball’s second all-time leading scorer, reaching 26,712 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 117-86.
1982 At the University of Utah, Barney Clark became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
1982 Michael Jackson released his second solo album, Thriller, which became the biggest selling album of all time.
1984 Doug Flutie was named Heisman Trophy winner.
1985 Singer and actress Barbi Benton set a record as she appeared for the fourth time on the cover of Playboy magazine.
1991 Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.
1992 Amy Fisher was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for shooting and seriously wounding Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of the teenager's lover, Joey Buttafuoco, on New York's Long Island.
1997 A 14-year-old student opened fire on a morning prayer group at a high school in West Paducah, Ky., killing three students and wounding five.
1998 Exxon announced a $73.7 billion USD deal to buy Mobil, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest company.
1999 An international team of scientists announced it had sequenced the first human chromosome.
2001 Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in back-to-back explosions at a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall, killing 11 bystanders.
2001 Trans World Airlines flew its last flight, after being bought by American Airlines.
2004 Tom Brokaw signed off for the last time as anchor of the NBC Nightly News.
2004 South Africa's highest court ruled in favor of gay marriage.
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas &
The Campus Kids)
The Whole World is Singing My Song - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal:Doris Day)
Five Minutes More - Tex Beneke
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Teach Me Tonight - The De Castro Sisters
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Mama Sang a Song - Bill Anderson
1970
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Montego Bay - Bobby Bloom
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
MacArthur Park - Donna Summer
How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
Sweet Desire - The Kendalls
1986
You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis & The News
Touch Me When We’re Dancing - Alabama
Quote of the Day
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
Isaac Asimov, US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)
Today's Birthdays
1886 Rex (Todhunter) Stout, mystery writer (Nero Wolfe series) died Oct 27, 1975
1897 Cyril Ritchard, actor (Hans Brinker, Peter Pan) died Dec 18, 1977
1913 Mary Martin, actress/singer (Peter Pan, South Pacific) died Nov 3, 1990
1923 Dick Shawn (Richard Schulefand), comedian/actor (Bewitched, Love at First Bite, The Producers) died Apr 17, 1987
1929 David Doyle, actor (Charlie’s Angels) died Feb 26, 1997
1933 Lou Rawls (Louis Allen), singer (You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine) died Jan 6, 2006
1934 Billy Paul (Paul Williams), singer (Me and Mrs. Jones)
1935 Woody Allen (Allen Konigsberg), actor/writer/director (Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Mighty Aphrodite, Manhattan)
1939 Lee Trevino, World Golf Hall of Famer
1940 Richard Pryor, comedian/actor (See No Evil Hear No Evil, Brewster’s Millions, The Toy, Some Kind of Hero, Silver Streak) died Dec 10, 2005
1944 Eric Bloom, singer/guitarist (Blue Oyster Cult)
1945 John (Paul) Densmore, drummer (The Doors)
1945 Bette Midler, singer/actress (The Divine Miss M)
1946 Gilbert O’Sullivan (Raymond Edward O’Sullivan), singer (Alone Again Naturally)
1951 Treat Williams, actor (Mulholland Falls, Prince of the City, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead)
1951 Jaco Pastorius, bassist (Weather Report) died Dec 21, 1987
1958 Charlene Tilton, actress (Dallas)
1960 Carol Alt, supermodel/actress
1961 Jeremy Northam, actor (The Net, Amistad, Enigma, The Tudors)
1967 Nestor Carbonell, actor (Resurrection Boulevard, Suddenly Susan)
1970 Sarah Silverman, comedian/actress
1971 Emily Mortimer, actress (Scream 3, Match Point)
1976 Matthew Shepard, murder victim, died Oct 12, 1998
1977 Brad Delson, bassist (Linkin Park)
1977 Jared Fogle, Subway spokesperson
Today's Deaths in History
1866 George Everest, surveyor/namesake of Mt. Everest, dies at 76
1969 Magic Sam, blues guitarist/singer, dies at 32
1973 David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, dies at 87
1987 Punch Imlach, Hockey Hall of Fame coach/general manager (Toronto Maple Leafs) dies at 69
1989 Alvin Ailey, dancer/choreographer, dies of AIDS at 58
1997 Stéphane Grappelli, jazz violinist, dies at 89
Today in History
1824 The House of Representatives convened to decide the presidential election because no candidate had received a majority in the Electoral College; John Quincy Adams was eventually chosen the winner over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay.
1835 Hans Christian Andersen published his first book of fairy tales.
1879 Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta H.M.S. Pinafore opened.
1913 The first drive-in automobile service station opened, in Pittsburgh.
1913 The Ford Motor Company introduced the first moving assembly line.
1917 Father Edward Flanagan opened Boys Town, a farm village for wayward boys in an area west of Omaha, Nebraska.
1919 Lady Astor was sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament.
1934 Sergei M. Kirov, the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, was assassinated as Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a massive purge that would claim tens of millions of lives.
1941 The Director of Civilian Defense, former New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, signed a formal order creating the Civil Air Patrol.
1942 Nationwide gasoline rationing went into effect in the United States.
1945 Burl Ives made his concert debut, appearing at New York’s Town Hall.
1952 The New York Daily News reported the first successful sexual reassignment operation.
1955 Rosa Parks, a black seamstress, defied the law by refusing to give up her seat to a white man aboard a Montgomery, Ala., city bus; Parks was arrested, sparking a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks.
1959 Representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.
1963 The Beatles' first single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand," was released in the United States.
1965 An airlift of refugees from Cuba to the United States began in which thousands of Cubans were allowed to leave their homeland.
1969 The U.S. government held its first draft lottery since World War II.
1973 Jack Nicklaus won the Walt Disney World Open Golf Tournament to become the first golfer to win $2 million in career earnings.
1981 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar surpassed Oscar Robertson as pro basketball’s second all-time leading scorer, reaching 26,712 points as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 117-86.
1982 At the University of Utah, Barney Clark became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
1982 Michael Jackson released his second solo album, Thriller, which became the biggest selling album of all time.
1984 Doug Flutie was named Heisman Trophy winner.
1985 Singer and actress Barbi Benton set a record as she appeared for the fourth time on the cover of Playboy magazine.
1991 Ukrainians voted overwhelmingly for independence from the Soviet Union.
1992 Amy Fisher was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for shooting and seriously wounding Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of the teenager's lover, Joey Buttafuoco, on New York's Long Island.
1997 A 14-year-old student opened fire on a morning prayer group at a high school in West Paducah, Ky., killing three students and wounding five.
1998 Exxon announced a $73.7 billion USD deal to buy Mobil, thus creating Exxon-Mobil, the world's largest company.
1999 An international team of scientists announced it had sequenced the first human chromosome.
2001 Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in back-to-back explosions at a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall, killing 11 bystanders.
2001 Trans World Airlines flew its last flight, after being bought by American Airlines.
2004 Tom Brokaw signed off for the last time as anchor of the NBC Nightly News.
2004 South Africa's highest court ruled in favor of gay marriage.
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas &
The Campus Kids)
The Whole World is Singing My Song - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal:Doris Day)
Five Minutes More - Tex Beneke
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Teach Me Tonight - The De Castro Sisters
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Mama Sang a Song - Bill Anderson
1970
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Montego Bay - Bobby Bloom
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
MacArthur Park - Donna Summer
How Much I Feel - Ambrosia
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
Sweet Desire - The Kendalls
1986
You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis & The News
Touch Me When We’re Dancing - Alabama
Quote of the Day
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
Isaac Asimov, US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)
Today in History - Dec 2nd
Today's Birthdays
1859 Georges Seurat, French painter (Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte) died Mar 29, 1891
1863 Charles Ringling, circus entrepreneur, died Dec 3, 1926
1914 Adolph Green, lyricist (Singin’ in the Rain, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) died Oct 23, 2002
1914 Ray Walston, actor (Picket Fences, My Favorite Martian, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Silver Streak, The Sting) died Jan 1, 2001
1923 Maria Callas (Calogeropoulous), operatic soprano, died Sep 16, 1977
1925 Julie Harris, actress (Knots Landing, The Dark Half, Gorillas in the Mist, The Bell Jar)
1934 Bill McCreary, NHL left wing/referee (NY Rangers)
1941 Tom McGuinness, bassist/guitarist (Manfred Mann)
1943 William Wegman, photographer/videographer
1944 Cathy Lee Crosby, actress (Wonder Woman, Coach)
1946 Gianni Versace, fashion designer, murdered July 15, 1997
1952 Michael McDonald, singer/songwriter/keyboardist (The Doobie Brothers)
1954 Stone Phillips, news correspondent/anchor (Dateline NBC)
1955 Dennis Christopher, actor (Stephen King’s It, Chariots of Fire, Breaking Away)
1956 Steven Bauer, actor (Primal Fear, Body Count, Scarface)
1960 Rick Savage, bassist (Def Leppard)
1968 Lucy Liu, actress (Ally McBeal, Jerry Maguire, Charlie’s Angels series)
1968 Rena Sofer, actress (Keeping the Faith, Ed, Heroes, 24)
1968 Nate Mendel, bassist (Foo Fighters)
1968 Darryl Kile, MLB pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died June 22, 2002
1973 Monica Seles, tennis champion
1978 Nelly Furtado, singer (Like a Bird)
1981 Britney Spears, pop tart
1983 Aaron Rodgers, NFL quarterback (Green Bay Packers)
Today's Deaths in History
1814 Marquis de Sade, French writer, dies at 74
1859 John Brown, abolitionist, is hanged at 59
1936 John Ringling, circus owner, dies at 70
1967 Cardinal Francis Spellman dies at 78
1982 Marty Feldman, comedian/writer/actor (Young Frankenstein) dies at 48
1986 Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor/musician/band leader/composer, dies at 69
1990 Aaron Copland, composer (Fanfare for the Common Man) dies at age 90
1990 Robert Cummings, actor (Dial M for Murder) dies at 82
1993 Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug dealer, is shot to death at 44
2005 Kenneth Lee Boyd, convicted murderer, is executed at 57
Today in History
1804 Napoleon was crowned emperor of France.
1816 The first savings bank in the United States, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business.
1823 President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.
1859 Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his Oct. 16 raid on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry in present-day West Virginia (Brown had hoped to start an anti-slavery rebellion).
1927 The first Model A was unveiled in New York City’s Waldorf Hotel and in 35 other cities around the U.S., Canada and Europe.
1932 The Adventures of Charlie Chan was first heard on the NBC Blue radio network.
1939 New York's La Guardia Airport began operations.
1940 A seat on the New York Stock Exchange cost $33,000, the lowest price for a seat since 1899, when they sold for $29,500.
1942 A self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.
1950 Vic Toweel of South Africa set a record for knockdowns, in a title fight in Johannesburg, South Africa, florring Danny O’Sullivan of England 14 times in 10 rounds before the bantamweight fight was stopped.
1952 Denver’s KOA-TV transmitted, for 49 stations on the NBC network, the first human birth to be seen on TV.
1952 George Jorgensen, a former G.I. who had gone to Denmark in 1950, returned to the U.S. as Christine Jorgensen after undergoing gender reassingment surgery.
1954 The Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R Wis., for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
1961 Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism.
1967 Singer Jimmie Rodgers was found in a car in Los Angeles, near death, suffering from a fractured skull.
1969 The Boeing 747 jumbo jet debuted.
1970 The Environmental Protection Agency began operations.
1972 The Temptations reached the #1 spot on the top 40 charts with "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone."
1980 Four American churchwomen were raped, murdered and buried outside San Salvador (five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder).
1982 Doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart in a human; Barney Clark lived 112 days with the device.
1984 Dan Marino connected for four touchdown passes to set an NFL record 37 TD passes in a season (he finished with 48).
1985 The highest-rated Monday Night Football telecast was seen on ABC-TV, as the Miami Dolphins beat the Chicago Bears, 38-24.
1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
1993 Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin.
1997 The Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute double album was released.
2001 Enron filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history.
2001 A bomb went off aboard a bus in Haifa, killing 15 Israelis.
2005 North Carolina inmate Kenneth Lee Boyd became the 1,000th person executed since the United States resumed capital punishment in 1977.
Chart Toppers
1947
Near You - The Francis Craig Orchestra (vocal: Bob Lamm)
You Do - Dinah Shore
And Mimi - Art Lund
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy
Arnold
1955
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce
1963
I’m Leaving It Up to You - Dale & Grace
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Everybody - Tommy Roe
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Baby I’m-A Want You - Bread
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard
1979
No More Tears (Enough is Enough) - Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
Babe - Styx
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Broken Hearted Me - Anne Murray
1987
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
Should’ve Known Better - Richard Marx
Lynda - Steve Wariner
Quote of the Day
There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.
William James, US Pragmatist philosopher & psychologist (1842 - 1910)
Today's Birthdays
1859 Georges Seurat, French painter (Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte) died Mar 29, 1891
1863 Charles Ringling, circus entrepreneur, died Dec 3, 1926
1914 Adolph Green, lyricist (Singin’ in the Rain, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) died Oct 23, 2002
1914 Ray Walston, actor (Picket Fences, My Favorite Martian, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Silver Streak, The Sting) died Jan 1, 2001
1923 Maria Callas (Calogeropoulous), operatic soprano, died Sep 16, 1977
1925 Julie Harris, actress (Knots Landing, The Dark Half, Gorillas in the Mist, The Bell Jar)
1934 Bill McCreary, NHL left wing/referee (NY Rangers)
1941 Tom McGuinness, bassist/guitarist (Manfred Mann)
1943 William Wegman, photographer/videographer
1944 Cathy Lee Crosby, actress (Wonder Woman, Coach)
1946 Gianni Versace, fashion designer, murdered July 15, 1997
1952 Michael McDonald, singer/songwriter/keyboardist (The Doobie Brothers)
1954 Stone Phillips, news correspondent/anchor (Dateline NBC)
1955 Dennis Christopher, actor (Stephen King’s It, Chariots of Fire, Breaking Away)
1956 Steven Bauer, actor (Primal Fear, Body Count, Scarface)
1960 Rick Savage, bassist (Def Leppard)
1968 Lucy Liu, actress (Ally McBeal, Jerry Maguire, Charlie’s Angels series)
1968 Rena Sofer, actress (Keeping the Faith, Ed, Heroes, 24)
1968 Nate Mendel, bassist (Foo Fighters)
1968 Darryl Kile, MLB pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died June 22, 2002
1973 Monica Seles, tennis champion
1978 Nelly Furtado, singer (Like a Bird)
1981 Britney Spears, pop tart
1983 Aaron Rodgers, NFL quarterback (Green Bay Packers)
Today's Deaths in History
1814 Marquis de Sade, French writer, dies at 74
1859 John Brown, abolitionist, is hanged at 59
1936 John Ringling, circus owner, dies at 70
1967 Cardinal Francis Spellman dies at 78
1982 Marty Feldman, comedian/writer/actor (Young Frankenstein) dies at 48
1986 Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor/musician/band leader/composer, dies at 69
1990 Aaron Copland, composer (Fanfare for the Common Man) dies at age 90
1990 Robert Cummings, actor (Dial M for Murder) dies at 82
1993 Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug dealer, is shot to death at 44
2005 Kenneth Lee Boyd, convicted murderer, is executed at 57
Today in History
1804 Napoleon was crowned emperor of France.
1816 The first savings bank in the United States, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, opened for business.
1823 President James Monroe outlined his doctrine opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.
1859 Militant abolitionist John Brown was hanged for his Oct. 16 raid on a federal armory at Harpers Ferry in present-day West Virginia (Brown had hoped to start an anti-slavery rebellion).
1927 The first Model A was unveiled in New York City’s Waldorf Hotel and in 35 other cities around the U.S., Canada and Europe.
1932 The Adventures of Charlie Chan was first heard on the NBC Blue radio network.
1939 New York's La Guardia Airport began operations.
1940 A seat on the New York Stock Exchange cost $33,000, the lowest price for a seat since 1899, when they sold for $29,500.
1942 A self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was demonstrated for the first time at the University of Chicago.
1950 Vic Toweel of South Africa set a record for knockdowns, in a title fight in Johannesburg, South Africa, florring Danny O’Sullivan of England 14 times in 10 rounds before the bantamweight fight was stopped.
1952 Denver’s KOA-TV transmitted, for 49 stations on the NBC network, the first human birth to be seen on TV.
1952 George Jorgensen, a former G.I. who had gone to Denmark in 1950, returned to the U.S. as Christine Jorgensen after undergoing gender reassingment surgery.
1954 The Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R Wis., for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
1961 Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism.
1967 Singer Jimmie Rodgers was found in a car in Los Angeles, near death, suffering from a fractured skull.
1969 The Boeing 747 jumbo jet debuted.
1970 The Environmental Protection Agency began operations.
1972 The Temptations reached the #1 spot on the top 40 charts with "Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone."
1980 Four American churchwomen were raped, murdered and buried outside San Salvador (five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder).
1982 Doctors at the University of Utah Medical Center performed the first implant of a permanent artificial heart in a human; Barney Clark lived 112 days with the device.
1984 Dan Marino connected for four touchdown passes to set an NFL record 37 TD passes in a season (he finished with 48).
1985 The highest-rated Monday Night Football telecast was seen on ABC-TV, as the Miami Dolphins beat the Chicago Bears, 38-24.
1988 Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
1993 Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot to death by security forces in Medellin.
1997 The Diana, Princess of Wales: Tribute double album was released.
2001 Enron filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history.
2001 A bomb went off aboard a bus in Haifa, killing 15 Israelis.
2005 North Carolina inmate Kenneth Lee Boyd became the 1,000th person executed since the United States resumed capital punishment in 1977.
Chart Toppers
1947
Near You - The Francis Craig Orchestra (vocal: Bob Lamm)
You Do - Dinah Shore
And Mimi - Art Lund
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy
Arnold
1955
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce
1963
I’m Leaving It Up to You - Dale & Grace
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Everybody - Tommy Roe
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Baby I’m-A Want You - Bread
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard
1979
No More Tears (Enough is Enough) - Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer
Babe - Styx
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Broken Hearted Me - Anne Murray
1987
(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
Should’ve Known Better - Richard Marx
Lynda - Steve Wariner
Quote of the Day
There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.
William James, US Pragmatist philosopher & psychologist (1842 - 1910)
Today in History - Dec 3rd
Today's Birthdays
1596 Nicolo Amati, Italian violin maker, died April 12, 1684
1755 Gilbert Stuart, artist (portraits of George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson) died July 9, 1828
1842 Charles Alfred Pillsbury, industrialist (Pillsbury Co.) died Sept 17, 1899
1857 Joseph Conrad (Józef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski), author (Heart of Darkness) died Aug 3, 1924
1927 Andy (Howard Andrew) Williams, entertainer (The Andy Williams Show)
1930 Jean-Luc Godard, producer/writer/director (Breathless, King Lear)
1931 Jaye P. (Mary Margaret) Morgan, singer/panelist (The Gong Show)
1937 Bobby Allison, International Motorsports Hall of Fame NASCAR Driver
1948 Ozzy (John) Osbourne, songwriter/singer (Black Sabbath)
1949 Mickey Thomas, singer (Jefferson Starship)
1951 Rick Mears, Indy car racer
1955 Steven Culp, actor (The West Wing, Star Trek: Enterprise, JAG, ER)
1960 Daryl Hannah, actress (Splash, Steel Magnolias, Blade Runner, Roxanne)
1960 Julianne Moore, actress (The Fugitive, The Big Lebowski, Nine Months, Lost World: Jurassic Park, Boogie Nights, Hannibal)
1963 Joe Lally, bassist (Fugazi)
1965 Katarina Witt, Olympic Gold Medalist ice skater
1965 Steve Harris, actor (The Practice)
1968 Brendan Fraser, actor (The Mummy series, George of the Jungle, Encino Man, Blast from the Past)
1973 Holly Marie Combs, actress (Picket Fences, Ocean’s Eleven)
1980 Anna Chlumsky, actress (My Girl)
1982 Brian Bonsall, actor (Family Ties)
1985 Amanda Seyfried, actress (Mean Girls, Big Love, Veronica Mars)
Today's Deaths in History
1894 Robert Louis Stevenson, British writer (Treasure Island, Kidnapped) dies at 44
1967 Harry Wismer, original owner of the New York Jets, dies at 54
1994 Elizabeth Glaser, AIDS activist, dies at 47
1999 Madeline Kahn, actress (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Histpory of the World Part 1) dies at 57
2000 Gwendolyn Brooks, poet (In The Mecca) dies at 83
2003 David Hemmings, English actor (Blowup) dies at 62
Today in History
1818 Illinois became the 21st state to enter the United States of America.
1828 Andrew Jackson was elected the 7th President of the United States.
1833 Oberlin College in Ohio started classes as the first coed institution of higher learning in the United States.
1922 The first successful Technicolor motion picture, The Toll of the Sea, was shown at the Rialto Theatre in New York City.
1924 Prizefighter Jack Sharkey lost his boxing license after he knocked down referee Eddie Purdy during a match.
1925 The first jazz concerto for piano and orchestra was presented at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
1929 U.S. President Herbert Hoover announced to the U.S. Congress that the worst effects of the recent stock market crash were behind the nation and the American people had regained faith in the economy.
1947 A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, opened on Broadway.
1948 The House Un-American Activities Committee announced that former Communist spy Whittaker Chambers had produced microfilm of secret documents hidden inside a pumpkin on his Maryland farm.
1953 Kismet opened on Broadway in New York.
1955 Elvis Presley’s first release on RCA Victor Records, two sides purchased from Sam Phillips of Sun Records, were "Mystery Train" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget."
1960 Camelot opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1964 Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.
1965 The Beatles' album Rubber Soul was released.
1967 Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first successful heart transplant operation at Cape Town, South Africa.
1968 The rules committee of major-league baseball announced that the pitcher’s mound would be lowered in 1969 from 15" to 10" in order to “get more batting action.”
1979 Eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who.
1984 Miss America 1971, Phyllis George, signed a multiyear contract with CBS-TV.
1984 Deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killing more than 2,000 people and injured more than 200,000.
1986 Bobby Knight led the Indiana Hoosiers past Notre Dame 67-62.
1994 "On Bended Knee," by Boyz II Men, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
1994 Elizabeth Glaser, who became an AIDS activist after she and her two children were infected with HIV via a blood transfusion, died at age 47.
1997 In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries signed a treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines.
1997 South Korea struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a record $55 billion bailout of its foundering economy.
1999 Tori Murden rowed her 23-foot boat, American Pearl, 2,962 miles in 81 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
1999 Scientists failed to make contact with the Mars Polar Lander after it began its fiery descent toward the red planet; the spacecraft was presumed destroyed.
2006 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won re-election.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry
Babbitt & Gloria Wood
You Were Only Fooling - Kay Starr
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Leader of the Pack - The Shangri-Las
She’s Not There - The Zombies
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone - The Temptations
I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
If You Don’t Know Me by Now - Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
She’s Too Good to Be True - Charley Pride
1980
Woman in Love - Barbra Streisand
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
He’s So Shy - Pointer Sisters
If You Ever Change Your Mind - Crystal Gayle
1988
Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley (Free Baby) - Will To Power
Look Away - Chicago
How Can I Fail? - Breathe
I Know How He Feels - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.
Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today's Birthdays
1596 Nicolo Amati, Italian violin maker, died April 12, 1684
1755 Gilbert Stuart, artist (portraits of George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson) died July 9, 1828
1842 Charles Alfred Pillsbury, industrialist (Pillsbury Co.) died Sept 17, 1899
1857 Joseph Conrad (Józef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski), author (Heart of Darkness) died Aug 3, 1924
1927 Andy (Howard Andrew) Williams, entertainer (The Andy Williams Show)
1930 Jean-Luc Godard, producer/writer/director (Breathless, King Lear)
1931 Jaye P. (Mary Margaret) Morgan, singer/panelist (The Gong Show)
1937 Bobby Allison, International Motorsports Hall of Fame NASCAR Driver
1948 Ozzy (John) Osbourne, songwriter/singer (Black Sabbath)
1949 Mickey Thomas, singer (Jefferson Starship)
1951 Rick Mears, Indy car racer
1955 Steven Culp, actor (The West Wing, Star Trek: Enterprise, JAG, ER)
1960 Daryl Hannah, actress (Splash, Steel Magnolias, Blade Runner, Roxanne)
1960 Julianne Moore, actress (The Fugitive, The Big Lebowski, Nine Months, Lost World: Jurassic Park, Boogie Nights, Hannibal)
1963 Joe Lally, bassist (Fugazi)
1965 Katarina Witt, Olympic Gold Medalist ice skater
1965 Steve Harris, actor (The Practice)
1968 Brendan Fraser, actor (The Mummy series, George of the Jungle, Encino Man, Blast from the Past)
1973 Holly Marie Combs, actress (Picket Fences, Ocean’s Eleven)
1980 Anna Chlumsky, actress (My Girl)
1982 Brian Bonsall, actor (Family Ties)
1985 Amanda Seyfried, actress (Mean Girls, Big Love, Veronica Mars)
Today's Deaths in History
1894 Robert Louis Stevenson, British writer (Treasure Island, Kidnapped) dies at 44
1967 Harry Wismer, original owner of the New York Jets, dies at 54
1994 Elizabeth Glaser, AIDS activist, dies at 47
1999 Madeline Kahn, actress (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Histpory of the World Part 1) dies at 57
2000 Gwendolyn Brooks, poet (In The Mecca) dies at 83
2003 David Hemmings, English actor (Blowup) dies at 62
Today in History
1818 Illinois became the 21st state to enter the United States of America.
1828 Andrew Jackson was elected the 7th President of the United States.
1833 Oberlin College in Ohio started classes as the first coed institution of higher learning in the United States.
1922 The first successful Technicolor motion picture, The Toll of the Sea, was shown at the Rialto Theatre in New York City.
1924 Prizefighter Jack Sharkey lost his boxing license after he knocked down referee Eddie Purdy during a match.
1925 The first jazz concerto for piano and orchestra was presented at Carnegie Hall in NYC.
1929 U.S. President Herbert Hoover announced to the U.S. Congress that the worst effects of the recent stock market crash were behind the nation and the American people had regained faith in the economy.
1947 A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, opened on Broadway.
1948 The House Un-American Activities Committee announced that former Communist spy Whittaker Chambers had produced microfilm of secret documents hidden inside a pumpkin on his Maryland farm.
1953 Kismet opened on Broadway in New York.
1955 Elvis Presley’s first release on RCA Victor Records, two sides purchased from Sam Phillips of Sun Records, were "Mystery Train" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget."
1960 Camelot opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1964 Police arrested some 800 students at the University of California at Berkeley, one day after the students stormed the administration building and staged a massive sit-in.
1965 The Beatles' album Rubber Soul was released.
1967 Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first successful heart transplant operation at Cape Town, South Africa.
1968 The rules committee of major-league baseball announced that the pitcher’s mound would be lowered in 1969 from 15" to 10" in order to “get more batting action.”
1979 Eleven people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who.
1984 Miss America 1971, Phyllis George, signed a multiyear contract with CBS-TV.
1984 Deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killing more than 2,000 people and injured more than 200,000.
1986 Bobby Knight led the Indiana Hoosiers past Notre Dame 67-62.
1994 "On Bended Knee," by Boyz II Men, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
1994 Elizabeth Glaser, who became an AIDS activist after she and her two children were infected with HIV via a blood transfusion, died at age 47.
1997 In Ottawa, Canada, representatives from 121 countries signed a treaty prohibiting manufacture and deployment of anti-personnel landmines.
1997 South Korea struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund for a record $55 billion bailout of its foundering economy.
1999 Tori Murden rowed her 23-foot boat, American Pearl, 2,962 miles in 81 days to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
1999 Scientists failed to make contact with the Mars Polar Lander after it began its fiery descent toward the red planet; the spacecraft was presumed destroyed.
2006 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won re-election.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry
Babbitt & Gloria Wood
You Were Only Fooling - Kay Starr
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
True Love - Bing Crosby & Grace Kelly
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Leader of the Pack - The Shangri-Las
She’s Not There - The Zombies
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone - The Temptations
I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
If You Don’t Know Me by Now - Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
She’s Too Good to Be True - Charley Pride
1980
Woman in Love - Barbra Streisand
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
He’s So Shy - Pointer Sisters
If You Ever Change Your Mind - Crystal Gayle
1988
Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley (Free Baby) - Will To Power
Look Away - Chicago
How Can I Fail? - Breathe
I Know How He Feels - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money.
Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today in History - Dec 4th
Today's Birthdays
1840 Crazy Horse, Oglala Sioux chief, died Sept 5, 1877
1858 Chester Greenwood, inventor (ear muffs) died in 1937
1914 Claude Renoir, cinematographer (The Spy Who Loved Me) died Sep 5, 1993
1912 Pappy (Gregory) Boyington, USMC aviator/Medal of Honor recipient (Black Sheep Squadron) died Jan 11, 1988
1928 Dena Dietrich, actress (The Ropers, The Practice)
1933 Horst Buchholz, actor (Raid on Entebbe, The Magnificent Seven) died Mar 3, 2003
1934 Victor French, actor (Little House on the Prairie, Get Smart) died June 15, 1989
1934 Wink (Winston Conrad) Martindale, TV host (Tic Tac Dough)
1937 Max Baer Jr., actor (The Beverly Hillbillies, Macon County Line)
1940 John Cale, bassist/keyboardist/singer (The Velvet Underground)
1940 Freddy Cannon, singer (Hanky Panky)
1942 Bob Mosley, bassist (Moby Grape)
1942 Chris Hillman, guitarist/bassist (The Byrds)
1944 Dennis Wilson, drummer/keyboardist/singer (The Beach Boys) died in drowning accident Dec 28, 1983
1947 Terry Woods, mandolin (The Pogues)
1948 Southside Johnny (Lyon), singer (Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes)
1949 Jeff Bridges, actor (Blown Away, The Fisher King, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Starman, The Last Picture Show)
1951 Gary Rossington, guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1951 Patricia Wettig, actress (thirtysomething, Stephen King’s The Langoliers, City Slickers series)
1953 Rick Middleton, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1955 Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer
1959 Bob Griffin, bassist (BoDeans)
1964 Marisa Tomei, actress (My Cousin Vinny, Chaplin, Oscar, The Paper, Untamed Heart)
1964 Chelsea Noble, actress (Growing Pains)
1966 Fred Armisen, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Margaret Cho, comedienne/actress
1969 Jay-Z, rapper/producer
1970 Kevin Sussman, actor (Ugly Betty)
1973 Tyra Banks, actress/model
1984 Brooke Adams, model (WWE)
Today's Deaths in History
1679 Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher, dies at 91
1902 Charles Dow, journalist (Dow Jones & Company, Wall Street Journal) dies at 51
1967 Bert Lahr, actor (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 72
1976 Tommy Bolin, guitarist (T. Rex) dies at 25
1993 Frank Zappa, musician/composer, dies at 52
Today in History
1619 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and gave thanks to God (this is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving in the Americas).
1674 Father Jacques Marquette founded a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek (the mission would later grow into the city of Chicago, Illinois).
1783 Gen. George Washington said farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.
1816 James Monroe of Virginia was elected the 5th President of the United States.
1867 The National Grange of Husbandry was founded.
1875 William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled the country.
1906 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity in the United States established for men of African descent, was founded at Cornell University.
1918 President Woodrow Wilson set sail for France to attend the Versailles peace conference.
1927 Duke Ellington’s big band opened the famed Cotton Club in Harlem.
1932 The Walter Winchell Show, later The Jergens Journal and still later, [/i]Kaiser-Frazer News,[/i] was first heard on the NBC Blue network.
1934 Ethel Merman recorded "I Get a Kick Out of You," from Cole Porter’s musical, Anything Goes.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.
1942 U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time in World War II.
1945 The Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations.
1955 As part of an NBC-TV special, mime artist Marcel Marceau appeared on television for the first time.
1956 During a Carl Perkins recording session also involving Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis Presley visited the studio and jammed with Perkins and Lewis extensively with the tape recorders rolling; Cash reportedly participated briefly in the jam before leaving the studio with his wife and daughter (the four men become known as the Million Dollar Quartet, and the complete tape from this legendary session is eventually released in 1987).
1962 James Caan made his TV acting debut in A Fist of Five, an episode of The Untouchables on ABC-TV.
1969 Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were shot and killed in their sleep during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
1970 Frank Reynolds co-hosted the ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith for the final time.
1971 The Montreux Casino in Switzerland was set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert; the incident would be noted in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water."
1972 Billy Paul from Philadelphia received a gold record for his smash hit, "Me and Mrs. Jones."
1978 Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor when she was named to replace George Moscone, who had been assassinated.
1980 The bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador two days earlier were unearthed (five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder).
1980 Led Zeppelin formally announced its breakup.
1982 Running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia received the Heisman Trophy.
1984 The discovery of a Bronze Age shipwreck off the southern coast of Turkey was announced by the National Geographic Society.
1985 Dallas, Texas became the largest city in the United States to pass a no smoking law for restaurants.
1991 Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson, the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon, was released after nearly seven years in captivity.
1992 President George H.W. Bush ordered American troops to lead a mercy mission to Somalia, threatening military action against warlords and gangs who were blocking food for starving millions.
1995 The first rush of a 60,000-strong NATO force surged into Bosnia and Croatia in a peacekeeping mission in the Balkans.
1997 The NBA suspended Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors for one year for choking and threatening to kill his coach, P.J. Carlesimo (an arbitrator later reduced the suspension and reinstated Sprewell to the Warriors, which had terminated his contract).
1998 The remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho opened in U.S. theatres (*Giac's Note: Gus Van Sant should be drawn and quartered for what he did to this film. He used Hitchcock's shot sheet/storyboard, and still managed to turn Norman Bates from one of the classic tortured "villians" of film into a cheap pervert.)
2000 A Florida state judge refused to overturn Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's certified victory in Florida, and the U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling that had allowed manual recounts.
2001 The United States froze the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to the terrorist group Hamas.
2005 Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested for democracy and called on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
2006 Lacking the Senate votes to keep his job, embattled U.N. Ambassador John Bolton offered his resignation to President George W. Bush, who accepted it.
Chart Toppers
1949
Don’t Cry, Joe - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Betty Brewer)
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack Leonard)
That Lucky Old Sun - Frankie Laine
Slipping Around - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
April Love - Pat Boone
Raunchy - Bill Justis
Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
1-2-3 - Len Barry
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
Top of the World - Carpenters
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Just You ’n’ Me - Chicago
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
My Favorite Memory - Merle Haggard
1989
Blame It on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
(It’s Just) The Way That You Love Me - Paula Abdul
It’s Just a Matter of Time - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
People who reach the top of the tree are only those who haven't got the qualifications to detain them at the bottom.
Peter Ustinov, English actor & author (1921 - 2004)
Today's Birthdays
1840 Crazy Horse, Oglala Sioux chief, died Sept 5, 1877
1858 Chester Greenwood, inventor (ear muffs) died in 1937
1914 Claude Renoir, cinematographer (The Spy Who Loved Me) died Sep 5, 1993
1912 Pappy (Gregory) Boyington, USMC aviator/Medal of Honor recipient (Black Sheep Squadron) died Jan 11, 1988
1928 Dena Dietrich, actress (The Ropers, The Practice)
1933 Horst Buchholz, actor (Raid on Entebbe, The Magnificent Seven) died Mar 3, 2003
1934 Victor French, actor (Little House on the Prairie, Get Smart) died June 15, 1989
1934 Wink (Winston Conrad) Martindale, TV host (Tic Tac Dough)
1937 Max Baer Jr., actor (The Beverly Hillbillies, Macon County Line)
1940 John Cale, bassist/keyboardist/singer (The Velvet Underground)
1940 Freddy Cannon, singer (Hanky Panky)
1942 Bob Mosley, bassist (Moby Grape)
1942 Chris Hillman, guitarist/bassist (The Byrds)
1944 Dennis Wilson, drummer/keyboardist/singer (The Beach Boys) died in drowning accident Dec 28, 1983
1947 Terry Woods, mandolin (The Pogues)
1948 Southside Johnny (Lyon), singer (Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes)
1949 Jeff Bridges, actor (Blown Away, The Fisher King, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Starman, The Last Picture Show)
1951 Gary Rossington, guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1951 Patricia Wettig, actress (thirtysomething, Stephen King’s The Langoliers, City Slickers series)
1953 Rick Middleton, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1955 Cassandra Wilson, jazz singer
1959 Bob Griffin, bassist (BoDeans)
1964 Marisa Tomei, actress (My Cousin Vinny, Chaplin, Oscar, The Paper, Untamed Heart)
1964 Chelsea Noble, actress (Growing Pains)
1966 Fred Armisen, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Margaret Cho, comedienne/actress
1969 Jay-Z, rapper/producer
1970 Kevin Sussman, actor (Ugly Betty)
1973 Tyra Banks, actress/model
1984 Brooke Adams, model (WWE)
Today's Deaths in History
1679 Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher, dies at 91
1902 Charles Dow, journalist (Dow Jones & Company, Wall Street Journal) dies at 51
1967 Bert Lahr, actor (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 72
1976 Tommy Bolin, guitarist (T. Rex) dies at 25
1993 Frank Zappa, musician/composer, dies at 52
Today in History
1619 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and gave thanks to God (this is considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving in the Americas).
1674 Father Jacques Marquette founded a mission on the shores of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illiniwek (the mission would later grow into the city of Chicago, Illinois).
1783 Gen. George Washington said farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in New York.
1816 James Monroe of Virginia was elected the 5th President of the United States.
1867 The National Grange of Husbandry was founded.
1875 William Marcy Tweed, the "Boss" of New York City's Tammany Hall political organization, escaped from jail and fled the country.
1906 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity in the United States established for men of African descent, was founded at Cornell University.
1918 President Woodrow Wilson set sail for France to attend the Versailles peace conference.
1927 Duke Ellington’s big band opened the famed Cotton Club in Harlem.
1932 The Walter Winchell Show, later The Jergens Journal and still later, [/i]Kaiser-Frazer News,[/i] was first heard on the NBC Blue network.
1934 Ethel Merman recorded "I Get a Kick Out of You," from Cole Porter’s musical, Anything Goes.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.
1942 U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time in World War II.
1945 The Senate approved U.S. participation in the United Nations.
1955 As part of an NBC-TV special, mime artist Marcel Marceau appeared on television for the first time.
1956 During a Carl Perkins recording session also involving Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis Presley visited the studio and jammed with Perkins and Lewis extensively with the tape recorders rolling; Cash reportedly participated briefly in the jam before leaving the studio with his wife and daughter (the four men become known as the Million Dollar Quartet, and the complete tape from this legendary session is eventually released in 1987).
1962 James Caan made his TV acting debut in A Fist of Five, an episode of The Untouchables on ABC-TV.
1969 Black Panther Party members Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were shot and killed in their sleep during a raid by 14 Chicago police officers.
1970 Frank Reynolds co-hosted the ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith for the final time.
1971 The Montreux Casino in Switzerland was set ablaze by someone wielding a flare gun during a Frank Zappa concert; the incident would be noted in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water."
1972 Billy Paul from Philadelphia received a gold record for his smash hit, "Me and Mrs. Jones."
1978 Dianne Feinstein became San Francisco's first woman mayor when she was named to replace George Moscone, who had been assassinated.
1980 The bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador two days earlier were unearthed (five national guardsmen were later convicted of murder).
1980 Led Zeppelin formally announced its breakup.
1982 Running back Herschel Walker of the University of Georgia received the Heisman Trophy.
1984 The discovery of a Bronze Age shipwreck off the southern coast of Turkey was announced by the National Geographic Society.
1985 Dallas, Texas became the largest city in the United States to pass a no smoking law for restaurants.
1991 Associated Press correspondent Terry Anderson, the longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon, was released after nearly seven years in captivity.
1992 President George H.W. Bush ordered American troops to lead a mercy mission to Somalia, threatening military action against warlords and gangs who were blocking food for starving millions.
1995 The first rush of a 60,000-strong NATO force surged into Bosnia and Croatia in a peacekeeping mission in the Balkans.
1997 The NBA suspended Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors for one year for choking and threatening to kill his coach, P.J. Carlesimo (an arbitrator later reduced the suspension and reinstated Sprewell to the Warriors, which had terminated his contract).
1998 The remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Psycho opened in U.S. theatres (*Giac's Note: Gus Van Sant should be drawn and quartered for what he did to this film. He used Hitchcock's shot sheet/storyboard, and still managed to turn Norman Bates from one of the classic tortured "villians" of film into a cheap pervert.)
2000 A Florida state judge refused to overturn Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush's certified victory in Florida, and the U.S. Supreme Court set aside a ruling that had allowed manual recounts.
2001 The United States froze the financial assets of organizations allegedly linked to the terrorist group Hamas.
2005 Tens of thousands of people in Hong Kong protested for democracy and called on the Government to allow universal and equal suffrage.
2006 Lacking the Senate votes to keep his job, embattled U.N. Ambassador John Bolton offered his resignation to President George W. Bush, who accepted it.
Chart Toppers
1949
Don’t Cry, Joe - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Betty Brewer)
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack Leonard)
That Lucky Old Sun - Frankie Laine
Slipping Around - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
April Love - Pat Boone
Raunchy - Bill Justis
Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
1-2-3 - Len Barry
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
Top of the World - Carpenters
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Just You ’n’ Me - Chicago
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
My Favorite Memory - Merle Haggard
1989
Blame It on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
(It’s Just) The Way That You Love Me - Paula Abdul
It’s Just a Matter of Time - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
People who reach the top of the tree are only those who haven't got the qualifications to detain them at the bottom.
Peter Ustinov, English actor & author (1921 - 2004)
Today in History - Dec 5th
Today's Birthdays
1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th U.S. President, died July 24, 1862
1839 General George Armstrong Custer, Indian Fighter, killed at Little Bighorn June 25, 1876
1894 Phillip K. Wrigley, corporate executive (Wrigley Gum) died Apr 12, 1977
1901 Walt (Walter Elias) Disney, cartoonist/creator (Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, Disneyland) died Dec 15, 1966
1902 Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator (South Carolina) died Jun 26, 2003
1906 Otto (Ludwig) Preminger, director (Exodus, Anatomy of a Murder, Forever Amber) died Apr 23, 1986
1932 ‘Little’ Richard (Pennimann), singer (Good Golly Miss Molly, Tutti Frutti)
1938 J.D. (John Delphus) McDuffie, NASCAR driver, killed in a crash at Watkins Glen Aug 11, 1991
1944 Jeroen Krabbé, actor (Immortal Beloved, The Fugitive, The Prince of Tides, Crossing Delancey, Dynasty)
1946 José Carreras, Spanish tenor
1947 Jim Messina, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Buffalo Springfield, Loggins and Messina)
1947 Jim Plunkett, NFL quarterback (Oakland and LA Raiders, New England Patriots)
1952 Andy Kim, singer/songwriter (Rock Me Gently)
1957 Art Monk, NFL wide receiver (Washington Redskins)
1960 Les Nemes, bassist (Haircut 100)
1960 Jack Russell, singer (Great White)
1963 Doctor Dre, DJ/TV personality (Beastie Boys)
1963 Carrie Hamilton, actress/daughter of Carol Burnett (Fame, Cool World) died Jan 20, 2002
1965 John Rzeznik, singer/guitarist/songwriter (The Goo Goo Dolls)
1968 Lisa Marie, model/actress (Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood)
1971 Kali Rocha, actress (Grey's Anatomy)
1973 Shalom Harlow, fashion model
1976 Amy Acker, actress (Angel, Alias)
1979 Nick Stahl, actor (The Man Without a Face, Carnivalé)
1985 Frankie Muniz, actor (Malcolm in the Middle, My Dog Skip)
1988 Ross Bagley, actor (Independence Day)
Today's Deaths in History
1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer, dies at 35
1926 Claude Monet, French impressionist painter, dies at 86
1951 Shoeless Joe Jackson, MLB outfielder (Chicago White Sox) dies at 63
1968 Fred Clark, actor (Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun) dies at 54
1991 Richard Speck, mass murderer, dies in prison at 49
1993 Doug Hopkins, guitarist/songwriter (Gin Blossoms) commits suicide at 32
2002 Roone Arledge, sports broadcasting pioneer (ABC) dies at 71
Today in History
1492 Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola.
1776 The first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1792 George Washington was re-elected president and John Adams was re-elected vice president.
1831 Former President John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1848 President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.
1868 The first American bicycle school opened in New York City.
1876 The Stillson wrench (pipe wrench) was patented by D.C. Stillson of Somerville, MA.
1908 Numerals were used for the first time on football uniforms worn by college football players.
1926 Sergei Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin premiered.
1929 The American League for Physical Culture, a nudist organization, was "barely" organized this day in New York City.
1933 Prohibition ended in the U.S.
1948 The first church service in sign language for the hearing impaired was broadcast by WPIX-TV, Channel 11 in New York, from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Jamaica, Long Island.
1951 The first push button-controlled garage opened in Washington, D.C.
1952 The Abbott and Costello Show started a 52-episode, syndicated run on TV.
1952 Mutual radio broadcast The Green Hornet for the final time.
1955 The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to become the AFL-CIO.
1979 Sonia Johnson was formally excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for her outspoken criticism of the church concerning the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
1983 The first video arcade game licensed by the National Football League was unveiled in Chicago.
1984 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the oldest player in the National Basketball Association at 37, decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers for one more year for $2 million.
1985 Walter Pleate, America’s oldest military veteran, died at 108; he was one of a dozen living veterans of the Spanish-American War, fought in 1898.
1994 Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.
1996 The baseball players union executive board unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement, marking the end of the longest labor dispute in baseball history.
1996 Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan questioned whether the stock market was overvalued, saying in a speech in Washington, "How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly inflated asset values?"
1998 James P. Hoffa won the Teamsters presidency after challenger Tom Leedham conceded defeat in the union's presidential election.
2001 Afghan leaders signed a pact in Germany to create an interim government.
2002 At a 100th birthday celebration for Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-N.C., Senate Republican leader Trent Lott praised Thurmond's pro-segregation 1948 presidential campaign; the ensuing uproar led to Lott's resignation from the Senate leadership.
2006 New York became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging trans fats at restaurants.
Chart Toppers
1950
All My Love - Patti Page
A Bushel and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
1958
To Know Him, is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears
One Night - Elvis Presley
Problems - The Everly Brothers
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder &
The Detroit Wheels
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
I Can Help - Billy Swan
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Back Home Again - John Denver
1982
Truly - Lionel Richie
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Mickey - Toni Basil
You and I - Eddie Rabbitt with Crystal Gayle
1990
I’m Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
From a Distance - Bette Midler
Come Next Monday - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.
Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)
Today's Birthdays
1782 Martin Van Buren, 8th U.S. President, died July 24, 1862
1839 General George Armstrong Custer, Indian Fighter, killed at Little Bighorn June 25, 1876
1894 Phillip K. Wrigley, corporate executive (Wrigley Gum) died Apr 12, 1977
1901 Walt (Walter Elias) Disney, cartoonist/creator (Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, Disneyland) died Dec 15, 1966
1902 Strom Thurmond, U.S. Senator (South Carolina) died Jun 26, 2003
1906 Otto (Ludwig) Preminger, director (Exodus, Anatomy of a Murder, Forever Amber) died Apr 23, 1986
1932 ‘Little’ Richard (Pennimann), singer (Good Golly Miss Molly, Tutti Frutti)
1938 J.D. (John Delphus) McDuffie, NASCAR driver, killed in a crash at Watkins Glen Aug 11, 1991
1944 Jeroen Krabbé, actor (Immortal Beloved, The Fugitive, The Prince of Tides, Crossing Delancey, Dynasty)
1946 José Carreras, Spanish tenor
1947 Jim Messina, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Buffalo Springfield, Loggins and Messina)
1947 Jim Plunkett, NFL quarterback (Oakland and LA Raiders, New England Patriots)
1952 Andy Kim, singer/songwriter (Rock Me Gently)
1957 Art Monk, NFL wide receiver (Washington Redskins)
1960 Les Nemes, bassist (Haircut 100)
1960 Jack Russell, singer (Great White)
1963 Doctor Dre, DJ/TV personality (Beastie Boys)
1963 Carrie Hamilton, actress/daughter of Carol Burnett (Fame, Cool World) died Jan 20, 2002
1965 John Rzeznik, singer/guitarist/songwriter (The Goo Goo Dolls)
1968 Lisa Marie, model/actress (Mars Attacks!, Ed Wood)
1971 Kali Rocha, actress (Grey's Anatomy)
1973 Shalom Harlow, fashion model
1976 Amy Acker, actress (Angel, Alias)
1979 Nick Stahl, actor (The Man Without a Face, Carnivalé)
1985 Frankie Muniz, actor (Malcolm in the Middle, My Dog Skip)
1988 Ross Bagley, actor (Independence Day)
Today's Deaths in History
1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer, dies at 35
1926 Claude Monet, French impressionist painter, dies at 86
1951 Shoeless Joe Jackson, MLB outfielder (Chicago White Sox) dies at 63
1968 Fred Clark, actor (Sunset Boulevard, A Place in the Sun) dies at 54
1991 Richard Speck, mass murderer, dies in prison at 49
1993 Doug Hopkins, guitarist/songwriter (Gin Blossoms) commits suicide at 32
2002 Roone Arledge, sports broadcasting pioneer (ABC) dies at 71
Today in History
1492 Christopher Columbus became the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola.
1776 The first scholastic fraternity in America, Phi Beta Kappa, was organized at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1792 George Washington was re-elected president and John Adams was re-elected vice president.
1831 Former President John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1848 President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of '49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California.
1868 The first American bicycle school opened in New York City.
1876 The Stillson wrench (pipe wrench) was patented by D.C. Stillson of Somerville, MA.
1908 Numerals were used for the first time on football uniforms worn by college football players.
1926 Sergei Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin premiered.
1929 The American League for Physical Culture, a nudist organization, was "barely" organized this day in New York City.
1933 Prohibition ended in the U.S.
1948 The first church service in sign language for the hearing impaired was broadcast by WPIX-TV, Channel 11 in New York, from St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church for the Deaf in Jamaica, Long Island.
1951 The first push button-controlled garage opened in Washington, D.C.
1952 The Abbott and Costello Show started a 52-episode, syndicated run on TV.
1952 Mutual radio broadcast The Green Hornet for the final time.
1955 The American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations merged to become the AFL-CIO.
1979 Sonia Johnson was formally excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for her outspoken criticism of the church concerning the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
1983 The first video arcade game licensed by the National Football League was unveiled in Chicago.
1984 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the oldest player in the National Basketball Association at 37, decided to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers for one more year for $2 million.
1985 Walter Pleate, America’s oldest military veteran, died at 108; he was one of a dozen living veterans of the Spanish-American War, fought in 1898.
1994 Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades.
1996 The baseball players union executive board unanimously approved a new collective bargaining agreement, marking the end of the longest labor dispute in baseball history.
1996 Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan questioned whether the stock market was overvalued, saying in a speech in Washington, "How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly inflated asset values?"
1998 James P. Hoffa won the Teamsters presidency after challenger Tom Leedham conceded defeat in the union's presidential election.
2001 Afghan leaders signed a pact in Germany to create an interim government.
2002 At a 100th birthday celebration for Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-N.C., Senate Republican leader Trent Lott praised Thurmond's pro-segregation 1948 presidential campaign; the ensuing uproar led to Lott's resignation from the Senate leadership.
2006 New York became the first city in the nation to ban artery-clogging trans fats at restaurants.
Chart Toppers
1950
All My Love - Patti Page
A Bushel and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
1958
To Know Him, is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears
One Night - Elvis Presley
Problems - The Everly Brothers
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Devil with a Blue Dress On & Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder &
The Detroit Wheels
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
I Can Help - Billy Swan
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Back Home Again - John Denver
1982
Truly - Lionel Richie
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Mickey - Toni Basil
You and I - Eddie Rabbitt with Crystal Gayle
1990
I’m Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
From a Distance - Bette Midler
Come Next Monday - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.
Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)
Today in History - Dec 6th
Today's Birthdays
1886 Joyce (Alfred) Kilmer, poet (Trees) killed in action in WWI July 30, 1918
1896 Ira Gershwin (Israel Gershvin), lyricist (Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm) died Aug 17, 1983
1898 Alfred Eisenstaedt, photographer (86 LIFE magazine cover photos) died Aug 24, 1995
1900 Agnes (Robertson) Moorehead, actress (Bewitched, Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte, Citizen Kane) died Apr 30, 1974
1903 Tony (Anthony Michael) Lazzeri, Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NY Yankees) died Aug 6, 1946
1920 Dave Brubeck, jazz musician (Take Five)
1924 Wally (Wallace Maynard) Cox, actor (The Barefoot Executive, State Fair) died Feb 15, 1973
1928 Bobby Van (Bobby King Robert Stein), actor/dancer (Kiss Me Kate, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis) died July 31, 1980
1932 Don King, boxing promoter
1945 James Naughton, actor (The Paper Chase, Planet of the Apes, The Glass Menagerie)
1948 JoBeth Williams, actress (Kramer vs. Kramer, Poltergeist, The Big Chill, Dexter)
1953 Tom Hulce, actor (Parenthood, Amadeus, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Slam Dance)
1955 Steven Wright, comedian/actor (So I Married an Axe Murderer)
1956 Peter Buck, guitarist (R.E.M.)
1956 Rick (Paul) Buckler, drummer (The Jam)
1956 Randy Rhoads, guitarist (Ozzy Osbourne) died March 19, 1982
1961 David Lovering, drummer (The Pixies)
1962 Ben Watt, guitarist/keyboardist/singer (Everything but the Girl)
1962 Janine Turner (Gauntt), actress (Northern Exposure, Cliffhanger, Steel Magnolias)
1967 Judd Apatow, director (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up)
1970 Ulf Ekberg, singer (Ace of Base)
1971 Ryan White, AIDS activist, died April 8, 1990
1976 Colleen Haskell, TV personality/actress (Survivor, The Animal)
1993 Elián González, former Cuban refugee
Today's Deaths in History
0343 Saint Nicholas, Lycian saint and Bishop of Myra, dies at 63
1889 Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, dies at 81
1949 Leadbelly, blues musician, dies at 61
1955 Honus Wagner, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 81
1972 Janet Munro, British actress (Darby O'Gill & the Little People, Swiss Family Robinson)
1985 Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer (Kukla Fran & Ollie) dies at 68
1988 Roy Orbison, singer/guitarist/songwriter, dies at 52
1989 Frances Bavier, actress (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 86
1989 John Payne, actor (Miracle on 34th Street) dies at 77
1993 Don Ameche, actor (Trading Places, Cocoon) dies at 85
1996 Pete Rozelle, NFL Commissioner, dies at 70
2000 Werner Klemperer, German-born actor (Hogan's Heroes) dies at 80
Today in History
1768 The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published.
1790 Congress moved from New York City to Philadelphia.
1849 American abolitionist Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery.
1865 The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, banning slavery.
1873 America’s first international soccer game was played in New Haven, CT, with Yale defeating Eton (England) 2-1.
1883 Ladies’ Home Journal and Practical Housekeeper was published for the first time.
1884 Army engineers completed construction of the Washington Monument.
1902 The 8¢ Martha Washington stamp was issued, the first definitive or commemorative stamp to feature a woman.
1907 The worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, W.Va.
1923 The first presidential address to be carried on radio was broadcast from Washington, D.C., as President Calvin Coolidge addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
1933 U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey ruled that the James Joyce's novel Ulysses was not obscene.
1947 Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S Truman.
1948 Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts debuted on CBS-TV.
1957 America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit blew up on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1957 AFL-CIO members voted to expel the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
1960 Gene Autry became the owner of the expansion Los Angeles Angels
1969 Musician Cab Calloway turned actor as he was seen in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Littlest Angel on NBC.
1969 "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," by Steam, reached the #1 spot on the top 40.
1969 A free concert by the Rolling Stones at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif., was marred by the deaths of four people, including a man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel.
1971 Jack Nicklaus received $30,000 for capturing the first Disney World golf tournament.
1973 Following the resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, House Speaker Gerald Ford became the U.S.’s first appointed Vice President.
1975 Paul Simon’s album, Still Crazy After All These Years, was number one in the U.S.
1982 A bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army exploded in a pub in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing 11 soldiers and six civilians.
1984 Martina Navratilova’s 74-game winning streak over 11+ months came to an end.
1985 John Cougar Mellencamp promised 24,000 people at a New York City concert that he would refund their $17.50 tickets after a power outage caused a 20-minute interruption during his debut concert.
1986 University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde won the Heisman Trophy.
1989 Fourteen women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.
1992 Thousands of Hindu extremists destroyed a mosque in India, setting off two months of Hindu-Muslim rioting that claimed at least 2,000 lives.
1994 Orange County, Calif., filed for bankruptcy protection due to investment losses of about $2 billion.
1998 Hugo Chavez, who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the Venezuelan government six years earlier, was elected president.
1998 Astronauts on the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour completed the most difficult task of their 12-day mission, mating modules from Russia and the United States to create the first two building blocks of International Space Station.
1999 The U.S. airline maintenance company SabreTech was cleared of conspiracy charges in the crash of a plane belonging to cut-rate carrier ValuJet, which killed 110 people.
2002 President George W. Bush pushed Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and economic adviser Larry Lindsey from their jobs in a Cabinet shake-up.
2003 Army became the first team to finish 0-13 in major college football history after a 34-6 loss to Navy.
2004 Al-Qaida struck the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, with explosives and machine guns, killing nine people.
2006 The bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded that President George W. Bush's war policies had failed in almost every regard, and said the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating."
2006 NASA revealed photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Because of You - Tony Bennett
Down Yonder - Del Wood
Slow Poke - Pee Wee King
1959
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
Don’t You Know - Della Reese
In the Mood - Ernie Field’s Orch.
Country Girl - Faron Young
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
I Say a Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
Sky High - Jigsaw
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Secret Love - Freddy Fender
1983
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
A Little Good News - Anne Murray
1991
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Blowing Kisses in the Wind - Paula Abdul
Forever Together - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
Peter Drucker, American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 - 2005)
Today's Birthdays
1886 Joyce (Alfred) Kilmer, poet (Trees) killed in action in WWI July 30, 1918
1896 Ira Gershwin (Israel Gershvin), lyricist (Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm) died Aug 17, 1983
1898 Alfred Eisenstaedt, photographer (86 LIFE magazine cover photos) died Aug 24, 1995
1900 Agnes (Robertson) Moorehead, actress (Bewitched, Hush... Hush Sweet Charlotte, Citizen Kane) died Apr 30, 1974
1903 Tony (Anthony Michael) Lazzeri, Baseball Hall of Fame second baseman (NY Yankees) died Aug 6, 1946
1920 Dave Brubeck, jazz musician (Take Five)
1924 Wally (Wallace Maynard) Cox, actor (The Barefoot Executive, State Fair) died Feb 15, 1973
1928 Bobby Van (Bobby King Robert Stein), actor/dancer (Kiss Me Kate, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis) died July 31, 1980
1932 Don King, boxing promoter
1945 James Naughton, actor (The Paper Chase, Planet of the Apes, The Glass Menagerie)
1948 JoBeth Williams, actress (Kramer vs. Kramer, Poltergeist, The Big Chill, Dexter)
1953 Tom Hulce, actor (Parenthood, Amadeus, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Slam Dance)
1955 Steven Wright, comedian/actor (So I Married an Axe Murderer)
1956 Peter Buck, guitarist (R.E.M.)
1956 Rick (Paul) Buckler, drummer (The Jam)
1956 Randy Rhoads, guitarist (Ozzy Osbourne) died March 19, 1982
1961 David Lovering, drummer (The Pixies)
1962 Ben Watt, guitarist/keyboardist/singer (Everything but the Girl)
1962 Janine Turner (Gauntt), actress (Northern Exposure, Cliffhanger, Steel Magnolias)
1967 Judd Apatow, director (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up)
1970 Ulf Ekberg, singer (Ace of Base)
1971 Ryan White, AIDS activist, died April 8, 1990
1976 Colleen Haskell, TV personality/actress (Survivor, The Animal)
1993 Elián González, former Cuban refugee
Today's Deaths in History
0343 Saint Nicholas, Lycian saint and Bishop of Myra, dies at 63
1889 Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, dies at 81
1949 Leadbelly, blues musician, dies at 61
1955 Honus Wagner, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 81
1972 Janet Munro, British actress (Darby O'Gill & the Little People, Swiss Family Robinson)
1985 Burr Tillstrom, puppeteer (Kukla Fran & Ollie) dies at 68
1988 Roy Orbison, singer/guitarist/songwriter, dies at 52
1989 Frances Bavier, actress (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 86
1989 John Payne, actor (Miracle on 34th Street) dies at 77
1993 Don Ameche, actor (Trading Places, Cocoon) dies at 85
1996 Pete Rozelle, NFL Commissioner, dies at 70
2000 Werner Klemperer, German-born actor (Hogan's Heroes) dies at 80
Today in History
1768 The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published.
1790 Congress moved from New York City to Philadelphia.
1849 American abolitionist Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery.
1865 The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, banning slavery.
1873 America’s first international soccer game was played in New Haven, CT, with Yale defeating Eton (England) 2-1.
1883 Ladies’ Home Journal and Practical Housekeeper was published for the first time.
1884 Army engineers completed construction of the Washington Monument.
1902 The 8¢ Martha Washington stamp was issued, the first definitive or commemorative stamp to feature a woman.
1907 The worst mining disaster in U.S. history occurred as 362 men and boys died in a coal mine explosion in Monongah, W.Va.
1923 The first presidential address to be carried on radio was broadcast from Washington, D.C., as President Calvin Coolidge addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
1933 U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey ruled that the James Joyce's novel Ulysses was not obscene.
1947 Everglades National Park in Florida was dedicated by President Harry S Truman.
1948 Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts debuted on CBS-TV.
1957 America's first attempt at putting a satellite into orbit blew up on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1957 AFL-CIO members voted to expel the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
1960 Gene Autry became the owner of the expansion Los Angeles Angels
1969 Musician Cab Calloway turned actor as he was seen in the Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Littlest Angel on NBC.
1969 "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," by Steam, reached the #1 spot on the top 40.
1969 A free concert by the Rolling Stones at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif., was marred by the deaths of four people, including a man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel.
1971 Jack Nicklaus received $30,000 for capturing the first Disney World golf tournament.
1973 Following the resignation of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, House Speaker Gerald Ford became the U.S.’s first appointed Vice President.
1975 Paul Simon’s album, Still Crazy After All These Years, was number one in the U.S.
1982 A bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army exploded in a pub in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, killing 11 soldiers and six civilians.
1984 Martina Navratilova’s 74-game winning streak over 11+ months came to an end.
1985 John Cougar Mellencamp promised 24,000 people at a New York City concert that he would refund their $17.50 tickets after a power outage caused a 20-minute interruption during his debut concert.
1986 University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde won the Heisman Trophy.
1989 Fourteen women were shot to death at the University of Montreal's school of engineering by a man who then took his own life.
1992 Thousands of Hindu extremists destroyed a mosque in India, setting off two months of Hindu-Muslim rioting that claimed at least 2,000 lives.
1994 Orange County, Calif., filed for bankruptcy protection due to investment losses of about $2 billion.
1998 Hugo Chavez, who had staged a bloody coup attempt against the Venezuelan government six years earlier, was elected president.
1998 Astronauts on the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour completed the most difficult task of their 12-day mission, mating modules from Russia and the United States to create the first two building blocks of International Space Station.
1999 The U.S. airline maintenance company SabreTech was cleared of conspiracy charges in the crash of a plane belonging to cut-rate carrier ValuJet, which killed 110 people.
2002 President George W. Bush pushed Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and economic adviser Larry Lindsey from their jobs in a Cabinet shake-up.
2003 Army became the first team to finish 0-13 in major college football history after a 34-6 loss to Navy.
2004 Al-Qaida struck the U.S. Consulate in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, with explosives and machine guns, killing nine people.
2006 The bipartisan Iraq Study Group concluded that President George W. Bush's war policies had failed in almost every regard, and said the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating."
2006 NASA revealed photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Because of You - Tony Bennett
Down Yonder - Del Wood
Slow Poke - Pee Wee King
1959
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
Don’t You Know - Della Reese
In the Mood - Ernie Field’s Orch.
Country Girl - Faron Young
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
I Say a Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
Sky High - Jigsaw
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Secret Love - Freddy Fender
1983
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel
A Little Good News - Anne Murray
1991
Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
Black or White - Michael Jackson
Blowing Kisses in the Wind - Paula Abdul
Forever Together - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
Peter Drucker, American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 - 2005)
Today in History - Dec 7th - Pearl Harbor Day
Today's Birthdays
1873 Willa (Sibert) Cather, author (My Antonia) died Apr 24, 1947
1911 Louis Prima, trumpeter/bandleader/songwriter/singer (Just a Gigolo, I Ain’t Got Nobody) died Aug 24, 1978
1915 Eli Wallach, actor (The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Magnificent Seven, How the West was Won)
1923 Ted Knight (Tadeus Wladyslaw Konopka), actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Caddyshack) died Aug 26, 1986
1926 Victor Kiam II, business executive/NFL team owner (New England Patriots) died May 27, 2001
1932 Ellen Burstyn (Edna Rae Gilhooley), actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Exorcist, The Last Picture Show)
1940 Gerry Cheevers, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie (Boston Bruins)
1942 Harry Chapin, songwriter/singer (Taxi, W-O-L-D, Cat’s in the Cradle) killed in auto accident July 16, 1981
1947 Johnny (Lee) Bench, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Cincinnati Reds)
1948 James Keach, actor/director (Vacation, The Experts, Moving Violations, The Razor’s Edge)
1949 Tom Waits, singer/actor (Paradise Alley, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mystery Men)
1955 Priscilla Barnes, actress (Mallrats, Three’s Company)
1956 Larry Bird, Basketball Hall of Famer (Boston Celtics)
1958 Tim Butler, bassist (Psychedelic Furs)
1966 C. Thomas Howell, actor (Soul Man, Tank, The Outsiders, Red Dawn)
1973 Terrell Owens, NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys)
1976 Alan Faneca, NFL lineman (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1978 Shiri Appleby, actress (ER, I Love You to Death)
1979 Jennifer Carpenter, actress (The Exorcism of Emily Rose)
1988 Emily Browning, Australian actress (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Today's Deaths in History
0043 BC Cicero, Roman politician/author, dies at 63
1817 William Bligh, British naval officer (HMS Bounty) dies at 63
1902 Thomas Nast, cartoonist (Harper's Weekly) dies at 62
1980 Darby Crash, punk-rock lengend (The Germs) dies at 22
1984 Lee Roy Yarbrough, NASCAR driver, dies at 46
1985 Potter Stewart, Retired Supreme Court Justice, dies at 70
2004 Jay Van Andel, co-founder/chairman (Amway) dies at 80
2006 Jeane Kirkpatrick, American ambassador, dies at 80
Today in History
1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the proposed U.S. Constitution and the first state admitted to the Union.
1796 Electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the United States.
1836 Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth president of the United States.
1842 The New York Philharmonic Society gave its first public concert by performing works of Beethoven.
1925 Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 150-yard freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 25 and 2/5 seconds.
1926 The household refrigerator, operated by gas, was patented by the Electrolux Servel Corporation.
1935 Byron Haines, a halfback for the University of Washington, scored all the points as the Huskies defeated Southern California, 6-2; he scored all the points for his team, and was pushed over the goal line giving USC a safety.
1941 The Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, the naval air station at Kanoehe, and Marine Corps Air Station Ewa on the island of Oahu, aimed at crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet; more than 2,300 Americans were killed.
1952 My Little Margie, starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, made its debut on CBS radio.
1957 Singer Pat Boone hit the top of the pop charts with "April Love."
1963 Instant replay was used for the first time, by CBS-TV, during the Army-Navy game.
1970 Harry Reasoner, who had left CBS News weeks before, joined Howard K. Smith for The ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith and Harry Reasoner.
1972 America's last moon mission was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.
1974 "Kung Fu Fighting," by Carl Douglas, reached the #1 position on the pop charts.
1982 In Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr. became the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the US.
1984 Michael Jackson testified that the song, "The Girl is Mine," was exclusively his in a copyright infringement case.
1986 Basketball coach Pat Riley got coaching victory number 300.
1987 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashed near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shot his ex-boss traveling on the flight, then shot both pilots and himself.
1988 An earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia; an estimated 25,000 people died.
1993 A gunman opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train, killing six people and wounding 17; Colin Ferguson was later sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison.
1995 The U.S. spacecraft Galileo arrived at Jupiter, and fired its main engine for 49 minutes to attain a successful orbit around Jupiter.
1996 Toni Braxton’s "Unbreak My Heart" was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2001 Taliban forces abandoned their last bastion in Afghanistan, fleeing the southern city of Kandahar.
2002 Iraq denied it had weapons of mass destruction in a declaration to the United Nations.
2004 Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president.
2005 Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, was shot and killed by a team of US federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.
Chart Toppers
1944
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
Dance with the Dolly - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: Al Jennings)
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Back Street Affair - Webb Pierce
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Last Date - Floyd Cramer
Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy
Davis, Jr.
Good Woman Blues - Mel Tillis
1984
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Better Be Good to Me - Tina Turner
Your Heart’s Not in It - Janie Fricke
Quote of the Day
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
Edgar Allan Poe, US short story author, editor, & poet (1809 - 1849)
Today's Birthdays
1873 Willa (Sibert) Cather, author (My Antonia) died Apr 24, 1947
1911 Louis Prima, trumpeter/bandleader/songwriter/singer (Just a Gigolo, I Ain’t Got Nobody) died Aug 24, 1978
1915 Eli Wallach, actor (The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Magnificent Seven, How the West was Won)
1923 Ted Knight (Tadeus Wladyslaw Konopka), actor (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Caddyshack) died Aug 26, 1986
1926 Victor Kiam II, business executive/NFL team owner (New England Patriots) died May 27, 2001
1932 Ellen Burstyn (Edna Rae Gilhooley), actress (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, The Exorcist, The Last Picture Show)
1940 Gerry Cheevers, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie (Boston Bruins)
1942 Harry Chapin, songwriter/singer (Taxi, W-O-L-D, Cat’s in the Cradle) killed in auto accident July 16, 1981
1947 Johnny (Lee) Bench, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Cincinnati Reds)
1948 James Keach, actor/director (Vacation, The Experts, Moving Violations, The Razor’s Edge)
1949 Tom Waits, singer/actor (Paradise Alley, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mystery Men)
1955 Priscilla Barnes, actress (Mallrats, Three’s Company)
1956 Larry Bird, Basketball Hall of Famer (Boston Celtics)
1958 Tim Butler, bassist (Psychedelic Furs)
1966 C. Thomas Howell, actor (Soul Man, Tank, The Outsiders, Red Dawn)
1973 Terrell Owens, NFL wide receiver (Dallas Cowboys)
1976 Alan Faneca, NFL lineman (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1978 Shiri Appleby, actress (ER, I Love You to Death)
1979 Jennifer Carpenter, actress (The Exorcism of Emily Rose)
1988 Emily Browning, Australian actress (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Today's Deaths in History
0043 BC Cicero, Roman politician/author, dies at 63
1817 William Bligh, British naval officer (HMS Bounty) dies at 63
1902 Thomas Nast, cartoonist (Harper's Weekly) dies at 62
1980 Darby Crash, punk-rock lengend (The Germs) dies at 22
1984 Lee Roy Yarbrough, NASCAR driver, dies at 46
1985 Potter Stewart, Retired Supreme Court Justice, dies at 70
2004 Jay Van Andel, co-founder/chairman (Amway) dies at 80
2006 Jeane Kirkpatrick, American ambassador, dies at 80
Today in History
1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the proposed U.S. Constitution and the first state admitted to the Union.
1796 Electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the United States.
1836 Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth president of the United States.
1842 The New York Philharmonic Society gave its first public concert by performing works of Beethoven.
1925 Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 150-yard freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 25 and 2/5 seconds.
1926 The household refrigerator, operated by gas, was patented by the Electrolux Servel Corporation.
1935 Byron Haines, a halfback for the University of Washington, scored all the points as the Huskies defeated Southern California, 6-2; he scored all the points for his team, and was pushed over the goal line giving USC a safety.
1941 The Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, the naval air station at Kanoehe, and Marine Corps Air Station Ewa on the island of Oahu, aimed at crippling the U.S. Pacific Fleet; more than 2,300 Americans were killed.
1952 My Little Margie, starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, made its debut on CBS radio.
1957 Singer Pat Boone hit the top of the pop charts with "April Love."
1963 Instant replay was used for the first time, by CBS-TV, during the Army-Navy game.
1970 Harry Reasoner, who had left CBS News weeks before, joined Howard K. Smith for The ABC Evening News with Howard K. Smith and Harry Reasoner.
1972 America's last moon mission was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.
1974 "Kung Fu Fighting," by Carl Douglas, reached the #1 position on the pop charts.
1982 In Texas, Charles Brooks, Jr. became the first person to be executed by lethal injection in the US.
1984 Michael Jackson testified that the song, "The Girl is Mine," was exclusively his in a copyright infringement case.
1986 Basketball coach Pat Riley got coaching victory number 300.
1987 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 crashed near Paso Robles, California, killing all 43 on board, after a disgruntled passenger shot his ex-boss traveling on the flight, then shot both pilots and himself.
1988 An earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia; an estimated 25,000 people died.
1993 A gunman opened fire on a Long Island Rail Road commuter train, killing six people and wounding 17; Colin Ferguson was later sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison.
1995 The U.S. spacecraft Galileo arrived at Jupiter, and fired its main engine for 49 minutes to attain a successful orbit around Jupiter.
1996 Toni Braxton’s "Unbreak My Heart" was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
2001 Taliban forces abandoned their last bastion in Afghanistan, fleeing the southern city of Kandahar.
2002 Iraq denied it had weapons of mass destruction in a declaration to the United Nations.
2004 Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president.
2005 Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, was shot and killed by a team of US federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.
Chart Toppers
1944
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
Dance with the Dolly - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: Al Jennings)
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Back Street Affair - Webb Pierce
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Last Date - Floyd Cramer
Poetry in Motion - Johnny Tillotson
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
Love Child - Diana Ross & The Supremes
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Stand By Your Man - Tammy Wynette
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy
Davis, Jr.
Good Woman Blues - Mel Tillis
1984
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham!
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Better Be Good to Me - Tina Turner
Your Heart’s Not in It - Janie Fricke
Quote of the Day
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.
Edgar Allan Poe, US short story author, editor, & poet (1809 - 1849)
Today in History - Dec 8th
Today's Birthdays
0065 BC Horace, Roman poet, died Nov 27, 0008 BC
1542 Mary Queen of Scots, died Feb 8, 1587
1765 Eli Whitney, inventor (cotton gin) died Jan 8, 1825
1861 William Durant, auto manufacturer (Chevrolet/General Motors) died Mar 18, 1947
1886 Diego Rivera, politically controversial Mexican artist, died Nov 25, 1957
1894 Elzie Segar, cartoonist (Popeye) died Oct 13, 1938
1894 James Thurber, writer/author (New Yorker Magazine, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, My World and Welcome to It) died Nov 2, 1961
1911 Lee J. Cobb, actor (On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men) died Feb 11, 1976
1925 Sammy Davis Jr., singer/dancer/actor/Rat Pack member (Ocean’s 11, Candy Man) died May 16, 1990
1930 Maximilian Schell, actor (Judgment at Nuremberg, The Freshman, Julia, The Odessa File, Heidi
1933 Flip (Clerow) Wilson, comedian (Uptown Saturday Night, The Flip Wilson Show, “The Devil Made Me Do It!”) died Nov 25, 1998
1936 David Carradine, actor (Lone Wolf McQuade, Kung Fu: The Movie, Kung Fu, Kung Fu-The Legend Continues)
1937 James MacArthur, actor (Hawaii Five-O)
1939 Gordon ‘Red’ Berenson, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1942 Bobby Elliott, drummer (The Hollies)
1943 Jim (James Douglas) Morrison, ‘The Lizard King,’ singer (The Doors) died July 3, 1971
1947 Gregg Allman, keyboardist/guitarist/singer (Allman Brothers Band)
1950 Rick Baker, film makeup/special effects artist
1950 Dan Hartman, guitarist/singer (Edgar Winter Group) died Mar 22, 1994
1953 Kim Basinger, actress (Wayne’s World 2, The Real McCoy, Cool World, Batman, My Stepmother is an Alien, 9-1/2 Weeks, The Natural)
1953 Roy Firestone, sportscaster
1953 Sam Kinison, comedian, died Apr 10, 1992
1956 Warren Cuccurullo, guitarist (Duran Duran, Missing Persons)
1957 Phil Collen, guitarist (Def Leppard)
1961 Ann Coulter, author/political commentator/attorney
1962 Marty Friedman, guitarist (Megadeath)
1962 Wendell Pierce, actor (The Wire)
1964 Teri Hatcher, actress (Desperate Housewives, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Soapdish, Tango and Cash)
1966 Sinéad O’Connor, singer (Nothing Compares to You)
1966 Matthew Laborteaux, actor (Little House on the Prairie)
1972 Ryan Newell, guitarist (Sister Hazel)
1973 Corey Taylor, singer (Slipknot)
1974 Nick Zinner, guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
1976 Dominic Monaghan, actor (Lost, Lords of the Rings series)
1977 Elsa Benítez, Mexican supermodel (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1978 Ian Somerhalder, actor (Lost)
Today's Deaths in History
1958 Tris Speaker, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Boston Red Sox) dies at 70
1978 Golda Meir, Former Israeli Prime Minister, dies at 80
1980 John Lennon, singer/songwriter/guitarist (The Beatles) is shot and killed at 40
1983 Slim Pickens, actor (1941, Dr Strangelove, Blazing Saddles) dies at 64
1991 Kimberly Bergalis, who contracted AIDS from her dentist, dies at 23
1996 Howard Rollins, actor (A Soldier's Story) dies at 46
2003 Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) dies at 84
2004 Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Abbott), guitarist (Pantera, Damageplan) is shot and killed onstage at 38
2006 Martha Tilton, singer (Three Hits and a Miss, Benny Goodman) dies at 91
Today in History
1776 George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
1854 Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.
1886 The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.
1940 The Chicago Bears shut out the Washington Redskins 73-0, in the most lopsided game in NFL history.
1941 The United States formally entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 One of America’s classic Broadway plays, and later a major motion picture, debuted as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes began its long run at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.
1949 The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan as the Communists pressed their attacks.
1961 "Surfin’," The Beach Boys first record, was released on Candix Records.
1962 Striking workers of the International Typographical Union closed nine New York City newspapers.
1963 Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe, Nevada; he was set free three days later after his father paid a $240,000 ransom with no questions asked.
1979 Styx' "Babe" hit #1 in the U.S.
1980 John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman as he stood outside of his New York City apartment house, the Dakota.
1982 The Federal Communications Commission approved the move of WOR-TV, Channel 9 in New York City to Secaucus, New Jersey.
1984 Indiana Hoosier’s basketball coach, Bobby Knight, got career win #400 as Indiana beat Kentucky’s Wildcats, 81-68.
1987 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories began an intefadeh, or uprising.
1987 President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
1987 NHL goalie Ron Hextall became the first goalie in the modern era to score a goal.
1991 Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the Soviet national government dead, forging a new alliance, the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1992 Americans saw live TV coverage of U.S. troops landing on the beaches of Somalia as Operation Restore Hope began.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law.
1995 The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up after 30 years of making music. The news came four months after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
1997 Swiss Bank and Union Bank of Switzerland announced a plan to form a single bank with assets of well over half a trillion dollars.
2000 The Florida Supreme Court ordered an immediate hand count of about 45,000 disputed presidential ballots.
2003 Rep. Bill Janklow, R-S.D., resigned after being convicted in the traffic death of a motorcyclist.
2004 "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot and killed by Nathan Gale while performing on stage with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio.
Chart Toppers
1945
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
That’s for Me - Dick Haymes
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
It’s Been So Long Darling - Ernest Tubb
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
Vaya Con Dios - Les Paul & Mary Ford
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1961
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Goodbye Cruel World - James Darren
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Okie from Muskogee - Merle Haggard
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Never - Heart
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
I Don’t Mind the Thorns (If You’re the Rose) - Lee Greenwood
Quote of the Day
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813 - 1855)
Today's Birthdays
0065 BC Horace, Roman poet, died Nov 27, 0008 BC
1542 Mary Queen of Scots, died Feb 8, 1587
1765 Eli Whitney, inventor (cotton gin) died Jan 8, 1825
1861 William Durant, auto manufacturer (Chevrolet/General Motors) died Mar 18, 1947
1886 Diego Rivera, politically controversial Mexican artist, died Nov 25, 1957
1894 Elzie Segar, cartoonist (Popeye) died Oct 13, 1938
1894 James Thurber, writer/author (New Yorker Magazine, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, My World and Welcome to It) died Nov 2, 1961
1911 Lee J. Cobb, actor (On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men) died Feb 11, 1976
1925 Sammy Davis Jr., singer/dancer/actor/Rat Pack member (Ocean’s 11, Candy Man) died May 16, 1990
1930 Maximilian Schell, actor (Judgment at Nuremberg, The Freshman, Julia, The Odessa File, Heidi
1933 Flip (Clerow) Wilson, comedian (Uptown Saturday Night, The Flip Wilson Show, “The Devil Made Me Do It!”) died Nov 25, 1998
1936 David Carradine, actor (Lone Wolf McQuade, Kung Fu: The Movie, Kung Fu, Kung Fu-The Legend Continues)
1937 James MacArthur, actor (Hawaii Five-O)
1939 Gordon ‘Red’ Berenson, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1942 Bobby Elliott, drummer (The Hollies)
1943 Jim (James Douglas) Morrison, ‘The Lizard King,’ singer (The Doors) died July 3, 1971
1947 Gregg Allman, keyboardist/guitarist/singer (Allman Brothers Band)
1950 Rick Baker, film makeup/special effects artist
1950 Dan Hartman, guitarist/singer (Edgar Winter Group) died Mar 22, 1994
1953 Kim Basinger, actress (Wayne’s World 2, The Real McCoy, Cool World, Batman, My Stepmother is an Alien, 9-1/2 Weeks, The Natural)
1953 Roy Firestone, sportscaster
1953 Sam Kinison, comedian, died Apr 10, 1992
1956 Warren Cuccurullo, guitarist (Duran Duran, Missing Persons)
1957 Phil Collen, guitarist (Def Leppard)
1961 Ann Coulter, author/political commentator/attorney
1962 Marty Friedman, guitarist (Megadeath)
1962 Wendell Pierce, actor (The Wire)
1964 Teri Hatcher, actress (Desperate Housewives, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Soapdish, Tango and Cash)
1966 Sinéad O’Connor, singer (Nothing Compares to You)
1966 Matthew Laborteaux, actor (Little House on the Prairie)
1972 Ryan Newell, guitarist (Sister Hazel)
1973 Corey Taylor, singer (Slipknot)
1974 Nick Zinner, guitarist (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
1976 Dominic Monaghan, actor (Lost, Lords of the Rings series)
1977 Elsa Benítez, Mexican supermodel (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1978 Ian Somerhalder, actor (Lost)
Today's Deaths in History
1958 Tris Speaker, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Boston Red Sox) dies at 70
1978 Golda Meir, Former Israeli Prime Minister, dies at 80
1980 John Lennon, singer/songwriter/guitarist (The Beatles) is shot and killed at 40
1983 Slim Pickens, actor (1941, Dr Strangelove, Blazing Saddles) dies at 64
1991 Kimberly Bergalis, who contracted AIDS from her dentist, dies at 23
1996 Howard Rollins, actor (A Soldier's Story) dies at 46
2003 Rubén González, Cuban pianist (Buena Vista Social Club) dies at 84
2004 Dimebag Darrell (Darrell Abbott), guitarist (Pantera, Damageplan) is shot and killed onstage at 38
2006 Martha Tilton, singer (Three Hits and a Miss, Benny Goodman) dies at 91
Today in History
1776 George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
1854 Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.
1886 The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.
1940 The Chicago Bears shut out the Washington Redskins 73-0, in the most lopsided game in NFL history.
1941 The United States formally entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 One of America’s classic Broadway plays, and later a major motion picture, debuted as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes began its long run at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.
1949 The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan as the Communists pressed their attacks.
1961 "Surfin’," The Beach Boys first record, was released on Candix Records.
1962 Striking workers of the International Typographical Union closed nine New York City newspapers.
1963 Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe, Nevada; he was set free three days later after his father paid a $240,000 ransom with no questions asked.
1979 Styx' "Babe" hit #1 in the U.S.
1980 John Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman as he stood outside of his New York City apartment house, the Dakota.
1982 The Federal Communications Commission approved the move of WOR-TV, Channel 9 in New York City to Secaucus, New Jersey.
1984 Indiana Hoosier’s basketball coach, Bobby Knight, got career win #400 as Indiana beat Kentucky’s Wildcats, 81-68.
1987 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories began an intefadeh, or uprising.
1987 President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
1987 NHL goalie Ron Hextall became the first goalie in the modern era to score a goal.
1991 Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the Soviet national government dead, forging a new alliance, the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1992 Americans saw live TV coverage of U.S. troops landing on the beaches of Somalia as Operation Restore Hope began.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement into law.
1995 The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up after 30 years of making music. The news came four months after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
1997 Swiss Bank and Union Bank of Switzerland announced a plan to form a single bank with assets of well over half a trillion dollars.
2000 The Florida Supreme Court ordered an immediate hand count of about 45,000 disputed presidential ballots.
2003 Rep. Bill Janklow, R-S.D., resigned after being convicted in the traffic death of a motorcyclist.
2004 "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was shot and killed by Nathan Gale while performing on stage with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio.
Chart Toppers
1945
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
That’s for Me - Dick Haymes
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
It’s Been So Long Darling - Ernest Tubb
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
Vaya Con Dios - Les Paul & Mary Ford
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1961
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
Goodbye Cruel World - James Darren
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye - Steam
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Okie from Muskogee - Merle Haggard
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Never - Heart
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
I Don’t Mind the Thorns (If You’re the Rose) - Lee Greenwood
Quote of the Day
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (1813 - 1855)
Today in History - Dec 9th
Today's Birthdays
1561 Sir Edwin Sandys, English treasurer (Virginia Company) died in October 1629
1608 John Milton, poet (Paradise Lost) died Nov 8, 1674
1848 Joel Chandler Harris, author (Uncle Remus stories) died July 3, 1908
1886 Clarence Birdseye, inventor (deep-freeze foods) died Oct 8, 1956
1898 Emmett Kelly, clown (Ringling Bros.) died Mar 28, 1979
1902 Margaret Hamilton, actress (The Wizard of Oz) died May 16, 1985
1906 Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral/computer developer (COBOL) died Jan 1, 1992
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actor (Ghost Story, Gunga Din, The Prisoner of Zenda) died May 7, 2000
1911 (William) Broderick Crawford, actor (Born Yesterday, All the King’s Men) died Apr 26, 1986
1912 Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neil, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, died Jan 5, 1994
1916 Kirk Douglas (Isadore Demsky/Issur Danielovitch), actor (Greedy, Tough Guys, The Final Countdown, Seven Days in May, Spartacus)
1922 Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford), comedian/actor (Sanford and Son, Cotton Comes to Harlem) died Oct 11, 1991
1925 Dina Merrill (Nedenia Hutton Rumbough), actress (Caddyshack 2, Operation Petticoat)
1928 Dick Van Patten, actor (Eight is Enough, Spaceballs, Westworld)
1929 John Cassavetes, actor/director (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary’s Baby) died Feb 3, 1989
1930 Buck Henry (Zuckerman), writer/actor (Grumpy Old Men, Eating Raoul, Catch-22, The Graduate, Get Smart)
1933 Morton Downey Jr., talk show host, died Mar 12, 2001
1934 Dame Judi Dench, British actress (Shakespeare in Love, Tomorrow Never Dies, Chocolat, Notes on a Scandal)
1934 Junior Wells, blues musician, died Jan 15, 1998
1941 Beau (Lloyd III) Bridges, director/actor (Without Warning: The James Brady Story, The Fabulous Baker Boys)
1942 Dick Butkus, College and Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker (Chicago Bears)
1945 Michael Nouri, actor (Flashdance, Invincible)
1950 Joan Armatrading, singer/songwriter
1952 Michael Dorn, actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1953 John Malkovich, actor (Dangerous Liaisons, The Killing Fields, Places in the Heart, Of Mice and Men, In the Line of Fire, Empire of the Sun)
1954 Jack Hues, singer (Wang Chung)
1957 Donny Osmond, singer/TV Host (Osmond Brothers, Donny & Marie Show)
1958 Nick Seymour, bassist (Crowded House)
1958 Rikk Agnew, guitarsit (The Adolescents)
1960 Terry Moran, TV reporter (ABC, Nightline)
1961 David Anthony Higgins, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
1961 Joe Lando, actor (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman)
1962 Felicity Huffman, actress (Sports Night, Desperate Housewives)
1963 Masako, Crown Princess of Japan
1964 Paul Landers, guitarist (Rammstein)
1968 Brian Bell, rhythm guitarist (Weezer)
1969 Jakob Dylan, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Wallflowers)
1969 Allison Smith, actress (Kate & Aliie, The West Wing)
1971 Petr Nedved, NHL center/left wing (NY Rangers)
1972 Tre Cool, drummer (Green Day)
1972 Reiko Aylesworth, actress (24, Mr Brooks)
1978 Jesse Metcalfe, actor (Desperate Housewives)
Today's Deaths in History
1930 Andrew "Rube" Foster, baseball player/founder of the Negro National League, dies at 51
1965 Branch Rickey, baseball commissioner, dies at 83
1971 Ralph Bunche, American diplomat/Nobel Prize winner, dies at 68
1982 Leon Jaworski, Watergate special prosecutor, dies at 77
1984 Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, drummer (Hanoi Rocks) dies at 24
1992 Vincent Gardenia, actor (Bang the Drum Slowly, Moonstruck, Little Shop of Horros) dies at 70
1996 Patty Donahue, singer (The Waitresses) dies at 40
1998 Archie Moore, World Light-Heavyweight Boxing Champion, dies at 84
2002 Mary Hansen, guitarist/singer (Stereolab) dies at 36
2003 Paul Simon, former senator/Presidential hopeful, dies at 75
Today in History
1793 The first daily newspaper in New York City, The American Minerva, was founded by Noah Webster.
1851 The first YMCA in North America was established in Montreal, Quebec.
1854 The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, was published in England.
1872 In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback became the first serving African-American governor of a U.S. state.
1884 Levant Richardson of Chicago, IL received his patent for the ball-bearing roller skate.
1907 The U.S. Post Office in Wilmington, Delaware offered Christmas Seals for sale for the very first time; contributions for the original seals, designed by Emily P. Bissell, helped in the fight against tuberculosis.
1926 Benny Goodman, at age 17, took part in his first recording session, playing clarinet with the Ben Pollack and His Californians on a tune titled "When I First Met Mary" on Victor Records.
1926 The U.S. Golf Association legalized steel-shaft golf clubs.
1934 Because of ground conditions, the New York Giants football team wore basketball sneakers as they defeated the Chicago Bears 30-13 for the NFL championship.
1940 British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II.
1940 The Longines Watch Company signed for the first FM radio advertising contract with experimental station W2XOR in New York City.
1941 China declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy.
1950 Harry Gold was sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union (his testimony was later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg).
1958 The anti-Communist John Birch Society was formed in Indianapolis.
1960 Sperry Rand Corporation of St. Paul, MN unveiled a new computer, known as Univac 1107.
1961 Nazi Adolf Eichmann was found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
1968 NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) was publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
1972 Keith Moon, Rod Stewart and Roger Daltrey opened the rock opera Tommy in London.
1975 President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from having to default.
1979 The eradication of the smallpox virus was certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
1984 The Jackson’s Victory Tour came to a close at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles after 55 performances in 19 cities.
1984 Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears got another first as he ran six plays as quarterback.
1984 Eric Dickerson, then of the Los Angeles Rams, became only the second pro football player to run for more than 2,000 yards (2,105) in a season.
1990 Solidarity founder Lech Walesa won Poland's presidential runoff by a landslide.
1992 Britain’s Prime Minister John Major announced in parliament the separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
1993 The Air Force destroyed the first of 500 Minuteman II missile silos marked for elimination under an arms control treaty.
1994 President Bill Clinton fired Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders after she told a conference that masturbation should be discussed in school as a part of human sexuality.
1995 The Beatles’ Anthology 1 was #1 in the U.S.
1998 CBS Corp. raised $2.9 billion by selling a 17 percent stake in Infinity Broadcasting Corp., its radio and outdoor advertising business.
2000 The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida presidential vote count.
2002 United Airlines filed the biggest bankruptcy in aviation history after losing $4 billion in the previous two years.
2004 Canada's Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutional.
2006 Moscow suffered its worst fire since 1977, killing 45 women in a drug addict rehabitational center.
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The
Campus Kids)
Rumors are Flying - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
Dim Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere) - Bill Haley & His Comets
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Gypsy Woman - Brian Hyland
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
Le Freak - Chic
I Just Wanna Stop - Gino Vanelli
I Love the Nightlife (Disco ’Round) - Alicia Bridges
On My Knees - Charlie Rich with Janie Fricke
1986
The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis & The News
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
It Ain’t Cool to Be Crazy About You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right.
Ellen Goodman, American journalist (1941 - )
Today's Birthdays
1561 Sir Edwin Sandys, English treasurer (Virginia Company) died in October 1629
1608 John Milton, poet (Paradise Lost) died Nov 8, 1674
1848 Joel Chandler Harris, author (Uncle Remus stories) died July 3, 1908
1886 Clarence Birdseye, inventor (deep-freeze foods) died Oct 8, 1956
1898 Emmett Kelly, clown (Ringling Bros.) died Mar 28, 1979
1902 Margaret Hamilton, actress (The Wizard of Oz) died May 16, 1985
1906 Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral/computer developer (COBOL) died Jan 1, 1992
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr., actor (Ghost Story, Gunga Din, The Prisoner of Zenda) died May 7, 2000
1911 (William) Broderick Crawford, actor (Born Yesterday, All the King’s Men) died Apr 26, 1986
1912 Thomas P. ‘Tip’ O’Neil, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, died Jan 5, 1994
1916 Kirk Douglas (Isadore Demsky/Issur Danielovitch), actor (Greedy, Tough Guys, The Final Countdown, Seven Days in May, Spartacus)
1922 Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford), comedian/actor (Sanford and Son, Cotton Comes to Harlem) died Oct 11, 1991
1925 Dina Merrill (Nedenia Hutton Rumbough), actress (Caddyshack 2, Operation Petticoat)
1928 Dick Van Patten, actor (Eight is Enough, Spaceballs, Westworld)
1929 John Cassavetes, actor/director (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary’s Baby) died Feb 3, 1989
1930 Buck Henry (Zuckerman), writer/actor (Grumpy Old Men, Eating Raoul, Catch-22, The Graduate, Get Smart)
1933 Morton Downey Jr., talk show host, died Mar 12, 2001
1934 Dame Judi Dench, British actress (Shakespeare in Love, Tomorrow Never Dies, Chocolat, Notes on a Scandal)
1934 Junior Wells, blues musician, died Jan 15, 1998
1941 Beau (Lloyd III) Bridges, director/actor (Without Warning: The James Brady Story, The Fabulous Baker Boys)
1942 Dick Butkus, College and Pro Football Hall of Fame middle linebacker (Chicago Bears)
1945 Michael Nouri, actor (Flashdance, Invincible)
1950 Joan Armatrading, singer/songwriter
1952 Michael Dorn, actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1953 John Malkovich, actor (Dangerous Liaisons, The Killing Fields, Places in the Heart, Of Mice and Men, In the Line of Fire, Empire of the Sun)
1954 Jack Hues, singer (Wang Chung)
1957 Donny Osmond, singer/TV Host (Osmond Brothers, Donny & Marie Show)
1958 Nick Seymour, bassist (Crowded House)
1958 Rikk Agnew, guitarsit (The Adolescents)
1960 Terry Moran, TV reporter (ABC, Nightline)
1961 David Anthony Higgins, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
1961 Joe Lando, actor (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman)
1962 Felicity Huffman, actress (Sports Night, Desperate Housewives)
1963 Masako, Crown Princess of Japan
1964 Paul Landers, guitarist (Rammstein)
1968 Brian Bell, rhythm guitarist (Weezer)
1969 Jakob Dylan, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Wallflowers)
1969 Allison Smith, actress (Kate & Aliie, The West Wing)
1971 Petr Nedved, NHL center/left wing (NY Rangers)
1972 Tre Cool, drummer (Green Day)
1972 Reiko Aylesworth, actress (24, Mr Brooks)
1978 Jesse Metcalfe, actor (Desperate Housewives)
Today's Deaths in History
1930 Andrew "Rube" Foster, baseball player/founder of the Negro National League, dies at 51
1965 Branch Rickey, baseball commissioner, dies at 83
1971 Ralph Bunche, American diplomat/Nobel Prize winner, dies at 68
1982 Leon Jaworski, Watergate special prosecutor, dies at 77
1984 Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley, drummer (Hanoi Rocks) dies at 24
1992 Vincent Gardenia, actor (Bang the Drum Slowly, Moonstruck, Little Shop of Horros) dies at 70
1996 Patty Donahue, singer (The Waitresses) dies at 40
1998 Archie Moore, World Light-Heavyweight Boxing Champion, dies at 84
2002 Mary Hansen, guitarist/singer (Stereolab) dies at 36
2003 Paul Simon, former senator/Presidential hopeful, dies at 75
Today in History
1793 The first daily newspaper in New York City, The American Minerva, was founded by Noah Webster.
1851 The first YMCA in North America was established in Montreal, Quebec.
1854 The poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Alfred Lord Tennyson, was published in England.
1872 In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback became the first serving African-American governor of a U.S. state.
1884 Levant Richardson of Chicago, IL received his patent for the ball-bearing roller skate.
1907 The U.S. Post Office in Wilmington, Delaware offered Christmas Seals for sale for the very first time; contributions for the original seals, designed by Emily P. Bissell, helped in the fight against tuberculosis.
1926 Benny Goodman, at age 17, took part in his first recording session, playing clarinet with the Ben Pollack and His Californians on a tune titled "When I First Met Mary" on Victor Records.
1926 The U.S. Golf Association legalized steel-shaft golf clubs.
1934 Because of ground conditions, the New York Giants football team wore basketball sneakers as they defeated the Chicago Bears 30-13 for the NFL championship.
1940 British troops opened their first major offensive in North Africa during World War II.
1940 The Longines Watch Company signed for the first FM radio advertising contract with experimental station W2XOR in New York City.
1941 China declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy.
1950 Harry Gold was sentenced to thirty years in jail for helping Klaus Fuchs pass information about the Manhattan Project to the Soviet Union (his testimony was later instrumental in the prosecution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg).
1958 The anti-Communist John Birch Society was formed in Indianapolis.
1960 Sperry Rand Corporation of St. Paul, MN unveiled a new computer, known as Univac 1107.
1961 Nazi Adolf Eichmann was found guilty of 15 criminal charges, including charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and membership of an outlawed organization.
1968 NLS (a system for which hypertext and the computer mouse were developed) was publicly demonstrated for the first time in San Francisco.
1972 Keith Moon, Rod Stewart and Roger Daltrey opened the rock opera Tommy in London.
1975 President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from having to default.
1979 The eradication of the smallpox virus was certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
1984 The Jackson’s Victory Tour came to a close at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles after 55 performances in 19 cities.
1984 Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears got another first as he ran six plays as quarterback.
1984 Eric Dickerson, then of the Los Angeles Rams, became only the second pro football player to run for more than 2,000 yards (2,105) in a season.
1990 Solidarity founder Lech Walesa won Poland's presidential runoff by a landslide.
1992 Britain’s Prime Minister John Major announced in parliament the separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
1993 The Air Force destroyed the first of 500 Minuteman II missile silos marked for elimination under an arms control treaty.
1994 President Bill Clinton fired Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders after she told a conference that masturbation should be discussed in school as a part of human sexuality.
1995 The Beatles’ Anthology 1 was #1 in the U.S.
1998 CBS Corp. raised $2.9 billion by selling a 17 percent stake in Infinity Broadcasting Corp., its radio and outdoor advertising business.
2000 The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a temporary halt in the Florida presidential vote count.
2002 United Airlines filed the biggest bankruptcy in aviation history after losing $4 billion in the previous two years.
2004 Canada's Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was constitutional.
2006 Moscow suffered its worst fire since 1977, killing 45 women in a drug addict rehabitational center.
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The
Campus Kids)
Rumors are Flying - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
Dim Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere) - Bill Haley & His Comets
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Gypsy Woman - Brian Hyland
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
Le Freak - Chic
I Just Wanna Stop - Gino Vanelli
I Love the Nightlife (Disco ’Round) - Alicia Bridges
On My Knees - Charlie Rich with Janie Fricke
1986
The Next Time I Fall - Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
Hip to Be Square - Huey Lewis & The News
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
It Ain’t Cool to Be Crazy About You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right.
Ellen Goodman, American journalist (1941 - )
Today in History - Dec 10th
Today's Birthdays
1787 Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, educator (first public school for deaf children) died Sept 10, 1851
1830 Emily Dickinson, poet (Because I Could Not Stop for Death) died May 15, 1886
1851 Melvil Dewey, librarian/inventor (Dewey Decimal System) died Dec 26, 1931
1903 Mary Norton, author (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Borrowers) died Aug 29, 1992
1911 Chet (Chester Robert) Huntley, newscaster, died Mar 20, 1974
1914 Dorothy Lamour (Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton), actress (Road movies with Bob Hope, Donovan’s Reef) died Sep 22, 1996
1927 Joe Olivier, guitarist (Bill Haley and His Comets) died Dec 25, 2001
1928 Dan Blocker, actor (Bonanza) died May 13, 1972
1933 Mako (Makoto Iwamatsu), actor (Kung Fu: The Movie, Conan the Destroyer, Sand Pebbles) died July 21, 2006
1941 Fionnula Flanagan, actress (Rich Man Poor Man, Youngblood, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine))
1941 Tommy Kirk, actor (Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog, Old Yeller, Bikini Beach)
1941 Tommy Rettig, actor (Lassie) died Feb 15, 1996
1943 Chad Stuart, guitarist/lyricist/singer (Chad & Jeremy)
1946 Gloria Loring, actress/singer (Friends and Lovers)
1947 Walter ‘Clyde’ Orange, drummer/singer (The Commodores)
1948 Abu Abbas, founder (Palestine Liberation Front) died March 8, 2004
1952 Susan Dey, actress (The Partridge Family, L.A. Law)
1956 BaHa, board member
1957 Michael Clarke Duncan, actor (The Green Mile, The Whole Nine Yards, Armageddon, Daredevil)
1957 Paul Hardcastle, Jazz musician/composer (19, Rainforest)
1960 Kenneth Branagh, actor (Henry V, Othello, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing)
1961 Nia Peeples, actress (Walker Texas Ranger, Fame)
1964 Bobby Flay, TV chef
1971 Scot Alexander, bassist (Dishwalla)
1974 Meg White, drummer (The White Stripes)
1980 Sarah Chang, violin virtuoso
1985 Raven-Symoné, actress/singer (The Cosby Show)
Today's Deaths in History
1896 Alfred Bernhard Nobel, inventor (dynamite)/founder (Nobel Prize) diesat 63
1920 Horace Elgin Dodge, automobile manufacturing pioneer, dies at 52
1946 Walter Johnson, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Washington Senators) dies at 59
1946 Damon Runyon, newspaper man/writer (The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown) dies at 62
1963 Charles Odell Little, Giac's paternal grandafther, dies at 54
1967 Otis Redding, R&B singer, dies in a plane crash at 26
1977 Adolph Rupp, basketball coach (University of Kentucky) dies at 76
1978 Edward D. Wood, Jr., filmmaker (Plan 9 from Outer Space) dies at 54
1982 Freeman Gosden, actor (Amos 'n Andy) dies at 83
1987 Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born violinist, dies at 86
1996 Faron Young, country singer, commits suicide at 64
1999 Rick Danko, bassist/singer (The Band) dies at 56
2000 Marie Windsor, actress (Maverick, Rawhide) dies at 80
2005 Richard Pryor, comedian/actor (Silver Streak, Brewsters Millions) dies at 65
2005 Former Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., dies at 89
2006 Augusto Pinochet, Chilean president, dies at 91
Today in History
1520 Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant or face excommunication.
1541 Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.
1810 The first interracial title boxing bout was staged at Copthall Common in England.
1817 Mississippi became the 20th state.
1869 Women were granted the right to vote in the Wyoming Territory.
1896 Intercollegiate basketball was played for the first time as Wesleyan University defeated Yale, 4-3, in New Haven, Connecticut.
1898 A treaty was signed in Paris officially ending the Spanish-American War.
1927 For the first time, famed radio announcer George Hay introduced the WSM Barn Dance as The Grand Ole Opry.
1930 Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded the haunting "Mood Indigo" on Victor Records.
1930 Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats defeated Georgetown College, 67-19 in Rupp's forst game as the UK head coach.
1948 The U.N. General Assembly adopted its Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
1949 Fats Domino recorded his first tune, "The Fat Man," for Imperial Records.
1950 Dr. Ralph Bunche became the first black to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
1953 With an investment of $7,600, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine.
1955 The Big Surprise on NBC-TV awarded the largest amount of money given away on television, as Mrs. Ethel Park Richardson of Los Angeles won $100,000.
1958 The first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.
1964 Rev. Martin Luther King became a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, the youngest to have won the award.
1965 The Grateful Dead played their first concert, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
1966 The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1967 Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays, Otis’ backup group, were killed in the crash of a private plane near Madison, Wisconsin.
1971 William H. Rehnquist was confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
1980 Rep. John W. Jenrette, D-S.C., resigned to avoid being expelled from the House following his conviction on charges related to the FBI's Abscam investigation.
1985 The R.H. Donnelley Corporation announced plans to bring full color to its phone books, with red, blue and green, along with the traditional Yellow Pages.
1986 Exxon announced the sale of its Manhattan landmark, the 53-story Exxon Building, to a Japanese real estate developer.
1991 The U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s Son of Sam Law that forced criminals’ profits for selling their stories to be seized and given to their victims.
1991 Alan Freed, the disc jockey credited with giving ‘Rock and Roll’ its name, was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1998 Six astronauts swung open the doors to the new international space station, becoming the first guests aboard the 250-mile-high outpost.
1998 The Palestinian leadership scrapped constitutional clauses rejecting Israel's right to exist.
1999 Computer scientist Wen Ho Lee was arrested and charged with removing secrets from secure computers at the Los Alamos weapons lab.
2002 Former President Jimmy Carter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy in the Middle East in the 1970s.
2003 Iranian democracy activist Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, accepted the award in Oslo, Norway.
Chart Toppers
1947
Near You - The Francis Craig Orchestra (vocal: Bob Lamm)
You Do - Dinah Shore
And Mimi - Dick Haymes
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
Nuttin’ for Christmas - Barry Gordon
Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Everybody - Tommy Roe
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Got to Be There - Michael Jackson
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Babe - Styx
Still - Commodores
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
I Cheated Me Right Out of You - Moe Bandy
1987
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
Faith - George Michael
Should’ve Known Better - Richard Marx
Somebody Lied - Ricky Van Shelton
Quote of the Day
Seek simplicity, and distrust it.
Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician & philosopher (1861 - 1947)
Today's Birthdays
1787 Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, educator (first public school for deaf children) died Sept 10, 1851
1830 Emily Dickinson, poet (Because I Could Not Stop for Death) died May 15, 1886
1851 Melvil Dewey, librarian/inventor (Dewey Decimal System) died Dec 26, 1931
1903 Mary Norton, author (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Borrowers) died Aug 29, 1992
1911 Chet (Chester Robert) Huntley, newscaster, died Mar 20, 1974
1914 Dorothy Lamour (Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton), actress (Road movies with Bob Hope, Donovan’s Reef) died Sep 22, 1996
1927 Joe Olivier, guitarist (Bill Haley and His Comets) died Dec 25, 2001
1928 Dan Blocker, actor (Bonanza) died May 13, 1972
1933 Mako (Makoto Iwamatsu), actor (Kung Fu: The Movie, Conan the Destroyer, Sand Pebbles) died July 21, 2006
1941 Fionnula Flanagan, actress (Rich Man Poor Man, Youngblood, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine))
1941 Tommy Kirk, actor (Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog, Old Yeller, Bikini Beach)
1941 Tommy Rettig, actor (Lassie) died Feb 15, 1996
1943 Chad Stuart, guitarist/lyricist/singer (Chad & Jeremy)
1946 Gloria Loring, actress/singer (Friends and Lovers)
1947 Walter ‘Clyde’ Orange, drummer/singer (The Commodores)
1948 Abu Abbas, founder (Palestine Liberation Front) died March 8, 2004
1952 Susan Dey, actress (The Partridge Family, L.A. Law)
1956 BaHa, board member
1957 Michael Clarke Duncan, actor (The Green Mile, The Whole Nine Yards, Armageddon, Daredevil)
1957 Paul Hardcastle, Jazz musician/composer (19, Rainforest)
1960 Kenneth Branagh, actor (Henry V, Othello, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing)
1961 Nia Peeples, actress (Walker Texas Ranger, Fame)
1964 Bobby Flay, TV chef
1971 Scot Alexander, bassist (Dishwalla)
1974 Meg White, drummer (The White Stripes)
1980 Sarah Chang, violin virtuoso
1985 Raven-Symoné, actress/singer (The Cosby Show)
Today's Deaths in History
1896 Alfred Bernhard Nobel, inventor (dynamite)/founder (Nobel Prize) diesat 63
1920 Horace Elgin Dodge, automobile manufacturing pioneer, dies at 52
1946 Walter Johnson, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Washington Senators) dies at 59
1946 Damon Runyon, newspaper man/writer (The Idyll Of Miss Sarah Brown) dies at 62
1963 Charles Odell Little, Giac's paternal grandafther, dies at 54
1967 Otis Redding, R&B singer, dies in a plane crash at 26
1977 Adolph Rupp, basketball coach (University of Kentucky) dies at 76
1978 Edward D. Wood, Jr., filmmaker (Plan 9 from Outer Space) dies at 54
1982 Freeman Gosden, actor (Amos 'n Andy) dies at 83
1987 Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born violinist, dies at 86
1996 Faron Young, country singer, commits suicide at 64
1999 Rick Danko, bassist/singer (The Band) dies at 56
2000 Marie Windsor, actress (Maverick, Rawhide) dies at 80
2005 Richard Pryor, comedian/actor (Silver Streak, Brewsters Millions) dies at 65
2005 Former Sen. Eugene McCarthy, D-Minn., dies at 89
2006 Augusto Pinochet, Chilean president, dies at 91
Today in History
1520 Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant or face excommunication.
1541 Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.
1810 The first interracial title boxing bout was staged at Copthall Common in England.
1817 Mississippi became the 20th state.
1869 Women were granted the right to vote in the Wyoming Territory.
1896 Intercollegiate basketball was played for the first time as Wesleyan University defeated Yale, 4-3, in New Haven, Connecticut.
1898 A treaty was signed in Paris officially ending the Spanish-American War.
1927 For the first time, famed radio announcer George Hay introduced the WSM Barn Dance as The Grand Ole Opry.
1930 Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded the haunting "Mood Indigo" on Victor Records.
1930 Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats defeated Georgetown College, 67-19 in Rupp's forst game as the UK head coach.
1948 The U.N. General Assembly adopted its Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
1949 Fats Domino recorded his first tune, "The Fat Man," for Imperial Records.
1950 Dr. Ralph Bunche became the first black to receive a Nobel Peace Prize.
1953 With an investment of $7,600, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine.
1955 The Big Surprise on NBC-TV awarded the largest amount of money given away on television, as Mrs. Ethel Park Richardson of Los Angeles won $100,000.
1958 The first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.
1964 Rev. Martin Luther King became a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, the youngest to have won the award.
1965 The Grateful Dead played their first concert, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco.
1966 The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" made it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1967 Otis Redding and four members of the Bar-Kays, Otis’ backup group, were killed in the crash of a private plane near Madison, Wisconsin.
1971 William H. Rehnquist was confirmed by the Senate as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice.
1980 Rep. John W. Jenrette, D-S.C., resigned to avoid being expelled from the House following his conviction on charges related to the FBI's Abscam investigation.
1985 The R.H. Donnelley Corporation announced plans to bring full color to its phone books, with red, blue and green, along with the traditional Yellow Pages.
1986 Exxon announced the sale of its Manhattan landmark, the 53-story Exxon Building, to a Japanese real estate developer.
1991 The U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s Son of Sam Law that forced criminals’ profits for selling their stories to be seized and given to their victims.
1991 Alan Freed, the disc jockey credited with giving ‘Rock and Roll’ its name, was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1998 Six astronauts swung open the doors to the new international space station, becoming the first guests aboard the 250-mile-high outpost.
1998 The Palestinian leadership scrapped constitutional clauses rejecting Israel's right to exist.
1999 Computer scientist Wen Ho Lee was arrested and charged with removing secrets from secure computers at the Los Alamos weapons lab.
2002 Former President Jimmy Carter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy in the Middle East in the 1970s.
2003 Iranian democracy activist Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, accepted the award in Oslo, Norway.
Chart Toppers
1947
Near You - The Francis Craig Orchestra (vocal: Bob Lamm)
You Do - Dinah Shore
And Mimi - Dick Haymes
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
Nuttin’ for Christmas - Barry Gordon
Love, Love, Love - Webb Pierce
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Everybody - Tommy Roe
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Got to Be There - Michael Jackson
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Babe - Styx
Still - Commodores
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
I Cheated Me Right Out of You - Moe Bandy
1987
Heaven is a Place on Earth - Belinda Carlisle
Faith - George Michael
Should’ve Known Better - Richard Marx
Somebody Lied - Ricky Van Shelton
Quote of the Day
Seek simplicity, and distrust it.
Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician & philosopher (1861 - 1947)
Today in History - Dec 11th
Today's Birthdays
1803 Hector Berlioz, composer (Romantic Era) died Mar 8, 1869
1882 Fiorello LaGuardia, NYC mayor, died Sep 20, 1947
1904 Marjorie (Henderson) Buell, cartoonist (Little Lulu) died May 30, 1993
1916 (Damaso) Perez Prado, pianist/organist (Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) died Sep 14, 1989
1918 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, dissident Russian writer
1926 Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton, blues singer (Hound Dog) died July 25, 1984
1927 John Buscema, comic book artist (The Avengers, The Silver Surfer) died Jan 10, 2002
1931 Rita Moreno (Rosita Alverio), dancer/actress (West Side Story)
1934 Curtis Williams, singer (The Penguins)
1935 Ron Carey, actor (Barney Miller, History of the World Part I) died Jan 16, 2007
1938 Fred Cox, NFL plackicker (Minnesota Vikings)
1940 David Gates, guitarist/keyboardist/singer (Bread)
1942 Donna Mills, actress (Knots Landing, Play Misty for Me)
1943 John Kerry, politician/presidential candidate
1944 Lynda Day George, actress (Casino, Roots, Rich Man Poor Man-Book I, Mission: Impossible)
1944 Brenda Lee (Tarpley), singer (I’m Sorry, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree)
1949 Teri Garr, actress (Dumb and Dumber, Mr. Mom, Tootsie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Young Frankenstein)
1950 Christina Onassis, heiress, died Nov 19, 1988
1952 Susan Seidelman, director (Desperately Seeking Susan, She-Devil, Making Mr. Right)
1953 Bess Armstrong, actress (Jaws 3, Nothing in Common, My So-Called Life)
1954 Jermaine Jackson, singer (The Jackson Five)
1957 Mike Mesaros, bassist (The Smithereens)
1958 Nikki Sixx (Frank Ferranno), bassist (Motley Crue)
1959 Lisa Gastineau, reality show star/ex-Mrs Mark Gastineau
1966 Gary Dourdan, actor (C.S.I, Weekend at Bernie’s II, Alien: Resurrection)
1968 Mo'Nique, actress/comedian
1973 Mos Def, rapper/actor (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks)
1981 Zacky Vengeance, guitarist (Avenged Sevenfold)
Today's Deaths in History
1964 Sam Cooke, singer (You Send Me, Chain Gang) dies at 33
1971 Maurice "Mac" McDonald, fast-food pioneer, dies at 69
2006 Elizabeth Bolden, oldest verified person in the world at the time of her death, dies at 116
Today in History
1719 The first display of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, was recorded in America.
1792 France's King Louis XVI went before the Convention to face charges of treason (he was convicted and executed the following month).
1816 Indiana, entered the United States of America as the 19th state.
1844 Dr. Horace Wells of Hartford, CT became the first to receive an anesthetic for a tooth extraction.
1872 America's first black governor took office as Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback became acting governor of Louisiana.
1882 The Bijou Theatre in Boston, MA became the first theatre to be lighted by electricity.
1919 The citizens of Enterprise, Alabama dedicated the first known monument to an insect: the boll weevil.
1936 Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1937 Italy withdrew from the League of Nations.
1939 Betty Grable and her famous legs were featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.
1939 Marlene Dietrich recorded "Falling In Love Again" on the Decca label.
1941 Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, which responded in kind.
1946 UNICEF (the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) was established.
1946 John D. Rockefeller, Jr. offered up a six-block area of land in New York City for use as world headquarters of the United Nations.
1951 Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball.
1952 An audience of 70,000 people watched from 31 theatres as Richard Tucker starred in Carmen, the first pay-TV production of an opera.
1961 A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon, the first direct American military support for South Vietnam's battle against Communist guerrillas.
1967 The French prototype Concorde 001 was rolled out in Toulouse, France.
1972 Man landed on the moon for the last time during the Apollo 17 mission.
1973 Karen and Richard Carpenter received a gold record for their single, "Top of the World."
1976 Al Stewart debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Year of the Cat."
1981 Muhammad Ali fought his 61st and last fight, losing to future champ Trevor Berbick.
1981 The U.N. Security Council chose Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru to be the fifth secretary-general of the world body.
1982 Toni Basil reached the #1 one position on the pop music charts for the first time with her single "Mickey."
1985 General Electric Company agreed to buy RCA Corporation for $6.3 billion.
1985 The Chicago Bears declared their intention to appear in and win the Super Bowl, as members of the team, known as Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew, released their "Superbowl Shuffle."
1990 Ivana Trump was divorced from real estate mogul Donald Trump.
1994 Thousands of Russian troops rolled into breakaway republic of Chechnya in a failed bid to restore Moscow's control over the region.
1997 Negotiators from around the world agreed on a package of measures that for the first time would legally obligate industrial countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists said were warming the Earth’s atmosphere.
1997 Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams became the first political ally of the Irish Republican Army to meet a British leader in 76 years as he conferred with Prime Minister Tony Blair in London.
1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2000 Shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a $252 million 10-year deal with the Texas Rangers, the most lucrative sports contract in history.
2002 A congressional report found that intelligence agencies before Sept. 11, 2001, were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented that day's terrorist attacks.
2004 Doctors in Austria determined that Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko had been poisoned with dioxin, which caused severe disfigurement and partial paralysis of his face.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood)
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
A Rose and a Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody - Jerry Lewis
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Ringo - Lorne Greene
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
She’s Not There - The Zombies
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
If You Don’t Know Me by Now - Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
Lady - Kenny Rogers
More Than I Can Say - Leo Sayer
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
1988
Look Away - Chicago
How Can I Fail? - Breathe
I Don’t Want Your Love - Duranduran
If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’) - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Seeing ourselves as others see us would probably confirm our worst suspicions about them.
Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 - 1960)
Today's Birthdays
1803 Hector Berlioz, composer (Romantic Era) died Mar 8, 1869
1882 Fiorello LaGuardia, NYC mayor, died Sep 20, 1947
1904 Marjorie (Henderson) Buell, cartoonist (Little Lulu) died May 30, 1993
1916 (Damaso) Perez Prado, pianist/organist (Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) died Sep 14, 1989
1918 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, dissident Russian writer
1926 Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton, blues singer (Hound Dog) died July 25, 1984
1927 John Buscema, comic book artist (The Avengers, The Silver Surfer) died Jan 10, 2002
1931 Rita Moreno (Rosita Alverio), dancer/actress (West Side Story)
1934 Curtis Williams, singer (The Penguins)
1935 Ron Carey, actor (Barney Miller, History of the World Part I) died Jan 16, 2007
1938 Fred Cox, NFL plackicker (Minnesota Vikings)
1940 David Gates, guitarist/keyboardist/singer (Bread)
1942 Donna Mills, actress (Knots Landing, Play Misty for Me)
1943 John Kerry, politician/presidential candidate
1944 Lynda Day George, actress (Casino, Roots, Rich Man Poor Man-Book I, Mission: Impossible)
1944 Brenda Lee (Tarpley), singer (I’m Sorry, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree)
1949 Teri Garr, actress (Dumb and Dumber, Mr. Mom, Tootsie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Young Frankenstein)
1950 Christina Onassis, heiress, died Nov 19, 1988
1952 Susan Seidelman, director (Desperately Seeking Susan, She-Devil, Making Mr. Right)
1953 Bess Armstrong, actress (Jaws 3, Nothing in Common, My So-Called Life)
1954 Jermaine Jackson, singer (The Jackson Five)
1957 Mike Mesaros, bassist (The Smithereens)
1958 Nikki Sixx (Frank Ferranno), bassist (Motley Crue)
1959 Lisa Gastineau, reality show star/ex-Mrs Mark Gastineau
1966 Gary Dourdan, actor (C.S.I, Weekend at Bernie’s II, Alien: Resurrection)
1968 Mo'Nique, actress/comedian
1973 Mos Def, rapper/actor (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 16 Blocks)
1981 Zacky Vengeance, guitarist (Avenged Sevenfold)
Today's Deaths in History
1964 Sam Cooke, singer (You Send Me, Chain Gang) dies at 33
1971 Maurice "Mac" McDonald, fast-food pioneer, dies at 69
2006 Elizabeth Bolden, oldest verified person in the world at the time of her death, dies at 116
Today in History
1719 The first display of the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights, was recorded in America.
1792 France's King Louis XVI went before the Convention to face charges of treason (he was convicted and executed the following month).
1816 Indiana, entered the United States of America as the 19th state.
1844 Dr. Horace Wells of Hartford, CT became the first to receive an anesthetic for a tooth extraction.
1872 America's first black governor took office as Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback became acting governor of Louisiana.
1882 The Bijou Theatre in Boston, MA became the first theatre to be lighted by electricity.
1919 The citizens of Enterprise, Alabama dedicated the first known monument to an insect: the boll weevil.
1936 Britain's King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson.
1937 Italy withdrew from the League of Nations.
1939 Betty Grable and her famous legs were featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.
1939 Marlene Dietrich recorded "Falling In Love Again" on the Decca label.
1941 Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, which responded in kind.
1946 UNICEF (the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) was established.
1946 John D. Rockefeller, Jr. offered up a six-block area of land in New York City for use as world headquarters of the United Nations.
1951 Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement from baseball.
1952 An audience of 70,000 people watched from 31 theatres as Richard Tucker starred in Carmen, the first pay-TV production of an opera.
1961 A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon, the first direct American military support for South Vietnam's battle against Communist guerrillas.
1967 The French prototype Concorde 001 was rolled out in Toulouse, France.
1972 Man landed on the moon for the last time during the Apollo 17 mission.
1973 Karen and Richard Carpenter received a gold record for their single, "Top of the World."
1976 Al Stewart debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Year of the Cat."
1981 Muhammad Ali fought his 61st and last fight, losing to future champ Trevor Berbick.
1981 The U.N. Security Council chose Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru to be the fifth secretary-general of the world body.
1982 Toni Basil reached the #1 one position on the pop music charts for the first time with her single "Mickey."
1985 General Electric Company agreed to buy RCA Corporation for $6.3 billion.
1985 The Chicago Bears declared their intention to appear in and win the Super Bowl, as members of the team, known as Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew, released their "Superbowl Shuffle."
1990 Ivana Trump was divorced from real estate mogul Donald Trump.
1994 Thousands of Russian troops rolled into breakaway republic of Chechnya in a failed bid to restore Moscow's control over the region.
1997 Negotiators from around the world agreed on a package of measures that for the first time would legally obligate industrial countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that scientists said were warming the Earth’s atmosphere.
1997 Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams became the first political ally of the Irish Republican Army to meet a British leader in 76 years as he conferred with Prime Minister Tony Blair in London.
1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2000 Shortstop Alex Rodriguez agreed to a $252 million 10-year deal with the Texas Rangers, the most lucrative sports contract in history.
2002 A congressional report found that intelligence agencies before Sept. 11, 2001, were poorly organized, poorly equipped and slow to pursue clues that might have prevented that day's terrorist attacks.
2004 Doctors in Austria determined that Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko had been poisoned with dioxin, which caused severe disfigurement and partial paralysis of his face.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood)
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
A Rose and a Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody - Jerry Lewis
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Ringo - Lorne Greene
Mr. Lonely - Bobby Vinton
She’s Not There - The Zombies
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
I Am Woman - Helen Reddy
If You Don’t Know Me by Now - Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
Lady - Kenny Rogers
More Than I Can Say - Leo Sayer
Another One Bites the Dust - Queen
Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
1988
Look Away - Chicago
How Can I Fail? - Breathe
I Don’t Want Your Love - Duranduran
If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’) - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Seeing ourselves as others see us would probably confirm our worst suspicions about them.
Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 - 1960)
Today in History - Dec 12th
Today's Birthdays
1745 John Jay, first Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court, died May 17, 1829
1821 Gustave Flaubert, author (Madame Bovary) died May 8, 1880
1893 Edward G. Robinson (Emmanuel Goldenberg), actor (Soylent Green, Key Largo, Double Indemnity, Little Caesar) died Jan 26, 1973
1915 Frank (Francis Albert) Sinatra, singer/actor, died May 14, 1998
1923 Bob Barker, TV game show host (The Price Is Right)
1924 Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City
1927 Honor Blackman, actress (Jason and the Argonauts, Goldfinger)
1936 Wally Dallenbach, Indy car race driver
1938 Connie Francis (Concetta Franconero), singer (Stupid Cupid, Where the Boys Are, Who’s Sorry Now)
1941 Dionne Warwick, singer (Do You Know the Way to San Jose, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Walk on By, I Say a Little Prayer)
1942 Mike Pindar, keyboardist (The Moody Blues)
1943 Dickie Betts, guitarist (The Allman Brothers)
1943 Mike Smith, organist/singer (The Dave Clark Five)
1943 Grover Washington Jr., jazz saxophonist (Mister Magic) died Dec 17, 1999
1946 Clive Bunker, drummer (Jethro Tull)
1949 Paul Rodgers, pianist/guitarist/singer (Free, Bad Company, The Firm)
1949 Bill Nighy, actor (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Pirates of the Caribbean seies)
1952 Cathy Rigby, Olympic gymnast
1956 Ana Alicia, actress (Falcon Crest)
1957 Sheila E. (Escovedo), percussionist/singer (The Glamorous Life)
1958 Sheree J. Wilson, actress (Dallas, Walker Texas Ranger)
1959 Paul Rutherford, singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1962 Tracy Austin, International Tennis Hall of Famer
1963 Eric Schenkman, guitarist/singer (Spin Doctors)
1967 John Randle, NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Minnesota Vikings)
1969 Sergei Federov, NHL center (Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets)
1970 Jennifer Connelly, actress (Mulholland Falls, Labyrinth, A Beautul Mind, Dark Water)
1970 Madchen Amick, actress (Twin Peaks, Sleepwalkers)
1970 Regina Hall, actress (Scary Movie series)
1972 Brandon Teena, hate crime victim, died Dec 31, 1993
1975 Mayim Bialik, actress (Blossom)
1976 Dan Hawkins, guitarist (The Darkness)
1977 Bridget Hall, supermodel
1977 Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, triplet Playmates (December 1998)
Today's Deaths in History
1889 Robert Browning, British poet (Dramatic Idylls) dies at 77
1968 Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Lifeboat) dies at 66
1977 Lady Spencer Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill, dies at 92
1985 Anne Baxter, actress (The Magnificent Ambersons, The Razor's Edge, All About Eve) dies at 62
1985 Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboardist (Rolling Stones) dies at 47
1999 Joseph Heller, author (Catch-22) dies at 76
2000 George Montgomery, actor (Cisco Kid and the Lady) dies at 84
2006 Peter Boyle, actor (Young Frankenstein, Everybody Loves Raymond) dies at 71
Today in History
1787 Pennsylvania became the second of the United States of America.
1850 The first bestseller in America, Wide, Wide World by Elizabeth Wetherell, was published.
1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first black congressman.
1897 The Katzenjammer Kids (Hans and Fritz) appeared for the first time in The New York Journal.
1899 George Grant of Boston, MA patented the golf tee.
1900 Charles M. Schwab formed the United States Steel Corporation.
1914 The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst percentage drop in history, 24.39 percent, on the first day of trading in more than four months.
1917 Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town outside Omaha, Neb.
1925 The first motel, the "Motel Inn," opened in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
1937 The Federal Communications Commission was upset with NBC radio for a skit that starred Mae West, based on the biblical tale of Adam and Eve which got a bit out of hand; NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15 years.
1941 U.S. Marine F4F "Wildcats" sank the first four major Japanese ships in a battle off Wake Island.
1946 A United Nations committee voted to accept a six-block tract of Manhattan real estate offered as a gift by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to be the site of U.N. headquarters.
1955 The largest philanthropic gift to date was announced by the Ford Foundation, which gave $500,000,000 to private hospitals, colleges and medical schools.
1961 Former big band singer Mike Douglas began a variety TV show from Cleveland.
1963 John Fitzgerald Kennedy - A Memorial Album became the fastest-selling record of all time when 4 million copies of the disc, each selling for 99 cents, were sold in six days.
1975 Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford.
1979 Rhodesia changed its name to Zimbabwe.
1980 Oil tycoon Armand Hammer bought a notebook of writings by Leonardo da Vinci for $5.28 million at auction in London.
1980 The U.S. Congress amended the Copyright Act in 1980 to explicitly recognize that computer programs were protected as literary works.
1984 The group known as Band Aid, 38 of Britain’s top rock musicians, recorded "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" for Ethiopian famine victims.
1986 James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith became the first college graduate to win the world heavyweight boxing crown.
1986 The LA Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 117-110 to become the first visiting team to win at the old Boston Garden since December, 1985.
1995 The International Olympic Committee announced that NBC had successfully bid a record $2.3 billion for the exclusive U.S. TV (broadcast and cable) rights to the 2004 and 2008 Summer Games and the 2006 Winter Games.
1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth and final article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton and submitted the case to the full House.
2000 A divided U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner.
2000 The Marine Corps grounded all eight of its high-tech V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft following a fiery crash in North Carolina that killed four Marines.
2003 Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the Free Willy movies, died in the Norwegian fjord that he'd made his home.
Chart Toppers
1949
Mule Train - Frankie Laine
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack
Leonard)
Don’t Cry, Joe - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Betty Brewer)
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Raunchy - Bill Justis
Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
Let’s Hang On! - The 4 Seasons
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
Top of the World - Carpenters
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
The Love I Lost - Harol Melvin & The Bluenotes
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Still Doin’ Time - George Jones
1989
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.
John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today's Birthdays
1745 John Jay, first Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court, died May 17, 1829
1821 Gustave Flaubert, author (Madame Bovary) died May 8, 1880
1893 Edward G. Robinson (Emmanuel Goldenberg), actor (Soylent Green, Key Largo, Double Indemnity, Little Caesar) died Jan 26, 1973
1915 Frank (Francis Albert) Sinatra, singer/actor, died May 14, 1998
1923 Bob Barker, TV game show host (The Price Is Right)
1924 Ed Koch, former mayor of New York City
1927 Honor Blackman, actress (Jason and the Argonauts, Goldfinger)
1936 Wally Dallenbach, Indy car race driver
1938 Connie Francis (Concetta Franconero), singer (Stupid Cupid, Where the Boys Are, Who’s Sorry Now)
1941 Dionne Warwick, singer (Do You Know the Way to San Jose, I’ll Never Fall in Love Again, Walk on By, I Say a Little Prayer)
1942 Mike Pindar, keyboardist (The Moody Blues)
1943 Dickie Betts, guitarist (The Allman Brothers)
1943 Mike Smith, organist/singer (The Dave Clark Five)
1943 Grover Washington Jr., jazz saxophonist (Mister Magic) died Dec 17, 1999
1946 Clive Bunker, drummer (Jethro Tull)
1949 Paul Rodgers, pianist/guitarist/singer (Free, Bad Company, The Firm)
1949 Bill Nighy, actor (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Pirates of the Caribbean seies)
1952 Cathy Rigby, Olympic gymnast
1956 Ana Alicia, actress (Falcon Crest)
1957 Sheila E. (Escovedo), percussionist/singer (The Glamorous Life)
1958 Sheree J. Wilson, actress (Dallas, Walker Texas Ranger)
1959 Paul Rutherford, singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1962 Tracy Austin, International Tennis Hall of Famer
1963 Eric Schenkman, guitarist/singer (Spin Doctors)
1967 John Randle, NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Minnesota Vikings)
1969 Sergei Federov, NHL center (Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets)
1970 Jennifer Connelly, actress (Mulholland Falls, Labyrinth, A Beautul Mind, Dark Water)
1970 Madchen Amick, actress (Twin Peaks, Sleepwalkers)
1970 Regina Hall, actress (Scary Movie series)
1972 Brandon Teena, hate crime victim, died Dec 31, 1993
1975 Mayim Bialik, actress (Blossom)
1976 Dan Hawkins, guitarist (The Darkness)
1977 Bridget Hall, supermodel
1977 Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, triplet Playmates (December 1998)
Today's Deaths in History
1889 Robert Browning, British poet (Dramatic Idylls) dies at 77
1968 Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Lifeboat) dies at 66
1977 Lady Spencer Churchill, wife of Winston Churchill, dies at 92
1985 Anne Baxter, actress (The Magnificent Ambersons, The Razor's Edge, All About Eve) dies at 62
1985 Ian Stewart, Scottish keyboardist (Rolling Stones) dies at 47
1999 Joseph Heller, author (Catch-22) dies at 76
2000 George Montgomery, actor (Cisco Kid and the Lady) dies at 84
2006 Peter Boyle, actor (Young Frankenstein, Everybody Loves Raymond) dies at 71
Today in History
1787 Pennsylvania became the second of the United States of America.
1850 The first bestseller in America, Wide, Wide World by Elizabeth Wetherell, was published.
1870 Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first black congressman.
1897 The Katzenjammer Kids (Hans and Fritz) appeared for the first time in The New York Journal.
1899 George Grant of Boston, MA patented the golf tee.
1900 Charles M. Schwab formed the United States Steel Corporation.
1914 The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered its worst percentage drop in history, 24.39 percent, on the first day of trading in more than four months.
1917 Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town outside Omaha, Neb.
1925 The first motel, the "Motel Inn," opened in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
1937 The Federal Communications Commission was upset with NBC radio for a skit that starred Mae West, based on the biblical tale of Adam and Eve which got a bit out of hand; NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15 years.
1941 U.S. Marine F4F "Wildcats" sank the first four major Japanese ships in a battle off Wake Island.
1946 A United Nations committee voted to accept a six-block tract of Manhattan real estate offered as a gift by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to be the site of U.N. headquarters.
1955 The largest philanthropic gift to date was announced by the Ford Foundation, which gave $500,000,000 to private hospitals, colleges and medical schools.
1961 Former big band singer Mike Douglas began a variety TV show from Cleveland.
1963 John Fitzgerald Kennedy - A Memorial Album became the fastest-selling record of all time when 4 million copies of the disc, each selling for 99 cents, were sold in six days.
1975 Sara Jane Moore pleaded guilty to trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford.
1979 Rhodesia changed its name to Zimbabwe.
1980 Oil tycoon Armand Hammer bought a notebook of writings by Leonardo da Vinci for $5.28 million at auction in London.
1980 The U.S. Congress amended the Copyright Act in 1980 to explicitly recognize that computer programs were protected as literary works.
1984 The group known as Band Aid, 38 of Britain’s top rock musicians, recorded "Do They Know It’s Christmas?" for Ethiopian famine victims.
1986 James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith became the first college graduate to win the world heavyweight boxing crown.
1986 The LA Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 117-110 to become the first visiting team to win at the old Boston Garden since December, 1985.
1995 The International Olympic Committee announced that NBC had successfully bid a record $2.3 billion for the exclusive U.S. TV (broadcast and cable) rights to the 2004 and 2008 Summer Games and the 2006 Winter Games.
1998 The House Judiciary Committee approved a fourth and final article of impeachment against President Bill Clinton and submitted the case to the full House.
2000 A divided U.S. Supreme Court halted the presidential recount in Florida, effectively making Republican George W. Bush the winner.
2000 The Marine Corps grounded all eight of its high-tech V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft following a fiery crash in North Carolina that killed four Marines.
2003 Keiko, the killer whale made famous by the Free Willy movies, died in the Norwegian fjord that he'd made his home.
Chart Toppers
1949
Mule Train - Frankie Laine
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack
Leonard)
Don’t Cry, Joe - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Betty Brewer)
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Raunchy - Bill Justis
Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
Let’s Hang On! - The 4 Seasons
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
Top of the World - Carpenters
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
The Love I Lost - Harol Melvin & The Bluenotes
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police
Still Doin’ Time - George Jones
1989
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
If Tomorrow Never Comes - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.
John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today in History - Dec 13th
Today's Birthdays
1818 Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady, died July 16, 1882
1835 Phillips Brooks, lyricist (O Little Town of Bethlehem) died Jan 23, 1893
1887 Alvin York, soldier/Medal of Honor recipient (WWI) died Sept 2, 1964
1903 Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist, died Mar 3, 1993
1910 Van Heflin (Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr.), actor (3:10 to Yuma, The Three Musketeers) died July 23, 1971
1915 Curt Jurgens (Curd Jürgens), actor (The Spy Who Loved Me, The Longest Day, Enemy Below) died June 18, 1982
1917 Ann Richards, actress (Sorry Wrong Number) died Aug 24, 2006
1918 Bill Vukovich (William Vucerivoch), Indy race car driver, killed in Indy crash May 30, 1955
1925 Dick Van Dyke, actor/comedian (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Diagnosis Murder)
1929 Christopher Plummer (Orme), actor (The Sound of Music, Somewhere in Time, Syriana)
1930 Robert Prosky, actor (Christine, Broadcast News)
1934 Richard D. Darryl Zanuck, producer (Jaws, The Sting)
1941 John Davidson, actor/singer/TV game show host (Hollywood Squares)
1946 Mike Mosley, Indy race car driver, killed in highway accident Mar 3, 1984
1948 Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, guitarist (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers)
1948 Ted Nugent, guitarist/singer (Cat Scratch Fever)
1949 Randy Owen, guitarist/singer (Alabama)
1949 Tom Verlaine (Miller), guitar/singer (Television)
1950 Wendie Malick, actress (Just Shoot Me)
1953 Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman
1954 Steve Forbert, singer (Romeo's Tune)
1956 Morris Day, R&B singer/actor (The Time; Purple Rain)
1957 Steve Buscemi, actor (Pulp Fiction, Desperado, Con Air, The Wedding Singer, The Big Lebowski, Armageddon, The Laramie Project)
1959 Johnny Whitaker, actor (Family Affair)
1967 Jamie Foxx, comedian/actor (In Living Color, Booty Call, The Players Club, Any Given Sunday)
1974 Nicholas McCarthy, guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
1975 Thomas Delonge, guitarist/singer (Blink 182)
1981 Amy Lee, singer/songwriter (Evanescence)
1981 Chelsea Hertford, actress (Major Dad)
Today's Deaths in History
1466 Donatello, Florentine artist and sculptor, dies at 80
1784 Samuel Johnson, writer/lexicographer (aphorisms) dies at 75
1924 Samuel Gompers, labor/political leader/founder (AFL) dies at 74
1934 Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, dies at 80
1961 Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), self-taught painter, dies at 101
1981 Pigmeat Markham, entertainer ("Here come da Judge") dies at 77
2002 Zal Yanovsky, guitarist/singer (The Lovin' Spoonful) dies at 58
2005 Timothy Jordan II, guitarist/songwriter (The All American Rejects) dies at 24
2005 Stanley Tookie Williams, co-founder (Crips gang) is executed for murder at 51
2006 Lamar Hunt, sports executive/founder (Kansas City Chiefs) dies at 74
Today in History
1577 Sir Francis Drake of England set out with five ships on a nearly three-year journey that would take him around the world.
1636 The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians; this is considered the founding of the United States National Guard.
1769 Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter.
1809 The first abdominal surgical procedure was performed, in Danville, Kentucky.
1816 John Adamson of Boston, MA received a patent for a dry dock.
1862 Confederate forces dealt Union troops a major defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
1913 Leonardo da Vinci’s La Gioconda or, Mona Lisa, was returned to the Louvre Museum in Paris two years after it was stolen.
1918 President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France to attend the post-World War I peace conference at Versailles, becoming the first chief executive to visit Europe while in office.
1928 George Gershwin's American in Paris was presented to the public, performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Walter Damrosch.
1936 Green Bay beat the Boston Redskins, 21-6, to capture the National Football League championship; it was the last game for Boston, which became the Washington Redskins in 1937.
1937 Japanese troops began carrying out several weeks of raping and killing of civilians and suspected Chinese resistance after the fall of Nanjing.
1948 The American Federation of Musicians went back to work after an 11½-month strike.
1949 The American League voted down a proposal to revive the spitball, which had been outlawed since 1920.
1949 The Knesset voted to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
1973 Detroit became the first city to receive a franchise in the unsuccessful World Football League.
1974 Former Beatle George Harrison had lunch at the White House with President Gerald R. Ford.
1977 A DC-3 aircraft chartered from the Indianapolis-based National Jet crashed near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team, support staff and boosters of the team.
1978 The Philadelphia Mint struck the first Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, with 1979 dates and the first “P” mintmark since the silver nickels of World War II.
1981 Authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement.
1983 Detroit and Denver played for 3 hours, 11 minutes, with the Pistons finally winning 186-184 in triple overtime.
1986 Duke University won its first NCAA team championship in the school’s 62-year history, taking the soccer crown.
1986 "The Way It Is," by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, hit #1 for a week in the U.S.
1988 PLO chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the U.N. General Assembly in Geneva, where it had reconvened after the United States refused to grant Arafat a visa to visit New York.
1989 South African President F.W. de Klerk met for the first time with imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, at de Klerk's office in Cape Town.
1996 The U.N. Security Council chose Kofi Annan of Ghana to be the world body's seventh secretary-general.
1997 The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Getty Center museum complex, built on a hilltop overlooking the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles, was held.
2000 Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency 36 days after Election Day; Democrat Al Gore conceded defeat.
2001 The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded his "most optimistic" expectations.
2001 Five suspected Islamic militants killed nine people in an attack on India's parliament before being killed themselves.
2001 President George W. Bush served formal notice that the United States was pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.
2002 Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as Boston archbishop because of the priest sex abuse scandal.
2003 Oousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, near his hometown of Tikrit.
2004 A jury in Redwood City, Calif., recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson for the murders of his wife and unborn child.
2005 Crips gang co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams, whose supporters argued he had redeemed himself inside prison, was executed in California for killing four people in robberies.
Chart Toppers
1950
A Bushel and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
1958
To Know Him, is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears
Problems - The Everly Brothers
Queen of the Hop - Bobby Darin
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Mellow Yellow - Donovan
Lady Godiva - Peter & Gordon
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Cat’s in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
She Called Me Baby - Charlie Rich
1982
Mickey - Toni Basil
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Redneck Girl - The Bellamy Brothers
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
From a Distance - Bette Midler
Something to Believe In - Poison
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.
Mary Chase, US author & educator (1887 - 1973)
Today's Birthdays
1818 Mary Todd Lincoln, First Lady, died July 16, 1882
1835 Phillips Brooks, lyricist (O Little Town of Bethlehem) died Jan 23, 1893
1887 Alvin York, soldier/Medal of Honor recipient (WWI) died Sept 2, 1964
1903 Carlos Montoya, Spanish guitarist, died Mar 3, 1993
1910 Van Heflin (Emmett Evan Heflin, Jr.), actor (3:10 to Yuma, The Three Musketeers) died July 23, 1971
1915 Curt Jurgens (Curd Jürgens), actor (The Spy Who Loved Me, The Longest Day, Enemy Below) died June 18, 1982
1917 Ann Richards, actress (Sorry Wrong Number) died Aug 24, 2006
1918 Bill Vukovich (William Vucerivoch), Indy race car driver, killed in Indy crash May 30, 1955
1925 Dick Van Dyke, actor/comedian (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Diagnosis Murder)
1929 Christopher Plummer (Orme), actor (The Sound of Music, Somewhere in Time, Syriana)
1930 Robert Prosky, actor (Christine, Broadcast News)
1934 Richard D. Darryl Zanuck, producer (Jaws, The Sting)
1941 John Davidson, actor/singer/TV game show host (Hollywood Squares)
1946 Mike Mosley, Indy race car driver, killed in highway accident Mar 3, 1984
1948 Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, guitarist (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers)
1948 Ted Nugent, guitarist/singer (Cat Scratch Fever)
1949 Randy Owen, guitarist/singer (Alabama)
1949 Tom Verlaine (Miller), guitar/singer (Television)
1950 Wendie Malick, actress (Just Shoot Me)
1953 Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman
1954 Steve Forbert, singer (Romeo's Tune)
1956 Morris Day, R&B singer/actor (The Time; Purple Rain)
1957 Steve Buscemi, actor (Pulp Fiction, Desperado, Con Air, The Wedding Singer, The Big Lebowski, Armageddon, The Laramie Project)
1959 Johnny Whitaker, actor (Family Affair)
1967 Jamie Foxx, comedian/actor (In Living Color, Booty Call, The Players Club, Any Given Sunday)
1974 Nicholas McCarthy, guitarist (Franz Ferdinand)
1975 Thomas Delonge, guitarist/singer (Blink 182)
1981 Amy Lee, singer/songwriter (Evanescence)
1981 Chelsea Hertford, actress (Major Dad)
Today's Deaths in History
1466 Donatello, Florentine artist and sculptor, dies at 80
1784 Samuel Johnson, writer/lexicographer (aphorisms) dies at 75
1924 Samuel Gompers, labor/political leader/founder (AFL) dies at 74
1934 Thomas A. Watson, assistant to Alexander Graham Bell, dies at 80
1961 Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses), self-taught painter, dies at 101
1981 Pigmeat Markham, entertainer ("Here come da Judge") dies at 77
2002 Zal Yanovsky, guitarist/singer (The Lovin' Spoonful) dies at 58
2005 Timothy Jordan II, guitarist/songwriter (The All American Rejects) dies at 24
2005 Stanley Tookie Williams, co-founder (Crips gang) is executed for murder at 51
2006 Lamar Hunt, sports executive/founder (Kansas City Chiefs) dies at 74
Today in History
1577 Sir Francis Drake of England set out with five ships on a nearly three-year journey that would take him around the world.
1636 The Massachusetts Bay Colony organized three militia regiments to defend the colony against the Pequot Indians; this is considered the founding of the United States National Guard.
1769 Dartmouth College in New Hampshire received its charter.
1809 The first abdominal surgical procedure was performed, in Danville, Kentucky.
1816 John Adamson of Boston, MA received a patent for a dry dock.
1862 Confederate forces dealt Union troops a major defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
1913 Leonardo da Vinci’s La Gioconda or, Mona Lisa, was returned to the Louvre Museum in Paris two years after it was stolen.
1918 President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France to attend the post-World War I peace conference at Versailles, becoming the first chief executive to visit Europe while in office.
1928 George Gershwin's American in Paris was presented to the public, performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Walter Damrosch.
1936 Green Bay beat the Boston Redskins, 21-6, to capture the National Football League championship; it was the last game for Boston, which became the Washington Redskins in 1937.
1937 Japanese troops began carrying out several weeks of raping and killing of civilians and suspected Chinese resistance after the fall of Nanjing.
1948 The American Federation of Musicians went back to work after an 11½-month strike.
1949 The American League voted down a proposal to revive the spitball, which had been outlawed since 1920.
1949 The Knesset voted to move the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
1973 Detroit became the first city to receive a franchise in the unsuccessful World Football League.
1974 Former Beatle George Harrison had lunch at the White House with President Gerald R. Ford.
1977 A DC-3 aircraft chartered from the Indianapolis-based National Jet crashed near Evansville Regional Airport, killing 29, including the University of Evansville basketball team, support staff and boosters of the team.
1978 The Philadelphia Mint struck the first Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, with 1979 dates and the first “P” mintmark since the silver nickels of World War II.
1981 Authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement.
1983 Detroit and Denver played for 3 hours, 11 minutes, with the Pistons finally winning 186-184 in triple overtime.
1986 Duke University won its first NCAA team championship in the school’s 62-year history, taking the soccer crown.
1986 "The Way It Is," by Bruce Hornsby and the Range, hit #1 for a week in the U.S.
1988 PLO chairman Yasser Arafat addressed the U.N. General Assembly in Geneva, where it had reconvened after the United States refused to grant Arafat a visa to visit New York.
1989 South African President F.W. de Klerk met for the first time with imprisoned African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela, at de Klerk's office in Cape Town.
1996 The U.N. Security Council chose Kofi Annan of Ghana to be the world body's seventh secretary-general.
1997 The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Getty Center museum complex, built on a hilltop overlooking the San Diego Freeway in Los Angeles, was held.
2000 Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency 36 days after Election Day; Democrat Al Gore conceded defeat.
2001 The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded his "most optimistic" expectations.
2001 Five suspected Islamic militants killed nine people in an attack on India's parliament before being killed themselves.
2001 President George W. Bush served formal notice that the United States was pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.
2002 Cardinal Bernard Law resigned as Boston archbishop because of the priest sex abuse scandal.
2003 Oousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, near his hometown of Tikrit.
2004 A jury in Redwood City, Calif., recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson for the murders of his wife and unborn child.
2005 Crips gang co-founder Stanley Tookie Williams, whose supporters argued he had redeemed himself inside prison, was executed in California for killing four people in robberies.
Chart Toppers
1950
A Bushel and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
I’m Moving On - Hank Snow
1958
To Know Him, is to Love Him - The Teddy Bears
Problems - The Everly Brothers
Queen of the Hop - Bobby Darin
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
Mellow Yellow - Donovan
Lady Godiva - Peter & Gordon
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
When Will I See You Again - The Three Degrees
Cat’s in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
She Called Me Baby - Charlie Rich
1982
Mickey - Toni Basil
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Redneck Girl - The Bellamy Brothers
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
From a Distance - Bette Midler
Something to Believe In - Poison
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.
Mary Chase, US author & educator (1887 - 1973)
Today in History - Dec 14th
Today's Birthdays
1503 Nostradamus (Michel de Notredame), prognosticator, died July 2, 1566
1896 James Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Force Lt. General/Medal of Honor recipient, died Sep 27, 1993
1897 Margaret Chase Smith, first woman elected to both houses of U.S. Congress, died May 29, 1995
1902 Frances Bavier, actress (The Andy Griffith Show) died Dec 6, 1989
1908 Morey Amsterdam, comedian/actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show) died Oct 27, 1996
1911 Spike (Lindley Armstrong) Jones, drummer/band leader (City Slickers) died May 1, 1965
1913 Dan Dailey, singer/dancer/actor (State Fair, There’s No Business like Show Business) died Oct 16, 1978
1916 Shirley Jackson, writer (The Lottery) died Aug 8, 1965
1917 June Taylor, choreographer/dancer, died May 16, 2004
1932 Charlie Rich, ‘The Silver Fox,’ country singer (Behind Closed Doors, The Most Beautiful Girl) died July 25, 1995
1935 Lee Remick, actress (The Omen, Anatomy of a Murder) died July 2, 1991
1946 Patty (Anna Marie) Duke, actress (The Miracle Worker)
1946 Stan Smith, International Tennis Hall of Famer
1946 Joyce Vincent Wilson, singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
1948 Lester Bangs, music journalist (Creem, Rolling Stone) died Apr 30, 1982
1949 Dee Wallace-Stone, actress (The Frighteners, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling)
1949 Cliff Williams, guitarist (AC/DC)
1963 Cynthia Gibb, actress (Youngblood, Modern Girls, Fame)
1965 Craig Biggio, MLB 2nd baseman (Houston Astros)
1971 Natascha McElhone, actress (Californication, The Truman Show, Ronin, Solaris)
1973 Tia Texada, actress (Third Watch. Phone Booth)
1975 KaDee Strickland, actress (Private Practice)
1975 Justin Furstenfeld, singer (Blue October)
1979 Sophie Monk, actress (Date Movie, Click)
1988 Vanessa Hudgens, singer/actress (High School Musical)
Today's Deaths in History
1799 George Washington, first President of the United States, dies at 67
1902 Julia Grant, former First Lady (Ulysses S. Grant) dies at 76
1920 George Gipp, football player (University of Notre Dame) dies at 25
1963 Dinah Washington, singer, dies at 39
1964 William Bendix, actor (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Life of Riley) dies at 58
1975 Arthur Treacher, English actor (Heidi, The Little Princess) dies at 81
1985 Roger Maris, MLB outfielder/slugger (NY Yankees) dies at 51
1989 Andrei D. Sakharov, Nobel Peace laureate, dies at 68
1993 Myrna Loy, actress (Thin Man series) dies at 88
1997 Kurt Winter, guitarist (The Guess Who) dies at 31
1998 Norman Fell, actor (Three's Company) dies at 74
2003 Jeanne Crain, actress (State Fair, Cheaper by the Dozen) dies at 78
2006 Ahmet Ertegün, co-founder of Atlantic Records, dies at 83
2006 Mike Evans, actor (All in the Family, The Jeffersons) dies at 57
Today in History
1819 Alabama became the 22nd of the United States of America.
1902 The Silverton set sail from the Bay Area, laying the first telephone cable between San Francisco and Honolulu.
1903 The Wright Brothers made their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1911 Roald Amundsen and four companions reached the South Pole.
1934 The first streamlined locomotive, nicknamed the Commodore Vanderbilt, was introduced by the New York Central Railroad.
1944 MGM released the movie National Velvet, starring Elizbeth Taylor.
1946 The United Nations General Assembly voted to establish the U.N. headquarters in New York City.
1947 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1953 Fred Allen returned from semiretirement to narrate Prokofiev’s classic Peter and the Wolf on the Bell Telephone Hour on NBC radio.
1953 Sandy Koufax, age 19, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1959 The Motown record label was founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy.
1968 Marvin Gaye had the number one song in the U.S. with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."
1970 George Harrison received a gold record for his single, "My Sweet Lord."
1972 Eugene Cernan became the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt completed the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17.
1979 The album London Calling by the Clash was released.
1981 Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.
1984 The Cotton Club opened in theaters around the U.S.
1985 Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
1985 America’s winningest high school football coach, Gordon Wood of Brownwood High School in Central Texas, retired after 43 years.
1993 A Colorado judge struck down as unconstitutional the state's voter-approved ban on gay rights laws.
1996 The disabled freighter Bright Field rammed a crowded New Orleans riverfront mall on the Mississippi River.
1997 Cuban President Fidel Castro declared Christmas 1997 an official holiday to ensure the success of Pope John Paul II's upcoming visit to the communist country.
1998 President Bill Clinton stood witness as hundreds of Palestinian leaders renounced a call for the destruction of Israel.
1999 U.S. and German negotiators agreed to establish a $5.2 billion fund for Nazi-era slaves and forced laborers.
1999 Charles M. Schulz announced he was retiring the Peanuts comic strip.
2000 The Federal Trade Commission unanimously approved the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.
2003 President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
2006 South Korea's Ban Ki-moon was sworn in as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Heartaches by the Number - Guy Mitchell
Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods
In the Mood - Ernie Field’s Orch.
The Same Old Me - Ray Price
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
I Say a Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Love Put a Song in My Heart - Johnny Rodriguez
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Tell Me a Lie - Janie Fricke
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
For My Broken Heart - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Walking isn't a lost art: one must, by some means, get to the garage.
Evan Esar, American Humorist (1899 - 1995)
Today's Birthdays
1503 Nostradamus (Michel de Notredame), prognosticator, died July 2, 1566
1896 James Doolittle, U.S. Army Air Force Lt. General/Medal of Honor recipient, died Sep 27, 1993
1897 Margaret Chase Smith, first woman elected to both houses of U.S. Congress, died May 29, 1995
1902 Frances Bavier, actress (The Andy Griffith Show) died Dec 6, 1989
1908 Morey Amsterdam, comedian/actor (The Dick Van Dyke Show) died Oct 27, 1996
1911 Spike (Lindley Armstrong) Jones, drummer/band leader (City Slickers) died May 1, 1965
1913 Dan Dailey, singer/dancer/actor (State Fair, There’s No Business like Show Business) died Oct 16, 1978
1916 Shirley Jackson, writer (The Lottery) died Aug 8, 1965
1917 June Taylor, choreographer/dancer, died May 16, 2004
1932 Charlie Rich, ‘The Silver Fox,’ country singer (Behind Closed Doors, The Most Beautiful Girl) died July 25, 1995
1935 Lee Remick, actress (The Omen, Anatomy of a Murder) died July 2, 1991
1946 Patty (Anna Marie) Duke, actress (The Miracle Worker)
1946 Stan Smith, International Tennis Hall of Famer
1946 Joyce Vincent Wilson, singer (Tony Orlando and Dawn)
1948 Lester Bangs, music journalist (Creem, Rolling Stone) died Apr 30, 1982
1949 Dee Wallace-Stone, actress (The Frighteners, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling)
1949 Cliff Williams, guitarist (AC/DC)
1963 Cynthia Gibb, actress (Youngblood, Modern Girls, Fame)
1965 Craig Biggio, MLB 2nd baseman (Houston Astros)
1971 Natascha McElhone, actress (Californication, The Truman Show, Ronin, Solaris)
1973 Tia Texada, actress (Third Watch. Phone Booth)
1975 KaDee Strickland, actress (Private Practice)
1975 Justin Furstenfeld, singer (Blue October)
1979 Sophie Monk, actress (Date Movie, Click)
1988 Vanessa Hudgens, singer/actress (High School Musical)
Today's Deaths in History
1799 George Washington, first President of the United States, dies at 67
1902 Julia Grant, former First Lady (Ulysses S. Grant) dies at 76
1920 George Gipp, football player (University of Notre Dame) dies at 25
1963 Dinah Washington, singer, dies at 39
1964 William Bendix, actor (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, The Life of Riley) dies at 58
1975 Arthur Treacher, English actor (Heidi, The Little Princess) dies at 81
1985 Roger Maris, MLB outfielder/slugger (NY Yankees) dies at 51
1989 Andrei D. Sakharov, Nobel Peace laureate, dies at 68
1993 Myrna Loy, actress (Thin Man series) dies at 88
1997 Kurt Winter, guitarist (The Guess Who) dies at 31
1998 Norman Fell, actor (Three's Company) dies at 74
2003 Jeanne Crain, actress (State Fair, Cheaper by the Dozen) dies at 78
2006 Ahmet Ertegün, co-founder of Atlantic Records, dies at 83
2006 Mike Evans, actor (All in the Family, The Jeffersons) dies at 57
Today in History
1819 Alabama became the 22nd of the United States of America.
1902 The Silverton set sail from the Bay Area, laying the first telephone cable between San Francisco and Honolulu.
1903 The Wright Brothers made their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1911 Roald Amundsen and four companions reached the South Pole.
1934 The first streamlined locomotive, nicknamed the Commodore Vanderbilt, was introduced by the New York Central Railroad.
1944 MGM released the movie National Velvet, starring Elizbeth Taylor.
1946 The United Nations General Assembly voted to establish the U.N. headquarters in New York City.
1947 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded in Daytona Beach, Florida.
1953 Fred Allen returned from semiretirement to narrate Prokofiev’s classic Peter and the Wolf on the Bell Telephone Hour on NBC radio.
1953 Sandy Koufax, age 19, was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1959 The Motown record label was founded in Detroit, Michigan by Berry Gordy.
1968 Marvin Gaye had the number one song in the U.S. with "I Heard It Through the Grapevine."
1970 George Harrison received a gold record for his single, "My Sweet Lord."
1972 Eugene Cernan became the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt completed the third and final Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17.
1979 The album London Calling by the Clash was released.
1981 Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967.
1984 The Cotton Club opened in theaters around the U.S.
1985 Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
1985 America’s winningest high school football coach, Gordon Wood of Brownwood High School in Central Texas, retired after 43 years.
1993 A Colorado judge struck down as unconstitutional the state's voter-approved ban on gay rights laws.
1996 The disabled freighter Bright Field rammed a crowded New Orleans riverfront mall on the Mississippi River.
1997 Cuban President Fidel Castro declared Christmas 1997 an official holiday to ensure the success of Pope John Paul II's upcoming visit to the communist country.
1998 President Bill Clinton stood witness as hundreds of Palestinian leaders renounced a call for the destruction of Israel.
1999 U.S. and German negotiators agreed to establish a $5.2 billion fund for Nazi-era slaves and forced laborers.
1999 Charles M. Schulz announced he was retiring the Peanuts comic strip.
2000 The Federal Trade Commission unanimously approved the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.
2003 President of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
2006 South Korea's Ban Ki-moon was sworn in as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations.
Chart Toppers
1951
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Heartaches by the Number - Guy Mitchell
Mr. Blue - The Fleetwoods
In the Mood - Ernie Field’s Orch.
The Same Old Me - Ray Price
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
The Rain, the Park & Other Things - The Cowsills
I Say a Little Prayer - Dionne Warwick
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
Fly, Robin, Fly - Silver Convention
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Love Put a Song in My Heart - Johnny Rodriguez
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Tell Me a Lie - Janie Fricke
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
For My Broken Heart - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Walking isn't a lost art: one must, by some means, get to the garage.
Evan Esar, American Humorist (1899 - 1995)
Today in History - Dec 15th
Today's Birthdays
0037 Nero, Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, died June 9, 0068
1832 Gustave Alexandre Eiffel, engineer (Paris’ Eiffel Tower) died Dec 27, 1923
1892 J. (Jean) Paul Getty, oil magnate, died June 6, 1976
1919 Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock Festival site, died Feb 9, 1973
1922 Alan Freed, disc jockey (The Moondoggy Show) died Jan 20, 1965
1933 Tim Conway, actor/comedian (McHale’s Navy, The Carol Burnett Show)
1939 Cindy Birdsong, singer (Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, Diana Ross and The Supremes)
1940 Nick Buoniconti, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Miami Dolphins)
1942 Dave Clark, singer (The Dave Clark Five)
1946 Carmine Appice, composer/drummer (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart)
1949 Don Johnson (Donnie Wayne Johnson), actor (Nash Bridges, Miami Vice, Tin Cup)
1955 Paul Simonon, bassist (The Clash)
1961 Reginald Hudlin, writer/director (The Great White Hype, Boomerang)
1963 Helen Slater, actress (City Slickers, Legend of Billie Jean, Supergirl)
1966 Molly Price, actress (Third Watch, Bionic Woman)
1968 Garrett Wang, actor (Star Trek: Voyager)
1970 Michael Shanks, actor (Stargate SG-1)
1972 Stuart Townsend, actor (Shooting Fish, The Queen of the Damned)
1979 Adam Brody, actor (The O.C.)
Today's Deaths in History
1683 Izaak Walton, English writer (The Compleat Angler) dies at 90
1890 Sitting Bull, Sioux nation leader, dies at 59
1943 Fats (Thomas Wright) Waller, composer/singer/pianist (Ain't Misbehavin') dies at 39
1944 Glenn Miller, big band leader/composer, disappears over the English Channel at 40
1962 Charles Laughton, English actor (Mutiny on the Bounty) dies at 63
1966 Walt (Walter Elias) Disney, animation/theme park mogul, dies at 65
2001 Rufus Thomas, R&B musician, dies at 84
2003 Keith Magnuson, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks) dies in an auto accident at 56
2005 Darrell Russell, NFL defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins) dies in a car crash at 29
Today in History
1791 The Bill of Rights was ratified in Virginia.
1854 The first street cleaning machine was put into operation in Philadelphia.
1890 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, S.D., during a clash with Indian police.
1891 James Naismith introduced the first version of basketball, with thirteen rules, a peach basket nailed to either end of his school's gymnasium, and two teams of nine players.
1916 The French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
1938 Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1939 Nylon yarn was sold to hosiery mills to make women’s stockings, marking the first use of commercial yarn for apparel.
1939 Gone With the Wind premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
1941 Lena Horne recorded the classic that became her signature, "Stormy Weather," for Victor records.
1944 A plane carrying Major Glenn Miller, on his way to lead his Air Force Band in a Christmas concert, was lost somewhere over the English Channel between England and Paris.
1949 After a decade on radio, Captain Midnight was heard for the final time.
1954 Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter was featured on Walt Disney’s TV series for the first time.
1961 Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
1962 Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics set a National Basketball Association record as he made his 5,926th basket.
1965 Two U.S. manned spacecraft, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within 10 feet of each other while in orbit.
1967 The Silver Bridge, on U.S. 35 between Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH, collapsed during afternoon rush hour; 46 people died.
1973 Sandy Hawley became the first jockey in history to win 500 races in a single year.
1974 Bert Jones, quarterback of the Baltimore Colts, set an NFL record by completing seventeen consecutive passes in a game against the New York Jets.
1978 President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
1980 Dave Winfield signed a ten-year contract with the New York Yankees for somewhere between $1.3 and $1.5 million, becoming the wealthiest player in the history of U.S. team sports.
1982 Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant announced that he was retiring as head football coach at the University of Alabama.
1988 James Brown, charged with numerous offences, including illegal possession of drugs and firearms, aggravated assault and failure to stop for the police, was sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment.
1989 A popular uprising began in Romania; it led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
1994 Web browser Netscape Navigator 1.0 was released.
1996 Boeing Co. jolted the aerospace world with a $13.3 billion deal to buy McDonnell Douglas Corp.
2003 The late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
2004 American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal.
2005 Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election.
Chart Toppers
1944
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Back Street Affair - Webb Pierce
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
A Thousand Stars - Kathy Young with The Innocents
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaemphert
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion
Born to Be with You - Sonny James
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo &
Billy Davis, Jr.
Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous - Johnny Duncan
1984
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Nobody Loves Me Like You Do - Anne Murray (with Dave Loggins)
Quote of the Day
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.
Shirley Temple, US actress, dancer, & diplomat (1928 - )
Today's Birthdays
0037 Nero, Roman Emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, died June 9, 0068
1832 Gustave Alexandre Eiffel, engineer (Paris’ Eiffel Tower) died Dec 27, 1923
1892 J. (Jean) Paul Getty, oil magnate, died June 6, 1976
1919 Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock Festival site, died Feb 9, 1973
1922 Alan Freed, disc jockey (The Moondoggy Show) died Jan 20, 1965
1933 Tim Conway, actor/comedian (McHale’s Navy, The Carol Burnett Show)
1939 Cindy Birdsong, singer (Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles, Diana Ross and The Supremes)
1940 Nick Buoniconti, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Miami Dolphins)
1942 Dave Clark, singer (The Dave Clark Five)
1946 Carmine Appice, composer/drummer (Vanilla Fudge, Rod Stewart)
1949 Don Johnson (Donnie Wayne Johnson), actor (Nash Bridges, Miami Vice, Tin Cup)
1955 Paul Simonon, bassist (The Clash)
1961 Reginald Hudlin, writer/director (The Great White Hype, Boomerang)
1963 Helen Slater, actress (City Slickers, Legend of Billie Jean, Supergirl)
1966 Molly Price, actress (Third Watch, Bionic Woman)
1968 Garrett Wang, actor (Star Trek: Voyager)
1970 Michael Shanks, actor (Stargate SG-1)
1972 Stuart Townsend, actor (Shooting Fish, The Queen of the Damned)
1979 Adam Brody, actor (The O.C.)
Today's Deaths in History
1683 Izaak Walton, English writer (The Compleat Angler) dies at 90
1890 Sitting Bull, Sioux nation leader, dies at 59
1943 Fats (Thomas Wright) Waller, composer/singer/pianist (Ain't Misbehavin') dies at 39
1944 Glenn Miller, big band leader/composer, disappears over the English Channel at 40
1962 Charles Laughton, English actor (Mutiny on the Bounty) dies at 63
1966 Walt (Walter Elias) Disney, animation/theme park mogul, dies at 65
2001 Rufus Thomas, R&B musician, dies at 84
2003 Keith Magnuson, NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks) dies in an auto accident at 56
2005 Darrell Russell, NFL defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins) dies in a car crash at 29
Today in History
1791 The Bill of Rights was ratified in Virginia.
1854 The first street cleaning machine was put into operation in Philadelphia.
1890 Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, S.D., during a clash with Indian police.
1891 James Naismith introduced the first version of basketball, with thirteen rules, a peach basket nailed to either end of his school's gymnasium, and two teams of nine players.
1916 The French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun.
1938 Ground was broken for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
1939 Nylon yarn was sold to hosiery mills to make women’s stockings, marking the first use of commercial yarn for apparel.
1939 Gone With the Wind premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.
1941 Lena Horne recorded the classic that became her signature, "Stormy Weather," for Victor records.
1944 A plane carrying Major Glenn Miller, on his way to lead his Air Force Band in a Christmas concert, was lost somewhere over the English Channel between England and Paris.
1949 After a decade on radio, Captain Midnight was heard for the final time.
1954 Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter was featured on Walt Disney’s TV series for the first time.
1961 Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli court.
1962 Bob Cousy of the Boston Celtics set a National Basketball Association record as he made his 5,926th basket.
1965 Two U.S. manned spacecraft, Gemini 6 and Gemini 7, maneuvered to within 10 feet of each other while in orbit.
1967 The Silver Bridge, on U.S. 35 between Point Pleasant, WV and Gallipolis, OH, collapsed during afternoon rush hour; 46 people died.
1973 Sandy Hawley became the first jockey in history to win 500 races in a single year.
1974 Bert Jones, quarterback of the Baltimore Colts, set an NFL record by completing seventeen consecutive passes in a game against the New York Jets.
1978 President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan.
1980 Dave Winfield signed a ten-year contract with the New York Yankees for somewhere between $1.3 and $1.5 million, becoming the wealthiest player in the history of U.S. team sports.
1982 Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant announced that he was retiring as head football coach at the University of Alabama.
1988 James Brown, charged with numerous offences, including illegal possession of drugs and firearms, aggravated assault and failure to stop for the police, was sentenced to six and a half years’ imprisonment.
1989 A popular uprising began in Romania; it led to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
1994 Web browser Netscape Navigator 1.0 was released.
1996 Boeing Co. jolted the aerospace world with a $13.3 billion deal to buy McDonnell Douglas Corp.
2003 The late Sen. Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams' claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter.
2004 American telecommunications giants Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced they would merge in a $35 billion deal.
2005 Millions of Iraqis turned out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election.
Chart Toppers
1944
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Trolley Song - The Pied Pipers
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1952
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Back Street Affair - Webb Pierce
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
A Thousand Stars - Kathy Young with The Innocents
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaemphert
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion
Born to Be with You - Sonny James
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo &
Billy Davis, Jr.
Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous - Johnny Duncan
1984
Out of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Nobody Loves Me Like You Do - Anne Murray (with Dave Loggins)
Quote of the Day
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph.
Shirley Temple, US actress, dancer, & diplomat (1928 - )
Today in History - Dec 16th
Today's Birthdays
1485 Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England, died Jan 7, 1536
1770 Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, died Mar 26, 1827
1775 Jane Austen, author (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility) died July 18, 1817
1863 George Santayana, philosopher/writer (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) died Sep 26, 1952
1899 Sir Noel (Peirce) Coward, actor/director/composer/playwright, died Mar 26, 1973
1901 Margaret Mead, anthropologist, died Nov 15, 1978
1917 Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer (2001: A Space Odyssey)
1938 Liv Ullmann, actress (The Rose Garden, A Bridge Too Far)
1941 Lesley Stahl, reporter (CBS News, 60 Minutes)
1943 Steven Bochco, executive producer (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, N.Y.P.D. Blue)
1943 Anthony Hicks, lead guitarist/songwriter (The Hollies)
1946 Benny Andersson, pianist/singer (Abba)
1947 Ben (Bernard) Cross, actor (First Knight, Chariots of Fire, Dark Shadows)
1949 Billy Gibbons, guitarist/singer (ZZ Top)
1961 Sam Robards, actor (Spin City, American Beauty)
1962 William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry, NFL defensive tackle (Chicago Bears)
1963 Benjamin Bratt, actor (Law & Order, The Next Best Thing, Red Planet, Miss Congeniality)
1965 Nancy Valen, actress (Baywatch)
1967 Miranda Otto, Australian actress (Lord of the Rings series, What Lies Beneath)
1971 Michael McCary, R&B singer (Boyz II Men)
1978 Kaine, rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
1987 Hallee Hirsh, actress (ER, Judging Amy)
Today's Deaths in History
1859 Wilhelm Grimm, German writer/folklorist (Brothers Grimm) dies at 73
1940 Billy Hamilton, MLB Hall of Fame outfielder (Philadelphia Phillies) dies at 74
1965 W. Somerset Maugham, British writer (Of Human Bondage) dies at 91
1980 Colonel Harland Sanders, fast food entrepreneur (KFC) dies at 90
1982 Colin Chapman, British engineer/automobile manufacturer (Lotus) dies at 54
1989 Lee Van Cleef, actor (For a Few Dollars More) dies at 64
1993 Moses Gunn, actor (Ragtime, Father Murphy) dies at 64
1997 Nicolette Larson, singer (Lotta Love) dies at 45
2001 Stuart Adamson, guitarist/singer (Big Country) commits suicide in Honolulu at 43
2005 John Spencer, actor (The West Wing) dies at 58
Today in History
1653 Oliver Cromwell became lord protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1773 Colonial patriots, disguised as Indians, dumped some 350 chests of tea into Boston Harbor as a protestation of taxation without representation and the monopoly granted the East India Company; this later became known as the Boston Tea Party.
1809 Napoleon Bonaparte was divorced from the Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate.
1893 Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From The New World, was given its world premiere at Carnegie Hall.
1901 Beatrix Potter published Peter Rabbit.
1903 Women ushers were employed for the first time at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1905 Sime Silverman published the first issue of Variety, the weekly show biz magazine.
1912 The first postage stamp to depict an airplane was issued.
1916 Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen.
1944 The Battle of the Bulge, the final major German counteroffensive of World War II, began.
1950 President Harry S. Truman proclaimed a national state of emergency in order to fight "Communist imperialism."
1951 NBC-TV debuted Dragnet, starring Jack Webb.
1960 A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collided over New York City, killing 134 people.
1971 Don McLean’s 8:32 version of "American Pie" was released.
1972 The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season.
1973 Jim Brown’s single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards was smashed by O.J. Simpson, who ran for 2,003 yards.
1978 Cleveland, Ohio became the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
1985 Reputed organized-crime chief Paul Castellano was shot to death outside a New York City restaurant.
1990 Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in the country's first democratic elections.
1991 The U.N. General Assembly rescinded its 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism by a 111-25 vote.
1995 Mike Tyson KO’d Buster Mathis Jr. in the third round in Philadelphia, PA, Tyson’s 37th knockout.
1998 President Bill Clinton ordered a sustained series of airstrikes against Iraq by American and British forces in response to Saddam Hussein's continued defiance of UN weapons inspectors.
2000 President-elect George W. Bush selected Colin Powell to become the first African-American Secretary of State.
2004 Britain's highest court dealt a huge blow to the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policy by ruling that it could not detain foreign suspects indefinitely without trial.
Chart Toppers
1945
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
Caribbean - Mitchell Torok
1961
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Nobody Falls Like a Fool - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of theDay
The perfect bureaucrat everywhere is the man who manages to make no decisions and escape all responsibility.
Brooks Atkinson (1894 - 1984)
Today's Birthdays
1485 Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England, died Jan 7, 1536
1770 Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, died Mar 26, 1827
1775 Jane Austen, author (Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility) died July 18, 1817
1863 George Santayana, philosopher/writer (“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”) died Sep 26, 1952
1899 Sir Noel (Peirce) Coward, actor/director/composer/playwright, died Mar 26, 1973
1901 Margaret Mead, anthropologist, died Nov 15, 1978
1917 Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer (2001: A Space Odyssey)
1938 Liv Ullmann, actress (The Rose Garden, A Bridge Too Far)
1941 Lesley Stahl, reporter (CBS News, 60 Minutes)
1943 Steven Bochco, executive producer (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, N.Y.P.D. Blue)
1943 Anthony Hicks, lead guitarist/songwriter (The Hollies)
1946 Benny Andersson, pianist/singer (Abba)
1947 Ben (Bernard) Cross, actor (First Knight, Chariots of Fire, Dark Shadows)
1949 Billy Gibbons, guitarist/singer (ZZ Top)
1961 Sam Robards, actor (Spin City, American Beauty)
1962 William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry, NFL defensive tackle (Chicago Bears)
1963 Benjamin Bratt, actor (Law & Order, The Next Best Thing, Red Planet, Miss Congeniality)
1965 Nancy Valen, actress (Baywatch)
1967 Miranda Otto, Australian actress (Lord of the Rings series, What Lies Beneath)
1971 Michael McCary, R&B singer (Boyz II Men)
1978 Kaine, rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
1987 Hallee Hirsh, actress (ER, Judging Amy)
Today's Deaths in History
1859 Wilhelm Grimm, German writer/folklorist (Brothers Grimm) dies at 73
1940 Billy Hamilton, MLB Hall of Fame outfielder (Philadelphia Phillies) dies at 74
1965 W. Somerset Maugham, British writer (Of Human Bondage) dies at 91
1980 Colonel Harland Sanders, fast food entrepreneur (KFC) dies at 90
1982 Colin Chapman, British engineer/automobile manufacturer (Lotus) dies at 54
1989 Lee Van Cleef, actor (For a Few Dollars More) dies at 64
1993 Moses Gunn, actor (Ragtime, Father Murphy) dies at 64
1997 Nicolette Larson, singer (Lotta Love) dies at 45
2001 Stuart Adamson, guitarist/singer (Big Country) commits suicide in Honolulu at 43
2005 John Spencer, actor (The West Wing) dies at 58
Today in History
1653 Oliver Cromwell became lord protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.
1773 Colonial patriots, disguised as Indians, dumped some 350 chests of tea into Boston Harbor as a protestation of taxation without representation and the monopoly granted the East India Company; this later became known as the Boston Tea Party.
1809 Napoleon Bonaparte was divorced from the Empress Josephine by an act of the French Senate.
1893 Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, From The New World, was given its world premiere at Carnegie Hall.
1901 Beatrix Potter published Peter Rabbit.
1903 Women ushers were employed for the first time at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1905 Sime Silverman published the first issue of Variety, the weekly show biz magazine.
1912 The first postage stamp to depict an airplane was issued.
1916 Gregory Rasputin, the monk who had wielded powerful influence over the Russian court, was murdered by a group of noblemen.
1944 The Battle of the Bulge, the final major German counteroffensive of World War II, began.
1950 President Harry S. Truman proclaimed a national state of emergency in order to fight "Communist imperialism."
1951 NBC-TV debuted Dragnet, starring Jack Webb.
1960 A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collided over New York City, killing 134 people.
1971 Don McLean’s 8:32 version of "American Pie" was released.
1972 The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season.
1973 Jim Brown’s single-season rushing record of 1,863 yards was smashed by O.J. Simpson, who ran for 2,003 yards.
1978 Cleveland, Ohio became the first post-Depression era city to default on its loans, owing $14,000,000 to local banks.
1985 Reputed organized-crime chief Paul Castellano was shot to death outside a New York City restaurant.
1990 Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in the country's first democratic elections.
1991 The U.N. General Assembly rescinded its 1975 resolution equating Zionism with racism by a 111-25 vote.
1995 Mike Tyson KO’d Buster Mathis Jr. in the third round in Philadelphia, PA, Tyson’s 37th knockout.
1998 President Bill Clinton ordered a sustained series of airstrikes against Iraq by American and British forces in response to Saddam Hussein's continued defiance of UN weapons inspectors.
2000 President-elect George W. Bush selected Colin Powell to become the first African-American Secretary of State.
2004 Britain's highest court dealt a huge blow to the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policy by ruling that it could not detain foreign suspects indefinitely without trial.
Chart Toppers
1945
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1953
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
Caribbean - Mitchell Torok
1961
Please Mr. Postman - The Marvelettes
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean
1969
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1977
You Light Up My Life - Debby Boone
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Nobody Falls Like a Fool - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of theDay
The perfect bureaucrat everywhere is the man who manages to make no decisions and escape all responsibility.
Brooks Atkinson (1894 - 1984)
Today in History - Dec 17th
Today's Birthdays
1797 Joseph Henry, scientist (principle of self-induction) died May 14, 1878
1894 Arthur Fiedler, conductor (The Boston Pops Orchestra) died July 10, 1979
1903 Erskine Caldwell, novelist (Tobacco Road, God’s Little Acre) died Apr 11, 1987
1929 William Safire, journalist/author (Words of Wisdom, Coming to Terms)
1930 Bob Guccione, publisher (Penthouse)
1930 Armin Mueller-Stahl, actor (Shine, Avalon)
1937 Art Neville, keyboardist/percussionist/singer (The Neville Brothers)
1939 Eddie Kendricks, singer (The Temptations) died Oct 5, 1992
1942 Paul Butterfield, musician (Paul Butterfield Blues Band) died May 4, 1987
1945 Ernie Hudson, actor (The Crow, Ghostbusters series)
1946 Eugene Levy, writer/actor (Second City TV, American Pie series, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman)
1947 Wes Studi, actor (Last of the Mohicans, Mystery Men)
1949 Paul Rodgers, singer (Free, Bad Company)
1953 Barry Livingston, actor (My Three Sons)
1953 Bill Pullman, actor (Sleepless in Seattle, Spaceballs)
1957 Earl Hudson, drummer (Bad Brains)
1958 Mike Mills, bassist (R.E.M.)
1961 Sarah Dallin, singer (Bananarama)
1964 Michele Tafoya, sportcaster (ESPN Monday Night Football)
1969 Chuck Liddell, martial artist (UFC)
1972 Laurie Holden, actress (The Majestic, Silent Hill)
1974 Sarah Paulson, actress (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
1974 Giovanni Ribisi, actor (Saving Private Ryan, Gone in 60 Seconds)
1975 Milla Jovovich, actress (Dazed and Confused, The Fifth Element)
1978 Neil Sanderson, drummer (Three Days Grace)
1979 Ryan Key, guitarist/songwriter (Yellowcard)
1986 Vanessa Zima, actress (Baby-Sitters Club)
Today's Deaths in History
1830 Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan-born libertator, dies at 47
1967 Harold Holt, Australian Prime Minister, drowns at 59
1992 Dana Andrews, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 83
1999 Grover Washington, Jr., jazz saxophonist, dies at 56
1999 Rex Allen, actor/singer/songwriter (Charlotte's Web) dies at 78
2005 Jack Anderson, journalist (1972 Pulitzer Prize) dies at 83
Today in History
1577 Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for Queen Elizabeth I.
1843 A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was published in London and immediately sold out.
1895 George L. Brownell of Worcester, MA received a patent for his paper-twine machine.
1903 The first successful powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1936 Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wooden pal, Charlie McCarthy, debuted on The Rudy Vallee Show on NBC radio.
1944 The U.S. Army announced the end of its policy of excluding Japanese-Americans from the West Coast.
1953 Following an earlier decision that favored CBS-TV, the Federal Communications Commission changed opinions and decided to approve RCA’s color television specifications.
1955 Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes."
1957 The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
1959 On the Beach premiered at the Astor Theatre in New York City and in 17 other cities, the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world.
1969 An estimated 50 million viewers watched as Tiny Tim (Herbert Buchingham Khaury) married Miss Vickie (Victoria Budinger) on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
1969 The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford.
1976 WTCG-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, changed call letters to WTBS and was uplinked via satellite to become the first commercial TV station to cover the entire U.S.
1977 Elvis Costello agreed to perform on NBC’s Saturday Night Live when Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols failed to show up for the gig.
1984 John McEnroe and Peter Fleming lost a doubles tennis match in the Davis Cup competition for the first time in 14 matches.
1986 Eugene Hasenfus, an American convicted by Nicaragua for his part in running guns to the Contras, was pardoned and released.
1989 The Simpsons animated television series premiered.
1992 President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies.
1996 Kofi Atta Annan was named seventh secretary-general of the United Nations by acclamation during ceremony in the General Assembly Hall, attended by representatives of the world organization’s 185 members.
2002 Congo's government, rebels and opposition parties signed a peace agreement to end four years of civil war.
2004 President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.
2005 President George W. Bush acknowledged he'd personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11, calling it "crucial to our national security."
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Whole World is Singing My Song - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal:
Doris Day)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
Let Me Go, Lover! - Teresa Brewer
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1986
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Hell and High Water - T. Graham Brown
Quote of the Day
Everybody believes in something and everybody, by virtue of the fact that they believe in something, use that something to support their own existence.
Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, & songwriter (1940 - 1993)
Today's Birthdays
1797 Joseph Henry, scientist (principle of self-induction) died May 14, 1878
1894 Arthur Fiedler, conductor (The Boston Pops Orchestra) died July 10, 1979
1903 Erskine Caldwell, novelist (Tobacco Road, God’s Little Acre) died Apr 11, 1987
1929 William Safire, journalist/author (Words of Wisdom, Coming to Terms)
1930 Bob Guccione, publisher (Penthouse)
1930 Armin Mueller-Stahl, actor (Shine, Avalon)
1937 Art Neville, keyboardist/percussionist/singer (The Neville Brothers)
1939 Eddie Kendricks, singer (The Temptations) died Oct 5, 1992
1942 Paul Butterfield, musician (Paul Butterfield Blues Band) died May 4, 1987
1945 Ernie Hudson, actor (The Crow, Ghostbusters series)
1946 Eugene Levy, writer/actor (Second City TV, American Pie series, Best in Show, Waiting for Guffman)
1947 Wes Studi, actor (Last of the Mohicans, Mystery Men)
1949 Paul Rodgers, singer (Free, Bad Company)
1953 Barry Livingston, actor (My Three Sons)
1953 Bill Pullman, actor (Sleepless in Seattle, Spaceballs)
1957 Earl Hudson, drummer (Bad Brains)
1958 Mike Mills, bassist (R.E.M.)
1961 Sarah Dallin, singer (Bananarama)
1964 Michele Tafoya, sportcaster (ESPN Monday Night Football)
1969 Chuck Liddell, martial artist (UFC)
1972 Laurie Holden, actress (The Majestic, Silent Hill)
1974 Sarah Paulson, actress (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
1974 Giovanni Ribisi, actor (Saving Private Ryan, Gone in 60 Seconds)
1975 Milla Jovovich, actress (Dazed and Confused, The Fifth Element)
1978 Neil Sanderson, drummer (Three Days Grace)
1979 Ryan Key, guitarist/songwriter (Yellowcard)
1986 Vanessa Zima, actress (Baby-Sitters Club)
Today's Deaths in History
1830 Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan-born libertator, dies at 47
1967 Harold Holt, Australian Prime Minister, drowns at 59
1992 Dana Andrews, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 83
1999 Grover Washington, Jr., jazz saxophonist, dies at 56
1999 Rex Allen, actor/singer/songwriter (Charlotte's Web) dies at 78
2005 Jack Anderson, journalist (1972 Pulitzer Prize) dies at 83
Today in History
1577 Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for Queen Elizabeth I.
1843 A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, was published in London and immediately sold out.
1895 George L. Brownell of Worcester, MA received a patent for his paper-twine machine.
1903 The first successful powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
1936 Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his wooden pal, Charlie McCarthy, debuted on The Rudy Vallee Show on NBC radio.
1944 The U.S. Army announced the end of its policy of excluding Japanese-Americans from the West Coast.
1953 Following an earlier decision that favored CBS-TV, the Federal Communications Commission changed opinions and decided to approve RCA’s color television specifications.
1955 Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes."
1957 The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
1959 On the Beach premiered at the Astor Theatre in New York City and in 17 other cities, the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world.
1969 An estimated 50 million viewers watched as Tiny Tim (Herbert Buchingham Khaury) married Miss Vickie (Victoria Budinger) on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
1969 The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
1975 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford.
1976 WTCG-TV in Atlanta, Georgia, changed call letters to WTBS and was uplinked via satellite to become the first commercial TV station to cover the entire U.S.
1977 Elvis Costello agreed to perform on NBC’s Saturday Night Live when Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols failed to show up for the gig.
1984 John McEnroe and Peter Fleming lost a doubles tennis match in the Davis Cup competition for the first time in 14 matches.
1986 Eugene Hasenfus, an American convicted by Nicaragua for his part in running guns to the Contras, was pardoned and released.
1989 The Simpsons animated television series premiered.
1992 President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies.
1996 Kofi Atta Annan was named seventh secretary-general of the United Nations by acclamation during ceremony in the General Assembly Hall, attended by representatives of the world organization’s 185 members.
2002 Congo's government, rebels and opposition parties signed a peace agreement to end four years of civil war.
2004 President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.
2005 President George W. Bush acknowledged he'd personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11, calling it "crucial to our national security."
Chart Toppers
1946
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
The Whole World is Singing My Song - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal:
Doris Day)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
Let Me Go, Lover! - Teresa Brewer
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Endlessly - Sonny James
1978
You Don’t Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1986
The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Hell and High Water - T. Graham Brown
Quote of the Day
Everybody believes in something and everybody, by virtue of the fact that they believe in something, use that something to support their own existence.
Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, & songwriter (1940 - 1993)
Today in History - Dec 18th
Today's Birthdays
1778 Joseph Grimaldi, clown (‘greatest clown in history’) died May 31, 1837
1870 Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), author (The Rise of the Russian Empire) killed in WWI Nov 14, 1916
1878 Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died March 5, 1953
1879 Paul Klee, artist (abstractionist) died June 29, 1940
1886 Ty (Tyrus Raymond) Cobb, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Detroit Tigers) died July 17, 1961
1904 George Stevens, director (A Place in the Sun, Giant) died Mar 8, 1975
1910 Abe (Abram Solman Borowitz) Burrows, director/playwright (How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) died May 17, 1985
1913 Willy Brandt (Herbert Frahm), Chancellor of West Germany, died Oct 8, 1992
1916 Betty Grable, actress/pin-up girl, died July 2, 1973
1917 Ossie Davis, writer/actor (A Raisin in the Sun, Grumpy Old Men) died Feb 4, 2005
1938 Bryan ‘Chas’ Chandler, bassist (Animals) died Jul 17, 1996
1941 Sam Andrew, guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
1943 Keith Richards, guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
1946 Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist, died Sept 12, 1977
1946 Steven (Allan) Spielberg, director (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, E.T., Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple, Shrek)
1950 Leonard Maltin, movie critic
1950 Randy Castillo, drummer (Ozzy Osbourne) died March 26, 2002
1953 Elliot Easton (Shapiro), guitarist (The Cars)
1954 Ray Liotta, actor (Unforgettable, Operation Dumbo Drop, Corrina Corrina, Goodfellas, Field of Dreams)
1963 Brad Pitt, actor (Seven, Legends of the Fall, The Devil’s Own, Meet Joe Black, Fight Club, Ocean’s Eleven series)
1964 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, pro wrestler/actor
1968 Casper Van Dien, actor (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow)
1968 Rachel Griffiths, actress (Six Feet Under, Hilary and Jackie, Muriel's Wedding)
1971 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Tennis Hall of Famer
1978 Katie Holmes, actress/Mrs Tom Cruise (Dawson’s Creek, Wonder Boys, The Gift)
1980 Christina Aguilera, singer (Genie in a Bottle, What a Girl Wants, Candy Man)
1985 Tara Conner, 2006 Miss USA
Today's Deaths in History
1737 Antonio Stradivari, violin maker, dies at 93
1971 Bobby Jones, golf champion, dies at 69
1980 Alexei Kosygin, Premier of the USSR, dies at 76
1992 Mark Goodson, game show producer (Beat the Clock, Family Feud, Match Game, Password, The Price Is Right) dies at 77
1993 Sam Wanamaker, actor (Private Benjamin, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) dies at 74
1997 Chris Farley, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live) dies at 33 of an accidental overdose of morphine and cocaine
2000 Kirsty MacColl, British singer/songwriter (They Don't Know) dies at 41
2006 Joseph Barbera, cartoonist (Hanna-Barbera) dies at 95
Today in History
1787 New Jersey became the third state to enter the United States of America.
1796 The Monitor of Baltimore, Maryland was published as the first Sunday newspaper.
1862 The first orthopedic hospital was organized in New York City.
1865 A proclamation by the U.S. Secretary of State announced the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (banning slavery) had been ratified by the legislatures of 27 of the 36 states.
1892 Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.
1932 The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in the first ever NFL Championship Game.
1935 A $1 silver certificate was issued, the first currency to depict the front and back sides of the Great Seal of the United States.
1936 Su Lin, a giant panda, arrived in San Francisco, California, the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China.
1944 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the army’s removal of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast early in 1942 was constitutional at the time it was carried out, but that citizens must be permitted to return to their homes when their loyalty to U.S. was established.
1956 Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1956 Bud Collyer hosted To Tell the Truth as it made its debutr on CBS-TV.
1957 Shippingport Atomic Power Station, Pennsylvania became the first commercial central electric-generating station in the United States to use nuclear energy.
1961 The Tokens celebrated their first #1 hit single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
1965 Gemini VII splashed down in the western Atlantic Ocean with command pilot Frank Borman and pilot Jim Lovell Jr. on board.
1966 Saturn's moon Epimetheus was discovered by Richard L. Walker.
1969 Britain's Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.
1972 Helen Reddy received a gold record for the song that became an anthem for women’s liberation, "I Am Woman."
1972 The United States began the heaviest bombing of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
1975 Rod Stewart announced that he was leaving the group, Faces, and was going solo in a deal with Warner Brothers.
1982 Daryl Hall and John Oates reached the #1 spot on the music charts for the fifth time with "Maneater."
1984 Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis were married in the Los Angeles home of comedian Rob Reiner.
1985 Beverly Hills Cop became the top movie grosser of the year with $229.9 million in tickets sold.
1987 Ivan F. Boesky was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting Wall Street's biggest insider-trading scandal.
1987 Larry Wall releasds the first version of the Perl programming language.
1993 Julio Cesar Chavez retained his WBC super lightweight title with a five-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan.
1996 The Oakland, California school board passed a resolution officially declaring "Ebonics" a language or dialect.
1997 The Trans-Tokyo Bay Motorway, a unique bridge-and-tunnel expressway across Tokyo Bay, opened.
1997 HTML 4.0 was published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
1998 The House of Representatives began debate on four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
1999 Environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill came down after spending two years living atop an ancient redwood in Humboldt County, Calif., to protest logging.
2003 A judge in Seattle sentenced confessed Green River killer Gary Ridgeway to 48 consecutive life terms.
2006 Robert Gates was sworn in as defense secretary.
Chart Toppers
1947
Civilization - Louis Prima
How Soon - Jack Owens
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra
Nuttin’ for Christmas - Barry Gordon
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Since I Fell for You - Lenny Welch
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Brand New Key - Melanie
An Old Fashioned Loved Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Babe - Styx
Still - Commodores
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1987
Faith - George Michael
Is This Love - Whitesnake
So Emotional -Whitney Houston
The Last One to Know - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)
Today's Birthdays
1778 Joseph Grimaldi, clown (‘greatest clown in history’) died May 31, 1837
1870 Saki (Hector Hugh Munro), author (The Rise of the Russian Empire) killed in WWI Nov 14, 1916
1878 Josef Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union, died March 5, 1953
1879 Paul Klee, artist (abstractionist) died June 29, 1940
1886 Ty (Tyrus Raymond) Cobb, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Detroit Tigers) died July 17, 1961
1904 George Stevens, director (A Place in the Sun, Giant) died Mar 8, 1975
1910 Abe (Abram Solman Borowitz) Burrows, director/playwright (How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) died May 17, 1985
1913 Willy Brandt (Herbert Frahm), Chancellor of West Germany, died Oct 8, 1992
1916 Betty Grable, actress/pin-up girl, died July 2, 1973
1917 Ossie Davis, writer/actor (A Raisin in the Sun, Grumpy Old Men) died Feb 4, 2005
1938 Bryan ‘Chas’ Chandler, bassist (Animals) died Jul 17, 1996
1941 Sam Andrew, guitarist (Big Brother and the Holding Company)
1943 Keith Richards, guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
1946 Steve Biko, South African anti-apartheid activist, died Sept 12, 1977
1946 Steven (Allan) Spielberg, director (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, E.T., Indiana Jones series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple, Shrek)
1950 Leonard Maltin, movie critic
1950 Randy Castillo, drummer (Ozzy Osbourne) died March 26, 2002
1953 Elliot Easton (Shapiro), guitarist (The Cars)
1954 Ray Liotta, actor (Unforgettable, Operation Dumbo Drop, Corrina Corrina, Goodfellas, Field of Dreams)
1963 Brad Pitt, actor (Seven, Legends of the Fall, The Devil’s Own, Meet Joe Black, Fight Club, Ocean’s Eleven series)
1964 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, pro wrestler/actor
1968 Casper Van Dien, actor (Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow)
1968 Rachel Griffiths, actress (Six Feet Under, Hilary and Jackie, Muriel's Wedding)
1971 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Tennis Hall of Famer
1978 Katie Holmes, actress/Mrs Tom Cruise (Dawson’s Creek, Wonder Boys, The Gift)
1980 Christina Aguilera, singer (Genie in a Bottle, What a Girl Wants, Candy Man)
1985 Tara Conner, 2006 Miss USA
Today's Deaths in History
1737 Antonio Stradivari, violin maker, dies at 93
1971 Bobby Jones, golf champion, dies at 69
1980 Alexei Kosygin, Premier of the USSR, dies at 76
1992 Mark Goodson, game show producer (Beat the Clock, Family Feud, Match Game, Password, The Price Is Right) dies at 77
1993 Sam Wanamaker, actor (Private Benjamin, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) dies at 74
1997 Chris Farley, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live) dies at 33 of an accidental overdose of morphine and cocaine
2000 Kirsty MacColl, British singer/songwriter (They Don't Know) dies at 41
2006 Joseph Barbera, cartoonist (Hanna-Barbera) dies at 95
Today in History
1787 New Jersey became the third state to enter the United States of America.
1796 The Monitor of Baltimore, Maryland was published as the first Sunday newspaper.
1862 The first orthopedic hospital was organized in New York City.
1865 A proclamation by the U.S. Secretary of State announced the 13th Amendment to the Constitution (banning slavery) had been ratified by the legislatures of 27 of the 36 states.
1892 Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite premiered in St. Petersburg, Russia.
1932 The Chicago Bears defeated the Portsmouth Spartans 9-0 in the first ever NFL Championship Game.
1935 A $1 silver certificate was issued, the first currency to depict the front and back sides of the Great Seal of the United States.
1936 Su Lin, a giant panda, arrived in San Francisco, California, the first giant panda to come to the U.S. from China.
1944 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the army’s removal of Japanese-Americans from the West Coast early in 1942 was constitutional at the time it was carried out, but that citizens must be permitted to return to their homes when their loyalty to U.S. was established.
1956 Japan was admitted to the United Nations.
1956 Bud Collyer hosted To Tell the Truth as it made its debutr on CBS-TV.
1957 Shippingport Atomic Power Station, Pennsylvania became the first commercial central electric-generating station in the United States to use nuclear energy.
1961 The Tokens celebrated their first #1 hit single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."
1965 Gemini VII splashed down in the western Atlantic Ocean with command pilot Frank Borman and pilot Jim Lovell Jr. on board.
1966 Saturn's moon Epimetheus was discovered by Richard L. Walker.
1969 Britain's Parliament abolished the death penalty for murder.
1972 Helen Reddy received a gold record for the song that became an anthem for women’s liberation, "I Am Woman."
1972 The United States began the heaviest bombing of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
1975 Rod Stewart announced that he was leaving the group, Faces, and was going solo in a deal with Warner Brothers.
1982 Daryl Hall and John Oates reached the #1 spot on the music charts for the fifth time with "Maneater."
1984 Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis were married in the Los Angeles home of comedian Rob Reiner.
1985 Beverly Hills Cop became the top movie grosser of the year with $229.9 million in tickets sold.
1987 Ivan F. Boesky was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting Wall Street's biggest insider-trading scandal.
1987 Larry Wall releasds the first version of the Perl programming language.
1993 Julio Cesar Chavez retained his WBC super lightweight title with a five-round victory over Britain’s Andy Holligan.
1996 The Oakland, California school board passed a resolution officially declaring "Ebonics" a language or dialect.
1997 The Trans-Tokyo Bay Motorway, a unique bridge-and-tunnel expressway across Tokyo Bay, opened.
1997 HTML 4.0 was published by the World Wide Web Consortium.
1998 The House of Representatives began debate on four articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
1999 Environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill came down after spending two years living atop an ancient redwood in Humboldt County, Calif., to protest logging.
2003 A judge in Seattle sentenced confessed Green River killer Gary Ridgeway to 48 consecutive life terms.
2006 Robert Gates was sworn in as defense secretary.
Chart Toppers
1947
Civilization - Louis Prima
How Soon - Jack Owens
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Love and Marriage - Frank Sinatra
Nuttin’ for Christmas - Barry Gordon
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Since I Fell for You - Lenny Welch
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Brand New Key - Melanie
An Old Fashioned Loved Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Babe - Styx
Still - Commodores
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1987
Faith - George Michael
Is This Love - Whitesnake
So Emotional -Whitney Houston
The Last One to Know - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 - 1860)
Today in History - Dec 19th
Today's Birthdays
1790 Sir William Edward Parry, explorer (Arctic & Northwest Passage expeditions) died July 9, 1855
1894 Ford Frick, Baseball Hall of Fame Commissioner, died April 8, 1978
1906 Leonid Brezhnev, Russian leader of the Communist Party, died Nov 10, 1982
1915 Édith Piaf (Édith Giovanna Gassion), French cabaret singer/actress, died Oct 10, 1963
1924 Doug Harvey, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) died Dec 26, 1989
1933 Cicely Tyson, actress (The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Roots, Sounder)
1934 Al (Albert William) Kaline, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1940 Phil Ochs, folk singer/songwriter, died Apr 9, 1976
1941 Maurice White, singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1944 Alvin Lee, guitarist (Ten Years After)
1944 Tim Reid, actor (WKRP in Cincinnati)
1944 Zal Yanovsky, guitarist/singer (The Lovin’ Spoonful) died Dec 13, 2002
1946 Robert Urich, actor (Spenser for Hire, Vegas) died Apr 16, 2002
1952 Jeff Davis, bassist (Amazing Rhythm Aces)
1957 Kevin McHale, Basketball Hall of Fame forward (Boston Celtics)
1958 Limahl, singer (Kajagoogoo)
1960 Mike Lookinland, actor (The Brady Bunch)
1961 Reggie White, NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers) died Dec 26, 2004
1963 Jennifer Beals, actress (Four Rooms, Flashdance, The L Word)
1967 Criss Angel, illusionist
1969 Kristy Swanson, actress (Dude Where’s My Car?, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1971 Amy Locane, actress (Airheads, Melrose Place, Cry Baby)
1972 Alyssa Milano, actress (Who’s the Boss? Charmed)
1972 Warren Sapp, NFL defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders)
1980 Marla Sokoloff, actress (Dude Where’s My Car?, Home Improvement, Party of Five)
1980 Jake Gyllenhaal, actor (Brokeback Mountain, The Day After Tomorrow)
Today's Deaths in History
1848 Emily Brontë, British author (Wuthering Heights) dies at 30
1915 Alois Alzheimer, German neuroscientist, dies at 51
1959 Walter Williams, last surviving veteran of the Civil War, dies at 117
1986 V. C. Andrews, author (Flowers in the Attic) dies at 63
1993 Michael ‘Mike’ Clarke, drummer (The Byrds) dies at 49
1996 Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (La dolce vita) dies at 72
1997 Jimmy Rogers, blues guitarist, dies at 73
1999 Desmond Llewelyn, British actor (James Bond films) dies at 85
2000 Rob Buck, guitarist (10,000 Maniacs) dies at 42
2000 Pops Staples, singer (The Staple Singers) dies at 85
2003 Hope Lange, actress (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Peyton Place) dies at 70
Today in History
1606 The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery departed England carrying settlers who, at Jamestown, Virginia, founded the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
1732 Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard's Almanac.
1776 Thomas Paine published his first American Crisis essay, writing, "These are the times that try men's souls."
1777 Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pa., to camp for the winter.
1871 Corrugated paper was patented by Albert L. Jones of New York City.
1903 The Williamsburg Bridge was opened in New York City.
1907 A coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pa., killed 239 workers.
1917 The first games of the new National Hockey League were played; five teams made up the league: Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers.
1918 Robert Ripley began his Believe It or Not column in The New York Globe.
1939 Station W2XBS in New York City presented the festivities being held in front of the Capitol Theatre which marked the New York debut of Gone With The Wind.
1957 Meredith Willson’s The Music Man opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1959 Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama, 7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game.
1959 Walter Williams, said to be the last surviving veteran of the Civil War, died in Houston, Texas at 117 years old.
1960 Neil Sedaka’s "Calendar Girl" was released on RCA Victor Records.
1960 Frank Sinatra recorded his first session with his very own record company, waxing "Ring-A-Ding-Ding" and "Let’s Fall in Love" for Reprise Records.
1972 Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, ending the Apollo program of manned lunar landings.
1973 Johnny Carson started a fake toilet-paper scare; in his Tonight Show monologue, he told his huge audience that a Wisconsin congressman had warned that toilet paper was disappearing from supermarket shelves, causing a run on toilet paper the next day.
1974 Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States, replacing Gerald R. Ford, who became president when Richard M. Nixon resigned.
1984 Britain and China signed an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
1984 23-year old Wayne Gretsky of the Edmonton Oilers scored two goals and four assists against Los Angeles to become only the 18th player in the National Hockey League to score more than 1,000 points.
1985 Kicker Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from the NFL.
1985 ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell.
1986 The Soviet Union announced it had freed dissident Andrei Sakharov from internal exile and pardoned his wife, Yelena Bonner.
1997 Titanic, the highest-grossing movie of all-time, opened in American theaters.
1998 President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice.
1998 Two days after his confession of marital infidelity, Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., told the House he wouldn't serve as its next speaker.
2000 U.S. President-elect George W. Bush completed a three-day visit to Washington and departed for Texas after visits with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
2000 A volcano outside Mexico City spewed a fiery fountain of ash and rock in its most spectacular eruption in more than a millennium.
2000 The U.N. Security Council voted to impose broad sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they closed terrorist training camps and surrendered U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden.
2002 After a prosecutor cited new DNA evidence, a judge in New York threw out the convictions of five young men in a 1989 attack on a Central Park jogger who had been raped and left for dead.
2003 Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to halt his nation's drive to develop nuclear and chemical weapons.
2005 Afghanistan's first democratically elected parliament in more than three decades convened.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Since I Met You Baby - Ivory Joe Hunter
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Come See About Me - The Supremes
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
Goin’ Out of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
It Never Rains in Southern California - Albert Hammond
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
Lady - Kenny Rogers
More Than I Can Say - Leo Sayer
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Why Lady Why - Alabama
1988
Look Away - Chicago
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
Giving You the Best That I Got - Anita Baker
A Tender Lie - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
One man that has a mind and knows it can always beat ten men who haven't and don't.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today's Birthdays
1790 Sir William Edward Parry, explorer (Arctic & Northwest Passage expeditions) died July 9, 1855
1894 Ford Frick, Baseball Hall of Fame Commissioner, died April 8, 1978
1906 Leonid Brezhnev, Russian leader of the Communist Party, died Nov 10, 1982
1915 Édith Piaf (Édith Giovanna Gassion), French cabaret singer/actress, died Oct 10, 1963
1924 Doug Harvey, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) died Dec 26, 1989
1933 Cicely Tyson, actress (The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Roots, Sounder)
1934 Al (Albert William) Kaline, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1940 Phil Ochs, folk singer/songwriter, died Apr 9, 1976
1941 Maurice White, singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1944 Alvin Lee, guitarist (Ten Years After)
1944 Tim Reid, actor (WKRP in Cincinnati)
1944 Zal Yanovsky, guitarist/singer (The Lovin’ Spoonful) died Dec 13, 2002
1946 Robert Urich, actor (Spenser for Hire, Vegas) died Apr 16, 2002
1952 Jeff Davis, bassist (Amazing Rhythm Aces)
1957 Kevin McHale, Basketball Hall of Fame forward (Boston Celtics)
1958 Limahl, singer (Kajagoogoo)
1960 Mike Lookinland, actor (The Brady Bunch)
1961 Reggie White, NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers) died Dec 26, 2004
1963 Jennifer Beals, actress (Four Rooms, Flashdance, The L Word)
1967 Criss Angel, illusionist
1969 Kristy Swanson, actress (Dude Where’s My Car?, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1971 Amy Locane, actress (Airheads, Melrose Place, Cry Baby)
1972 Alyssa Milano, actress (Who’s the Boss? Charmed)
1972 Warren Sapp, NFL defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders)
1980 Marla Sokoloff, actress (Dude Where’s My Car?, Home Improvement, Party of Five)
1980 Jake Gyllenhaal, actor (Brokeback Mountain, The Day After Tomorrow)
Today's Deaths in History
1848 Emily Brontë, British author (Wuthering Heights) dies at 30
1915 Alois Alzheimer, German neuroscientist, dies at 51
1959 Walter Williams, last surviving veteran of the Civil War, dies at 117
1986 V. C. Andrews, author (Flowers in the Attic) dies at 63
1993 Michael ‘Mike’ Clarke, drummer (The Byrds) dies at 49
1996 Marcello Mastroianni, Italian actor (La dolce vita) dies at 72
1997 Jimmy Rogers, blues guitarist, dies at 73
1999 Desmond Llewelyn, British actor (James Bond films) dies at 85
2000 Rob Buck, guitarist (10,000 Maniacs) dies at 42
2000 Pops Staples, singer (The Staple Singers) dies at 85
2003 Hope Lange, actress (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Peyton Place) dies at 70
Today in History
1606 The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery departed England carrying settlers who, at Jamestown, Virginia, founded the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States.
1732 Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard's Almanac.
1776 Thomas Paine published his first American Crisis essay, writing, "These are the times that try men's souls."
1777 Gen. George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pa., to camp for the winter.
1871 Corrugated paper was patented by Albert L. Jones of New York City.
1903 The Williamsburg Bridge was opened in New York City.
1907 A coal mine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pa., killed 239 workers.
1917 The first games of the new National Hockey League were played; five teams made up the league: Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers.
1918 Robert Ripley began his Believe It or Not column in The New York Globe.
1939 Station W2XBS in New York City presented the festivities being held in front of the Capitol Theatre which marked the New York debut of Gone With The Wind.
1957 Meredith Willson’s The Music Man opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City.
1959 Penn State’s Nittany Lions beat Alabama, 7-0, in the first Liberty Bowl football game.
1959 Walter Williams, said to be the last surviving veteran of the Civil War, died in Houston, Texas at 117 years old.
1960 Neil Sedaka’s "Calendar Girl" was released on RCA Victor Records.
1960 Frank Sinatra recorded his first session with his very own record company, waxing "Ring-A-Ding-Ding" and "Let’s Fall in Love" for Reprise Records.
1972 Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, ending the Apollo program of manned lunar landings.
1973 Johnny Carson started a fake toilet-paper scare; in his Tonight Show monologue, he told his huge audience that a Wisconsin congressman had warned that toilet paper was disappearing from supermarket shelves, causing a run on toilet paper the next day.
1974 Nelson A. Rockefeller was sworn in as the 41st vice president of the United States, replacing Gerald R. Ford, who became president when Richard M. Nixon resigned.
1984 Britain and China signed an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.
1984 23-year old Wayne Gretsky of the Edmonton Oilers scored two goals and four assists against Los Angeles to become only the 18th player in the National Hockey League to score more than 1,000 points.
1985 Kicker Jan Stenerud announced his retirement from the NFL.
1985 ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell.
1986 The Soviet Union announced it had freed dissident Andrei Sakharov from internal exile and pardoned his wife, Yelena Bonner.
1997 Titanic, the highest-grossing movie of all-time, opened in American theaters.
1998 President Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives for perjury and obstruction of justice.
1998 Two days after his confession of marital infidelity, Rep. Bob Livingston, R-La., told the House he wouldn't serve as its next speaker.
2000 U.S. President-elect George W. Bush completed a three-day visit to Washington and departed for Texas after visits with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
2000 A volcano outside Mexico City spewed a fiery fountain of ash and rock in its most spectacular eruption in more than a millennium.
2000 The U.N. Security Council voted to impose broad sanctions on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless they closed terrorist training camps and surrendered U.S. embassy bombing suspect Osama bin Laden.
2002 After a prosecutor cited new DNA evidence, a judge in New York threw out the convictions of five young men in a 1989 attack on a Central Park jogger who had been raped and left for dead.
2003 Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to halt his nation's drive to develop nuclear and chemical weapons.
2005 Afghanistan's first democratically elected parliament in more than three decades convened.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart) - Jimmy Wakely
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Since I Met You Baby - Ivory Joe Hunter
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
Come See About Me - The Supremes
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
Goin’ Out of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
It Never Rains in Southern California - Albert Hammond
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
Lady - Kenny Rogers
More Than I Can Say - Leo Sayer
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Why Lady Why - Alabama
1988
Look Away - Chicago
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
Giving You the Best That I Got - Anita Baker
A Tender Lie - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
One man that has a mind and knows it can always beat ten men who haven't and don't.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today in History - Dec 20th
Today's Birthdays
1868 Harvey Firestone, industrialist (Firestone Tire and Rubber Company) died Feb 7, 1938
1881 Branch Rickey, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (St Louis Browns) died Dec 9, 1965
1898 Irene (Marie) Dunne, actress (Cimarron, Show Boat, Anna and the King of Siam) died Sep 4, 1990
1900 Gabby (Charles Leo) Hartnett, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Chicago Cubs) died Dec 20, 1972
1902 Max Lerner, author/columnist (New York Post) died June 5, 1992
1921 George Roy Hill, director (The World According to Garp, Slap Shot, The Sting, Slaughterhouse Five) died Dec 27, 2002
1927 Charlie Callas, comedian/actor (History of the World: Part I, High Anxiety)
1928 Jack Christiansen, Football Hall of Fame defensive back (Detroit Lions) died June 29, 1986
1932 John Hillerman, actor (Magnum P.I., Chinatown, Blazing Saddles)
1944 Bobby Colomby, drummer/singer (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
1946 Uri Geller, psychic/clairvoyant
1946 Dick Wolf, TV producer (Law and Order shows)
1945 Peter Criss (Crisscoula), drummer (Kiss)
1948 Little Stevie Wright, singer (The Easybeats)
1949 Alan Parsons, keyboardist/engineer/producer (The Alan Parsons Project)
1950 Bill Clement, NHL center/TV analyst (Philadelphia Flyers)
1952 Jenny Agutter, actress (Logan’s Run, An American Werewolf in London, Child’s Play)
1954 Michael Badalucco, actor (The Professional, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Practice)
1957 Billy (Steven) Bragg, songwriter/singer/guitarist
1957 Mike Watt, bassist/singer (Firehose)
1957 Joyce Hyser, actress (Valley Girl, Just One of the Guys)
1963 Joel Gretsch, actor (The 4400)
1966 Chris Robinson, singer (The Black Crowes)
1970 Nicole deBoer, actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
1981 Roy Williams, NFL wide reciever (Detroit Lions)
1982 David Wright, MLB 3rd baseman (NY Mets)
Today's Deaths in History
1812 Sacagawea, Shoshone guide (Lewis and Clark Expedition) dies at 24
1961 Moss Hart, dramatist (A Star Is Born) dies at 57
1968 John Steinbeck, author (Grapes of Wrath) dies at 66
1973 Bobby Darin, singer (Mack the Knife) dies at 37
1976 Richard J. Daley, Chicago Mayor, dies at 74
1994 Dean Rusk, Former Secretary of State, dies at 85
1996 Carl Sagan, astronomer/educator/author, dies at 62
1998 Irene Hervey, actress (Cactus Flower, Play Misty for Me) dies at 88
1999 Hank Snow, singer (I'm Movin' On) dies at 85
2001 Foster Brooks, actor/comedian, dies at 89
Today in History
1790 The first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, R.I.
1803 The United States took possession of the Louisiana Territories from France.
1820 The State of Missouri enacted legislation to tax bachelors between the ages of 21-50 $1 a year for being unmarried.
1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
1864 Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Ga., as Union Gen. William T. Sherman continued his March to the Sea.
1879 Thomas Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, N.J.
1892 Alexander T. Brown and George Stillman of Syracuse, New York patented the pneumatic tire.
1920 English-born comedian named Bob (Leslie Townes) Hope became an American citizen.
1928 Mail delivery by dog sled began in Lewiston, Maine.
1938 Vladimir Kosma Zworykin of Wilkinsburg, PA patented the iconoscope television system.
1946 The Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, a day before its official premiere.
1951 EBR-I (Experimental Breeder Reactor-I) ushered in a new era in nuclear history when it became the first reactor to generate useable amounts of electricity from nuclear energy.
1952 Jimmy Boyd reached the #1 spot on the record charts with the Christmas song of the year, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."
1954 Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to one of the largest contracts ever entered into with an entertainer; Gleason agreed to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500.
1963 The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time for the holiday season, but closed again on January 6, 1964.
1973 Spanish Prime Minister Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco was assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
1975 Paul Simon’s "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" became #1 on the U.S. singles charts.
1980 NBC covered the meaningless NFL game between the New York Jets (4-11) and the Miami Dolphins (8-7) with no announcers in the booth; the only sounds heard were field noise and spectators as the pictures tried to convey the emotion of the game.
1983 Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
1985 Robert Penn Warren was designated Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry of the U.S. Library of Congress for 1986-1987.
1986 The Bangles’ "Walk Like an Egyptian" moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
1989 The United States sent troops into Panama to topple the government of Manuel Noriega.
1998 Green Bay’s Brett Favre threw three TD passes against the Tennessee Oilers, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 30 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons.
1999 The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples of the opposite sex.
2002 Trent Lott resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks.
2005 New York City transit workers began a strike that shut down subways and buses for three days.
2005 A federal judge ruled that "intelligent design" could not be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district.
2006 Acknowledging deepening frustration over Iraq, President George W. Bush told a news conference he was considering an increase in American forces and warned that the next year would bring more painful U.S. losses.
Chart Toppers
1949
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal:
Jack Leonard)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
Over and Over - The Dave Clark Five
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
Amazing Love - Charley Pride
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
All Roads Lead to You - Steve Wariner
1989
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
Two Dozen Roses - Shenandoah
Quote of the Day
On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.
Will Rogers, US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
Today's Birthdays
1868 Harvey Firestone, industrialist (Firestone Tire and Rubber Company) died Feb 7, 1938
1881 Branch Rickey, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (St Louis Browns) died Dec 9, 1965
1898 Irene (Marie) Dunne, actress (Cimarron, Show Boat, Anna and the King of Siam) died Sep 4, 1990
1900 Gabby (Charles Leo) Hartnett, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Chicago Cubs) died Dec 20, 1972
1902 Max Lerner, author/columnist (New York Post) died June 5, 1992
1921 George Roy Hill, director (The World According to Garp, Slap Shot, The Sting, Slaughterhouse Five) died Dec 27, 2002
1927 Charlie Callas, comedian/actor (History of the World: Part I, High Anxiety)
1928 Jack Christiansen, Football Hall of Fame defensive back (Detroit Lions) died June 29, 1986
1932 John Hillerman, actor (Magnum P.I., Chinatown, Blazing Saddles)
1944 Bobby Colomby, drummer/singer (Blood, Sweat & Tears)
1946 Uri Geller, psychic/clairvoyant
1946 Dick Wolf, TV producer (Law and Order shows)
1945 Peter Criss (Crisscoula), drummer (Kiss)
1948 Little Stevie Wright, singer (The Easybeats)
1949 Alan Parsons, keyboardist/engineer/producer (The Alan Parsons Project)
1950 Bill Clement, NHL center/TV analyst (Philadelphia Flyers)
1952 Jenny Agutter, actress (Logan’s Run, An American Werewolf in London, Child’s Play)
1954 Michael Badalucco, actor (The Professional, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Practice)
1957 Billy (Steven) Bragg, songwriter/singer/guitarist
1957 Mike Watt, bassist/singer (Firehose)
1957 Joyce Hyser, actress (Valley Girl, Just One of the Guys)
1963 Joel Gretsch, actor (The 4400)
1966 Chris Robinson, singer (The Black Crowes)
1970 Nicole deBoer, actress (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
1981 Roy Williams, NFL wide reciever (Detroit Lions)
1982 David Wright, MLB 3rd baseman (NY Mets)
Today's Deaths in History
1812 Sacagawea, Shoshone guide (Lewis and Clark Expedition) dies at 24
1961 Moss Hart, dramatist (A Star Is Born) dies at 57
1968 John Steinbeck, author (Grapes of Wrath) dies at 66
1973 Bobby Darin, singer (Mack the Knife) dies at 37
1976 Richard J. Daley, Chicago Mayor, dies at 74
1994 Dean Rusk, Former Secretary of State, dies at 85
1996 Carl Sagan, astronomer/educator/author, dies at 62
1998 Irene Hervey, actress (Cactus Flower, Play Misty for Me) dies at 88
1999 Hank Snow, singer (I'm Movin' On) dies at 85
2001 Foster Brooks, actor/comedian, dies at 89
Today in History
1790 The first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, R.I.
1803 The United States took possession of the Louisiana Territories from France.
1820 The State of Missouri enacted legislation to tax bachelors between the ages of 21-50 $1 a year for being unmarried.
1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union.
1864 Confederate forces evacuated Savannah, Ga., as Union Gen. William T. Sherman continued his March to the Sea.
1879 Thomas Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, N.J.
1892 Alexander T. Brown and George Stillman of Syracuse, New York patented the pneumatic tire.
1920 English-born comedian named Bob (Leslie Townes) Hope became an American citizen.
1928 Mail delivery by dog sled began in Lewiston, Maine.
1938 Vladimir Kosma Zworykin of Wilkinsburg, PA patented the iconoscope television system.
1946 The Frank Capra film It's A Wonderful Life had a preview showing for charity at New York City's Globe Theatre, a day before its official premiere.
1951 EBR-I (Experimental Breeder Reactor-I) ushered in a new era in nuclear history when it became the first reactor to generate useable amounts of electricity from nuclear energy.
1952 Jimmy Boyd reached the #1 spot on the record charts with the Christmas song of the year, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus."
1954 Buick Motor Company signed Jackie Gleason to one of the largest contracts ever entered into with an entertainer; Gleason agreed to produce 78 half-hour shows over a two-year period for $6,142,500.
1963 The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time for the holiday season, but closed again on January 6, 1964.
1973 Spanish Prime Minister Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco was assassinated by a car bomb attack in Madrid.
1975 Paul Simon’s "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" became #1 on the U.S. singles charts.
1980 NBC covered the meaningless NFL game between the New York Jets (4-11) and the Miami Dolphins (8-7) with no announcers in the booth; the only sounds heard were field noise and spectators as the pictures tried to convey the emotion of the game.
1983 Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
1985 Robert Penn Warren was designated Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry of the U.S. Library of Congress for 1986-1987.
1986 The Bangles’ "Walk Like an Egyptian" moved to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
1989 The United States sent troops into Panama to topple the government of Manuel Noriega.
1998 Green Bay’s Brett Favre threw three TD passes against the Tennessee Oilers, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 30 or more touchdowns in five consecutive seasons.
1999 The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples are entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples of the opposite sex.
2002 Trent Lott resigned as Senate Republican leader two weeks after igniting a political firestorm with racially charged remarks.
2005 New York City transit workers began a strike that shut down subways and buses for three days.
2005 A federal judge ruled that "intelligent design" could not be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district.
2006 Acknowledging deepening frustration over Iraq, President George W. Bush told a news conference he was considering an increase in American forces and warned that the next year would bring more painful U.S. losses.
Chart Toppers
1949
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal:
Jack Leonard)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Turn! Turn! Turn! - The Byrds
Over and Over - The Dave Clark Five
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
Make the World Go Away - Eddy Arnold
1973
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
Amazing Love - Charley Pride
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
All Roads Lead to You - Steve Wariner
1989
We Didn’t Start the Fire - Billy Joel
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
Two Dozen Roses - Shenandoah
Quote of the Day
On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.
Will Rogers, US humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
Today in History - Dec 21st
Today's Birthdays
1804 Benjamin Disraeli, author/statesman, died Apr 19, 1881
1879 Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili), Russian dictator, died Mar 5, 1953
1885 Frank Patrick, Hockey Hall of Fame player/coach (Boston Bruins) died June 29, 1960
1892 Walter Hagen, golf champion, died Oct 5, 1969
1918 Kurt Waldheim, President of Austria/U.N. Secretary-General, died Jun 14, 2007
1918 Donald Regan, White House Chief of Staff, died June 10, 2003
1921 Vampira (Maila Nurmi), actress (Plan 9 from Outer Space)
1922 Paul Winchell, comedian/ventriloquist (voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh animated films) died June 24, 2005
1926 Joe Paterno, football coach (Penn State)
1935 Phil Donahue, TV talk show host
1937 Jane Fonda, actress (Coming Home, Klute, Barbarella, The China Syndrome, On Golden Pond)
1940 Ray Hildebrand, singer (Paul & Paula)
1940 Frank Zappa, musician/composer (Mothers of Invention) died Dec 4, 1993
1942 Carla Thomas, singer (B-A-B-Y, Knock on Wood)
1946 Josh Mostel, actor (City Slickers series, Wall Street, Murphy’s Law)
1946 Carl Wilson, guitarist (The Beach Boys) died Feb 6, 1998
1948 Samuel L. Jackson, actor (Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Pulp Fiction, Shaft, Star Wars series)
1950 Jeffrey Katzenberg, movie producer (The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run, Shrek)
1951 Nick Gilder, singer (Hot Child in the City)
1953 Betty Wright, singer (Clean Up Woman)
1954 Chris Evert, tennis champion
1955 Jane Kaczmarek, actress (Malcolm in the Middle)
1957 Ray Romano, comedian/actor (Everybody Loves Raymond)
1959 Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo), Olympic track star, died Sept. 21, 1998
1965 Andy Dick, comedian/actor (NewsRadio, Reality Bites, The Cable Guy)
1965 Gabrielle Glaser, guitarist/singer (Luscious Jackson)
1966 Kiefer Sutherland, actor (24, Phone Booth, The Three Musketeers, A Few Good Men, Young Guns series, Flatliners)
1966 Karri Turner, actress (JAG, The X Files)
1968 Khrystyne Haje, actress (Head of the Class)
1969 Julie Delpy, actress (The Three Musketeers, Killing Zoe, An American Werewolf in Paris)
1969 Jack Noseworthy, actor (Encino Man, Barb Wire, Idle Hands, U-571)
1971 Brett Scallions, singer/guitarist (Fuel)
1979 ree, board member
Today's Deaths in History
1940 F. Scott Fitzgerald, writer (The Great Gatsby) dies at 44
1945 George S. Patton, U.S. Army general (WWII) dies at 60
1987 John Spence, singer (No Doubt) commits suicide at 18
1992 Albert King, blues guitarist/singer, dies at 69
2001 Dick Schaap, sports journalist, dies at 67
2005 Elrod Hendricks, MLB player/coach (Baltimore Orioles, NY Yankees) dies at 64
Today in History
1620 The Mayflower and its passengers, pilgrims from England, landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.
1849 The first ice-skating club in America was formed in Philadelphia, PA.
1898 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium.
1913 Readers of the New York World Sunday edition were treated to a crossword puzzle as an added feature of the Fun supplement.
1914 Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Mack Swain appeared in Tillie’s Punctured Romance, the first six-reel, feature-length comedy.
1937 Walt Disney presented Snow White, the first full-length, animated feature at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood, CA.
1944 Horse racing was banned in the United States until after World War II.
1958 Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of France's Fifth Republic.
1966 The Beach Boys received a gold record for the single, "Good Vibrations."
1967 The Rolling Stones released their LP, Their Satanic Majesties Request.
1968 Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon.
1970 Elvis Presley met with President Richard M. Nixon in the Oval Office to discuss fighting drugs.
1971 The U.N. Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as secretary-general.
1973 Joseph Danzansky announced that he was unable to meet the financial conditions that would allow the San Diego Padres baseball franchise to move to Washington, D.C.
1978 Police in Des Plaines, Ill., arrested John W. Gacy Jr. and began unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys whom Gacy was later convicted of murdering.
1981 Cincinnati defeated Bradley 75-73 in seven overtimes, the longest collegiate basketball game in the history of NCAA Division I competition.
1983 The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee rescinded the controversial, last-two-minute, free-throw rule, instituted at the beginning of the 1983 season to eliminate excessive fouling at the end of a game.
1985 Bruce Springsteen’s album, Born in the USA, passed Michael Jackson’s Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP in the top 10.
1986 Atlanta Falcons center Jeff Van Note played his 246th and final NFL game as Atlanta downed Detroit, 20-6; at 40, Van Note was the oldest player in pro football at the time.
1987 The passenger ferry Doña Paz sank after colliding with the oil tanker Vector 1 in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, killing 1,565.
1988 Pan Am World Airways Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland killing 259 passengers and crew, plus eleven people who were on the ground at the site of the crash.
1991 The Soviet Union formally ceased to exist and was dissolved into Russia and fourteen other independent countries.
1995 The city of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control.
1996 After two years of denials, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted violating House ethics rules.
1996 Giac and his future wife go on their first date.
2000 Fears about a harsh economic slowdown and continuing weakness in corporate earnings sent U.S. stocks sliding, with the Dow Jones industrials giving up more than 260 points, dropping to 10,318.93.
2004 A suicide bombing at a mess hall tent near Mosul, Iraq, killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. service members and three American contractors.
2006 Four Marines were charged with murder in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, and four Marine officers were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths (charges were later dropped against two of the Marines accused of murder and two of the officers accused of dereliction of duty).
Chart Toppers
1950
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
If You’ve Got the Money Honey I’ve Got the Time - Lefty Frizzell
1958
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
Problems - The Everly Brothers
One Night - Elvis Presley
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
That’s Life - Frank Sinatra
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
Cat’s in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
I Can Help - Billy Swan
1982
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson
Somewhere Between Right and Wrong - Earl Thomas Conley
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
Justify My Love - Madonna
Impulsive - Wilson Phillips
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of US (1911 - 2004)
Today's Birthdays
1804 Benjamin Disraeli, author/statesman, died Apr 19, 1881
1879 Joseph Stalin (Dzhugashvili), Russian dictator, died Mar 5, 1953
1885 Frank Patrick, Hockey Hall of Fame player/coach (Boston Bruins) died June 29, 1960
1892 Walter Hagen, golf champion, died Oct 5, 1969
1918 Kurt Waldheim, President of Austria/U.N. Secretary-General, died Jun 14, 2007
1918 Donald Regan, White House Chief of Staff, died June 10, 2003
1921 Vampira (Maila Nurmi), actress (Plan 9 from Outer Space)
1922 Paul Winchell, comedian/ventriloquist (voice of Tigger in Winnie the Pooh animated films) died June 24, 2005
1926 Joe Paterno, football coach (Penn State)
1935 Phil Donahue, TV talk show host
1937 Jane Fonda, actress (Coming Home, Klute, Barbarella, The China Syndrome, On Golden Pond)
1940 Ray Hildebrand, singer (Paul & Paula)
1940 Frank Zappa, musician/composer (Mothers of Invention) died Dec 4, 1993
1942 Carla Thomas, singer (B-A-B-Y, Knock on Wood)
1946 Josh Mostel, actor (City Slickers series, Wall Street, Murphy’s Law)
1946 Carl Wilson, guitarist (The Beach Boys) died Feb 6, 1998
1948 Samuel L. Jackson, actor (Die Hard: With a Vengeance, Pulp Fiction, Shaft, Star Wars series)
1950 Jeffrey Katzenberg, movie producer (The Prince of Egypt, Chicken Run, Shrek)
1951 Nick Gilder, singer (Hot Child in the City)
1953 Betty Wright, singer (Clean Up Woman)
1954 Chris Evert, tennis champion
1955 Jane Kaczmarek, actress (Malcolm in the Middle)
1957 Ray Romano, comedian/actor (Everybody Loves Raymond)
1959 Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo), Olympic track star, died Sept. 21, 1998
1965 Andy Dick, comedian/actor (NewsRadio, Reality Bites, The Cable Guy)
1965 Gabrielle Glaser, guitarist/singer (Luscious Jackson)
1966 Kiefer Sutherland, actor (24, Phone Booth, The Three Musketeers, A Few Good Men, Young Guns series, Flatliners)
1966 Karri Turner, actress (JAG, The X Files)
1968 Khrystyne Haje, actress (Head of the Class)
1969 Julie Delpy, actress (The Three Musketeers, Killing Zoe, An American Werewolf in Paris)
1969 Jack Noseworthy, actor (Encino Man, Barb Wire, Idle Hands, U-571)
1971 Brett Scallions, singer/guitarist (Fuel)
1979 ree, board member
Today's Deaths in History
1940 F. Scott Fitzgerald, writer (The Great Gatsby) dies at 44
1945 George S. Patton, U.S. Army general (WWII) dies at 60
1987 John Spence, singer (No Doubt) commits suicide at 18
1992 Albert King, blues guitarist/singer, dies at 69
2001 Dick Schaap, sports journalist, dies at 67
2005 Elrod Hendricks, MLB player/coach (Baltimore Orioles, NY Yankees) dies at 64
Today in History
1620 The Mayflower and its passengers, pilgrims from England, landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.
1849 The first ice-skating club in America was formed in Philadelphia, PA.
1898 Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the radioactive element radium.
1913 Readers of the New York World Sunday edition were treated to a crossword puzzle as an added feature of the Fun supplement.
1914 Marie Dressler, Charlie Chaplin, Mabel Normand and Mack Swain appeared in Tillie’s Punctured Romance, the first six-reel, feature-length comedy.
1937 Walt Disney presented Snow White, the first full-length, animated feature at the Carthay Circle Theatre in Hollywood, CA.
1944 Horse racing was banned in the United States until after World War II.
1958 Charles de Gaulle was elected the first president of France's Fifth Republic.
1966 The Beach Boys received a gold record for the single, "Good Vibrations."
1967 The Rolling Stones released their LP, Their Satanic Majesties Request.
1968 Apollo 8 was launched on a mission to orbit the moon.
1970 Elvis Presley met with President Richard M. Nixon in the Oval Office to discuss fighting drugs.
1971 The U.N. Security Council chose Kurt Waldheim to succeed U Thant as secretary-general.
1973 Joseph Danzansky announced that he was unable to meet the financial conditions that would allow the San Diego Padres baseball franchise to move to Washington, D.C.
1978 Police in Des Plaines, Ill., arrested John W. Gacy Jr. and began unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys whom Gacy was later convicted of murdering.
1981 Cincinnati defeated Bradley 75-73 in seven overtimes, the longest collegiate basketball game in the history of NCAA Division I competition.
1983 The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee rescinded the controversial, last-two-minute, free-throw rule, instituted at the beginning of the 1983 season to eliminate excessive fouling at the end of a game.
1985 Bruce Springsteen’s album, Born in the USA, passed Michael Jackson’s Thriller to become the second longest-lasting LP in the top 10.
1986 Atlanta Falcons center Jeff Van Note played his 246th and final NFL game as Atlanta downed Detroit, 20-6; at 40, Van Note was the oldest player in pro football at the time.
1987 The passenger ferry Doña Paz sank after colliding with the oil tanker Vector 1 in the Tablas Strait in the Philippines, killing 1,565.
1988 Pan Am World Airways Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland killing 259 passengers and crew, plus eleven people who were on the ground at the site of the crash.
1991 The Soviet Union formally ceased to exist and was dissolved into Russia and fourteen other independent countries.
1995 The city of Bethlehem passed from Israeli to Palestinian control.
1996 After two years of denials, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admitted violating House ethics rules.
1996 Giac and his future wife go on their first date.
2000 Fears about a harsh economic slowdown and continuing weakness in corporate earnings sent U.S. stocks sliding, with the Dow Jones industrials giving up more than 260 points, dropping to 10,318.93.
2004 A suicide bombing at a mess hall tent near Mosul, Iraq, killed 22 people, including 14 U.S. service members and three American contractors.
2006 Four Marines were charged with murder in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, and four Marine officers were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths (charges were later dropped against two of the Marines accused of murder and two of the officers accused of dereliction of duty).
Chart Toppers
1950
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
If You’ve Got the Money Honey I’ve Got the Time - Lefty Frizzell
1958
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
Problems - The Everly Brothers
One Night - Elvis Presley
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
That’s Life - Frank Sinatra
Somebody Like Me - Eddy Arnold
1974
Cat’s in the Cradle - Harry Chapin
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
I Can Help - Billy Swan
1982
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson
Somewhere Between Right and Wrong - Earl Thomas Conley
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
Justify My Love - Madonna
Impulsive - Wilson Phillips
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of US (1911 - 2004)
Today in History - Dec 22nd
Today's Birthdays
1696 James Oglethorpe, founder (Savannah, Georgia) died June 30, 1785
1858 Giacomo Puccini, composer (La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly) died Nov 29, 1924
1862 Connie (Cornelius Alexander) Mack (McGillicudy), Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (Washington Statesmen) died Feb 8, 1956
1912 Lady Bird (Claudia Alta) Johnson, First Lady, died Jul 11, 2007
1917 Gene Rayburn (Rubessa), comedian/TV host (Match Game) died Nov 29, 1999
1922 Barbara Billingsley, actress (Leave It to Beaver, Airplane)
1934 David Pearson, International Motorsports Hall of Fame NASCAR driver
1936 Hector Elizondo, actor (Chicago Hope, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Pretty Woman, Necessary Roughness, Nothing in Common)
1938 Matty (Mateo Rojas) Alou, MLB center fielder (SF Giants)
1942 Dick Parry, session saxophonist (Pink Floyd)
1944 Steve (Norman) ‘Lefty’ Carlton, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (SL Cardinals, Phildelphia Phillies)
1944 Barry Jenkins, drummer (Animals)
1945 Diane Sawyer, TV journalist (60 Minutes, Prime Time Live, 20/20, Good Morning America)
1946 Rick Nielsen, guitarist/singer (Cheap Trick)
1948 Steve (Steven Patrick) Garvey, MLB 1st baseman (L.A. Dodgers)
1949 Maurice Gibb, bassist/singer/songwriter (Bee Gees) died Jan 12, 2003
1949 Robin Gibb, singer/songwriter (Bee Gees)
1953 BernNadette Stanis, actress (Good Times)
1960 Luther Campbell, rapper (2 Live Crew)
1962 Ralph Fiennes, actor (Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Avengers, The End of the Affair, Quiz Show)
1968 Dina Meyer, actress (Johnny Mnemonic, Dragonheart, Starship Troopers)
1974 Heather Donahue, actress (The Blair Witch Project)
1989 Jordin Sparks, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1880 George Eliot, English writer (Silas Marner) dies at 61
1939 Ma Rainey, blues singer, dies at 53
1943 Beatrix Potter, English writer (Peter Rabbit) dies at 77
1979 Darryl F. Zanuck, film producer, dies at 77
1989 Samuel Beckett, playwright (Waiting for Godot) dies at 83
1995 Butterfly McQueen, actress (Gone with the Wind) dies at 84
1998 Michelle Thomas, actress (Fanily Matters, The Cosby Show) dies at 29
2002 Joe Strummer, guitarist/singer (The Clash) dies at 50
2003 Dave Dudley, country singer (Six Days on the Road) dies at 75
Today in History
1775 A Continental naval fleet was organized in the rebellious American colonies.
1807 Congress passed the Embargo Act, designed to force peace between Britain and France by cutting off all trade with Europe.
1864 During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah."
1894 The United States Golf Association was formed in New York City.
1910 U.S. Postal savings stamps were issued for the first time; they were discontinued in 1914.
1920 WEAF, in New York City, aired the first broadcast of a prize fight from ringside.
1937 The Lincoln Tunnel in New York opened to traffic.
1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for a wartime conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1943 Sporting goods manufacturers received permission to use synthetic rubber for the core of baseballs.
1944 During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Brigadier Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: "Nuts!"
1958 "The Chipmunk Song," the novelty tune featuring Alvin, Simon, and Theodore singing with David Seville, was #1 on the music charts.
1964 Comedian Lenny Bruce was convicted of obscenity.
1972 Folk singer Joni Mitchell received a gold record for the album, For the Roses.
1975 Mike and Gloria Stivic (Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers) had a baby on All in the Family on CBS-TV.
1976 Production ended for Let’s Make A Deal.
1984 New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.
1984 CBS Records announced plans for the release of Mick Jagger’s first solo album, set for February, 1985.
1986 Joe Paterno was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.
1989 Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe's hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising.
1989 Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opened after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
1990 Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president.
1990 Paul Coffey of the Pittsburgh Penguins became the National Hockey League's first defenseman to score 1,000 points.
1991 The body of Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage murdered by his captors, was found dumped along a highway in Lebanon.
1996 Kordell Stewart of the Pittsburgh Steelers ran 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of an 18-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers, setting an NFL record for the longest scoring run by a quarterback.
1998 The American Basketball League (ABL) suspended operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
1999 Two astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle Discovery started three days of spacewalks to repair the crippled Hubble Space Telescope so it could focus correctly on stars, galaxies and other celestial objects.
2000 Pop singer Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie in Scotland.
2001 Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.
2005 New York transit workers ended their three-day strike without a new contract.
2005 Astronomers announced the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus.
Chart Toppers
1951
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Heartaches by the Number - Guy Mitchell
Why - Frankie Avalon
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
Boogaloo Down Broadway - The Fantastic Johnny C
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
That’s the Way (I Like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Black Sheep - John Anderson
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
My Next Broken Heart - Brooks & Dunn
Quote of the Day
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.
Flannery O'Connor, author (1925 - 1964)
Today's Birthdays
1696 James Oglethorpe, founder (Savannah, Georgia) died June 30, 1785
1858 Giacomo Puccini, composer (La Boheme, Tosca, Madame Butterfly) died Nov 29, 1924
1862 Connie (Cornelius Alexander) Mack (McGillicudy), Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (Washington Statesmen) died Feb 8, 1956
1912 Lady Bird (Claudia Alta) Johnson, First Lady, died Jul 11, 2007
1917 Gene Rayburn (Rubessa), comedian/TV host (Match Game) died Nov 29, 1999
1922 Barbara Billingsley, actress (Leave It to Beaver, Airplane)
1934 David Pearson, International Motorsports Hall of Fame NASCAR driver
1936 Hector Elizondo, actor (Chicago Hope, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Pretty Woman, Necessary Roughness, Nothing in Common)
1938 Matty (Mateo Rojas) Alou, MLB center fielder (SF Giants)
1942 Dick Parry, session saxophonist (Pink Floyd)
1944 Steve (Norman) ‘Lefty’ Carlton, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (SL Cardinals, Phildelphia Phillies)
1944 Barry Jenkins, drummer (Animals)
1945 Diane Sawyer, TV journalist (60 Minutes, Prime Time Live, 20/20, Good Morning America)
1946 Rick Nielsen, guitarist/singer (Cheap Trick)
1948 Steve (Steven Patrick) Garvey, MLB 1st baseman (L.A. Dodgers)
1949 Maurice Gibb, bassist/singer/songwriter (Bee Gees) died Jan 12, 2003
1949 Robin Gibb, singer/songwriter (Bee Gees)
1953 BernNadette Stanis, actress (Good Times)
1960 Luther Campbell, rapper (2 Live Crew)
1962 Ralph Fiennes, actor (Schindler’s List, The English Patient, The Avengers, The End of the Affair, Quiz Show)
1968 Dina Meyer, actress (Johnny Mnemonic, Dragonheart, Starship Troopers)
1974 Heather Donahue, actress (The Blair Witch Project)
1989 Jordin Sparks, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1880 George Eliot, English writer (Silas Marner) dies at 61
1939 Ma Rainey, blues singer, dies at 53
1943 Beatrix Potter, English writer (Peter Rabbit) dies at 77
1979 Darryl F. Zanuck, film producer, dies at 77
1989 Samuel Beckett, playwright (Waiting for Godot) dies at 83
1995 Butterfly McQueen, actress (Gone with the Wind) dies at 84
1998 Michelle Thomas, actress (Fanily Matters, The Cosby Show) dies at 29
2002 Joe Strummer, guitarist/singer (The Clash) dies at 50
2003 Dave Dudley, country singer (Six Days on the Road) dies at 75
Today in History
1775 A Continental naval fleet was organized in the rebellious American colonies.
1807 Congress passed the Embargo Act, designed to force peace between Britain and France by cutting off all trade with Europe.
1864 During the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman sent a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying, "I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah."
1894 The United States Golf Association was formed in New York City.
1910 U.S. Postal savings stamps were issued for the first time; they were discontinued in 1914.
1920 WEAF, in New York City, aired the first broadcast of a prize fight from ringside.
1937 The Lincoln Tunnel in New York opened to traffic.
1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill arrived in Washington for a wartime conference with President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1943 Sporting goods manufacturers received permission to use synthetic rubber for the core of baseballs.
1944 During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany demanded the surrender of American troops at Bastogne, Belgium; Brigadier Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe reportedly replied: "Nuts!"
1958 "The Chipmunk Song," the novelty tune featuring Alvin, Simon, and Theodore singing with David Seville, was #1 on the music charts.
1964 Comedian Lenny Bruce was convicted of obscenity.
1972 Folk singer Joni Mitchell received a gold record for the album, For the Roses.
1975 Mike and Gloria Stivic (Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers) had a baby on All in the Family on CBS-TV.
1976 Production ended for Let’s Make A Deal.
1984 New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shot four black youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about to rob him.
1984 CBS Records announced plans for the release of Mick Jagger’s first solo album, set for February, 1985.
1986 Joe Paterno was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.
1989 Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu, the last of Eastern Europe's hard-line Communist rulers, was toppled from power in a popular uprising.
1989 Berlin's Brandenburg Gate re-opened after nearly 30 years, effectively ending the division of East and West Germany.
1990 Lech Walesa took the oath of office as Poland's first popularly elected president.
1990 Paul Coffey of the Pittsburgh Penguins became the National Hockey League's first defenseman to score 1,000 points.
1991 The body of Lt. Col. William R. Higgins, an American hostage murdered by his captors, was found dumped along a highway in Lebanon.
1996 Kordell Stewart of the Pittsburgh Steelers ran 80 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter of an 18-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers, setting an NFL record for the longest scoring run by a quarterback.
1998 The American Basketball League (ABL) suspended operations and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
1999 Two astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle Discovery started three days of spacewalks to repair the crippled Hubble Space Telescope so it could focus correctly on stars, galaxies and other celestial objects.
2000 Pop singer Madonna married film director Guy Ritchie in Scotland.
2001 Richard C. Reid, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.
2005 New York transit workers ended their three-day strike without a new contract.
2005 Astronomers announced the discovery of two more rings encircling the planet Uranus.
Chart Toppers
1951
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Heartaches by the Number - Guy Mitchell
Why - Frankie Avalon
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1967
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
Boogaloo Down Broadway - The Fantastic Johnny C
It’s the Little Things - Sonny James
1975
That’s the Way (I Like It) - KC & The Sunshine Band
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Black Sheep - John Anderson
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
My Next Broken Heart - Brooks & Dunn
Quote of the Day
Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them. There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented by a good teacher.
Flannery O'Connor, author (1925 - 1964)
Today in History - Dec 23rd
Today's Birthdays
1805 Joseph Smith, Mormon leader, murdered June 27, 1844
1907 Don McNeill, radio host (The Breakfast Club) died May 7, 1996
1921 Gerald O’Loughlin, actor (The Rookies, Our House, Ensign Pulver)
1924 Dan Devine, football coach (Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame) died May 9, 2002
1925 Harry Guardino, actor (Hell is for Heroes, Dirty Harry, The Enforcer) died July 17, 1995
1929 Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, died May 13, 1988
1933 Akihito, Emperor of Japan
1935 Paul Hornung, NFL running back (Green Bay Packers)
1936 Frederic Forrest, actor (Apocalypse Now, Falling Down)
1939 Johnny Kidd (Frederick Heath), singer/songwriter (A Shot of Rhythm and Blues) killed in car crash Oct 7, 1966
1940 Jorma Kaukonen, guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
1940 Eugene Record, singer (Chi-Lites) died Jul 22, 2005
1941 Ron Bushy, drummer (Iron Butterfly)
1943 Elizabeth Hartman, actress (Secret of NIMH, Walking Tall, A Patch of Blue) died June 10, 1987
1943 Harry Shearer, actor (This is Spinal Tap, Saturday Night Live, Wayne's World II, The Simpsons)
1946 Susan Lucci, actress (All My Children)
1949 Adrian Belew, musician/producer
1951 Anthony Phillips, guitarist (Genesis)
1951 Johnny Contardo, singer (Sha-Na-Na)
1956 Dave Murray, guitarist (Iron Maiden)
1958 Joan Severance, actress (See No Evil Hear No Evil, Wiseguy)
1963 Jim Harbaugh, NFL quarterback (Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts)
1964 Eddie Vedder (Mueller), songwriter/singer (Pearl Jam)
1971 Corey Haim, actor (Dream a Little Dream, The Lost Boys, Lucas, Silver Bullet, License to Drive)
1977 Alge Crumpler, NFL tight end (Atlanta Falcons)
1978 Estella Warren, actress (Driven, Planet of the Apes, Kangaroo Jack, The Cooler)
1979 Summer Altice, playmate/actress (August 2000, The Scorpion King)
1979 Scott Gomez, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1985 Harry Judd, drummer (McFly)
Today's Deaths in History
1652 John Cotton, founder (oston, Massachusetts) dies at 67
1939 Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer, dies at 49
1948 Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, is hanged at 63
1972 Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer, dies at 84
1973 Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder, dies at 80
1982 Jack Webb, actor/poducer/director (Dragnet, The DI) dies at 62
1992 Eddie Hazel, guitarist (Funkadelic) dies at 42
2000 Billy Barty, actor (Legend, UHF) dies at 76
2000 Victor Borge, comedian/ianist, dies at 91
2006 Marilyn Waltz, actress/model/playmate (February 1954, April 1954, April 1955) dies at 75
Today in History
1783 George Washington returned to Mount Vernon, after the disbanding of his army following the Revolutionary War.
1788 Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat of the national government; about two-thirds of the area became the District of Columbia.
1823 The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement C. Moore, was published anonymously under the newspaper editor’s title, Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas in the Troy, NY Record.
1834 Joseph Aloysius Hansom patented his Patent Safety Cab.
1888 Vincent van Gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear, took it to a brothel and gave it to a prostitute named Rachel.
1913 The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.
1919 The USS Relief, the first ship designed to be used as an ambulance for the transport of sick and wounded patients, was launched.
1941 American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1942 Bob Hope agreed to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska, the first of his many famous Christmas shows for American armed forces around the world.
1943 The first complete opera to be televised was aired on WRGB in Schenectady, NY.
1947 John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley invented the transistor.
1948 Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.
1954 The classic movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was released.
1954 The first human kidney transplant was performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
1968 Eighty-two crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.
1969 B.J. Thomas received a gold record for the single "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head," from the motion picture Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
1972 The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second touchdown catch by Franco Harris that was dubbed the "immaculate reception."
1972 The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster were rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
1982 Chaminade's basketball team defeated previously unbeaten Virginia at home in Honolulu, 77-72.
1982 The EPA announced it had identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager became the first airplane pilots to make a non-stop trip around the world without refueling.
1991 Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons.
1995 A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school.
1997 Carlos the Jackal, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was convicted in France of the murder of two French agents and a Lebanese informant in June of 1975.
1997 A jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
2003 The government announced the first suspected case of mad cow disease in United States.
2003 A jury in Chesapeake, Va., sentenced teen sniper Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison, sparing him the death penalty.
2003 New York Gov. George Pataki pardoned the late comedian Lenny Bruce for his 1964 obscenity conviction.
2004 Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland pleaded guilty to a corruption charge.
Chart Toppers
1944
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I’m Waistin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1952
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaemphert
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous - Johnny Duncan
1984
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Cool It Now - New Edition
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it.
Dick Cavett, comedian & television host (1936 - )
Today's Birthdays
1805 Joseph Smith, Mormon leader, murdered June 27, 1844
1907 Don McNeill, radio host (The Breakfast Club) died May 7, 1996
1921 Gerald O’Loughlin, actor (The Rookies, Our House, Ensign Pulver)
1924 Dan Devine, football coach (Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame) died May 9, 2002
1925 Harry Guardino, actor (Hell is for Heroes, Dirty Harry, The Enforcer) died July 17, 1995
1929 Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, died May 13, 1988
1933 Akihito, Emperor of Japan
1935 Paul Hornung, NFL running back (Green Bay Packers)
1936 Frederic Forrest, actor (Apocalypse Now, Falling Down)
1939 Johnny Kidd (Frederick Heath), singer/songwriter (A Shot of Rhythm and Blues) killed in car crash Oct 7, 1966
1940 Jorma Kaukonen, guitarist (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
1940 Eugene Record, singer (Chi-Lites) died Jul 22, 2005
1941 Ron Bushy, drummer (Iron Butterfly)
1943 Elizabeth Hartman, actress (Secret of NIMH, Walking Tall, A Patch of Blue) died June 10, 1987
1943 Harry Shearer, actor (This is Spinal Tap, Saturday Night Live, Wayne's World II, The Simpsons)
1946 Susan Lucci, actress (All My Children)
1949 Adrian Belew, musician/producer
1951 Anthony Phillips, guitarist (Genesis)
1951 Johnny Contardo, singer (Sha-Na-Na)
1956 Dave Murray, guitarist (Iron Maiden)
1958 Joan Severance, actress (See No Evil Hear No Evil, Wiseguy)
1963 Jim Harbaugh, NFL quarterback (Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts)
1964 Eddie Vedder (Mueller), songwriter/singer (Pearl Jam)
1971 Corey Haim, actor (Dream a Little Dream, The Lost Boys, Lucas, Silver Bullet, License to Drive)
1977 Alge Crumpler, NFL tight end (Atlanta Falcons)
1978 Estella Warren, actress (Driven, Planet of the Apes, Kangaroo Jack, The Cooler)
1979 Summer Altice, playmate/actress (August 2000, The Scorpion King)
1979 Scott Gomez, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1985 Harry Judd, drummer (McFly)
Today's Deaths in History
1652 John Cotton, founder (oston, Massachusetts) dies at 67
1939 Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer, dies at 49
1948 Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, is hanged at 63
1972 Andrei Tupolev, Soviet aircraft designer, dies at 84
1973 Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder, dies at 80
1982 Jack Webb, actor/poducer/director (Dragnet, The DI) dies at 62
1992 Eddie Hazel, guitarist (Funkadelic) dies at 42
2000 Billy Barty, actor (Legend, UHF) dies at 76
2000 Victor Borge, comedian/ianist, dies at 91
2006 Marilyn Waltz, actress/model/playmate (February 1954, April 1954, April 1955) dies at 75
Today in History
1783 George Washington returned to Mount Vernon, after the disbanding of his army following the Revolutionary War.
1788 Maryland voted to cede a 100-square-mile area for the seat of the national government; about two-thirds of the area became the District of Columbia.
1823 The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement C. Moore, was published anonymously under the newspaper editor’s title, Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas in the Troy, NY Record.
1834 Joseph Aloysius Hansom patented his Patent Safety Cab.
1888 Vincent van Gogh cut off the lower part of his left ear, took it to a brothel and gave it to a prostitute named Rachel.
1913 The Federal Reserve Act was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.
1919 The USS Relief, the first ship designed to be used as an ambulance for the transport of sick and wounded patients, was launched.
1941 American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1942 Bob Hope agreed to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska, the first of his many famous Christmas shows for American armed forces around the world.
1943 The first complete opera to be televised was aired on WRGB in Schenectady, NY.
1947 John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley invented the transistor.
1948 Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and six other Japanese war leaders were executed in Tokyo.
1954 The classic movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was released.
1954 The first human kidney transplant was performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
1968 Eighty-two crew members of the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo were released by North Korea, 11 months after they had been captured.
1969 B.J. Thomas received a gold record for the single "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head," from the motion picture Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
1972 The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 13-7 in an NFL playoff game on a last-second touchdown catch by Franco Harris that was dubbed the "immaculate reception."
1972 The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster were rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.
1982 Chaminade's basketball team defeated previously unbeaten Virginia at home in Honolulu, 77-72.
1982 The EPA announced it had identified dangerous levels of dioxin in the soil of Times Beach, Missouri.
1986 Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager became the first airplane pilots to make a non-stop trip around the world without refueling.
1991 Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll retired after 23 seasons.
1995 A fire in Dabwali, India, killed 540 people, including 170 children, during a year-end party being held near the children's school.
1997 Carlos the Jackal, aka Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, was convicted in France of the murder of two French agents and a Lebanese informant in June of 1975.
1997 A jury in Denver convicted Terry Nichols of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing.
2003 The government announced the first suspected case of mad cow disease in United States.
2003 A jury in Chesapeake, Va., sentenced teen sniper Lee Boyd Malvo to life in prison, sparing him the death penalty.
2003 New York Gov. George Pataki pardoned the late comedian Lenny Bruce for his 1964 obscenity conviction.
2004 Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland pleaded guilty to a corruption charge.
Chart Toppers
1944
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I’m Waistin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1952
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jimmy Boyd
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Gene Autry
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaemphert
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
The Rubberband Man - Spinners
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous - Johnny Duncan
1984
Like a Virgin - Madonna
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Cool It Now - New Edition
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it.
Dick Cavett, comedian & television host (1936 - )
Today in History - Dec 24th - Christmas Eve
Today's Birthdays
1745 Benjamin Rush, father of psychiatry/signer of the Declaration of Independence, died Apr 19, 1813
1809 Kit (Christopher) Carson, frontiersman, died May 23, 1868
1818 James Joule, physicist, died Oct 11, 1889
1905 Howard Hughes, industrialist/pilot/producer, died Apr 5, 1976
1922 Ava (Lavinia) Gardner, actress (The Barefoot Contessa, Earthquake) died Jan 25, 1990
1929 Mary Higgins Clark, author (Where Are The Children)
1930 Robert Joffrey (Khan), choreographer (The Joffrey Ballet) died Mar 25, 1988
1945 (Ian) Lemmy Kilmister, bassist/singer (Motorhead)
1955 Clarence Gilyard Jr., actor (Walker Texas Ranger, CHiPs, Top Gun, The Karate Kid Part II, Die Hard)
1957 Ian Burden, bassist (Human League)
1963 Mary Ramsey, singer (10,000 Maniacs)
1966 Diedrich Bader, actor (Drew Caerry Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)
1968 Doyle Bramhall II, guitarist (The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Arc Angels)
1971 Ricky Martin, singer (Livin' La Vida Loca)
1974 Ryan Seacrest, dj/TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1863 William Makepeace Thackeray, British writer (Vanity Fair) dies at 52
1873 Johns Hopkins, philanthropist/businessman, dies at 78
1992 Peyo, comics artist/creator (The Smurfs) dies at 64
1992 Bobby LaKind, drummer/singer (The Doobie Brothers) dies at 47
1993 Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author (The Power of Positive Thinking) dies at 95
1997 Toshirô Mifune, Japanese actor (Rashomon, Seven Samurai) dies at 77
2000 Nick Massi, singer (The Four Seasons) dies at 65
2002 Laci Peterson, murder victim, is killed by her husband at 27
Today in History
1814 The War of 1812 officially ended as the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
1818 Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr.
1851 Fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes.
1865 Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tenn., called the Ku Klux Klan.
1867 R.H. Macy’s department store in New York City remained open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers; the store took in a record $6,000.
1871 Opera-goers in Cairo, Egypt were treated to Verdi’s Aida in its world premiere.
1889 Daniel Stover and William Hance, of Freeport, Illinois, patented the bicycle back pedal brake.
1906 Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to broadcast a music program over radio, from Brant Rock, Mass.
1924 Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne said he opposed elimination of the forward pass since it has helped “to curb the brutality of football.”
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces.
1948 For the first time ever, a midnight Mass was broadcast on television, from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
1948 The first completely solar-heated house was occupied in Dover, MA.
1951 NBC-TV presented Amal and the Night Visitors, the first opera written for television.
1953 Dragnet, starring Jack Webb as Detective Joe Friday, became the first network program to be sponsored, by Fatima cigarettes.
1955 The lovely Lennon Sisters debuted as featured vocalists on The Lawrence Welk Show on ABC-TV.
1968 Astronauts James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman reached the moon aboard Apollo 8; theyr ead passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a TV broadcast.
1976 Takeo Fukuda became prime minister of Japan.
1981 Reggie Jackson announced that he would join Gene Autry’s California Angels for the 1982 season.
1989 Ousted Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega, who had succeeded in eluding U.S. forces, took refuge at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.
1992 President George H.W. Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others in the Iran-Contra scandal.
1997 Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the aging revolutionary known as Carlos the Jackal, was sentenced by a French court to life in prison for the 1975 murders of two French investigators and a Lebanese national.
2002 Laci Peterson was reported missing from her Modesto, Calif., home, by her husband, Scott, who was later convicted of murdering her and their unborn son.
2004 The international Cassini spacecraft launched a probe on a three-week free-fall toward Saturn's mysterious moon Titan.
Chart Toppers
1945
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1953
Ebb Tide - The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
Let Me Be the One - Hank Locklin
1961
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
Run to Him - Bobby Vee
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1969
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1977
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - L.T.D.
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds
The Chair - George Strait
Quote of the Day
There are two kinds of light: the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.
James Thurber, author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 - 1961)
Today's Birthdays
1745 Benjamin Rush, father of psychiatry/signer of the Declaration of Independence, died Apr 19, 1813
1809 Kit (Christopher) Carson, frontiersman, died May 23, 1868
1818 James Joule, physicist, died Oct 11, 1889
1905 Howard Hughes, industrialist/pilot/producer, died Apr 5, 1976
1922 Ava (Lavinia) Gardner, actress (The Barefoot Contessa, Earthquake) died Jan 25, 1990
1929 Mary Higgins Clark, author (Where Are The Children)
1930 Robert Joffrey (Khan), choreographer (The Joffrey Ballet) died Mar 25, 1988
1945 (Ian) Lemmy Kilmister, bassist/singer (Motorhead)
1955 Clarence Gilyard Jr., actor (Walker Texas Ranger, CHiPs, Top Gun, The Karate Kid Part II, Die Hard)
1957 Ian Burden, bassist (Human League)
1963 Mary Ramsey, singer (10,000 Maniacs)
1966 Diedrich Bader, actor (Drew Caerry Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)
1968 Doyle Bramhall II, guitarist (The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Arc Angels)
1971 Ricky Martin, singer (Livin' La Vida Loca)
1974 Ryan Seacrest, dj/TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1863 William Makepeace Thackeray, British writer (Vanity Fair) dies at 52
1873 Johns Hopkins, philanthropist/businessman, dies at 78
1992 Peyo, comics artist/creator (The Smurfs) dies at 64
1992 Bobby LaKind, drummer/singer (The Doobie Brothers) dies at 47
1993 Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, author (The Power of Positive Thinking) dies at 95
1997 Toshirô Mifune, Japanese actor (Rashomon, Seven Samurai) dies at 77
2000 Nick Massi, singer (The Four Seasons) dies at 65
2002 Laci Peterson, murder victim, is killed by her husband at 27
Today in History
1814 The War of 1812 officially ended as the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
1818 Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr.
1851 Fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes.
1865 Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tenn., called the Ku Klux Klan.
1867 R.H. Macy’s department store in New York City remained open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers; the store took in a record $6,000.
1871 Opera-goers in Cairo, Egypt were treated to Verdi’s Aida in its world premiere.
1889 Daniel Stover and William Hance, of Freeport, Illinois, patented the bicycle back pedal brake.
1906 Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to broadcast a music program over radio, from Brant Rock, Mass.
1924 Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne said he opposed elimination of the forward pass since it has helped “to curb the brutality of football.”
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces.
1948 For the first time ever, a midnight Mass was broadcast on television, from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
1948 The first completely solar-heated house was occupied in Dover, MA.
1951 NBC-TV presented Amal and the Night Visitors, the first opera written for television.
1953 Dragnet, starring Jack Webb as Detective Joe Friday, became the first network program to be sponsored, by Fatima cigarettes.
1955 The lovely Lennon Sisters debuted as featured vocalists on The Lawrence Welk Show on ABC-TV.
1968 Astronauts James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman reached the moon aboard Apollo 8; theyr ead passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a TV broadcast.
1976 Takeo Fukuda became prime minister of Japan.
1981 Reggie Jackson announced that he would join Gene Autry’s California Angels for the 1982 season.
1989 Ousted Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega, who had succeeded in eluding U.S. forces, took refuge at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.
1992 President George H.W. Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others in the Iran-Contra scandal.
1997 Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the aging revolutionary known as Carlos the Jackal, was sentenced by a French court to life in prison for the 1975 murders of two French investigators and a Lebanese national.
2002 Laci Peterson was reported missing from her Modesto, Calif., home, by her husband, Scott, who was later convicted of murdering her and their unborn son.
2004 The international Cassini spacecraft launched a probe on a three-week free-fall toward Saturn's mysterious moon Titan.
Chart Toppers
1945
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
It’s Been a Long, Long Time - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1953
Ebb Tide - The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ricochet - Teresa Brewer
Let Me Be the One - Hank Locklin
1961
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
Run to Him - Bobby Vee
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1969
Leaving on a Jet Plane - Peter, Paul & Mary
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Down on the Corner/Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1977
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - L.T.D.
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1985
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds
The Chair - George Strait
Quote of the Day
There are two kinds of light: the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.
James Thurber, author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 - 1961)
Today in History - December 25th - Christmas Day
Today's Birthdays
1642 Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician/author (Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica) died Mar 20, 1727
1821 Clara Barton, founder (American Red Cross) died Apr 12, 1912
1887 Conrad Hilton, hotel magnate, died Jan 3, 1979
1889 Lila Bell Wallace, magazine publisher (Reader's Digest) died May 8, 1984
1899 Humphrey Bogart, actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) died Jan 14, 1957
1907 Cab Calloway (Cabell Calloway III), bandleader/singer/actor (Minnie the Moocher) died Nov 18, 1994
1918 Anwar el-Sadat, Egyptian president, assassinated Oct 6, 1981
1924 Rod (Edwin Rodman) Serling, TV host/scriptwriter (The Twilight Zone, Planet of the Apes) died June 28, 1975
1937 O’Kelly Isley, singer (The Isley Brothers) died Mar 31, 1986
1944 Henry Vestine, guitarist (Canned Heat) died Oct 20, 1997
1945 Noel Redding, bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) died May 13, 2003
1945 Gary Sandy, actor (WKRP in Cincinnati)
1945 Ken 'The Snake' Stabler, NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders)
1946 Jimmy Buffett, songwriter/singer/author (Margaritaville, Come Monday, Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes)
1946 Larry Csonka, Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1948 Barbara Mandrell, country singer
1949 Sissy (Mary) Spacek, actress (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Missing, The River, Carrie)
1950 Karl Rove, former White House aide
1952 CCH Pounder, actress (The Shield, Law & Order, Bagdad Café)
1954 Robin Campbell, guitarist/singer (UB40)
1954 Annie Lennox, singer (Eurythmics)
1957 Shane MacGowan, guitarist/singer (The Pogues)
1958 Alannah Myles, singer (Black Velvet)
1962 Darren Wharton, keyboardist (Thin Lizzy)
1971 Noel Hogan, guitarist/songwriter (The Cranberries)
1971 Dido, singer (Thank You, White Flag)
1972 Josh Freese, drummer (A Perfect Circle)
1981 Katie Wright, actress (The Wonder Years, Baywatch, Melrose Place)
Today's Deaths in History
1868 Linus Yale, Jr., mechanical engineer/inventor (cylinder locks) dies at 47
1938 Karel Čapek, Czech author (coined word "robot") dies at 48
1946 W.C. Fields, comedian/actor, dies at 66
1954 Johnny Ace, singer (My Song) dies at 25
1977 Charlie Chaplin, actor/director, dies at 88
1979 Joan Blondell, actress (The Public Enemy) dies at 73
1989 Billy Martin, former NY Yankee manager, dies at 61 in a car crash
1995 Dean Martin, singer/actor/comedian, dies at 78
1997 Denver Pyle, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) dies at 77
2006 James Brown, soul singer, dies at 73
Today in History
1066 William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled one of the first Nativity scenes, in Greccio, Italy.
1776 Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, N.J.
1818 "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
1868 President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to everyone involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War.
1896 John Philip Sousa wrote the melody to "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
1926 Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.
1930 The Mt. Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake Placid, NY opened to the public, the first bobsled track of international specifications to open in the United States.
1931 Hansel and Gretel became the first opera broadcast on radio, as NBC presnted the production staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1939 The Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol was read by Lionel Barrymore on The Campbell Playhouse on CBS radio.
1949 Comic strip hero Dick Tracy married Tess Trueheart.
1964 Goldfinger opened in Hollywood, three days after its premiere in New York City.
1971 The longest pro football game to date finally ended when Garo Yepremian kicked a field goal in the second quarter of a sudden death overtime to give the Miami’s Dolphins a 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
1989 Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed.
1991 Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation as President of the USSR.
2002 Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempted an extra point for New Mexico against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Chart Toppers
1946
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas &
The Campus Kids)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension
Coal Miner’s Daughter - Loretta Lynn
1978
Le Freak - Chic
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1986
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Notorious - Duran Duran
Too Much is Not Enough - Bellamy Brothers
Quote of the Day
Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know.
Cullen Hightower
Today's Birthdays
1642 Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician/author (Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica) died Mar 20, 1727
1821 Clara Barton, founder (American Red Cross) died Apr 12, 1912
1887 Conrad Hilton, hotel magnate, died Jan 3, 1979
1889 Lila Bell Wallace, magazine publisher (Reader's Digest) died May 8, 1984
1899 Humphrey Bogart, actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) died Jan 14, 1957
1907 Cab Calloway (Cabell Calloway III), bandleader/singer/actor (Minnie the Moocher) died Nov 18, 1994
1918 Anwar el-Sadat, Egyptian president, assassinated Oct 6, 1981
1924 Rod (Edwin Rodman) Serling, TV host/scriptwriter (The Twilight Zone, Planet of the Apes) died June 28, 1975
1937 O’Kelly Isley, singer (The Isley Brothers) died Mar 31, 1986
1944 Henry Vestine, guitarist (Canned Heat) died Oct 20, 1997
1945 Noel Redding, bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) died May 13, 2003
1945 Gary Sandy, actor (WKRP in Cincinnati)
1945 Ken 'The Snake' Stabler, NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders)
1946 Jimmy Buffett, songwriter/singer/author (Margaritaville, Come Monday, Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes)
1946 Larry Csonka, Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1948 Barbara Mandrell, country singer
1949 Sissy (Mary) Spacek, actress (Coal Miner’s Daughter, Missing, The River, Carrie)
1950 Karl Rove, former White House aide
1952 CCH Pounder, actress (The Shield, Law & Order, Bagdad Café)
1954 Robin Campbell, guitarist/singer (UB40)
1954 Annie Lennox, singer (Eurythmics)
1957 Shane MacGowan, guitarist/singer (The Pogues)
1958 Alannah Myles, singer (Black Velvet)
1962 Darren Wharton, keyboardist (Thin Lizzy)
1971 Noel Hogan, guitarist/songwriter (The Cranberries)
1971 Dido, singer (Thank You, White Flag)
1972 Josh Freese, drummer (A Perfect Circle)
1981 Katie Wright, actress (The Wonder Years, Baywatch, Melrose Place)
Today's Deaths in History
1868 Linus Yale, Jr., mechanical engineer/inventor (cylinder locks) dies at 47
1938 Karel Čapek, Czech author (coined word "robot") dies at 48
1946 W.C. Fields, comedian/actor, dies at 66
1954 Johnny Ace, singer (My Song) dies at 25
1977 Charlie Chaplin, actor/director, dies at 88
1979 Joan Blondell, actress (The Public Enemy) dies at 73
1989 Billy Martin, former NY Yankee manager, dies at 61 in a car crash
1995 Dean Martin, singer/actor/comedian, dies at 78
1997 Denver Pyle, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) dies at 77
2006 James Brown, soul singer, dies at 73
Today in History
1066 William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled one of the first Nativity scenes, in Greccio, Italy.
1776 Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, N.J.
1818 "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
1868 President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to everyone involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War.
1896 John Philip Sousa wrote the melody to "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
1926 Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.
1930 The Mt. Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake Placid, NY opened to the public, the first bobsled track of international specifications to open in the United States.
1931 Hansel and Gretel became the first opera broadcast on radio, as NBC presnted the production staged at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1939 The Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol was read by Lionel Barrymore on The Campbell Playhouse on CBS radio.
1949 Comic strip hero Dick Tracy married Tess Trueheart.
1964 Goldfinger opened in Hollywood, three days after its premiere in New York City.
1971 The longest pro football game to date finally ended when Garo Yepremian kicked a field goal in the second quarter of a sudden death overtime to give the Miami’s Dolphins a 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
1989 Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed.
1991 Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation as President of the USSR.
2002 Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempted an extra point for New Mexico against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Chart Toppers
1946
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas &
The Campus Kids)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1954
White Christmas - Bing Crosby
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Count Your Blessings - Eddie Fisher
More and More - Webb Pierce
1962
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Limbo Rock - Chubby Checker
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1970
The Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension
Coal Miner’s Daughter - Loretta Lynn
1978
Le Freak - Chic
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1986
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Notorious - Duran Duran
Too Much is Not Enough - Bellamy Brothers
Quote of the Day
Saying what we think gives us a wider conversational range than saying what we know.
Cullen Hightower
Today in History - Dec 26th
Today's Birthdays
1716 Thomas Gray, poet (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard) died July 30, 1771
1837 George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy, died Jan 16, 1917
1891 Henry Miller, writer (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn) died June 7, 1980
1893 Mao Tse-Tung (Zedong), communist-revolutionist (People’s Republic of China) died Sep 9, 1976
1903 Elisha Cook Jr., actor (The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep) died May 18, 1995
1914 Richard Widmark, actor (Murder on the Orient Express, The Halls of Montezuma, How the West was Won, The Alamo)
1921 Steve Allen, comedian/author/musician/composer/TV host, died Oct 30, 2000
1927 Alan King (Irwin Kniberg), comedian/producer/actor (Casino) died May 9, 2004
1930 Donald Moffat, actor (Clear and Present Danger, The Bourne Identity, The Best of Times, The Right Stuff)
1935 Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, singer (The Four Tops)
1939 Phil Spector, record mogul
1945 John Walsh, TV host (America’s Most Wanted)
1947 Carlton (Ernest) ‘Pudge’ Fisk, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Boston Red Sox)
1947 James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1953 Henning Schmitz, German musician (Kraftwerk)
1954 Ozzie (Osborne Earl) Smith, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (SD Padres, St Louis Cardinals)
1961 Tahnee Welch, actress (Falcon Crest, Cocoon series, I Shot Andy Warhol)
1962 James Kottak, drummer (The Scorpions)
1963 Lars Ulrich, drummer (Metallica)
1965 Nadia Dajani, actress (Ned & Stacey)
1969 Peter Klett, guitarist (Candlebox)
1971 Jared Leto, actor/singer (Panic Room; 30 Seconds to Mars)
1979 Chris Daughtry, singer/TV personality (Daughtry; American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1909 Frederic Remington, western artist, dies at 48
1931 Melvil Dewey, inventor (Dewey Decimal System) dies at 80
1972 Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States, dies at 88
1974 Jack Benny, comedian, dies at 80
1977 Howard Hawks, film director/writer (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Big Sleep) dies at 81
1985 Dian Fossey, gorilla specialist, dies at 53
1986 Elsa Lanchester, British-born actress (Bride of Frankenstein) dies at 84
1989 Doug Harvey, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) dies at 65
1999 Curtis Mayfield, soul singer/songwriter (Superfly) dies at 57
2000 Jason Robards, actor (All the President's Men, Philadelphia, The Paper) dies at age 78
2002 Herb Ritts, glamour photographer, dies at 50
2002 Amand Zildjian, cymbal manufacturer, dies at 81
2003 Alan Bates, British actor (Spartacus) dies at 69
2004 Reggie White, NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers) dies at 43
2005 Vincent Schiavelli, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) dies 57
2006 Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, dies at 93
Today in History
1776 The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.
1799 George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
1811 A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia killed Virginia Governor George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia, Abraham B. Venable.
1865 James H. Mason of Franklin, MA patented the coffee percolator.
1902 In a boxing match between Oscar ‘Battling’ Nelson and Christy Williams, Williams was knocked down a record 42 times.
1908 Jack Johhnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion when he knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.
1917 The U.S. government took over operation of the nation's railroads.
1919 Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees by the Boston Red Sox.
1931 George Gershwin’s musical, Of Thee I Sing, opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York City; it became the first musical to win the PUlitzaer Prize.
1933 The Nissan Motor Company was organized in Tokyo, Japan.
1939 W.C. Handy of Memphis, TN recorded the classic "t. Louis Blues."
1941 Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
1944 Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie premiered at the Civic Theatre in Chicago.
1947 A monster snowstorm hit New York City, dumping up to 26 inches of snow, the worst snowstorm in the city’s history.
1950 The Gillette Safety Razor Company signed agreements for the rights for the next six years to baseball’s World Series and All-Star games.
1954 One of radio’s most popular programs, Shadow, ended a 24-year run.
1963 Capitol Records releasedits first single by the Beatles, " Want to Hold Your Hand," backed with "I Saw Her Standing There."
1967 The Dave Brubeck Quartet formally disbanded after sax man Paul Desmond left the group.
1981 AC/DC’s album For Those About to Rock We Salute You hit #1 in the U.S.
1982 Time magazine's Man of the Year was a non-human for the first time: the personal computer.
1984 House Speaker Tip O’Neill was selected to receive the J. Fred Muggs Award, given by TV Guide for TV goofs and blunders.
1986 Doug Jarvis, at age 31, set a National Hockey League record as he skated in his 916th consecutive game.
1986 TV’s longest-running drama, Search for Tomorrow., ended its 35-year run on television.
1990 Garry Kasparov beat Anatoly Karpov to retain the world chess championship.
1996 Six-year-old beauty pageant princess JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado home.
2002 French Raelian scientist Brigitte Boisselier said Clonaid had delivered the first of a supposed five cloned babies through cesarean section.
2004 A tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean left more than 216,000 people dead or missing, mostly in southern Asia.
2004 Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts broke Dan Marino's single-season touchdown pass record when he threw his 48th and 49th of the season in a victory over San Diego.
Chart Toppers
1947
How Soon - Jack Owens
Civilization - Louis Prima
Serenade of the Bells - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
He - Al Hibler
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry - The Caravelles
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Brand New Key - Melanie
An Old Fashioned Loved Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1987
Faith - George Michael
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
Somewhere Tonight - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.
Mike Myers
Today's Birthdays
1716 Thomas Gray, poet (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard) died July 30, 1771
1837 George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy, died Jan 16, 1917
1891 Henry Miller, writer (Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn) died June 7, 1980
1893 Mao Tse-Tung (Zedong), communist-revolutionist (People’s Republic of China) died Sep 9, 1976
1903 Elisha Cook Jr., actor (The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep) died May 18, 1995
1914 Richard Widmark, actor (Murder on the Orient Express, The Halls of Montezuma, How the West was Won, The Alamo)
1921 Steve Allen, comedian/author/musician/composer/TV host, died Oct 30, 2000
1927 Alan King (Irwin Kniberg), comedian/producer/actor (Casino) died May 9, 2004
1930 Donald Moffat, actor (Clear and Present Danger, The Bourne Identity, The Best of Times, The Right Stuff)
1935 Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, singer (The Four Tops)
1939 Phil Spector, record mogul
1945 John Walsh, TV host (America’s Most Wanted)
1947 Carlton (Ernest) ‘Pudge’ Fisk, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher (Boston Red Sox)
1947 James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
1953 Henning Schmitz, German musician (Kraftwerk)
1954 Ozzie (Osborne Earl) Smith, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (SD Padres, St Louis Cardinals)
1961 Tahnee Welch, actress (Falcon Crest, Cocoon series, I Shot Andy Warhol)
1962 James Kottak, drummer (The Scorpions)
1963 Lars Ulrich, drummer (Metallica)
1965 Nadia Dajani, actress (Ned & Stacey)
1969 Peter Klett, guitarist (Candlebox)
1971 Jared Leto, actor/singer (Panic Room; 30 Seconds to Mars)
1979 Chris Daughtry, singer/TV personality (Daughtry; American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1909 Frederic Remington, western artist, dies at 48
1931 Melvil Dewey, inventor (Dewey Decimal System) dies at 80
1972 Harry S Truman, 33rd President of the United States, dies at 88
1974 Jack Benny, comedian, dies at 80
1977 Howard Hawks, film director/writer (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Big Sleep) dies at 81
1985 Dian Fossey, gorilla specialist, dies at 53
1986 Elsa Lanchester, British-born actress (Bride of Frankenstein) dies at 84
1989 Doug Harvey, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) dies at 65
1999 Curtis Mayfield, soul singer/songwriter (Superfly) dies at 57
2000 Jason Robards, actor (All the President's Men, Philadelphia, The Paper) dies at age 78
2002 Herb Ritts, glamour photographer, dies at 50
2002 Amand Zildjian, cymbal manufacturer, dies at 81
2003 Alan Bates, British actor (Spartacus) dies at 69
2004 Reggie White, NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers) dies at 43
2005 Vincent Schiavelli, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) dies 57
2006 Gerald R. Ford, 38th President of the United States, dies at 93
Today in History
1776 The British suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.
1799 George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
1811 A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia killed Virginia Governor George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia, Abraham B. Venable.
1865 James H. Mason of Franklin, MA patented the coffee percolator.
1902 In a boxing match between Oscar ‘Battling’ Nelson and Christy Williams, Williams was knocked down a record 42 times.
1908 Jack Johhnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion when he knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.
1917 The U.S. government took over operation of the nation's railroads.
1919 Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees by the Boston Red Sox.
1931 George Gershwin’s musical, Of Thee I Sing, opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York City; it became the first musical to win the PUlitzaer Prize.
1933 The Nissan Motor Company was organized in Tokyo, Japan.
1939 W.C. Handy of Memphis, TN recorded the classic "t. Louis Blues."
1941 Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.
1944 Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie premiered at the Civic Theatre in Chicago.
1947 A monster snowstorm hit New York City, dumping up to 26 inches of snow, the worst snowstorm in the city’s history.
1950 The Gillette Safety Razor Company signed agreements for the rights for the next six years to baseball’s World Series and All-Star games.
1954 One of radio’s most popular programs, Shadow, ended a 24-year run.
1963 Capitol Records releasedits first single by the Beatles, " Want to Hold Your Hand," backed with "I Saw Her Standing There."
1967 The Dave Brubeck Quartet formally disbanded after sax man Paul Desmond left the group.
1981 AC/DC’s album For Those About to Rock We Salute You hit #1 in the U.S.
1982 Time magazine's Man of the Year was a non-human for the first time: the personal computer.
1984 House Speaker Tip O’Neill was selected to receive the J. Fred Muggs Award, given by TV Guide for TV goofs and blunders.
1986 Doug Jarvis, at age 31, set a National Hockey League record as he skated in his 916th consecutive game.
1986 TV’s longest-running drama, Search for Tomorrow., ended its 35-year run on television.
1990 Garry Kasparov beat Anatoly Karpov to retain the world chess championship.
1996 Six-year-old beauty pageant princess JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado home.
2002 French Raelian scientist Brigitte Boisselier said Clonaid had delivered the first of a supposed five cloned babies through cesarean section.
2004 A tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean left more than 216,000 people dead or missing, mostly in southern Asia.
2004 Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts broke Dan Marino's single-season touchdown pass record when he threw his 48th and 49th of the season in a victory over San Diego.
Chart Toppers
1947
How Soon - Jack Owens
Civilization - Louis Prima
Serenade of the Bells - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1955
I Hear You Knocking - Gale Storm
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
He - Al Hibler
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1963
Dominique - The Singing Nun
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
You Don’t Have to Be a Baby to Cry - The Caravelles
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1971
Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone
Brand New Key - Melanie
An Old Fashioned Loved Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1979
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1987
Faith - George Michael
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
Somewhere Tonight - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.
Mike Myers
Today in History - Dec 27th
Today's Birthdays
1571 Johannes Kepler, founder of modern optics/astronomer, died Nov 15, 1630
1773 Sir George Cayley, pilot/scientist (father of aerodynamics) died Dec 15, 1857
1822 Louis Pasteur, chemist/scientist (pasteurization process, rabies vaccination) died Sep 28, 1895
1879 Sydney Greenstreet, actor (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon) died Jan 18, 1954
1901 Marlene Dietrich (Maria Magdelene von Losch), actress (The Blue Angel, Witness for the Prosecution) died May 6, 1992
1906 Oscar Levant, musician/actor (An American in Paris) died Aug 14, 1972
1911 Anna Russell, comedienne (How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera) died Oct 18, 2006
1915 William H. Masters, physician (Masters and Johnson: Human Sexual Response) died Feb 16, 2001
1939 John Amos, actor (Good Times, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Coming to America)
1941 Les Maguire. pianist (Gerry and The Pacemakers)
1941 Michael Pinder, Mellotron (Moody Blues)
1943 Cokie Roberts, journalist (NPR)
1944 Mick Jones, guitarist (Foreigner)
1947 Mickey Redmond, NHL player/broadcast color analyst (Detroit Red Wings)
1948 Gerard Depardieu, actor (The Three Musketeers, My Father the Hero, Cyrano deBergerac)
1950 Terry Bozzio, drummer (Missing Persons)
1952 Tovah Feldshuh, actress (Holocaust, Brewster’s Millions)
1952 David Knopfler, guitarist/singer (Dire Straits)
1952 Karla Bonoff, singer/songwriter
1960 Maryam D'Abo, actress (The Living Daylights)
1964 Theresa Randle, actress (Bad Boys series, Girl 6)
1969 Chyna, professional wrestler (WWF)
1972 Matt Slocum, guitarist/cellist/songwriter (Sixpence None the Richer)
1974 Masi Oka, actor (Heroes)
1975 Heather O'Rourke, actress (Poltergeist series) died Feb 1, 1988
1978 Deuce McAllister, NFL running back (New Orleans Saints)
1979 Carson Palmer, NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals)
1981 Emilie de Ravin, actress (Lost)
Today's Deaths in History
1834 Charles Lamb, English essayist (Tales from Shakespeare) died at 59
1836 Stephen F. Austin, pioneer (father of Texas) 43
1923 Gustave Eiffel, French engineer/architect (Eiffel Tower) dies at 91
1981 Hoagy Carmichael, composer/singer (Stardust) dies at 82
1982 John Swigert, astronaut (Apollo 13) dies at 51
1988 Hal Ashby, film director (Coming Home, Shampoo) dies at 59
2002 George Roy Hill, film director (Slaughterhouse-Five, The World According to Garp) dies at 81
2003 Alan Bates, English actor (Georgy Girl, Zorba the Greek) dies at 69
2007 Benazir Bhutto, first female prime minister of Pakistan, is assassinated at 54
Today in History
1831 British naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the HMS Beagle; Darwin's discoveries during the nearly five-year journey helped form the basis of his theories on evolution.
1845 Dr. Crawford Williamson Long used anesthesia for childbirth for the first time, when he delivered his own child in Jefferson, Georgia.
1900 Carrie Nation staged her first raid on a saloon at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas.
1903 The barbershop quartet favorite, "Sweet Adeline," was sung for the first time in New York City.
1927 The Kern/Hammerstein musical Show Boat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.
1932 Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.
1938 The first skimobile course in America opened in North Conway, New Hampshire.
1939 The Glenn Miller Show started on CBS radio.
1940 Singer Al Jolson and actress Ruby Keeler were divorced after 12 years of marriage.
1946 The American team won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1938.
1947 The Howdy Doody Show debuted on NBC-TV.
1949 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands granted sovereignty to Indonesia after more than 300 years of Dutch rule.
1951 A Crosley automobile, with a steering wheel on the right side, became the first such vehicle placed in service for mail delivery, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1968 The Breakfast Club signed off for the last time on ABC radio, after 35 years on the air.
1970 Hello, Dolly! closed on Broadway after a run of 2,844 performances.
1971 Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz’ famous Peanuts comic strip made the cover of Newsweek magazine.
1979 Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan; Babrak Karmal succeeded President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed.
1980 The John Lennon hit "(Just Like) Starting Over" began a five-week stay at #1 on the pop charts.
1985 Naturalist Dian Fossey, who had studied gorillas in the wild, was found hacked to death at a research station in Rwanda.
1986 Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines, was named TIME magazine’s Man of the Year.
1991 Amid strained U.S.-Philippine relations, the Philippine government ordered the U.S. to close its Subic Bay naval base near Manila by January 12, 1992.
1994 The NFL set a regular-season paid attendance record for the second consecutive year, topping 14 million for the first time.
2001 U.S. officials announced that Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
2002 North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.
2002 A suicide truck-bomb attack destroyed the headquarters of Chechnya's Moscow-backed government, killing 72 people.
2004 In an audiotape, a man purported to be Osama bin Laden endorsed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq.
2005 Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally abolished their 30-year armed struggle for independence under a peace deal born out of the 2004 tsunami.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
My Darlin, My Darling - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae
A Heart Full of Love (For a Handful of Kisses) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
A Rose and a Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
Garden of Eden - Joe Valino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Goin’ Out of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
That’s All That Matters - Mickey Gilley
1988
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important.
Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 - 2005)
Today's Birthdays
1571 Johannes Kepler, founder of modern optics/astronomer, died Nov 15, 1630
1773 Sir George Cayley, pilot/scientist (father of aerodynamics) died Dec 15, 1857
1822 Louis Pasteur, chemist/scientist (pasteurization process, rabies vaccination) died Sep 28, 1895
1879 Sydney Greenstreet, actor (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon) died Jan 18, 1954
1901 Marlene Dietrich (Maria Magdelene von Losch), actress (The Blue Angel, Witness for the Prosecution) died May 6, 1992
1906 Oscar Levant, musician/actor (An American in Paris) died Aug 14, 1972
1911 Anna Russell, comedienne (How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera) died Oct 18, 2006
1915 William H. Masters, physician (Masters and Johnson: Human Sexual Response) died Feb 16, 2001
1939 John Amos, actor (Good Times, Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Coming to America)
1941 Les Maguire. pianist (Gerry and The Pacemakers)
1941 Michael Pinder, Mellotron (Moody Blues)
1943 Cokie Roberts, journalist (NPR)
1944 Mick Jones, guitarist (Foreigner)
1947 Mickey Redmond, NHL player/broadcast color analyst (Detroit Red Wings)
1948 Gerard Depardieu, actor (The Three Musketeers, My Father the Hero, Cyrano deBergerac)
1950 Terry Bozzio, drummer (Missing Persons)
1952 Tovah Feldshuh, actress (Holocaust, Brewster’s Millions)
1952 David Knopfler, guitarist/singer (Dire Straits)
1952 Karla Bonoff, singer/songwriter
1960 Maryam D'Abo, actress (The Living Daylights)
1964 Theresa Randle, actress (Bad Boys series, Girl 6)
1969 Chyna, professional wrestler (WWF)
1972 Matt Slocum, guitarist/cellist/songwriter (Sixpence None the Richer)
1974 Masi Oka, actor (Heroes)
1975 Heather O'Rourke, actress (Poltergeist series) died Feb 1, 1988
1978 Deuce McAllister, NFL running back (New Orleans Saints)
1979 Carson Palmer, NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals)
1981 Emilie de Ravin, actress (Lost)
Today's Deaths in History
1834 Charles Lamb, English essayist (Tales from Shakespeare) died at 59
1836 Stephen F. Austin, pioneer (father of Texas) 43
1923 Gustave Eiffel, French engineer/architect (Eiffel Tower) dies at 91
1981 Hoagy Carmichael, composer/singer (Stardust) dies at 82
1982 John Swigert, astronaut (Apollo 13) dies at 51
1988 Hal Ashby, film director (Coming Home, Shampoo) dies at 59
2002 George Roy Hill, film director (Slaughterhouse-Five, The World According to Garp) dies at 81
2003 Alan Bates, English actor (Georgy Girl, Zorba the Greek) dies at 69
2007 Benazir Bhutto, first female prime minister of Pakistan, is assassinated at 54
Today in History
1831 British naturalist Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean aboard the HMS Beagle; Darwin's discoveries during the nearly five-year journey helped form the basis of his theories on evolution.
1845 Dr. Crawford Williamson Long used anesthesia for childbirth for the first time, when he delivered his own child in Jefferson, Georgia.
1900 Carrie Nation staged her first raid on a saloon at the Carey Hotel in Wichita, Kansas.
1903 The barbershop quartet favorite, "Sweet Adeline," was sung for the first time in New York City.
1927 The Kern/Hammerstein musical Show Boat opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.
1932 Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.
1938 The first skimobile course in America opened in North Conway, New Hampshire.
1939 The Glenn Miller Show started on CBS radio.
1940 Singer Al Jolson and actress Ruby Keeler were divorced after 12 years of marriage.
1946 The American team won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1938.
1947 The Howdy Doody Show debuted on NBC-TV.
1949 Queen Juliana of the Netherlands granted sovereignty to Indonesia after more than 300 years of Dutch rule.
1951 A Crosley automobile, with a steering wheel on the right side, became the first such vehicle placed in service for mail delivery, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1968 The Breakfast Club signed off for the last time on ABC radio, after 35 years on the air.
1970 Hello, Dolly! closed on Broadway after a run of 2,844 performances.
1971 Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz’ famous Peanuts comic strip made the cover of Newsweek magazine.
1979 Soviet forces seized control of Afghanistan; Babrak Karmal succeeded President Hafizullah Amin, who was overthrown and executed.
1980 The John Lennon hit "(Just Like) Starting Over" began a five-week stay at #1 on the pop charts.
1985 Naturalist Dian Fossey, who had studied gorillas in the wild, was found hacked to death at a research station in Rwanda.
1986 Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines, was named TIME magazine’s Man of the Year.
1991 Amid strained U.S.-Philippine relations, the Philippine government ordered the U.S. to close its Subic Bay naval base near Manila by January 12, 1992.
1994 The NFL set a regular-season paid attendance record for the second consecutive year, topping 14 million for the first time.
2001 U.S. officials announced that Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
2002 North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.
2002 A suicide truck-bomb attack destroyed the headquarters of Chechnya's Moscow-backed government, killing 72 people.
2004 In an audiotape, a man purported to be Osama bin Laden endorsed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq.
2005 Indonesia's Aceh rebels formally abolished their 30-year armed struggle for independence under a peace deal born out of the 2004 tsunami.
Chart Toppers
1948
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kaiser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
My Darlin, My Darling - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae
A Heart Full of Love (For a Handful of Kisses) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
A Rose and a Baby Ruth - George Hamilton IV
Garden of Eden - Joe Valino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1964
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Goin’ Out of My Head - Little Anthony & The Imperials
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1972
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
You Ought to Be with Me - Al Green
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
Got the All Overs for You (All Over Me) - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1980
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
That’s All That Matters - Mickey Gilley
1988
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game, and dumb enough to think it's important.
Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 - 2005)
Today in History - Dec 28th
Today's Birthdays
1763 John Molson, beer brewer (Molson Beer) died Jan 11, 1836
1856 Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. President, died Feb 3, 1924
1905 Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines, pianist/bandleader, died Apr 22, 1983
1905 Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver), actor (The Jack Paar Show, The Jonathan Winters Show) died Sep 23, 1974
1908 Lew Ayres, actor (All Quiet on the Western Front, Of Mice and Men, Battle for the Planet of the Apes) died Dec 30, 1996
1913 Lou Jacobi, actor (Irma La Douce, Arthur, Avalon, The Diary of Anne Frank)
1921 Johnny Otis (Veliotes), R&B composer/musician (Willie and the Hand Jive, Roll [Dance] with Me Henry)
1922 Stan Lee, artist/writer (Marvel Comics)
1929 Terry Sawchuk, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (NY Rangers) died May 10, 1970
1931 Martin Milner, actor (Surfside 6, Route 66, Adam 12, The Halls of Montezuma, Mr. Roberts, Valley of the Dolls)
1932 Dorsey Burnette, singer (Hey Little One) died Aug 19, 1979
1932 Nichelle Nichols, actress (Star Trek)
1934 Dame Maggie Smith, actress (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Room with a View, Sister Act)
1935 Bruce Yarnell, actor (Irma la Douce, The Outlaws) died Nov 30, 1973
1938 Charles Neville, saxophonist/flautist/percussion (The Neville Brothers)
1946 Edgar Winter, keyboardist/saxophonist/singer (Frankenstein, Free Ride)
1947 Dick Diamonde (Dingeman Van Der Sluys), bassist (The Easybeats)
1950 Alex Chilton, guitarist/singer (The Box Tops)
1954 Denzel Washington, actor (Glory, Malcolm X, St. Elsewhere, Crimson Tide, Courage Under Fire, Remember the Titans)
1960 Chad McQueen, actor (Karate Kid series)
1960 Ray Borque, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman (Colorado Avalanche)
1972 Adam Vinatieri, NFL placekicker (Indianapolis Colts)
1973 Seth Meyers, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1976 Batshit Insane, board member
1977 RufusTFirefly, board member
1978 John Legend, R&B singer
1980 Vanessa Ferlito, actress (CSI: New York)
1981 Sienna Miller, actress (Layer Cake, Casanova)
1982 Cedric Benson, NFL running back (Chicago Bears)
Today's Deaths in History
1694 Queen Mary II of England dies at 32
1937 Maurice Ravel, composer (Bolero) dies at 62
1976 Freddie King, blues guitarist, dies at 42
1983 William Demarest, actor (My Three Sons) dies at 91
1983 Dennis Wilson, drummer (The Beach Boys) dies at 39
1984 Sam Peckinpah, film director (The Wild Bunch) dies at 59
1991 Cassandra Harris, actress (For Your Eyes Only) dies at 43
1999 Clayton Moore, actor (The Lone Ranger) dies at 85
2004 Susan Sontag, activist/author, dies at 71
2004 Jerry Orbach, actor (Law and Order, Dirty Dancing) died at 69
Today in History
1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated.
1612 Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
1732 The Pennsylvania Gazette, owned by Benjamin Franklin, ran an ad for the first issue of Poor Richard’s Almanack.
1832 John C. Calhoun became the first Vice President of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Andrew Jackson.
1846 Iowa became the 29th of the United States.
1867 United States claimed Midway Island, first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
1869 William Finley Semple of Mt. Vernon, Ohio patented “the combination of rubber with other articles adapted to the formation of an acceptable chewing gum.”
1877 John Stevens, of Neenah, WI, applied for a patent for his flour-rolling mill.
1897 Cyrano de Bergerac, a play by Edmond Rostand, premiered in Paris.
1902 The first World Series of pro football was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1905 The forerunner of the NCAA, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, was founded in New York City.
1912 The first municipally-owned street cars took to the streets of San Francisco, California.
1941 Lipton Tea dropped sponsorship of the Helen Hayes Theater, on CBS radio, as it prepared for shortages in tea imports from India during World War II.
1944 The musical On the Town opened in New York City for a run of 462 performances.
1945 Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
1957 "At the Hop," by Danny and The Juniors, hit #1 on the music charts.
1958 Quarterback Johnny Unitas led the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants, 23-17, in an extra sudden-death overtime in the National Football League championship game.
1964 Principal filming of the movie classic Doctor Zhivago began on location near Madrid, Spain.
1973 The Chamber of Commerce of Akron, OH terminated its association with the All-American Soap Box Derby, stating that the race had become “a victim of cheating and fraud.”
1973 Alexander Solzhenitsyn published first volume of his Gulag Archipelago in Paris.
1973 The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States.
1981 WEA Records (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) raised the price of its 45 rpm records from $1.68 to $1.98.
1981 Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test-tube baby, was born in Norfolk, Va.
1982 Nevell Johnson Jr., a black man, was mortally wounded by a police officer in a Miami video arcade, setting off three days of race-related disturbances that left another man dead.
1983 The Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson drowned in Marina Del Ray, California while diving at the location where his boat Harmony was docked.
1998 Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr were TIME’s 1998 Men of the Year.
2000 President-elect George W. Bush selected former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to return to the Pentagon and push for a missile defense plan that was central to the Bush campaign.
2000 U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it was going out of business after 128 years.
2005 Former top Enron Corp. accountant Richard Causey pleaded guilty to securities fraud and agreed to help pursue convictions against Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling.
2005 A U.S. immigration judge ordered retired auto worker John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard, deported to his native Ukraine.
Chart Toppers
1949
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack
Leonard)
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Over and Over - The Dave Clark Five
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Buckaroo - Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
1973
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Love in the First Degree - Alabama
1989
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
A Woman in Love - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of US (1858 - 1919)
Today's Birthdays
1763 John Molson, beer brewer (Molson Beer) died Jan 11, 1836
1856 Woodrow Wilson, 28th U.S. President, died Feb 3, 1924
1905 Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines, pianist/bandleader, died Apr 22, 1983
1905 Cliff Arquette (Charley Weaver), actor (The Jack Paar Show, The Jonathan Winters Show) died Sep 23, 1974
1908 Lew Ayres, actor (All Quiet on the Western Front, Of Mice and Men, Battle for the Planet of the Apes) died Dec 30, 1996
1913 Lou Jacobi, actor (Irma La Douce, Arthur, Avalon, The Diary of Anne Frank)
1921 Johnny Otis (Veliotes), R&B composer/musician (Willie and the Hand Jive, Roll [Dance] with Me Henry)
1922 Stan Lee, artist/writer (Marvel Comics)
1929 Terry Sawchuk, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (NY Rangers) died May 10, 1970
1931 Martin Milner, actor (Surfside 6, Route 66, Adam 12, The Halls of Montezuma, Mr. Roberts, Valley of the Dolls)
1932 Dorsey Burnette, singer (Hey Little One) died Aug 19, 1979
1932 Nichelle Nichols, actress (Star Trek)
1934 Dame Maggie Smith, actress (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, A Room with a View, Sister Act)
1935 Bruce Yarnell, actor (Irma la Douce, The Outlaws) died Nov 30, 1973
1938 Charles Neville, saxophonist/flautist/percussion (The Neville Brothers)
1946 Edgar Winter, keyboardist/saxophonist/singer (Frankenstein, Free Ride)
1947 Dick Diamonde (Dingeman Van Der Sluys), bassist (The Easybeats)
1950 Alex Chilton, guitarist/singer (The Box Tops)
1954 Denzel Washington, actor (Glory, Malcolm X, St. Elsewhere, Crimson Tide, Courage Under Fire, Remember the Titans)
1960 Chad McQueen, actor (Karate Kid series)
1960 Ray Borque, Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman (Colorado Avalanche)
1972 Adam Vinatieri, NFL placekicker (Indianapolis Colts)
1973 Seth Meyers, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1976 Batshit Insane, board member
1977 RufusTFirefly, board member
1978 John Legend, R&B singer
1980 Vanessa Ferlito, actress (CSI: New York)
1981 Sienna Miller, actress (Layer Cake, Casanova)
1982 Cedric Benson, NFL running back (Chicago Bears)
Today's Deaths in History
1694 Queen Mary II of England dies at 32
1937 Maurice Ravel, composer (Bolero) dies at 62
1976 Freddie King, blues guitarist, dies at 42
1983 William Demarest, actor (My Three Sons) dies at 91
1983 Dennis Wilson, drummer (The Beach Boys) dies at 39
1984 Sam Peckinpah, film director (The Wild Bunch) dies at 59
1991 Cassandra Harris, actress (For Your Eyes Only) dies at 43
1999 Clayton Moore, actor (The Lone Ranger) dies at 85
2004 Susan Sontag, activist/author, dies at 71
2004 Jerry Orbach, actor (Law and Order, Dirty Dancing) died at 69
Today in History
1065 Westminster Abbey was consecrated.
1612 Galileo Galilei became the first astronomer to observe the planet Neptune, although he mistakenly catalogued it as a fixed star.
1732 The Pennsylvania Gazette, owned by Benjamin Franklin, ran an ad for the first issue of Poor Richard’s Almanack.
1832 John C. Calhoun became the first Vice President of the United States to resign, stepping down over differences with President Andrew Jackson.
1846 Iowa became the 29th of the United States.
1867 United States claimed Midway Island, first territory annexed outside Continental limits.
1869 William Finley Semple of Mt. Vernon, Ohio patented “the combination of rubber with other articles adapted to the formation of an acceptable chewing gum.”
1877 John Stevens, of Neenah, WI, applied for a patent for his flour-rolling mill.
1897 Cyrano de Bergerac, a play by Edmond Rostand, premiered in Paris.
1902 The first World Series of pro football was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1905 The forerunner of the NCAA, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, was founded in New York City.
1912 The first municipally-owned street cars took to the streets of San Francisco, California.
1941 Lipton Tea dropped sponsorship of the Helen Hayes Theater, on CBS radio, as it prepared for shortages in tea imports from India during World War II.
1944 The musical On the Town opened in New York City for a run of 462 performances.
1945 Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
1957 "At the Hop," by Danny and The Juniors, hit #1 on the music charts.
1958 Quarterback Johnny Unitas led the Baltimore Colts over the New York Giants, 23-17, in an extra sudden-death overtime in the National Football League championship game.
1964 Principal filming of the movie classic Doctor Zhivago began on location near Madrid, Spain.
1973 The Chamber of Commerce of Akron, OH terminated its association with the All-American Soap Box Derby, stating that the race had become “a victim of cheating and fraud.”
1973 Alexander Solzhenitsyn published first volume of his Gulag Archipelago in Paris.
1973 The Endangered Species Act was passed in the United States.
1981 WEA Records (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) raised the price of its 45 rpm records from $1.68 to $1.98.
1981 Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test-tube baby, was born in Norfolk, Va.
1982 Nevell Johnson Jr., a black man, was mortally wounded by a police officer in a Miami video arcade, setting off three days of race-related disturbances that left another man dead.
1983 The Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson drowned in Marina Del Ray, California while diving at the location where his boat Harmony was docked.
1998 Bill Clinton and Kenneth Starr were TIME’s 1998 Men of the Year.
2000 President-elect George W. Bush selected former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to return to the Pentagon and push for a missile defense plan that was central to the Bush campaign.
2000 U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announced it was going out of business after 128 years.
2005 Former top Enron Corp. accountant Richard Causey pleaded guilty to securities fraud and agreed to help pursue convictions against Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling.
2005 A U.S. immigration judge ordered retired auto worker John Demjanjuk, accused of being a Nazi concentration camp guard, deported to his native Ukraine.
Chart Toppers
1949
I Can Dream, Can’t I? - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Jack
Leonard)
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1957
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
1965
Over and Over - The Dave Clark Five
I Got You (I Feel Good) - James Brown
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Buckaroo - Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
1973
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard
1981
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Love in the First Degree - Alabama
1989
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Don’t Know Much - Linda Ronstadt (featuring Aaron Neville)
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
A Woman in Love - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
When they call the roll in the Senate, the Senators do not know whether to answer 'Present' or 'Not guilty.'
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of US (1858 - 1919)
Today in History - Dec 29th
Today's Birthdays
1800 Charles Goodyear, inventor (vulcanized rubber) died July 1, 1860
1808 Andrew Johnson, 17th U.S. President, died July 31, 1875
1876 Pablo Casals, cellist, died Oct 22, 1973
1917 Thomas Bradley, mayor of Los Angeles, died Sep 29, 1998
1917 Clarence Swensen, actor (The Wizard of Oz)
1932 Inga Swenson, actress (The Miracle Worker, Advise and Consent, North and South)
1934 Ed Flanders, actor (St. Elsewhere) died Feb 22, 1995
1936 Mary Tyler Moore, actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People)
1936 Ray Nitschke, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Green Bay Packers) died Mar 8, 1998
1938 Jon Voight, actor (Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, Mission: Impossible, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbor)
1941 Ray Thomas, musician/singer (The Moody Blues)
1942 Rick Danko, bassist/singer (The Band) died Dec 10, 1999
1946 Marianne Faithfull, singer (As Tears Go By)
1947 Ted Danson, actor (Cheers, Three Men and a Baby)
1947 Cozy Powell, drummer (Rainbow, Whitesnake) died Apr 5, 1998
1950 Jon Polito, actor (Homicide: Life on the Streets)
1953 Stanley Tookie Williams, author/murderer, executed Dec 13, 2005
1953 Yvonne Elliman, actress/singer (I Don’t Know How to Love Him, If I Can’t Have You)
1959 Paula Poundstone, actress/comedienne
1959 Patricia Clarkson, actress (The Green Mile, The Untouchables, The Station Agent)
1961 Mark Day, guitarist (Happy Mondays)
1961 Jim Reid, singer/musician (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
1963 Sean Payton, NFL head coach (New Orleans Saints)
1965 Dexter Holland, singer (The Offspring)
1966 Jason Gould, actor (Say Anything, Prince of Tides)
1967 Ashleigh Banfield, broadcast journalist (Court TV)
1967 Andy Wachowski, director (Matrix series)
1969 Jennifer Ehle, actress (Pride and Prejudice)
1970 Kevin Weisman, actor (Alias)
1970 Glen Phillips, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Toad the Wet Sprocket)
1972 Jude Law, actor (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Gattaca, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Enemy at the Gates, Artificial Intelligence: AI)
1974 Mekhi Phifer, actor (ER, Imposter, The Tuskegee Airmen)
1975 Shawn Hatosy, actor (The Cooler, Outside Providence, Soldier's Girl)
1976 Katherine Moennig, actress (The L Word)
1977 Laveranues Coles, NFL wide reciever (NY Jets)
1978 LaToya London, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
1979 Diego Luna, actor (Y Tu Mamá También)
Today's Deaths in History
1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated at 52
1916 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, is murdered at 47
1929 Wilhelm Maybach, German automobile designer (Daimler-Benz) dies at 83
1967 Paul Whiteman, orchestra leader, dies at 76
1986 Harold Macmillan, Former British Prime Minister, dies at 92
2003 Earl Hindman, actor (Home Improvement) dies at 61
Today in History
1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England.
1813 The British burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812.
1845 Texas became the 28th of the United States of America.
1848 President James Polk turned on the first gas light at the White House.
1851 The first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston.
1890 The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacred as many as 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.
1911 Sun Yat-sen became the first President of the Republic of China.
1934 Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
1934 The first college basketball intersectional doubleheader was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1937 Babe Ruth returned to baseball, after retiring in 1935, as the new manager of the Class-D De Land Reds of the Florida State League.
1940 Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London during World War II.
1945 Sheb Wooley recorded the first commercial record made in Nashville, TN.
1949 KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut became the first ultrahigh frequency (UHF) television station to begin operating on a regular daily schedule.
1952 The first transistorized hearing aid was offered for sale by Sonotone Corporation.
1963 Much to the chagrin of the disc jockeys at 50,000-watt WABC in New York, 5,000-watt WMCA and its famed ‘Good Guys’ became the first New York radio station to play the Beatles’ "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
1972 Following 36 years of publication, the last weekly issue of LIFE magazine hit the newsstands.
1975 A bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
1982 Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant led the Alabama Crimson Tide football team for the final time as Alabama beat Illinois, 21-15, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN.
1985 Phil Donahue and a Soviet radio commentator hosted the ‘Citizen’s Summit’ via satellite TV.
1989 Playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country's Federal Assembly, becoming the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.
1996 War-weary guerrilla and government leaders in Guatemala signed an accord ending 36 years of civil conflict.
1997 Hong Kong began to kill all the nation's chickens (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
1998 Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives.
1999 The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.
2001 A massive fire in the historic district of downtown Lima, Peru killed at least 274 people.
Chart Toppers
1950
The Thing - Phil Harris
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
If You’ve Got the Money Honey I’ve Got the Time - Lefty Frizzell
1958
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
One Night - Elvis Presley
Lonesome Town - Ricky Nelson
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
That’s Life - Frank Sinatra
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1974
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
What a Man, My Man Is - Lynn Anderson
1982
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
Wild and Blue - John Anderson
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
Justify My Love - Madonna
Impulsive - Wilson Phillips
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today's Birthdays
1800 Charles Goodyear, inventor (vulcanized rubber) died July 1, 1860
1808 Andrew Johnson, 17th U.S. President, died July 31, 1875
1876 Pablo Casals, cellist, died Oct 22, 1973
1917 Thomas Bradley, mayor of Los Angeles, died Sep 29, 1998
1917 Clarence Swensen, actor (The Wizard of Oz)
1932 Inga Swenson, actress (The Miracle Worker, Advise and Consent, North and South)
1934 Ed Flanders, actor (St. Elsewhere) died Feb 22, 1995
1936 Mary Tyler Moore, actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People)
1936 Ray Nitschke, Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Green Bay Packers) died Mar 8, 1998
1938 Jon Voight, actor (Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, Mission: Impossible, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbor)
1941 Ray Thomas, musician/singer (The Moody Blues)
1942 Rick Danko, bassist/singer (The Band) died Dec 10, 1999
1946 Marianne Faithfull, singer (As Tears Go By)
1947 Ted Danson, actor (Cheers, Three Men and a Baby)
1947 Cozy Powell, drummer (Rainbow, Whitesnake) died Apr 5, 1998
1950 Jon Polito, actor (Homicide: Life on the Streets)
1953 Stanley Tookie Williams, author/murderer, executed Dec 13, 2005
1953 Yvonne Elliman, actress/singer (I Don’t Know How to Love Him, If I Can’t Have You)
1959 Paula Poundstone, actress/comedienne
1959 Patricia Clarkson, actress (The Green Mile, The Untouchables, The Station Agent)
1961 Mark Day, guitarist (Happy Mondays)
1961 Jim Reid, singer/musician (The Jesus and Mary Chain)
1963 Sean Payton, NFL head coach (New Orleans Saints)
1965 Dexter Holland, singer (The Offspring)
1966 Jason Gould, actor (Say Anything, Prince of Tides)
1967 Ashleigh Banfield, broadcast journalist (Court TV)
1967 Andy Wachowski, director (Matrix series)
1969 Jennifer Ehle, actress (Pride and Prejudice)
1970 Kevin Weisman, actor (Alias)
1970 Glen Phillips, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Toad the Wet Sprocket)
1972 Jude Law, actor (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Gattaca, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Enemy at the Gates, Artificial Intelligence: AI)
1974 Mekhi Phifer, actor (ER, Imposter, The Tuskegee Airmen)
1975 Shawn Hatosy, actor (The Cooler, Outside Providence, Soldier's Girl)
1976 Katherine Moennig, actress (The L Word)
1977 Laveranues Coles, NFL wide reciever (NY Jets)
1978 LaToya London, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
1979 Diego Luna, actor (Y Tu Mamá También)
Today's Deaths in History
1170 Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated at 52
1916 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, is murdered at 47
1929 Wilhelm Maybach, German automobile designer (Daimler-Benz) dies at 83
1967 Paul Whiteman, orchestra leader, dies at 76
1986 Harold Macmillan, Former British Prime Minister, dies at 92
2003 Earl Hindman, actor (Home Improvement) dies at 61
Today in History
1170 Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England.
1813 The British burned Buffalo, N.Y., during the War of 1812.
1845 Texas became the 28th of the United States of America.
1848 President James Polk turned on the first gas light at the White House.
1851 The first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston.
1890 The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacred as many as 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota.
1911 Sun Yat-sen became the first President of the Republic of China.
1934 Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
1934 The first college basketball intersectional doubleheader was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1937 Babe Ruth returned to baseball, after retiring in 1935, as the new manager of the Class-D De Land Reds of the Florida State League.
1940 Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London during World War II.
1945 Sheb Wooley recorded the first commercial record made in Nashville, TN.
1949 KC2XAK of Bridgeport, Connecticut became the first ultrahigh frequency (UHF) television station to begin operating on a regular daily schedule.
1952 The first transistorized hearing aid was offered for sale by Sonotone Corporation.
1963 Much to the chagrin of the disc jockeys at 50,000-watt WABC in New York, 5,000-watt WMCA and its famed ‘Good Guys’ became the first New York radio station to play the Beatles’ "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
1972 Following 36 years of publication, the last weekly issue of LIFE magazine hit the newsstands.
1975 A bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
1982 Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant led the Alabama Crimson Tide football team for the final time as Alabama beat Illinois, 21-15, at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN.
1985 Phil Donahue and a Soviet radio commentator hosted the ‘Citizen’s Summit’ via satellite TV.
1989 Playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country's Federal Assembly, becoming the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.
1996 War-weary guerrilla and government leaders in Guatemala signed an accord ending 36 years of civil conflict.
1997 Hong Kong began to kill all the nation's chickens (1.25 million) to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain.
1998 Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed 1 million lives.
1999 The Nasdaq composite index closed above 4,000 for the first time, ending the day at 4,041.46.
2001 A massive fire in the historic district of downtown Lima, Peru killed at least 274 people.
Chart Toppers
1950
The Thing - Phil Harris
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
If You’ve Got the Money Honey I’ve Got the Time - Lefty Frizzell
1958
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
One Night - Elvis Presley
Lonesome Town - Ricky Nelson
City Lights - Ray Price
1966
Winchester Cathedral - The New Vaudeville Band
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
That’s Life - Frank Sinatra
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1974
Angie Baby - Helen Reddy
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
What a Man, My Man Is - Lynn Anderson
1982
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
Wild and Blue - John Anderson
1990
Because I Love You (The Postman Song) - Stevie B
Justify My Love - Madonna
Impulsive - Wilson Phillips
I’ve Come to Expect It from You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today in History - Dec 30th
Today's Birthdays
1865 Rudyard Kipling, novelist/poet (The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous, Gunga Din) died Jan 18, 1936
1867 Simon Guggenheim, philanthropist (Guggenheim Memorial Foundation) died Nov 2, 1941
1883 Lester Patrick, Hockey Hall of Fame player/coach (NY Rangers) died June 1, 1960
1884 Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, hanged as a war criminal Dec 22, 1948
1914 Bert Parks (Jacobson), radio/TV host (Miss America Pageant) died Feb 2, 1992
1914 Jo Van Fleet, actress (East of Eden, Cool Hand Luke, Cinderella) died June 10, 1996
1920 Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan), actor (Hawaii Five-O) died January 21, 1998
1928 Bo Diddley (Otha Ellas Bates McDaniel), singer (Bo Diddley, I'm a Man)
1934 Joseph Bologna, writer/actor (Revenge of the Nerds 4: Nerds in Love, Citizen Cohn, Blame It on Rio)
1934 Russ Tamblyn, actor (Twin Peaks, How the West Was Won, West Side Story, Cimarron, Peyton Place)
1935 Sandy (Sanford Braun) Koufax, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Brooklyn Dodgers, LA Dodgers)
1937 (Noel) Paul Stookey, singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
1939 Del Shannon (Charles Westover), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Runaway) died Feb 8, 1990
1940 James Burrows, television director (Laverne & Shirley, Taxi, Cheers, Wings, Frasier, NewsRadio, Will & Grace)
1942 Michael Nesmith, guitarist (The Monkees)
1942 Fred Ward, actor (Tremors series, Silkwood, The Right Stuff)
1945 Davy Jones (David Thomas Jones), singer (The Monkees)
1946 Patti Smith, songwriter/singer (Because the Night)
1947 Jeff Lynne, songwriter/singer/guitarist (The Electric Light Orchestra)
1953 Meredith Viera, TV host (Today)
1956 Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, The Distinguished Gentleman)
1957 Matt Lauer, TV host (Today)
1959 Tracey Ullman, actress/comedian
1960 Rob Hotchkiss, guitarist (Train)
1961 Sean Hannity, TV host (Hannity & Colmes)
1969 Jay Kay, singer/songwriter (Jamiroquai)
1971 Daniel Sunjata, actor (Rescue Me)
1973 Jason Behr, actor (Dawson's Creek)
1973 Maureen Flannigan, actress (7th Heaven)
1975 (Eldrick) ‘Tiger’ Woods, golf champion
1977 Laila Ali, boxer
1978 Tyrese, singer/actor (Flight of the Phoenix, Four Brothers, Annapolis, Transformers)
1980 Eliza Dushku, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, True Lies, Tru Calling)
1982 Kristin Kreuk, actress (Smallville)
1984 LeBron James, NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Today's Deaths in History
1970 Sonny Liston, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 38
1979 Richard Rodgers, composer (Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart) dies at 77
1992 Ling-Ling, giant panda given to the USA by China, dies at 23
1993 Irving "Swifty" Lazar, talent agent, dies at 86
1994 Maureen Starkey, ex-wife of Ringo Starr, dies at 48
1996 Lew Ayres, actor (Young Dr. Kildare) dies at 88
1996 Jack Nance, actor (Eraserhead, Twin Peaks) dies at 53
1998 Johnny Moore, singer (The Drifters) dies at 64
1998 George Webb, English actor (Keeping Up Appearances) dies at 87
2000 Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter (The Man Who Came to Dinner) dies at 91
2002 Mary Brian, actress (Varisty, The Front Page) dies at 96
2004 Artie Shaw, jazz clarinetist/composer/bandleader, dies at 94
2006 Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi President, is executed by hanging at 69
Today in History
1853 The United States bought land from Mexico (Gadsden Purchase) to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
1862 The USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1879 The Pirates of Penzance was first performed at Paignton, Devon, England.
1922 Vladimir Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1927 The first subway in the Orient was dedicated in Tokyo, Japan.
1936 The United Auto Workers union staged its first sit-down strike.
1940 The Arroyo Seco Parkway, the forerunner of the Pasadena Freeway between Los Angeles and Pasadena, was dedicated by Los Angeles, California Mayor Fletcher Bowron.
1942 Frank Sinatra opened at New York’s Paramount Theatre for an 8-week engagement.
1947 King Michael of Romania agreed to abdicate, but charged he was being forced off the throne by Communists.
1948 Kiss Me Kate opened at the New Century Theatre in New York City.
1953 The first NTSC color television sets, from RCA, went on sale for about $1,175.
1954 James Arness made his dramatic TV debut on the Lux Video Theatre, almost a year before the TV debut of Gunsmoke.
1969 Peter, Paul and Mary received a gold record for the single "Leaving On a Jet Plane."
1970 Paul McCartney sued the other three Beatles to dissolve the partnership and gain control of his interest.
1972 The United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
1976 The Smothers Brothers played their last show at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas and retired as a team from show business.
1978 Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson University player during a game.
1980 The Selective Service System sent a warning to Mickey Mouse at Disneyland in Anaheim, California reminding him he was required to register for the draft.
1980 The Wonderful World of Disney, the longest-running series in prime-time television history, was canceled by NBC after more than 25 years on the air.
1981 Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal in 39 games, still a National Hockey League record.
1983 ‘Dr. J’, Julius Erving, of the Philadelphia 76ers, became the ninth professional basketball player to score 25,000 points.
1988 President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush were subpoenaed to testify as defense witnesses in the pending Iran-Contra trial of Oliver North.
1993 After some 2,000 years of rocky Jewish-Christian relations, the Holy See and the State of Israel signed an agreement to recognize each other.
1996 Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu sparked protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
1997 Armed men massacred 412 men, women and children in four mountain villages in Algeria.
1999 Former Beatle George Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his mansion west of London and stabbed him in the chest.
2000 A series of bombs exploded in various places in Manila, Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
2003 The federal government announced it would ban the sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
2006 Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging.
Chart Toppers
1951
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Down Yonder - Del Wood
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Why - Frankie Avalon
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
It’s Time to Cry - Paul Anka
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1967
Hello Goodbye - The Beatles
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1975
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You) - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin
Brothers
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
My Next Broken Heart - Brooks & Dunn
Quote of the Day
Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
Today's Birthdays
1865 Rudyard Kipling, novelist/poet (The Jungle Book, Captains Courageous, Gunga Din) died Jan 18, 1936
1867 Simon Guggenheim, philanthropist (Guggenheim Memorial Foundation) died Nov 2, 1941
1883 Lester Patrick, Hockey Hall of Fame player/coach (NY Rangers) died June 1, 1960
1884 Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan, hanged as a war criminal Dec 22, 1948
1914 Bert Parks (Jacobson), radio/TV host (Miss America Pageant) died Feb 2, 1992
1914 Jo Van Fleet, actress (East of Eden, Cool Hand Luke, Cinderella) died June 10, 1996
1920 Jack Lord (John Joseph Patrick Ryan), actor (Hawaii Five-O) died January 21, 1998
1928 Bo Diddley (Otha Ellas Bates McDaniel), singer (Bo Diddley, I'm a Man)
1934 Joseph Bologna, writer/actor (Revenge of the Nerds 4: Nerds in Love, Citizen Cohn, Blame It on Rio)
1934 Russ Tamblyn, actor (Twin Peaks, How the West Was Won, West Side Story, Cimarron, Peyton Place)
1935 Sandy (Sanford Braun) Koufax, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Brooklyn Dodgers, LA Dodgers)
1937 (Noel) Paul Stookey, singer (Peter, Paul and Mary)
1939 Del Shannon (Charles Westover), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Runaway) died Feb 8, 1990
1940 James Burrows, television director (Laverne & Shirley, Taxi, Cheers, Wings, Frasier, NewsRadio, Will & Grace)
1942 Michael Nesmith, guitarist (The Monkees)
1942 Fred Ward, actor (Tremors series, Silkwood, The Right Stuff)
1945 Davy Jones (David Thomas Jones), singer (The Monkees)
1946 Patti Smith, songwriter/singer (Because the Night)
1947 Jeff Lynne, songwriter/singer/guitarist (The Electric Light Orchestra)
1953 Meredith Viera, TV host (Today)
1956 Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, The Distinguished Gentleman)
1957 Matt Lauer, TV host (Today)
1959 Tracey Ullman, actress/comedian
1960 Rob Hotchkiss, guitarist (Train)
1961 Sean Hannity, TV host (Hannity & Colmes)
1969 Jay Kay, singer/songwriter (Jamiroquai)
1971 Daniel Sunjata, actor (Rescue Me)
1973 Jason Behr, actor (Dawson's Creek)
1973 Maureen Flannigan, actress (7th Heaven)
1975 (Eldrick) ‘Tiger’ Woods, golf champion
1977 Laila Ali, boxer
1978 Tyrese, singer/actor (Flight of the Phoenix, Four Brothers, Annapolis, Transformers)
1980 Eliza Dushku, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring It On, True Lies, Tru Calling)
1982 Kristin Kreuk, actress (Smallville)
1984 LeBron James, NBA forward (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Today's Deaths in History
1970 Sonny Liston, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 38
1979 Richard Rodgers, composer (Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart) dies at 77
1992 Ling-Ling, giant panda given to the USA by China, dies at 23
1993 Irving "Swifty" Lazar, talent agent, dies at 86
1994 Maureen Starkey, ex-wife of Ringo Starr, dies at 48
1996 Lew Ayres, actor (Young Dr. Kildare) dies at 88
1996 Jack Nance, actor (Eraserhead, Twin Peaks) dies at 53
1998 Johnny Moore, singer (The Drifters) dies at 64
1998 George Webb, English actor (Keeping Up Appearances) dies at 87
2000 Julius J. Epstein, screenwriter (The Man Who Came to Dinner) dies at 91
2002 Mary Brian, actress (Varisty, The Front Page) dies at 96
2004 Artie Shaw, jazz clarinetist/composer/bandleader, dies at 94
2006 Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi President, is executed by hanging at 69
Today in History
1853 The United States bought land from Mexico (Gadsden Purchase) to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
1862 The USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
1879 The Pirates of Penzance was first performed at Paignton, Devon, England.
1922 Vladimir Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
1927 The first subway in the Orient was dedicated in Tokyo, Japan.
1936 The United Auto Workers union staged its first sit-down strike.
1940 The Arroyo Seco Parkway, the forerunner of the Pasadena Freeway between Los Angeles and Pasadena, was dedicated by Los Angeles, California Mayor Fletcher Bowron.
1942 Frank Sinatra opened at New York’s Paramount Theatre for an 8-week engagement.
1947 King Michael of Romania agreed to abdicate, but charged he was being forced off the throne by Communists.
1948 Kiss Me Kate opened at the New Century Theatre in New York City.
1953 The first NTSC color television sets, from RCA, went on sale for about $1,175.
1954 James Arness made his dramatic TV debut on the Lux Video Theatre, almost a year before the TV debut of Gunsmoke.
1969 Peter, Paul and Mary received a gold record for the single "Leaving On a Jet Plane."
1970 Paul McCartney sued the other three Beatles to dissolve the partnership and gain control of his interest.
1972 The United States halted its heavy bombing of North Vietnam.
1976 The Smothers Brothers played their last show at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas and retired as a team from show business.
1978 Ohio State University fired Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson University player during a game.
1980 The Selective Service System sent a warning to Mickey Mouse at Disneyland in Anaheim, California reminding him he was required to register for the draft.
1980 The Wonderful World of Disney, the longest-running series in prime-time television history, was canceled by NBC after more than 25 years on the air.
1981 Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal in 39 games, still a National Hockey League record.
1983 ‘Dr. J’, Julius Erving, of the Philadelphia 76ers, became the ninth professional basketball player to score 25,000 points.
1988 President Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H.W. Bush were subpoenaed to testify as defense witnesses in the pending Iran-Contra trial of Oliver North.
1993 After some 2,000 years of rocky Jewish-Christian relations, the Holy See and the State of Israel signed an agreement to recognize each other.
1996 Proposed budget cuts by Benjamin Netanyahu sparked protests from 250,000 workers who shut down services across Israel.
1997 Armed men massacred 412 men, women and children in four mountain villages in Algeria.
1999 Former Beatle George Harrison fought off a knife-wielding intruder who broke into his mansion west of London and stabbed him in the chest.
2000 A series of bombs exploded in various places in Manila, Philippines within a span of a few hours, killing 22 and injuring about a hundred.
2003 The federal government announced it would ban the sale of ephedra, an herbal stimulant linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.
2006 Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging.
Chart Toppers
1951
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Down Yonder - Del Wood
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1959
Why - Frankie Avalon
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
It’s Time to Cry - Paul Anka
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1967
Hello Goodbye - The Beatles
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1975
Let’s Do It Again - The Staple Singers
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1983
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Say It Isn’t So - Daryl Hall-John Oates
Union of the Snake - Duran Duran
Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer to You) - Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin
Brothers
1991
Black or White - Michael Jackson
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boyz II Men
All 4 Love - Color Me Badd
My Next Broken Heart - Brooks & Dunn
Quote of the Day
Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
Today in History - Dec 31st
Today's Birthdays
1869 Henri Matisse, French painter (Le Danse) died Nov 3, 1954
1878 Elizabeth Arden, cosmetics mogul, died Oct 19, 1966
1880 George Marshall, U.S. Secretary of State/Army Chief of Staff during WWII, died Oct 16, 1959
1908 Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor/Nazi hunter, died Sept 20, 2005
1937 Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor (Silence of the Lambs, Howards End, Amistad, The Mask of Zorro, Meet Joe Black, Hannibal)
1938 Rosalind Cash, actress (Tales from the Hood, Omega Man, Uptown Saturday Night) died Oct 31, 1995
1940 Tim Considine, actor (My Three Sons)
1941 Sarah Miles, actress (Ryan’s Daughter, Dynasty, Hope and Glory)
1942 Andy Summers (Somers), guitarist (The Police)
1943 John Denver (Deutschendorf), singer/songwriter (Take Me Home Country Roads, Annie’s Song, Rocky Mountain High) killed Oct 12, 1997
1943 Ben Kingsley (Krishna Bhanji), actor (Gandhi, Schindler’s List, Sneakers, Searching for Bobby Fischer)
1943 Pete Quaife, bassist (The Kinks)
1945 Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer
1947 Burton Cummings Jr., singer (The Guess Who)
1947 Tim Matheson, actor (National Lampoon’s Animal House, Fletch, 1941)
1948 Donna Summer (LaDonna Gaines), singer (Last Dance, Hot Stuff, Love to Love You Baby, I Feel Love, Bad Girls)
1951 Barbara Carrera, actress (Dallas, Loverboy, Never Say Never Again, Lone Wolf McQuade, Island of Dr. Moreau)
1951 George Thorogood, blues/rock guitarist/singer
1951 Tom Hamilton, bassist (Aerosmith)
1953 James Remar, (Renaissance Man, Drugstore Cowboy, The Cotton Club, 48 Hrs., The Warriors, Dexter)
1953 Jane Badler, actress (V)
1958 Bebe Neuwirth, actress (Cheers, Frasier)
1959 Val Kilmer, actor (Heat, Batman Forever, Tombstone, The Doors, Top Gun, Top Secret!, Real Genius)
1959 Paul Westerberg, singer (The Replacements)
1960 John Allen Muhammad, serial killer (DC sniper)
1962 Heather McCartney, activist/adopted daughter of Paul McCartney
1963 Scott Ian, guitarist (Anthrax)
1963 Konishiki (Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e) American ozeki (sumo champion)
1965 Gong Li, actress (Memoirs of a Geisha, Shanghai Triad, Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine, Curse of the Golden Flower)
1972 Joe McIntyre, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1979 Bob Bryar, drummer (My Chemical Romance)
1981 Jason Campbell, NFL quarterback (Washington Redskins)
Today's Deaths in History
1952 Hank Williams, singer/guitarist/songwriter, dies at 29
1972 Roberto Clemente, MLB outfielder (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 38 in a plane crash
1980 Marshall McLuhan, writer ("the medium is the message") dies at 69
1985 Ricky Nelson, actor/singer (Garden Party) dies at 45 in a plane crash
1993 Brandon Teena, transsexual, is murdered at 21
1997 Floyd Cramer, pianist (Nashville Sound) dies at 64
2001 Eileen Heckart, actress (Heartbreak Ridge) dies at 82
2002 Kevin MacMichael, guitarist (Cutting Crew) dies at 51
Today in History
1775 The British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.
1831 Gramercy Park was deeded to New York City.
1841 The State of Alabama enacted the first dental legislation in the United States.
1857 Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
1877 President Rutherford B. Hayes became the first U.S. President to celebrate his silver wedding anniversary in the White House.
1879 Thomas Edison gave his first public demonstration of incandescent lighting in Menlo Park, N.J.
1904 The first New Year's Eve celebration was held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in New York.
1923 The chimes of Big Ben were broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
1929 Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year’s Eve song for the first time.
1940 As a result of a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP (the American Society of Composers and Publishers), the radio industry was prevented from playing any ASCAP-licensed music; the ban lasted for ten months.
1946 President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
1947 Roy Rogers, ‘the King of the Cowboys’, and Dale Evans were married.
1950 Willie Shoemaker and Joe Culmone, both 19 years of age, became the first jockeys to ride 388 winners in a single year.
1953 Willie Shoemaker broke his own record as he won his 485th race of the year.
1955 General Motors became the first U.S. corporation to earn more than one billion dollars in a single year.
1961 The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.
1965 Criswell made a TV appearance to announce his annual predictions for the coming year, including one in which he said Reagan would be the next governor of California (he was right).
1967 The Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, 21-17.
1974 Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.
1975 Elvis Presley performed before 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI, earning $800,000 for the concert, a world record for a single concert by a single artist.
1978 Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, D.C., marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States.
1983 The AT&T Bell System was broken up by the United States Government.
1985 Ricky Nelson, his fiancee, Helen Blair, and five members of the Stone Canyon Band were killed in a plane crash a mile southeast of DeKalb, Texas.
1986 A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killed 97 and injured 140 people.
1993 Entertainer Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
1997 In an attempt to nudge its Microsoft Network into a more competetive position vs. America Online, Microsoft announced the purchase of Hotmail, the free Web-based e-mail service.
1997 Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy retired after 11 years and four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
1997 Michael Kennedy, 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
1999 Boris Yeltsin resigned as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
1999 The United States Government handed control over the Panama Canal to Panama, as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone.
2004 Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych resigned, acknowledging that he had little hope of reversing the presidential election victory of his Western-leaning rival, Viktor Yushchenko.
Chart Toppers
1944
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Waistin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1952
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Sweet Dreams - Emmylou Harris
1984
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends.
Herbert Hoover, US mining engineer & politician (1874 - 1964)
Today's Birthdays
1869 Henri Matisse, French painter (Le Danse) died Nov 3, 1954
1878 Elizabeth Arden, cosmetics mogul, died Oct 19, 1966
1880 George Marshall, U.S. Secretary of State/Army Chief of Staff during WWII, died Oct 16, 1959
1908 Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian Holocaust survivor/Nazi hunter, died Sept 20, 2005
1937 Sir Anthony Hopkins, actor (Silence of the Lambs, Howards End, Amistad, The Mask of Zorro, Meet Joe Black, Hannibal)
1938 Rosalind Cash, actress (Tales from the Hood, Omega Man, Uptown Saturday Night) died Oct 31, 1995
1940 Tim Considine, actor (My Three Sons)
1941 Sarah Miles, actress (Ryan’s Daughter, Dynasty, Hope and Glory)
1942 Andy Summers (Somers), guitarist (The Police)
1943 John Denver (Deutschendorf), singer/songwriter (Take Me Home Country Roads, Annie’s Song, Rocky Mountain High) killed Oct 12, 1997
1943 Ben Kingsley (Krishna Bhanji), actor (Gandhi, Schindler’s List, Sneakers, Searching for Bobby Fischer)
1943 Pete Quaife, bassist (The Kinks)
1945 Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer
1947 Burton Cummings Jr., singer (The Guess Who)
1947 Tim Matheson, actor (National Lampoon’s Animal House, Fletch, 1941)
1948 Donna Summer (LaDonna Gaines), singer (Last Dance, Hot Stuff, Love to Love You Baby, I Feel Love, Bad Girls)
1951 Barbara Carrera, actress (Dallas, Loverboy, Never Say Never Again, Lone Wolf McQuade, Island of Dr. Moreau)
1951 George Thorogood, blues/rock guitarist/singer
1951 Tom Hamilton, bassist (Aerosmith)
1953 James Remar, (Renaissance Man, Drugstore Cowboy, The Cotton Club, 48 Hrs., The Warriors, Dexter)
1953 Jane Badler, actress (V)
1958 Bebe Neuwirth, actress (Cheers, Frasier)
1959 Val Kilmer, actor (Heat, Batman Forever, Tombstone, The Doors, Top Gun, Top Secret!, Real Genius)
1959 Paul Westerberg, singer (The Replacements)
1960 John Allen Muhammad, serial killer (DC sniper)
1962 Heather McCartney, activist/adopted daughter of Paul McCartney
1963 Scott Ian, guitarist (Anthrax)
1963 Konishiki (Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e) American ozeki (sumo champion)
1965 Gong Li, actress (Memoirs of a Geisha, Shanghai Triad, Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine, Curse of the Golden Flower)
1972 Joe McIntyre, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1979 Bob Bryar, drummer (My Chemical Romance)
1981 Jason Campbell, NFL quarterback (Washington Redskins)
Today's Deaths in History
1952 Hank Williams, singer/guitarist/songwriter, dies at 29
1972 Roberto Clemente, MLB outfielder (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 38 in a plane crash
1980 Marshall McLuhan, writer ("the medium is the message") dies at 69
1985 Ricky Nelson, actor/singer (Garden Party) dies at 45 in a plane crash
1993 Brandon Teena, transsexual, is murdered at 21
1997 Floyd Cramer, pianist (Nashville Sound) dies at 64
2001 Eileen Heckart, actress (Heartbreak Ridge) dies at 82
2002 Kevin MacMichael, guitarist (Cutting Crew) dies at 51
Today in History
1775 The British repulsed an attack by Continental Army generals Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold at Quebec; Montgomery was killed.
1831 Gramercy Park was deeded to New York City.
1841 The State of Alabama enacted the first dental legislation in the United States.
1857 Britain's Queen Victoria decided to make Ottawa the capital of Canada.
1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed an act admitting West Virginia to the Union.
1877 President Rutherford B. Hayes became the first U.S. President to celebrate his silver wedding anniversary in the White House.
1879 Thomas Edison gave his first public demonstration of incandescent lighting in Menlo Park, N.J.
1904 The first New Year's Eve celebration was held in Times Square, then known as Longacre Square, in New York.
1923 The chimes of Big Ben were broadcast on radio for the first time by the BBC.
1929 Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year’s Eve song for the first time.
1940 As a result of a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP (the American Society of Composers and Publishers), the radio industry was prevented from playing any ASCAP-licensed music; the ban lasted for ten months.
1946 President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.
1947 Roy Rogers, ‘the King of the Cowboys’, and Dale Evans were married.
1950 Willie Shoemaker and Joe Culmone, both 19 years of age, became the first jockeys to ride 388 winners in a single year.
1953 Willie Shoemaker broke his own record as he won his 485th race of the year.
1955 General Motors became the first U.S. corporation to earn more than one billion dollars in a single year.
1961 The Marshall Plan expired after distributing more than $12 billion in foreign aid.
1965 Criswell made a TV appearance to announce his annual predictions for the coming year, including one in which he said Reagan would be the next governor of California (he was right).
1967 The Green Bay Packers won the National Football League championship game by defeating Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, 21-17.
1974 Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.
1975 Elvis Presley performed before 60,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI, earning $800,000 for the concert, a world record for a single concert by a single artist.
1978 Taiwanese diplomats struck their colors for the final time from the embassy flagpole in Washington, D.C., marking the end of diplomatic relations with the United States.
1983 The AT&T Bell System was broken up by the United States Government.
1985 Ricky Nelson, his fiancee, Helen Blair, and five members of the Stone Canyon Band were killed in a plane crash a mile southeast of DeKalb, Texas.
1986 A fire at the Dupont Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, killed 97 and injured 140 people.
1993 Entertainer Barbra Streisand performed her first paid concert in 22 years, singing to a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
1997 In an attempt to nudge its Microsoft Network into a more competetive position vs. America Online, Microsoft announced the purchase of Hotmail, the free Web-based e-mail service.
1997 Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy retired after 11 years and four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.
1997 Michael Kennedy, 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
1999 Boris Yeltsin resigned as President of Russia, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President.
1999 The United States Government handed control over the Panama Canal to Panama, as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone.
2004 Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych resigned, acknowledging that he had little hope of reversing the presidential election victory of his Western-leaning rival, Viktor Yushchenko.
Chart Toppers
1944
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Waistin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1952
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1960
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1968
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1976
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Sweet Dreams - Emmylou Harris
1984
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
About the time we think we can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends.
Herbert Hoover, US mining engineer & politician (1874 - 1964)
Today in History - Jan 1st
Today's Birthdays
1735 Paul Revere, silversmith/patriot, died May 10, 1818
1752 Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Griscom), flagmaker, died Jan 30, 1836
1879 E.M. (Edward Morgan) Forster, author (A Room with a View, Howard’s End, A Passage to India) died June 7, 1970
1895 J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director, died May 2, 1972
1900 Xavier Cugat (Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo), violinist/composer/bandleader, died Oct 27, 1990
1909 (Carver) Dana Andrews, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives, A Walk in the Sun, Battle of the Bulge) died Dec 17, 1992
1909 Barry Goldwater, U.S. Senator/Presidential nominee, died May 29, 1998
1919 J.D. (Jerome David) Salinger, author (The Catcher in the Rye)
1922 Rocky Graziano, boxer, died May 20, 1990
1935 Bernard Kliban, cartoonist (cats cartoon books) died Aug 12, 1990
1938 Frank Langella, actor (Dracula, Dave)
1942 Country Joe McDonald, singer (Country Joe & the Fish)
1943 Don Novello, actor/comedian (Father Guido Sarducci)
1950 Morgan Fisher, keyboardist/composer (Mott the Hoople)
1953 Greg Carmichael, guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy)
1958 Grandmaster Flash, rapper
1962 Sophie Thompson, actress (Gosford Park, Emma)
1962 Ari Up, singer (The Slits)
1964 Dedee Pfeiffer, actress (Cybil, Falling Down)
1966 Embeth Davidtz, actress (Army of Darkness)
1969 Christi Paul, news anchor (CNN)
1969 Morris Chestnut, actor (Boyz N the Hood)
1969 Verne Troyer, actor (Austin Powers series, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
1970 Kimberly Page, wrestler/actress
1971 Bobby Holik, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1972 Catherine McCormack, actress (Shadow of the Vampire, Braveheart, The Tailor of Panama, Spy Game)
1980 Elin Nordegren, Swedish model/Mrs Tiger Woods
1986 Alexa Ray Joel, singer/pianist/daughter of Billy Joel
Today's Deaths in History
1969 Barton MacLane, actor (I Dream of Jeannie) dies at 67
1972 Maurice Chevalier, actor/singer (Thank Heaven For Little Girls) dies at 83
1982 Victor Buono, actor (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) dies at 43
1991 Buck Ram, songwriter/producer (The Platters) dies at 84
1992 Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy Admiral/computer pioneer, dies at 85
1994 Cesar Romero, actor (Batman) dies at 86
1997 Townes Van Zandt, singer/songwriter, dies at 52
1998 Helen Wills Moody, tennis champion, dies at 93
2001 Ray Walston, actor (My Favorite Martian, Fast Times at Ridgemeont High)
2003 Joe Foss, politician/fighter pilot/AFL Commissioner, dies at 87
2005 Shirley Chisholm, politician/civil rights activist, dies at 80
2007 Del Reeves, country singer, dies at 74
2007 Darrent Williams, NFL cornerback (Denver broncos) is shot and killed at 24
Today in History
0404 The last known gladiator competition in Rome took place.
1673 Regular mail delivery began between New York and Boston.
1751 The British calendar act was passed, which directed that the New Year be commemorated January 1st; prior to that, the new year was observed March 25th, to coincide with the beginning of spring.
1764 Eight-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played for the Royal Family at Versailles in France.
1797 Albany became the capital of New York state, replacing New York City.
1818 Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus was published.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states were free.
1890 The first Tournament of Roses Parade was staged in Pasadena, California.
1892 Ellis Island opened to begin the processing of what would amount to more than 20 million immigrants to the United States.
1898 The five boroughs of New York became the city of New York.
1901 The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.
1902 The first Rose Bowl collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, with Michigan trouncing Stanford 49-0.
1908 A ball was dropped in New York City's Times Square at midnight for the first time to signify the start of the New Year.
1923 The first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was aired in Los Angeles over KHJ radio.
1924 Frank B. Cooney of Minneapolis, Minnesota received a patent for ink paste.
1925 The American astronomer Edwin Hubble announced the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way.
1925 The Four Horsemen of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame played together for the last time as the Irish downed Stanford 27-10.
1927 The first coast-to-coast network radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was aired on NBC radio.
1937 The first Cotton Bowl football game was played in Dallas, TX, with Texas Christian beating Marquette 16-6.
1958 Treaties establishing the European Economic Community went into effect.
1959 Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista.
1968 A group known as The Blue Velvets decided to change its name; they soon became a national pop music favorite: Creedence Clearwater Revival.
1968 Evel Knievel lost control of his motorcycle midway during a jump of 141 feet, right over the ornamental fountains in front of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
1971 Tobacco ads representing $20 million dollars in advertising were banned from broadcast.
1976 NBC Television debuted a new abstract capital ‘N’ corporate symbol that replaced the familiar peacock logo after 20 years.
1979 The United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
1983 The ARPANET officially changed to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
1985 The U.S. population stoodf at 237,839,000.
1990 David Dinkins was sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
1993 U.S. President Bill Clinton recognized the new Czech and Slovak Republics (formerly Czechoslovakia) and offered to establish full diplomatic relations.
1994 Bill Gates, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, narried Melinda French on the island of Lanai in Hawaii.
1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
1998 An anti-smoking law went into effect in California, prohibiting people from lighting up in bars.
1999 Eleven of the countries in the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) gave up their own currencies and adopted the new Euro (EUR) currency.
2000 People the world over changed their calendars to 2000 with very few of the ‘Y2K’ computer glitches that had been predicted.
2002 Taiwan officially joined the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
2008 A New Hampshire law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples went into effect.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Wastin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1961
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1977
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Sweet Dreams - Emmylou Harris
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.
Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (1885 - 1962)
Today's Birthdays
1735 Paul Revere, silversmith/patriot, died May 10, 1818
1752 Betsy Ross (Elizabeth Griscom), flagmaker, died Jan 30, 1836
1879 E.M. (Edward Morgan) Forster, author (A Room with a View, Howard’s End, A Passage to India) died June 7, 1970
1895 J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director, died May 2, 1972
1900 Xavier Cugat (Francisco de Asís Javier Cugat Mingall de Brue y Deulofeo), violinist/composer/bandleader, died Oct 27, 1990
1909 (Carver) Dana Andrews, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives, A Walk in the Sun, Battle of the Bulge) died Dec 17, 1992
1909 Barry Goldwater, U.S. Senator/Presidential nominee, died May 29, 1998
1919 J.D. (Jerome David) Salinger, author (The Catcher in the Rye)
1922 Rocky Graziano, boxer, died May 20, 1990
1935 Bernard Kliban, cartoonist (cats cartoon books) died Aug 12, 1990
1938 Frank Langella, actor (Dracula, Dave)
1942 Country Joe McDonald, singer (Country Joe & the Fish)
1943 Don Novello, actor/comedian (Father Guido Sarducci)
1950 Morgan Fisher, keyboardist/composer (Mott the Hoople)
1953 Greg Carmichael, guitarist (Acoustic Alchemy)
1958 Grandmaster Flash, rapper
1962 Sophie Thompson, actress (Gosford Park, Emma)
1962 Ari Up, singer (The Slits)
1964 Dedee Pfeiffer, actress (Cybil, Falling Down)
1966 Embeth Davidtz, actress (Army of Darkness)
1969 Christi Paul, news anchor (CNN)
1969 Morris Chestnut, actor (Boyz N the Hood)
1969 Verne Troyer, actor (Austin Powers series, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
1970 Kimberly Page, wrestler/actress
1971 Bobby Holik, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1972 Catherine McCormack, actress (Shadow of the Vampire, Braveheart, The Tailor of Panama, Spy Game)
1980 Elin Nordegren, Swedish model/Mrs Tiger Woods
1986 Alexa Ray Joel, singer/pianist/daughter of Billy Joel
Today's Deaths in History
1969 Barton MacLane, actor (I Dream of Jeannie) dies at 67
1972 Maurice Chevalier, actor/singer (Thank Heaven For Little Girls) dies at 83
1982 Victor Buono, actor (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?) dies at 43
1991 Buck Ram, songwriter/producer (The Platters) dies at 84
1992 Grace Hopper, U.S. Navy Admiral/computer pioneer, dies at 85
1994 Cesar Romero, actor (Batman) dies at 86
1997 Townes Van Zandt, singer/songwriter, dies at 52
1998 Helen Wills Moody, tennis champion, dies at 93
2001 Ray Walston, actor (My Favorite Martian, Fast Times at Ridgemeont High)
2003 Joe Foss, politician/fighter pilot/AFL Commissioner, dies at 87
2005 Shirley Chisholm, politician/civil rights activist, dies at 80
2007 Del Reeves, country singer, dies at 74
2007 Darrent Williams, NFL cornerback (Denver broncos) is shot and killed at 24
Today in History
0404 The last known gladiator competition in Rome took place.
1673 Regular mail delivery began between New York and Boston.
1751 The British calendar act was passed, which directed that the New Year be commemorated January 1st; prior to that, the new year was observed March 25th, to coincide with the beginning of spring.
1764 Eight-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart played for the Royal Family at Versailles in France.
1797 Albany became the capital of New York state, replacing New York City.
1818 Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus was published.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states were free.
1890 The first Tournament of Roses Parade was staged in Pasadena, California.
1892 Ellis Island opened to begin the processing of what would amount to more than 20 million immigrants to the United States.
1898 The five boroughs of New York became the city of New York.
1901 The Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.
1902 The first Rose Bowl collegiate football game was played in Pasadena, with Michigan trouncing Stanford 49-0.
1908 A ball was dropped in New York City's Times Square at midnight for the first time to signify the start of the New Year.
1923 The first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was aired in Los Angeles over KHJ radio.
1924 Frank B. Cooney of Minneapolis, Minnesota received a patent for ink paste.
1925 The American astronomer Edwin Hubble announced the discovery of galaxies outside the Milky Way.
1925 The Four Horsemen of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame played together for the last time as the Irish downed Stanford 27-10.
1927 The first coast-to-coast network radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was aired on NBC radio.
1937 The first Cotton Bowl football game was played in Dallas, TX, with Texas Christian beating Marquette 16-6.
1958 Treaties establishing the European Economic Community went into effect.
1959 Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista.
1968 A group known as The Blue Velvets decided to change its name; they soon became a national pop music favorite: Creedence Clearwater Revival.
1968 Evel Knievel lost control of his motorcycle midway during a jump of 141 feet, right over the ornamental fountains in front of Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
1971 Tobacco ads representing $20 million dollars in advertising were banned from broadcast.
1976 NBC Television debuted a new abstract capital ‘N’ corporate symbol that replaced the familiar peacock logo after 20 years.
1979 The United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
1983 The ARPANET officially changed to using the Internet Protocol, creating the Internet.
1985 The U.S. population stoodf at 237,839,000.
1990 David Dinkins was sworn in as New York City's first black mayor.
1993 U.S. President Bill Clinton recognized the new Czech and Slovak Republics (formerly Czechoslovakia) and offered to establish full diplomatic relations.
1994 Bill Gates, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, narried Melinda French on the island of Lanai in Hawaii.
1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
1998 An anti-smoking law went into effect in California, prohibiting people from lighting up in bars.
1999 Eleven of the countries in the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) gave up their own currencies and adopted the new Euro (EUR) currency.
2000 People the world over changed their calendars to 2000 with very few of the ‘Y2K’ computer glitches that had been predicted.
2002 Taiwan officially joined the World Trade Organization, as Chinese Taipei.
2008 A New Hampshire law legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples went into effect.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Wastin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Because You’re Mine - Mario Lanza
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1961
Are You Lonesome To-night? - Elvis Presley
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Wings of a Dove - Ferlin Husky
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
Stormy - Classics IV featuring Dennis Yost
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
1977
Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) - Rod Stewart
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo and
Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
Sweet Dreams - Emmylou Harris
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Why Not Me - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.
Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (1885 - 1962)
Today in History - Jan 2nd
Today's Birthdays
1857 Martha Carey Thomas, women’s education advocate (president of Bryn Mawr College) died Dec 2, 1935
1861 Helen Taft, First Lady, died May 22, 1943
1903 Sally Rand (Helen Gould Beck), dancer/stripper (inventor of the fan dance) died Aug 31, 1979
1920 Isaac Asimov, sci-fi writer (I Robot) died Apr 6, 1992
1932 Ken Swofford, actor (Ellery Queen, The Virginian, The Andromeda Strain)
1936 Roger Miller, singer/songwriter (King of the Road) died Oct 25, 1992
1939 Jim Bakker (Orsen), TV evangelist
1947 Calvin Hill, NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys)
1947 Jack Hanna, zoologist
1949 Chick Churchill, keyboards (Ten Years After)
1952 Wendy Phillips, actress (Falcon Crest, Bugsy, Midnight Run)
1954 Dawn Silva, singer (The Brides of Funkenstein, P-Funk)
1957 Joanna Pacula, actress (Tombstone, Death Before Dishonor, Gorky Park)
1961 Gabrielle Carteris, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1967 Tia Carrere (Althea Janairo), actress (Relic Hunter, Rising Sun, Wayne’s World series, True Lies)
1968 Cuba Gooding Jr., actor (Pearl Harbor, Jerry Maguire, The Tuskegee Airmen, Outbreak, A Few Good Men)
1969 Christy Turlington, supermodel
1971 Taye Diggs, actor (Private Practice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back)
1971 Scott Underwood, drummer (Train)
1975 Doug Robb, singer (Hoobastank)
1976 Paz Vega, actress (Spanglish)
1983 Kate Bosworth, actress (The Horse Whisperer, Remember the Titans, Blue Crush, Beyond the Sea)
Today's Deaths in History
1950 Emil Jannings, actor (first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor) dies at 65
1963 Dick Powell, actor (Murder My Sweet, Cry Danger) dies at 58
1963 Jack Carson, actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) dies at 52
1974 Tex Ritter, cowboy singer, dies at 67
1977 Errol Garner, jazz pianist, dies at 55
1990 Alan Hale Jr., actor (Gilligan's Island) dies at 68
1997 Randy California, guitarist/songwriter (Spirit) dies at 46
2000 Nat Adderley, jazz cornetist/composer, dies at 68
2004 Lynn Cartwright, actress (A League of Their Own) dies at 77
2007 Garry Betty, CEO (Earthlink) dies at 49
Today in History
1492 The leader of the last Arab stronghold in Spain surrendered to Spanish forces loyal to King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I.
1788 Georgia became the 4th state to enter the United States of America.
1808 The U.S. Congress banned the importation of slaves.
1842 The first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic in Fairmount, Pennsylvania.
1859 Erastus Beadle published The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette.
1872 Brigham Young, the 71-year-old leader of the Mormon Church, was arrested on a charge of bigamy for allegedly having 25 wives.
1893 The first commemorative postage stamps were issued.
1900 Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy to prompt trade with China.
1921 The first religious broadcast on radio was heard, as Dr. E.J. Van Etten of Calvary Episcopal Church preached on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1935 Bruno Hauptmann went on trial in Flemington, N.J., on charges of kidnapping and murdering the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh (he was found guilty and executed).
1941 The Andrews Sisters recorded "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on Decca Records.
1942 The Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.
1953 NBC-TV presented the first episode of the series The Life of Riley.
1960 Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1965 ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath signed the richest rookie contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football when he signed to play with the New York Jets of the American Football League.
1974 U.S. President Richard M. Nixon signed a bill requiring states to lower the maximum speed limit to 55 mph.
1980 Officials of the Miss America Pageant announced that Bert Parks would not return as host of the annual beauty contest in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1983 The smash musical, Annie, closed on Broadway at the Uris Theatre after 2,377 performances, the sixth longest-running show on the Great White Way.
1983 The "final" edition of Garry Trudeau’s comic strip Doonesbury appeared in 726 newspapers (it returned in September 1984).
1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., becoming the first black woman to head a city of Washington's size and prominence.
1994 The newly-elected Republican mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani, delivering his inaugural address, said, “On the second day of January of 1994, I dedicate my administration to you -- the people of New York.”
1995 The most distant galaxy yet discovered, 8C 1435+63, was found by scientists using the Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii; it was estimated to be 15 billion light years away.
2001 Sila Calderón became the first female Governor of Puerto Rico.
2006 A methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia killed one miner and trapped 12 others underground for more than 40 hours.
Chart Toppers
1946
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Let Me Be the One - Hank Locklin
1962
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
Run to Him - Bobby Vee
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Holly Holy - Neil Diamond
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1978
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - L.T.D.
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1986
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds
Have Mercy - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well.
Horace Walpole, English author (1717 - 1797)
Today's Birthdays
1857 Martha Carey Thomas, women’s education advocate (president of Bryn Mawr College) died Dec 2, 1935
1861 Helen Taft, First Lady, died May 22, 1943
1903 Sally Rand (Helen Gould Beck), dancer/stripper (inventor of the fan dance) died Aug 31, 1979
1920 Isaac Asimov, sci-fi writer (I Robot) died Apr 6, 1992
1932 Ken Swofford, actor (Ellery Queen, The Virginian, The Andromeda Strain)
1936 Roger Miller, singer/songwriter (King of the Road) died Oct 25, 1992
1939 Jim Bakker (Orsen), TV evangelist
1947 Calvin Hill, NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys)
1947 Jack Hanna, zoologist
1949 Chick Churchill, keyboards (Ten Years After)
1952 Wendy Phillips, actress (Falcon Crest, Bugsy, Midnight Run)
1954 Dawn Silva, singer (The Brides of Funkenstein, P-Funk)
1957 Joanna Pacula, actress (Tombstone, Death Before Dishonor, Gorky Park)
1961 Gabrielle Carteris, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1967 Tia Carrere (Althea Janairo), actress (Relic Hunter, Rising Sun, Wayne’s World series, True Lies)
1968 Cuba Gooding Jr., actor (Pearl Harbor, Jerry Maguire, The Tuskegee Airmen, Outbreak, A Few Good Men)
1969 Christy Turlington, supermodel
1971 Taye Diggs, actor (Private Practice, How Stella Got Her Groove Back)
1971 Scott Underwood, drummer (Train)
1975 Doug Robb, singer (Hoobastank)
1976 Paz Vega, actress (Spanglish)
1983 Kate Bosworth, actress (The Horse Whisperer, Remember the Titans, Blue Crush, Beyond the Sea)
Today's Deaths in History
1950 Emil Jannings, actor (first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor) dies at 65
1963 Dick Powell, actor (Murder My Sweet, Cry Danger) dies at 58
1963 Jack Carson, actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) dies at 52
1974 Tex Ritter, cowboy singer, dies at 67
1977 Errol Garner, jazz pianist, dies at 55
1990 Alan Hale Jr., actor (Gilligan's Island) dies at 68
1997 Randy California, guitarist/songwriter (Spirit) dies at 46
2000 Nat Adderley, jazz cornetist/composer, dies at 68
2004 Lynn Cartwright, actress (A League of Their Own) dies at 77
2007 Garry Betty, CEO (Earthlink) dies at 49
Today in History
1492 The leader of the last Arab stronghold in Spain surrendered to Spanish forces loyal to King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I.
1788 Georgia became the 4th state to enter the United States of America.
1808 The U.S. Congress banned the importation of slaves.
1842 The first wire suspension bridge was opened to traffic in Fairmount, Pennsylvania.
1859 Erastus Beadle published The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette.
1872 Brigham Young, the 71-year-old leader of the Mormon Church, was arrested on a charge of bigamy for allegedly having 25 wives.
1893 The first commemorative postage stamps were issued.
1900 Secretary of State John Hay announced the Open Door Policy to prompt trade with China.
1921 The first religious broadcast on radio was heard, as Dr. E.J. Van Etten of Calvary Episcopal Church preached on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1935 Bruno Hauptmann went on trial in Flemington, N.J., on charges of kidnapping and murdering the infant son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh (he was found guilty and executed).
1941 The Andrews Sisters recorded "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on Decca Records.
1942 The Philippine capital of Manila was captured by Japanese forces during World War II.
1953 NBC-TV presented the first episode of the series The Life of Riley.
1960 Sen. John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1965 ‘Broadway’ Joe Namath signed the richest rookie contract ($400,000) in the history of pro football when he signed to play with the New York Jets of the American Football League.
1974 U.S. President Richard M. Nixon signed a bill requiring states to lower the maximum speed limit to 55 mph.
1980 Officials of the Miss America Pageant announced that Bert Parks would not return as host of the annual beauty contest in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
1983 The smash musical, Annie, closed on Broadway at the Uris Theatre after 2,377 performances, the sixth longest-running show on the Great White Way.
1983 The "final" edition of Garry Trudeau’s comic strip Doonesbury appeared in 726 newspapers (it returned in September 1984).
1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C., becoming the first black woman to head a city of Washington's size and prominence.
1994 The newly-elected Republican mayor of New York City, Rudolph Giuliani, delivering his inaugural address, said, “On the second day of January of 1994, I dedicate my administration to you -- the people of New York.”
1995 The most distant galaxy yet discovered, 8C 1435+63, was found by scientists using the Keck telescope on Mauna Kea in Hawaii; it was estimated to be 15 billion light years away.
2001 Sila Calderón became the first female Governor of Puerto Rico.
2006 A methane gas explosion at the Sago Mine in West Virginia killed one miner and trapped 12 others underground for more than 40 hours.
Chart Toppers
1946
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
Silver Dew on the Blue Grass Tonight - Bob Wills
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Let Me Be the One - Hank Locklin
1962
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
Run to Him - Bobby Vee
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Holly Holy - Neil Diamond
(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again - Charley Pride
1978
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again - L.T.D.
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
1986
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
Alive & Kicking - Simple Minds
Have Mercy - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The whole secret of life is to be interested in one thing profoundly and in a thousand things well.
Horace Walpole, English author (1717 - 1797)
Today in History - Jan 3rd
Today's Birthdays
0106 B.C. Cicero, Roman statesman, died Dec 7, 0043 B.C.
1879 Grace Coolidge (Goodhue), First Lady, died July 8, 1957
1886 Josephine Hull, actress (Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey) died March 12, 1957
1892 J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien, writer (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) died Sep 2, 1973
1894 Zasu Pitts, actress (Busby Berkeley musicals) died June 7, 1963
1905 Anna May Wong, actress (Shanghai Express) died Feb 2, 1961
1907 Ray Milland (Reginald Truscott-Jones), actor (The Lost Weekend) died Mar 10, 1986
1909 Victor Borge (Borge Rosenbaum), pianist/comedian, died Dec 23, 2000
1911 John Sturges, director (Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) died Aug 18, 1992
1916 Maxene (Angelyn) Andrews, singer (The Andrews Sisters) died Oct 21, 1995
1921 John (William Lawrence) Russell, actor (Rio Bravo, Pale Rider) died Jan 19, 1991
1923 Hank Stram, NFL coach/broadcaster (Kansas City Chiefs) died July 4, 2005
1926 Sir George Martin, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame record producer/arranger (The Beatles)
1930 Robert Loggia, actor (Independence Day, Big, Scarface, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1932 Dabney Coleman, actor (The Beverly Hillbillies, Dragnet, Tootsie, On Golden Pond, 9 to 5, North Dallas Forty)
1939 Bobby Hull, ‘The Golden Jet,’ Hockey Hall of Fame left wing (Chicago Blackhawks)
1945 Stephen Stills, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
1946 John Paul Jones (Baldwin), bassist (Led Zeppelin)
1950 Victoria Principal, actress (Dallas, Fantasy Island)
1955 Palmolive, drummer (The Slits)
1956 Mel (Columcille) Gibson, actor/director (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Lethal Weapon series, Mad Max series, The Patriot, What Women Want, Apocalypto)
1963 Jim Everett III, NFL quarterback (LA Rams, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers)
1971 Cory Cross, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1975 Danica McKellar, actress (The Wonder Years)
1977 Michelle Stephenson, singer (The Spice Girls)
1978 Mike York, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1978 Kimberley Locke, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
1980 Angela Ruggiero, US Olympic hockey player
1981 Eli Manning, NFL quarterback (NY Giants)
Today's Deaths in History
1950 Emil Jannings, actor (first Academy Award for Best Actor) dies at 65
1967 Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, dies at 55
1979 Conrad Hilton, hotelier, dies at 91
1980 Joy Adamson, conservationist (Born Free) is murdered at 69
1988 Joie Chitwood, race driver/daredevil, dies at 75
1993 Johnny Most, sports announcer (Boston Celtics) dies at 69
2007 Earl Reibel, NHL forward (Detroit Red Wings) dies at 76
Today in History
1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tested a flying machine.
1521 Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
1749 Benning Wentworth issued the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
1777 Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J.
1825 The first engineering college in the U.S., Rensselaer School, opened in Troy, New York.
1833 Britain seized control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
1868 The Meiji Restoration re-established the authority of Japan's emperor and heralded the fall of the military rulers known as shoguns.
1871 Henry W. Bradley of Binghamton, NY patented oleomargarine.
1888 Marvin C. Stone of Washington, DC patented the drinking straw.
1924 English explorer Howard Carter discovered the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt.
1938 The March of Dimes was established by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to fight poliomyelitis.
1945 Admiral Chester W Nimitz was placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.
1947 Congressional proceedings were televised for the first time as viewers in Washington, Philadelphia and New York City saw some of the opening ceremonies of the 80th Congress.
1951 Dragnet was first broadcast on NBC-TV.
1953 Frances Bolton and her son Oliver became the first mother-son combination to serve at the same time in the United States Congress.
1957 The Hamilton Watch Company was the first to introduce an electric watch.
1959 Alaska became the 49th state to enter the United States of America.
1961 The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba.
1969 30,000 copies of the John Lennon/Yoko Ono album Two Virgins were confiscated by police in Newark, NJ, for violating that state's pornography laws.
1972 Don McLean received a gold record for "American Pie."
1973 CBS got out of the baseball business by selling the New York Yankees to a 17-person syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner for $10 million.
1977 Apple Computer is incorporated.
1980 Conservationist Joy Adamson, author of Born Free, was killed in Kenya by a servant.
1981 John Lennon’s "(Just Like) Starting Over" and the album Double Fantasy topped the pop music charts.
1986 Capital Cities acquired ABC-TV for $3.5 billion.
1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1990 Ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.
1991 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Japan bought MCA Inc. for $6.9 billion.
1997 Bryant Gumbel signed off for the last time as host of NBC's Today show.
1999 Chicagoans dug out from their biggest snowstorm in more than 30 years, as 22 inches fell at O’Hare International Airport.
2000 The last new daily Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.
2004 NASA's Mars rover, Spirit, touched down on the red planet.
2005 President George W. Bush tapped his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to help raise tsunami relief funds.
2006 Lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion and agreed to cooperate in investigations of corruption in Congress; in a plea agreement, he admitted he had provided gifts to officials in exchange for favorable treatment.
Chart Toppers
1947
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Let Me Go, Lover - Joan Weber
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
More and More - Webb Pierce
1963
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1987
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Notorious - Duran Duran
Mind Your Own Business - Hank Williams, Jr.
Quote of the Day
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)
Today's Birthdays
0106 B.C. Cicero, Roman statesman, died Dec 7, 0043 B.C.
1879 Grace Coolidge (Goodhue), First Lady, died July 8, 1957
1886 Josephine Hull, actress (Arsenic and Old Lace, Harvey) died March 12, 1957
1892 J.R.R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien, writer (Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) died Sep 2, 1973
1894 Zasu Pitts, actress (Busby Berkeley musicals) died June 7, 1963
1905 Anna May Wong, actress (Shanghai Express) died Feb 2, 1961
1907 Ray Milland (Reginald Truscott-Jones), actor (The Lost Weekend) died Mar 10, 1986
1909 Victor Borge (Borge Rosenbaum), pianist/comedian, died Dec 23, 2000
1911 John Sturges, director (Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) died Aug 18, 1992
1916 Maxene (Angelyn) Andrews, singer (The Andrews Sisters) died Oct 21, 1995
1921 John (William Lawrence) Russell, actor (Rio Bravo, Pale Rider) died Jan 19, 1991
1923 Hank Stram, NFL coach/broadcaster (Kansas City Chiefs) died July 4, 2005
1926 Sir George Martin, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame record producer/arranger (The Beatles)
1930 Robert Loggia, actor (Independence Day, Big, Scarface, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1932 Dabney Coleman, actor (The Beverly Hillbillies, Dragnet, Tootsie, On Golden Pond, 9 to 5, North Dallas Forty)
1939 Bobby Hull, ‘The Golden Jet,’ Hockey Hall of Fame left wing (Chicago Blackhawks)
1945 Stephen Stills, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
1946 John Paul Jones (Baldwin), bassist (Led Zeppelin)
1950 Victoria Principal, actress (Dallas, Fantasy Island)
1955 Palmolive, drummer (The Slits)
1956 Mel (Columcille) Gibson, actor/director (Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Lethal Weapon series, Mad Max series, The Patriot, What Women Want, Apocalypto)
1963 Jim Everett III, NFL quarterback (LA Rams, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers)
1971 Cory Cross, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1975 Danica McKellar, actress (The Wonder Years)
1977 Michelle Stephenson, singer (The Spice Girls)
1978 Mike York, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1978 Kimberley Locke, singer/TV personality (American Idol)
1980 Angela Ruggiero, US Olympic hockey player
1981 Eli Manning, NFL quarterback (NY Giants)
Today's Deaths in History
1950 Emil Jannings, actor (first Academy Award for Best Actor) dies at 65
1967 Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald, dies at 55
1979 Conrad Hilton, hotelier, dies at 91
1980 Joy Adamson, conservationist (Born Free) is murdered at 69
1988 Joie Chitwood, race driver/daredevil, dies at 75
1993 Johnny Most, sports announcer (Boston Celtics) dies at 69
2007 Earl Reibel, NHL forward (Detroit Red Wings) dies at 76
Today in History
1496 Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tested a flying machine.
1521 Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
1749 Benning Wentworth issued the first of the New Hampshire Grants, leading to the establishment of Vermont.
1777 Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, N.J.
1825 The first engineering college in the U.S., Rensselaer School, opened in Troy, New York.
1833 Britain seized control of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.
1868 The Meiji Restoration re-established the authority of Japan's emperor and heralded the fall of the military rulers known as shoguns.
1871 Henry W. Bradley of Binghamton, NY patented oleomargarine.
1888 Marvin C. Stone of Washington, DC patented the drinking straw.
1924 English explorer Howard Carter discovered the sarcophagus of Tutankhamen in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt.
1938 The March of Dimes was established by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to fight poliomyelitis.
1945 Admiral Chester W Nimitz was placed in command of all U.S. Naval forces in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan.
1947 Congressional proceedings were televised for the first time as viewers in Washington, Philadelphia and New York City saw some of the opening ceremonies of the 80th Congress.
1951 Dragnet was first broadcast on NBC-TV.
1953 Frances Bolton and her son Oliver became the first mother-son combination to serve at the same time in the United States Congress.
1957 The Hamilton Watch Company was the first to introduce an electric watch.
1959 Alaska became the 49th state to enter the United States of America.
1961 The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba.
1969 30,000 copies of the John Lennon/Yoko Ono album Two Virgins were confiscated by police in Newark, NJ, for violating that state's pornography laws.
1972 Don McLean received a gold record for "American Pie."
1973 CBS got out of the baseball business by selling the New York Yankees to a 17-person syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner for $10 million.
1977 Apple Computer is incorporated.
1980 Conservationist Joy Adamson, author of Born Free, was killed in Kenya by a servant.
1981 John Lennon’s "(Just Like) Starting Over" and the album Double Fantasy topped the pop music charts.
1986 Capital Cities acquired ABC-TV for $3.5 billion.
1987 Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1990 Ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.
1991 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Japan bought MCA Inc. for $6.9 billion.
1997 Bryant Gumbel signed off for the last time as host of NBC's Today show.
1999 Chicagoans dug out from their biggest snowstorm in more than 30 years, as 22 inches fell at O’Hare International Airport.
2000 The last new daily Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz ran in 2,600 newspapers.
2004 NASA's Mars rover, Spirit, touched down on the red planet.
2005 President George W. Bush tapped his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to help raise tsunami relief funds.
2006 Lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to conspiracy, mail fraud and tax evasion and agreed to cooperate in investigations of corruption in Congress; in a plea agreement, he admitted he had provided gifts to officials in exchange for favorable treatment.
Chart Toppers
1947
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Let Me Go, Lover - Joan Weber
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
More and More - Webb Pierce
1963
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Bobby’s Girl - Marcie Blane
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Don’t Let Me Cross Over - Carl Butler & Pearl (Dee Jones)
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
1987
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
Notorious - Duran Duran
Mind Your Own Business - Hank Williams, Jr.
Quote of the Day
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.
Oscar Levant (1906 - 1972)
Today in History - Jan 4th
Today's Birthdays
1785 Jakob Grimm, librarian/fairy tale author (Brothers Grimm) died Sep 20, 1863
1809 Louis Braille, inventor (Braille System) died Jan 6, 1852
1838 General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), entertainer (world’s most famous midget) died July 15, 1883
1905 Sterling Holloway, actor/voice actor (Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book) died Nov 22, 1992
1914 Jane Wyman (Sarah Fulks), actress (The Yearling, The Lost Weekend, Falcon Crest) died Sep 10, 2007
1927 Barbara Rush, actress (The Seekers, The Young Lions, When Worlds Collide, Peyton Place)
1930 Don Shula, former NFL coach (Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins)
1930 Sorrell Booke, actor (Dukes of Hazzard) died Feb 11, 1994
1935 Floyd Patterson, heavyweight boxing champion, died May 11, 2006
1937 Dyan Cannon (Samille Friesen), actress (Caddyshack 2, Heaven Can Wait, Out to Sea, Ally McBeal)
1946 Arthur Conley, singer (Sweet Soul Music) died Nov 17, 2003
1953 George Tenet, former CIA director
1955 Mark Hollis, composer/singer (Talk Talk)
1956 Barney Sumner (Bernie Albrecht)(Dicken), guitarist/singer (Joy Division, New Order)
1956 Ann Magnuson, actress (Before and After, Tequila Sunrise, Desperately Seeking Susan)
1958 Matt Frewer, actor (Stephen King’s The Stand, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Max Headroom)
1958 Julian Sands, actor (Leaving Las Vegas, The Killing Fields, Oxford Blues)
1960 Michael Stipe, singer (R.E.M.)
1961 Lee Curreri, actor (Fame)
1962 Robin Guthrie, guitarist (Cocteau Twins)
1962 Patrick Cassidy, actor (Fever Pitch, Dirty Dancing)
1963 Dave Foley, actor (NewsRadio, The Kids in the Hall)
1963 Till Lindemann, singer (Rammstein)
1965 Beth Gibbons, singer (Portishead)
1965 Julia Ormond, actress (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall)
1965 Cait O'Riordan, bassist (The Pogues)
1966 Deana Carter, country singer
1967 Benjamin Darvill, harmonica/guitarist (Crash Test Dummies)
1971 Garrison Hearst, NFL running back (Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers)
Today's Deaths in History
1821 Elizabeth Ann Seton, American saint, dies at 46
1877 Cornelius Vanderbilt, entrepreneur (railroads) dies at 82
1960 Albert Camus, French author, dies at 46
1961 Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist (Schrodinger's Cat) dies at 73
1965 T.S. Eliot, poet, dies at 76
1986 Phil Lynott, Irish singer/songwriter (Thin Lizzy) dies at 36
1997 Harry Helmsley, real estate mogul, dies at 88
1999 Iron Eyes Cody, actor (A Man Called Horse) dies at 94
2005 Bud Poile, Hockey Hall of Fame right wing/coach/executive (NY Rangers) dies at 80
2007 Steve Krantz, film/TV producer (Fritz the Cat) dies at 83
Today in History
1847 Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the United States government.
1865 The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.
1885 Dr. William Grant of Davenport, IA performed the first successful appendectomy.
1896 Utah entered the United States of America as the 45th state.
1928 NBC radio debuted one of radio’s first variety shows: The Dodge Victory Hour starred Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra and singer Al Jolson.
1935 Bob Hope was first heard on network radio as part of The Intimate Revue, sponsored by Bromo Seltzer.
1936 The first pop music chart based on national sales was published by Billboard magazine.
1941 The animated short Elmer's Pet Rabbit was released, marking the second appearance of Bugs Bunny and the first to have his name on a title card.
1950 RCA Victor announced that it would manufacture long-playing (LP) records.
1951 North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul during the Korean War.
1954 Elvis Presley "Casual Love Affair" and "I’ll Never Stand in Your Way" at the Memphis Recording Service, for $4; they led to his contract with Sam Philiips and Sun Records.
1957 Collier’s magazine was published for the last time after 69 years in business.
1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his "Great Society" in his State of the Union address.
1965 The Fender Guitar Company was sold to CBS for $13 million.
1974 Peter Puck was introduced on NBC-TV as hockey was presented in prime time, with the Boston Bruins facing off against the New York Rangers.
1974 President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
1982 Bryant Gumbel moved from NBC Sports to join Jane Pauley as co-host of the Today show.
1984 Wayne Gretzky scored eight points for the second time in his National Hockey League career as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota North Stars, 12-8.
1987 An Amtrak train en route to Boston, Massachusetts from Washington, D.C., collided with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.
1989 A pair of Libyan MiG-23 Floggers are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation in the second Gulf of Sidra incident.
1990 Charles Stuart, who had claimed a gunman had killed his pregnant wife and wounded him, leaped to his death from a Boston Harbor bridge after he became a suspect.
1990 Deposed Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was arraigned in federal district court in Miami on drug-trafficking charges.
1991 Fu Mingxia, a 12-year-old from China, became the youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event, winning the women’s 10-metre platform title at the World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia.
1995 Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was formally elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1999 Minnesota inaugurated pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as its 38th governor.
2000 The Nasdaq composite index was hit for its worst point loss, falling more than 229 points (5.6 percent) to 3,901.
2004 Afghans approved a new constitution.
2004 Georgians overwhelmingly elected Mikhail Saakashvili president, two months after he'd led protests that forced Eduard Shevardnadze to step down.
2006 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.
2007 The 110th United States Congress convened, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
How Soon - Jack Owens
Serenade of the Bells - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
Brand New Key - Melanie
American Pie - Don McLean
An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1980
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1988
Faith - George Michael
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
Somewhere Tonight - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 - 1973)
Today's Birthdays
1785 Jakob Grimm, librarian/fairy tale author (Brothers Grimm) died Sep 20, 1863
1809 Louis Braille, inventor (Braille System) died Jan 6, 1852
1838 General Tom Thumb (Charles Stratton), entertainer (world’s most famous midget) died July 15, 1883
1905 Sterling Holloway, actor/voice actor (Winnie the Pooh, The Jungle Book) died Nov 22, 1992
1914 Jane Wyman (Sarah Fulks), actress (The Yearling, The Lost Weekend, Falcon Crest) died Sep 10, 2007
1927 Barbara Rush, actress (The Seekers, The Young Lions, When Worlds Collide, Peyton Place)
1930 Don Shula, former NFL coach (Baltimore Colts, Miami Dolphins)
1930 Sorrell Booke, actor (Dukes of Hazzard) died Feb 11, 1994
1935 Floyd Patterson, heavyweight boxing champion, died May 11, 2006
1937 Dyan Cannon (Samille Friesen), actress (Caddyshack 2, Heaven Can Wait, Out to Sea, Ally McBeal)
1946 Arthur Conley, singer (Sweet Soul Music) died Nov 17, 2003
1953 George Tenet, former CIA director
1955 Mark Hollis, composer/singer (Talk Talk)
1956 Barney Sumner (Bernie Albrecht)(Dicken), guitarist/singer (Joy Division, New Order)
1956 Ann Magnuson, actress (Before and After, Tequila Sunrise, Desperately Seeking Susan)
1958 Matt Frewer, actor (Stephen King’s The Stand, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Max Headroom)
1958 Julian Sands, actor (Leaving Las Vegas, The Killing Fields, Oxford Blues)
1960 Michael Stipe, singer (R.E.M.)
1961 Lee Curreri, actor (Fame)
1962 Robin Guthrie, guitarist (Cocteau Twins)
1962 Patrick Cassidy, actor (Fever Pitch, Dirty Dancing)
1963 Dave Foley, actor (NewsRadio, The Kids in the Hall)
1963 Till Lindemann, singer (Rammstein)
1965 Beth Gibbons, singer (Portishead)
1965 Julia Ormond, actress (Sabrina, Legends of the Fall)
1965 Cait O'Riordan, bassist (The Pogues)
1966 Deana Carter, country singer
1967 Benjamin Darvill, harmonica/guitarist (Crash Test Dummies)
1971 Garrison Hearst, NFL running back (Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers)
Today's Deaths in History
1821 Elizabeth Ann Seton, American saint, dies at 46
1877 Cornelius Vanderbilt, entrepreneur (railroads) dies at 82
1960 Albert Camus, French author, dies at 46
1961 Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist (Schrodinger's Cat) dies at 73
1965 T.S. Eliot, poet, dies at 76
1986 Phil Lynott, Irish singer/songwriter (Thin Lizzy) dies at 36
1997 Harry Helmsley, real estate mogul, dies at 88
1999 Iron Eyes Cody, actor (A Man Called Horse) dies at 94
2005 Bud Poile, Hockey Hall of Fame right wing/coach/executive (NY Rangers) dies at 80
2007 Steve Krantz, film/TV producer (Fritz the Cat) dies at 83
Today in History
1847 Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the United States government.
1865 The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.
1885 Dr. William Grant of Davenport, IA performed the first successful appendectomy.
1896 Utah entered the United States of America as the 45th state.
1928 NBC radio debuted one of radio’s first variety shows: The Dodge Victory Hour starred Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra and singer Al Jolson.
1935 Bob Hope was first heard on network radio as part of The Intimate Revue, sponsored by Bromo Seltzer.
1936 The first pop music chart based on national sales was published by Billboard magazine.
1941 The animated short Elmer's Pet Rabbit was released, marking the second appearance of Bugs Bunny and the first to have his name on a title card.
1950 RCA Victor announced that it would manufacture long-playing (LP) records.
1951 North Korean and Communist Chinese forces captured the city of Seoul during the Korean War.
1954 Elvis Presley "Casual Love Affair" and "I’ll Never Stand in Your Way" at the Memphis Recording Service, for $4; they led to his contract with Sam Philiips and Sun Records.
1957 Collier’s magazine was published for the last time after 69 years in business.
1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his "Great Society" in his State of the Union address.
1965 The Fender Guitar Company was sold to CBS for $13 million.
1974 Peter Puck was introduced on NBC-TV as hockey was presented in prime time, with the Boston Bruins facing off against the New York Rangers.
1974 President Richard Nixon refused to hand over tape recordings and documents subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
1982 Bryant Gumbel moved from NBC Sports to join Jane Pauley as co-host of the Today show.
1984 Wayne Gretzky scored eight points for the second time in his National Hockey League career as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Minnesota North Stars, 12-8.
1987 An Amtrak train en route to Boston, Massachusetts from Washington, D.C., collided with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.
1989 A pair of Libyan MiG-23 Floggers are shot down by a pair of US Navy F-14 Tomcats during an air-to-air confrontation in the second Gulf of Sidra incident.
1990 Charles Stuart, who had claimed a gunman had killed his pregnant wife and wounded him, leaped to his death from a Boston Harbor bridge after he became a suspect.
1990 Deposed Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was arraigned in federal district court in Miami on drug-trafficking charges.
1991 Fu Mingxia, a 12-year-old from China, became the youngest world champion in the history of any aquatic event, winning the women’s 10-metre platform title at the World Swimming Championships in Perth, Australia.
1995 Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was formally elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
1999 Minnesota inaugurated pro wrestler Jesse Ventura as its 38th governor.
2000 The Nasdaq composite index was hit for its worst point loss, falling more than 229 points (5.6 percent) to 3,901.
2004 Afghans approved a new constitution.
2004 Georgians overwhelmingly elected Mikhail Saakashvili president, two months after he'd led protests that forced Eduard Shevardnadze to step down.
2006 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a stroke and his powers were transferred to his deputy, Ehud Olmert.
2007 The 110th United States Congress convened, electing Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
How Soon - Jack Owens
Serenade of the Bells - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
Brand New Key - Melanie
American Pie - Don McLean
An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’ - Charley Pride
1980
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Please Don’t Go - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
Send One Your Love - Stevie Wonder
Happy Birthday Darlin’ - Conway Twitty
1988
Faith - George Michael
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
Somewhere Tonight - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 - 1973)
QUOTE(Giac @ Jan 4 2008, 01:05 PM) 
1987 An Amtrak train en route to Boston, Massachusetts from Washington, D.C., collided with Conrail engines in Chase, Maryland, killing 16 people.
I can't believe that it's been 20 years since this happened. The Amtrak train was traveling at 130 mph when the crash occurred. This crash was instrumental in establishing drug testing for transportation employees.
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?2,1313400
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase,_Maryland_rail_wreck
Today in History - Jan 5th
Today's Birthdays
1779 Zebulon Pike, explorer (Pike's Peak) died Apr 27, 1813
1855 King Camp Gillette, inventor (safety razor) died July 9, 1932
1864 Ban (Byron Bancroft) Johnson, Baseball Hall of Famer (American League) died Mar 28, 1931
1895 Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard, first Americam woman free balloon pilot, died May 17, 1981
1914 George Reeves, actor (Superman) died June 16, 1959
1917 Jane Wyman, actress/former Mrs Ronald Reagan, died Sept 10, 2007
1918 Jeane Dixon, astrologer/newspaper columnist, died Jan 25, 1997
1923 Sam Phillips, record executive (Sun Records) died July 30, 2003
1928 Walter ‘Fritz’ Mondale, U.S. Senator/Vice President/Presidential candidate
1931 Alvin Ailey, choreographer (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) died Dec 1, 1989
1931 Robert Duvall, actor (Days of Thunder, The Natural, Apocalypse Now, Network, The Godfather, M*A*S*H)
1932 Chuck Noll, NFL coach (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1945 Sam Wyche, NFL quarterback/sposrtcaster (Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, NBC, CBS)
1946 Diane Keaton (Hall), actress (Annie Hall, Baby Boom, The Godfather)
1947 Mercury (Eugene) Morris, NFL running back (Miami Dolphins)
1948 Ted Lange, actor (The Love Boat)
1949 George ‘Funky’ Brown, drummer (Kool and the Gang)
1950 Chris Stein, guitarist (Blondie)
1953 Pamela Sue Martin, actress (The Poseidon Adventure, Dynasty)
1959 Clancy Brown, actor (Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, Carnivalé)
1960 Phil Thornalley, bassist (The Cure)
1962 Suzy Amis, actress (The Usual Suspects, Blown Away)
1964 Grant Young, drummer (Soul Asylum)
1965 Vinnie Jones, actor (Gone in 60 seconds, X-Men 3, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
1966 Kate Schellenbach, drummer (Luscious Jackson)
1967 Joe Flanigan, actor (Stargate Atlantis)
1968 Joe Juneau, NHL forward (Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres)
1968 Carrie Ann Inaba, dancer/choreographer (Dancing with the Stars)
1969 Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner), rock singer/performer
1975 Warrick Dunn, NFL running back (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons)
1975 Kylie Bax, model (Vogue)
1976 Matt Wachter, bassist (30 Seconds to Mars)
1977 xcheck24, board member/moderator
1978 January Jones, actress (Mad Men)
Today's Deaths in History
1933 Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, dies at 60
1943 George Washington Carver, educator/scientist, dies at 81
1963 Rogers Hornsby, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (St Louis Cardinals) dies at 66
1979 Charles Mingus, jazz bassist, dies at 56
1982 Hans Conried, voice actor (Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right) dies at 64
1988 "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 40
1994 Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill, former Speaker of the House, dies at 81
1998 Sonny Bono, singer/actor/U.S. Congressman (R-CA) dies at 62
2001 Nancy Parsons, actress (Porky's) dies at 58
2004 Tug McGraw, MLB pitcher (NY Mets) dies at 59
2005 Danny Sugerman, music manager (The Doors) dies at 50
Today in History
1759 George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis.
1781 A British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.
1885 The Long Island Railroad Company was the first to offer piggyback rail service, transporting farm wagons on trains.
1896 The Austrian newspaper Wiener Presse reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen of a type of radiation that came to be known as an X-ray.
1914 Ford Motor Company proudly announced that there would be a new daily minimum wage of $5 and a shortened eight-hour work day.
1925 Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first female governor in the U.S.
1933 Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge.
1940 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first demonstration of FM radio, developed by Major E.H. Armstrong.
1944 The London Daily Mail became the first transoceanic newspaper published.
1948 Warner Pathe showed the very first color newsreel, with pictures of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football classic.
1949 In his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his domestic program the "Fair Deal."
1957 Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers annouced his retirement from baseball.
1961 Mr. Ed debuted for what would be a six-year run on television.
1970 The ABC daytime drama All My Children premiered.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon announced that NASA would proceed with the development of a reusable ‘low cost’ space shuttle system.
1973 Bruce Springsteen's debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., was released.
1975 The Wiz had its Broadway premiere; it ran for 1,672 shows at the Majestic Theatre.
1981 Police in England arrested Peter Sutcliffe, a truck driver later convicted of the "Yorkshire Ripper" murders of 13 women.
1987 President Ronald Reagan underwent prostate surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital; doctors reported no signs of cancer.
1987 David Robinson became the first basketball player in Naval Academy history to score more than 2,000 points.
1993 Mike Ditka was dismissed as Chicago Bears head coach after 32 years as a player and coach.
1993 The state of Washington executed Westley Allan Dodd, an admitted child sex killer, in America's first legal hanging since 1965.
1998 U.S. Congressman Sonny Bono (R-CA) was killed when he skied into a tree at Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California line, 55 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada.
2000 INS Commissioner Doris Meissner ruled that 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez belonged with his father and must be returned to Cuba.
2004 After 14 years of denials, Pete Rose publicly admitted that he'd bet on baseball while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
2005 Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, was discovered using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
My Darling, My Darling - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
A Heart Full of Love (For a Handfull of Kisses) - Eddy Arnold
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Green Door - Jim Lowe
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
She’s Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
One in a Million - Johnny Lee
1989
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.
Benjamin Franklin, author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)
Today's Birthdays
1779 Zebulon Pike, explorer (Pike's Peak) died Apr 27, 1813
1855 King Camp Gillette, inventor (safety razor) died July 9, 1932
1864 Ban (Byron Bancroft) Johnson, Baseball Hall of Famer (American League) died Mar 28, 1931
1895 Jeannette (Ridlon) Piccard, first Americam woman free balloon pilot, died May 17, 1981
1914 George Reeves, actor (Superman) died June 16, 1959
1917 Jane Wyman, actress/former Mrs Ronald Reagan, died Sept 10, 2007
1918 Jeane Dixon, astrologer/newspaper columnist, died Jan 25, 1997
1923 Sam Phillips, record executive (Sun Records) died July 30, 2003
1928 Walter ‘Fritz’ Mondale, U.S. Senator/Vice President/Presidential candidate
1931 Alvin Ailey, choreographer (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) died Dec 1, 1989
1931 Robert Duvall, actor (Days of Thunder, The Natural, Apocalypse Now, Network, The Godfather, M*A*S*H)
1932 Chuck Noll, NFL coach (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1945 Sam Wyche, NFL quarterback/sposrtcaster (Washington Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, NBC, CBS)
1946 Diane Keaton (Hall), actress (Annie Hall, Baby Boom, The Godfather)
1947 Mercury (Eugene) Morris, NFL running back (Miami Dolphins)
1948 Ted Lange, actor (The Love Boat)
1949 George ‘Funky’ Brown, drummer (Kool and the Gang)
1950 Chris Stein, guitarist (Blondie)
1953 Pamela Sue Martin, actress (The Poseidon Adventure, Dynasty)
1959 Clancy Brown, actor (Highlander, The Shawshank Redemption, Carnivalé)
1960 Phil Thornalley, bassist (The Cure)
1962 Suzy Amis, actress (The Usual Suspects, Blown Away)
1964 Grant Young, drummer (Soul Asylum)
1965 Vinnie Jones, actor (Gone in 60 seconds, X-Men 3, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
1966 Kate Schellenbach, drummer (Luscious Jackson)
1967 Joe Flanigan, actor (Stargate Atlantis)
1968 Joe Juneau, NHL forward (Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres)
1968 Carrie Ann Inaba, dancer/choreographer (Dancing with the Stars)
1969 Marilyn Manson (Brian Warner), rock singer/performer
1975 Warrick Dunn, NFL running back (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons)
1975 Kylie Bax, model (Vogue)
1976 Matt Wachter, bassist (30 Seconds to Mars)
1977 xcheck24, board member/moderator
1978 January Jones, actress (Mad Men)
Today's Deaths in History
1933 Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, dies at 60
1943 George Washington Carver, educator/scientist, dies at 81
1963 Rogers Hornsby, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (St Louis Cardinals) dies at 66
1979 Charles Mingus, jazz bassist, dies at 56
1982 Hans Conried, voice actor (Rocky & Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right) dies at 64
1988 "Pistol" Pete Maravich, Basketball Hall of Famer, dies at 40
1994 Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill, former Speaker of the House, dies at 81
1998 Sonny Bono, singer/actor/U.S. Congressman (R-CA) dies at 62
2001 Nancy Parsons, actress (Porky's) dies at 58
2004 Tug McGraw, MLB pitcher (NY Mets) dies at 59
2005 Danny Sugerman, music manager (The Doors) dies at 50
Today in History
1759 George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis.
1781 A British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.
1885 The Long Island Railroad Company was the first to offer piggyback rail service, transporting farm wagons on trains.
1896 The Austrian newspaper Wiener Presse reported the discovery by German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen of a type of radiation that came to be known as an X-ray.
1914 Ford Motor Company proudly announced that there would be a new daily minimum wage of $5 and a shortened eight-hour work day.
1925 Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming became the first female governor in the U.S.
1933 Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge.
1940 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first demonstration of FM radio, developed by Major E.H. Armstrong.
1944 The London Daily Mail became the first transoceanic newspaper published.
1948 Warner Pathe showed the very first color newsreel, with pictures of the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl football classic.
1949 In his State of the Union address, President Harry S. Truman labeled his domestic program the "Fair Deal."
1957 Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers annouced his retirement from baseball.
1961 Mr. Ed debuted for what would be a six-year run on television.
1970 The ABC daytime drama All My Children premiered.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon announced that NASA would proceed with the development of a reusable ‘low cost’ space shuttle system.
1973 Bruce Springsteen's debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., was released.
1975 The Wiz had its Broadway premiere; it ran for 1,672 shows at the Majestic Theatre.
1981 Police in England arrested Peter Sutcliffe, a truck driver later convicted of the "Yorkshire Ripper" murders of 13 women.
1987 President Ronald Reagan underwent prostate surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital; doctors reported no signs of cancer.
1987 David Robinson became the first basketball player in Naval Academy history to score more than 2,000 points.
1993 Mike Ditka was dismissed as Chicago Bears head coach after 32 years as a player and coach.
1993 The state of Washington executed Westley Allan Dodd, an admitted child sex killer, in America's first legal hanging since 1965.
1998 U.S. Congressman Sonny Bono (R-CA) was killed when he skied into a tree at Heavenly Ski Resort on the Nevada-California line, 55 miles southwest of Reno, Nevada.
2000 INS Commissioner Doris Meissner ruled that 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez belonged with his father and must be returned to Cuba.
2004 After 14 years of denials, Pete Rose publicly admitted that he'd bet on baseball while manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
2005 Eris, the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system, was discovered using images originally taken on October 21, 2003, at the Palomar Observatory.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
My Darling, My Darling - Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
A Heart Full of Love (For a Handfull of Kisses) - Eddy Arnold
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Green Door - Jim Lowe
Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
She’s Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
One in a Million - Johnny Lee
1989
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When You Say Nothing at All - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.
Benjamin Franklin, author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)
Today in History - Jan 6th
Today's Birthdays
1412 Joan of Arc (Jeanne D’Arc), French heroine, burned at the stake as a witch May 31, 1431
1878 Carl Sandburg, author/poet (Chicago, Grass, The People) died July 22, 1967
1880 Tom (Thomas Hezikiah) Mix, cowboy actor (Sagebrush Tom, Rustler’s Roundup) died Oct 12, 1940
1913 Loretta Young (Gretchen Michaela Young), actress (The Farmer’s Daughter, A Night to Remember) died Aug 12, 2000
1914 Danny Thomas (Amos Jacobs), actor/philanthropist (Make Room for Daddy, That Girl) died Feb 6, 1991
1916 Eugene Maleska, crossword puzzle editor (NY Times) died Aug 5, 1993
1924 Earl Scruggs, bluegrass musician/banjo (Flatt & Scruggs)
1925 John De Lorean, auto maker, died March 19, 2005
1926 Mickey Hargitay, actor/bodybuilder, died Sept 14, 2006
1929 Wilbert Harrison, singer (Kansas City) died Oct 26, 1994
1929 Vic Tayback (Tabback), actor (Alice) died May 25, 1990
1931 E.L. Doctorow, author (Ragtime)
1937 Lou Holtz, football coach (William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Notre Dame, NY Jets)
1944 Bonnie Franklin, actress (One Day at a Time)
1946 Syd (Roger) Barrett, guitarist/singer (Pink Floyd) died July 7, 2006
1951 Kim Wilson, singer/harmonica (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
1953 Malcolm Young, guitarist (AC/DC)
1954 Anthony Minghella, director (The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley)
1955 Rowan Atkinson, actor/comedian (Mr Bean series, Johnny English)
1959 Kathy Sledge, singer (Sister Sledge)
1960 Howie Long, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end/sportscaster/actor (L.A. Raiders, FOX NFL Sunday, Broken Arrow)
1962 Michael Houser, guitarist (Widespread Panic) died Aug 10, 2002
1964 Charles Haley, NFL defensive end (San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys)
1964 Mark O'Toole, bassist (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1966 Andrew Wood, singer (Mother Love Bone) died Mar 19, 1990
1968 John Singleton, director/writer (Higher Learning, Poetic Justice, Boyz N the Hood)
1970 Julie Chen, TV host (The Early Show, Big Brother)
1970 Gabrielle Reece, volleyball player/model
1975 James Farrior, NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1974 Nicole DeHuff, actress (Meet the Parents) died Feb 16, 2005
1976 Danny Pintauro, actor (Who's the Boss)
1980 Hiromi Oshima, playmate (June 2004)
1981 Asante Samuel, NFL cornerback (New England Patriots)
1981 Rinko Kikuchi, actress (Babel)
1986 Alex Turner, singer (Arctic Monkeys)
Today's Deaths in History
1852 Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind, dies at 43
1919 Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, dies at 60
1944 Ida Tarbell, journalist (investigative journalism, muckraking) dies at 86
1949 Victor Fleming, director (The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind) dies at 59
1993 Rudolf Nureyev, ballet dancer, dies at 54
1993 Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, dies at 75
2000 Don Martin, cartoonist (Mad Magazine) dies at 68
2004 Francesco Scavullo, fashion/glamour photographer, dies at 82
2006 Lou Rawls, singer (You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine) dies at 72
2007 Mario Danelo, college football placekicker (University of Southern California) dies at 21
Today in History
1540 England's King Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
1838 The telegraph was demonstrated for the first time in public at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey.
1893 The Washington National Cathedral was chartered by Congress.
1896 The first American women’s six-day bicycle race was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1912 New Mexico became the 47th state.
1929 Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta to begin a her work amongst India's poorest and diseased people.
1930 The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed, running 792 miles from Indianapolis, IN to New York City.
1941 Richard Widmark made his debut a new program on CBS radio, Home of the Brave.
1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, outlined a goal of "Four Freedoms" for the world: freedom of speech and expression, the freedom of people to worship God in their own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
1941 The keel of USS Missouri (BB-63) was laid at New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn.
1942 The Pan American Airways Pacific Clipper arrived in New York after making the first round-the-world trip by a commercial airplane.
1945 Future president George H.W. Bush married Barbara Pierce in Rye, N.Y.
1952 Peanuts became a regular feature of Sunday funny papers.
1966 Duke Ellington’s concert of sacred music, recorded at 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, was broadcast on CBS-TV.
1968 Dr. Norman E. Shumway performed the first heart transplant on an adult patient in the U.S. at Stanford University Hospital.
1974 In response to the 1973 energy crisis, daylight saving time commenced nearly four months early in the United States.
1974 CBS radio returned to dramatic programming at night with the first broadcast of Radio Mystery Theatre, hosted by E.G. Marshall.
1975 ABC-TV joined the early morning news and information race as A.M. America debuted.
1977 Music publisher EMI ended its contract with the Sex Pistols after reports of abusive behaviour at Heathrow Airport, London.
1980 The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their fourth Super Bowl since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers 27-13 in the AFC title game.
1982 Truck driver William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles of being the "freeway killer" who had murdered 14 young men and boys.
1984 Getty Oil announced a bid to take over Texaco Oil for an estimated $9.9 billion.
1985 Dan Marino passed for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.
1987 After a 29-year lapse, the Ford Thunderbird was again presented with the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award.
1994 Nancy Kerrigan, a favorite to win the women’s U.S. Figure Skating Championship, was assaulted after she finished a practice session in Detroit.
1996 Don Shula announced his retirement after 25 years as the Miami Dolphins head coach.
2001 With the vanquished Vice President Al Gore presiding, Congress certified Republican George W. Bush the winner of the close and bitterly contested 2000 presidential election.
2004 Mijailo Mijailovic confessed to the fatal stabbing of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in September 2003.
2005 Former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen was arrested 41 years after three civil rights workers were slain in Mississippi.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
The Story of My Life - Marty Robbins
1966
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers
Buckaroo - Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
1974
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Love in the First Degree - Alabama
1990
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Who’s Lonely Now - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.
John Adams, diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)
Today's Birthdays
1412 Joan of Arc (Jeanne D’Arc), French heroine, burned at the stake as a witch May 31, 1431
1878 Carl Sandburg, author/poet (Chicago, Grass, The People) died July 22, 1967
1880 Tom (Thomas Hezikiah) Mix, cowboy actor (Sagebrush Tom, Rustler’s Roundup) died Oct 12, 1940
1913 Loretta Young (Gretchen Michaela Young), actress (The Farmer’s Daughter, A Night to Remember) died Aug 12, 2000
1914 Danny Thomas (Amos Jacobs), actor/philanthropist (Make Room for Daddy, That Girl) died Feb 6, 1991
1916 Eugene Maleska, crossword puzzle editor (NY Times) died Aug 5, 1993
1924 Earl Scruggs, bluegrass musician/banjo (Flatt & Scruggs)
1925 John De Lorean, auto maker, died March 19, 2005
1926 Mickey Hargitay, actor/bodybuilder, died Sept 14, 2006
1929 Wilbert Harrison, singer (Kansas City) died Oct 26, 1994
1929 Vic Tayback (Tabback), actor (Alice) died May 25, 1990
1931 E.L. Doctorow, author (Ragtime)
1937 Lou Holtz, football coach (William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Notre Dame, NY Jets)
1944 Bonnie Franklin, actress (One Day at a Time)
1946 Syd (Roger) Barrett, guitarist/singer (Pink Floyd) died July 7, 2006
1951 Kim Wilson, singer/harmonica (Fabulous Thunderbirds)
1953 Malcolm Young, guitarist (AC/DC)
1954 Anthony Minghella, director (The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley)
1955 Rowan Atkinson, actor/comedian (Mr Bean series, Johnny English)
1959 Kathy Sledge, singer (Sister Sledge)
1960 Howie Long, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end/sportscaster/actor (L.A. Raiders, FOX NFL Sunday, Broken Arrow)
1962 Michael Houser, guitarist (Widespread Panic) died Aug 10, 2002
1964 Charles Haley, NFL defensive end (San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys)
1964 Mark O'Toole, bassist (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1966 Andrew Wood, singer (Mother Love Bone) died Mar 19, 1990
1968 John Singleton, director/writer (Higher Learning, Poetic Justice, Boyz N the Hood)
1970 Julie Chen, TV host (The Early Show, Big Brother)
1970 Gabrielle Reece, volleyball player/model
1975 James Farrior, NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1974 Nicole DeHuff, actress (Meet the Parents) died Feb 16, 2005
1976 Danny Pintauro, actor (Who's the Boss)
1980 Hiromi Oshima, playmate (June 2004)
1981 Asante Samuel, NFL cornerback (New England Patriots)
1981 Rinko Kikuchi, actress (Babel)
1986 Alex Turner, singer (Arctic Monkeys)
Today's Deaths in History
1852 Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind, dies at 43
1919 Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, dies at 60
1944 Ida Tarbell, journalist (investigative journalism, muckraking) dies at 86
1949 Victor Fleming, director (The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind) dies at 59
1993 Rudolf Nureyev, ballet dancer, dies at 54
1993 Dizzy Gillespie, jazz trumpeter, dies at 75
2000 Don Martin, cartoonist (Mad Magazine) dies at 68
2004 Francesco Scavullo, fashion/glamour photographer, dies at 82
2006 Lou Rawls, singer (You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine) dies at 72
2007 Mario Danelo, college football placekicker (University of Southern California) dies at 21
Today in History
1540 England's King Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.
1838 The telegraph was demonstrated for the first time in public at the Speedwell Iron Works in Morristown, New Jersey.
1893 The Washington National Cathedral was chartered by Congress.
1896 The first American women’s six-day bicycle race was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1912 New Mexico became the 47th state.
1929 Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta to begin a her work amongst India's poorest and diseased people.
1930 The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed, running 792 miles from Indianapolis, IN to New York City.
1941 Richard Widmark made his debut a new program on CBS radio, Home of the Brave.
1941 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his State of the Union address, outlined a goal of "Four Freedoms" for the world: freedom of speech and expression, the freedom of people to worship God in their own way, freedom from want and freedom from fear.
1941 The keel of USS Missouri (BB-63) was laid at New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn.
1942 The Pan American Airways Pacific Clipper arrived in New York after making the first round-the-world trip by a commercial airplane.
1945 Future president George H.W. Bush married Barbara Pierce in Rye, N.Y.
1952 Peanuts became a regular feature of Sunday funny papers.
1966 Duke Ellington’s concert of sacred music, recorded at 5th Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City, was broadcast on CBS-TV.
1968 Dr. Norman E. Shumway performed the first heart transplant on an adult patient in the U.S. at Stanford University Hospital.
1974 In response to the 1973 energy crisis, daylight saving time commenced nearly four months early in the United States.
1974 CBS radio returned to dramatic programming at night with the first broadcast of Radio Mystery Theatre, hosted by E.G. Marshall.
1975 ABC-TV joined the early morning news and information race as A.M. America debuted.
1977 Music publisher EMI ended its contract with the Sex Pistols after reports of abusive behaviour at Heathrow Airport, London.
1980 The Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to their fourth Super Bowl since 1974 by eliminating the Houston Oilers 27-13 in the AFC title game.
1982 Truck driver William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles of being the "freeway killer" who had murdered 14 young men and boys.
1984 Getty Oil announced a bid to take over Texaco Oil for an estimated $9.9 billion.
1985 Dan Marino passed for a record 421 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Miami Dolphins to a 45-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.
1987 After a 29-year lapse, the Ford Thunderbird was again presented with the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award.
1994 Nancy Kerrigan, a favorite to win the women’s U.S. Figure Skating Championship, was assaulted after she finished a practice session in Detroit.
1996 Don Shula announced his retirement after 25 years as the Miami Dolphins head coach.
2001 With the vanquished Vice President Al Gore presiding, Congress certified Republican George W. Bush the winner of the close and bitterly contested 2000 presidential election.
2004 Mijailo Mijailovic confessed to the fatal stabbing of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh in September 2003.
2005 Former Ku Klux Klan leader Edgar Ray Killen was arrested 41 years after three civil rights workers were slain in Mississippi.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Mule Train - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
The Story of My Life - Marty Robbins
1966
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
Ebb Tide - The Righteous Brothers
Buckaroo - Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
1974
Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
If We Make It Through December - Merle Haggard
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Love in the First Degree - Alabama
1990
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Who’s Lonely Now - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.
John Adams, diplomat & politician (1735 - 1826)
Today in History - Jan 7th
Today's Birthdays
1745 Jacques Montgolfier, co-inventor (hot air balloon) died Aug 2, 1799
1800 Millard S. Fillmore, 13th U.S. President, died Mar 8, 1874
1903 Warren Hull, actor (Mandrake the Magician, The Green Hornet Strikes Again) died Sept 14, 1974
1903 Alan Napier, English actor (Batman) died Aug 8, 1988
1911 (Thelma) Butterfly McQueen, actress (Gone with the Wind) died Dec 22, 1995
1912 Charles Addams, cartoonist/TV/films (The Addams Family) died Sep 29, 1988
1922 Vincent Gardenia, actor (All in the Family, The Super, Little Shop of Horrors)died Dec 9, 1992
1928 William Peter Blatty, screenwriter (The Exorcist)
1938 Paul Revere, singer/keyboardist (Paul Revere and The Raiders)
1946 Jann Wenner, publisher (Rolling Stone)
1948 Kenny Loggins, singer/guitarist (Loggins & Messina; I’m Alright, Danger Zone)
1950 Erin Gray, actress (Starman, Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
1956 David Caruso, actor (C.S.I.: Miami, N.Y.P.D. Blue, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1957 Katie Couric (Katherine Anne Couric), TV hostess/anchorwoman (Today Show, CBS Evening News)
1958 Linda Kozlowski, actress (Crocodile Dundee series)
1959 Kathy Valentine, bassist (The Go-Go's)
1960 David Marciano, actor (Due South, The Shield)
1962 Hallie Todd, actress (Lizzie McGuire)
1964 Nicolas Cage (Nicholas Coppola), actor (The Rock, Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Valley Girl, Con Air, Face/Off, Windtalkers, Ghost Rider, Gone in 60 Seconds)
1965 John Ondrasik, singer/songwriter (Five for Fighting)
1966 Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, publicist, died July 16, 1999 in a plane crash
1967 Guy Hebert, NHL goaltender (NY Rangers)
1970 Doug E. Doug, actor (Cool Runnings, Operation Dumbo Drop)
1972 Donald Brashear, NHL winger (Washington Capitals)
1976 Alfonso Soriano, MLB left fielder (Chicago Cubs)
1977 Dustin Diamond, actor (Saved by the Bell)
1982 Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez, MLB relief pitcher (LA Angels)
Today's Deaths in History
1920 Edmund Barton, first Prime Minister of Australia, dies at 70
1943 Nikola Tesla, Serbian-born inventor/electrical engineer, dies at 86
1944 Lou Hoover, First Lady, dies at 69
1980 Larry Williams, singer/songwriter (Bonie Maronie, Dizzy Miss Lizzy) dies at 44
1986 Philip D. Eastman, children's book writer/illustrator, dies at 76
1988 Trevor Howard, English actor (Mutiny on the Bounty, Father Goose) dies at 74
1989 Hirohito, Japanese Emperor, dies at 87
1992 Richard Hunt, puppeteer (The Muppets) dies at 40
2002 Avery Schreiber, comic/actor (Burns and Schreiber) dies at 66
2007 Bobby Hamilton, NASCAR team owner, dies at 49
Today in History
1610 Astronomer Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons.
1782 The the first commercial bank in the United States, the Bank of North America, opened in Philadelphia.
1785 French aeronaut/balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard successfully made the first air-crossing of the English Channel from the English coast to France.
1789 The first U.S. presidential election was held; Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.
1887 Thomas Stevens completed the first worldwide bicycle trip, after starting his trek in April 1884.
1894 W.K.L. Dickson received a patent for motion picture film.
1896 Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook was published
1904 The distress signal, “CQD,” was established; it was replaced four years later by "SOS."
1924 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded in Paris by seven member states: Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain, and Switzerland.
1926 George Burns and Gracie Allen were married by a Justice of the Peace in Cleveland, Ohio.
1927 The Harlem Globetrotters played their first game.
1927 Transatlantic telephone service began between New York and London.
1929 Buck Rogers 2429 A.D. debuted in newspapers around the U.S.
1949 The announcement of the first photograph of genes was presented at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
1953 President Harry S. Truman announced in his State of the Union address that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb.
1954 The Duoscopic TV receiver was unveiled, which allowed people to watch two programs at the same time.
1955 Marian Anderson became the first black singer at the Metropolitan Opera, appearing as Ulrica in Verdi’s The Masked Ball.
1958 The Flying V guitar was patented by the Gibson Guitar Company.
1959 The United States recognized Fidel Castro's new government in Cuba.
1970 Neighbors of New York landowner Max Yasgur sued him for $35,000 for property damage caused by people who attended the August 1969 Woodstock Festival.
1972 Lewis F. Powell Jr. and William H. Rehnquist were sworn in as the 99th and 100th members of the Supreme Court.
1979 Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.
1980 President Jimmy Carter authorized legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
1985 Phil Donahue broadcast the first of his long-running talk shows from New York City.
1985 Yul Brynner returned to the stage as The King and I returned to where it first began, 33 years before.
1987 Government sources said the combined local, state, and national debt had risen to $10,047 per person in the U.S.
1990 The Tower of Pisa closed to the public after leaning too far (itw as re-opened Dec 15, 2001).
1996 A blizzard paralyzed the Eastern U.S.
1997 Newt Gingrich became the first Republican re-elected House Speaker in 68 years.
1999 President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate.
2003 Police announced they had found traces of the deadly poison ricin in a north London apartment and arrested six men.
2005 Conservative columnist Armstrong Williams was dropped by a major syndication service because he'd accepted a payment from the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind law.
2005 Actor Brad Pitt and actress Jennifer Aniston announced they were separating after four years of marriage.
2006 American journalist Jill Carroll was abducted in Iraq and a translator was killed (she was released unharmed after 82 days).
2006 Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, facing corruption charges, stepped down as House majority leader.
Chart Toppers
1951
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
The Thing - Phil Harris
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
I Love You a Thousand Ways - Lefty Frizzell
1959
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Problems - The Everly Brothers
City Lights - Ray Price
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
The Door - George Jones
1983
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
Wild and Blue - John Anderson
1991
Justify My Love - Madonna
High Enough - Damn Yankees
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
I’ve Come to Expect It From You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
Today's Birthdays
1745 Jacques Montgolfier, co-inventor (hot air balloon) died Aug 2, 1799
1800 Millard S. Fillmore, 13th U.S. President, died Mar 8, 1874
1903 Warren Hull, actor (Mandrake the Magician, The Green Hornet Strikes Again) died Sept 14, 1974
1903 Alan Napier, English actor (Batman) died Aug 8, 1988
1911 (Thelma) Butterfly McQueen, actress (Gone with the Wind) died Dec 22, 1995
1912 Charles Addams, cartoonist/TV/films (The Addams Family) died Sep 29, 1988
1922 Vincent Gardenia, actor (All in the Family, The Super, Little Shop of Horrors)died Dec 9, 1992
1928 William Peter Blatty, screenwriter (The Exorcist)
1938 Paul Revere, singer/keyboardist (Paul Revere and The Raiders)
1946 Jann Wenner, publisher (Rolling Stone)
1948 Kenny Loggins, singer/guitarist (Loggins & Messina; I’m Alright, Danger Zone)
1950 Erin Gray, actress (Starman, Silver Spoons, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
1956 David Caruso, actor (C.S.I.: Miami, N.Y.P.D. Blue, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1957 Katie Couric (Katherine Anne Couric), TV hostess/anchorwoman (Today Show, CBS Evening News)
1958 Linda Kozlowski, actress (Crocodile Dundee series)
1959 Kathy Valentine, bassist (The Go-Go's)
1960 David Marciano, actor (Due South, The Shield)
1962 Hallie Todd, actress (Lizzie McGuire)
1964 Nicolas Cage (Nicholas Coppola), actor (The Rock, Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Valley Girl, Con Air, Face/Off, Windtalkers, Ghost Rider, Gone in 60 Seconds)
1965 John Ondrasik, singer/songwriter (Five for Fighting)
1966 Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, publicist, died July 16, 1999 in a plane crash
1967 Guy Hebert, NHL goaltender (NY Rangers)
1970 Doug E. Doug, actor (Cool Runnings, Operation Dumbo Drop)
1972 Donald Brashear, NHL winger (Washington Capitals)
1976 Alfonso Soriano, MLB left fielder (Chicago Cubs)
1977 Dustin Diamond, actor (Saved by the Bell)
1982 Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez, MLB relief pitcher (LA Angels)
Today's Deaths in History
1920 Edmund Barton, first Prime Minister of Australia, dies at 70
1943 Nikola Tesla, Serbian-born inventor/electrical engineer, dies at 86
1944 Lou Hoover, First Lady, dies at 69
1980 Larry Williams, singer/songwriter (Bonie Maronie, Dizzy Miss Lizzy) dies at 44
1986 Philip D. Eastman, children's book writer/illustrator, dies at 76
1988 Trevor Howard, English actor (Mutiny on the Bounty, Father Goose) dies at 74
1989 Hirohito, Japanese Emperor, dies at 87
1992 Richard Hunt, puppeteer (The Muppets) dies at 40
2002 Avery Schreiber, comic/actor (Burns and Schreiber) dies at 66
2007 Bobby Hamilton, NASCAR team owner, dies at 49
Today in History
1610 Astronomer Galileo Galilei sighted four of Jupiter's moons.
1782 The the first commercial bank in the United States, the Bank of North America, opened in Philadelphia.
1785 French aeronaut/balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard successfully made the first air-crossing of the English Channel from the English coast to France.
1789 The first U.S. presidential election was held; Americans voted for electors who, a month later, chose George Washington to be the nation's first president.
1887 Thomas Stevens completed the first worldwide bicycle trip, after starting his trek in April 1884.
1894 W.K.L. Dickson received a patent for motion picture film.
1896 Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook was published
1904 The distress signal, “CQD,” was established; it was replaced four years later by "SOS."
1924 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) was founded in Paris by seven member states: Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Hungary, Spain, and Switzerland.
1926 George Burns and Gracie Allen were married by a Justice of the Peace in Cleveland, Ohio.
1927 The Harlem Globetrotters played their first game.
1927 Transatlantic telephone service began between New York and London.
1929 Buck Rogers 2429 A.D. debuted in newspapers around the U.S.
1949 The announcement of the first photograph of genes was presented at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
1953 President Harry S. Truman announced in his State of the Union address that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb.
1954 The Duoscopic TV receiver was unveiled, which allowed people to watch two programs at the same time.
1955 Marian Anderson became the first black singer at the Metropolitan Opera, appearing as Ulrica in Verdi’s The Masked Ball.
1958 The Flying V guitar was patented by the Gibson Guitar Company.
1959 The United States recognized Fidel Castro's new government in Cuba.
1970 Neighbors of New York landowner Max Yasgur sued him for $35,000 for property damage caused by people who attended the August 1969 Woodstock Festival.
1972 Lewis F. Powell Jr. and William H. Rehnquist were sworn in as the 99th and 100th members of the Supreme Court.
1979 Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.
1980 President Jimmy Carter authorized legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.
1985 Phil Donahue broadcast the first of his long-running talk shows from New York City.
1985 Yul Brynner returned to the stage as The King and I returned to where it first began, 33 years before.
1987 Government sources said the combined local, state, and national debt had risen to $10,047 per person in the U.S.
1990 The Tower of Pisa closed to the public after leaning too far (itw as re-opened Dec 15, 2001).
1996 A blizzard paralyzed the Eastern U.S.
1997 Newt Gingrich became the first Republican re-elected House Speaker in 68 years.
1999 President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial began in the Senate.
2003 Police announced they had found traces of the deadly poison ricin in a north London apartment and arrested six men.
2005 Conservative columnist Armstrong Williams was dropped by a major syndication service because he'd accepted a payment from the Bush administration to promote the No Child Left Behind law.
2005 Actor Brad Pitt and actress Jennifer Aniston announced they were separating after four years of marriage.
2006 American journalist Jill Carroll was abducted in Iraq and a translator was killed (she was released unharmed after 82 days).
2006 Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, facing corruption charges, stepped down as House majority leader.
Chart Toppers
1951
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
The Thing - Phil Harris
Nevertheless - Jack Denny
I Love You a Thousand Ways - Lefty Frizzell
1959
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Problems - The Everly Brothers
City Lights - Ray Price
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Elton John
You’re the First, the Last, My Everything - Barry White
Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas
The Door - George Jones
1983
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
Wild and Blue - John Anderson
1991
Justify My Love - Madonna
High Enough - Damn Yankees
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
I’ve Come to Expect It From You - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
Today in History - Jan 8th
Today's Birthdays
1862 Frank Nelson Doubleday, publisher, died Jan 30, 1934
1909 Evelyn Wood, educator (speed reading) died Aug 26, 1995
1912 José Ferrer (Cintron), actor (The Caine Mutiny, Lawrence of Arabia, Dune) died Jan 26, 1992
1923 Larry Storch, comedian/actor (F Troop)
1926 Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer
1926 Soupy Sales (Milton Supman), entertainer/game show panelist (What’s My Line?)
1927 Wally (Walter) Hergesheimer, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1928 Sander Vanocur, broadcast journalist (ABC News, NBC News)
1933 Charles Osgood, broadcast journalist (CBS News Sunday Morning)
1935 Elvis (Aron) Presley, singer/actor (All Shook Up, Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii) died Aug 16, 1977
1937 Shirley Bassey, singer (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever)
1938 Bob Eubanks, TV game show host (The Newlywed Game)
1941 Boris Vallejo, illustrator
1941 Anthony Gourdine, singer (Little Anthony and The Imperials)
1941 Graham Chapman, British comedian (Monty Python) died Oct 4, 1989
1942 Stephen Hawking, author (A Brief History of Time)
1942 Yvette Mimieux, actress (The Time Machine, Where the Boys Are, Toys in the Attic)
1944 Terry Brooks, writer (The Sword of Shannara)
1946 Robbie Krieger, guitarist (The Doors)
1947 David Bowie (Jones) singer/actor (Space Oddity, Fame, Changes, Ziggy Stardust)
1947 Terry Sylvester, singer/guitarist (The Hollies)
1951 John McTiernan, film director (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October)
1955 Mike Reno, singer (Loverboy)
1959 Paul Hester, drummer (Crowded House) died Mar 26, 2005
1962 Chris Marion, keyboardist (Little River Band)
1965 Maria Pitillo, actress (Godzilla, Wise Guys, Natural Born Killers)
1965 Michelle Forbes, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1966 Andrew Wood, singer (Mother Love Bone) died Mar 19, 1990
1967 R. Kelly, R&B singer/alleged child molester
1969 Ami Dolenz, actress (Can't Buy Me Love)
1969 Jeff Abercrombie, bassist (Fuel)
1971 Jason Giambi, MLB 1st baseman/DH (NY Yankees)
1977 Amber Benson, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1979 Sarah Polley, actress (Dawn of the Dead, The Sweet Hereafter)
1980 Rachel Nichols, actress (Alias)
1982 Gaby Hoffmann, actress (Field of Dreams)
Today's Deaths in History
1324 Marco Polo, Italian explorer, dies at 69
1642 Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer/scientist, dies at 77
1825 Eli Whitney, inventor (cotton gin) dies at 59
1976 Chou En-lai, Chinese Premier, dies at 78
1981 Matthew "Stymie" Beard, actor (Our Gang series) dies at 56
1990 Terry-Thomas, British actor/comedian (Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines) dies at 78
1991 Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) dies at 30
1994 Pat Buttram, actor (Green Acres) dies at 78
1996 Francois Mitterrand, Former French President, dies at 79
2002 Dave Thomas, fast food entrepreneur (Wendy's) dies at 69
2007 Yvonne De Carlo, actress (The Munsters) dies at 84
2007 Iwao Takamoto, animator (Hanna-Barbera Productions) dies at 81
Today in History
1815 U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, the closing engagement of the War of 1812.
1853 A bronze statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse was unveiled in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.
1856 Borax (hydrated sodium borate) was discovered by Dr. John Veatch near Red Bluff, California.
1889 The tabulating machine was patented by Dr. Herman Hollerith.
1901 The first tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held in Chicago, Illinois.
1925 Russian composer Igor Stravinsky appeared in his first American concert, conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a program of his own compositions.
1955 Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 59-58, the first Kentucky home basketball loss since January 2, 1943.
1957 Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from baseball in an article appearing in Look magazine.
1959 Charles De Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic.
1958 Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship for the first time at age 14.
1960 The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football.
1961 Robert Goulet made his national TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.
1962 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
1966 The Beatles LP Rubber Soul began a 6-week run at the top of the album chart.
1973 Carly Simon received a gold record for the single "You’re So Vain."
1973 The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate began.
1973 Secret peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed near Paris.
1975 Ella Grasso became the governor of Connecticut, the first woman to become a governor of a state without a husband preceding her in the governor’s chair.
1982 American Telephone & Telegraph settled the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies.
1987 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over the 2000 mark for the first time ever.
1992 President George Bush fell suddenly ill at a state dinner in Japan and vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister.
1998 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison.
1999 The top two executives of Salt Lake City’s Olympic organizing committee resigned amid investigations into how far city boosters went to win the 2002 Winter Games.
2002 President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.
2004 The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, was christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
2007 A Moroccan man convicted of aiding three of the four suicide pilots who had committed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was sentenced by a German court to the maximum of 15 years in prison for his role in the terror plot.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
People Will Say We’re in Love - Bing Crosby
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Undecided - The Ames Brothers
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1960
Why - Frankie Avalon
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans - Freddie Cannon
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Hello Goodbye - The Beatles
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1976
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Twist of Fate - Olivia Newton-John
You Look So Good in Love - George Strait
Quote of the Day
The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)
Today's Birthdays
1862 Frank Nelson Doubleday, publisher, died Jan 30, 1934
1909 Evelyn Wood, educator (speed reading) died Aug 26, 1995
1912 José Ferrer (Cintron), actor (The Caine Mutiny, Lawrence of Arabia, Dune) died Jan 26, 1992
1923 Larry Storch, comedian/actor (F Troop)
1926 Hanae Mori, Japanese fashion designer
1926 Soupy Sales (Milton Supman), entertainer/game show panelist (What’s My Line?)
1927 Wally (Walter) Hergesheimer, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1928 Sander Vanocur, broadcast journalist (ABC News, NBC News)
1933 Charles Osgood, broadcast journalist (CBS News Sunday Morning)
1935 Elvis (Aron) Presley, singer/actor (All Shook Up, Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, Blue Hawaii) died Aug 16, 1977
1937 Shirley Bassey, singer (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever)
1938 Bob Eubanks, TV game show host (The Newlywed Game)
1941 Boris Vallejo, illustrator
1941 Anthony Gourdine, singer (Little Anthony and The Imperials)
1941 Graham Chapman, British comedian (Monty Python) died Oct 4, 1989
1942 Stephen Hawking, author (A Brief History of Time)
1942 Yvette Mimieux, actress (The Time Machine, Where the Boys Are, Toys in the Attic)
1944 Terry Brooks, writer (The Sword of Shannara)
1946 Robbie Krieger, guitarist (The Doors)
1947 David Bowie (Jones) singer/actor (Space Oddity, Fame, Changes, Ziggy Stardust)
1947 Terry Sylvester, singer/guitarist (The Hollies)
1951 John McTiernan, film director (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October)
1955 Mike Reno, singer (Loverboy)
1959 Paul Hester, drummer (Crowded House) died Mar 26, 2005
1962 Chris Marion, keyboardist (Little River Band)
1965 Maria Pitillo, actress (Godzilla, Wise Guys, Natural Born Killers)
1965 Michelle Forbes, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1966 Andrew Wood, singer (Mother Love Bone) died Mar 19, 1990
1967 R. Kelly, R&B singer/alleged child molester
1969 Ami Dolenz, actress (Can't Buy Me Love)
1969 Jeff Abercrombie, bassist (Fuel)
1971 Jason Giambi, MLB 1st baseman/DH (NY Yankees)
1977 Amber Benson, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1979 Sarah Polley, actress (Dawn of the Dead, The Sweet Hereafter)
1980 Rachel Nichols, actress (Alias)
1982 Gaby Hoffmann, actress (Field of Dreams)
Today's Deaths in History
1324 Marco Polo, Italian explorer, dies at 69
1642 Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer/scientist, dies at 77
1825 Eli Whitney, inventor (cotton gin) dies at 59
1976 Chou En-lai, Chinese Premier, dies at 78
1981 Matthew "Stymie" Beard, actor (Our Gang series) dies at 56
1990 Terry-Thomas, British actor/comedian (Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines) dies at 78
1991 Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) dies at 30
1994 Pat Buttram, actor (Green Acres) dies at 78
1996 Francois Mitterrand, Former French President, dies at 79
2002 Dave Thomas, fast food entrepreneur (Wendy's) dies at 69
2007 Yvonne De Carlo, actress (The Munsters) dies at 84
2007 Iwao Takamoto, animator (Hanna-Barbera Productions) dies at 81
Today in History
1815 U.S. forces led by Gen. Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, the closing engagement of the War of 1812.
1853 A bronze statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse was unveiled in Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C.
1856 Borax (hydrated sodium borate) was discovered by Dr. John Veatch near Red Bluff, California.
1889 The tabulating machine was patented by Dr. Herman Hollerith.
1901 The first tournament sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was held in Chicago, Illinois.
1925 Russian composer Igor Stravinsky appeared in his first American concert, conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a program of his own compositions.
1955 Georgia Tech defeated Kentucky 59-58, the first Kentucky home basketball loss since January 2, 1943.
1957 Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from baseball in an article appearing in Look magazine.
1959 Charles De Gaulle was inaugurated as president of France's Fifth Republic.
1958 Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship for the first time at age 14.
1960 The NCAA met in New York and voted against reviving the unlimited substitution rule for college football.
1961 Robert Goulet made his national TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on CBS.
1962 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is exhibited in the United States for the first time at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
1966 The Beatles LP Rubber Soul began a 6-week run at the top of the album chart.
1973 Carly Simon received a gold record for the single "You’re So Vain."
1973 The trial of seven men accused of illegal entry into Democratic Party headquarters at Watergate began.
1973 Secret peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam resumed near Paris.
1975 Ella Grasso became the governor of Connecticut, the first woman to become a governor of a state without a husband preceding her in the governor’s chair.
1982 American Telephone & Telegraph settled the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies.
1987 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed over the 2000 mark for the first time ever.
1992 President George Bush fell suddenly ill at a state dinner in Japan and vomited on the Japanese Prime Minister.
1998 Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison.
1999 The top two executives of Salt Lake City’s Olympic organizing committee resigned amid investigations into how far city boosters went to win the 2002 Winter Games.
2002 President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.
2004 The RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest passenger ship ever built, was christened by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
2007 A Moroccan man convicted of aiding three of the four suicide pilots who had committed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was sentenced by a German court to the maximum of 15 years in prison for his role in the terror plot.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
People Will Say We’re in Love - Bing Crosby
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Undecided - The Ames Brothers
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1960
Why - Frankie Avalon
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans - Freddie Cannon
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Hello Goodbye - The Beatles
Daydream Believer - The Monkees
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1976
Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers
I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Twist of Fate - Olivia Newton-John
You Look So Good in Love - George Strait
Quote of the Day
The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)
Today in History - Jan 9th
Today's Birthdays
1890 Karel Čapek, Czech writer (coined the word "robot") died Dec 25, 1938
1901 Chic (Murat Bernard) Young, cartoonist (Blondie) died Mar 14, 1973
1902 Sir Rudolf Bing, manager (Metropolitan Opera House) died Sep 2, 1997
1908 Simone de Beauvoir, French author (The Second Sex) died Apr 14, 1986
1913 Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th U.S. President, died Apr 22, 1994
1915 Fernando Lamas, actor (The Cheap Detective, Murder on Flight 502) died Oct 8, 1982
1917 Herbert Lom (Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich Schluderpacheru), actor (Pink Panther series, Murders in the Rue Morgue)
1925 Lee Van Cleef, actor (For a Few Dollars More) died Dec 16, 1989
1934 Bart Starr (Bryan Bartlett), Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Green Bay Packers)
1935 Bob Denver, actor (Gilligan’s Island, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) died Sep 2, 2005
1935 Dick Enberg, sportscaster (California Angels, NBC Sports, CBS Sports)
1937 Judith Krantz, author (Scruples)
1939 Jimmy Boyd, singer/actor (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; Bachelor Father)
1941 Joan Baez, singer (The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Diamonds and Rust)
1941 Susannah York (Susannah Yolande Fletcher), actress (Superman series)
1944 Jimmy Page, guitarist (Led Zeppelin)
1948 Bill Cowsill, singer (The Cowsills) died Feb 18, 2006
1948 Cassie Gaines, singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) died Oct 20, 1977 in a plane crash
1950 David Johansen (Buster Poindexter), singer/actor (New York Dolls; Scrooged)
1950 Robert Newhouse, NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys)
1951 Crystal Gayle (Brenda Gail Webb), singer (Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue)
1955 J.K. Simmons, actor (Law & Order, The Closer)
1957 Phil Lewis, singer (L.A. Guns)
1958 Mehmet Ali Ağca, attempted assassin (Pope John Paul II)
1963 Eric Erlandson, guitarist (Hole)
1965 Joely Richardson, actress (The Patriot, 101 Dalmatians)
1967 Dave Matthews, singer/songwriter/guitarist
1967 Carl Bell, guitarist (Fuel)
1967 Steve Harwell, singer (Smash Mouth)
1968 Al Schnier, guitarist (moe)
1968 Joey Lauren Adams, actress (Chasing Amy, Biodome, Dazed and Confused, Big Daddy)
1970 Marco Sanchez, actor (Walker Texas Ranger, SeaQuest DSV)
1975 Kimberley Ann Scott Mathers, ex-wife of Eminem
1978 A.J. Mclean, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1978 Chad Johnson, NFL wide receiver (Cincinnati Bengals)
1982 Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William of Wales
Today's Deaths in History
1858 Anson Jones, 5th and last President of Texas, commits suicide at 60
1936 John Gilbert, silent film actor (The Merry Widow) dies at 36
1987 Marion Hutton, singer/actress (Love Happy) dies at 67
1987 Arthur Lake, actor (Blondie) dies at 81
1995 Peter Cook, British actor/satirist/comedian, dies at 57
1997 Jesse White, actor (Maytag Commercials, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) dies at 80
Today in History
1788 Connecticut became the fifth of the United States of America.
1793 Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first successful balloon flight in the United States.
1861 Mississippi seceded from the Union.
1894 New England Telephone and Telegraph installed the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
1929 The Seeing Eye was incorporated in Nashville, TN, to train dogs to lead the blind.
1936 The United States Army adopted the M1 semiautomatic rifle.
1937 The first issue of LOOK magazine went on sale.
1941 The first demonstration of small-screen color television was given by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
1942 Joe Louis knocked out Buddy Baer to successfully defend his title for the 20th time.
1951 The United Nations headquarters officially opened in New York City.
1964 Anti-U.S. rioting broke out in the Panama Canal Zone resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and three U.S. soldiers.
1965 The Beatles’ Beatles ’65 was the number-one album in the U.S. for the first of nine straight weeks.
1968 The Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, the last of America's unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.
1972 Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, speaking to reporters by telephone from the Bahamas, said a purported biography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake.
1981 Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito said he would retire as a hockey player after the New York Rangers-Buffalo Sabres hockey game.
1984 Clara Peller was first seen by TV viewers in the famous and successful "Where's the Beef?" commercial campaign for Wendy’s fast-food chain.
1986 Kodak got out of the instant camera business after 10 years after claims that Kodak copied Polaroid patents.
1987 The White House released a memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan in January 1986 that showed a definite link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.
1996 The Toronto Raptors set an NBA record for fewest free throws made, missing all of their free throws while losing 92-91 to the Charlotte Hornets.
2002 The United States Department of Justice announced it was going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
2005 Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide.
2006 The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing Cats, which ran for 7,485 performances.
2007 Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, which went on sale the following June.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Wastin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1961
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Broken Down in Tiny Pieces - Billy "Crash" Craddock
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Work is the curse of the drinking classes.
Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)
Today's Birthdays
1890 Karel Čapek, Czech writer (coined the word "robot") died Dec 25, 1938
1901 Chic (Murat Bernard) Young, cartoonist (Blondie) died Mar 14, 1973
1902 Sir Rudolf Bing, manager (Metropolitan Opera House) died Sep 2, 1997
1908 Simone de Beauvoir, French author (The Second Sex) died Apr 14, 1986
1913 Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th U.S. President, died Apr 22, 1994
1915 Fernando Lamas, actor (The Cheap Detective, Murder on Flight 502) died Oct 8, 1982
1917 Herbert Lom (Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchacevich Schluderpacheru), actor (Pink Panther series, Murders in the Rue Morgue)
1925 Lee Van Cleef, actor (For a Few Dollars More) died Dec 16, 1989
1934 Bart Starr (Bryan Bartlett), Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Green Bay Packers)
1935 Bob Denver, actor (Gilligan’s Island, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) died Sep 2, 2005
1935 Dick Enberg, sportscaster (California Angels, NBC Sports, CBS Sports)
1937 Judith Krantz, author (Scruples)
1939 Jimmy Boyd, singer/actor (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; Bachelor Father)
1941 Joan Baez, singer (The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Diamonds and Rust)
1941 Susannah York (Susannah Yolande Fletcher), actress (Superman series)
1944 Jimmy Page, guitarist (Led Zeppelin)
1948 Bill Cowsill, singer (The Cowsills) died Feb 18, 2006
1948 Cassie Gaines, singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd) died Oct 20, 1977 in a plane crash
1950 David Johansen (Buster Poindexter), singer/actor (New York Dolls; Scrooged)
1950 Robert Newhouse, NFL running back (Dallas Cowboys)
1951 Crystal Gayle (Brenda Gail Webb), singer (Don’t it Make My Brown Eyes Blue)
1955 J.K. Simmons, actor (Law & Order, The Closer)
1957 Phil Lewis, singer (L.A. Guns)
1958 Mehmet Ali Ağca, attempted assassin (Pope John Paul II)
1963 Eric Erlandson, guitarist (Hole)
1965 Joely Richardson, actress (The Patriot, 101 Dalmatians)
1967 Dave Matthews, singer/songwriter/guitarist
1967 Carl Bell, guitarist (Fuel)
1967 Steve Harwell, singer (Smash Mouth)
1968 Al Schnier, guitarist (moe)
1968 Joey Lauren Adams, actress (Chasing Amy, Biodome, Dazed and Confused, Big Daddy)
1970 Marco Sanchez, actor (Walker Texas Ranger, SeaQuest DSV)
1975 Kimberley Ann Scott Mathers, ex-wife of Eminem
1978 A.J. Mclean, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1978 Chad Johnson, NFL wide receiver (Cincinnati Bengals)
1982 Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William of Wales
Today's Deaths in History
1858 Anson Jones, 5th and last President of Texas, commits suicide at 60
1936 John Gilbert, silent film actor (The Merry Widow) dies at 36
1987 Marion Hutton, singer/actress (Love Happy) dies at 67
1987 Arthur Lake, actor (Blondie) dies at 81
1995 Peter Cook, British actor/satirist/comedian, dies at 57
1997 Jesse White, actor (Maytag Commercials, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) dies at 80
Today in History
1788 Connecticut became the fifth of the United States of America.
1793 Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first successful balloon flight in the United States.
1861 Mississippi seceded from the Union.
1894 New England Telephone and Telegraph installed the first battery-operated telephone switchboard in Lexington, Massachusetts.
1929 The Seeing Eye was incorporated in Nashville, TN, to train dogs to lead the blind.
1936 The United States Army adopted the M1 semiautomatic rifle.
1937 The first issue of LOOK magazine went on sale.
1941 The first demonstration of small-screen color television was given by the Columbia Broadcasting System.
1942 Joe Louis knocked out Buddy Baer to successfully defend his title for the 20th time.
1951 The United Nations headquarters officially opened in New York City.
1964 Anti-U.S. rioting broke out in the Panama Canal Zone resulting in the deaths of 21 Panamanians and three U.S. soldiers.
1965 The Beatles’ Beatles ’65 was the number-one album in the U.S. for the first of nine straight weeks.
1968 The Surveyor 7 space probe made a soft landing on the moon, the last of America's unmanned explorations of the lunar surface.
1972 Reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, speaking to reporters by telephone from the Bahamas, said a purported biography of him by Clifford Irving was a fake.
1981 Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito said he would retire as a hockey player after the New York Rangers-Buffalo Sabres hockey game.
1984 Clara Peller was first seen by TV viewers in the famous and successful "Where's the Beef?" commercial campaign for Wendy’s fast-food chain.
1986 Kodak got out of the instant camera business after 10 years after claims that Kodak copied Polaroid patents.
1987 The White House released a memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan in January 1986 that showed a definite link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.
1996 The Toronto Raptors set an NBA record for fewest free throws made, missing all of their free throws while losing 92-91 to the Charlotte Hornets.
2002 The United States Department of Justice announced it was going to pursue a criminal investigation of Enron.
2005 Mahmoud Abbas was elected Palestinian Authority president by a landslide.
2006 The Phantom of the Opera became the longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing Cats, which ran for 7,485 performances.
2007 Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, which went on sale the following June.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I’m Making Believe - Ella Fitzgerald & The Ink Spots
I’m Wastin’ My Tears on You - Tex Ritter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Glow Worm - The Mills Brothers
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Skeets McDonald
1961
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show) - Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr.
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Broken Down in Tiny Pieces - Billy "Crash" Craddock
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
Sea of Love - The Honeydrippers
Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Work is the curse of the drinking classes.
Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)
Today in History - Jan 10th
Today's Birthdays
1738 Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War hero, died Feb 12, 1789
1869 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, died Dec 29, 1916
1883 Francis X. (Xavier) Bushman, actor (Dick Tracy, Sabrina, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini) died Aug 23, 1966
1904 Ray Bolger (Raymond Wallace Bulcao), dancer/actor (The Wizard of Oz) died Jan 15, 1987
1905 Paul Henreid (Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Ritter Von Wassel-Waldingau), actor (Casablanca, Goodbye Mr. Chips) died Mar 29, 1992
1924 Max Roach, jazz drummer/composer, died Aug 16, 2007
1927 Johnnie Ray, singer (Cry, Just Walking in the Rain) died Feb 24, 1990
1930 Roy Edward Disney, film executive/Walt's nephew
1936 Stephen Ambrose, historian/author (Band of Brothers)
1938 Frank Mahovlich, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens)
1938 Willie (Lee) ‘Stretch’ McCovey, Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (SF Giants, SD Padres, Oakland Athletics)
1939 Sal Mineo (Salvatore Mineo, Jr.), singer/actor (The Gene Krupa Story, Rebel Without a Cause) died Feb 12, 1976
1943 Jim Croce, singer/songwriter (Time in a Bottle, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown) killed in plane crash Sep 20, 1973
1944 Frank Sinatra Jr., singer/bandleader (It’s All Right)
1945 Rod Stewart, singer (Maggie May, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Tonight's the Night)
1946 Bob Lang, bassist (Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders)
1948 Teresa Graves, actress/singer (Get Christy Love) died Oct 10, 2002
1948 Donald Fagen, keyboardist (Steely Dan)
1948 Cyril Neville, percussionist/singer (The Neville Brothers)
1948 William Sanderson, actor (Deadwood, Newhart, Blade Runner)
1949 Linda Lovelace, adult film actress (Deep Throat) died Apr 22, 2002
1949 George Foreman, heavyweight boxing champion/commercial pitchman (George Foreman Grill)
1953 Pat Benatar, singer (Crimes of Passion, Fire and Ice, Hit Me with Your Best Shot)
1953 Bobby Rahal, Indy car champion
1955 Michael Schenker, guitarist (UFO, Scorpions)
1956 Shawn Colvin, singer (Sunny Came Home)
1959 Curt Kirkwood, singer (Meat Puppets)
1961 Evan Handler, actor (Californication, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
1961 Janet Jones-Gretzky, dancer/actress (The Beastmaster, The Flamingo Kid, A League of Their Own)
1964 Brad Roberts, singer (Crash Test Dummies)
1967 Trini Alvarado, actress (The Frighteners, Times Square)
1973 Ryan Drummond, voice actor (Sonic the Hedgehog)
1975 Jake Delhomme, NFL quarterback (Carolina Panthers)
1978 Matt Roberts, guitarist (3 Doors Down)
1980 Sarah Shahi, actress (Dawson's Creek)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 Samuel Colt, inventor (Colt firearms) dies at 47
1917 William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, frontiersman, dies at 70
1951 Sinclair Lewis, writer (Elmer Gantry) dies at 65
1961 Dashiell Hammett, writer (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man) dies at 66
1971 Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, French fashion designer, dies at 87
1976 Howlin' Wolf, blues musician, dies at 65
1981 Richard Boone, actor (Have Gun Will Travel) dies at 63
1982 Paul Lynde, comedian/actor (Bewitched, Hollywood Squares) dies at 55
1997 Sheldon Leonard, producer/actor/director (The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy) dies at 89
2000 Sam Jaffe, producer (Born Free) dies at 98
2004 Spalding Gray, actor/screenwriter (Swimming to Cambodia) dies at 62
2004 Alexandra Ripley, author (Scarlett) dies at 70
2007 Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer/husband of Sophia Loren, dies at 94
Today in History
1776 Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense.
1861 Florida seceded from the Union.
1863 London's Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public.
1870 John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.
1911 Major Jimmie Erickson shot the first photograph from an airplane while flying over San Diego, California.
1920 The League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.
1927 The film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang, had its premiere.
1943 The quiz show The Better Half, featuring married couples, was first heard on Mutual radio.
1946 The first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.
1947 Finian’s Rainbow opened on Broadway, running for 725 performances.
1949 The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) announced a new 7-inch, 45 rpm phonograph record.
1956 Elvis Presley recorded his first tunes for RCA Victor: "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Was the One," "I’m Counting On You," "I Got a Woman" and "Money Honey."
1960 Marty Robbins’ hit tune "El Paso" held the record for the longest #1 song to that time, running 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
1963 The Chicago Cubs become the first baseball club to hire an athletic director.
1964 The Beatles' first album in the United States, Introducing the Beatles, was released.
1967 Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat in Congress.
1969 Elvis Presley’s single "Don’t Cry Daddy" entered the Top 10 on the pop charts.
1969 The final issue of The Saturday Evening Post appeared after 147 years of publication.
1971 Masterpiece Theatre premiered on PBS.
1978 The Soviet Union launched two cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz capsule for a rendezvous with the Salyut VI space laboratory.
1981 The Pirates of Penzance, by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened on Broadway.
1984 Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since Bobbie Gentry (in 1967) to be nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
1984 The United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.
1992 29,000 bath toys owned by the American company First Days Inc. were washed overboard in the Pacific Ocean.
1990 Time Inc. aquired Warner Communications for $14.1 billion.
1999 The HBO television series The Sopranos first aired.
2000 America Online announced that it had agreed to buy Time Warner, the largest traditional media company in the U.S., for $165 billion.
2003 North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.
2005 CBS issued a damning independent review of mistakes related to a 60 Minutes Wednesday report on President George W. Bush's National Guard service and fired three news executives and a producer for their "myopic zeal" in rushing it to air.
2006 Iran resumed nuclear research two years after halting the work to avoid possible U.N. economic sanctions; the move was denounced by the United States and European governments.
2007 President George W. Bush announced he would send 21,500 additional U.S. forces to Iraq to quell violence there.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
White Cross on Okinawa - Bob Wills
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
The Gang that Sang ‘Heart of My Heart’ - The Four Aces
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, (Baby I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Baby Come Back - Player
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
Take This Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck
1986
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Morning Desire - Kenny Rogers
Quote of the Day
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford, automobile industrialist (1863 - 1947)
Today's Birthdays
1738 Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War hero, died Feb 12, 1789
1869 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk, died Dec 29, 1916
1883 Francis X. (Xavier) Bushman, actor (Dick Tracy, Sabrina, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini) died Aug 23, 1966
1904 Ray Bolger (Raymond Wallace Bulcao), dancer/actor (The Wizard of Oz) died Jan 15, 1987
1905 Paul Henreid (Paul Georg Julius Hernreid Ritter Von Wassel-Waldingau), actor (Casablanca, Goodbye Mr. Chips) died Mar 29, 1992
1924 Max Roach, jazz drummer/composer, died Aug 16, 2007
1927 Johnnie Ray, singer (Cry, Just Walking in the Rain) died Feb 24, 1990
1930 Roy Edward Disney, film executive/Walt's nephew
1936 Stephen Ambrose, historian/author (Band of Brothers)
1938 Frank Mahovlich, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens)
1938 Willie (Lee) ‘Stretch’ McCovey, Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (SF Giants, SD Padres, Oakland Athletics)
1939 Sal Mineo (Salvatore Mineo, Jr.), singer/actor (The Gene Krupa Story, Rebel Without a Cause) died Feb 12, 1976
1943 Jim Croce, singer/songwriter (Time in a Bottle, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown) killed in plane crash Sep 20, 1973
1944 Frank Sinatra Jr., singer/bandleader (It’s All Right)
1945 Rod Stewart, singer (Maggie May, Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?, Tonight's the Night)
1946 Bob Lang, bassist (Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders)
1948 Teresa Graves, actress/singer (Get Christy Love) died Oct 10, 2002
1948 Donald Fagen, keyboardist (Steely Dan)
1948 Cyril Neville, percussionist/singer (The Neville Brothers)
1948 William Sanderson, actor (Deadwood, Newhart, Blade Runner)
1949 Linda Lovelace, adult film actress (Deep Throat) died Apr 22, 2002
1949 George Foreman, heavyweight boxing champion/commercial pitchman (George Foreman Grill)
1953 Pat Benatar, singer (Crimes of Passion, Fire and Ice, Hit Me with Your Best Shot)
1953 Bobby Rahal, Indy car champion
1955 Michael Schenker, guitarist (UFO, Scorpions)
1956 Shawn Colvin, singer (Sunny Came Home)
1959 Curt Kirkwood, singer (Meat Puppets)
1961 Evan Handler, actor (Californication, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)
1961 Janet Jones-Gretzky, dancer/actress (The Beastmaster, The Flamingo Kid, A League of Their Own)
1964 Brad Roberts, singer (Crash Test Dummies)
1967 Trini Alvarado, actress (The Frighteners, Times Square)
1973 Ryan Drummond, voice actor (Sonic the Hedgehog)
1975 Jake Delhomme, NFL quarterback (Carolina Panthers)
1978 Matt Roberts, guitarist (3 Doors Down)
1980 Sarah Shahi, actress (Dawson's Creek)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 Samuel Colt, inventor (Colt firearms) dies at 47
1917 William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, frontiersman, dies at 70
1951 Sinclair Lewis, writer (Elmer Gantry) dies at 65
1961 Dashiell Hammett, writer (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man) dies at 66
1971 Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, French fashion designer, dies at 87
1976 Howlin' Wolf, blues musician, dies at 65
1981 Richard Boone, actor (Have Gun Will Travel) dies at 63
1982 Paul Lynde, comedian/actor (Bewitched, Hollywood Squares) dies at 55
1997 Sheldon Leonard, producer/actor/director (The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Spy) dies at 89
2000 Sam Jaffe, producer (Born Free) dies at 98
2004 Spalding Gray, actor/screenwriter (Swimming to Cambodia) dies at 62
2004 Alexandra Ripley, author (Scarlett) dies at 70
2007 Carlo Ponti, Italian film producer/husband of Sophia Loren, dies at 94
Today in History
1776 Thomas Paine published the pamphlet Common Sense.
1861 Florida seceded from the Union.
1863 London's Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public.
1870 John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.
1911 Major Jimmie Erickson shot the first photograph from an airplane while flying over San Diego, California.
1920 The League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.
1927 The film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang, had its premiere.
1943 The quiz show The Better Half, featuring married couples, was first heard on Mutual radio.
1946 The first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.
1947 Finian’s Rainbow opened on Broadway, running for 725 performances.
1949 The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) announced a new 7-inch, 45 rpm phonograph record.
1956 Elvis Presley recorded his first tunes for RCA Victor: "Heartbreak Hotel," "I Was the One," "I’m Counting On You," "I Got a Woman" and "Money Honey."
1960 Marty Robbins’ hit tune "El Paso" held the record for the longest #1 song to that time, running 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
1963 The Chicago Cubs become the first baseball club to hire an athletic director.
1964 The Beatles' first album in the United States, Introducing the Beatles, was released.
1967 Republican Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, the first black elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat in Congress.
1969 Elvis Presley’s single "Don’t Cry Daddy" entered the Top 10 on the pop charts.
1969 The final issue of The Saturday Evening Post appeared after 147 years of publication.
1971 Masterpiece Theatre premiered on PBS.
1978 The Soviet Union launched two cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz capsule for a rendezvous with the Salyut VI space laboratory.
1981 The Pirates of Penzance, by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened on Broadway.
1984 Cyndi Lauper became the first female recording artist since Bobbie Gentry (in 1967) to be nominated for five Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
1984 The United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.
1992 29,000 bath toys owned by the American company First Days Inc. were washed overboard in the Pacific Ocean.
1990 Time Inc. aquired Warner Communications for $14.1 billion.
1999 The HBO television series The Sopranos first aired.
2000 America Online announced that it had agreed to buy Time Warner, the largest traditional media company in the U.S., for $165 billion.
2003 North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.
2005 CBS issued a damning independent review of mistakes related to a 60 Minutes Wednesday report on President George W. Bush's National Guard service and fired three news executives and a producer for their "myopic zeal" in rushing it to air.
2006 Iran resumed nuclear research two years after halting the work to avoid possible U.N. economic sanctions; the move was denounced by the United States and European governments.
2007 President George W. Bush announced he would send 21,500 additional U.S. forces to Iraq to quell violence there.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
It Might as Well Be Spring - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
White Cross on Okinawa - Bob Wills
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
The Gang that Sang ‘Heart of My Heart’ - The Four Aces
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - The Tokens
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Someday We’ll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, (Baby I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
How Deep is Your Love - Bee Gees
Baby Come Back - Player
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
Take This Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck
1986
Say You, Say Me - Lionel Richie
Party All the Time - Eddie Murphy
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Morning Desire - Kenny Rogers
Quote of the Day
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford, automobile industrialist (1863 - 1947)
Today in History - Jan 11th
Today's Birthdays
1755 Alexander Hamilton, First U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; died in duel with rival Aaron Burr July 11, 1804
1807 Ezra Cornell, businessman/university founder, died Dec 9, 1874
1923 Carroll Shelby, auto racer/designer (Shelby Cobra, Shelby Mustang)
1925 Grant Tinker, TV executive/producer (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
1930 Rod Taylor, actor (The Birds, The Time Machine)
1942 Clarence Clemons, saxophonist (The E Street Band)
1945 Christine Kaufmann, actress (Bagdad Cafe, Murders in the Rue Morgue)
1946 Naomi (Diane) Judd, singer (The Judds)
1946 Tony Kaye, keyboardist (Yes)
1949 Dennis (Frederick) Greene, singer (Sha-Na-Na)
1952 ‘Gentle’ Ben Crenshaw, golf champion
1952 Lee Ritenour, guitarist/composer
1958 Vicki Peterson, guitarist/singer (The Bangles)
1962 Kim Coles, actress (Living Single, Frasier)
1968 Tom Dumont, guitarist (No Doubt)
1971 Mary J. Blige, R&B singer
1971 Tom Rowlands, musician (The Chemical Brothers)
1972 Amanda Peet, actress (The Whole Nine Yards, Saving Silverman, Changing Lanes)
1973 Rockmond Dunbar, actor (Prison Break)
Today's Deaths in History
1836 John Molson, Canadian brewer, dies at 72
1843 Francis Scott Key, lawyer/lyricist (Star Spangled Banner) dies at 63
1914 Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (Carlsberg brewery) dies at 71
1928 Thomas Hardy, English writer (Tess of the d'Urbervilles) dies at 87
1979 Jack Soo, actor (Barney Miller) dies at 61
1981 Beulah Bondi, actress (It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) dies at 92
1988 Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Marine aviator (Medal of Honor recipient) dies at 75
2003 Mickey Finn, drummer (T. Rex) dies at 55
2005 Spencer Dryden, drummer (Jefferson Airplane) dies at 66
2005 James Griffin, guitarist/songwriter (Bread) dies at 61
2007 Robert Anton Wilson, author (The Illuminatus! Trilogy) dies at 74
Today in History
1759 The first American life insurance company was incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1770 The first shipment of rhubarb was sent to the United States from London.
1805 The Michigan Territory was created.
1861 Alabama seceded from the Union.
1878 For the first time, milk was delivered in glass bottles.
1902 Popular Mechanics magazine was published for the first time.
1908 The Grand Canyon National Monument was created.
1913 The first sedan-type car, manufactured by the Hudson Motor Company, was unveiled at the National Automobile Show in New York City.
1922 Insulin was first used to treat diabetes in a human patient.
1928 "Ol’ Man River" was recorded on Victor Records by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.
1935 Aviator Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
1943 The United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.
1947 Baseball great Honus Wagner signed his 36th professional contract, agreeing to coach the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1958 Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt debuted on CBS-TV.
1963 Whiskey-A-Go-Go opened on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
1964 Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report that said that smoking cigarettes was a definite health hazard.
1970 Billy Casper became the second golfer in history to top the $1-million mark in career earnings.
1973 Major-league baseball agreed to allow the American League to experiment with the designated hitter rule for the next three years.
1974 The world's first surviving set of sextuplets were born to Susan Rosenkowitz in Cape Town, South Africa.
1977 France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
1980 Rupert Holmes had the top hit song in the U.S. with "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)."
1984 Michael Jackson's Thriller became the all-time best-selling LP.
1986 Author James Clavell signed a deal with Morrow/Avon Publishing for $5 million as an advance for the book Whirlwind.
1988 Vice President George H.W. Bush met with representatives of independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh to answer questions about the Iran-Contra affair.
2001 The Army acknowledged that U.S. soldiers killed an "unknown number" of South Korean refugees early in the Korean War at No Gun Ri.
2001 The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of America Online and Time Warner.
2003 Calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral," Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state's death row two days before leaving office.
2006 A Georgian court convicted a man of trying to assassinate President Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in 2005 with a grenade in Tbilisi and sentenced him to life in prison.
2007 English soccer star David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Ruby Ann - Marty Robbins
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
Sharing the Night Together - Dr. Hook
Tulsa Time - Don Williams
1987
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Notorious - Duran Duran
Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
Give Me Wings - Michael Johnson
Quote of the Day
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Carl Sagan, astronomer & popularizer of astronomy (1934 - 1996)
Today's Birthdays
1755 Alexander Hamilton, First U.S. Secretary of the Treasury; died in duel with rival Aaron Burr July 11, 1804
1807 Ezra Cornell, businessman/university founder, died Dec 9, 1874
1923 Carroll Shelby, auto racer/designer (Shelby Cobra, Shelby Mustang)
1925 Grant Tinker, TV executive/producer (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)
1930 Rod Taylor, actor (The Birds, The Time Machine)
1942 Clarence Clemons, saxophonist (The E Street Band)
1945 Christine Kaufmann, actress (Bagdad Cafe, Murders in the Rue Morgue)
1946 Naomi (Diane) Judd, singer (The Judds)
1946 Tony Kaye, keyboardist (Yes)
1949 Dennis (Frederick) Greene, singer (Sha-Na-Na)
1952 ‘Gentle’ Ben Crenshaw, golf champion
1952 Lee Ritenour, guitarist/composer
1958 Vicki Peterson, guitarist/singer (The Bangles)
1962 Kim Coles, actress (Living Single, Frasier)
1968 Tom Dumont, guitarist (No Doubt)
1971 Mary J. Blige, R&B singer
1971 Tom Rowlands, musician (The Chemical Brothers)
1972 Amanda Peet, actress (The Whole Nine Yards, Saving Silverman, Changing Lanes)
1973 Rockmond Dunbar, actor (Prison Break)
Today's Deaths in History
1836 John Molson, Canadian brewer, dies at 72
1843 Francis Scott Key, lawyer/lyricist (Star Spangled Banner) dies at 63
1914 Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (Carlsberg brewery) dies at 71
1928 Thomas Hardy, English writer (Tess of the d'Urbervilles) dies at 87
1979 Jack Soo, actor (Barney Miller) dies at 61
1981 Beulah Bondi, actress (It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) dies at 92
1988 Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, Marine aviator (Medal of Honor recipient) dies at 75
2003 Mickey Finn, drummer (T. Rex) dies at 55
2005 Spencer Dryden, drummer (Jefferson Airplane) dies at 66
2005 James Griffin, guitarist/songwriter (Bread) dies at 61
2007 Robert Anton Wilson, author (The Illuminatus! Trilogy) dies at 74
Today in History
1759 The first American life insurance company was incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1770 The first shipment of rhubarb was sent to the United States from London.
1805 The Michigan Territory was created.
1861 Alabama seceded from the Union.
1878 For the first time, milk was delivered in glass bottles.
1902 Popular Mechanics magazine was published for the first time.
1908 The Grand Canyon National Monument was created.
1913 The first sedan-type car, manufactured by the Hudson Motor Company, was unveiled at the National Automobile Show in New York City.
1922 Insulin was first used to treat diabetes in a human patient.
1928 "Ol’ Man River" was recorded on Victor Records by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra.
1935 Aviator Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
1943 The United States and Britain signed treaties relinquishing extraterritorial rights in China.
1947 Baseball great Honus Wagner signed his 36th professional contract, agreeing to coach the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1958 Lloyd Bridges' Sea Hunt debuted on CBS-TV.
1963 Whiskey-A-Go-Go opened on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
1964 Surgeon General Luther Terry released a report that said that smoking cigarettes was a definite health hazard.
1970 Billy Casper became the second golfer in history to top the $1-million mark in career earnings.
1973 Major-league baseball agreed to allow the American League to experiment with the designated hitter rule for the next three years.
1974 The world's first surviving set of sextuplets were born to Susan Rosenkowitz in Cape Town, South Africa.
1977 France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a Palestinian suspected of involvement in the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
1980 Rupert Holmes had the top hit song in the U.S. with "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)."
1984 Michael Jackson's Thriller became the all-time best-selling LP.
1986 Author James Clavell signed a deal with Morrow/Avon Publishing for $5 million as an advance for the book Whirlwind.
1988 Vice President George H.W. Bush met with representatives of independent counsel Lawrence E. Walsh to answer questions about the Iran-Contra affair.
2001 The Army acknowledged that U.S. soldiers killed an "unknown number" of South Korean refugees early in the Korean War at No Gun Ri.
2001 The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger of America Online and Time Warner.
2003 Calling the death penalty process "arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral," Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state's death row two days before leaving office.
2006 A Georgian court convicted a man of trying to assassinate President Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in 2005 with a grenade in Tbilisi and sentenced him to life in prison.
2007 English soccer star David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
The Old Lamplighter - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Billy Williams)
Divorce Me C.O.D. - Merle Travis
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane - The Ames Brothers
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Telstar - The Tornadoes
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Ruby Ann - Marty Robbins
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Black Magic Woman - Santana
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
My Life - Billy Joel
Sharing the Night Together - Dr. Hook
Tulsa Time - Don Williams
1987
Walk Like an Egyptian - Bangles
Notorious - Duran Duran
Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
Give Me Wings - Michael Johnson
Quote of the Day
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Carl Sagan, astronomer & popularizer of astronomy (1934 - 1996)
Today in History - Jan 12th
Today's Birthdays
1737 John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence, died Oct 8, 1793
1876 Jack London (John Chaney), author (The Call of the Wild, White Fang) died Nov 22, 1916
1905 Tex (Woodward Maurice) Ritter, country singer/actor (High Noon, Blood on the Saddle) died Jan 2, 1974
1915 Martin (Zama) Agronsky, journalist/TV moderator (Face the Nation) died July 25, 1999
1923 Ira Hayes, U.S. Marine (Iwo Jima flag raiser) died Jan 24, 1955
1926 Ray Price, singer (Make the World Go Away, For the Good Times)
1930 Tim Horton, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) killed in car crash Feb 21, 1974
1936 Ron Harper, actor (The Planet of the Apes)
1939 William Lee Golden, singer (The Oak Ridge Boys)
1944 "Smokin'"Joe Frazier, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
1945 Maggie Bell, singer (Stone the Crows)
1946 Cynthia Robinson, singer/trumpeter (Sly and the Family Stone)
1946 George Duke, jazz musician
1949 Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born film director (The Joy Luck Club)
1951 Kirstie Alley, actress (Cheers, Look Who’s Talking, Runaway)
1951 Rush Limbaugh (Rush Hudson Limbaugh III), radio talk show host
1954 Howard Stern, syndicated/satellite radio talk-show host
1957 John Lasseter, writer/director (Pixar films)
1958 Christiane Amanpour, broadcast journalist
1959 Per Gessle, guitarist/singer (Roxette)
1960 Oliver Platt, actor (Huff, Bulworth, Flatliners, The Three Musketeers, Doctor Dolittle, Simon Birch)
1964 Jeff Bezos, founder/CEO (Amazon.com)
1966 Rob Zombie, singer/musician/film director
1967 Vendela Kirsebom, model/actress (The Parent Trap, Batman and Robin)
1968 Heather Mills, British activist/ex-Mrs Paul McCartney
1968 Rachael Harris, comic/actress (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration)
1968 Farrah Forke, actress (Wings)
1970 Raekwon, rapper (Wu-Tang Clan)
1970 Zack de la Rocha, singer (Rage Against the Machine)
1973 Dan Haseltine, singer (Jars of Clay)
1974 Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, singer (Spice Girls)
1981 Dontrelle Willis, MLB pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
Today's Deaths in History
1899 Hiram Walker, distiller, dies at 82
1976 Agatha Christie, mystery writer (Murder on the Orient Express) dies at 85
1999 Betty Lou Gerson, voice actress (101 Dalmations) dies at 84
1999 Doug Wickenheiser, NHL center (NY Rangers) dies at 37
2000 Marc Davis, animator (Walt Disney Studios) dies at 86
2001 Affirmed, racehorse (Triple Crown winner) dies at 25
2002 Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State, dies at 84
2003 Maurice Gibb, singer/musician (Bee Gees) dies at 53
2004 Randy VanWarmer, singer/songwriter (Just When I Needed You Most)
2007 Alice Coltrane, jazz musician, dies at 69
Today in History
1773 The first public museum was organized in Charleston, South Carolina.
1915 The Rocky Mountain National Park was formed by an act of U.S. Congress.
1915 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.
1926 Sam 'n' Henry, which became Amos ’n’ Andy, debuted on WGN Radio in Chicago, Illinois.
1928 Vladimir Horowitz debuted as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1932 Ed Sullivan joined CBS radio in a program of gossip and interviews.
1932 Hattie W. Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
1943 The Office of Price Administration announced that the standard frankfurter/hot dog/wiener would be replaced by ‘Victory Sausage,’ made of meat and soybean meal.
1945 Soviet forces began a huge offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe during World War II.
1948 The Supreme Court ruled that states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race.
1949 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends was first seen on CBS-TV.
1949 Chicago-based children’s show Kukla, Fran and Ollie made its national debut on NBC-TV.
1955 Rod Serling’s stellar career began with the TV production of Patterns, an original, hour-long drama.
1960 Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals became the first player in the NBA to score more than 15,000 points in his career.
1963 Songwriter Bob Dylan sang "Blowin’ in the Wind" on the BBC radio presentation of The Madhouse on Castle Street.
1965 The NBC-TV pop-music show Hullabaloo made its debut.
1966 Batman debuted on ABC-TV.
1967 Dr. James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
1967 Dragnet returned to NBC-TV after being off the network schedule for eight years.
1969 Led Zeppelin's self-titled first album was released.
1969 The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
1971 All in the Family debuted on CBS-TV.
1986 Space shuttle Columbia blasted off with a crew that included the first Hispanic-American in space, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz.
1987 Much of Europe was snowed-in as a ‘Siberian Express’ spread across the continent.
1991 Congress gave President George H.W. Bush the authority to use force to expel Iraq from Kuwait.
1991 Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 became the first album to generate seven top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
1995 Malcolm X's daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, was arrested for conspiring to kill Louis Farrakhan.
1998 Nineteen European nations signed a treaty in Paris opposing human cloning.
1998 Linda Tripp provided Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office with taped conversations between herself and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
1999 Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.
2000 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.
2005 Britain's Prince Harry apologized after a newspaper published a photograph of the young royal wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party.
2006 Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who'd shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, was released from an Istanbul prison after serving more than 25 years in Italy and Turkey for the plot against the pontiff and the slaying of a Turkish journalist.
2006 A stampede broke out during the Islamic hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, killing 363 people.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
Civilization - The Louis Prima Orchestra
I’ll Dance at Your Wedding - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Popsicles and Icicles - The Murmaids
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
Brand New Key - Melanie
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Would You Take Another Chance on Me - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
1988
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
I Can’t Get Close Enough - Exile
Quote of the Day
Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a judge's chamber believes in an unprejudiced point of view.
Lillian Hellman, dramatist (1905 - 1984)
Today's Birthdays
1737 John Hancock, first signer of the Declaration of Independence, died Oct 8, 1793
1876 Jack London (John Chaney), author (The Call of the Wild, White Fang) died Nov 22, 1916
1905 Tex (Woodward Maurice) Ritter, country singer/actor (High Noon, Blood on the Saddle) died Jan 2, 1974
1915 Martin (Zama) Agronsky, journalist/TV moderator (Face the Nation) died July 25, 1999
1923 Ira Hayes, U.S. Marine (Iwo Jima flag raiser) died Jan 24, 1955
1926 Ray Price, singer (Make the World Go Away, For the Good Times)
1930 Tim Horton, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers) killed in car crash Feb 21, 1974
1936 Ron Harper, actor (The Planet of the Apes)
1939 William Lee Golden, singer (The Oak Ridge Boys)
1944 "Smokin'"Joe Frazier, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
1945 Maggie Bell, singer (Stone the Crows)
1946 Cynthia Robinson, singer/trumpeter (Sly and the Family Stone)
1946 George Duke, jazz musician
1949 Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born film director (The Joy Luck Club)
1951 Kirstie Alley, actress (Cheers, Look Who’s Talking, Runaway)
1951 Rush Limbaugh (Rush Hudson Limbaugh III), radio talk show host
1954 Howard Stern, syndicated/satellite radio talk-show host
1957 John Lasseter, writer/director (Pixar films)
1958 Christiane Amanpour, broadcast journalist
1959 Per Gessle, guitarist/singer (Roxette)
1960 Oliver Platt, actor (Huff, Bulworth, Flatliners, The Three Musketeers, Doctor Dolittle, Simon Birch)
1964 Jeff Bezos, founder/CEO (Amazon.com)
1966 Rob Zombie, singer/musician/film director
1967 Vendela Kirsebom, model/actress (The Parent Trap, Batman and Robin)
1968 Heather Mills, British activist/ex-Mrs Paul McCartney
1968 Rachael Harris, comic/actress (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration)
1968 Farrah Forke, actress (Wings)
1970 Raekwon, rapper (Wu-Tang Clan)
1970 Zack de la Rocha, singer (Rage Against the Machine)
1973 Dan Haseltine, singer (Jars of Clay)
1974 Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm, singer (Spice Girls)
1981 Dontrelle Willis, MLB pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
Today's Deaths in History
1899 Hiram Walker, distiller, dies at 82
1976 Agatha Christie, mystery writer (Murder on the Orient Express) dies at 85
1999 Betty Lou Gerson, voice actress (101 Dalmations) dies at 84
1999 Doug Wickenheiser, NHL center (NY Rangers) dies at 37
2000 Marc Davis, animator (Walt Disney Studios) dies at 86
2001 Affirmed, racehorse (Triple Crown winner) dies at 25
2002 Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State, dies at 84
2003 Maurice Gibb, singer/musician (Bee Gees) dies at 53
2004 Randy VanWarmer, singer/songwriter (Just When I Needed You Most)
2007 Alice Coltrane, jazz musician, dies at 69
Today in History
1773 The first public museum was organized in Charleston, South Carolina.
1915 The Rocky Mountain National Park was formed by an act of U.S. Congress.
1915 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a proposal to give women the right to vote.
1926 Sam 'n' Henry, which became Amos ’n’ Andy, debuted on WGN Radio in Chicago, Illinois.
1928 Vladimir Horowitz debuted as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1932 Ed Sullivan joined CBS radio in a program of gossip and interviews.
1932 Hattie W. Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate.
1943 The Office of Price Administration announced that the standard frankfurter/hot dog/wiener would be replaced by ‘Victory Sausage,’ made of meat and soybean meal.
1945 Soviet forces began a huge offensive against the Germans in Eastern Europe during World War II.
1948 The Supreme Court ruled that states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race.
1949 Arthur Godfrey and His Friends was first seen on CBS-TV.
1949 Chicago-based children’s show Kukla, Fran and Ollie made its national debut on NBC-TV.
1955 Rod Serling’s stellar career began with the TV production of Patterns, an original, hour-long drama.
1960 Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals became the first player in the NBA to score more than 15,000 points in his career.
1963 Songwriter Bob Dylan sang "Blowin’ in the Wind" on the BBC radio presentation of The Madhouse on Castle Street.
1965 The NBC-TV pop-music show Hullabaloo made its debut.
1966 Batman debuted on ABC-TV.
1967 Dr. James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
1967 Dragnet returned to NBC-TV after being off the network schedule for eight years.
1969 Led Zeppelin's self-titled first album was released.
1969 The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
1971 All in the Family debuted on CBS-TV.
1986 Space shuttle Columbia blasted off with a crew that included the first Hispanic-American in space, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz.
1987 Much of Europe was snowed-in as a ‘Siberian Express’ spread across the continent.
1991 Congress gave President George H.W. Bush the authority to use force to expel Iraq from Kuwait.
1991 Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 became the first album to generate seven top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
1995 Malcolm X's daughter, Qubilah Shabazz, was arrested for conspiring to kill Louis Farrakhan.
1998 Nineteen European nations signed a treaty in Paris opposing human cloning.
1998 Linda Tripp provided Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr's office with taped conversations between herself and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
1999 Mark McGwire’s 70th home run ball was sold at auction in New York for $3 million to an anonymous bidder.
2000 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.
2005 Britain's Prince Harry apologized after a newspaper published a photograph of the young royal wearing a Nazi uniform to a costume party.
2006 Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who'd shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, was released from an Istanbul prison after serving more than 25 years in Italy and Turkey for the plot against the pontiff and the slaying of a Turkish journalist.
2006 A stampede broke out during the Islamic hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, killing 363 people.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
Civilization - The Louis Prima Orchestra
I’ll Dance at Your Wedding - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Memories are Made of This - Dean Martin
The Great Pretender - The Platters
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
Popsicles and Icicles - The Murmaids
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
Brand New Key - Melanie
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Would You Take Another Chance on Me - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Escape (The Pina Colada Song) - Rupert Holmes
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
1988
So Emotional - Whitney Houston
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
I Can’t Get Close Enough - Exile
Quote of the Day
Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a judge's chamber believes in an unprejudiced point of view.
Lillian Hellman, dramatist (1905 - 1984)
Today in History - Jan 13th
Today's Birthdays
1622 Molière, French playwright (The School for Wives) died Feb 17, 1673
1832 Horatio Alger Jr., Unitarian minister/author (Ragged Dick, Luck and Pluck) died July 18, 1899
1885 Alfred Fuller, company founder (Fuller Brush) died Dec 4, 1973
1886 Art Ross, Hockey Hall of Fame player/executive (Boston Bruins) died Aug 5, 1964
1905 Kay Francis, actress (The Cocoanuts) died Aug 26, 1968
1919 Robert Stack (Robert Langford Modini), actor (The Untouchables, Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries) died May 14, 2003
1925 Gwen Verdon (Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon), dancer/actress (Damn Yankees, The Cotton Club, Cocoon) died Oct 18, 2000
1930 Robert ‘Squirrel’ Lester, singer (The Chi-Lites) died Oct 15, 1980
1930 Frances Sternhagen, actress (Doc Hollywood, Outland, Driving Miss Daisy)
1931 Charles Nelson Reilly, comedian/actor/game show panelist (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cannonball Run, Match Game) died May 25, 2007
1934 Rip Taylor, comedian/actor (Wayne's World 2)
1942 Richard Moll, actor (Night Court)
1949 Brandon Tartikoff, network TV president (NBC) died Aug 27, 1997
1954 Trevor Rabin, guitarist/songwriter (Yes)
1955 Jay McInerney, author (Bright Lights Big City, Ransom)
1959 James Lomenzo, bassist (Megadeth)
1960 Kevin Anderson, actor (Rising Sun, Sleeping with the Enemy, Risky Business)
1961 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress (Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
1961 Graham ‘Suggs’ McPherson, singer (Madness)
1961 Wayne Coyne, singer (The Flaming Lips)
1962 Trace Adkins, country music singer/songwriter
1964 Penelope Ann Miller, actress (Carlito’s Way, Kindergarten Cop, Awakenings, Biloxi Blues)
1966 Patrick Dempsey, actor (Can't Buy Me Love, Loverboy, Meatballs, Grey's Anatomy)
1968 Traci Bingham, actress (Baywatch, Hollywood Squares)
1970 Keith Coogan, actor (Adventures in Babysitting, Hiding Out, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead)
1972 Nicole Eggert, actress (Charles in Charge, Baywatch)
1973 Nikolai Khabibulin, NHL goaltender (Chicago Blackhawks)
1974 Sergei Brylin, NHL forward (NJ Devils)
1977 Orlando Bloom, actor (Lord of the Rings, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean series)
1983 William Hung, TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1864 Stephen Foster, composer (Oh Susannah) dies at 37
1929 Wyatt Earp, Western lawman, dies at 80
1941 James Joyce, Irish novelist (Ulysses) dies at 58
1962 Ernie Kovacs, actor/comedian (Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Monty Python's Flying Circus) dies at 42
1978 Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President, dies at 66
1979 Donny Hathaway, R&B singer (Where Is the Love?) commits suicide at 33
2002 Ted Demme, film director (The Ref, Beautiful Girls) dies at 38
2006 Marc Potvin, NHL forward (Detroit Red Wings) commits suicide at 38
2007 Michael Brecker, jazz saxophonist, dies at 57
Today in History
1602 William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor was published.
1794 President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union.
1893 Britain's Independent Labor Party, a precursor to the Labor Party, first met.
1893 U.S. Marines landed in Honolulu from the U.S.S. Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
1898 Novelist Emile Zola's "J'accuse" - a defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew falsely convicted of treason, was published in a Paris newspaper.
1906 Hugh Gernsback of the Electro Importing Company advertised radio receivers for sale for the just $7.50 in Scientific American magazine.
1910 Opera was broadcast on the radio for the first time with Enrico Caruso singing from the stage of New York's Metropolitan Opera House.
1930 The Mickey Mouse comic strip made its first appearance.
1933 Babe (Mildred) Didrikson made her first appearance in professional basketball as the Brooklyn Yankees beat the Long Island Ducklings.
1939 Monty Stratton was listed on the roster of the Chicago White Sox; his determination to play ball allowed him to continue pitching even though he used an artificial leg.
1941 The four Modernaires joined to sing with the Glenn Miller Band on a permanent basis.
1942 Henry Ford patented the plastic automobile, which allowed for a 30% decrease in car weight.
1942 The United States began Japanese-American internment.
1957 Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for Victor Records in Hollywood.
1955 Chase National Bank (founded in 1877) and the Bank of Manhattan Company (founded in 1799 as a water company) agreed to merge, becoming the second largest bank in the U.S.
1957 The Wham-O Company developed the first plastic Frisbee.
1961 Golfing great Arnold Palmer scored an embarrassing 12 strokes on one hole in the first round of the Los Angeles Open golf tournament.
1962 Chubby Checker's "The Twist" reached the #1 position for an unprecedented second time in two years.
1966 Elizabeth Montgomery’s character on Bewitched,, Samantha, had a baby girl who was named Tabitha.
1966 Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member as he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
1968 Country musician Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California.
1982 Air Florida Flight 90, a boeing 737, attempted to take off from Washington’s National Airport in one of the worst blizzards in history; ice had built up on the wings as it waited its turn to take off, and it crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, then fell into the Potomac River.
1984 Wayne Gretzky extended his consecutive scoring streak to 45 games.
1986 The NCAA adopted the controversial Proposal 48, which set standards for Division 1 freshman eligibility.
1986 For the first time in about 10 years, The Wall Street Journal broke with tradition and printed a picture on its front page.
1989 New York City subway gunman Bernhard H. Goetz was sentenced to one year in prison for possessing an unlicensed gun that he used to shoot four youths he said were about to rob him.
1990 L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, took the oath of office in Richmond, Virginia.
1992 Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
1999 Basketball player Michael Jordan announced his retirement (he returned to the NBA in 2001).
2000 Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced that he would be stepping down as Microsoft chief executive and handing over the reins to longtime friend and company president Steve Ballmer.
2002 The off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks ended a run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 shows.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood)
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Banana Boat Song - The Tarriers
Moonlight Gambler - Frankie Laine
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
She’s Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink - Merle Haggard
1989
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
Hold Me - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do.
Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet (1914 - 1953)
Today's Birthdays
1622 Molière, French playwright (The School for Wives) died Feb 17, 1673
1832 Horatio Alger Jr., Unitarian minister/author (Ragged Dick, Luck and Pluck) died July 18, 1899
1885 Alfred Fuller, company founder (Fuller Brush) died Dec 4, 1973
1886 Art Ross, Hockey Hall of Fame player/executive (Boston Bruins) died Aug 5, 1964
1905 Kay Francis, actress (The Cocoanuts) died Aug 26, 1968
1919 Robert Stack (Robert Langford Modini), actor (The Untouchables, Airplane, Unsolved Mysteries) died May 14, 2003
1925 Gwen Verdon (Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon), dancer/actress (Damn Yankees, The Cotton Club, Cocoon) died Oct 18, 2000
1930 Robert ‘Squirrel’ Lester, singer (The Chi-Lites) died Oct 15, 1980
1930 Frances Sternhagen, actress (Doc Hollywood, Outland, Driving Miss Daisy)
1931 Charles Nelson Reilly, comedian/actor/game show panelist (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Cannonball Run, Match Game) died May 25, 2007
1934 Rip Taylor, comedian/actor (Wayne's World 2)
1942 Richard Moll, actor (Night Court)
1949 Brandon Tartikoff, network TV president (NBC) died Aug 27, 1997
1954 Trevor Rabin, guitarist/songwriter (Yes)
1955 Jay McInerney, author (Bright Lights Big City, Ransom)
1959 James Lomenzo, bassist (Megadeth)
1960 Kevin Anderson, actor (Rising Sun, Sleeping with the Enemy, Risky Business)
1961 Julia Louis-Dreyfus, actress (Seinfeld, Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation)
1961 Graham ‘Suggs’ McPherson, singer (Madness)
1961 Wayne Coyne, singer (The Flaming Lips)
1962 Trace Adkins, country music singer/songwriter
1964 Penelope Ann Miller, actress (Carlito’s Way, Kindergarten Cop, Awakenings, Biloxi Blues)
1966 Patrick Dempsey, actor (Can't Buy Me Love, Loverboy, Meatballs, Grey's Anatomy)
1968 Traci Bingham, actress (Baywatch, Hollywood Squares)
1970 Keith Coogan, actor (Adventures in Babysitting, Hiding Out, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead)
1972 Nicole Eggert, actress (Charles in Charge, Baywatch)
1973 Nikolai Khabibulin, NHL goaltender (Chicago Blackhawks)
1974 Sergei Brylin, NHL forward (NJ Devils)
1977 Orlando Bloom, actor (Lord of the Rings, Black Hawk Down, Pirates of the Caribbean series)
1983 William Hung, TV personality (American Idol)
Today's Deaths in History
1864 Stephen Foster, composer (Oh Susannah) dies at 37
1929 Wyatt Earp, Western lawman, dies at 80
1941 James Joyce, Irish novelist (Ulysses) dies at 58
1962 Ernie Kovacs, actor/comedian (Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, Monty Python's Flying Circus) dies at 42
1978 Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President, dies at 66
1979 Donny Hathaway, R&B singer (Where Is the Love?) commits suicide at 33
2002 Ted Demme, film director (The Ref, Beautiful Girls) dies at 38
2006 Marc Potvin, NHL forward (Detroit Red Wings) commits suicide at 38
2007 Michael Brecker, jazz saxophonist, dies at 57
Today in History
1602 William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor was published.
1794 President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union.
1893 Britain's Independent Labor Party, a precursor to the Labor Party, first met.
1893 U.S. Marines landed in Honolulu from the U.S.S. Boston to prevent the queen from abrogating the Bayonet Constitution.
1898 Novelist Emile Zola's "J'accuse" - a defense of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a French Jew falsely convicted of treason, was published in a Paris newspaper.
1906 Hugh Gernsback of the Electro Importing Company advertised radio receivers for sale for the just $7.50 in Scientific American magazine.
1910 Opera was broadcast on the radio for the first time with Enrico Caruso singing from the stage of New York's Metropolitan Opera House.
1930 The Mickey Mouse comic strip made its first appearance.
1933 Babe (Mildred) Didrikson made her first appearance in professional basketball as the Brooklyn Yankees beat the Long Island Ducklings.
1939 Monty Stratton was listed on the roster of the Chicago White Sox; his determination to play ball allowed him to continue pitching even though he used an artificial leg.
1941 The four Modernaires joined to sing with the Glenn Miller Band on a permanent basis.
1942 Henry Ford patented the plastic automobile, which allowed for a 30% decrease in car weight.
1942 The United States began Japanese-American internment.
1957 Elvis Presley recorded "All Shook Up" and "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin" for Victor Records in Hollywood.
1955 Chase National Bank (founded in 1877) and the Bank of Manhattan Company (founded in 1799 as a water company) agreed to merge, becoming the second largest bank in the U.S.
1957 The Wham-O Company developed the first plastic Frisbee.
1961 Golfing great Arnold Palmer scored an embarrassing 12 strokes on one hole in the first round of the Los Angeles Open golf tournament.
1962 Chubby Checker's "The Twist" reached the #1 position for an unprecedented second time in two years.
1966 Elizabeth Montgomery’s character on Bewitched,, Samantha, had a baby girl who was named Tabitha.
1966 Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member as he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
1968 Country musician Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California.
1982 Air Florida Flight 90, a boeing 737, attempted to take off from Washington’s National Airport in one of the worst blizzards in history; ice had built up on the wings as it waited its turn to take off, and it crashed into the 14th Street Bridge, then fell into the Potomac River.
1984 Wayne Gretzky extended his consecutive scoring streak to 45 games.
1986 The NCAA adopted the controversial Proposal 48, which set standards for Division 1 freshman eligibility.
1986 For the first time in about 10 years, The Wall Street Journal broke with tradition and printed a picture on its front page.
1989 New York City subway gunman Bernhard H. Goetz was sentenced to one year in prison for possessing an unlicensed gun that he used to shoot four youths he said were about to rob him.
1990 L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, took the oath of office in Richmond, Virginia.
1992 Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
1999 Basketball player Michael Jordan announced his retirement (he returned to the NBA in 2001).
2000 Microsoft chairman Bill Gates announced that he would be stepping down as Microsoft chief executive and handing over the reins to longtime friend and company president Steve Ballmer.
2002 The off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks ended a run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 shows.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt
& Gloria Wood)
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Banana Boat Song - The Tarriers
Moonlight Gambler - Frankie Laine
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
I Feel Fine - The Beatles
She’s a Woman - The Beatles
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul
Clair - Gilbert O’Sullivan
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
She’s Got to Be a Saint - Ray Price
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink - Merle Haggard
1989
Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
My Prerogative - Bobby Brown
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
Hold Me - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do.
Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet (1914 - 1953)
Today in History - Jan 14th
Today's Birthdays
1741 Benedict Arnold, American General/turncoat, died June 14, 1801
1806 Matthew Fontaine Maury, oceanographer/cartogrpaher, died Feb 1, 1873
1875 Albert Schweitzer, philosopher/musician/physician/humanitarian, died Sep 4, 1965
1892 Hal Roach, producer/director (One Million B.C.) died Nov 2, 1992
1904 Babe Siebert, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers) died Aug 25, 1939
1906 William Bendix, actor (Guadalcanal Diary, The Life of Riley) died Dec 14, 1964
1915 Mark Goodson, TV game show producer (What’s My Line, Family Feud, The Price is Right) died Dec 18, 1992
1919 Andy Rooney, news writer/syndicated columnist/TV commentator (60 Minutes)
1924 Guy Williams, actor (Lost in Space, Zorro) died Apr 30, 1989
1936 Clarence Carter, soul singer (Patches, Strokin')
1938 Jack Jones (John Allan Jones), singer (The Impossible Dream, Love Boat theme)
1941 (Dorothy) Faye Dunaway, actress (Network, Mommie Dearest, Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde)
1943 Holland Taylor, actress (Buson Buddies, The Practice, 2-1/2 Men)
1943 Shannon Lucid, astronaut
1948 Carl Weathers, actor (Happy Gilmore, Rocky series)
1949 Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter/director (Body Heat, Silverado, Grand Canyon)
1952 Sydney Biddle Barrows, author (Mayflower Madam)
1952 Maureen Dowd, journalist (NY Times)
1959 Geoff Tate, singer (Queensryche)
1963 Steven Soderbergh, film director (sex lies and videotape, Ocean's Eleven)
1964 Shepard Smith, broadcast journalist (The Fox Report)
1964 Mark Addy, actor (The Full Monty, A Knight's Tale, The Time Machine, Still Standing)
1967 Emily Watson, actress (Breaking the Waves, Hilary and Jackie, Gosford Park)
1967 Zakk Wylde, guitarist (Ozzy Osbourne)
1967 Kerri Green, actress (Summer Rental, Lucas, Mad About You)
1968 LL Cool J (James Todd Smith), rapper/singer/actor (Deep Blue Sea)
1969 Jason Bateman, actor (Breaking the Rules, Necessary Roughness, Arrested Development)
1969 Dave Grohl, singer/guitarist/drummer (Nirvana, Foo Fighters)
1974 Kevin Durand, actor (Dark Angel, Mystery Alaska, Walking Tall)
1979 Jordan Ladd, actress (Weapons of Mass Distraction, Cabin Fever, Grindhouse)
1979 Karen Elson, British supermodel/Mrs Jack White
1979 Angela Lindvall, supermodel/actress (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
1980 Byron Leftwich, NFL quarterback (Atlanta Falcons)
1982 Caleb Followill, singer/guitarist (Kings of Leon)
Today's Deaths in History
1742 Edmond Halley, English astronomer, dies at 85
1898 Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), author (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) dies at 65
1920 John Francis Dodge, automobile pioneer, dies at 55
1957 Humphrey Bogart, actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) dies at 57
1965 Jeanette MacDonald, actress/singer (The Love Parade, One Hour With You) dies at 61
1977 Peter Finch, English-born actor (Network, Sunday Bloody Sunday) dies at 60
1977 Anaïs Nin, French author (Delta of Venus, Henry & June) dies at 73
1978 Blossom Rock, actress (The Addams Family) dies at 82
1984 Ray Kroc, fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) dies at 81
1986 Donna Reed, actress (It's a Wonderful Life, From Here to Eternity) dies at 64
2004 Uta Hagen, actress (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) dies at 84
2004 Ron O'Neal, actor (Superfly) dies at 66
2006 Shelley Winters, actress (A Place in the Sun, The Poseidon Adventure, A Patch of Blue) dies at 85
Today in History
1639 Connecticut's first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, was adopted.
1784 The United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary War.
1832 Edgar Allan Poe published his first short story, "Metzengerstein."
1873 Celluloid, an invention of John Hyatt in 1869, was registered as a trademark.
1882 The Country Club became the first country club in the United States, in Brookline, MA.
1914 Henry Ford announced the newest advance in assembly line production of cars, the new continuous motion method.
1939 The program Honolulu Bound was first heard on CBS radio.
1943 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Allied leaders during the opening day of the famous Casablanca Conference in Morocco.
1951 The first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game was played in Los Angeles, California.
1952 NBC-TV opened its initial broadcast of Today with a shot of Dave Garroway looking outside through the ‘Window on the World’ in New York City.
1953 Josip Broz Tito was elected president of Yugoslavia by the country's Parliament.
1954 Marilyn Monroe married baseball great Joe DiMaggio; the marriage lasted nine months.
1954 The Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form the American Motors Corporation.
1963 George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of "segregation forever."
1964 A hootenanny was held for the first time at the White House, as the New Christy Minstrels entertained President and Lady Bird Johnson.
1969 An explosion ripped through the U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise off Hawaii, killing 25 crew members.
1970 Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
1972 Comedian Redd Foxx, whose last name was really Sanford, debuted on NBC-TV in Sanford & Son.
1973 Elvis Presley drew the largest audience for a single TV show to that time, an estimated one billion viewers in 40 countries, as Elvis - Aloha From Hawaii, was broadcast from the Honolulu International Center Arena (later known as the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena).
1973 The Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first NFL team to go undefeated in a season.
1985 Martina Navratilova joined Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd as the only professional tennis players to win 100 tournaments.
1985 Former Miss America Phyllis George joined Bill Kurtis as host of The CBS Morning News.
1990 Fox’s animated show The Simpsons premiered.
1993 Late-night TV talk show host David Letterman announced he was moving from NBC to CBS.
1994 President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed accords in Moscow to stop aiming missiles at any nation and to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.
1998 Whitewater prosecutors questioned first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House about the gathering of FBI background files on past Republican political appointees.
1998 NBC agreed to pay Warner Bros. a record $13 million per episode to retain the top-rated TV show ER.
2000 A U.N. tribunal sentenced five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 massacre of at least 103 Muslims in a Bosnian village.
2004 Former Enron finance chief Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to conspiracy as he accepted a 10-year prison sentence.
2004 J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. struck a deal to buy Bank One Corp. for $58 billion.
2004 President George W. Bush unveiled a plan to send astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond.
2005 Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at the Abu Ghraib prison, was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of abusing Iraqi detainees (he was later sentenced to 10 years in prison).
2005 A European space probe sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
I Love You Because - Leon Payne
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Jimmie Rodgers
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
1966
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
She’s Just My Style - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Flowers on the Wall - The Statler Brothers
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
Smokin’ in the Boys Room - Brownsville Station
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Fourteen Carat Mind - Gene Watson
1990
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
It Ain’t Nothin’ - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Walter Bagehot, English economist & journalist (1826 - 1877)
Today's Birthdays
1741 Benedict Arnold, American General/turncoat, died June 14, 1801
1806 Matthew Fontaine Maury, oceanographer/cartogrpaher, died Feb 1, 1873
1875 Albert Schweitzer, philosopher/musician/physician/humanitarian, died Sep 4, 1965
1892 Hal Roach, producer/director (One Million B.C.) died Nov 2, 1992
1904 Babe Siebert, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers) died Aug 25, 1939
1906 William Bendix, actor (Guadalcanal Diary, The Life of Riley) died Dec 14, 1964
1915 Mark Goodson, TV game show producer (What’s My Line, Family Feud, The Price is Right) died Dec 18, 1992
1919 Andy Rooney, news writer/syndicated columnist/TV commentator (60 Minutes)
1924 Guy Williams, actor (Lost in Space, Zorro) died Apr 30, 1989
1936 Clarence Carter, soul singer (Patches, Strokin')
1938 Jack Jones (John Allan Jones), singer (The Impossible Dream, Love Boat theme)
1941 (Dorothy) Faye Dunaway, actress (Network, Mommie Dearest, Chinatown, Bonnie & Clyde)
1943 Holland Taylor, actress (Buson Buddies, The Practice, 2-1/2 Men)
1943 Shannon Lucid, astronaut
1948 Carl Weathers, actor (Happy Gilmore, Rocky series)
1949 Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter/director (Body Heat, Silverado, Grand Canyon)
1952 Sydney Biddle Barrows, author (Mayflower Madam)
1952 Maureen Dowd, journalist (NY Times)
1959 Geoff Tate, singer (Queensryche)
1963 Steven Soderbergh, film director (sex lies and videotape, Ocean's Eleven)
1964 Shepard Smith, broadcast journalist (The Fox Report)
1964 Mark Addy, actor (The Full Monty, A Knight's Tale, The Time Machine, Still Standing)
1967 Emily Watson, actress (Breaking the Waves, Hilary and Jackie, Gosford Park)
1967 Zakk Wylde, guitarist (Ozzy Osbourne)
1967 Kerri Green, actress (Summer Rental, Lucas, Mad About You)
1968 LL Cool J (James Todd Smith), rapper/singer/actor (Deep Blue Sea)
1969 Jason Bateman, actor (Breaking the Rules, Necessary Roughness, Arrested Development)
1969 Dave Grohl, singer/guitarist/drummer (Nirvana, Foo Fighters)
1974 Kevin Durand, actor (Dark Angel, Mystery Alaska, Walking Tall)
1979 Jordan Ladd, actress (Weapons of Mass Distraction, Cabin Fever, Grindhouse)
1979 Karen Elson, British supermodel/Mrs Jack White
1979 Angela Lindvall, supermodel/actress (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition; Kiss Kiss Bang Bang)
1980 Byron Leftwich, NFL quarterback (Atlanta Falcons)
1982 Caleb Followill, singer/guitarist (Kings of Leon)
Today's Deaths in History
1742 Edmond Halley, English astronomer, dies at 85
1898 Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), author (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) dies at 65
1920 John Francis Dodge, automobile pioneer, dies at 55
1957 Humphrey Bogart, actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) dies at 57
1965 Jeanette MacDonald, actress/singer (The Love Parade, One Hour With You) dies at 61
1977 Peter Finch, English-born actor (Network, Sunday Bloody Sunday) dies at 60
1977 Anaïs Nin, French author (Delta of Venus, Henry & June) dies at 73
1978 Blossom Rock, actress (The Addams Family) dies at 82
1984 Ray Kroc, fast food entrepreneur (McDonald's) dies at 81
1986 Donna Reed, actress (It's a Wonderful Life, From Here to Eternity) dies at 64
2004 Uta Hagen, actress (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) dies at 84
2004 Ron O'Neal, actor (Superfly) dies at 66
2006 Shelley Winters, actress (A Place in the Sun, The Poseidon Adventure, A Patch of Blue) dies at 85
Today in History
1639 Connecticut's first constitution, the Fundamental Orders, was adopted.
1784 The United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the Revolutionary War.
1832 Edgar Allan Poe published his first short story, "Metzengerstein."
1873 Celluloid, an invention of John Hyatt in 1869, was registered as a trademark.
1882 The Country Club became the first country club in the United States, in Brookline, MA.
1914 Henry Ford announced the newest advance in assembly line production of cars, the new continuous motion method.
1939 The program Honolulu Bound was first heard on CBS radio.
1943 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Allied leaders during the opening day of the famous Casablanca Conference in Morocco.
1951 The first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game was played in Los Angeles, California.
1952 NBC-TV opened its initial broadcast of Today with a shot of Dave Garroway looking outside through the ‘Window on the World’ in New York City.
1953 Josip Broz Tito was elected president of Yugoslavia by the country's Parliament.
1954 Marilyn Monroe married baseball great Joe DiMaggio; the marriage lasted nine months.
1954 The Hudson Motor Car Company merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form the American Motors Corporation.
1963 George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of "segregation forever."
1964 A hootenanny was held for the first time at the White House, as the New Christy Minstrels entertained President and Lady Bird Johnson.
1969 An explosion ripped through the U.S. aircraft carrier Enterprise off Hawaii, killing 25 crew members.
1970 Diana Ross and the Supremes performed their last concert together, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas.
1972 Comedian Redd Foxx, whose last name was really Sanford, debuted on NBC-TV in Sanford & Son.
1973 Elvis Presley drew the largest audience for a single TV show to that time, an estimated one billion viewers in 40 countries, as Elvis - Aloha From Hawaii, was broadcast from the Honolulu International Center Arena (later known as the Neal S. Blaisdell Center Arena).
1973 The Miami Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII, becoming the first NFL team to go undefeated in a season.
1985 Martina Navratilova joined Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd as the only professional tennis players to win 100 tournaments.
1985 Former Miss America Phyllis George joined Bill Kurtis as host of The CBS Morning News.
1990 Fox’s animated show The Simpsons premiered.
1993 Late-night TV talk show host David Letterman announced he was moving from NBC to CBS.
1994 President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed accords in Moscow to stop aiming missiles at any nation and to dismantle the nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.
1998 Whitewater prosecutors questioned first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at the White House about the gathering of FBI background files on past Republican political appointees.
1998 NBC agreed to pay Warner Bros. a record $13 million per episode to retain the top-rated TV show ER.
2000 A U.N. tribunal sentenced five Bosnian Croats to up to 25 years for the 1993 massacre of at least 103 Muslims in a Bosnian village.
2004 Former Enron finance chief Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to conspiracy as he accepted a 10-year prison sentence.
2004 J.P. Morgan Chase and Co. struck a deal to buy Bank One Corp. for $58 billion.
2004 President George W. Bush unveiled a plan to send astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond.
2005 Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr., the reputed ringleader of a band of rogue guards at the Abu Ghraib prison, was convicted at Fort Hood, Texas, of abusing Iraqi detainees (he was later sentenced to 10 years in prison).
2005 A European space probe sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon, Titan.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
I Love You Because - Leon Payne
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Jimmie Rodgers
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
1966
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
She’s Just My Style - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Flowers on the Wall - The Statler Brothers
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
Smokin’ in the Boys Room - Brownsville Station
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Let’s Groove - Earth, Wind & Fire
Fourteen Carat Mind - Gene Watson
1990
Another Day in Paradise - Phil Collins
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
It Ain’t Nothin’ - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.
Walter Bagehot, English economist & journalist (1826 - 1877)
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