Today in History - Jan 15th
Today's Birthdays
1622 Jean Baptiste Moliere (Poquelin), playwright (The School for Wives, Don Juan) died Feb 17, 1673
1892 Rex Ingram (Hitchcock), writer/director (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) died July 21, 1950
1906 Aristotle Onassis, Greek shipping magnate, died Mar 15, 1975
1908 Edward Teller, physicist (father of the hydrogen bomb) died Sep 9, 2003
1909 Gene Krupa, drummer/bandleader (Sing Sing Sing) died Oct 6, 1973
1913 Lloyd Bridges, actor (Sea Hunt, Airplane! series, The Rainmaker) died Mar 10, 1998
1926 Maria Schell (Margarete Schell), actress (Voyage of the Damned, The Odessa File) died Apr 26, 2005
1929 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reverend/civil rights leader, shot and killed Apr 4, 1968
1937 Margaret O’Brien (Angela Maxine O'Brien), actress (Meet Me in St. Louis, Little Women)
1941 Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet), singer (Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band)
1948 Ronnie Van Zandt, singer/songwriter (Lynyrd Skynyrd) killed in plane crash Oct 20, 1977
1951 Martha Davis, singer (The Motels)
1957 Mario Van Peebles, actor/director (Heartbreak Ridge, Posse, New Jack City)
1959 Peter Trewavas, bassist (Marillion)
1965 Adam Jones, guitarist (Tool)
1967 Lisa Lisa, singer (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam)
1968 Chad Lowe, actor (Life Goes On)
1971 Regina King, actress (Boyz N the Hood, Jerry Maguire, Enemy of the State)
1978 Eddie Cahill, actor (Miracle, CSI: NY)
1979 Drew Brees, NFL quarterback (New Orleans Saints)
Today's Deaths in History
1947 Elizabeth Short, the "Black Dahlia," is found murdered at 22
1968 Bill Masterton, NHL center (Minnesota North Stars) dies at 29 from head wounds received during a game
1983 Meyer Lansky, Russian-born gangster, dies at 80
1987 Ray Bolger, actor/singer/dancer (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 83
1992 Dee Murray, bassist (Elton John) dies at 45
1993 Sammy Cahn, songwriter (Three Coins in the Fountain) dies at 78
1994 Harry Nilsson, musician (Everybody's Talkin', Coconut) dies at 52
1996 Les Baxter, musician/composer (Unchained Melody) dies at 73
1996 Minnesota Fats, Billiards chmapion, dies at 82
1998 Junior Wells, blues harmonica/singer, dies at 63
2005 Dan Lee, animator (Finding Nemo) dies at 35
2005 Ruth Warrick, actress (Citizen Kane) dies at 89
2007 James Hillier, inventor (electron microscope) dies at 91
Today in History
1559 England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
1777 New Connecticut, which later became the state of Vermont, declared its independence from Great Britain.
1844 The University of Notre Dame received its charter from the state of Indiana.
1870 A cartoon by Thomas Nast appeared in Harper’s Weekly, the first use of the donkey to symbolize the Democratic Party.
1885 Wilson Bentley took the first photograph of a snowflake.
1892 The rules of basketball were published for the first time, in Springfield, Mass.
1906 Willie Hoppe, age 18, won his first world billiard championship by defeating the renowned French champ, Maurice Vignaux in Paris.
1919 Pianist and statesman Ignace Jan Paderewski became the first premier of the newly created republic of Poland.
1936 The first all glass, windowless building was completed in Toledo, Ohio, the home of the Owens-Illinois Glass Company Laboratory.
1943 The world’s largest office building, the Pentagon, was completed just outside of Washington, D.C. in Arlington, VA.
1945 Art Linkletter starred on the CBS radio debut of House Party.
1947 The brutalized corpse of Elizabeth Short ("The Black Dahlia") was found in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.
1953 Harry S Truman became the first U.S. President to use radio and television to say farewell as he left office.
1964 The soundtrack album of the musical The King and I, starring Yul Brynner, earned a gold record.
1967 The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in the AFL-NFL World Championship Game (Super Bowl I).
1967 Ed Sullivan told The Rolling Stones to change the lyrics and the title to the song, "Let’s Spend the Night Together," or they wouldn't be allowed to perform on his show (they did).
1973 President Richard Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.
1976 Sara Jane Moore was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald Ford in San Francisco.
1978 Two students at Florida State University in Tallahassee were murdered in their sorority house; serial killer Ted Bundy was later convicted of the crime and executed.
1985 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored actress Myrna Loy at Carnegie Hall in New York City; the 79-year-old actress never received a nomination by the Academy, though she appeared in 120 films.
1986 HBO and Cinemax initiated scrambling of their national satellite feeds.
1987 Paramount Home Video reported that, for the first time, it would place a commercial at the front of one of its video releases: a 30-second Diet Pepsi ad at the beginning of Top Gun.
1990 George Foreman, on the comeback-trail at 42 years of age, knocked out Gerry Cooney in the second round at Atlantic City, N.J.
1991 The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expired, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.
1992 The Yugoslav federation effectively collapsed as the European Community recognized the republics of Croatia and Slovenia.
2001 Wikipedia went online.
2004 The NASA Spirit rover rolled onto the surface of Mars.
2005 A military court at Fort Hood, Texas, sentenced Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr. to 10 years behind bars for physically and sexually mistreating Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison.
2005 Mahmoud Abbas was sworn in as Palestinian president.
2006 After a seven-year journey, a NASA space capsule, Stardust, returned safely to Earth with the first dust ever fetched from a comet.
Chart Toppers
1951
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
The Thing - Phil Harris
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
The Golden Rocket - Hank Snow
1959
The Chipmunk Song - The Chipmunks
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
My Happiness - Connie Francis
City Lights - Ray Price
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
Good Thing - Paul Revere & The Raiders
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
Junior’s Farm/Sally G - Paul McCartney & Wings
Ruby, Baby - Billy "Crash" Craddock
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
I Can’t Even Get the Blues - Reba McEntire
1991
Justify My Love - Madonna
High Enough - Damn Yankees
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
Unknown
Full Version: Today in History
Today in History - Jan 16th
Today's Birthdays
1909 Ethel Merman (Zimmerman), singer/actress (There’s No Business Like Show Business) died Feb 15, 1984
1910 Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died July 17, 1974
1921 Francesco Scavullo, glamour photographer, died Jan 6, 2004
1932 Dian Fossey, zoologist (gorillas) died Dec 27, 1985
1933 Susan Sontag, writer (The New Yorker) died Dec 28, 2004
1934 Marilyn Horne, opera singer (Carmen Jones)
1935 A.J. (Anthony Joseph) Foyt, Indy car driver
1937 Bob Bogle (Robert Lenard Bogle), guitarist/bassist (The Ventures)
1938 Lou Angotti, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1942 Bill Francis, keyboardist/singer (Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show)
1944 Jim Stafford, singer (Spiders and Snakes, Wildwood Weed, My Girl Bill)
1946 Ronnie Milsap, country singer (It Was Almost Like a Song)
1946 Dr. Laura Schlessinger, radio talk show host
1948 John Carpenter, writer/director (Escape from L.A., Prince of Darkness, Starman, Escape from New York, Halloween)
1950 Debbie Allen, dancer/actress (Fame)
1959 Sade (Helen Folasade Adu), singer (Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger than Pride)
1961 Paul Raven, bassist (Killing Joke) died Oct 20, 2007
1961 Jill Sobule, singer/songwriter (I Kissed a Girl, Supermodel)
1962 Paul Webb, bassist (Talk Talk)
1966 Maxine Jones, R&B singer (En Vogue)
1968 David Chokachi, actor (Baywatch)
1969 Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin), black metal vocalist (Mayhem) died Apr 8, 1991
1970 Brendan O'Hare, drummer (Teenage Fanclub)
1974 Kate Moss, supermodel
1975 Gillian Iliana Waters, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1979 Aaliyah, singer (Age Ain't Nothing But a Number) died Aug 25, 2001
1979 Jason Ward, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1980 Albert Pujols, MLB 1st baseman (St Louis Cardinals)
1981 Nick Valensi, guitarist (The Strokes)
1989 Yvonne Zima, actress (Rachel)
Today's Deaths in History
1936 Albert Fish, serial killer (Werewolf of Wysteria) is executed at 65
1942 Carole Lombard, actress (MY Man Godfrey) dies at 33 in a plane crash
1957 Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor, dies at 89
1972 David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian), actor/musician (The Chipmunk Song) dies at 52
1979 Ted Cassidy, actor (The Addams Family) dies at 46
1982 Red Smith, sports columnist (Milwaukee Sentinel, St. Louis Journal, Philadelphia Record) dies at 76
1997 Ennis Cosby, son of Bill Cosby, is murdered at 27
2000 Will "Dub" Jones, singer (The Coasters) dies at 71
2002 Carl "Bobo" Olson, "The Hawaiian Swede," middleweight boxing champion, dies at 73
2002 Ron Taylor, actor (The Simpsons) dies at 49
2007 Ron Carey, actor (Barney Miller) dies at 71
2007 Benny Parsons, NASCAR driver/commentator, dies at 65
Today in History
1547 Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia.
1866 Everett Barney patented the all-metal screw clamp skate.
1883 The United States Civil Service Commission was established as the Pendleton Act went into effect.
1920 Prohibition began as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect.
1921 The motion picture The Kid, starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan, opened.
1938 Benny Goodman and his band brought the sound of jazz to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1944 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1957 The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool, England.
1961 Mickey Mantle signed a $75,000 contract, which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League.
1964 Hello Dolly!, starring Carol Channing, opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
1976 Frampton Comes Alive was released by Herb Alpert’s A&M Records.
1984 Michael Jackson receive eight American Music Awards.
1985 Playboy magazine announced its 30-year tradition of stapling centerfold models would come to an end.
1985 Leonard Nimoy got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1986 Polls showed that Walter Cronkite, five years after his retirement from the CBS Evening News, remained the most trusted man in America.
1988 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder was fired as a CBS sports commentator one day after making a racist comment.
1988 George Michael’s Faith started a sixteen-week run as the number-one album in the U.S.
1989 Three days of rioting erupted in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger.
1991 The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
1992 The government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact in Mexico City ending 12 years of civil war that had killed at least 75,000 people.
1994 Bryan Adams became the first Western entertainer to perform in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
1996 Jimmy Buffett’s sea plane Hemisphere Dancer was shot at by Jamaican police who mistook him for a drug smuggler.
2001 President Bill Clinton awarded former US President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War.
2002 The UN Security Council unanimously established an arms embargo and froze of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
2003 The space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven blasted off from Cape Canaveral; the shuttle broke up during its return descent on Feb. 1, killing everyone on board.
2004 Pop star Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges during a court appearance in Santa Maria, Calif.
2006 Africa's first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was sworn in as Liberia's new president.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
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
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1976
I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Fox on the Run - Sweet
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Slow Burn - T.G. Sheppard
Quote of the Day
I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Mae West, actress (1892 - 1980)
Today's Birthdays
1909 Ethel Merman (Zimmerman), singer/actress (There’s No Business Like Show Business) died Feb 15, 1984
1910 Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died July 17, 1974
1921 Francesco Scavullo, glamour photographer, died Jan 6, 2004
1932 Dian Fossey, zoologist (gorillas) died Dec 27, 1985
1933 Susan Sontag, writer (The New Yorker) died Dec 28, 2004
1934 Marilyn Horne, opera singer (Carmen Jones)
1935 A.J. (Anthony Joseph) Foyt, Indy car driver
1937 Bob Bogle (Robert Lenard Bogle), guitarist/bassist (The Ventures)
1938 Lou Angotti, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1942 Bill Francis, keyboardist/singer (Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show)
1944 Jim Stafford, singer (Spiders and Snakes, Wildwood Weed, My Girl Bill)
1946 Ronnie Milsap, country singer (It Was Almost Like a Song)
1946 Dr. Laura Schlessinger, radio talk show host
1948 John Carpenter, writer/director (Escape from L.A., Prince of Darkness, Starman, Escape from New York, Halloween)
1950 Debbie Allen, dancer/actress (Fame)
1959 Sade (Helen Folasade Adu), singer (Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger than Pride)
1961 Paul Raven, bassist (Killing Joke) died Oct 20, 2007
1961 Jill Sobule, singer/songwriter (I Kissed a Girl, Supermodel)
1962 Paul Webb, bassist (Talk Talk)
1966 Maxine Jones, R&B singer (En Vogue)
1968 David Chokachi, actor (Baywatch)
1969 Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin), black metal vocalist (Mayhem) died Apr 8, 1991
1970 Brendan O'Hare, drummer (Teenage Fanclub)
1974 Kate Moss, supermodel
1975 Gillian Iliana Waters, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1979 Aaliyah, singer (Age Ain't Nothing But a Number) died Aug 25, 2001
1979 Jason Ward, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1980 Albert Pujols, MLB 1st baseman (St Louis Cardinals)
1981 Nick Valensi, guitarist (The Strokes)
1989 Yvonne Zima, actress (Rachel)
Today's Deaths in History
1936 Albert Fish, serial killer (Werewolf of Wysteria) is executed at 65
1942 Carole Lombard, actress (MY Man Godfrey) dies at 33 in a plane crash
1957 Arturo Toscanini, Italian conductor, dies at 89
1972 David Seville (Ross Bagdasarian), actor/musician (The Chipmunk Song) dies at 52
1979 Ted Cassidy, actor (The Addams Family) dies at 46
1982 Red Smith, sports columnist (Milwaukee Sentinel, St. Louis Journal, Philadelphia Record) dies at 76
1997 Ennis Cosby, son of Bill Cosby, is murdered at 27
2000 Will "Dub" Jones, singer (The Coasters) dies at 71
2002 Carl "Bobo" Olson, "The Hawaiian Swede," middleweight boxing champion, dies at 73
2002 Ron Taylor, actor (The Simpsons) dies at 49
2007 Ron Carey, actor (Barney Miller) dies at 71
2007 Benny Parsons, NASCAR driver/commentator, dies at 65
Today in History
1547 Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia.
1866 Everett Barney patented the all-metal screw clamp skate.
1883 The United States Civil Service Commission was established as the Pendleton Act went into effect.
1920 Prohibition began as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect.
1921 The motion picture The Kid, starring Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan, opened.
1938 Benny Goodman and his band brought the sound of jazz to Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1944 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied invasion force in London.
1957 The Cavern Club opened in Liverpool, England.
1961 Mickey Mantle signed a $75,000 contract, which made him the highest paid baseball player in the American League.
1964 Hello Dolly!, starring Carol Channing, opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City.
1976 Frampton Comes Alive was released by Herb Alpert’s A&M Records.
1984 Michael Jackson receive eight American Music Awards.
1985 Playboy magazine announced its 30-year tradition of stapling centerfold models would come to an end.
1985 Leonard Nimoy got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1986 Polls showed that Walter Cronkite, five years after his retirement from the CBS Evening News, remained the most trusted man in America.
1988 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder was fired as a CBS sports commentator one day after making a racist comment.
1988 George Michael’s Faith started a sixteen-week run as the number-one album in the U.S.
1989 Three days of rioting erupted in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger.
1991 The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
1992 The government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact in Mexico City ending 12 years of civil war that had killed at least 75,000 people.
1994 Bryan Adams became the first Western entertainer to perform in Vietnam since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.
1996 Jimmy Buffett’s sea plane Hemisphere Dancer was shot at by Jamaican police who mistook him for a drug smuggler.
2001 President Bill Clinton awarded former US President Theodore Roosevelt a posthumous Medal of Honor for his service in the Spanish-American War.
2002 The UN Security Council unanimously established an arms embargo and froze of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
2003 The space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven blasted off from Cape Canaveral; the shuttle broke up during its return descent on Feb. 1, killing everyone on board.
2004 Pop star Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges during a court appearance in Santa Maria, Calif.
2006 Africa's first elected female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was sworn in as Liberia's new president.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers
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
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Woman, Woman - The Union Gap
For Loving You - Bill Anderson & Jan Howard
1976
I Write the Songs - Barry Manilow
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Fox on the Run - Sweet
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Slow Burn - T.G. Sheppard
Quote of the Day
I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Mae West, actress (1892 - 1980)
Today in History - Jan 17th
Today's Birthdays
1706 Benjamin Franklin, statesman/author/publisher/scientist/inventor, died Apr 17, 1790
1820 Anne Brontë, British author (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) died May 28, 1849
1884 Mack Sennett (Mikall Sinnott), silent movie director (Tillie’s Punctured Romance) died Nov 5, 1960
1899 Al Capone, Chicago gangster (Prohibition era) died Jan 25, 1947
1908 Cus D'Amato, boxing manager (Floyd Patterson) died Nov 4, 1985
1922 Betty White, actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls)
1926 Moira Shearer, ballerina (The Red Shoes) died Jan 31, 2006
1927 Eartha Kitt, singer/actress (Batman, Boomerang)
1928 Vidal Sassoon, cosmetologist
1929 Jacques Plante, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie (NY Rangers) died Feb 27, 1986
1931 James Earl Jones, actor (Star Wars, The Hunt for Red October, The Lion King, Sneakers, Roots, The Great White Hope)
1931 L. Douglas Wilder, 66th Governor of Virginia/first African-American governor
1932 Sheree North (Dawn Bethel), actress (Portrait of a Stripper) died Nov 4, 2005
1933 Shari Lewis (Hurwitz), puppeteer (The Shari Lewis Show) died Aug 2, 1998
1939 Maury Povich, TV talk show host (A Current Affair, The Maury Povich Show)
1942 Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), world heavyweight boxing champion
1945 William Hart, R&B singer (The Delfonics)
1948 Mick Taylor, singer/rhythm guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
1949 Andy Kaufman, actor/comedian (Taxi, Saturday Night Live, Andy’s Funhouse) died May 16, 1984
1953 Sheila Hutchinson, R&B singer (The Emotions)
1955 Steve Earle, songwriter/singer/guitarist
1956 Paul Young, singer (Everytime You Go Away)
1957 John Crawford, singer/basssit (Berlin)
1957 Steve Harvey, actor/comedian
1959 Susanna Hoffs, singer/guitarist (The Bangles)
1961 Brian Helgeland, writer/film director (LA Confidential, Knight's Tale)
1962 Dunc, board member
1962 Jim Carrey, actor/comedian (The Mask, Ace Ventura series, Dumb & Dumber, The Cable Guy, The Truman Show)
1964 Andy Rourke, bassist (The Smiths)
1966 Joshua Malina, actor (The West Wing, Sports Night)
1969 Naveen Andrews, actor (Lost, The English Patient)
1970 Jeremy Roenick, NHL center (San Jose Sharks)
1971 Kid Rock, rapper/singer
1973 Aaron Ward, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1975 Freddy Rodriguez, actor (Six Feet Under, Grindhouse, Ugly Betty)
1980 Zooey Deschanel, actress (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Mumford, Elf, Big Trouble)
1980 Kimberly Spicer, playmate (June 1999)
1982 Dwayne Wade, NBA guard (Miami Heat)
Today's Deaths in History
1893 Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States, dies at 70
1927 Juliette Gordon Low, founder (Girl Scouts) dies at 66
1964 T.H. White, English author (The Once and Future King) dies at 57
1977 Gary Gilmore, convicted murderer, is executed at 36
2003 Richard Crenna, actor (First Blood, The Flamingo Kid, The Real McCoys) dies at 76
2004 Ray Stark, stage/film producer (The Way We Were, Funny Lady) dies at 88
2004 Noble Willingham, actor (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Chinatown, Good Morning Vietnam) dies at 72
2005 Virginia Mayo, actress (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 84
2007 Art Buchwald, humorist/author (The Washington Post) dies at 81
Today in History
1605 Don Quixote is first publsihed.
1795 The Duddingston Curling Society, the oldest club of its kind, was organized in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1806 James Madison Randolph, grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, became the first child to be born in the White House.
1871 Andrew Smith Hallidie of San Francisco, California received a patent for a cable car system.
1893 Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown when a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliu'okalani to abdicate.
1916 The Professional Golfers’ Association was formed in New York City.
1917 The United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
1928 The fully automatic, film-developing machine was patented by Anatol M. Josepho.
1929 Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
1945 Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.
1946 The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting.
1949 The Goldbergs came to CBS-TV after having been a radio standard dating back to 1931.
1961 In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of "the military-industrial complex."
1966 A B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping four 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
1968 The NCAA Football Rules Committee ruled that tackles were not eligible to be pass receivers.
1969 "Lady Samantha," one of the very first recordings by Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Elton John), was released in England on Philips Records.
1977 Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.
1984 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the private use of home video cassette recorders to tape TV programs did not violate federal copyright laws.
1991 Operation Desert Storm began as the U.S. and its United Nations allies went to war to drive Saddam Hussein’s army out of Iraqi-occupied Kuwait.
1994 A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage.
1994 Actors Donny Osmond and Danny Bonaduce slugged it out in a three-round charity boxing match in Chicago, Illinois.
1995 A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Kobe, Japan.
1995 The Golf Channel began on some U.S. cable systems.
1997 A court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country's history.
1997 Israel handed over Hebron to the Palestinians, ending 30 years of occupation of the West Bank city.
1998 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
2000 British pharmaceutical firms Glaxo Wellcome PLC and SmithKline Beecham PLC announced a merger to form the world’s largest drug maker.
2001 Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
2006 The Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws.
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
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
Midnight - Red Foley
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
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Car Wash - Rose Royce
You Never Miss a Really Good Thing (Till He Says Goodbye) - Crystal Gayle
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
All I Need - Jack Wagner
You’re the Inspiration - Chicago
The Best Year of My Life - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.
W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist & novelist (1874 - 1965)
Today's Birthdays
1706 Benjamin Franklin, statesman/author/publisher/scientist/inventor, died Apr 17, 1790
1820 Anne Brontë, British author (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall) died May 28, 1849
1884 Mack Sennett (Mikall Sinnott), silent movie director (Tillie’s Punctured Romance) died Nov 5, 1960
1899 Al Capone, Chicago gangster (Prohibition era) died Jan 25, 1947
1908 Cus D'Amato, boxing manager (Floyd Patterson) died Nov 4, 1985
1922 Betty White, actress (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls)
1926 Moira Shearer, ballerina (The Red Shoes) died Jan 31, 2006
1927 Eartha Kitt, singer/actress (Batman, Boomerang)
1928 Vidal Sassoon, cosmetologist
1929 Jacques Plante, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie (NY Rangers) died Feb 27, 1986
1931 James Earl Jones, actor (Star Wars, The Hunt for Red October, The Lion King, Sneakers, Roots, The Great White Hope)
1931 L. Douglas Wilder, 66th Governor of Virginia/first African-American governor
1932 Sheree North (Dawn Bethel), actress (Portrait of a Stripper) died Nov 4, 2005
1933 Shari Lewis (Hurwitz), puppeteer (The Shari Lewis Show) died Aug 2, 1998
1939 Maury Povich, TV talk show host (A Current Affair, The Maury Povich Show)
1942 Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), world heavyweight boxing champion
1945 William Hart, R&B singer (The Delfonics)
1948 Mick Taylor, singer/rhythm guitarist (The Rolling Stones)
1949 Andy Kaufman, actor/comedian (Taxi, Saturday Night Live, Andy’s Funhouse) died May 16, 1984
1953 Sheila Hutchinson, R&B singer (The Emotions)
1955 Steve Earle, songwriter/singer/guitarist
1956 Paul Young, singer (Everytime You Go Away)
1957 John Crawford, singer/basssit (Berlin)
1957 Steve Harvey, actor/comedian
1959 Susanna Hoffs, singer/guitarist (The Bangles)
1961 Brian Helgeland, writer/film director (LA Confidential, Knight's Tale)
1962 Dunc, board member
1962 Jim Carrey, actor/comedian (The Mask, Ace Ventura series, Dumb & Dumber, The Cable Guy, The Truman Show)
1964 Andy Rourke, bassist (The Smiths)
1966 Joshua Malina, actor (The West Wing, Sports Night)
1969 Naveen Andrews, actor (Lost, The English Patient)
1970 Jeremy Roenick, NHL center (San Jose Sharks)
1971 Kid Rock, rapper/singer
1973 Aaron Ward, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1975 Freddy Rodriguez, actor (Six Feet Under, Grindhouse, Ugly Betty)
1980 Zooey Deschanel, actress (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Mumford, Elf, Big Trouble)
1980 Kimberly Spicer, playmate (June 1999)
1982 Dwayne Wade, NBA guard (Miami Heat)
Today's Deaths in History
1893 Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States, dies at 70
1927 Juliette Gordon Low, founder (Girl Scouts) dies at 66
1964 T.H. White, English author (The Once and Future King) dies at 57
1977 Gary Gilmore, convicted murderer, is executed at 36
2003 Richard Crenna, actor (First Blood, The Flamingo Kid, The Real McCoys) dies at 76
2004 Ray Stark, stage/film producer (The Way We Were, Funny Lady) dies at 88
2004 Noble Willingham, actor (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Chinatown, Good Morning Vietnam) dies at 72
2005 Virginia Mayo, actress (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 84
2007 Art Buchwald, humorist/author (The Washington Post) dies at 81
Today in History
1605 Don Quixote is first publsihed.
1795 The Duddingston Curling Society, the oldest club of its kind, was organized in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1806 James Madison Randolph, grandson of President Thomas Jefferson, became the first child to be born in the White House.
1871 Andrew Smith Hallidie of San Francisco, California received a patent for a cable car system.
1893 Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown when a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliu'okalani to abdicate.
1916 The Professional Golfers’ Association was formed in New York City.
1917 The United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
1928 The fully automatic, film-developing machine was patented by Anatol M. Josepho.
1929 Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
1945 Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.
1946 The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting.
1949 The Goldbergs came to CBS-TV after having been a radio standard dating back to 1931.
1961 In his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of "the military-industrial complex."
1966 A B-52 bomber collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping four 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
1968 The NCAA Football Rules Committee ruled that tackles were not eligible to be pass receivers.
1969 "Lady Samantha," one of the very first recordings by Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Elton John), was released in England on Philips Records.
1977 Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.
1984 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the private use of home video cassette recorders to tape TV programs did not violate federal copyright laws.
1991 Operation Desert Storm began as the U.S. and its United Nations allies went to war to drive Saddam Hussein’s army out of Iraqi-occupied Kuwait.
1994 A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 61 people and causing $20 billion worth of damage.
1994 Actors Donny Osmond and Danny Bonaduce slugged it out in a three-round charity boxing match in Chicago, Illinois.
1995 A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Kobe, Japan.
1995 The Golf Channel began on some U.S. cable systems.
1997 A court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country's history.
1997 Israel handed over Hebron to the Palestinians, ending 30 years of occupation of the West Bank city.
1998 President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who had accused Clinton of sexual harassment.
2000 British pharmaceutical firms Glaxo Wellcome PLC and SmithKline Beecham PLC announced a merger to form the world’s largest drug maker.
2001 Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
2006 The Supreme Court protected Oregon's assisted-suicide law, ruling that doctors there who helped terminally ill patients die could not be arrested under federal drug laws.
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
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
Midnight - Red Foley
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
I’m Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Car Wash - Rose Royce
You Never Miss a Really Good Thing (Till He Says Goodbye) - Crystal Gayle
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
All I Need - Jack Wagner
You’re the Inspiration - Chicago
The Best Year of My Life - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it.
W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist & novelist (1874 - 1965)
Today in History - Jan 18th
Today's Birthdays
1779 Peter Roget, lexicographer (Roget's thesaurus) died Sep 12, 1869
1782 Daniel Webster, statesman/lawyer, died Oct 24, 1852
1882 A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne, author (Winnie the Pooh series) died Jan 31, 1956
1892 Oliver (Norvell) Hardy, comedian/actor (Laurel & Hardy) died Aug 7, 1957
1904 Cary Grant (Archibald Alexander Leach), actor (The Philadelphia Story, To Catch a Thief) died Nov 29, 1986
1913 Danny Kaye (David Daniel Kaminski), comedian/dancer/singer/actor (White Christmas) died Mar 3, 1987
1933 Ray Dolby, inventor (Dolby noise reduction system)
1941 Bobby Goldsboro, singer (Honey, Watching Scotty Grow)
1941 David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin), lead singer (The Temptations) died June 1, 1991
1944 ‘Legs’ Larry Smith, drummer (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)
1953 Brett Hudson, singer/comedian (Hudson Brothers)
1955 Kevin Costner, actor (Field of Dreams, JFK, The Untouchables, Waterworld, Dances with Wolves)
1956 Tom Bailey, English singer (Thompson Twins)
1961 Mark Messier, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers)
1962 Alison Arngrim, actress (Little House on the Prairie)
1964 Jane Horrocks, actress (Absolutely Fabulous, Little Voice)
1965 Dave Attell, comedian
1969 Jesse L. Martin, actor (Law & Order)
1969 Jim O'Rourke, musician/producer (Wilco)
1971 Jonathan Davis, singer (Korn)
1974 Maulik Pancholy, actor (Weeds, 30 Rock)
1979 Brian Gionta, NHL right wing (NJ Devils)
1980 Jason Segel, actor (How I Met Your Mother, Freaks and Geeks)
1983 Samantha Mumba, actress/singer (The Time Machine)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 John Tyler, 10th President of the United States, dies at 71
1936 Rudyard Kipling, author (Gunga Din, Jungle Book) dies at 70
1952 Curly Howard, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 48
1954 Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) dies at 74
1967 Goose Tatum, basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters) dies at 45
1997 Paul Tsongas, U.S. Senator (D-Mass) dies at 55
2001 Al Waxman, actor (Cagney & Lacey) dies at 65
2005 Lamont Bentley, actor (Moesha, Tales from the Hood) dies at 31
2007 Brent Liles, bassist (Agent Orange, Social Distortion) dies at 43
Today in History
1778 Captain James Cook of the British Navy thought he was the first to find a group of islands in the Pacific; he named them the Sandwich Islands (they're now known as Hawaii).
1788 The first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony.
1886 The (field) Hockey Association was formed in England.
1896 The x-ray machine was exhibited for the first time in New York City.
1911 The first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely flew onto the deck of the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco harbor.
1919 Bentley Motors Limited was founded.
1919 The World War I peace conference opened in Versailles, France.
1929 New York Daily Mirror columnist Walter Winchell made his debut on radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip.
1939 Louis Armstrong and his orchestra recorded "Jeepers Creepers" on Decca Records.
1943 U.S. commercial bakers stopped selling sliced bread; only whole loaves were sold until the end of World War II.
1943 The Soviets announced that they had broken the long Nazi siege of Leningrad.
1944 The first jazz concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1948 Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour debuted on the DuMont television network.
1957 The first, non-stop, around-the-world jet flight came to an end at Riverside, CA.
1958 Willie O'Ree, the first African-Canadian NHL player, made his NHL debut.
1967 Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses.
1968 Singer Eartha Kitt made headlines, as she got into a now-famous confrontation with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of the President of the United States, at a White House luncheon to discuss urban crime.
1973 Pink Floyd began recording Dark Side of the Moon, which would become the longest-charting record in Billboard magazine’s history.
1975 The Jeffersons made its debut on CBS-TV.
1977 Scientists identified a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease.
1986 Dionne Warwick’s single for AID’s research, "That’s What Friends Are For," became her second #1 song.
1987 For the first time in its history, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) was seen by more than 100 million viewers.
1990 Eric Clapton kicked off an unprecedented string of 18 concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall in support of his solo album, Journeyman.
1990 A jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.
1990 Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
1991 Financially strapped Eastern Airlines shut down after 62 years in business.
1993 The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 states for the first time.
1997 Norwegian Borge Ousland completed the first solo crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole.
2004 A suicide truck bombing outside the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad killed at least 31 people.
2005 The world's largest commercial jet, an Airbus A380 that can carry 800 passengers, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.
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
You Will Have to Pay - Tex Ritter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
Secret Love - Doris Day
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
Take This Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Burning Heart - Survivor
Bop - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht, author & dramatist (1893 - 1964)
Today's Birthdays
1779 Peter Roget, lexicographer (Roget's thesaurus) died Sep 12, 1869
1782 Daniel Webster, statesman/lawyer, died Oct 24, 1852
1882 A.A. (Alan Alexander) Milne, author (Winnie the Pooh series) died Jan 31, 1956
1892 Oliver (Norvell) Hardy, comedian/actor (Laurel & Hardy) died Aug 7, 1957
1904 Cary Grant (Archibald Alexander Leach), actor (The Philadelphia Story, To Catch a Thief) died Nov 29, 1986
1913 Danny Kaye (David Daniel Kaminski), comedian/dancer/singer/actor (White Christmas) died Mar 3, 1987
1933 Ray Dolby, inventor (Dolby noise reduction system)
1941 Bobby Goldsboro, singer (Honey, Watching Scotty Grow)
1941 David Ruffin (Davis Eli Ruffin), lead singer (The Temptations) died June 1, 1991
1944 ‘Legs’ Larry Smith, drummer (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band)
1953 Brett Hudson, singer/comedian (Hudson Brothers)
1955 Kevin Costner, actor (Field of Dreams, JFK, The Untouchables, Waterworld, Dances with Wolves)
1956 Tom Bailey, English singer (Thompson Twins)
1961 Mark Messier, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers)
1962 Alison Arngrim, actress (Little House on the Prairie)
1964 Jane Horrocks, actress (Absolutely Fabulous, Little Voice)
1965 Dave Attell, comedian
1969 Jesse L. Martin, actor (Law & Order)
1969 Jim O'Rourke, musician/producer (Wilco)
1971 Jonathan Davis, singer (Korn)
1974 Maulik Pancholy, actor (Weeds, 30 Rock)
1979 Brian Gionta, NHL right wing (NJ Devils)
1980 Jason Segel, actor (How I Met Your Mother, Freaks and Geeks)
1983 Samantha Mumba, actress/singer (The Time Machine)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 John Tyler, 10th President of the United States, dies at 71
1936 Rudyard Kipling, author (Gunga Din, Jungle Book) dies at 70
1952 Curly Howard, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 48
1954 Sydney Greenstreet, English actor (Casablanca, Maltese Falcon) dies at 74
1967 Goose Tatum, basketball player (Harlem Globetrotters) dies at 45
1997 Paul Tsongas, U.S. Senator (D-Mass) dies at 55
2001 Al Waxman, actor (Cagney & Lacey) dies at 65
2005 Lamont Bentley, actor (Moesha, Tales from the Hood) dies at 31
2007 Brent Liles, bassist (Agent Orange, Social Distortion) dies at 43
Today in History
1778 Captain James Cook of the British Navy thought he was the first to find a group of islands in the Pacific; he named them the Sandwich Islands (they're now known as Hawaii).
1788 The first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony.
1886 The (field) Hockey Association was formed in England.
1896 The x-ray machine was exhibited for the first time in New York City.
1911 The first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely flew onto the deck of the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco harbor.
1919 Bentley Motors Limited was founded.
1919 The World War I peace conference opened in Versailles, France.
1929 New York Daily Mirror columnist Walter Winchell made his debut on radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip.
1939 Louis Armstrong and his orchestra recorded "Jeepers Creepers" on Decca Records.
1943 U.S. commercial bakers stopped selling sliced bread; only whole loaves were sold until the end of World War II.
1943 The Soviets announced that they had broken the long Nazi siege of Leningrad.
1944 The first jazz concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1948 Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour debuted on the DuMont television network.
1957 The first, non-stop, around-the-world jet flight came to an end at Riverside, CA.
1958 Willie O'Ree, the first African-Canadian NHL player, made his NHL debut.
1967 Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, Mass., of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses.
1968 Singer Eartha Kitt made headlines, as she got into a now-famous confrontation with Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, wife of the President of the United States, at a White House luncheon to discuss urban crime.
1973 Pink Floyd began recording Dark Side of the Moon, which would become the longest-charting record in Billboard magazine’s history.
1975 The Jeffersons made its debut on CBS-TV.
1977 Scientists identified a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease.
1986 Dionne Warwick’s single for AID’s research, "That’s What Friends Are For," became her second #1 song.
1987 For the first time in its history, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) was seen by more than 100 million viewers.
1990 Eric Clapton kicked off an unprecedented string of 18 concerts at London’s Royal Albert Hall in support of his solo album, Journeyman.
1990 A jury in Los Angeles acquitted former preschool operators Raymond Buckey and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, of 52 child molestation charges.
1990 Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry was arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.
1991 Financially strapped Eastern Airlines shut down after 62 years in business.
1993 The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 states for the first time.
1997 Norwegian Borge Ousland completed the first solo crossing of Antarctica via the South Pole.
2004 A suicide truck bombing outside the headquarters of the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad killed at least 31 people.
2005 The world's largest commercial jet, an Airbus A380 that can carry 800 passengers, was unveiled in Toulouse, France.
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
You Will Have to Pay - Tex Ritter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Changing Partners - Patti Page
Secret Love - Doris Day
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
Take This Job and Shove It - Johnny Paycheck
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Burning Heart - Survivor
Bop - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
Ben Hecht, author & dramatist (1893 - 1964)
Today in History - Jan 19th
Today's Birthdays
1736 James Watt, inventor (condensing steam engine) died Aug 19, 1819
1807 Robert E. (Edward) Lee, Confederate General, died Oct 12, 1870
1809 Edgar Allan Poe, author/poet (The Raven, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of Usher) died Oct 7, 1849
1839 Paul Cézanne, French painter (Post-Impressionist) died Oct 22, 1906
1908 Merwyn Bogue (Ish Kabibble) comic singer (Three Little Fishies) died June 5, 1994
1913 "Minnesota Fats" (Rudolph Walter Wanderone Jr.), billiards champion, died Jan 15, 1996
1923 Jean Stapleton (Murray), actress (All in the Family, Michael)
1926 Fritz Weaver, actor (Marathon Man, Black Sunday)
1931 Tippi (Natalie) Hedren, actress (The Birds, Harrad Experiment)
1931 Robert MacNeil, broadcast journalist (The MacNeil/Lehrer Report)
1939 Phil Everly, singer (The Everly Brothers)
1942 Michael Crawford (Dumble-Smith), actor/singer (The Phantom of the Opera)
1943 Janis Joplin, singer (Big Brother and the Holding Company) died Oct 4, 1970
1944 Shelley Fabares, singer (Johnny Angel)
1944 Dan Reeves, former NFL coach (Atlanta Falcons)
1946 Dolly Parton, songwriter/singer/actress (9-to-5, Steel Magnolias)
1947 Rod Evans, singer (Deep Purple)
1948 Harvey Hinsley, guitarist (Hot Chocolate)
1949 Robert Palmer, singer/guitarist (Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley, Addicted to Love, Every Kinda People) died Sep 26, 2003
1951 Martha Davis, singer (The Motels)
1952 Dewey Bunnell, singer/songwriter (America)
1953 Desi Arnaz Jr., entertainer/singer/Lucille Ball's son
1953 Larry Goodenough, hockey defenseman (Richmond Robins, Philadelphia Flyers)
1955 Paul Rodriguez, comedian/actor (Quicksilver, Rat Race)
1957 Mickey Virtue, keyboardist (UB40)
1957 Katey Sagal, actress (Married...With Children)
1961 Paul McCrane, actor (Fame, RoboCop, The Shawshank Redemption, ER, Ugly Betty)
1961 William Ragsdale, actor (Fright Night, Herman's Head)
1963 Caron Wheeler, singer (Soul II Soul)
1963 Martin Bashir, Pakistani-born reporter (20/20)
1968 Whitfield Crane, singer (Ugly Kid Joe)
1969 Junior Seau, NFL linebcaker (San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots)
1971 Shawn Wayans, comedian/actor (Little Man, White Chicks)
1971 John Wozniak, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Marcy Playground)
1972 Drea de Matteo, actress (The Sopranos, Joey)
1974 Ian Laperrière, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1974 Frank Caliendo, comedian/impressionist (Frank TV, Fox NFL Sunday)
1976 Marsha Thomason, actress (Las Vegas, Lost)
1982 Jodie Sweetin, actress (Full House)
Today's Deaths in History
1729 William Congreve, English playwright (Love for Love) dies at 58
1851 Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian writer (The Slaughterhouse) dies at 45
1980 William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 81
1984 Max Bentley, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers) dies at 63
1991 John Russell, actor/U.S. Marine (Rio Bravo) dies at 70
1996 Don Simpson, film producer (Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun) dies at 52
1998 Carl Perkins, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (Blue Suede Shoes) dies at 65
2000 Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born actress (Samson and Delilah) dies at 86
2006 Wilson Pickett, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Mustang Sally, In the Midnight Hour) dies at 64
2006 Anthony Franciosa, actor (The Pleasure Seekers, The Drowning Pool) dies at 77
2007 Denny Doherty, singer (The Mamas and the Papas) dies at 66
Today in History
1825 Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett of New York City patented a canning process to preserve salmon, oysters and lobsters.
1861 Georgia seceded from the Union.
1883 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, began service in Roselle, New Jersey.
1907 The first film reviews appeared in Variety magazine.
1915 George Claude of Paris, France patented the neon tube advertising sign.
1937 Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record, flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.
1944 The federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads after settling a wage dispute.
1949 The salary of the President of the United States was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance added for each year in office.
1953 Sixty-eight percent of all TV sets in the U.S. were tuned to CBS-TV as Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy gave birth to a baby boy, just as she actually did in real life.
1955 President Dwight Eisenhower allowed a filmed news conference to be used on television and in movie newsreels for the first time.
1959 Dick Clark’s American Bandstand became the number-one daytime TV show in the U.S.
1966 Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, was appointed India’s prime minister.
1970 The soundtrack of the film Easy Rider was certified a gold record.
1974 Notre Dame ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak, as the Fighting Irish posted a 71-70 basketball win over the Bruins.
1976 The Beatles turned down an offer of $50 million to play together again on the same stage.
1977 President Gerald Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose).
1978 The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany left VW's plant in Emden.
1979 Former Attorney General John Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months in federal prison for Watergate-related crimes.
1981 The United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.
1983 Nazi Klaus Barbie, “the butcher of Lyon” during the German occupation, was arrested in Bolivia on charges of having tortured and killed thousands of people.
1983 The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Computer, Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, was announced.
1993 IBM announced a $4.97 billion loss for 1992, the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history.
1997 Yasser Arafat returned to Hebron for the first time in more than 30 years, joining 60,000 Palestinians in celebrating the handover of the last West Bank city in Israeli control.
2001 In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years.
2004 John Kerry won Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses; Howard Dean, who finished third, delivered a fist-pumping, bellowing concession speech that was viewed as politically damaging.
2006 Osama bin Laden, in an audiotape that was his first in more than a year, said al-Qaida was preparing for attacks in the United States; at the same time, he offered a "long-term truce" without specifying the conditions.
2006 An unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3 billion-mile journey to Pluto.
2007 Former Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for his role in a lobbying scandal.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Make Yourself Comfortable - Sarah Vaughan
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
Le Freak - Chic
My Life - Billy Joel
Lady Lay Down - John Conlee
1987
Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
C’est La Vie - Robbie Nevil
Open Your Heart - Madonna
What Am I Gonna Do About You - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?
Edgar Bergen, comedian & ventriloquist (1903 - 1978)
Today's Birthdays
1736 James Watt, inventor (condensing steam engine) died Aug 19, 1819
1807 Robert E. (Edward) Lee, Confederate General, died Oct 12, 1870
1809 Edgar Allan Poe, author/poet (The Raven, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Fall of the House of Usher) died Oct 7, 1849
1839 Paul Cézanne, French painter (Post-Impressionist) died Oct 22, 1906
1908 Merwyn Bogue (Ish Kabibble) comic singer (Three Little Fishies) died June 5, 1994
1913 "Minnesota Fats" (Rudolph Walter Wanderone Jr.), billiards champion, died Jan 15, 1996
1923 Jean Stapleton (Murray), actress (All in the Family, Michael)
1926 Fritz Weaver, actor (Marathon Man, Black Sunday)
1931 Tippi (Natalie) Hedren, actress (The Birds, Harrad Experiment)
1931 Robert MacNeil, broadcast journalist (The MacNeil/Lehrer Report)
1939 Phil Everly, singer (The Everly Brothers)
1942 Michael Crawford (Dumble-Smith), actor/singer (The Phantom of the Opera)
1943 Janis Joplin, singer (Big Brother and the Holding Company) died Oct 4, 1970
1944 Shelley Fabares, singer (Johnny Angel)
1944 Dan Reeves, former NFL coach (Atlanta Falcons)
1946 Dolly Parton, songwriter/singer/actress (9-to-5, Steel Magnolias)
1947 Rod Evans, singer (Deep Purple)
1948 Harvey Hinsley, guitarist (Hot Chocolate)
1949 Robert Palmer, singer/guitarist (Sneakin’ Sally through the Alley, Addicted to Love, Every Kinda People) died Sep 26, 2003
1951 Martha Davis, singer (The Motels)
1952 Dewey Bunnell, singer/songwriter (America)
1953 Desi Arnaz Jr., entertainer/singer/Lucille Ball's son
1953 Larry Goodenough, hockey defenseman (Richmond Robins, Philadelphia Flyers)
1955 Paul Rodriguez, comedian/actor (Quicksilver, Rat Race)
1957 Mickey Virtue, keyboardist (UB40)
1957 Katey Sagal, actress (Married...With Children)
1961 Paul McCrane, actor (Fame, RoboCop, The Shawshank Redemption, ER, Ugly Betty)
1961 William Ragsdale, actor (Fright Night, Herman's Head)
1963 Caron Wheeler, singer (Soul II Soul)
1963 Martin Bashir, Pakistani-born reporter (20/20)
1968 Whitfield Crane, singer (Ugly Kid Joe)
1969 Junior Seau, NFL linebcaker (San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots)
1971 Shawn Wayans, comedian/actor (Little Man, White Chicks)
1971 John Wozniak, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Marcy Playground)
1972 Drea de Matteo, actress (The Sopranos, Joey)
1974 Ian Laperrière, NHL center (NY Rangers)
1974 Frank Caliendo, comedian/impressionist (Frank TV, Fox NFL Sunday)
1976 Marsha Thomason, actress (Las Vegas, Lost)
1982 Jodie Sweetin, actress (Full House)
Today's Deaths in History
1729 William Congreve, English playwright (Love for Love) dies at 58
1851 Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian writer (The Slaughterhouse) dies at 45
1980 William O. Douglas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 81
1984 Max Bentley, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers) dies at 63
1991 John Russell, actor/U.S. Marine (Rio Bravo) dies at 70
1996 Don Simpson, film producer (Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun) dies at 52
1998 Carl Perkins, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (Blue Suede Shoes) dies at 65
2000 Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born actress (Samson and Delilah) dies at 86
2006 Wilson Pickett, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Mustang Sally, In the Midnight Hour) dies at 64
2006 Anthony Franciosa, actor (The Pleasure Seekers, The Drowning Pool) dies at 77
2007 Denny Doherty, singer (The Mamas and the Papas) dies at 66
Today in History
1825 Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett of New York City patented a canning process to preserve salmon, oysters and lobsters.
1861 Georgia seceded from the Union.
1883 The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, began service in Roselle, New Jersey.
1907 The first film reviews appeared in Variety magazine.
1915 George Claude of Paris, France patented the neon tube advertising sign.
1937 Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record, flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.
1944 The federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads after settling a wage dispute.
1949 The salary of the President of the United States was increased from $75,000 to $100,000 with an additional $50,000 expense allowance added for each year in office.
1953 Sixty-eight percent of all TV sets in the U.S. were tuned to CBS-TV as Lucy Ricardo of I Love Lucy gave birth to a baby boy, just as she actually did in real life.
1955 President Dwight Eisenhower allowed a filmed news conference to be used on television and in movie newsreels for the first time.
1959 Dick Clark’s American Bandstand became the number-one daytime TV show in the U.S.
1966 Indira Gandhi, the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, was appointed India’s prime minister.
1970 The soundtrack of the film Easy Rider was certified a gold record.
1974 Notre Dame ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak, as the Fighting Irish posted a 71-70 basketball win over the Bruins.
1976 The Beatles turned down an offer of $50 million to play together again on the same stage.
1977 President Gerald Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D'Aquino (Tokyo Rose).
1978 The last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany left VW's plant in Emden.
1979 Former Attorney General John Mitchell was released on parole after serving 19 months in federal prison for Watergate-related crimes.
1981 The United States and Iran signed an agreement paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months.
1983 Nazi Klaus Barbie, “the butcher of Lyon” during the German occupation, was arrested in Bolivia on charges of having tortured and killed thousands of people.
1983 The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Computer, Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, was announced.
1993 IBM announced a $4.97 billion loss for 1992, the largest single-year corporate loss in United States history.
1997 Yasser Arafat returned to Hebron for the first time in more than 30 years, joining 60,000 Palestinians in celebrating the handover of the last West Bank city in Israeli control.
2001 In a deal sparing himself possible indictment, President Bill Clinton acknowledged for the first time making false statements under oath about Monica Lewinsky; he also surrendered his law license for five years.
2004 John Kerry won Iowa's Democratic presidential caucuses; Howard Dean, who finished third, delivered a fist-pumping, bellowing concession speech that was viewed as politically damaging.
2006 Osama bin Laden, in an audiotape that was his first in more than a year, said al-Qaida was preparing for attacks in the United States; at the same time, he offered a "long-term truce" without specifying the conditions.
2006 An unmanned NASA spacecraft blasted off on a 3 billion-mile journey to Pluto.
2007 Former Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for his role in a lobbying scandal.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Hearts of Stone - The Fontane Sisters
Make Yourself Comfortable - Sarah Vaughan
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
My Sweet Lord/Isn’t It a Pity - George Harrison
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Too Much Heaven - Bee Gees
Le Freak - Chic
My Life - Billy Joel
Lady Lay Down - John Conlee
1987
Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
C’est La Vie - Robbie Nevil
Open Your Heart - Madonna
What Am I Gonna Do About You - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?
Edgar Bergen, comedian & ventriloquist (1903 - 1978)
Today in History - Jan 20th
Today's Birthdays
1896 George Burns (Nathan Birnbaum), vaudevillian/comic/actor/entertainer, died March 9, 1996
1910 Joy Adamson (Gessner), naturalist/writer (Born Free) murdered by an irate former employee Jan 3, 1980
1920 Federico Fellini, director/screenwriter (La Strada, The Nights of Cabiria) died Oct 31, 1993
1920 DeForest Kelley, actor (Star Trek series) died June 11, 1999
1922 Ray Anthony (Antonini), bandleader (Dragnet, Peter Gunn themes)
1924 Slim Whitman, singer/songwriter (Indian Love Call)
1926 Patricia Neal, actress (Hud, All Quiet on the Western Front, Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
1929 Arte Johnson, actor/comedian (Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In)
1930 Buzz (Edwin) Aldrin Jr., astronaut (Gemini 12, Apollo 11)
1931 Fireball (Edward) Roberts, NASCAR driver, died July 2, 1964
1941 Ron Townson, singer (The 5th Dimension) died Aug 2, 2001
1945 Eric Stewart, guitarist (Mindbenders, 10cc)
1946 David Lynch, director (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune, The Elephant Man)
1947 George Grantham, drummer (Poco)
1951 Ian Hill, bassist (Judas Priest)
1952 Paul Stanley (Eisen), guitarist/singer (Kiss)
1955 Wyatt Knight, actor (Porky's trilogy)
1956 Bill Maher, TV host/commentator (Politically Incorrect)
1958 Lorenzo Lamas, actor (Falcon Crest, Renegade)
1963 James Denton, actor (Desperate Housewives)
1965 John Michael Montgomery, country singer
1965 Greg K., bassist (The Offspring)
1966 Stacey Dash, actress (Clueless, Mo’ Money, Renaissance Man)
1966 Rainn Wilson, actor (The Office, Six Feet Under)
1966 Tracii Guns, guitarist (LA Guns)
1969 Melissa Rivers, TV host/comedienne (E! Academy Awards Preshow)
1970 Skeet Ulrich, actor (Scream, As Good As It Gets)
1970 Edwin McCain, singer/songwriter (Solitude)
1978 Joy Giovanni, actress/model (WWE Smackdown)
1971 Derrick Green, singer (Sepultura)
1975 David Eckstein, MLB shortstop (St Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays)
1979 Rob Bourdon, drummer (Linkin Park)
1980 Philippe Cousteau Jr., oceanographer/environmentalist/grandson of Jacques Cousteau
1981 Crystal Lowe, actress (Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 3)
Today's Deaths in History
1891 David Kalakaua, King of Hawaii, dies at 54
1965 Alan Freed, disc jockey (Moondog) dies at 43
1984 Johnny Weissmuller, Olympic swimmer/actor (Tarzan films) dies at 79
1990 Barbara Stanwyck, actress (The Big Valley, Double Indemnity, Sorry Wrong Number) dies at 82
1993 Audrey Hepburn, actress (My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's) dies at 63
1996 Gerry Mulligan, jazz composer/saxophonist, dies at 68
1997 Curt Flood, MLB outfielder (St Louis Cardinals) dies at 59
2003 Al Hirschfeld, caricaturist (The New York Times) dies at 99
Today in History
1801 John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1841 Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain.
1885 The roller coaster was patented by La Marcus Thompson of Coney Island, NY.
1887 The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1892 The first organized basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA YMCA Training School.
1929 In Old Arizona was released; it was the first full-length talkie to be filmed outdoors.
1937 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on January 20th.
1942 Nazi officials arrived at a "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews, during a conference at Lake Wannsee in Berlin.
1952 Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter.
1954 The National Negro Network was formed with 40 radio stations as charter members of the network.
1958 Rock ’n’ roll classic "Get a Job," by The Silhouettes, was released.
1958 Elvis Presley received orders from the draft board in Memphis, TN to report for duty, but allowed a 60-day deferment for him to finish the film King Creole.
1961 John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States.
1964 The LP Meet the Beatles, the first U.S. album by the Fab Four, was released.
1974 Golfing great Johnny Miller won the Tucson Open Golf Tournament and became the first pro golfer to win four consecutive major tournaments.
1978 Fred Silverman quit as head of programming for ABC-TV, accepting an offer to become president of NBC-TV.
1981 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th president of the United States.
1981 Iran released 52 American hostages twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as President.
1986 New footage from the 1931 horror classic Frankenstein was found.
1986 The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1986 Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.
1987 Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1989 George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. President.
1993 Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States.
1998 Calves were cloned from the cells of cow fetuses by University of Massachusetts scientists, James Robl and Steven Stice, who also worked for Advanced Cell Technology Inc., a biotech start-up in Worcester, MA.
1999 The China News Service announced new government restrictions on Internet use aimed especially at Internet cafés.
2001 George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd President of the United States.
2001 Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the new president.
2004 The Salvation Army announced it had received a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
How Soon - Jack Owens
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
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
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
Surfin’ Bird - The Trashmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Cruisin’ - Smokey Robinson
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
1988
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Need You Tonight - INXS
One Friend - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.
George Burns, actor & comedian (1896 - 1996)
Today's Birthdays
1896 George Burns (Nathan Birnbaum), vaudevillian/comic/actor/entertainer, died March 9, 1996
1910 Joy Adamson (Gessner), naturalist/writer (Born Free) murdered by an irate former employee Jan 3, 1980
1920 Federico Fellini, director/screenwriter (La Strada, The Nights of Cabiria) died Oct 31, 1993
1920 DeForest Kelley, actor (Star Trek series) died June 11, 1999
1922 Ray Anthony (Antonini), bandleader (Dragnet, Peter Gunn themes)
1924 Slim Whitman, singer/songwriter (Indian Love Call)
1926 Patricia Neal, actress (Hud, All Quiet on the Western Front, Breakfast at Tiffany’s)
1929 Arte Johnson, actor/comedian (Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In)
1930 Buzz (Edwin) Aldrin Jr., astronaut (Gemini 12, Apollo 11)
1931 Fireball (Edward) Roberts, NASCAR driver, died July 2, 1964
1941 Ron Townson, singer (The 5th Dimension) died Aug 2, 2001
1945 Eric Stewart, guitarist (Mindbenders, 10cc)
1946 David Lynch, director (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune, The Elephant Man)
1947 George Grantham, drummer (Poco)
1951 Ian Hill, bassist (Judas Priest)
1952 Paul Stanley (Eisen), guitarist/singer (Kiss)
1955 Wyatt Knight, actor (Porky's trilogy)
1956 Bill Maher, TV host/commentator (Politically Incorrect)
1958 Lorenzo Lamas, actor (Falcon Crest, Renegade)
1963 James Denton, actor (Desperate Housewives)
1965 John Michael Montgomery, country singer
1965 Greg K., bassist (The Offspring)
1966 Stacey Dash, actress (Clueless, Mo’ Money, Renaissance Man)
1966 Rainn Wilson, actor (The Office, Six Feet Under)
1966 Tracii Guns, guitarist (LA Guns)
1969 Melissa Rivers, TV host/comedienne (E! Academy Awards Preshow)
1970 Skeet Ulrich, actor (Scream, As Good As It Gets)
1970 Edwin McCain, singer/songwriter (Solitude)
1978 Joy Giovanni, actress/model (WWE Smackdown)
1971 Derrick Green, singer (Sepultura)
1975 David Eckstein, MLB shortstop (St Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays)
1979 Rob Bourdon, drummer (Linkin Park)
1980 Philippe Cousteau Jr., oceanographer/environmentalist/grandson of Jacques Cousteau
1981 Crystal Lowe, actress (Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 3)
Today's Deaths in History
1891 David Kalakaua, King of Hawaii, dies at 54
1965 Alan Freed, disc jockey (Moondog) dies at 43
1984 Johnny Weissmuller, Olympic swimmer/actor (Tarzan films) dies at 79
1990 Barbara Stanwyck, actress (The Big Valley, Double Indemnity, Sorry Wrong Number) dies at 82
1993 Audrey Hepburn, actress (My Fair Lady, Breakfast at Tiffany's) dies at 63
1996 Gerry Mulligan, jazz composer/saxophonist, dies at 68
1997 Curt Flood, MLB outfielder (St Louis Cardinals) dies at 59
2003 Al Hirschfeld, caricaturist (The New York Times) dies at 99
Today in History
1801 John Marshall was appointed chief justice of the United States.
1841 Hong Kong was ceded to Great Britain.
1885 The roller coaster was patented by La Marcus Thompson of Coney Island, NY.
1887 The U.S. Senate approved an agreement to lease Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as a naval base.
1892 The first organized basketball game was played by students at the Springfield, MA YMCA Training School.
1929 In Old Arizona was released; it was the first full-length talkie to be filmed outdoors.
1937 Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on January 20th.
1942 Nazi officials arrived at a "final solution" that called for exterminating Europe's Jews, during a conference at Lake Wannsee in Berlin.
1952 Patricia McCormick debuted as the first professional woman bullfighter.
1954 The National Negro Network was formed with 40 radio stations as charter members of the network.
1958 Rock ’n’ roll classic "Get a Job," by The Silhouettes, was released.
1958 Elvis Presley received orders from the draft board in Memphis, TN to report for duty, but allowed a 60-day deferment for him to finish the film King Creole.
1961 John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States.
1964 The LP Meet the Beatles, the first U.S. album by the Fab Four, was released.
1974 Golfing great Johnny Miller won the Tucson Open Golf Tournament and became the first pro golfer to win four consecutive major tournaments.
1978 Fred Silverman quit as head of programming for ABC-TV, accepting an offer to become president of NBC-TV.
1981 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the 40th president of the United States.
1981 Iran released 52 American hostages twenty minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as President.
1986 New footage from the 1931 horror classic Frankenstein was found.
1986 The United States observed the first federal holiday in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1986 Britain and France announced plans to build the Channel Tunnel.
1987 Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut, Lebanon, while attempting to negotiate the release of Western hostages.
1989 George H.W. Bush took the oath of office as the 41st U.S. President.
1993 Bill Clinton was sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States.
1998 Calves were cloned from the cells of cow fetuses by University of Massachusetts scientists, James Robl and Steven Stice, who also worked for Advanced Cell Technology Inc., a biotech start-up in Worcester, MA.
1999 The China News Service announced new government restrictions on Internet use aimed especially at Internet cafés.
2001 George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd President of the United States.
2001 Hundreds of thousands of protesting Filipinos forced President Joseph Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as the new president.
2004 The Salvation Army announced it had received a $1.5 billion donation from the estate of Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
How Soon - Jack Owens
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
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
Band of Gold - Don Cherry
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
Forget Him - Bobby Rydell
Surfin’ Bird - The Trashmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Sunshine - Jonathan Edwards
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Cruisin’ - Smokey Robinson
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
1988
Got My Mind Set on You - George Harrison
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Need You Tonight - INXS
One Friend - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.
George Burns, actor & comedian (1896 - 1996)
Today in History - Jan 21st
Today's Birthdays
1824 Stonewall (Thomas) Jackson, Confederate General, died May 10, 1863
1905 Christian Dior, fashion designer, died Oct 24, 1957
1922 Telly (Aristotle) Savalas, actor (Kojak, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes) died Jan 22, 1994
1924 Benny Hill, English actor/comedian, died Apr 18, 1992
1926 Steve Reeves, Mr. Universe/actor (Hercules) died May 1, 2000
1939 Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith), disc jockey/actor (American Graffiti) died July 1, 1995
1940 Jack Nicklaus, golf champion
1941 Plácido Domingo, operatic tenor
1941 Richie Havens, singer (Here Comes the Sun)
1942 Edwin Starr, singer (War) died Apr 2, 2003
1942 Mac (Scott) Davis, singer/actor (North Dallas Forty)
1947 Jill Eikenberry, actress (L.A. Law, Arthur, The Manhattan Project)
1950 Billy Ocean, R&B singer (Caribbean Queen, Love Really Hurts Without You, There’ll Be Sad Songs)
1952 Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson, NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)
1956 Robby Benson (Robin David Segal), actor (Ode to Billy Joe, One on One, Jeremy)
1956 Geena Davis, actress (The Accidental Tourist, Beetlejuice, The Fly, Thelma and Louise)
1958 Michael Wincott, actor (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Crow, The Count of Monte Cristo)
1963 Hakeem Olajuwon, NBA center (Houston Rockets)
1965 Jam Master Jay, disc jockey (Run-DMC) died Oct 30, 2002
1968 Charlotte Ross, actress (NYPD Blue)
1969 Karina Lombard, actress (The L Word, Legends of the Fall)
1970 Mark Trojanowski, drummer (Sister Hazel)
1970 Ken Leung, actor (Keeping the Faith, Shanghai Kiss, X-Men: The Last Stand, Lost)
1976 Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton, singer (Spice Girls)
1981 Izabella Miko, actress (The Spiderwick Chronicles)
1981 Dany Heatley, NHL forward (Ottawa Senators)
Today's Deaths in History
1901 Elisha Gray, inventor (prototype telephone) dies at 65
1924 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russian revolutionary, dies at 54
1950 George Orwell, author (Animal House, 1984) dies at 46
1959 Cecil B. DeMille, film director (The Ten Commandments) dies at 77
1967 Ann Sheridan, actress (Angels with Dirty Faces) dies at 51
1984 Jackie Wilson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Lonely Teardrops) dies at 49
1985 James Beard, chef/author, dies at 81
1997 Colonel Tom Parker, music manager (Elvis Presley) dies at 87
1998 Jack Lord, actor (Hawaii Five-O) dies at 77
2002 Peggy Lee, singer (Why Don't You Do Right?) dies at 81
Today in History
1789 The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, the first American novel, was published (anonymously) in Boston, MA.
1793 France's King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed on the guillotine.
1812 The Y-bridge in Zanesville, OH was approved for construction.
1861 Five Southerners resigned from the U.S. Senate, including Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy.
1908 The Sullivan Ordinance was enacted in New York City, making it illegal for women to smoke in public (it was vetoed by the mayor).
1915 The first Kiwanis club was formed in Detroit, Michigan.
1922 The first slalom event in skiing was held in Murren, Switzerland.
1927 Faust became the first opera to be broadcast over a national radio network, from Chicago, IL.
1942 Count Basie recorded "One O’Clock Jump" on Okeh Records.
1954 The Nautilus, the first atomic-powered submarine, was launched in Groton, CT.
1954 The gas turbine automobile was introduced in New York City.
1959 The Kingston Trio received a gold record for "Tom Dooley."
1964 Carl Rowan succeeded Edward R. Murrow as head of the United States Information Agency (USIA), which managed the worldwide Voice of America.
1966 George Harrison married Patricia (Patty) Anne Boyd in Surrey, England.
1970 ABC-TV presented The Johnny Cash Show in prime time.
1970 The first Boeing 747 landed at London's Heathrow Airport at the end of its maiden transatlantic flight.
1976 The French Concorde SST aircraft began regular commercial service for Air France and British Airways.
1977 President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.
1978 The soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the album charts, remaining in that position for six months.
1985 Actor Patrick Duffy announced plans to leave the CBS show Dallas at the end of the season.
1986 Former major-leaguer Randy Bass became the highest-paid baseball player in Japanese history, signing a three year, $3.25 million deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
1990 Tennis bad boy John McEnroe became the first player expelled from the Australian Open Tennis Championships.
1994 A jury in Manassas, Va., acquitted Lorena Bobbitt by reason of temporary insanity of maliciously wounding her husband, John, whom she'd accused of sexually assaulting her.
1997 Speaker Newt Gingrich was fined as the House voted for first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.
1998 Pope John Paul II began his first visit to Cuba.
1999 In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepted a ship with more than 9,500 pounds of cocaine on board.
2003 The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America's largest minority group.
2004 The recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.
2005 A car bomb outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed at least 14 people; a suicide bombing at a Shiite wedding south of the capital killed at least seven people, including the bride and the groom.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Banana Boat Song - The Tarriers
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
Come See About Me - The Supremes
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Downtown - Petula Clark
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Soul Song - Joe Stampley
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
1989
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
Don’t Rush Me - Taylor Dayne
Armageddon It - Def Leppard
She’s Crazy for Leavin’ - Rodney Crowell
Quote of the Day
Art is science made clear.
Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
Today's Birthdays
1824 Stonewall (Thomas) Jackson, Confederate General, died May 10, 1863
1905 Christian Dior, fashion designer, died Oct 24, 1957
1922 Telly (Aristotle) Savalas, actor (Kojak, The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes) died Jan 22, 1994
1924 Benny Hill, English actor/comedian, died Apr 18, 1992
1926 Steve Reeves, Mr. Universe/actor (Hercules) died May 1, 2000
1939 Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith), disc jockey/actor (American Graffiti) died July 1, 1995
1940 Jack Nicklaus, golf champion
1941 Plácido Domingo, operatic tenor
1941 Richie Havens, singer (Here Comes the Sun)
1942 Edwin Starr, singer (War) died Apr 2, 2003
1942 Mac (Scott) Davis, singer/actor (North Dallas Forty)
1947 Jill Eikenberry, actress (L.A. Law, Arthur, The Manhattan Project)
1950 Billy Ocean, R&B singer (Caribbean Queen, Love Really Hurts Without You, There’ll Be Sad Songs)
1952 Billy ‘White Shoes’ Johnson, NFL wide receiver (Houston Oilers)
1956 Robby Benson (Robin David Segal), actor (Ode to Billy Joe, One on One, Jeremy)
1956 Geena Davis, actress (The Accidental Tourist, Beetlejuice, The Fly, Thelma and Louise)
1958 Michael Wincott, actor (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Crow, The Count of Monte Cristo)
1963 Hakeem Olajuwon, NBA center (Houston Rockets)
1965 Jam Master Jay, disc jockey (Run-DMC) died Oct 30, 2002
1968 Charlotte Ross, actress (NYPD Blue)
1969 Karina Lombard, actress (The L Word, Legends of the Fall)
1970 Mark Trojanowski, drummer (Sister Hazel)
1970 Ken Leung, actor (Keeping the Faith, Shanghai Kiss, X-Men: The Last Stand, Lost)
1976 Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton, singer (Spice Girls)
1981 Izabella Miko, actress (The Spiderwick Chronicles)
1981 Dany Heatley, NHL forward (Ottawa Senators)
Today's Deaths in History
1901 Elisha Gray, inventor (prototype telephone) dies at 65
1924 Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russian revolutionary, dies at 54
1950 George Orwell, author (Animal House, 1984) dies at 46
1959 Cecil B. DeMille, film director (The Ten Commandments) dies at 77
1967 Ann Sheridan, actress (Angels with Dirty Faces) dies at 51
1984 Jackie Wilson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Lonely Teardrops) dies at 49
1985 James Beard, chef/author, dies at 81
1997 Colonel Tom Parker, music manager (Elvis Presley) dies at 87
1998 Jack Lord, actor (Hawaii Five-O) dies at 77
2002 Peggy Lee, singer (Why Don't You Do Right?) dies at 81
Today in History
1789 The Power of Sympathy by William Hill Brown, the first American novel, was published (anonymously) in Boston, MA.
1793 France's King Louis XVI, condemned for treason, was executed on the guillotine.
1812 The Y-bridge in Zanesville, OH was approved for construction.
1861 Five Southerners resigned from the U.S. Senate, including Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, the future president of the Confederacy.
1908 The Sullivan Ordinance was enacted in New York City, making it illegal for women to smoke in public (it was vetoed by the mayor).
1915 The first Kiwanis club was formed in Detroit, Michigan.
1922 The first slalom event in skiing was held in Murren, Switzerland.
1927 Faust became the first opera to be broadcast over a national radio network, from Chicago, IL.
1942 Count Basie recorded "One O’Clock Jump" on Okeh Records.
1954 The Nautilus, the first atomic-powered submarine, was launched in Groton, CT.
1954 The gas turbine automobile was introduced in New York City.
1959 The Kingston Trio received a gold record for "Tom Dooley."
1964 Carl Rowan succeeded Edward R. Murrow as head of the United States Information Agency (USIA), which managed the worldwide Voice of America.
1966 George Harrison married Patricia (Patty) Anne Boyd in Surrey, England.
1970 ABC-TV presented The Johnny Cash Show in prime time.
1970 The first Boeing 747 landed at London's Heathrow Airport at the end of its maiden transatlantic flight.
1976 The French Concorde SST aircraft began regular commercial service for Air France and British Airways.
1977 President Jimmy Carter pardoned almost all Vietnam War draft evaders.
1978 The soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the album charts, remaining in that position for six months.
1985 Actor Patrick Duffy announced plans to leave the CBS show Dallas at the end of the season.
1986 Former major-leaguer Randy Bass became the highest-paid baseball player in Japanese history, signing a three year, $3.25 million deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
1990 Tennis bad boy John McEnroe became the first player expelled from the Australian Open Tennis Championships.
1994 A jury in Manassas, Va., acquitted Lorena Bobbitt by reason of temporary insanity of maliciously wounding her husband, John, whom she'd accused of sexually assaulting her.
1997 Speaker Newt Gingrich was fined as the House voted for first time in history to discipline its leader for ethical misconduct.
1998 Pope John Paul II began his first visit to Cuba.
1999 In one of the largest drug busts in American history, the United States Coast Guard intercepted a ship with more than 9,500 pounds of cocaine on board.
2003 The Census Bureau announced that Hispanics had surpassed blacks as America's largest minority group.
2004 The recording industry sued 532 computer users it said were illegally distributing songs over the Internet.
2005 A car bomb outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed at least 14 people; a suicide bombing at a Shiite wedding south of the capital killed at least seven people, including the bride and the groom.
Chart Toppers
1949
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
On a Slow Boat to China - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood)
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
The Banana Boat Song - The Tarriers
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
Come See About Me - The Supremes
Love Potion Number Nine - The Searchers
Downtown - Petula Clark
Once a Day - Connie Smith
1973
You’re So Vain - Carly Simon
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Soul Song - Joe Stampley
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
1989
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
Don’t Rush Me - Taylor Dayne
Armageddon It - Def Leppard
She’s Crazy for Leavin’ - Rodney Crowell
Quote of the Day
Art is science made clear.
Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)
Today in History - Jan 22nd
Today's Birthdays
1561 Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher/writer (The Advancement of Learning) died Apr 9, 1626
1788 Lord (George) Byron, poet (Cain, Don Juan) died Apr 19, 1824
1869 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk (the Mad Monk) died Dec 29, 1916
1875 D.W. (David Wark) Griffith, film producer/director (The Birth of a Nation) died July 23, 1948
1890 Frederick Vinson, 13th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sep 8, 1953
1893 Conrad Veidt, German actor (The Thief of Bagdad, Casablanca) died Apr 3, 1943
1904 George Balanchine (Georgi Balanchivadze), choreographer (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker) died Apr 30, 1983
1909 Ann Sothern (Harriette Lake), actress (The Whales of August, My Mother the Car) died Mar 15, 2001
1909 U Thant, United Nations Secretary-General, died Nov 25, 1974
1931 Sam Cooke, singer (You Send Me, Chain Gang, Wonderful World) shot to death Dec 11, 1964
1932 Piper Laurie (Rosetta Jacobs), actress (Twin Peaks, Children of a Lesser God, The Thorn Birds)
1934 Bill (Wilfred Bailey) Bixby, actor (My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Incredible Hulk) died Nov 21, 1993
1937 Joseph Wambaugh, author (The Blue Knight, The Choirboys)
1939 Jeffrey L. Smith, chef/TV personality (The Frugal Gourmet) died July 7, 2004
1940 Addie "Micki" Harris, singer (Shirelles) died June 10, 1982
1940 John Hurt, actor (The Elephant Man, Alien, Midnight Express)
1945 Michael Cristofer, playwright (The Witches of Eastwick, The Bonfire of the Vanities)
1949 Steve Perry, singer (Journey)
1952 Teddy Gentry, country musician (Alabama)
1953 Jim Jarmusch, film director (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai)
1954 Chris Lemmon, actor (Weekend Warriors, Swing Shift)
1959 Linda Blair, actress (The Exorcist, Airport ’75)
1960 Michael Hutchence, Australian singer (INXS) died Nov 22, 1997
1965 Steven Adler, drummer (Guns N' Roses)
1965 DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ/rapper (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince)
1965 Diane Lane, actress (Jack, Judge Dredd, Lonesome Dove, The Cotton Club, Under the Tuscan Sun, Streets of Fire)
1965 Brian McCardie, Scottish actor (The Ghost & the Darkness, Rob Roy)
1969 Olivia d'Abo, English actress (Conan the Destroyer, The Wonder Years, The Living Daylights)
1972 Gabriel Macht, actor (A Love Song for Bobby Long, Because I Said So, The Recruit)
1975 (Paul) Balthazar Getty, actor (White Squall, Young Guns 2, Lord of the Flies)
1978 Chone Figgins, MLB utility player (LA Angels)
1980 Christopher Kennedy Masterson, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
1980 Ben Moody, guitarist (Evanescence)
1981 Willa Ford, singer/actress/Mrs Mike Modano
1981 Beverley Mitchell, actress (7th Heaven)
Today's Deaths in History
1901 Britian's Queen Victoria dies at 81 after 63 years on the British throne
1951 Karl Nessler, inventor (permanent wave hairstyling process) dies at 68
1968 Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiian/Olympic swimmer/surfer (father of modern surfing) dies at 77
1973 Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, dies at 64
1994 Telly Savalas, actor (Kojak, Kelly's Heroes) dies at 70
1995 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, family matriarch, dies at 104
2002 Stanley Marcus, business executive (Neiman-Marcus) dies at 96
2003 Bill Mauldin, World War II cartoonist (Willie and GI Joe) dies at 81
2004 Billy May, composer/musician (Emergency! theme) dies at 87
2004 Ann Miller, actress/dancer (On the Town, Kiss Me Kate, Easter Parade) dies at 80
2005 Rose Mary Woods, Watergate scandal figure (Nixon's secretary) dies at 87
Today in History
1879 James Shields became the first Senator to serve from three states (Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri).
1889 The Columbia Phonograph Company was formed in Washington, D.C.
1890 The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio.
1895 The National Association of Manufacturers was organized in Cincinnati, OH.
1905 Russian troops opened fired on marching workers in St. Petersburg, killing more than 100, in what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
1917 President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for "peace without victory."
1938 Thornton Wilder's play Our Town premiered in Princeton, N.J.
1944 Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1946 The Central Intelligence Group, which later became the Central Intelligence Agency, was established by U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s directive.
1947 KTLA Channel 5, in Hollywood, began operation as the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River.
1953 The Arthur Miller drama The Crucible opened on Broadway.
1957 The New York City "Mad Bomber," George P. Metesky, was arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and was charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
1960 Paul Pender beat Sugar Ray Robinson in a 15-round decision to become middleweight boxing champion.
1961 1960’s Olympic gold medalist and track star Wilma Rudolph set a world indoor mark in the women’s 60-yard dash (6.9 seconds) in a meet held in Los Angeles.
1968 Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In debuted “from beautiful downtown Burbank" on NBC-TV.
1973 In Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that had restricted abortions during the first six months of pregnancy.
1973 George Foreman won the heavyweight boxing title from ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.
1983 The Steven Spielberg film E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial became the top movie moneymaker.
1984 The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, was introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous 1984 television commercial.
1987 Phil Donahue became the first talk show host to tape a show from inside the Soviet Union.
1987 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shot and killed himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism.
1997 The Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation's first female secretary of state.
1998 Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty to being the notorious Unabomber.
1998 Mary Bono, widow of singer/politician Sonny Bono, announced that she would run for the congressional seat held by her late husband.
2001 President George W. Bush signed a memorandum reinstating full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid.
2002 Kmart Corp became the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
2004 Bill Janklow, a South Dakota congressman who had resigned after being convicted of manslaugther for a collision that killed a motorcyclist, was sentenced to 100 days in jail.
2006 Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, took office.
2006 Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest total in a single game in NBA history, in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Oh, Boy! - The Crickets
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
1966
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
Smokin’ in the Boys Room - Brownsville Station
I’ve Got to Use My Imagination - Gladys Knight & The Pips
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World - Ronnie Milsap
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Everything - Jody Watley
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.
Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 - 1784)
Today's Birthdays
1561 Sir Francis Bacon, philosopher/writer (The Advancement of Learning) died Apr 9, 1626
1788 Lord (George) Byron, poet (Cain, Don Juan) died Apr 19, 1824
1869 Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk (the Mad Monk) died Dec 29, 1916
1875 D.W. (David Wark) Griffith, film producer/director (The Birth of a Nation) died July 23, 1948
1890 Frederick Vinson, 13th Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Sep 8, 1953
1893 Conrad Veidt, German actor (The Thief of Bagdad, Casablanca) died Apr 3, 1943
1904 George Balanchine (Georgi Balanchivadze), choreographer (Swan Lake, The Nutcracker) died Apr 30, 1983
1909 Ann Sothern (Harriette Lake), actress (The Whales of August, My Mother the Car) died Mar 15, 2001
1909 U Thant, United Nations Secretary-General, died Nov 25, 1974
1931 Sam Cooke, singer (You Send Me, Chain Gang, Wonderful World) shot to death Dec 11, 1964
1932 Piper Laurie (Rosetta Jacobs), actress (Twin Peaks, Children of a Lesser God, The Thorn Birds)
1934 Bill (Wilfred Bailey) Bixby, actor (My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Incredible Hulk) died Nov 21, 1993
1937 Joseph Wambaugh, author (The Blue Knight, The Choirboys)
1939 Jeffrey L. Smith, chef/TV personality (The Frugal Gourmet) died July 7, 2004
1940 Addie "Micki" Harris, singer (Shirelles) died June 10, 1982
1940 John Hurt, actor (The Elephant Man, Alien, Midnight Express)
1945 Michael Cristofer, playwright (The Witches of Eastwick, The Bonfire of the Vanities)
1949 Steve Perry, singer (Journey)
1952 Teddy Gentry, country musician (Alabama)
1953 Jim Jarmusch, film director (Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai)
1954 Chris Lemmon, actor (Weekend Warriors, Swing Shift)
1959 Linda Blair, actress (The Exorcist, Airport ’75)
1960 Michael Hutchence, Australian singer (INXS) died Nov 22, 1997
1965 Steven Adler, drummer (Guns N' Roses)
1965 DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ/rapper (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince)
1965 Diane Lane, actress (Jack, Judge Dredd, Lonesome Dove, The Cotton Club, Under the Tuscan Sun, Streets of Fire)
1965 Brian McCardie, Scottish actor (The Ghost & the Darkness, Rob Roy)
1969 Olivia d'Abo, English actress (Conan the Destroyer, The Wonder Years, The Living Daylights)
1972 Gabriel Macht, actor (A Love Song for Bobby Long, Because I Said So, The Recruit)
1975 (Paul) Balthazar Getty, actor (White Squall, Young Guns 2, Lord of the Flies)
1978 Chone Figgins, MLB utility player (LA Angels)
1980 Christopher Kennedy Masterson, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
1980 Ben Moody, guitarist (Evanescence)
1981 Willa Ford, singer/actress/Mrs Mike Modano
1981 Beverley Mitchell, actress (7th Heaven)
Today's Deaths in History
1901 Britian's Queen Victoria dies at 81 after 63 years on the British throne
1951 Karl Nessler, inventor (permanent wave hairstyling process) dies at 68
1968 Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiian/Olympic swimmer/surfer (father of modern surfing) dies at 77
1973 Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, dies at 64
1994 Telly Savalas, actor (Kojak, Kelly's Heroes) dies at 70
1995 Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, family matriarch, dies at 104
2002 Stanley Marcus, business executive (Neiman-Marcus) dies at 96
2003 Bill Mauldin, World War II cartoonist (Willie and GI Joe) dies at 81
2004 Billy May, composer/musician (Emergency! theme) dies at 87
2004 Ann Miller, actress/dancer (On the Town, Kiss Me Kate, Easter Parade) dies at 80
2005 Rose Mary Woods, Watergate scandal figure (Nixon's secretary) dies at 87
Today in History
1879 James Shields became the first Senator to serve from three states (Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri).
1889 The Columbia Phonograph Company was formed in Washington, D.C.
1890 The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio.
1895 The National Association of Manufacturers was organized in Cincinnati, OH.
1905 Russian troops opened fired on marching workers in St. Petersburg, killing more than 100, in what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
1917 President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for "peace without victory."
1938 Thornton Wilder's play Our Town premiered in Princeton, N.J.
1944 Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1946 The Central Intelligence Group, which later became the Central Intelligence Agency, was established by U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s directive.
1947 KTLA Channel 5, in Hollywood, began operation as the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River.
1953 The Arthur Miller drama The Crucible opened on Broadway.
1957 The New York City "Mad Bomber," George P. Metesky, was arrested in Waterbury, Connecticut and was charged with planting more than 30 bombs.
1960 Paul Pender beat Sugar Ray Robinson in a 15-round decision to become middleweight boxing champion.
1961 1960’s Olympic gold medalist and track star Wilma Rudolph set a world indoor mark in the women’s 60-yard dash (6.9 seconds) in a meet held in Los Angeles.
1968 Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In debuted “from beautiful downtown Burbank" on NBC-TV.
1973 In Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state laws that had restricted abortions during the first six months of pregnancy.
1973 George Foreman won the heavyweight boxing title from ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.
1983 The Steven Spielberg film E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial became the top movie moneymaker.
1984 The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, was introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous 1984 television commercial.
1987 Phil Donahue became the first talk show host to tape a show from inside the Soviet Union.
1987 Pennsylvania politician R. Budd Dwyer shot and killed himself at a press conference on live national television, leading to debates on boundaries in journalism.
1997 The Senate confirmed Madeleine Albright as the nation's first female secretary of state.
1998 Theodore Kaczynski pleaded guilty to being the notorious Unabomber.
1998 Mary Bono, widow of singer/politician Sonny Bono, announced that she would run for the congressional seat held by her late husband.
2001 President George W. Bush signed a memorandum reinstating full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid.
2002 Kmart Corp became the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
2004 Bill Janklow, a South Dakota congressman who had resigned after being convicted of manslaugther for a collision that killed a motorcyclist, was sentenced to 100 days in jail.
2006 Evo Morales, Bolivia's first Indian president, took office.
2006 Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points, the second-highest total in a single game in NBA history, in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Oh, Boy! - The Crickets
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
1966
The Sounds of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
Show and Tell - Al Wilson
Smokin’ in the Boys Room - Brownsville Station
I’ve Got to Use My Imagination - Gladys Knight & The Pips
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
Physical - Olivia Newton-John
Waiting for a Girl Like You - Foreigner
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World - Ronnie Milsap
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Everything - Jody Watley
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.
Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 - 1784)
Today in History - Jan 23rd
Today's Birthdays
1737 John Hancock, statesman/patriot (first to sign Declaration of Independence) died Oct 8, 1793
1832 Edouard Manet, artist (impressionist movement) died Apr 30, 1883
1898 Sergei Eisenstein, Russian film director (The Battleship Potempkin) died Feb 11, 1948
1898 Randolph Scott (Crane), actor (Last of the Mohicans, To the Shores of Tripoli) died Mar 2, 1987
1910 Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist, died May 16, 1953
1915 Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Dec 7, 1985
1919 Ernie Kovacs, comedian/actor (Bell Book and Candle, North to Alaska) killed in car crash Jan 13, 1962
1928 Jeanne Moreau, actress (La Femme Nikita, Dangerous Liaisons)
1933 Chita Rivera (Conchita del Rivero), singer/dancer/actress (Sweet Charity, Pippin)
1943 Gil Gerard, actor (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
1944 Rutger Hauer, actor (Ladyhawke, Nighthawks, Blade Runner)
1948 Anita Pointer, singer (The Pointer Sisters)
1950 Richard Dean Anderson, actor (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1)
1950 Bill Cunningham, bassist/pianist (The Box Tops)
1950 Patrick Simmons, singer/guitarist (The Doobie Brothers)
1950 Danny Federici, keyboardist (E Street Band)
1953 Robin Zander, singer/guitarist (Cheap Trick)
1957 Princess Caroline of Monaco
1957 Earl Falconer, bassist/singer (UB40)
1958 Anita Baker, Jazz/R&B singer
1963 Gail O’Grady, actress (N.Y.P.D. Blue, Monk, Boston Legal)
1964 Mariska Hargitay, actress (ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
1969 Brendan Shanahan, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1972 Ewen Bremner, Scottish actor (Trainspotting)
1973 Lanei Chapman, actress (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Judging Amy)
1974 Joel Bouchard, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1974 Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, actress (Beverly Hills 90210, Saved by the Bell)
Today's Deaths in History
1803 Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer, dies at 77
1893 Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 67
1943 Alexander Woollcott, critic/commentator (The New Yorker) dies at 56
1944 Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (The Scream) dies at 80
1976 Paul Robeson, actor/singer (Showboat) dies at 77
1978 Terry Kath, singer/guitarist (Chicago) accidentally shoots and kills himself at 31
1978 Jack Oakie, actor (The Great Dictator) dies at 74
1989 Salvador Dali, painter (suurelaist) dies at 84
1997 Richard Berry, singer/songwriter (The Penguins) dies at 61
2003 Nell Carter, singer/actress (Ain't Misbehavin', Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) dies at 54
2004 Helmut Newton, German-born photographer, dies at 83
2004 Bob Keeshan, TV personality (Howdy Doody Show, Captain Kangaroo) dies at 76
2005 Johnny Carson, TV host (Tonight Show) dies at 79
Today in History
1533 Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, discovered she was pregnant.
1789 Georgetown College was established as the first Catholic college in the United States.
1845 Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
1849 English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive a medical degree, from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N.Y.
1870 U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in the Marias Massacre in Montana.
1907 Charles Curtis of Kansas became the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator.
1937 In an article published in Literary Digest, Edgar Bergen mentioned that he made his dummy pal, Charlie McCarthy, the beneficiary of a $10,000 trust fund to keep him in serviceable condition and repair.
1937 Seventeen people went on trial in Moscow during Soviet leader Josef Stalin's Great Purge.
1941 Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Moonglow" on Victor Records.
1950 The Israeli Knesset approved a resolution proclaiming Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
1964 Milwaukee Braves’ pitcher Warren Spahn signed a contract worth $85,000, making him the highest paid pitcher in baseball.
1964 The 24th amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified.
1968 North Korea seized the U.S. Navy ship the USS Pueblo, charging it had intruded into the communist nation's territorial waters on a spying mission; the crew was held for 11 months.
1973 President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.
1974 Mike Oldfield’s "Tubular Bells," from the soundtrack of The Exorcist, received a gold record.
1975 Barney Miller debuted on ABC-TV.
1977 Carole King’s landmark album Tapestry became the longest-running album on music charts, as it reached its 302nd week.
1977 The TV mini-series Roots, based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.
1978 Guitarist/vocalist for the band Chicago, Terry Kath, accidentally shot and killed himself.
1983 The A-Team debuted.
1985 Debate in Britain's House of Lords was carried live on TV for the first time.
1985 O.J. Simpson became the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football’s Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.
1986 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
1991 Allied forces in the Persian Gulf War announced that they had achieved air superiority after some 12,000 sorties.
1996 The first version of the Java programming language was released.
1997 The Swiss government, three banks and some businesses agreed to set up a private sector humanitarian fund for Nazi Holocaust victims and their heirs.
1997 A judge in Fairfax, Va., sentenced Mir Aimal Kasi to death for an assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters in 1993 that killed two people and wounded three.
2001 The Chinese Communist Party staged a self-immolation in Tiananmen Square to frame Falun Gong and escalate the persecution.
2002 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by a group demanding the return of prisoners from the Afghan campaign (he was later murdered).
2002 "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh returned to the United States in Federal Bureau of Investigation custody.
2005 Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in as president of Ukraine.
2007 A new rule requiring U.S. airline passengers to show a passport upon their return from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean took effect.
Chart Toppers
1951
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
The Thing - Phil Harris
A Bushell and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
The Shot Gun Boogie - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
My Happiness - Connie Francis
Donna - Ritchie Valens
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Mandy - Barry Manilow
Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
Kentucky Gambler - Merle Haggard
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
(Lost His Love) On Our Last Date - Emmylou Harris
1991
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
The First Time - Surface
Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant
Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
Today's Birthdays
1737 John Hancock, statesman/patriot (first to sign Declaration of Independence) died Oct 8, 1793
1832 Edouard Manet, artist (impressionist movement) died Apr 30, 1883
1898 Sergei Eisenstein, Russian film director (The Battleship Potempkin) died Feb 11, 1948
1898 Randolph Scott (Crane), actor (Last of the Mohicans, To the Shores of Tripoli) died Mar 2, 1987
1910 Django Reinhardt, Belgian guitarist, died May 16, 1953
1915 Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Dec 7, 1985
1919 Ernie Kovacs, comedian/actor (Bell Book and Candle, North to Alaska) killed in car crash Jan 13, 1962
1928 Jeanne Moreau, actress (La Femme Nikita, Dangerous Liaisons)
1933 Chita Rivera (Conchita del Rivero), singer/dancer/actress (Sweet Charity, Pippin)
1943 Gil Gerard, actor (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
1944 Rutger Hauer, actor (Ladyhawke, Nighthawks, Blade Runner)
1948 Anita Pointer, singer (The Pointer Sisters)
1950 Richard Dean Anderson, actor (MacGyver, Stargate SG-1)
1950 Bill Cunningham, bassist/pianist (The Box Tops)
1950 Patrick Simmons, singer/guitarist (The Doobie Brothers)
1950 Danny Federici, keyboardist (E Street Band)
1953 Robin Zander, singer/guitarist (Cheap Trick)
1957 Princess Caroline of Monaco
1957 Earl Falconer, bassist/singer (UB40)
1958 Anita Baker, Jazz/R&B singer
1963 Gail O’Grady, actress (N.Y.P.D. Blue, Monk, Boston Legal)
1964 Mariska Hargitay, actress (ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
1969 Brendan Shanahan, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1972 Ewen Bremner, Scottish actor (Trainspotting)
1973 Lanei Chapman, actress (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Judging Amy)
1974 Joel Bouchard, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1974 Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, actress (Beverly Hills 90210, Saved by the Bell)
Today's Deaths in History
1803 Arthur Guinness, Irish brewer, dies at 77
1893 Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, U.S. Supreme Court Justice, dies at 67
1943 Alexander Woollcott, critic/commentator (The New Yorker) dies at 56
1944 Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (The Scream) dies at 80
1976 Paul Robeson, actor/singer (Showboat) dies at 77
1978 Terry Kath, singer/guitarist (Chicago) accidentally shoots and kills himself at 31
1978 Jack Oakie, actor (The Great Dictator) dies at 74
1989 Salvador Dali, painter (suurelaist) dies at 84
1997 Richard Berry, singer/songwriter (The Penguins) dies at 61
2003 Nell Carter, singer/actress (Ain't Misbehavin', Hangin' with Mr. Cooper) dies at 54
2004 Helmut Newton, German-born photographer, dies at 83
2004 Bob Keeshan, TV personality (Howdy Doody Show, Captain Kangaroo) dies at 76
2005 Johnny Carson, TV host (Tonight Show) dies at 79
Today in History
1533 Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, discovered she was pregnant.
1789 Georgetown College was established as the first Catholic college in the United States.
1845 Congress decided all national elections would be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
1849 English-born Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive a medical degree, from the Medical Institution of Geneva, N.Y.
1870 U.S. cavalrymen kill 173 Native Americans, mostly women and children, in the Marias Massacre in Montana.
1907 Charles Curtis of Kansas became the first American Indian to become a U.S. Senator.
1937 In an article published in Literary Digest, Edgar Bergen mentioned that he made his dummy pal, Charlie McCarthy, the beneficiary of a $10,000 trust fund to keep him in serviceable condition and repair.
1937 Seventeen people went on trial in Moscow during Soviet leader Josef Stalin's Great Purge.
1941 Artie Shaw and his orchestra recorded "Moonglow" on Victor Records.
1950 The Israeli Knesset approved a resolution proclaiming Jerusalem the capital of Israel.
1964 Milwaukee Braves’ pitcher Warren Spahn signed a contract worth $85,000, making him the highest paid pitcher in baseball.
1964 The 24th amendment to the Constitution, eliminating the poll tax in federal elections, was ratified.
1968 North Korea seized the U.S. Navy ship the USS Pueblo, charging it had intruded into the communist nation's territorial waters on a spying mission; the crew was held for 11 months.
1973 President Richard Nixon announced an accord had been reached to end the Vietnam War.
1974 Mike Oldfield’s "Tubular Bells," from the soundtrack of The Exorcist, received a gold record.
1975 Barney Miller debuted on ABC-TV.
1977 Carole King’s landmark album Tapestry became the longest-running album on music charts, as it reached its 302nd week.
1977 The TV mini-series Roots, based on the Alex Haley novel, began airing on ABC.
1978 Guitarist/vocalist for the band Chicago, Terry Kath, accidentally shot and killed himself.
1983 The A-Team debuted.
1985 Debate in Britain's House of Lords was carried live on TV for the first time.
1985 O.J. Simpson became the first Heisman Trophy winner to be elected to pro football’s Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.
1986 The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted its first members: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
1991 Allied forces in the Persian Gulf War announced that they had achieved air superiority after some 12,000 sorties.
1996 The first version of the Java programming language was released.
1997 The Swiss government, three banks and some businesses agreed to set up a private sector humanitarian fund for Nazi Holocaust victims and their heirs.
1997 A judge in Fairfax, Va., sentenced Mir Aimal Kasi to death for an assault rifle attack outside CIA headquarters in 1993 that killed two people and wounded three.
2001 The Chinese Communist Party staged a self-immolation in Tiananmen Square to frame Falun Gong and escalate the persecution.
2002 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was abducted in Karachi, Pakistan, by a group demanding the return of prisoners from the Afghan campaign (he was later murdered).
2002 "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh returned to the United States in Federal Bureau of Investigation custody.
2005 Viktor Yushchenko was sworn in as president of Ukraine.
2007 A new rule requiring U.S. airline passengers to show a passport upon their return from Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean took effect.
Chart Toppers
1951
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
The Thing - Phil Harris
A Bushell and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
The Shot Gun Boogie - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
My Happiness - Connie Francis
Donna - Ritchie Valens
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Mandy - Barry Manilow
Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
Kentucky Gambler - Merle Haggard
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
The Girl is Mine - Michael Jackson /Paul McCartney
Dirty Laundry - Don Henley
(Lost His Love) On Our Last Date - Emmylou Harris
1991
Love Will Never Do (Without You) - Janet Jackson
The First Time - Surface
Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant
Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brooks
Quote of the Day
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.
Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)
Today in History - Jan 24th
Today's Birthdays
1862 Edith Wharton (Jones), author (The Age of Innocence) died Aug 11, 1937
1917 Ernest Borgnine, actor (Marty, The Poseidon Adventure, The Dirty Dozen, McHale’s Navy)
1925 Maria (Betty Marie) Tallchief, prima ballerina (New York City Ballet)
1939 Ray Stevens (Harold Ray Ragsdale), singer/entertainer (Ahab the Arab, Gitarzan, The Streak)
1941 Neil Diamond, singer/songwriter (Cracklin’ Rosie, Song Sung Blue, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, Sweet Caroline)
1941 Aaron Neville, singer (Don’t Know Much, All My Life)
1943 Sharon Tate, actress (Valley of the Dolls, The Fearless Vampire Killers) murdered by members of the Manson family Aug 9, 1969
1946 Michael Ontkean, actor (Twin Peaks, Postcards from the Edge, Slap Shot)
1947 Warren Zevon, singer/songwriter (Werewolves of London, Hasten Down the Wind, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, The Envoy) died Sep 7, 2003
1949 John (Adam) Belushi, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live, 1941, The Blues Brothers) died Mar 5, 1982
1951 Yakov Smirnoff, comedian/actor (Night Court, Up Your Alley, Heartburn)
1958 Jools (Julian) Holland, keyboardist (Squeeze)
1959 Nastassja Kinski, actress (Terminal Velocity, The Hotel New Hampshire)
1967 Mark Kozelek, singer/songwriter (Red House Painters)
1968 Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Hall of Fame gymnast
1970 Matthew Lillard, actor (Scream, Hackers, Scooby-Doo series)
1974 Ed Helms, actor (The Office, The Daily Show)
1979 Tatyana Ali, actress/singer (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
1980 Nicole Marie Lenz, playmate/actress (March 2000)
1986 Mischa Barton, actress (The O.C.)
Today's Deaths in History
0041 Caligula, Emperor of Rome, is assasinated at 28
1920 Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter/sculptor, dies at 35
1955 Ira Hayes, World War II Marine (Iwo Jima flagraiser), dies at 32
1965 Winston Churchill, Former British Prime Minister, dies at 90
1971 Bill W., co-founder (Alcoholics Anonymous) dies at 75
1975 Larry Fine, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 72
1983 George Cukor, film director (David Copperfield) dies at 83
1986 L. Ron Hubbard, writer/founder (Scientology) dies at 74
1986 Gordon MacRae, singer/actor (Oklahoma) dies at 64
1989 Ted Bundy, serial killer, is executed at 42
1993 Thurgood Marshall, Retired Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
2006 Chris Penn, actor (Reservoir Dogs, Short Cuts) dies at 40
Today in History
1848 James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, sparking the gold rush of '49.
1899 Humphrey O’Sullivan patented the rubber shoe heel.
1908 The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
1922 Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, IA patented the Eskimo Pie.
1924 The Russian city of St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in honor of the late revolutionary leader.
1927 Director Alfred Hitchcock released his first film, The Pleasure Garden, in England.
1935 Krueger Brewing Company placed the first canned beer on sale, in Richmond, VA.
1936 Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded one of the all-time greats, "Stompin’ at the Savoy," on Victor Records.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.
1955 The rules committee of major-league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.
1964 CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League’s 1964-1965 regular season at a cost of $14.1 million a year.
1972 The Supreme Court struck down laws that denied welfare benefits to people who had resided in a state for less than a year.
1972 Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
1984 The first Apple Macintosh went on sale.
1985 Penny Harrington became the first woman police chief of a major city as she assumed the duties as head of the Portland, Oregon police department.
1986 The Voyager 2 space probe swept past Uranus, coming within 50,679 miles of the seventh planet from the sun.
1989 Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was put to death in Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.
1995 The prosecution gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
1999 The International Olympic Committee voted to expel six IOC members after charges that they had accepted money and other compensation from officials from cities bidding to host the Olympics.
2003 The new federal Department of Homeland Security officially opened as Tom Ridge was sworn in as secretary.
2004 NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars three weeks after its identical twin, Spirit.
2006 Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito won a 10-8 party-line approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
My Ideal - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly)
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Shrimp Boats - Jo Stafford
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1960
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
Go, Jimmy, Go - Jimmy Clanton
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1976
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
In My Eyes - John Conlee
Quote of the Day
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Douglas Adams, English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
Today's Birthdays
1862 Edith Wharton (Jones), author (The Age of Innocence) died Aug 11, 1937
1917 Ernest Borgnine, actor (Marty, The Poseidon Adventure, The Dirty Dozen, McHale’s Navy)
1925 Maria (Betty Marie) Tallchief, prima ballerina (New York City Ballet)
1939 Ray Stevens (Harold Ray Ragsdale), singer/entertainer (Ahab the Arab, Gitarzan, The Streak)
1941 Neil Diamond, singer/songwriter (Cracklin’ Rosie, Song Sung Blue, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, Sweet Caroline)
1941 Aaron Neville, singer (Don’t Know Much, All My Life)
1943 Sharon Tate, actress (Valley of the Dolls, The Fearless Vampire Killers) murdered by members of the Manson family Aug 9, 1969
1946 Michael Ontkean, actor (Twin Peaks, Postcards from the Edge, Slap Shot)
1947 Warren Zevon, singer/songwriter (Werewolves of London, Hasten Down the Wind, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, The Envoy) died Sep 7, 2003
1949 John (Adam) Belushi, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live, 1941, The Blues Brothers) died Mar 5, 1982
1951 Yakov Smirnoff, comedian/actor (Night Court, Up Your Alley, Heartburn)
1958 Jools (Julian) Holland, keyboardist (Squeeze)
1959 Nastassja Kinski, actress (Terminal Velocity, The Hotel New Hampshire)
1967 Mark Kozelek, singer/songwriter (Red House Painters)
1968 Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Hall of Fame gymnast
1970 Matthew Lillard, actor (Scream, Hackers, Scooby-Doo series)
1974 Ed Helms, actor (The Office, The Daily Show)
1979 Tatyana Ali, actress/singer (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
1980 Nicole Marie Lenz, playmate/actress (March 2000)
1986 Mischa Barton, actress (The O.C.)
Today's Deaths in History
0041 Caligula, Emperor of Rome, is assasinated at 28
1920 Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter/sculptor, dies at 35
1955 Ira Hayes, World War II Marine (Iwo Jima flagraiser), dies at 32
1965 Winston Churchill, Former British Prime Minister, dies at 90
1971 Bill W., co-founder (Alcoholics Anonymous) dies at 75
1975 Larry Fine, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 72
1983 George Cukor, film director (David Copperfield) dies at 83
1986 L. Ron Hubbard, writer/founder (Scientology) dies at 74
1986 Gordon MacRae, singer/actor (Oklahoma) dies at 64
1989 Ted Bundy, serial killer, is executed at 42
1993 Thurgood Marshall, Retired Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
2006 Chris Penn, actor (Reservoir Dogs, Short Cuts) dies at 40
Today in History
1848 James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California, sparking the gold rush of '49.
1899 Humphrey O’Sullivan patented the rubber shoe heel.
1908 The first Boy Scout troop was organized in England by Robert Baden-Powell.
1922 Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, IA patented the Eskimo Pie.
1924 The Russian city of St. Petersburg was renamed Leningrad in honor of the late revolutionary leader.
1927 Director Alfred Hitchcock released his first film, The Pleasure Garden, in England.
1935 Krueger Brewing Company placed the first canned beer on sale, in Richmond, VA.
1936 Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded one of the all-time greats, "Stompin’ at the Savoy," on Victor Records.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill concluded a wartime conference in Casablanca, Morocco.
1955 The rules committee of major-league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.
1964 CBS-TV acquired the rights to televise the National Football League’s 1964-1965 regular season at a cost of $14.1 million a year.
1972 The Supreme Court struck down laws that denied welfare benefits to people who had resided in a state for less than a year.
1972 Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi was found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II.
1984 The first Apple Macintosh went on sale.
1985 Penny Harrington became the first woman police chief of a major city as she assumed the duties as head of the Portland, Oregon police department.
1986 The Voyager 2 space probe swept past Uranus, coming within 50,679 miles of the seventh planet from the sun.
1989 Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy was put to death in Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of 12-year-old Kimberly Leach.
1995 The prosecution gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
1999 The International Olympic Committee voted to expel six IOC members after charges that they had accepted money and other compensation from officials from cities bidding to host the Olympics.
2003 The new federal Department of Homeland Security officially opened as Tom Ridge was sworn in as secretary.
2004 NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars three weeks after its identical twin, Spirit.
2006 Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito won a 10-8 party-line approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
My Ideal - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly)
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Sin (It’s No) - Eddy Howard
Shrimp Boats - Jo Stafford
Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way - Carl Smith
1960
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
The Big Hurt - Miss Toni Fisher
Go, Jimmy, Go - Jimmy Clanton
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1976
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To) - Diana Ross
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
Convoy - C.W. McCall
1984
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
In My Eyes - John Conlee
Quote of the Day
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.
Douglas Adams, English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
Today in History - Jan 25th
Today's Birthdays
1741 Benedict Arnold, American general/turncoat, died June 14, 1801
1759 Robert Burns, poet (Auld Lang Syne) died July 21, 1796
1874 W. (William) Somerset Maugham, author (Of Human Bondage) died Dec 16, 1965
1882 Virginia Woolf, English writer (To the Lighthouse) died March 28, 1941
1919 Edwin Newman, broadcast journalist (NBC News, PBS)
1928 Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia
1929 Elizabeth Allen, actress/singer (C.P.O. Sharkey) died Sep 19, 2006
1931 Dean Jones, actor (The Love Bug, Blackbeard's Ghost)
1933 Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines
1935 Don Maynard, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (New York Jets)
1936 Diana Hyland (Gentner), actress (The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Peyton Place) died Mar 27, 1977
1938 Etta James, singer (Good Rockin’ Daddy, Tell Me Mama)
1941 Buddy Baker, NASCAR driver/International Motorsports Hall of Famer
1942 Carl Eller, NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings)
1943 Tobe Hooper, director (Salem's Lot, Poltergeist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
1945 Leigh Taylor-Young, actress (I Love You Alice B. Toklas, Soylent Green, Dallas)
1954 Richard Finch, songwriter/bassist (KC and the Sunshine Band)
1955 Terry Chimes, drummer (The Clash)
1956 Andy Cox, guitarist (The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals)
1958 Dinah Manoff, actress (Soap, Empty Nest)
1965 Esa Tikkanen, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1971 Ana Ortiz, actress (Ugly Betty)
1975 Mia Kirshner. actress (Exotica, The Crow: City of Angels, The Black Dahlia)
1981 Alicia Keys, R&B singer/songwriter
Today's Deaths in History
1947 Al Capone, gangster, dies at 48
1976 Chris Kenner, singer/songwriter (Sick and Tired) dies at 46
1981 Adele Astaire, dancer/Fred's sister, dies at 84
1990 Ava Gardner, actress (The Night of the Iguana, On the Beach) dies at 67
2005 Ray Peterson, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her) dies at 69
2006 Anna Malle, adult film star, dies at 38
Today in History
1533 England's King Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn, his second wife.
1787 Shays' Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass.
1799 Eliakim Spooner patented the seeding machine.
1858 Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" was presented for the first time, as the daughter of Queen Victoria married the Crown Prince of Prussia.
1870 G.D. Dows patented the ornamental soda fountain.
1890 The United Mine Workers of America was founded.
1915 Alexander Graham Bell, in New York, spoke to his assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service.
1924 The 1924 Winter Olympics open in Chamonix, France, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.
1937 NBC radio presented the first broadcast of The Guiding Light.
1940 Mary Martin recorded "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" for Decca Records.
1949 The first Emmy Awards were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
1959 American Airlines opened the jet age in the United States with the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
1960 The National Association of Broadcasters reacted to the Payola scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accepted money for playing particular records.
1961 John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news conference from Washington, D.C.
1964 The Beatles reached the #1 spot on the Cash Box magazine music charts with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
1971 Charles Manson and three female followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.
1981 The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.
1985 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie of Boston College signed a $7-million, five-year contract to play with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
1988 Vice President George Bush and Dan Rather clashed on The CBS Evening News as the Rather attempted to question the Republican presidential candidate about his role in the Iran-Contra affair.
1993 Gunman Aimal Khan Kasi shot and killed two CIA employees outside agency headquarters in Virginia.
1994 Singer Michael Jackson settled a child molestation lawsuit against him; terms were confidential, although one source put the monetary figure at at least $10 million.
1995 The defense gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, saying Simpson was the victim of a "rush to judgment" by authorities who had mishandled evidence and ignored witnesses.
1999 A powerful earthquake of a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale rocked the el Eje Cafetero, in the coffee growing region.
2006 The Islamic militant group Hamas won a large majority of seats in Palestinian parliamentary elections.
2007 Ford Motor Co. said it had lost a staggering $12.7 billion in 2006, the worst loss in the company's 103-year history.
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
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I’ll Go On Alone - Marty Robbins
1961
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
I Can’t Believe She Give It All to Me - Conway Twitty
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
All I Need - Jack Wagner
You’re the Inspiration - Chicago
How Blue - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.
Leo J. Burke
Today's Birthdays
1741 Benedict Arnold, American general/turncoat, died June 14, 1801
1759 Robert Burns, poet (Auld Lang Syne) died July 21, 1796
1874 W. (William) Somerset Maugham, author (Of Human Bondage) died Dec 16, 1965
1882 Virginia Woolf, English writer (To the Lighthouse) died March 28, 1941
1919 Edwin Newman, broadcast journalist (NBC News, PBS)
1928 Eduard Shevardnadze, President of Georgia
1929 Elizabeth Allen, actress/singer (C.P.O. Sharkey) died Sep 19, 2006
1931 Dean Jones, actor (The Love Bug, Blackbeard's Ghost)
1933 Corazon Aquino, President of the Philippines
1935 Don Maynard, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (New York Jets)
1936 Diana Hyland (Gentner), actress (The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Peyton Place) died Mar 27, 1977
1938 Etta James, singer (Good Rockin’ Daddy, Tell Me Mama)
1941 Buddy Baker, NASCAR driver/International Motorsports Hall of Famer
1942 Carl Eller, NFL defensive end (Minnesota Vikings)
1943 Tobe Hooper, director (Salem's Lot, Poltergeist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
1945 Leigh Taylor-Young, actress (I Love You Alice B. Toklas, Soylent Green, Dallas)
1954 Richard Finch, songwriter/bassist (KC and the Sunshine Band)
1955 Terry Chimes, drummer (The Clash)
1956 Andy Cox, guitarist (The Beat, Fine Young Cannibals)
1958 Dinah Manoff, actress (Soap, Empty Nest)
1965 Esa Tikkanen, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1971 Ana Ortiz, actress (Ugly Betty)
1975 Mia Kirshner. actress (Exotica, The Crow: City of Angels, The Black Dahlia)
1981 Alicia Keys, R&B singer/songwriter
Today's Deaths in History
1947 Al Capone, gangster, dies at 48
1976 Chris Kenner, singer/songwriter (Sick and Tired) dies at 46
1981 Adele Astaire, dancer/Fred's sister, dies at 84
1990 Ava Gardner, actress (The Night of the Iguana, On the Beach) dies at 67
2005 Ray Peterson, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her) dies at 69
2006 Anna Malle, adult film star, dies at 38
Today in History
1533 England's King Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn, his second wife.
1787 Shays' Rebellion suffered a setback when debt-ridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass.
1799 Eliakim Spooner patented the seeding machine.
1858 Mendelssohn’s "Wedding March" was presented for the first time, as the daughter of Queen Victoria married the Crown Prince of Prussia.
1870 G.D. Dows patented the ornamental soda fountain.
1890 The United Mine Workers of America was founded.
1915 Alexander Graham Bell, in New York, spoke to his assistant Thomas Watson in San Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service.
1924 The 1924 Winter Olympics open in Chamonix, France, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.
1937 NBC radio presented the first broadcast of The Guiding Light.
1940 Mary Martin recorded "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" for Decca Records.
1949 The first Emmy Awards were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
1959 American Airlines opened the jet age in the United States with the first scheduled transcontinental flight of a Boeing 707.
1960 The National Association of Broadcasters reacted to the Payola scandal by threatening fines for any disc jockeys who accepted money for playing particular records.
1961 John F. Kennedy presented the first live presidential news conference from Washington, D.C.
1964 The Beatles reached the #1 spot on the Cash Box magazine music charts with "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
1971 Charles Manson and three female followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.
1981 The 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days arrived in the United States.
1985 Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie of Boston College signed a $7-million, five-year contract to play with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League.
1988 Vice President George Bush and Dan Rather clashed on The CBS Evening News as the Rather attempted to question the Republican presidential candidate about his role in the Iran-Contra affair.
1993 Gunman Aimal Khan Kasi shot and killed two CIA employees outside agency headquarters in Virginia.
1994 Singer Michael Jackson settled a child molestation lawsuit against him; terms were confidential, although one source put the monetary figure at at least $10 million.
1995 The defense gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, saying Simpson was the victim of a "rush to judgment" by authorities who had mishandled evidence and ignored witnesses.
1999 A powerful earthquake of a magnitude of 6.0 on the Richter scale rocked the el Eje Cafetero, in the coffee growing region.
2006 The Islamic militant group Hamas won a large majority of seats in Palestinian parliamentary elections.
2007 Ford Motor Co. said it had lost a staggering $12.7 billion in 2006, the worst loss in the company's 103-year history.
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
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I’ll Go On Alone - Marty Robbins
1961
Wonderland by Night - Bert Kaempfert
Exodus - Ferrante & Teicher
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
I Can’t Believe She Give It All to Me - Conway Twitty
1985
Like a Virgin - Madonna
All I Need - Jack Wagner
You’re the Inspiration - Chicago
How Blue - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.
Leo J. Burke
Today in History - Jan 26th
Today's Birthdays
1826 Julia Dent Grant, First Lady, died Dec 14, 1902
1880 Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army General/Commander of Allied Forces in WWII, died Apr 5, 1964
1913 Jimmy Van Heusen (Edward Chester Babcock), composer (Swinging on a Star, High Hopes) died Feb 7, 1990
1915 William Hopper, actor (Rebel Without a Cause, Perry Mason) died Mar 6, 1970
1925 Joan Leslie (Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel), actress (Yankee Doodle Dandy, Rhapsody in Blue, High Sierra)
1925 Paul Newman, actor (Cool Hand Luke, Hud, The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict)
1928 Roger Vadim (Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov), director (Barbarella, And God Created Woman) died Feb 11, 2000
1929 Jules Feiffer, cartoonist/scriptwriter (Carnal Knowledge, Popeye)
1935 Bob (Robert George) Uecker, MLB catcher/sportscaster/actor (Major League series)
1941 Scott Glenn, actor (Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff, Silverado, The Hunt for Red October, The Silence of the Lambs)
1943 Jean Knight, R&B singer (Mr. Big Stuff)
1946 Gene (Eugene Kal) Siskel, movie critic, died Feb 20, 1999
1949 David Strathairn, actor (Good Night and Good Luck, A League of Their Own, LA Confidential, Sneakers, Passion Fish)
1950 Janet Lupo, playmate (November 1975)
1955 Eddie Van Halen, guitarist/singer (Van Halen)
1958 Anita Baker, R&B/jazz singer (Sweet Love, Giving You the Best that I Got)
1958 Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne/actress/talk show host
1960 Charlie Gillingham, bassist/keyboardist (Counting Crows)
1961 Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers)
1963 Jazzie B (Beresford Romeo), rapper/singer (Soul II Soul)
1963 Andrew Ridgeley, guitarist (Wham!)
1964 Paul Johansson, actor (One Tree Hill)
1964 Wendy Melvoin, composer/musician/actress (Purple Rain, Heroes)
1973 Jennifer Crystal, actress (Once and Again, *61)
1974 Chris Hesse, drummer (Hoobastank)
1975 Heidi "Frankie" Rayder, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1979 Sara Rue, actress (Less Than Perfect, Idiocracy)
Today's Deaths in History
1885 Edward Davy, English inventor (telegraphy) dies at 78
1891 Nikolaus August Otto, German inventor (internal combustion engine) dies at 58
1893 Abner Doubleday, credited inventor (baseball) dies at 73
1932 William Wrigley Jr., industrialist/baseball executive (Chicago Cubs) dies at 70
1962 Lucky Luciano, mobster, dies at 64
1973 Edward G. Robinson, actor (Little Caesar, Kid Galahad, Key Largo) dies at 79
1979 Nelson A. Rockefeller, former Vice President, dies at 70
1983 Paul "Bear" Bryant, football coach (Alabama) dies at 69
1992 José Ferrer, actor (The Caine Mutinty) dies at 83
2001 Al McGuire, basketball coach (Marquette University) dies at 72
2007 Gump Worsley, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (NY Rangers) dies at 77
Today in History
1788 The first European settlers in Australia landed in present-day Sydney.
1802 Congress passed an act calling for a library to be established within the U.S. Capitol.
1837 Michigan became the 26th state of the United States of America.
1838 Tennessee enacted the first prohibition law in the United States.
1863 The Massachusetts Governor received permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
1875 George F. Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan patented the electric dental drill for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth.
1913 Jim Thorpe wrote to the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union and revealed that he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910, so he returned the two gold medals (decathlon and pentathlon) that he had won in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden.
1934 The Apollo Theatre opened in New York City.
1945 Dan Topping and Del Webb bought the New York Yankees baseball team for $2,800,000.
1947 The Greatest Story Ever Told, the first radio series to portray the voice of Jesus Christ, was first heard on ABC radio.
1956 Buddy Holly had his first of three 1956 recording sessions for Decca Records and producer Owen Bradley in Nashville.
1960 Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the National Football League.
1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell (Mrs. John Powell) to the post of personal physician to the President, the first woman to hold that position.
1962 The United States launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the moon, but the probe missed its target by some 22,000 miles.
1970 Commissioner Pete Rozelle of the NFL announced that the three major TV networks, NBC, CBS and ABC, had agreed to pay a total of $124,000,000 over four years to televise National Football League games.
1979 The Gizmo guitar synthesizer was first demonstrated.
1985 St. John’s University ended Georgetown’s 29-game winning streak with a 66-65 win.
1987 Coca-Cola was named the #1 soft drink in America.
1988 The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Phantom of the Opera opened at Broadway's Majestic Theater.
1996 First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.
1998 Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. announced plans to merge.
1998 President Bill Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
2000 Rage Against the Machine played in front of Wall Street, prompting an early closing of trading due to the crowds.
2001 A earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing more than 13,000 people.
2005 A U.S. Marine helicopter crashed in western Iraq, killing 31 Marines and a Navy medic aboard.
2005 Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as secretary of state.
2006 Confronted by Oprah Winfrey on her syndicated talk show, author James Frey acknowledged lies in his addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
You Will Have to Pay - Tex Ritter
1954
Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball - Lou Monte
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life - Ronnie Milsap
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Never Be You - Rosanne Cash
Quote of the Day
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today's Birthdays
1826 Julia Dent Grant, First Lady, died Dec 14, 1902
1880 Douglas MacArthur, U.S. Army General/Commander of Allied Forces in WWII, died Apr 5, 1964
1913 Jimmy Van Heusen (Edward Chester Babcock), composer (Swinging on a Star, High Hopes) died Feb 7, 1990
1915 William Hopper, actor (Rebel Without a Cause, Perry Mason) died Mar 6, 1970
1925 Joan Leslie (Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel), actress (Yankee Doodle Dandy, Rhapsody in Blue, High Sierra)
1925 Paul Newman, actor (Cool Hand Luke, Hud, The Sting, The Hudsucker Proxy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict)
1928 Roger Vadim (Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov), director (Barbarella, And God Created Woman) died Feb 11, 2000
1929 Jules Feiffer, cartoonist/scriptwriter (Carnal Knowledge, Popeye)
1935 Bob (Robert George) Uecker, MLB catcher/sportscaster/actor (Major League series)
1941 Scott Glenn, actor (Apocalypse Now, The Right Stuff, Silverado, The Hunt for Red October, The Silence of the Lambs)
1943 Jean Knight, R&B singer (Mr. Big Stuff)
1946 Gene (Eugene Kal) Siskel, movie critic, died Feb 20, 1999
1949 David Strathairn, actor (Good Night and Good Luck, A League of Their Own, LA Confidential, Sneakers, Passion Fish)
1950 Janet Lupo, playmate (November 1975)
1955 Eddie Van Halen, guitarist/singer (Van Halen)
1958 Anita Baker, R&B/jazz singer (Sweet Love, Giving You the Best that I Got)
1958 Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne/actress/talk show host
1960 Charlie Gillingham, bassist/keyboardist (Counting Crows)
1961 Wayne Gretzky, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers)
1963 Jazzie B (Beresford Romeo), rapper/singer (Soul II Soul)
1963 Andrew Ridgeley, guitarist (Wham!)
1964 Paul Johansson, actor (One Tree Hill)
1964 Wendy Melvoin, composer/musician/actress (Purple Rain, Heroes)
1973 Jennifer Crystal, actress (Once and Again, *61)
1974 Chris Hesse, drummer (Hoobastank)
1975 Heidi "Frankie" Rayder, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1979 Sara Rue, actress (Less Than Perfect, Idiocracy)
Today's Deaths in History
1885 Edward Davy, English inventor (telegraphy) dies at 78
1891 Nikolaus August Otto, German inventor (internal combustion engine) dies at 58
1893 Abner Doubleday, credited inventor (baseball) dies at 73
1932 William Wrigley Jr., industrialist/baseball executive (Chicago Cubs) dies at 70
1962 Lucky Luciano, mobster, dies at 64
1973 Edward G. Robinson, actor (Little Caesar, Kid Galahad, Key Largo) dies at 79
1979 Nelson A. Rockefeller, former Vice President, dies at 70
1983 Paul "Bear" Bryant, football coach (Alabama) dies at 69
1992 José Ferrer, actor (The Caine Mutinty) dies at 83
2001 Al McGuire, basketball coach (Marquette University) dies at 72
2007 Gump Worsley, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (NY Rangers) dies at 77
Today in History
1788 The first European settlers in Australia landed in present-day Sydney.
1802 Congress passed an act calling for a library to be established within the U.S. Capitol.
1837 Michigan became the 26th state of the United States of America.
1838 Tennessee enacted the first prohibition law in the United States.
1863 The Massachusetts Governor received permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
1875 George F. Green of Kalamazoo, Michigan patented the electric dental drill for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth.
1913 Jim Thorpe wrote to the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union and revealed that he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910, so he returned the two gold medals (decathlon and pentathlon) that he had won in the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden.
1934 The Apollo Theatre opened in New York City.
1945 Dan Topping and Del Webb bought the New York Yankees baseball team for $2,800,000.
1947 The Greatest Story Ever Told, the first radio series to portray the voice of Jesus Christ, was first heard on ABC radio.
1956 Buddy Holly had his first of three 1956 recording sessions for Decca Records and producer Owen Bradley in Nashville.
1960 Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the National Football League.
1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell (Mrs. John Powell) to the post of personal physician to the President, the first woman to hold that position.
1962 The United States launched Ranger 3 to land scientific instruments on the moon, but the probe missed its target by some 22,000 miles.
1970 Commissioner Pete Rozelle of the NFL announced that the three major TV networks, NBC, CBS and ABC, had agreed to pay a total of $124,000,000 over four years to televise National Football League games.
1979 The Gizmo guitar synthesizer was first demonstrated.
1985 St. John’s University ended Georgetown’s 29-game winning streak with a 66-65 win.
1987 Coca-Cola was named the #1 soft drink in America.
1988 The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Phantom of the Opera opened at Broadway's Majestic Theater.
1996 First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testified before a grand jury connected to the Whitewater probe.
1998 Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. announced plans to merge.
1998 President Bill Clinton denied having an affair with a former White House intern, telling reporters, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."
2000 Rage Against the Machine played in front of Wall Street, prompting an early closing of trading due to the crowds.
2001 A earthquake hit the Indian subcontinent, killing more than 13,000 people.
2005 A U.S. Marine helicopter crashed in western Iraq, killing 31 Marines and a Navy medic aboard.
2005 Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as secretary of state.
2006 Confronted by Oprah Winfrey on her syndicated talk show, author James Frey acknowledged lies in his addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
You Will Have to Pay - Tex Ritter
1954
Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball - Lou Monte
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
The Twist - Chubby Checker
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton
You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) - Rod Stewart
What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life - Ronnie Milsap
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
Talk to Me - Stevie Nicks
Never Be You - Rosanne Cash
Quote of the Day
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950)
Today in History - Jan 27th
Today's Birthdays
1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Theophilus), composer (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro) died Dec 4, 1791
1832 Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), mathematician/writer (Through the Looking Glass) died Jan 14, 1898
1850 Samuel Gompers, labor union leader (first president of the American Federation of Labor) died Dec 13, 1924
1885 Jerome Kern, composer (Show Boat, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, The Way You Look Tonight) died Nov 11, 1945
1900 Hyman Rickover, U.S. Navy Admiral (Father of the Nuclear Navy) died July 8, 1986
1901 Art Rooney, NFL team owner (Pittsburgh Steelers) died August 25, 1988
1908 William Randolph Hearst Jr., publishing/broadcasting mogul (A&E Television Networks, The History Channel) died May 14, 1993
1918 Skitch (Lyle) Henderson, bandleader (The Tonight Show) died Nov 1, 2005
1918 Elmore James, blues musician (King of the Slide Guitar) died May 24, 1963
1919 Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., musician (Alvin and the Chipmunks) died January 16, 1972
1921 Donna Reed (Mullenger), actress (From Here to Eternity, It’s a Wonderful Life) died Jan 14, 1986
1924 Sabu (Dastagir), actor (The Jungle Book, The Thief of Bagdad) died Dec 2, 1963
1936 Troy Donahue (Merle Johnson), actor (Hawaiian Eye, A Summer Place, The Godfather: Part 2) died Sep 2, 2001
1944 Nick Mason, drummer (Pink Floyd)
1946 Nedra Talley, singer (The Ronettes)
1948 Mikhail Baryshnikov, ballet dancer/actor (White Nights)
1951 Brian Downey, drummer (Thin Lizzy)
1951 Seth Justman, keyboardist/singer/composer (The J. Geils Band)
1955 John Roberts, Supreme Court Chief Justice
1956 Mimi Rogers, actress (The Rousters, Someone To Watch Over Me)
1957 Janick Gers, guitarist (Iron Maiden)
1959 Cris Collinsworth, NFL wide reciver/TV football analyst (Cincinnati Bengals; FOX network, HBO’s Inside the NFL)
1961 Gillian Gilbert, keyboardist (New Order)
1964 Bridget Fonda, actress (Doc Hollywood, Point of No Return, The Godfather Part 3)
1965 Alan Cumming, actor (X2: X-Men United, GoldenEye)
1968 Mike Patton, singer (Faith No More)
1969 Michael Kulas, singer/songwriter (James)
1971 Fann Wong, actress (Shanghai Knights)
1972 Josh Randall, actor (Ed, Courting Alex, Lost)
1976 Fred Taylor, NFL running back (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1980 Chanda Gunn, USA Olympic hockey goaltender
Today's Deaths in History
1731 Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian inventor (piano) dies at 75
1851 John James Audubon, French-American naturalist/ornithologist/painter, dies at 65
1901 Giuseppe Verdi, opera composer, dies at 87
1910 Thomas Crapper, English inventor (flush toilet) dies at 73
1967 Roger Chaffee, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 31
1967 Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 40
1967 Edward White, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 36
1972 Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, dies at 60
1993 André the Giant, wrestler/actor (The Princess Bride) dies at 46
1994 Claude Akins, actor (The Devil's Brigade, Inherit the Wind) dies at 67
2004 Jack Paar, television show host (The Tonight Show) dies at 85
2006 Gene McFadden, singer/songwriter (Wake Up Everybody, Ain't No Stopping Us Now) dies at 56
2007 Tige Andrews, actor (The Mod Squad) dies at 86
Today in History
1785 The University of Georgia, the first public university in the United States, was founded.
1870 Kappa Alpha Theta, the first women’s Greek letter society (sorority), was founded at Indiana Asbury University (now DePauw University) in Greencastle, Indiana.
1880 Thomas Alva Edison of Menlo Park, NJ patented the electric incandescent lamp.
1888 The National Geographic Society was incorporated, in Washington, D.C.
1944 Casey Stengel resigned as manager of the Boston Braves, a position he had held since 1938.
1944 The Soviet Union announced the end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted for more than two years.
1945 Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.
1948 The Wire Recording Corporation of America announced the first magnetic wire recorder.
1951 An era of atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.
1956 The CBS Radio Workshop was heard for the first time; the first broadcast featured Aldous Huxley narrating his classic, Brave New World.
1961 Leontyne Price made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1967 A flash fire in the command module of Apollo 1 during a preflight test killed stronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee.
1967 More than 60 nations signed a treaty banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons.
1968 The Bee Gees played their first American concert.
1968 Otis Redding’s "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" was released, seven weeks after his death.
1973 The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris.
1977 The Vatican reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female priests.
1981 President Ronald Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran at the White House.
1984 Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles.
1984 Wayne Gretzky set a National Hockey League record for consecutive game scoring, as his streak ended at 51 games.
1993 Chad Rowan (Akebono) was awarded the highest rank in sumo wrestling, making him the first foreign ‘yokozuna’ (grand champion).
1996 Germany first observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
1998 First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, appearing on NBC's Today show, said that allegations against her husband were the work of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
2006 Western Union delivered its last telegram.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The
Campus Kids)
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Let Me Go, Lover! - Teresa Brewer
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) - The Penguins
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Stoney End - Barbra Streisand
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For - Crystal Gayle
1987
At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Control - Janet Jackson
Cry Myself to Sleep - The Judds
Quote of the Day
All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Today's Birthdays
1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Theophilus), composer (Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro) died Dec 4, 1791
1832 Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), mathematician/writer (Through the Looking Glass) died Jan 14, 1898
1850 Samuel Gompers, labor union leader (first president of the American Federation of Labor) died Dec 13, 1924
1885 Jerome Kern, composer (Show Boat, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, The Way You Look Tonight) died Nov 11, 1945
1900 Hyman Rickover, U.S. Navy Admiral (Father of the Nuclear Navy) died July 8, 1986
1901 Art Rooney, NFL team owner (Pittsburgh Steelers) died August 25, 1988
1908 William Randolph Hearst Jr., publishing/broadcasting mogul (A&E Television Networks, The History Channel) died May 14, 1993
1918 Skitch (Lyle) Henderson, bandleader (The Tonight Show) died Nov 1, 2005
1918 Elmore James, blues musician (King of the Slide Guitar) died May 24, 1963
1919 Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., musician (Alvin and the Chipmunks) died January 16, 1972
1921 Donna Reed (Mullenger), actress (From Here to Eternity, It’s a Wonderful Life) died Jan 14, 1986
1924 Sabu (Dastagir), actor (The Jungle Book, The Thief of Bagdad) died Dec 2, 1963
1936 Troy Donahue (Merle Johnson), actor (Hawaiian Eye, A Summer Place, The Godfather: Part 2) died Sep 2, 2001
1944 Nick Mason, drummer (Pink Floyd)
1946 Nedra Talley, singer (The Ronettes)
1948 Mikhail Baryshnikov, ballet dancer/actor (White Nights)
1951 Brian Downey, drummer (Thin Lizzy)
1951 Seth Justman, keyboardist/singer/composer (The J. Geils Band)
1955 John Roberts, Supreme Court Chief Justice
1956 Mimi Rogers, actress (The Rousters, Someone To Watch Over Me)
1957 Janick Gers, guitarist (Iron Maiden)
1959 Cris Collinsworth, NFL wide reciver/TV football analyst (Cincinnati Bengals; FOX network, HBO’s Inside the NFL)
1961 Gillian Gilbert, keyboardist (New Order)
1964 Bridget Fonda, actress (Doc Hollywood, Point of No Return, The Godfather Part 3)
1965 Alan Cumming, actor (X2: X-Men United, GoldenEye)
1968 Mike Patton, singer (Faith No More)
1969 Michael Kulas, singer/songwriter (James)
1971 Fann Wong, actress (Shanghai Knights)
1972 Josh Randall, actor (Ed, Courting Alex, Lost)
1976 Fred Taylor, NFL running back (Jacksonville Jaguars)
1980 Chanda Gunn, USA Olympic hockey goaltender
Today's Deaths in History
1731 Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian inventor (piano) dies at 75
1851 John James Audubon, French-American naturalist/ornithologist/painter, dies at 65
1901 Giuseppe Verdi, opera composer, dies at 87
1910 Thomas Crapper, English inventor (flush toilet) dies at 73
1967 Roger Chaffee, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 31
1967 Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 40
1967 Edward White, Apollo 1 astronaut, dies in a capsule fire at 36
1972 Mahalia Jackson, gospel singer, dies at 60
1993 André the Giant, wrestler/actor (The Princess Bride) dies at 46
1994 Claude Akins, actor (The Devil's Brigade, Inherit the Wind) dies at 67
2004 Jack Paar, television show host (The Tonight Show) dies at 85
2006 Gene McFadden, singer/songwriter (Wake Up Everybody, Ain't No Stopping Us Now) dies at 56
2007 Tige Andrews, actor (The Mod Squad) dies at 86
Today in History
1785 The University of Georgia, the first public university in the United States, was founded.
1870 Kappa Alpha Theta, the first women’s Greek letter society (sorority), was founded at Indiana Asbury University (now DePauw University) in Greencastle, Indiana.
1880 Thomas Alva Edison of Menlo Park, NJ patented the electric incandescent lamp.
1888 The National Geographic Society was incorporated, in Washington, D.C.
1944 Casey Stengel resigned as manager of the Boston Braves, a position he had held since 1938.
1944 The Soviet Union announced the end of the deadly German siege of Leningrad, which had lasted for more than two years.
1945 Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.
1948 The Wire Recording Corporation of America announced the first magnetic wire recorder.
1951 An era of atomic testing in the Nevada desert began as an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.
1956 The CBS Radio Workshop was heard for the first time; the first broadcast featured Aldous Huxley narrating his classic, Brave New World.
1961 Leontyne Price made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.
1967 A flash fire in the command module of Apollo 1 during a preflight test killed stronauts Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee.
1967 More than 60 nations signed a treaty banning the orbiting of nuclear weapons.
1968 The Bee Gees played their first American concert.
1968 Otis Redding’s "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay" was released, seven weeks after his death.
1973 The Vietnam peace accords were signed in Paris.
1977 The Vatican reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's ban on female priests.
1981 President Ronald Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran at the White House.
1984 Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles.
1984 Wayne Gretzky set a National Hockey League record for consecutive game scoring, as his streak ended at 51 games.
1993 Chad Rowan (Akebono) was awarded the highest rank in sumo wrestling, making him the first foreign ‘yokozuna’ (grand champion).
1996 Germany first observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
1998 First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, appearing on NBC's Today show, said that allegations against her husband were the work of a "vast right-wing conspiracy."
2006 Western Union delivered its last telegram.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The
Campus Kids)
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
Let Me Go, Lover! - Teresa Brewer
Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) - The Penguins
Loose Talk - Carl Smith
1963
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Stoney End - Barbra Streisand
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For - Crystal Gayle
1987
At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Control - Janet Jackson
Cry Myself to Sleep - The Judds
Quote of the Day
All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Today in History - Jan 28th
Today's Birthdays
1841 Sir Henry Morton Stanley, explorer (search for missing missionary David Livingstone) died May 10, 1904
1855 William Seward Burroughs I, inventor (calculating machine) died September 14, 1898
1864 Charles W. Nash, co-founder (Nash Motors, Buick) died June 6, 1948
1887 Artur Rubinstein, pianist, died Dec 20, 1982
1912 Jackson Pollock, painter, died August 11, 1956
1933 Susan Sontag, author (Notes on Camp, Against Interpretation) died Dec 28, 2004
1935 Nicholas Pryor, actor (Hoffa, Pacific Heights, Risky Business)
1936 Alan Alda (Alphonso D’Abruzzo), actor (M*A*S*H, The West Wing)
1943 John Beck, actor (Time Machine, Rollerball, Dallas)
1943 Dick Taylor, bassist (The Pretty Things)
1944 Brian Keenan, drummer (Manfred Mann's Erath Band)
1949 Jack Egers, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1950 Barbi Benton, actress/Playboy cover girl/former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
1953 Colin Campbell, NHL player/coach/executive (NY Rangers)
1955 Nicolas Sarkozy, French President
1957 Harley Jane Kozak, actress (Parenthood, When Harry Met Sally...)
1959 Dave Sharp, guitarist (The Alarm)
1959 Frank Darabont, director (The Shawshank Redemption)
1961 Normand Rochefort, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1963 Dan Spitz, guitarist (Anthrax)
1968 Sarah McLachlan, singer/songwriter (Angel)
1969 Kathryn Morris, actress (Cold Case)
1969 Mo Rocca, writer/comedian (The Daily Show)
1977 Joey Fatone Jr., singer (’N Sync)
1977 Daunte Culpepper, NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders)
1977 Matt DeVries, guitarist (Chimaira)
1979 Rosamund Pike, actress (Die Another Day, Pride and Prejudice)
1980 Nick Carter, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1981 Elijah Wood, actor (The Lord of the Rings series, North, Radio Flyer)
Today's Deaths in History
0814 Charlemagne, conqueror, dies at 71
1547 Henry VIII, King of England, dies at 55
1939 William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, dies at 73
1986 Greg Jarvis, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 41
1986 Christa McAuliffe, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 37
1986 Ronald McNair, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 35
1986 Ellison Onizuka, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 39
1986 Judith Resnik, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 36
1986 Francis R. Scobee, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 46
1986 Michael J. Smith, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 40
1991 Red Grange, College and Pro Football Halls of Fame running back (Chicago Bears) dies at 87
1994 Hal Smith, actor (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 77
2004 Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Football Hall of Fame running back/wide receiver (Los Angeles Rams) dies at 80
2004 Joe Viterelli, actor (Analyze This, Analyze That) dies at 66
2005 Jim Capaldi, singer/songwriter/drummer (Traffic) dies at 60
Today in History
1813 Pride and Prejudice was first published in the United Kingdom.
1878 The first telephone switchboard was installed, in New Haven, Connecticut.
1878 The Yale News was published for the very first time.
1902 The Carnegie Institution was established in Washington D,C., endowed with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
1904 Enrico Caruso signed his first contract with Victor Records.
1915 The Coast Guard was created by an act of Congress.
1916 Louis D. Brandeis was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the Supreme Court, becoming its first Jewish member.
1921 The National Football League franchise in Decatur, Illinois was transferred to Chicago, where they took the name "Chicago Staleys" for the 1921 season.
1934 Robert Royce’s invention, the ski tow rope, was used for the first time in Woodstock, VT.
1940 Beat the Band made its debut on NBC radio; it was a show on which listeners questions were selected in the hopes of stumping the band.
1945 During World War II, Allied supplies began reaching China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
1956 Elvis Presley made his first appearance on national television on The Dorsey Brothers Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy.
1957 The Brooklyn Dodgers announced that circus clown Emmett Kelly had been hired to entertain fans at baseball games.
1958 One of the most respected players in baseball, Roy Campanella, was seriously injured in an auto accident in New York.
1958 The Lego company patented their design of Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
1959 Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the NFL's Green Bay Packers.
1973 CBS-TV presented the first episode of Barnaby Jones.
1973 A cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.
1982 Italian anti-terrorism forces rescued U.S. Brigadier General James L. Dozier 42 days after he had been kidnapped by the Red Brigades.
1985 Forty-five of the world’s top recording artists were invited to an all-night recording session at the A&M studios in Los Angeles; they were there to record "We Are The World."
1986 Seventy-three seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts.
1987 ABC-TV moved reporter Charles Gibson into the co-anchor chair next to Joan Lunden for Good Morning America.
1987 Roger Mudd left NBC news after seven stormy years; he had come to NBC after being passed over by CBS in favor of Dan Rather as Walter Cronkite's replacement.
1994 The first trial of accused murderer Lyle Menendez ended in a mistrial; he and his brother Erik were later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1999 Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan honored a personal request for mercy from Pope John Paul II, sparing triple murderer Darrell Mease from execution.
2004 Lord Hutton published his report into the death of U.N. weapons inspector Dr. David Kelly.
Chart Toppers
1948
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
How Soon - Jack Owens
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
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
Moritat (A Theme from ’The Three Penny Opera’) - Dick Hyman
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Surfin’ Bird - The Trashmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
I’ll Be Coming Back for More - T.G. Sheppard
1988
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Need You Tonight - INXS
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Where Do the Nights Go - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.
Hannah Arendt, German-born historian & social philosopher (1906 - 1975)
Today's Birthdays
1841 Sir Henry Morton Stanley, explorer (search for missing missionary David Livingstone) died May 10, 1904
1855 William Seward Burroughs I, inventor (calculating machine) died September 14, 1898
1864 Charles W. Nash, co-founder (Nash Motors, Buick) died June 6, 1948
1887 Artur Rubinstein, pianist, died Dec 20, 1982
1912 Jackson Pollock, painter, died August 11, 1956
1933 Susan Sontag, author (Notes on Camp, Against Interpretation) died Dec 28, 2004
1935 Nicholas Pryor, actor (Hoffa, Pacific Heights, Risky Business)
1936 Alan Alda (Alphonso D’Abruzzo), actor (M*A*S*H, The West Wing)
1943 John Beck, actor (Time Machine, Rollerball, Dallas)
1943 Dick Taylor, bassist (The Pretty Things)
1944 Brian Keenan, drummer (Manfred Mann's Erath Band)
1949 Jack Egers, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1950 Barbi Benton, actress/Playboy cover girl/former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner
1953 Colin Campbell, NHL player/coach/executive (NY Rangers)
1955 Nicolas Sarkozy, French President
1957 Harley Jane Kozak, actress (Parenthood, When Harry Met Sally...)
1959 Dave Sharp, guitarist (The Alarm)
1959 Frank Darabont, director (The Shawshank Redemption)
1961 Normand Rochefort, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1963 Dan Spitz, guitarist (Anthrax)
1968 Sarah McLachlan, singer/songwriter (Angel)
1969 Kathryn Morris, actress (Cold Case)
1969 Mo Rocca, writer/comedian (The Daily Show)
1977 Joey Fatone Jr., singer (’N Sync)
1977 Daunte Culpepper, NFL quarterback (Oakland Raiders)
1977 Matt DeVries, guitarist (Chimaira)
1979 Rosamund Pike, actress (Die Another Day, Pride and Prejudice)
1980 Nick Carter, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1981 Elijah Wood, actor (The Lord of the Rings series, North, Radio Flyer)
Today's Deaths in History
0814 Charlemagne, conqueror, dies at 71
1547 Henry VIII, King of England, dies at 55
1939 William Butler Yeats, Irish writer, dies at 73
1986 Greg Jarvis, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 41
1986 Christa McAuliffe, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 37
1986 Ronald McNair, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 35
1986 Ellison Onizuka, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 39
1986 Judith Resnik, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 36
1986 Francis R. Scobee, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 46
1986 Michael J. Smith, Space Shuttle Challenger astronaut, dies at 40
1991 Red Grange, College and Pro Football Halls of Fame running back (Chicago Bears) dies at 87
1994 Hal Smith, actor (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 77
2004 Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, Football Hall of Fame running back/wide receiver (Los Angeles Rams) dies at 80
2004 Joe Viterelli, actor (Analyze This, Analyze That) dies at 66
2005 Jim Capaldi, singer/songwriter/drummer (Traffic) dies at 60
Today in History
1813 Pride and Prejudice was first published in the United Kingdom.
1878 The first telephone switchboard was installed, in New Haven, Connecticut.
1878 The Yale News was published for the very first time.
1902 The Carnegie Institution was established in Washington D,C., endowed with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
1904 Enrico Caruso signed his first contract with Victor Records.
1915 The Coast Guard was created by an act of Congress.
1916 Louis D. Brandeis was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson to the Supreme Court, becoming its first Jewish member.
1921 The National Football League franchise in Decatur, Illinois was transferred to Chicago, where they took the name "Chicago Staleys" for the 1921 season.
1934 Robert Royce’s invention, the ski tow rope, was used for the first time in Woodstock, VT.
1940 Beat the Band made its debut on NBC radio; it was a show on which listeners questions were selected in the hopes of stumping the band.
1945 During World War II, Allied supplies began reaching China over the newly reopened Burma Road.
1956 Elvis Presley made his first appearance on national television on The Dorsey Brothers Show, starring Tommy and Jimmy.
1957 The Brooklyn Dodgers announced that circus clown Emmett Kelly had been hired to entertain fans at baseball games.
1958 One of the most respected players in baseball, Roy Campanella, was seriously injured in an auto accident in New York.
1958 The Lego company patented their design of Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
1959 Vince Lombardi was named head coach of the NFL's Green Bay Packers.
1973 CBS-TV presented the first episode of Barnaby Jones.
1973 A cease-fire officially went into effect in the Vietnam War.
1982 Italian anti-terrorism forces rescued U.S. Brigadier General James L. Dozier 42 days after he had been kidnapped by the Red Brigades.
1985 Forty-five of the world’s top recording artists were invited to an all-night recording session at the A&M studios in Los Angeles; they were there to record "We Are The World."
1986 Seventy-three seconds after launch from Cape Canaveral, the U.S. space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts.
1987 ABC-TV moved reporter Charles Gibson into the co-anchor chair next to Joan Lunden for Good Morning America.
1987 Roger Mudd left NBC news after seven stormy years; he had come to NBC after being passed over by CBS in favor of Dan Rather as Walter Cronkite's replacement.
1994 The first trial of accused murderer Lyle Menendez ended in a mistrial; he and his brother Erik were later found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1999 Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan honored a personal request for mercy from Pope John Paul II, sparing triple murderer Darrell Mease from execution.
2004 Lord Hutton published his report into the death of U.N. weapons inspector Dr. David Kelly.
Chart Toppers
1948
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
How Soon - Jack Owens
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
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
Moritat (A Theme from ’The Three Penny Opera’) - Dick Hyman
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
There! I’ve Said It Again - Bobby Vinton
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
Surfin’ Bird - The Trashmen
Love’s Gonna Live Here - Buck Owens
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
I’ll Be Coming Back for More - T.G. Sheppard
1988
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
Need You Tonight - INXS
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Where Do the Nights Go - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.
Hannah Arendt, German-born historian & social philosopher (1906 - 1975)
Today in History - Jan 29th
Today's Birthdays
1737 Thomas Paine, American revolutionary leader/political philosopher (Common Sense) died June 8, 1809
1843 William McKinley, 25th U.S. President, assassinated Sept 14, 1901
1860 Anton Chekhov, writer/playwright (The Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya) died July 15, 1904
1874 John Davison Rockefeller Jr., industrialist/founder (Standard Oil Co.) died May 11, 1960
1880 W.C. Fields (William Claude Dukenfield), comedian/actor (My Little Chickadee) died Dec 25, 1946
1885 Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter), blues guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special) died Dec 6, 1949
1915 Victor (John) Mature, actor (The Robe, Samson and Delilah) died Aug 4, 1999
1918 John Forsythe (Freund), actor (Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, And Justice for All, Scrooged)
1923 Paddy (Sidney) Chayefsky, playwright (Marty, Altered States, Network) died Aug 1, 1981
1940 Katharine Ross, actress (The Graduate, The Final Countdown, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
1942 Claudine Longet, singer/actress (McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes)
1945 Tom Selleck, actor (Magnum, P.I., Three Men and a Baby series, Mr. Baseball, Runaway)
1947 David Byron, singer (Uriah Heep) died Feb 28, 1985
1948 JagrGal, board member
1950 Ann Jillian (Jurate Nauseda), actress (It’s a Living, Mr Mom)
1952 Tommy Ramone, drummer/songwriter (The Ramones)
1954 Oprah Winfrey, talk show host/actress/publisher (The Color Purple)
1954 Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba, singer (MC5)
1954 Terry Kinney, actor (Oz, The Laramie Project)
1958 Judy Norton-Taylor, actress (The Waltons)
1960 Greg Louganis, Olympic Gold Medal diver
1960 Gia Carangi, model, died of AIDS November 18, 1986
1961 Eddie Jackson, bassist/singer (Queensryche)
1961 David Baynton-Power, drummer (James)
1962 Nicholas Turturro, actor (NYPD Blue)
1964 Roddy Frame, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Aztec Camera)
1965 Dominik Hasek, NHL goaltender (Detroit Red Wings)
1968 Edward Burns, writer/director/actor (Saving Private Ryan, The Brothers McMullen)
1969 Thomas Jane, actor (*61, The Punisher)
1970 Heather Graham, actress (Swingers, Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
1975 Sara Gilbert (Sara Rebecca Abeles), actress (Roseanne, High Fidelity)
1975 Sharif Atkins, actor (ER)
1980 Jason James Richter, actor (Free Willy)
1981 Jonny Lang, blues guitarist/singer
1985 Athina Onassis, French heiress
Today's Deaths in History
1696 Ivan V, Russian tsar, dies at 29
1899 Alfred Sisley, impressionist painter, dies at 59
1956 H. L. Mencken, journalist (the Sage of Baltimore) dies at 75
1963 Robert Frost, poet, dies at 88
1964 Alan Ladd, actor (Citizen Kane) dies at 50
1977 Freddie Prinze, actor/comedian (Chico and the Man) dies at 22
1980 Jimmy Durante, actor/comedian (Schnozzola) dies at 86
1992 Willie Dixon, blues singer/songwriter, dies at 76
1999 Lili St. Cyr, dancer (striptease) dies at 81
2002 Dick "Night Train" Lane, NFL defensive back (Detroit Lions) dies at 73
2002 Harold Russell, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 88
2007 Barbaro, thoroughbred racehorse, is euthanized at 3
Today in History
1595 William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was first performed.
1802 John Beckley became the first Librarian of the U.S. Congress.
1834 President Andrew Jackson ordered the first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.
1845 The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, was published for the first time in the New York Evening Mirror.
1850 Henry Clay introduced in the Senate a compromise bill on slavery that included the admission of California into the Union as a free state.
1861 Kansas, the Sunflower State, became the 34th of the United States of America.
1886 Karl Benz patented the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
1900 The American League, consisting of eight baseball teams, was organized in Philadelphia.
1924 Carl R. Taylor of Cleveland, OH patented the ice cream cone rolling machine.
1936 Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson became the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1944 The USS Missouri, the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy, was launched.
1945 Lionel Barrymore became host of the Lux Radio Theatre , replacing Cecil B. DeMille.
1949 The Newport News, the first air-conditioned naval ship, was commissioned.
1958 Actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married.
1959 Sleeping Beauty was released.
1964 NBC-TV agreed to pay $36 million for the broadcast rights to the American Football League games during the 1965-1969 seasons.
1966 Sweet Charity opened at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
1968 Coach Adolph Rupp of the Kentucky Wildcats notched win #772, becoming the winningest coach in college basketball history.
1973 Johnny Rivers received a gold record for the hit single "Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu."
1978 Sweden outlawed aerosol sprays due to their harmful effect on the ozone layer, becoming the first nation to enact such a ban.
1979 President Jimmy Carter welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House following the establishment of diplomatic relations.
1979 Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire at the Cleveland Elementary School playground in San Diego, California, killing two adults and wounding eight children and one police officer (the Boomtown Rats' song "I Don't Like Mondays" is based on this event).
1985 The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at a new high of 1,292.62, eclipsing the record set on November 29, 1983.
1987 According to Physician’s Weekly, the famous smile of Mona Lisa was caused by a “...facial paralysis resulting from a swollen nerve behind the ear.”
1990 Former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the nation's worst oil spill.
1995 The San Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles when they beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX.
1998 A bomb exploded outside the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse.
1999 The Senate delivered subpoenas for Monica Lewinsky and two presidential advisers for private, videotaped testimony in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2002 In his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush warned of "an axis of evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
2004 A suicide bomber struck a bus in Jerusalem, killing 10 Israelis.
2006 ABC World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Don’t Forbid Me - _Pat Boone
Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
Downtown - Petula Clark
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Your Mama Don’t Dance - Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina
(Old Dogs-Children And) Watermelon Wine - Tom T. Hall
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
1989
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When I’m with You - Sheriff
When the Children Cry - White Lion
Deeper Than the Holler - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American newspaper is like trying to play Bach's 'St. Matthew's Passion' on a ukulele.
Bagdikian's Observation
Today's Birthdays
1737 Thomas Paine, American revolutionary leader/political philosopher (Common Sense) died June 8, 1809
1843 William McKinley, 25th U.S. President, assassinated Sept 14, 1901
1860 Anton Chekhov, writer/playwright (The Three Sisters, Uncle Vanya) died July 15, 1904
1874 John Davison Rockefeller Jr., industrialist/founder (Standard Oil Co.) died May 11, 1960
1880 W.C. Fields (William Claude Dukenfield), comedian/actor (My Little Chickadee) died Dec 25, 1946
1885 Leadbelly (Huddie William Ledbetter), blues guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Rock Island Line, The Midnight Special) died Dec 6, 1949
1915 Victor (John) Mature, actor (The Robe, Samson and Delilah) died Aug 4, 1999
1918 John Forsythe (Freund), actor (Charlie’s Angels, Dynasty, And Justice for All, Scrooged)
1923 Paddy (Sidney) Chayefsky, playwright (Marty, Altered States, Network) died Aug 1, 1981
1940 Katharine Ross, actress (The Graduate, The Final Countdown, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid)
1942 Claudine Longet, singer/actress (McHale’s Navy, Hogan’s Heroes)
1945 Tom Selleck, actor (Magnum, P.I., Three Men and a Baby series, Mr. Baseball, Runaway)
1947 David Byron, singer (Uriah Heep) died Feb 28, 1985
1948 JagrGal, board member
1950 Ann Jillian (Jurate Nauseda), actress (It’s a Living, Mr Mom)
1952 Tommy Ramone, drummer/songwriter (The Ramones)
1954 Oprah Winfrey, talk show host/actress/publisher (The Color Purple)
1954 Richard "Handsome Dick" Manitoba, singer (MC5)
1954 Terry Kinney, actor (Oz, The Laramie Project)
1958 Judy Norton-Taylor, actress (The Waltons)
1960 Greg Louganis, Olympic Gold Medal diver
1960 Gia Carangi, model, died of AIDS November 18, 1986
1961 Eddie Jackson, bassist/singer (Queensryche)
1961 David Baynton-Power, drummer (James)
1962 Nicholas Turturro, actor (NYPD Blue)
1964 Roddy Frame, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Aztec Camera)
1965 Dominik Hasek, NHL goaltender (Detroit Red Wings)
1968 Edward Burns, writer/director/actor (Saving Private Ryan, The Brothers McMullen)
1969 Thomas Jane, actor (*61, The Punisher)
1970 Heather Graham, actress (Swingers, Boogie Nights, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me)
1975 Sara Gilbert (Sara Rebecca Abeles), actress (Roseanne, High Fidelity)
1975 Sharif Atkins, actor (ER)
1980 Jason James Richter, actor (Free Willy)
1981 Jonny Lang, blues guitarist/singer
1985 Athina Onassis, French heiress
Today's Deaths in History
1696 Ivan V, Russian tsar, dies at 29
1899 Alfred Sisley, impressionist painter, dies at 59
1956 H. L. Mencken, journalist (the Sage of Baltimore) dies at 75
1963 Robert Frost, poet, dies at 88
1964 Alan Ladd, actor (Citizen Kane) dies at 50
1977 Freddie Prinze, actor/comedian (Chico and the Man) dies at 22
1980 Jimmy Durante, actor/comedian (Schnozzola) dies at 86
1992 Willie Dixon, blues singer/songwriter, dies at 76
1999 Lili St. Cyr, dancer (striptease) dies at 81
2002 Dick "Night Train" Lane, NFL defensive back (Detroit Lions) dies at 73
2002 Harold Russell, actor (The Best Years of Our Lives) dies at 88
2007 Barbaro, thoroughbred racehorse, is euthanized at 3
Today in History
1595 William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet was first performed.
1802 John Beckley became the first Librarian of the U.S. Congress.
1834 President Andrew Jackson ordered the first use of federal soldiers to suppress a labor dispute.
1845 The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe, was published for the first time in the New York Evening Mirror.
1850 Henry Clay introduced in the Senate a compromise bill on slavery that included the admission of California into the Union as a free state.
1861 Kansas, the Sunflower State, became the 34th of the United States of America.
1886 Karl Benz patented the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
1900 The American League, consisting of eight baseball teams, was organized in Philadelphia.
1924 Carl R. Taylor of Cleveland, OH patented the ice cream cone rolling machine.
1936 Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson became the first players to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1944 The USS Missouri, the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy, was launched.
1945 Lionel Barrymore became host of the Lux Radio Theatre , replacing Cecil B. DeMille.
1949 The Newport News, the first air-conditioned naval ship, was commissioned.
1958 Actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married.
1959 Sleeping Beauty was released.
1964 NBC-TV agreed to pay $36 million for the broadcast rights to the American Football League games during the 1965-1969 seasons.
1966 Sweet Charity opened at the Palace Theatre in New York City.
1968 Coach Adolph Rupp of the Kentucky Wildcats notched win #772, becoming the winningest coach in college basketball history.
1973 Johnny Rivers received a gold record for the hit single "Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu."
1978 Sweden outlawed aerosol sprays due to their harmful effect on the ozone layer, becoming the first nation to enact such a ban.
1979 President Jimmy Carter welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House following the establishment of diplomatic relations.
1979 Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire at the Cleveland Elementary School playground in San Diego, California, killing two adults and wounding eight children and one police officer (the Boomtown Rats' song "I Don't Like Mondays" is based on this event).
1985 The Dow Jones Industrial Average peaked at a new high of 1,292.62, eclipsing the record set on November 29, 1983.
1987 According to Physician’s Weekly, the famous smile of Mona Lisa was caused by a “...facial paralysis resulting from a swollen nerve behind the ear.”
1990 Former Exxon Valdez skipper Joseph Hazelwood went on trial in Anchorage, Alaska, on charges stemming from the nation's worst oil spill.
1995 The San Francisco 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win five Super Bowl titles when they beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX.
1998 A bomb exploded outside the New Woman, All Women Health Care Clinic in Birmingham, Alabama, killing an off-duty policeman and severely wounding a nurse.
1999 The Senate delivered subpoenas for Monica Lewinsky and two presidential advisers for private, videotaped testimony in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2002 In his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush warned of "an axis of evil" consisting of North Korea, Iran and Iraq.
2004 A suicide bomber struck a bus in Jerusalem, killing 10 Israelis.
2006 ABC World News Tonight co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Singing the Blues - Guy Mitchell
Don’t Forbid Me - _Pat Boone
Jamaica Farewell - Harry Belafonte
Singing the Blues - Marty Robbins
1965
Downtown - Petula Clark
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Your Mama Don’t Dance - Kenny Loggins & Jim Messina
(Old Dogs-Children And) Watermelon Wine - Tom T. Hall
1981
(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
1989
Two Hearts - Phil Collins
When I’m with You - Sheriff
When the Children Cry - White Lion
Deeper Than the Holler - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American newspaper is like trying to play Bach's 'St. Matthew's Passion' on a ukulele.
Bagdikian's Observation
1979 Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire at the Cleveland Elementary School playground in San Diego, California, killing two adults and wounding eight children and one police officer (the Boomtown Rats' song "I Don't Like Mondays" is based on this event).
Did she really say, "I don't like Mondays' was the reason for her actions?
Did she really say, "I don't like Mondays' was the reason for her actions?
QUOTE(Dunc @ Jan 29 2008, 08:39 AM) 
1979 Brenda Ann Spencer opened fire at the Cleveland Elementary School playground in San Diego, California, killing two adults and wounding eight children and one police officer (the Boomtown Rats' song "I Don't Like Mondays" is based on this event).
Did she really say, "I don't like Mondays' was the reason for her actions?
Did she really say, "I don't like Mondays' was the reason for her actions?
Brenda Ann Spencer Wikipedia entry
QUOTE
Brenda Ann Spencer (April 3, 1962) is a convicted American murderer who carried out a shooting spree at Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California on January 29, 1979. Principal Burton Wragg and head custodian Mike Suchar were killed in the attack, while eight children and a police officer sustained wounds.
The school was across the street from her house. She used the rifle she had recently been given for Christmas by her father. When the six-hour incident ended and she was asked who she wanted to shoot, she said, "I like red and blue jackets". When they asked why, she shrugged and replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." She also said: "I had no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun." "It was just like shooting ducks in a pond." and "[The children] looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings."
The school was across the street from her house. She used the rifle she had recently been given for Christmas by her father. When the six-hour incident ended and she was asked who she wanted to shoot, she said, "I like red and blue jackets". When they asked why, she shrugged and replied, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." She also said: "I had no reason for it, and it was just a lot of fun." "It was just like shooting ducks in a pond." and "[The children] looked like a herd of cows standing around; it was really easy pickings."
QUOTE
Spencer's crime, lack of remorse, and inability to provide a serious explanation for her actions when captured inspired the song "I Don't Like Mondays" by The Boomtown Rats, written by musician Bob Geldof. Her quote "I don't like Mondays" also appears written on a wall in the 1985 movie The Breakfast Club.
Today in History - Jan 30th
Today's Birthdays
1882 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President, died Apr 12, 1945
1914 John Ireland, actor (Gunfight at the OK Corral, Spartacus, All the King’s Men) died Mar 21, 1992
1922 Dick Martin, comedian (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In)
1928 Ruth Brown, R&B/jazz singer (Teardrops from My Eyes, Mambo Baby) died Nov 17, 2006
1930 Gene Hackman, actor (The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Superman, The Firm, Crimson Tide)
1937 Vanessa Redgrave, actress (Playing for Time, Julia, A Man for All Seasons)
1937 Boris Spassky, former World Champion chess player
1941 Joe Terranova, singer (Danny and the Juniors)
1941 Dick Cheney, U.S. Vice President
1942 Marty Balin (Buchwald), singer (Jefferson Airplane/Starship)
1947 Steve Marriott, singer/songwriter/guitarist (The Small Faces) died Apr 20, 1991
1949 William King, trumpeter/keyboardist (The Commodores)
1951 Phil Collins, singer/drummer (Genesis)
1951 Charles S. Dutton, actor (A Time to Kill, Alien 3, Crocodile Dundee 2, The Distinguished Gentleman)
1955 Curtis Strange, golf champion
1957 Payne Stewart, golf champion, killed in plane crash Oct 25, 1999
1958 Brett Butler, actress/comedian (Grace Under Fire)
1959 Jody Watley, singer (Shalamar)
1962 Mary Kay Letourneau, teacher who had children with a student
1965 Julie McCullough, playmate/actress (February 1986; Growing Pains)
1972 Chris Simon, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1974 Christian Bale, actor (Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, 3:10 to Yuma)
1977 Deltha O'Neal, NFL cornerbcak (Denver Broncos)
1980 Wilmer Valderrama, actor (That '70s Show)
1981 Josh Kelley, singer/songwriter/Mr Katherine Heigl
Today's Deaths in History
1836 Betsy Ross, seamstress, dies at 84
1934 Frank Nelson Doubleday, publisher, dies at 72
1948 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), Indian freedom fighter, is assasinated at 78
1948 Orville Wright, aviation pioneer, dies at 76
1951 Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, dies at 75
1980 Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd), New Orleans blues singer/pianist, dies at 61
1982 Lightnin' Hopkins, blues guitarist, dies at 69
1991 John McIntire, actor (Turner & Hooch, The Asphalt Jungle) dies at 83
1999 Ed Herlihy, broadcaster/actor (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) dies at 89
2005 Wes Wehmiller, bassist (Duran Duran, Missing Persons) dies at 33
2006 Coretta Scott King, activist/wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., dies at 78
2007 Sidney Sheldon, author/playwright/screenwriter (I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart, The Patty Duke Show) dies at 89
Today in History
1649 England's King Charles I was beheaded.
1798 The first brawl in the U.S. House of Representatives took place as Congressmen Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold fought on the House floor.
1826 The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, was opened.
1883 James Ritty and John Birch received a U.S. patent for the first cash register.
1894 C.B. King of Detroit, MI patented the pneumatic hammer.
1910 Work began on the first board-track automobile speedway, in Playa del Ray, California.
1917 The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded "The Darktown Strutters’ Ball," for Columbia Records, considere one of the first jazz recordings.
1933 Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.
1933 The Lone Ranger made its debut on radio station WXYZ in Detroit.
1835 Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot president Andrew Jackson in the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States.
1862 The USS Monitor, the first American ironclad warship, was launched.
1945 The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with refugees, sank in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing roughly 9,000 people in the deadliest maritime disaster in history.
1945 Hitler gave his last ever public address, a radio address on the 12th anniversary of his coming to power.
1948 Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Ghandi was murdered by a Hindu extremist in New Delhi.
1956 American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home was bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1958 The first two-way moving sidewalk was put in service at Love Field in Dallas, TX.
1962 Two members of the Flying Wallendas high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.
1964 The United States launched Ranger 6, an unmanned spacecraft carrying TV cameras that was to crash-land on the moon.
1968 The Tet offensive began as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.
1969 The Beatles made their last public appearance at a free concert at their Apple corporate headquarters in London.
1972 Thirteen Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
1976 George H. W. Bush became 11th director of the CIA.
1979 The civilian government of Iran announced it had decided to allow Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to return from exile in France.
1982 Richard Skrenta wrote the first PC virus code, which was 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner."
1995 Workers from the National Institutes of Health announced the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
2003 Richard Reid, a British citizen and al-Qaida follower, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston for trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.
2003 Belgium legally recognized same-sex marriage.
2005 Iraqis voted in their country's first free election in a half-century.
2006 Exxon Mobil posted record profits for any U.S. company: $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter of 2005 and $36.13 billion for the year.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
The Old Master Painter - Richard Hayes
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me - Eddy Arnold
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
The Story of My Life - Marty Robbins
1966
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
You’re Sixteen - Ringo Starr
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known) - Juice Newton
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Just to Make It Right - Seduction
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool usually has his suspicions.
Wilson Mizner, screenwriter (1876 - 1933)
Today's Birthdays
1882 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President, died Apr 12, 1945
1914 John Ireland, actor (Gunfight at the OK Corral, Spartacus, All the King’s Men) died Mar 21, 1992
1922 Dick Martin, comedian (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In)
1928 Ruth Brown, R&B/jazz singer (Teardrops from My Eyes, Mambo Baby) died Nov 17, 2006
1930 Gene Hackman, actor (The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, Superman, The Firm, Crimson Tide)
1937 Vanessa Redgrave, actress (Playing for Time, Julia, A Man for All Seasons)
1937 Boris Spassky, former World Champion chess player
1941 Joe Terranova, singer (Danny and the Juniors)
1941 Dick Cheney, U.S. Vice President
1942 Marty Balin (Buchwald), singer (Jefferson Airplane/Starship)
1947 Steve Marriott, singer/songwriter/guitarist (The Small Faces) died Apr 20, 1991
1949 William King, trumpeter/keyboardist (The Commodores)
1951 Phil Collins, singer/drummer (Genesis)
1951 Charles S. Dutton, actor (A Time to Kill, Alien 3, Crocodile Dundee 2, The Distinguished Gentleman)
1955 Curtis Strange, golf champion
1957 Payne Stewart, golf champion, killed in plane crash Oct 25, 1999
1958 Brett Butler, actress/comedian (Grace Under Fire)
1959 Jody Watley, singer (Shalamar)
1962 Mary Kay Letourneau, teacher who had children with a student
1965 Julie McCullough, playmate/actress (February 1986; Growing Pains)
1972 Chris Simon, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1974 Christian Bale, actor (Empire of the Sun, American Psycho, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, 3:10 to Yuma)
1977 Deltha O'Neal, NFL cornerbcak (Denver Broncos)
1980 Wilmer Valderrama, actor (That '70s Show)
1981 Josh Kelley, singer/songwriter/Mr Katherine Heigl
Today's Deaths in History
1836 Betsy Ross, seamstress, dies at 84
1934 Frank Nelson Doubleday, publisher, dies at 72
1948 Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi), Indian freedom fighter, is assasinated at 78
1948 Orville Wright, aviation pioneer, dies at 76
1951 Ferdinand Porsche, automotive engineer, dies at 75
1980 Professor Longhair (Henry Roeland Byrd), New Orleans blues singer/pianist, dies at 61
1982 Lightnin' Hopkins, blues guitarist, dies at 69
1991 John McIntire, actor (Turner & Hooch, The Asphalt Jungle) dies at 83
1999 Ed Herlihy, broadcaster/actor (Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) dies at 89
2005 Wes Wehmiller, bassist (Duran Duran, Missing Persons) dies at 33
2006 Coretta Scott King, activist/wife of Martin Luther King, Jr., dies at 78
2007 Sidney Sheldon, author/playwright/screenwriter (I Dream of Jeannie, Hart to Hart, The Patty Duke Show) dies at 89
Today in History
1649 England's King Charles I was beheaded.
1798 The first brawl in the U.S. House of Representatives took place as Congressmen Matthew Lyon and Roger Griswold fought on the House floor.
1826 The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, was opened.
1883 James Ritty and John Birch received a U.S. patent for the first cash register.
1894 C.B. King of Detroit, MI patented the pneumatic hammer.
1910 Work began on the first board-track automobile speedway, in Playa del Ray, California.
1917 The Original Dixieland Jazz Band recorded "The Darktown Strutters’ Ball," for Columbia Records, considere one of the first jazz recordings.
1933 Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany.
1933 The Lone Ranger made its debut on radio station WXYZ in Detroit.
1835 Richard Lawrence attempted to shoot president Andrew Jackson in the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States.
1862 The USS Monitor, the first American ironclad warship, was launched.
1945 The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with refugees, sank in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, killing roughly 9,000 people in the deadliest maritime disaster in history.
1945 Hitler gave his last ever public address, a radio address on the 12th anniversary of his coming to power.
1948 Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Ghandi was murdered by a Hindu extremist in New Delhi.
1956 American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home was bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1958 The first two-way moving sidewalk was put in service at Love Field in Dallas, TX.
1962 Two members of the Flying Wallendas high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.
1964 The United States launched Ranger 6, an unmanned spacecraft carrying TV cameras that was to crash-land on the moon.
1968 The Tet offensive began as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.
1969 The Beatles made their last public appearance at a free concert at their Apple corporate headquarters in London.
1972 Thirteen Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."
1976 George H. W. Bush became 11th director of the CIA.
1979 The civilian government of Iran announced it had decided to allow Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to return from exile in France.
1982 Richard Skrenta wrote the first PC virus code, which was 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner."
1995 Workers from the National Institutes of Health announced the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.
2003 Richard Reid, a British citizen and al-Qaida follower, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston for trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes.
2003 Belgium legally recognized same-sex marriage.
2005 Iraqis voted in their country's first free election in a half-century.
2006 Exxon Mobil posted record profits for any U.S. company: $10.71 billion for the fourth quarter of 2005 and $36.13 billion for the year.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
The Old Master Painter - Richard Hayes
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
Take Me in Your Arms and Hold Me - Eddy Arnold
1958
At the Hop - Danny & The Juniors
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Stood Up/Waitin’ in School - Ricky Nelson
The Story of My Life - Marty Robbins
1966
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
You’re Sixteen - Ringo Starr
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
I Love - Tom T. Hall
1982
I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known) - Juice Newton
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Just to Make It Right - Seduction
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool usually has his suspicions.
Wilson Mizner, screenwriter (1876 - 1933)
Today in History - Jan 31st
Today's Birthdays
1797 Franz Schubert, composer (Unfinished Symphony) died Nov 19, 1828
1872 Zane Grey (Pearl Grey), author (The Last of the Plainsmen, Riders of the Purple Sage) died Oct 23, 1939
1892 Eddie Cantor (Iskowitz), actor/singer (Makin’ Whoopee, Ma He’s Makin’ Eyes at Me) died Oct 10, 1964
1902 Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Stage Door Canteen, Die! Die! My Darling!) died Dec 12, 1968
1914 Jersey Joe Walcott (Arnold Raymond Cream), International Boxing Hall of Fame Heavyweight Champion, died Feb 25, 1994
1915 Garry Moore (Thomas Garrison Morfit), entertainer (I’ve Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth) died Nov 28, 1993
1919 Jackie (Jack Roosevelt) Robinson, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (Brooklyn Dodgers) died Oct 24, 1972
1921 John Agar, actor (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Sands of Iwo Jima) died Apr 7, 2002
1921 Carol Channing (Lowe), actress (Hello, Dolly!, Thoroughly Modern Millie)
1921 Mario Lanza (Alfred Cocozza), actor/singer (The Great Caruso; Be My Love) died Oct 7, 1959
1923 Norman Mailer, novelist (The Executioner’s Song, The Naked and the Dead) died Nov 10, 2007
1928 Chuck Willis, singer/songwriter (CC Rider) died April 10, 1958
1931 Ernie (Ernest) Banks, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Chicago Cubs)
1933 Camille Henry, NHL center (NY Rangers) died September 11, 1997
1934 James (Grover) Franciscus, actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Good Guys Wear Black) died July 8, 1991
1937 Suzanne Pleshette, actress (The Bob Newhart Show, The Birds) died January 19, 2008
1940 Stuart Margolin, actor (The Rockford Files, Kelly's Heroes, Death Wish)
1941 Jessica Walter, actress (The Flamingo Kid, Play Misty for Me)
1946 Terry Kath, guitarist (Chicago) died Jan 23, 1978
1947 (Lynn) Nolan Ryan, MLB pitcher (NY Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers)
1951 Harry Wayne Casey, keyboardist/singer (KC and the Sunshine Band)
1951 Phil Manzanera (Targett-Adams), guitarist (Roxy Music)
1954 Adrian Vandenberg, guitarist (Whitesnake, Vandenberg)
1956 Johnny Lydon (Johnny Rotten), singer (The Sex Pistols)
1959 Kelly Lynch, actress (Road House, Drugstore Cowboy, Cocktail)
1959 Anthony LaPaglia, actor (Without a Trace, Emipre Records, Lantana)
1961 Lloyd Cole, guitarist/singer (Lloyd Cole and The Commotions)
1963 John Dye, actor (Touched by an Angel, Tour of Duty)
1964 Jeff Hanneman, guitarist (Slayer)
1966 Al Jaworski, bassist (Jesus Jones)
1970 Minnie Driver, actress (Circle of Friends, Good Will Hunting, The Riches, Big Night)
1973 Portia de Rossi, actress (Arrested Development, Ally McBeal)
1977 Jim Kleinsasser, NFL tight end (Minnesota Vikings)
1977 Kerry Washington, actress (Fantastic Four series, The Last King of Scotland, Ray)
1981 Justin Timberlake, singer (’N Sync)
Today's Deaths in History
1606 Guy Fawkes, conspirator, is executed at 35
1788 Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne, dies at 67
1945 Eddie Slovik, American soldier, is executed for desertion at 24
1956 A. A. Milne, English author (Winnie the Pooh stories) dies at 74
1974 Samuel Goldwyn, film studio executive (MGM) dies at 91
1981 Cozy Cole, jazz drummer, dies at 71
2006 Moira Shearer, Scottish actress/ballerina (The Red Shoes) dies at 80
2007 Lee Bergere, actor (Dynasty) dies at 88
Today in History
1606 Guy Fawkes, convicted for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.
1747 The first venereal diseases clinic opened at London's Lock Hospital.
1865 Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.
1876 The United States ordered all Native Americans to move into reservations.
1885 C.D. Wright was appointed as the first Commissioner of Labor in the United States.
1917 Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1930 Lt. Ralph S. Barnaby of the U.S. Navy became the first glider pilot to have his craft released from a dirigible, at Lakehurst, N.J.
1930 3M began marketing Scotch Tape.
1936 The Green Hornet was first heard on WXYZ radio in Detroit, MI.
1940 The very first monthly retirement check was issued by the U.S. Government to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont.
1944 U.S. forces invaded the Japanese-held Marshall Islands during World War II.
1945 Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1949 The first TV daytime soap opera, These Are My Children, was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
1950 President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.
1951 Paul Pettit signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and set a record for baseball with nearly $100,000 in bonuses and guarantees.
1953 A sudden wall of water caused by a fierce storm and high spring tide burst through the dikes and over the banks of low-lying coastal areas of eastern England, northern Belgium and southern Netherlands; 1,800 drowned in Belgium and the Netherlands.
1958 Satellite Explorer I, the first successful US satellite, was put into orbit around the earth by a Jupiter-C rocket.
1971 Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on the third successful manned mission to the moon.
1982 Sandy Duncan gave her final performance as Peter Pan in Los Angeles, CA.
1984 Edwin Newman retired from NBC News after 35 years with the network.
1985 John Fogerty, former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, returned to the A&M recording studios in Hollywood, CA to give his first ‘live’ performance in 14 years.
1990 McDonald’s opened their first restaurant in Russia.
1995 President Bill Clinton authorized a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.
2000 Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in a Sports Illustrated interview.
2000 An Alaska Airlines jet plunged into the ocean off Southern California on a flight from Mexico to San Francisco, killing all 88 people on board.
2001 A Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan and acquitted a second in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
2004 Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns.
2005 SBC Communications Inc. announced it was acquiring AT&T Corp. for $16 billion.
2006 Samuel Alito was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as a Supreme Court justice.
2006 The Senate approved Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
2007 Nine blinking electronic devices planted around Boston threw a scare into the city in what turned out to be a marketing campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Movie.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
A Bushell and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
The Shot Gun Boogie - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Donna - Ritchie Valens
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
Fire - Ohio Players
(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time - Ronnie Milsap
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
Africa - Toto
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
Talk to Me - Mickey Gilley
1991
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory
featuring Freedom Williams
Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant
Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again.
Mike Myers
Today's Birthdays
1797 Franz Schubert, composer (Unfinished Symphony) died Nov 19, 1828
1872 Zane Grey (Pearl Grey), author (The Last of the Plainsmen, Riders of the Purple Sage) died Oct 23, 1939
1892 Eddie Cantor (Iskowitz), actor/singer (Makin’ Whoopee, Ma He’s Makin’ Eyes at Me) died Oct 10, 1964
1902 Tallulah Bankhead, actress (Stage Door Canteen, Die! Die! My Darling!) died Dec 12, 1968
1914 Jersey Joe Walcott (Arnold Raymond Cream), International Boxing Hall of Fame Heavyweight Champion, died Feb 25, 1994
1915 Garry Moore (Thomas Garrison Morfit), entertainer (I’ve Got a Secret, To Tell the Truth) died Nov 28, 1993
1919 Jackie (Jack Roosevelt) Robinson, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (Brooklyn Dodgers) died Oct 24, 1972
1921 John Agar, actor (She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Sands of Iwo Jima) died Apr 7, 2002
1921 Carol Channing (Lowe), actress (Hello, Dolly!, Thoroughly Modern Millie)
1921 Mario Lanza (Alfred Cocozza), actor/singer (The Great Caruso; Be My Love) died Oct 7, 1959
1923 Norman Mailer, novelist (The Executioner’s Song, The Naked and the Dead) died Nov 10, 2007
1928 Chuck Willis, singer/songwriter (CC Rider) died April 10, 1958
1931 Ernie (Ernest) Banks, Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Chicago Cubs)
1933 Camille Henry, NHL center (NY Rangers) died September 11, 1997
1934 James (Grover) Franciscus, actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Good Guys Wear Black) died July 8, 1991
1937 Suzanne Pleshette, actress (The Bob Newhart Show, The Birds) died January 19, 2008
1940 Stuart Margolin, actor (The Rockford Files, Kelly's Heroes, Death Wish)
1941 Jessica Walter, actress (The Flamingo Kid, Play Misty for Me)
1946 Terry Kath, guitarist (Chicago) died Jan 23, 1978
1947 (Lynn) Nolan Ryan, MLB pitcher (NY Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers)
1951 Harry Wayne Casey, keyboardist/singer (KC and the Sunshine Band)
1951 Phil Manzanera (Targett-Adams), guitarist (Roxy Music)
1954 Adrian Vandenberg, guitarist (Whitesnake, Vandenberg)
1956 Johnny Lydon (Johnny Rotten), singer (The Sex Pistols)
1959 Kelly Lynch, actress (Road House, Drugstore Cowboy, Cocktail)
1959 Anthony LaPaglia, actor (Without a Trace, Emipre Records, Lantana)
1961 Lloyd Cole, guitarist/singer (Lloyd Cole and The Commotions)
1963 John Dye, actor (Touched by an Angel, Tour of Duty)
1964 Jeff Hanneman, guitarist (Slayer)
1966 Al Jaworski, bassist (Jesus Jones)
1970 Minnie Driver, actress (Circle of Friends, Good Will Hunting, The Riches, Big Night)
1973 Portia de Rossi, actress (Arrested Development, Ally McBeal)
1977 Jim Kleinsasser, NFL tight end (Minnesota Vikings)
1977 Kerry Washington, actress (Fantastic Four series, The Last King of Scotland, Ray)
1981 Justin Timberlake, singer (’N Sync)
Today's Deaths in History
1606 Guy Fawkes, conspirator, is executed at 35
1788 Charles Edward Stuart, pretender to the British throne, dies at 67
1945 Eddie Slovik, American soldier, is executed for desertion at 24
1956 A. A. Milne, English author (Winnie the Pooh stories) dies at 74
1974 Samuel Goldwyn, film studio executive (MGM) dies at 91
1981 Cozy Cole, jazz drummer, dies at 71
2006 Moira Shearer, Scottish actress/ballerina (The Red Shoes) dies at 80
2007 Lee Bergere, actor (Dynasty) dies at 88
Today in History
1606 Guy Fawkes, convicted for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed.
1747 The first venereal diseases clinic opened at London's Lock Hospital.
1865 Gen. Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies.
1876 The United States ordered all Native Americans to move into reservations.
1885 C.D. Wright was appointed as the first Commissioner of Labor in the United States.
1917 Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1930 Lt. Ralph S. Barnaby of the U.S. Navy became the first glider pilot to have his craft released from a dirigible, at Lakehurst, N.J.
1930 3M began marketing Scotch Tape.
1936 The Green Hornet was first heard on WXYZ radio in Detroit, MI.
1940 The very first monthly retirement check was issued by the U.S. Government to Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont.
1944 U.S. forces invaded the Japanese-held Marshall Islands during World War II.
1945 Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion.
1949 The first TV daytime soap opera, These Are My Children, was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago.
1950 President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb.
1951 Paul Pettit signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and set a record for baseball with nearly $100,000 in bonuses and guarantees.
1953 A sudden wall of water caused by a fierce storm and high spring tide burst through the dikes and over the banks of low-lying coastal areas of eastern England, northern Belgium and southern Netherlands; 1,800 drowned in Belgium and the Netherlands.
1958 Satellite Explorer I, the first successful US satellite, was put into orbit around the earth by a Jupiter-C rocket.
1971 Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on the third successful manned mission to the moon.
1982 Sandy Duncan gave her final performance as Peter Pan in Los Angeles, CA.
1984 Edwin Newman retired from NBC News after 35 years with the network.
1985 John Fogerty, former leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival, returned to the A&M recording studios in Hollywood, CA to give his first ‘live’ performance in 14 years.
1990 McDonald’s opened their first restaurant in Russia.
1995 President Bill Clinton authorized a $20 billion loan to Mexico to stabilize its economy.
2000 Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker was suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for disparaging foreigners, homosexuals and minorities in a Sports Illustrated interview.
2000 An Alaska Airlines jet plunged into the ocean off Southern California on a flight from Mexico to San Francisco, killing all 88 people on board.
2001 A Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands convicted one Libyan and acquitted a second in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
2004 Six U.S.-bound flights from England, Scotland and France were canceled because of security concerns.
2005 SBC Communications Inc. announced it was acquiring AT&T Corp. for $16 billion.
2006 Samuel Alito was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as a Supreme Court justice.
2006 The Senate approved Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
2007 Nine blinking electronic devices planted around Boston threw a scare into the city in what turned out to be a marketing campaign for Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Movie.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
A Bushell and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton
The Shot Gun Boogie - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
Donna - Ritchie Valens
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters
Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka
Fire - Ohio Players
(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time - Ronnie Milsap
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
Africa - Toto
Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye
Talk to Me - Mickey Gilley
1991
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory
featuring Freedom Williams
Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant
Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Silly is you in a natural state, and serious is something you have to do until you can get silly again.
Mike Myers
Today in History - Feb 1st
Today's Birthdays
1894 John Ford (Sean Aloysius O’Feeney), director (The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, The Quiet Man) died Aug 31, 1973
1895 Conn Smythe, founder (National Hockey League) died November 18, 1980
1901 William Clark Gable, actor (Gone With the Wind, It Happened One Night) died Nov 16, 1960
1902 Langston Hughes, author (Way Down South, The Ways of White Folks) died May 22, 1967
1904 S.J. Perelman (Sidney/Simeon Joseph Perelman), humorist/screenwriter (Around the World in 80 Days, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers) died Oct 17, 1979
1908 George Pál, director/producer (When Worlds Collide, War of the Worlds) died May 2, 1980
1931 Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, died Apr 23, 2007
1934 Bob Shane, singer (The Kingston Trio)
1937 Don Everly, singer (The Everly Brothers)
1937 Garrett Morris, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live)
1937 Ray Sawyer, singer (Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show)
1938 Sherman Hemsley, actor (The Jeffersons, All in the Family)
1939 Joe Sample, jazz pianist (The Crusaders)
1942 Terry Jones, comedia/director/actor (Monty Python series)
1942 Wayne Rivers, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1947 Jessica Savitch, broadcast journalist (NBC Nightly News, Frontline) died October 23, 1983
1948 Rick James (James Johnson), punk-funk singer (Super Freak, Give It to Me Baby) died Aug 6, 2004
1950 Mike Campbell, guitarist (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers)
1954 Bill Mumy, actor (Twilight Zone-The Movie, Lost in Space, Babylon 5)
1954 Chuck Dukowski, bassist (Black Flag)
1956 Exene Cervenka, singer (X)
1965 Princess Stephanie of Monaco
1965 Brandon Lee, actor (The Crow) died March 31, 1993
1965 Sherilyn Fenn (Sheryl Ann Fenn), actress (Twin Peaks, Fatal Instinct, Of Mice and Men)
1968 Pauly Shore, comedian/actor (Encino Man, In the Army Now)
1968 Lisa Marie Presley, singer/daughter of Elvis Presley
1969 Joshua Redman, jazz saxophonist
1969 Patrick Wilson, drummer (Weezer)
1971 Michael C. Hall, actor (Six Feet Under, Dexter)
1975 Big Boi, rapper (Outkast)
Today's Deaths in History
1851 Mary Shelley, English author (Frankenstein) dies at 53
1966 Hedda Hopper, gossip columnist, dies at 80
1966 Buster Keaton, actor (The General) dies at 70
1988 Heather O'Rourke, actress (Poltergeist series) dies at 12
1991 Carol Dempster, actress (Sherlock Holmes, America) dies at 89
1991 Phil Watson, NHL center/coach (NY Rangers) dies at 76
2003 Michael P. Anderson, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 43
2003 David Brown, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 46
2003 Kalpana Chawla, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Laurel Clark, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Rick D. Husband, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 45
2003 Willie McCool, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Ilan Ramon, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 48
2005 John Vernon, actor (National Lampoon's Animal House) dies at 72
Today in History
1788 Isaac Briggs and William Longstreet patented the steamboat.
1790 The Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time in New York City.
1793 Ralph Hodgson of Lansingburg, NY patented oiled silk.
1861 Texas voted to secede from the Union.
1862 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was first published in Atlantic Monthly.
1884 The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.
1893 Inventor Thomas A. Edison completed work on the world's first motion picture studio in West Orange, N.J.
1896 Puccini's opera La Boheme premiered in Turin, Italy.
1911 The first old-age home for pioneers opened in Prescott, Arizona.
1920 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was established.
1940 Frank Sinatra sang "Too Romantic" and "The Sky Fell Down" in his first recording session with the Tommy Dorsey Band.
1941 Downbeat magazine reported that Glenn Miller had inked a new three-year contract with RCA Victor Records.
1946 Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations.
1949 RCA Victor countered Columbia Records’ 33-1/3 long play phonograph disk with a smaller, 7-inch. 45-rpm record and an entire phonograph playing system as well.
1954 The Secret Storm began a 20-year run on CBS-TV.
1960 Four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service.
1968 During the Vietnam War, Saigon's police chief, Nguyen Ngoc Loan, executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head.
1971 The soundtrack album from the movie Love Story was certified gold.
1978 Director Roman Polanski skipped bail and fled the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.
1979 Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst, whose prison sentence for bank robbery had been commuted by President Jimmy Carter, left a federal prison near San Francisco.
1982 Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC.
1986 Denny Crum, suffering from the flu, used the telephone to coach his Louisville basketball team; they won 92-71.
1987 Terry Williams of Los Gatos, CA won the largest slot machine payoff to that time, winning $4.9 million after getting four lucky 7s on a machine in Reno, NV.
1991 A USAir jetliner crashed atop a commuter plane at Los Angeles International Airport, killing 35 people.
1992 The Cold War ended as U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an agreement of general principles that concluded decades of East-West rivalry and encouraged a future relationship of cooperation.
1994 Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty for his role in attacking figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
1996 Both houses of the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved a rewrite of the 1934 Communications Act.
1999 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave a deposition that was videotaped for senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton.
2003 Space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven crew members.
2004 Singer Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show; Timberlake later referred to the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction."
2005 Pope John Paul II was hospitalized for breathing problems and the flu.
2006 French and German newspapers republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in what they called a defense of freedom of expression, sparking fresh anger from Muslims.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Where or When - Dion & The Belmonts
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1976
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
This Time I’ve Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me - Conway Twitty
1984
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
The Sound of Goodbye - Crystal Gayle
Quote of the Day
In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Johann von Neumann, computer scientist, mathematician (1903 - 1957)
Today's Birthdays
1894 John Ford (Sean Aloysius O’Feeney), director (The Grapes of Wrath, How Green Was My Valley, The Quiet Man) died Aug 31, 1973
1895 Conn Smythe, founder (National Hockey League) died November 18, 1980
1901 William Clark Gable, actor (Gone With the Wind, It Happened One Night) died Nov 16, 1960
1902 Langston Hughes, author (Way Down South, The Ways of White Folks) died May 22, 1967
1904 S.J. Perelman (Sidney/Simeon Joseph Perelman), humorist/screenwriter (Around the World in 80 Days, Monkey Business, Horse Feathers) died Oct 17, 1979
1908 George Pál, director/producer (When Worlds Collide, War of the Worlds) died May 2, 1980
1931 Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, died Apr 23, 2007
1934 Bob Shane, singer (The Kingston Trio)
1937 Don Everly, singer (The Everly Brothers)
1937 Garrett Morris, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live)
1937 Ray Sawyer, singer (Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show)
1938 Sherman Hemsley, actor (The Jeffersons, All in the Family)
1939 Joe Sample, jazz pianist (The Crusaders)
1942 Terry Jones, comedia/director/actor (Monty Python series)
1942 Wayne Rivers, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1947 Jessica Savitch, broadcast journalist (NBC Nightly News, Frontline) died October 23, 1983
1948 Rick James (James Johnson), punk-funk singer (Super Freak, Give It to Me Baby) died Aug 6, 2004
1950 Mike Campbell, guitarist (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers)
1954 Bill Mumy, actor (Twilight Zone-The Movie, Lost in Space, Babylon 5)
1954 Chuck Dukowski, bassist (Black Flag)
1956 Exene Cervenka, singer (X)
1965 Princess Stephanie of Monaco
1965 Brandon Lee, actor (The Crow) died March 31, 1993
1965 Sherilyn Fenn (Sheryl Ann Fenn), actress (Twin Peaks, Fatal Instinct, Of Mice and Men)
1968 Pauly Shore, comedian/actor (Encino Man, In the Army Now)
1968 Lisa Marie Presley, singer/daughter of Elvis Presley
1969 Joshua Redman, jazz saxophonist
1969 Patrick Wilson, drummer (Weezer)
1971 Michael C. Hall, actor (Six Feet Under, Dexter)
1975 Big Boi, rapper (Outkast)
Today's Deaths in History
1851 Mary Shelley, English author (Frankenstein) dies at 53
1966 Hedda Hopper, gossip columnist, dies at 80
1966 Buster Keaton, actor (The General) dies at 70
1988 Heather O'Rourke, actress (Poltergeist series) dies at 12
1991 Carol Dempster, actress (Sherlock Holmes, America) dies at 89
1991 Phil Watson, NHL center/coach (NY Rangers) dies at 76
2003 Michael P. Anderson, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 43
2003 David Brown, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 46
2003 Kalpana Chawla, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Laurel Clark, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Rick D. Husband, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 45
2003 Willie McCool, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Ilan Ramon, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 48
2005 John Vernon, actor (National Lampoon's Animal House) dies at 72
Today in History
1788 Isaac Briggs and William Longstreet patented the steamboat.
1790 The Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time in New York City.
1793 Ralph Hodgson of Lansingburg, NY patented oiled silk.
1861 Texas voted to secede from the Union.
1862 "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" was first published in Atlantic Monthly.
1884 The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.
1893 Inventor Thomas A. Edison completed work on the world's first motion picture studio in West Orange, N.J.
1896 Puccini's opera La Boheme premiered in Turin, Italy.
1911 The first old-age home for pioneers opened in Prescott, Arizona.
1920 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was established.
1940 Frank Sinatra sang "Too Romantic" and "The Sky Fell Down" in his first recording session with the Tommy Dorsey Band.
1941 Downbeat magazine reported that Glenn Miller had inked a new three-year contract with RCA Victor Records.
1946 Norwegian statesman Trygve Lie was chosen to be the first secretary-general of the United Nations.
1949 RCA Victor countered Columbia Records’ 33-1/3 long play phonograph disk with a smaller, 7-inch. 45-rpm record and an entire phonograph playing system as well.
1954 The Secret Storm began a 20-year run on CBS-TV.
1960 Four black college students began a sit-in protest at a lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., where they'd been refused service.
1968 During the Vietnam War, Saigon's police chief, Nguyen Ngoc Loan, executed a Viet Cong officer with a pistol shot to the head.
1971 The soundtrack album from the movie Love Story was certified gold.
1978 Director Roman Polanski skipped bail and fled the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.
1979 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini received a tumultuous welcome in Tehran as he ended nearly 15 years of exile.
1979 Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst, whose prison sentence for bank robbery had been commuted by President Jimmy Carter, left a federal prison near San Francisco.
1982 Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC.
1986 Denny Crum, suffering from the flu, used the telephone to coach his Louisville basketball team; they won 92-71.
1987 Terry Williams of Los Gatos, CA won the largest slot machine payoff to that time, winning $4.9 million after getting four lucky 7s on a machine in Reno, NV.
1991 A USAir jetliner crashed atop a commuter plane at Los Angeles International Airport, killing 35 people.
1992 The Cold War ended as U.S. President George Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed an agreement of general principles that concluded decades of East-West rivalry and encouraged a future relationship of cooperation.
1994 Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly pleaded guilty for his role in attacking figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
1996 Both houses of the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved a rewrite of the 1934 Communications Act.
1999 Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky gave a deposition that was videotaped for senators weighing impeachment charges against President Bill Clinton.
2003 Space shuttle Columbia broke up during re-entry, killing all seven crew members.
2004 Singer Janet Jackson's breast was briefly exposed during a duet with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show; Timberlake later referred to the incident as a "wardrobe malfunction."
2005 Pope John Paul II was hospitalized for breathing problems and the flu.
2006 French and German newspapers republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in what they called a defense of freedom of expression, sparking fresh anger from Muslims.
Chart Toppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Running Bear - Johnny Preston
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Where or When - Dion & The Belmonts
El Paso - Marty Robbins
1968
Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & His Playboy Band
Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Sing Me Back Home - Merle Haggard
1976
Love Rollercoaster - Ohio Players
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
This Time I’ve Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me - Conway Twitty
1984
Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Talking in Your Sleep - The Romantics
The Sound of Goodbye - Crystal Gayle
Quote of the Day
In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Johann von Neumann, computer scientist, mathematician (1903 - 1957)
QUOTE
2003 Michael P. Anderson, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 43
2003 David Brown, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 46
2003 Kalpana Chawla, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Laurel Clark, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Rick D. Husband, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 45
2003 Willie McCool, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Ilan Ramon, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 48
2003 David Brown, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 46
2003 Kalpana Chawla, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Laurel Clark, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Rick D. Husband, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 45
2003 Willie McCool, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 41
2003 Ilan Ramon, Space Shuttle Columbia astronaut, dies at 48
QUOTE(jburns @ Feb 1 2008, 01:05 PM)
Yes Jen, this is a bad week for NASA. Last Monday was the anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, and Tuesday was the anniversary of the Challenger disaster. They need to never launch another manned rocket on the last week of January/first week of February, ever!
Today in History - Feb 2nd
Today's Birthdays
1861 Solomon R. Guggenheim, art collector/philanthropist, died November 3, 1949
1882 James Joyce, poet/author (Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) died Jan 13, 1941
1890 Charles Correll, voice actor (Amos ’n’ Andy) died Sep 26, 1972
1895 George Halas, Pro Football Hall of Fame owner/coach (Chicago Bears) died Oct 31, 1983
1897 Howard Johnson, hotelier, died June 20, 1972
1901 Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born violin virtuoso, died Dec 10, 1987
1905 Ayn Rand (Alissa Rosenbaum), social critic/writer (The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged) died Mar 6, 1982
1906 Gale Gordon (Charles Aldrich), actor (The Lucy Show, Our Miss Brooks) died June 30, 1995
1912 Burton Lane (Levy), composer (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) died Jan 5, 1997
1923 Liz Smith, gossip columnist (Newsday)
1927 Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzby), jazz tenor saxophonist, died June 6, 1991
1932 Arthur Lyman, jazz/exotica vibraphonist (Yellow Bird) died Feb 24, 2002
1937 Tom Smothers, entertainer (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Smothers Brothers Show)
1940 Alan Caddy, guitarist (The Tornados) died Aug 16, 2000
1942 Bo Hopkins, actor (The Wild Bunch, American Graffiti, The Rockford Files, Dynasty)
1942 Graham Nash, singer/musician (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
1946 Howard Bellamy, singer (The Bellamy Brothers)
1947 Farrah Fawcett, actress (Charlie’s Angels, The Burning Bed)
1947 Peter Lucia, drummer (Tommy James and The Shondells)
1948 Al McKay, guitarist/songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1949 Ross Valory, bassist (Journey)
1949 Jack McGee, actor (Rescue Me)
1949 Brent Spiner, actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Independence Day, Out to Sea, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge)
1953 Duane "The Dog" Chapman, bounty hunter
1954 Christie Brinkley, model/actress (National Lampoon’s Vacation)
1955 Michael Talbott, actor (Miami Vice)
1962 Michael T. Weiss, actor (The Pretender, Profiler)
1963 Eva Cassidy, jazz/blues singer, died November 2, 1996
1966 Robert DeLeo, bassist (Stone Temple Pilots)
1970 Jennifer Westfeldt, actress (Kissing Jessica Stein, Notes from the Underbelly)
1975 Donald Driver, NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers)
1977 Shakira, singer (Hips Don't Lie)
1983 Jordin Tootoo, NHL right wing (Nashville Predators)
Today's Deaths in History
1918 John L. Sullivan, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 59
1969 Boris Karloff, English actor (Frankenstein) dies at 81
1979 Sid Vicious, punk rocker (Sex Pistols) dies of a drug overdose at 21
1992 Bert Parks, television host (Miss America Pageant) dies at 77
1995 Donald Pleasence, English actor (The Great Escape, Halloween series, You Only Live Twice) dies at 75
1996 Gene Kelly, dancer/singer/actor (Singin' in the Rain, On the Town, Brigadoon, An American in Paris) dies at 83
2005 Max Schmeling, German boxing champion, dies at 99
2007 Billy Henderson, singer (The Spinners) dies at 67
2007 Joe Hunter, pianist/bandleader (The Funk Brothers) dies at 79
Today in History
1536 The Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain.
1653 New Amsterdam, now New York City, was incorporated.
1709 Alexander Selkirk was rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
1802 The first leopard to be exhibited in the United States was shown by Othello Pollard in Boston, MA.
1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican War.
1848 The first ship with Chinese emigrants seeking fortune in California's gold country arrived in San Francisco, California.
1863 Samuel Langhorne Clemens began using a pseudonym for the first time, that of Mark Twain.
1870 The Cardiff Giant, supposedly the petrified remains of a human discovered in Cardiff, N.Y., was revealed to be nothing more than carved gypsum.
1876 Baseball’s National League was born, as representatives of eight competing baseball teams met in New York City’s Grand Central Hotel.
1887 The tradition of groundhog weather watching began in Punxsutawney, PA.
1892 William Painter of Baltimore, MD patented the crown-cork bottle cap.
1913 Jim Thorpe signed a pro baseball contract with the New York Giants.
1913 Grand Central Station was opened in New York City.
1922 James Joyce's Ulysses was published in Paris, France.
1935 Leonard Keeler conducted the first test of the polygraph (lie detector) machine in Portage, WI.
1943 The remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major World War II victory for the Soviets.
1946 The first Buck Rogers atomic pistol was made for the annual American Toy Fair.
1946 The Mutual Broadcasting System presented Twenty Questions for the first time on radio.
1959 Vince Lombardi signed a five-year contract to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
1959 The Coasters' tune "Charlie Brown" was released.
1967 The American Basketball Association, a second professional basketball league, was formed by representatives of the NBA.
1970 ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich scored 49 points for Louisiana State University against Mississippi State, becoming the first collegiate player to score more than 3,000 career points.
1971 Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda following a coup that ousted President Milton Obote.
1980 Reports surfaced that the FBI had conducted a sting operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab-Americans.
1984 Ralph Sampson, one of the Houston Rockets ‘Twin Towers’, was named Rookie of the Month in the National Basketball Association.
1987 In a poll conducted by People magazine, readers selected Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant as their favorite all-time acting greats.
1990 South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.
1993 The U.S. Internal Revenue Service agreed to accept nine million dollars from singer Willie Nelson to settle his $17-million tax debt.
1995 Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman space-shuttle pilot.
1997 The government released statistics showing deaths from AIDS fell by almost half during the first half of 1997, a decrease attributed to increased use of powerful combinations of medicines.
2004 Deadly ricin was discovered in offices used by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
2004 Israel killed a leader of Islamic Jihad and three other militants in a Gaza raid.
2006 House Republicans elected John Boehner of Ohio as their new majority leader to replace the indicted Tom DeLay.
2007 A grim report from the world's leading climate scientists and government officials said that global warming was so severe, it would "continue for centuries" and that humans were to blame.
2007 Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued an order making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive - Hank Williams
1961
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Worst that Could Happen - Brooklyn Bridge
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
Hot Line - The Sylvers
Let My Love Be Your Pillow - Ronnie Milsap
1985
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Easy Lover - Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
A Place to Fall Apart - Merle Haggard with Janie Fricke
Quote of the Day
How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.
Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 - 1881)
Today's Birthdays
1861 Solomon R. Guggenheim, art collector/philanthropist, died November 3, 1949
1882 James Joyce, poet/author (Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man) died Jan 13, 1941
1890 Charles Correll, voice actor (Amos ’n’ Andy) died Sep 26, 1972
1895 George Halas, Pro Football Hall of Fame owner/coach (Chicago Bears) died Oct 31, 1983
1897 Howard Johnson, hotelier, died June 20, 1972
1901 Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born violin virtuoso, died Dec 10, 1987
1905 Ayn Rand (Alissa Rosenbaum), social critic/writer (The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged) died Mar 6, 1982
1906 Gale Gordon (Charles Aldrich), actor (The Lucy Show, Our Miss Brooks) died June 30, 1995
1912 Burton Lane (Levy), composer (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) died Jan 5, 1997
1923 Liz Smith, gossip columnist (Newsday)
1927 Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzby), jazz tenor saxophonist, died June 6, 1991
1932 Arthur Lyman, jazz/exotica vibraphonist (Yellow Bird) died Feb 24, 2002
1937 Tom Smothers, entertainer (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Smothers Brothers Show)
1940 Alan Caddy, guitarist (The Tornados) died Aug 16, 2000
1942 Bo Hopkins, actor (The Wild Bunch, American Graffiti, The Rockford Files, Dynasty)
1942 Graham Nash, singer/musician (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young)
1946 Howard Bellamy, singer (The Bellamy Brothers)
1947 Farrah Fawcett, actress (Charlie’s Angels, The Burning Bed)
1947 Peter Lucia, drummer (Tommy James and The Shondells)
1948 Al McKay, guitarist/songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1949 Ross Valory, bassist (Journey)
1949 Jack McGee, actor (Rescue Me)
1949 Brent Spiner, actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Independence Day, Out to Sea, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge)
1953 Duane "The Dog" Chapman, bounty hunter
1954 Christie Brinkley, model/actress (National Lampoon’s Vacation)
1955 Michael Talbott, actor (Miami Vice)
1962 Michael T. Weiss, actor (The Pretender, Profiler)
1963 Eva Cassidy, jazz/blues singer, died November 2, 1996
1966 Robert DeLeo, bassist (Stone Temple Pilots)
1970 Jennifer Westfeldt, actress (Kissing Jessica Stein, Notes from the Underbelly)
1975 Donald Driver, NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers)
1977 Shakira, singer (Hips Don't Lie)
1983 Jordin Tootoo, NHL right wing (Nashville Predators)
Today's Deaths in History
1918 John L. Sullivan, heavyweight boxing champion, dies at 59
1969 Boris Karloff, English actor (Frankenstein) dies at 81
1979 Sid Vicious, punk rocker (Sex Pistols) dies of a drug overdose at 21
1992 Bert Parks, television host (Miss America Pageant) dies at 77
1995 Donald Pleasence, English actor (The Great Escape, Halloween series, You Only Live Twice) dies at 75
1996 Gene Kelly, dancer/singer/actor (Singin' in the Rain, On the Town, Brigadoon, An American in Paris) dies at 83
2005 Max Schmeling, German boxing champion, dies at 99
2007 Billy Henderson, singer (The Spinners) dies at 67
2007 Joe Hunter, pianist/bandleader (The Funk Brothers) dies at 79
Today in History
1536 The Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain.
1653 New Amsterdam, now New York City, was incorporated.
1709 Alexander Selkirk was rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
1802 The first leopard to be exhibited in the United States was shown by Othello Pollard in Boston, MA.
1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican War.
1848 The first ship with Chinese emigrants seeking fortune in California's gold country arrived in San Francisco, California.
1863 Samuel Langhorne Clemens began using a pseudonym for the first time, that of Mark Twain.
1870 The Cardiff Giant, supposedly the petrified remains of a human discovered in Cardiff, N.Y., was revealed to be nothing more than carved gypsum.
1876 Baseball’s National League was born, as representatives of eight competing baseball teams met in New York City’s Grand Central Hotel.
1887 The tradition of groundhog weather watching began in Punxsutawney, PA.
1892 William Painter of Baltimore, MD patented the crown-cork bottle cap.
1913 Jim Thorpe signed a pro baseball contract with the New York Giants.
1913 Grand Central Station was opened in New York City.
1922 James Joyce's Ulysses was published in Paris, France.
1935 Leonard Keeler conducted the first test of the polygraph (lie detector) machine in Portage, WI.
1943 The remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major World War II victory for the Soviets.
1946 The first Buck Rogers atomic pistol was made for the annual American Toy Fair.
1946 The Mutual Broadcasting System presented Twenty Questions for the first time on radio.
1959 Vince Lombardi signed a five-year contract to be the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
1959 The Coasters' tune "Charlie Brown" was released.
1967 The American Basketball Association, a second professional basketball league, was formed by representatives of the NBA.
1970 ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich scored 49 points for Louisiana State University against Mississippi State, becoming the first collegiate player to score more than 3,000 career points.
1971 Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda following a coup that ousted President Milton Obote.
1980 Reports surfaced that the FBI had conducted a sting operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab-Americans.
1984 Ralph Sampson, one of the Houston Rockets ‘Twin Towers’, was named Rookie of the Month in the National Basketball Association.
1987 In a poll conducted by People magazine, readers selected Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant as their favorite all-time acting greats.
1990 South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.
1993 The U.S. Internal Revenue Service agreed to accept nine million dollars from singer Willie Nelson to settle his $17-million tax debt.
1995 Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman space-shuttle pilot.
1997 The government released statistics showing deaths from AIDS fell by almost half during the first half of 1997, a decrease attributed to increased use of powerful combinations of medicines.
2004 Deadly ricin was discovered in offices used by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
2004 Israel killed a leader of Islamic Jihad and three other militants in a Gaza raid.
2006 House Republicans elected John Boehner of Ohio as their new majority leader to replace the indicted Tom DeLay.
2007 A grim report from the world's leading climate scientists and government officials said that global warming was so severe, it would "continue for centuries" and that humans were to blame.
2007 Texas Gov. Rick Perry issued an order making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against HPV, a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive - Hank Williams
1961
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Worst that Could Happen - Brooklyn Bridge
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
Car Wash - Rose Royce
Dazz - Brick
Hot Line - The Sylvers
Let My Love Be Your Pillow - Ronnie Milsap
1985
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Easy Lover - Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
A Place to Fall Apart - Merle Haggard with Janie Fricke
Quote of the Day
How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.
Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 - 1881)
Today in History - Feb 3rd
Today's Birthdays
1809 Felix Mendelssohn (Bartholdy), composer (Wedding March) died Nov 4, 1847
1811 Horace Greeley, journalist/editor/founder (The New York Tribune; Republican Party) died Nov 29, 1872
1874 Gertrude Stein, writer (The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas) died July 27, 1946
1894 Norman Rockwell, artist (The Saturday Evening Post) died Nov 8, 1978
1904 Pretty Boy Floyd, American gangster, died October 22, 1934
1907 James A. Michener,novelist (Tales of the South Pacific, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Hawaii) died Oct 16, 1997
1918 Joey Bishop (Gottlieb), comedian/actor (Rat Pack) died Oct 17, 2007
1920 Henry Heimlich, physician (Heimlich maneuver)
1925 John Fiedler, voice actor (Piglet) died June 25, 2005
1926 Shelley Berman, comedian/actor (The Best Man, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
1938 Victor Buono, actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) died Jan 1, 1982
1940 Angelo D’Aleo, singer (Dion and The Belmonts)
1940 Fran Tarkenton, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Minnesota Vikings)
1941 Neil Bogart, record executive (Casablanca Records) died May 8, 1982
1943 Blythe Danner, actress (The Prince of Tides, 1776, Adam’s Rib, Meet the Parents series, Huff, The Great Santini)
1943 Eric Haydock, bassist (The Hollies)
1943 Dennis Edwards, singer (The Temptations)
1945 Bob Griese, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1947 Melanie (Safka), singer (Brand New Key)
1947 Dave Davies, singer/guitarist (The Kinks)
1950 Morgan Fairchild (Patsy McClenny), actress (Dallas, Flamingo Road, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure)
1956 Nathan Lane, actor (The Birdcage, Mouse Hunt, The Producers)
1959 Thomas Calabro, actor (Melrose Place)
1959 Lol (Laurence) Tolhurst, drummer/keyboardist (The Cure)
1961 Keith Gordon, actor/director (Christine, The Legend of Billie Jean, A Midnight Clear)
1962 Michele Greene, actress (L.A. Law)
1965 Maura Tierney, actress (NewsRadio, Liar Liar, ER)
1970 Warwick Davis, actor (Star Wars: Episode VI, Willow, Leprechaun series)
1971 Elisa Donovan, actress (Clueless, A Night at the Roxbury)
1976 Isla Fisher, Australian actress (The Wedding Crashers, Definitely Maybe)
Today's Deaths in History
1874 Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo), Hawaiian monarch, dies of tuberculosis at 39
1889 Belle Starr, American outlaw, dies at 40
1924 Woodrow Wilson, 28th Pesident of the United States, dies at 67
1959 Buddy Holly, singer, dies in a plane crash at 22
1959 Ritchie Valens, singer, dies in a plane crash at 17
1959 J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, DJ/singer, dies in a plane crash at 28
1985 Frank Oppenheimer, physicist (Manhattan Project) dies at 72
1989 John Cassavetes, actor (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby) dies at 59
1991 Nancy Kulp, actress (The Beverly Hillbillies) dies at 69
1996 Audrey Meadows, actress (The Honeymooners) dies at 73
2003 Lana Clarkson, actress (Amazon Women on the Moon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) dies at 40
2006 Al Lewis, actor (The Munsters) dies at 82
Today in History
1690 The first paper money in America was issued by the colony of Massachusetts.
1809 The territory of Illinois was created.
1834 Wake Forest University was established.
1862 Thomas Edison printed the Weekly Herald and distributed it to train passengers traveling between Port Huron and Detroit, MI, the first time a newspaper had been printed on a train.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens held a peace conference aboard a ship off the Virginia coast.
1870 The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting voting rights to citizens regardless of race.
1913 The 16th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified.
1917 The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1930 U.S. President Herbert Hoover appointed Charles Evans Hughes as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1946 The first issue of Holiday magazine came out.
1947 Percival Prattis of Our World in New York City became the first black news correspondent admitted to the House and Senate press gallery in Washington, D.C.
1950 The Ames Brothers reached the #1 spot on the pop music charts for the first time as "Rag Mop" became the top song in the U.S.
1951 Dick Button won the U.S. figure skating title for the sixth time.
1959 Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens died in an airplane crash near Mason City, Iowa.
1964 Coach Adolph Rupp of the University of Kentucky got win #700 as the Wildcats defeated Georgia 108-83.
1964 The Beatles received its first gold record award for the single "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
1971 Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Edgar D. Mitchell landed on the lunar sufrace during the third successful manned mission to the moon.
1972 The first Winter Olympics in Asia were held at Sapporo, Japan.
1984 Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make first untethered spacewalks using the Manned Maneuvering Unit.
1988 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected President Ronald Reagan's request for more than $36 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras.
1989 Former first baseman Bill White became the first African-American to head a major professional sports league in the United States when he became National League president.
1989 After a stroke, P.W. Botha resigned party leadership and the presidency of South Africa.
1990 Jockey Willie Shoemaker raced for the 40,352nd and last time.
1994 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, in the pilot's seat for the first time.
1998 Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pickax killings of two people in 1983.
1998 A U.S. Marine jet sliced through a ski gondola cable in Italy, sending the car's 20 occupants plunging 370 feet to their deaths.
2000 The Senate confirmed Alan Greenspan for a fourth term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
2001 The XFL (Xtreme Football League) debuted.
2003 Record producer Phil Spector was arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in Alhambra, CA (a murder trial ended in a jury deadlock; a second trial is expected to begin in the fall).
2005 Alberto Gonzales won Senate confirmation as attorney general.
2006 An Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers.
2007 A suicide truck bomber struck a Baghdad market in a predominantly Shiite area, killing more than 130 people.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro
Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Secret Love - Doris Day
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Norman - Sue Thompson
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Venus - The Shocking Blue
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
A Week in a Country Jail - Tom T. Hall
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Short People - Randy Newman
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Out of My Head and Back in My Bed - Loretta Lynn
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Just in Case - The Forester Sisters
Quote of the Day
The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.
Frank Herbert, science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)
Today's Birthdays
1809 Felix Mendelssohn (Bartholdy), composer (Wedding March) died Nov 4, 1847
1811 Horace Greeley, journalist/editor/founder (The New York Tribune; Republican Party) died Nov 29, 1872
1874 Gertrude Stein, writer (The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas) died July 27, 1946
1894 Norman Rockwell, artist (The Saturday Evening Post) died Nov 8, 1978
1904 Pretty Boy Floyd, American gangster, died October 22, 1934
1907 James A. Michener,novelist (Tales of the South Pacific, The Bridges at Toko-Ri, Hawaii) died Oct 16, 1997
1918 Joey Bishop (Gottlieb), comedian/actor (Rat Pack) died Oct 17, 2007
1920 Henry Heimlich, physician (Heimlich maneuver)
1925 John Fiedler, voice actor (Piglet) died June 25, 2005
1926 Shelley Berman, comedian/actor (The Best Man, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
1938 Victor Buono, actor (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) died Jan 1, 1982
1940 Angelo D’Aleo, singer (Dion and The Belmonts)
1940 Fran Tarkenton, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Minnesota Vikings)
1941 Neil Bogart, record executive (Casablanca Records) died May 8, 1982
1943 Blythe Danner, actress (The Prince of Tides, 1776, Adam’s Rib, Meet the Parents series, Huff, The Great Santini)
1943 Eric Haydock, bassist (The Hollies)
1943 Dennis Edwards, singer (The Temptations)
1945 Bob Griese, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Miami Dolphins)
1947 Melanie (Safka), singer (Brand New Key)
1947 Dave Davies, singer/guitarist (The Kinks)
1950 Morgan Fairchild (Patsy McClenny), actress (Dallas, Flamingo Road, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure)
1956 Nathan Lane, actor (The Birdcage, Mouse Hunt, The Producers)
1959 Thomas Calabro, actor (Melrose Place)
1959 Lol (Laurence) Tolhurst, drummer/keyboardist (The Cure)
1961 Keith Gordon, actor/director (Christine, The Legend of Billie Jean, A Midnight Clear)
1962 Michele Greene, actress (L.A. Law)
1965 Maura Tierney, actress (NewsRadio, Liar Liar, ER)
1970 Warwick Davis, actor (Star Wars: Episode VI, Willow, Leprechaun series)
1971 Elisa Donovan, actress (Clueless, A Night at the Roxbury)
1976 Isla Fisher, Australian actress (The Wedding Crashers, Definitely Maybe)
Today's Deaths in History
1874 Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo), Hawaiian monarch, dies of tuberculosis at 39
1889 Belle Starr, American outlaw, dies at 40
1924 Woodrow Wilson, 28th Pesident of the United States, dies at 67
1959 Buddy Holly, singer, dies in a plane crash at 22
1959 Ritchie Valens, singer, dies in a plane crash at 17
1959 J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, DJ/singer, dies in a plane crash at 28
1985 Frank Oppenheimer, physicist (Manhattan Project) dies at 72
1989 John Cassavetes, actor (The Dirty Dozen, Rosemary's Baby) dies at 59
1991 Nancy Kulp, actress (The Beverly Hillbillies) dies at 69
1996 Audrey Meadows, actress (The Honeymooners) dies at 73
2003 Lana Clarkson, actress (Amazon Women on the Moon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) dies at 40
2006 Al Lewis, actor (The Munsters) dies at 82
Today in History
1690 The first paper money in America was issued by the colony of Massachusetts.
1809 The territory of Illinois was created.
1834 Wake Forest University was established.
1862 Thomas Edison printed the Weekly Herald and distributed it to train passengers traveling between Port Huron and Detroit, MI, the first time a newspaper had been printed on a train.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens held a peace conference aboard a ship off the Virginia coast.
1870 The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting voting rights to citizens regardless of race.
1913 The 16th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for a federal income tax, was ratified.
1917 The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Germany, which had announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare.
1930 U.S. President Herbert Hoover appointed Charles Evans Hughes as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1946 The first issue of Holiday magazine came out.
1947 Percival Prattis of Our World in New York City became the first black news correspondent admitted to the House and Senate press gallery in Washington, D.C.
1950 The Ames Brothers reached the #1 spot on the pop music charts for the first time as "Rag Mop" became the top song in the U.S.
1951 Dick Button won the U.S. figure skating title for the sixth time.
1959 Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and Ritchie Valens died in an airplane crash near Mason City, Iowa.
1964 Coach Adolph Rupp of the University of Kentucky got win #700 as the Wildcats defeated Georgia 108-83.
1964 The Beatles received its first gold record award for the single "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
1971 Apollo 14 astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr. and Edgar D. Mitchell landed on the lunar sufrace during the third successful manned mission to the moon.
1972 The first Winter Olympics in Asia were held at Sapporo, Japan.
1984 Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make first untethered spacewalks using the Manned Maneuvering Unit.
1988 The U.S. House of Representatives rejected President Ronald Reagan's request for more than $36 million in aid to the Nicaraguan Contras.
1989 Former first baseman Bill White became the first African-American to head a major professional sports league in the United States when he became National League president.
1989 After a stroke, P.W. Botha resigned party leadership and the presidency of South Africa.
1990 Jockey Willie Shoemaker raced for the 40,352nd and last time.
1994 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off with a woman, Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins, in the pilot's seat for the first time.
1998 Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker for the pickax killings of two people in 1983.
1998 A U.S. Marine jet sliced through a ski gondola cable in Italy, sending the car's 20 occupants plunging 370 feet to their deaths.
2000 The Senate confirmed Alan Greenspan for a fourth term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
2001 The XFL (Xtreme Football League) debuted.
2003 Record producer Phil Spector was arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in Alhambra, CA (a murder trial ended in a jury deadlock; a second trial is expected to begin in the fall).
2005 Alberto Gonzales won Senate confirmation as attorney general.
2006 An Egyptian passenger ferry sank in the Red Sea during bad weather, killing more than 1,000 passengers.
2007 A suicide truck bomber struck a Baghdad market in a predominantly Shiite area, killing more than 130 people.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro
Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Secret Love - Doris Day
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Can’t Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley
Norman - Sue Thompson
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Venus - The Shocking Blue
Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
A Week in a Country Jail - Tom T. Hall
1978
Baby Come Back - Player
Short People - Randy Newman
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Out of My Head and Back in My Bed - Loretta Lynn
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Just in Case - The Forester Sisters
Quote of the Day
The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.
Frank Herbert, science fiction novelist (1920 - 1986)
Today in History - Feb 4th
Today's Birthdays
1902 Charles Lindbergh, aviator (first to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean) died Aug 26, 1974
1905 Eddie Foy, Jr., actor (Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Pajama Game) died July 15, 1983
1912 Byron Nelson, World Golf Hall of Famer, died Sep 26, 2006
1913 Rosa Lee Parks, civil rights leader, died October 24, 2005
1914 Ida Lupino, actress/director (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, On Dangerous Ground) died Aug 3, 1995
1923 Conrad Bain, actor (Maude, Diff’rent Strokes)
1936 David Brenner, comedian
1940 John Schuck, actor (McMillan and Wife, Roots, M*A*S*H)
1940 George Romero, director/screenwriter/producer (Night of the Living Dead)
1941 John Steel, singer/drummer (Animals)
1944 Florence LaRue (Gordon), singer (The Fifth Dimension)
1947 Dan Quayle, 44th Vice President of the United States
1948 Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), singer (School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Feed My Frankenstein)
1951 Phil Ehart, drummer (Kansas)
1952 Jerry Shirley, drummer (Humble Pie)
1952 Lisa Eichhorn, actress (The Talented Mr. Ripley, King of the Hill)
1959 Lawrence Taylor, Football Hall of Fame linebacker (NY Giants)
1960 Tim Booth, singer (James)
1961 Henry Bogdan, bassist (Helmet)
1962 Clint Black, country singer/actor (Maverick)
1964 Noodles, guitarist (The Offspring)
1969 Duncan Coutts, bassist (Our Lady Peace)
1970 Gabrielle Anwar, actress (Scent of a Woman, Body Snatchers, The Three Musketeers)
1973 Oscar De La Hoya, boxing champion
1975 Natalie Imbruglia, singer (Torn)
1982 Kimberly Wyatt, singer/dancer (Pussycat Dolls)
1988 Carly Patterson, Olympic gymnast
Today's Deaths in History
1894 Adolphe Sax, Belgian instrument maker (saxophone) dies at 79
1943 Frank Calder, first NHL President, dies at 65
1975 Louis Jordan, jazz/blues singer/songwriter (Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?) dies at 66
1982 Alex Harvey, Scottish musician (Sensational Alex Harvey Band) dies at 46
1983 Karen Carpenter, singer (We've Only Just Begun) dies at 32
1987 Liberace, singer/entertainer, dies of AIDS at 67
2000 Carl Albert, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, dies at 91
2000 Doris Coley, singer (Shirelles) dies at 58
2001 J. J. Johnson, jazz trombonist/composer, dies at 77
2005 Ossie Davis, actor/director (Do the Right Thing, Bubba Ho-tep) dies at 87
2007 Barbara McNair, singer/actress (They Call Me Mister Tibbs!) dies at 72
Today in History
1703 In Edo (Tokyo), 46 of the 47 Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death.
1783 Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.
1789 Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States.
1801 John Marshall was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.
1859 The Codex Sinaiticus (manuscript of the Greek Bible) was discovered in Egypt.
1861 Delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, Ala., to form the Confederate States of America.
1895 The first rolling lift bridge opened over the Chicago River at Van Buren Street, Chicago.
1913 Louis Perlman of New York City received a patent for his famous, demountable tire-carrying rims.
1932 The first Winter Olympics in the United States were held at Lake Placid, NY.
1938 The play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, opened in New York City at the Henry Miller Theatre.
1941 The Salvation Army, the YMCA and YWCA, the National Catholic Community Services, the National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board pooled their resources, at the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to form the United Service Organizations.
1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.
1948 The island nation of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.
1952 Baseball great Jackie Robinson signed a contract with New York's WNBC and WNBT (TV) to serve as Director of Community Activities.
1953 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared in the film iThe Stooge, which premiered at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.
1957 The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, logged its 60,000th nautical mile, matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
1957 Smith-Corona Manufacturing Inc. of New York began selling portable electric typewriters.
1969 Bowie Kuhn took office as Commissioner of Baseball.
1969 33-year-old John Madden became head coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
1969 Yasser Arafat took over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
1974 Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1976 An earthquake struck Guatemala and Honduras, killing more than 22,000 people.
1977 Fleetwood Mac released their Rumours album.
1983 Singer Karen Carpenter died at her parent’s home in Los Angeles of heart failure caused by chronic anorexia nervosa.
1991 The Baseball Hall of Fame voted to ban Pete Rose.
1993 The Family and Medical Leave Act was passed by the U.S. Congress.
1997 A civil jury in Santa Monica, California found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, and awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Goldman’s parents.
1998 An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit Takhar, near the Tajik-Afghan border of Northeastern Afghanistan.
1999 Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police officers who said they mistook his wallet for a gun.
2003 Lawmakers formally dissolved Yugoslavia and replaced it with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro.
2004 The Massachusetts high court declared that gays were entitled to marry.
2006 Thousands of Syrians enraged by caricatures of Islam's revered prophet torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Oh, But I Do - Margaret Whiting
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Hearts of Stone - Fontane Sisters
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes - Bobby Vee
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
Flesh and Blood - Johnny Cash
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For - Crystal Gayle
1987
At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Land of Confusion - Genesis
You Still Move Me - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
Thomas Jones (1892 - 1969)
Today's Birthdays
1902 Charles Lindbergh, aviator (first to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean) died Aug 26, 1974
1905 Eddie Foy, Jr., actor (Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Pajama Game) died July 15, 1983
1912 Byron Nelson, World Golf Hall of Famer, died Sep 26, 2006
1913 Rosa Lee Parks, civil rights leader, died October 24, 2005
1914 Ida Lupino, actress/director (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, On Dangerous Ground) died Aug 3, 1995
1923 Conrad Bain, actor (Maude, Diff’rent Strokes)
1936 David Brenner, comedian
1940 John Schuck, actor (McMillan and Wife, Roots, M*A*S*H)
1940 George Romero, director/screenwriter/producer (Night of the Living Dead)
1941 John Steel, singer/drummer (Animals)
1944 Florence LaRue (Gordon), singer (The Fifth Dimension)
1947 Dan Quayle, 44th Vice President of the United States
1948 Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), singer (School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, Feed My Frankenstein)
1951 Phil Ehart, drummer (Kansas)
1952 Jerry Shirley, drummer (Humble Pie)
1952 Lisa Eichhorn, actress (The Talented Mr. Ripley, King of the Hill)
1959 Lawrence Taylor, Football Hall of Fame linebacker (NY Giants)
1960 Tim Booth, singer (James)
1961 Henry Bogdan, bassist (Helmet)
1962 Clint Black, country singer/actor (Maverick)
1964 Noodles, guitarist (The Offspring)
1969 Duncan Coutts, bassist (Our Lady Peace)
1970 Gabrielle Anwar, actress (Scent of a Woman, Body Snatchers, The Three Musketeers)
1973 Oscar De La Hoya, boxing champion
1975 Natalie Imbruglia, singer (Torn)
1982 Kimberly Wyatt, singer/dancer (Pussycat Dolls)
1988 Carly Patterson, Olympic gymnast
Today's Deaths in History
1894 Adolphe Sax, Belgian instrument maker (saxophone) dies at 79
1943 Frank Calder, first NHL President, dies at 65
1975 Louis Jordan, jazz/blues singer/songwriter (Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?) dies at 66
1982 Alex Harvey, Scottish musician (Sensational Alex Harvey Band) dies at 46
1983 Karen Carpenter, singer (We've Only Just Begun) dies at 32
1987 Liberace, singer/entertainer, dies of AIDS at 67
2000 Carl Albert, 54th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, dies at 91
2000 Doris Coley, singer (Shirelles) dies at 58
2001 J. J. Johnson, jazz trombonist/composer, dies at 77
2005 Ossie Davis, actor/director (Do the Right Thing, Bubba Ho-tep) dies at 87
2007 Barbara McNair, singer/actress (They Call Me Mister Tibbs!) dies at 72
Today in History
1703 In Edo (Tokyo), 46 of the 47 Ronin committed seppuku (ritual suicide) as recompense for avenging their master's death.
1783 Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.
1789 Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first president of the United States.
1801 John Marshall was sworn in as chief justice of the United States.
1859 The Codex Sinaiticus (manuscript of the Greek Bible) was discovered in Egypt.
1861 Delegates from six southern states met in Montgomery, Ala., to form the Confederate States of America.
1895 The first rolling lift bridge opened over the Chicago River at Van Buren Street, Chicago.
1913 Louis Perlman of New York City received a patent for his famous, demountable tire-carrying rims.
1932 The first Winter Olympics in the United States were held at Lake Placid, NY.
1938 The play Our Town, by Thornton Wilder, opened in New York City at the Henry Miller Theatre.
1941 The Salvation Army, the YMCA and YWCA, the National Catholic Community Services, the National Travelers Aid Association and the National Jewish Welfare Board pooled their resources, at the request of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to form the United Service Organizations.
1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin began a wartime conference at Yalta.
1948 The island nation of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.
1952 Baseball great Jackie Robinson signed a contract with New York's WNBC and WNBT (TV) to serve as Director of Community Activities.
1953 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared in the film iThe Stooge, which premiered at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.
1957 The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, logged its 60,000th nautical mile, matching the endurance of the fictional Nautilus described in Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
1957 Smith-Corona Manufacturing Inc. of New York began selling portable electric typewriters.
1969 Bowie Kuhn took office as Commissioner of Baseball.
1969 33-year-old John Madden became head coach of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.
1969 Yasser Arafat took over as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.
1974 Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the Symbionese Liberation Army.
1976 An earthquake struck Guatemala and Honduras, killing more than 22,000 people.
1977 Fleetwood Mac released their Rumours album.
1983 Singer Karen Carpenter died at her parent’s home in Los Angeles of heart failure caused by chronic anorexia nervosa.
1991 The Baseball Hall of Fame voted to ban Pete Rose.
1993 The Family and Medical Leave Act was passed by the U.S. Congress.
1997 A civil jury in Santa Monica, California found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman, and awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Goldman’s parents.
1998 An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit Takhar, near the Tajik-Afghan border of Northeastern Afghanistan.
1999 Unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo was shot and killed in front of his Bronx home by four plainclothes New York City police officers who said they mistook his wallet for a gun.
2003 Lawmakers formally dissolved Yugoslavia and replaced it with a loose union of its remaining two republics, Serbia and Montenegro.
2004 The Massachusetts high court declared that gays were entitled to marry.
2006 Thousands of Syrians enraged by caricatures of Islam's revered prophet torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Oh, But I Do - Margaret Whiting
Rainbow at Midnight - Ernest Tubb
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Hearts of Stone - Fontane Sisters
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes - Bobby Vee
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
Lonely Days - Bee Gees
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
Flesh and Blood - Johnny Cash
1979
Le Freak - Chic
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Why Have You Left the One You Left Me For - Crystal Gayle
1987
At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Land of Confusion - Genesis
You Still Move Me - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
Thomas Jones (1892 - 1969)
Today in History - Jan 5th
Today's Birthdays
1744 John Jeffries, physician/weather forecaster, died Sep 16, 1819
1788 Robert Peel, English statesman (established Irish Contabulary/London Police) died July 2, 1850
1848 Belle Starr, American outlaw, died Feb 3, 1889
1900 Adlai Stevenson, Presidential candidate, died July 14, 1965
1906 John (Richmond Reed) Carradine, actor (Captains Courageous, The Grapes of Wrath) died Nov 27, 1988
1914 William Seward Burroughs II, writer (Naked Lunch, Soft Machine) died Aug 2, 1997
1919 Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt), comedian/actor (The Longest Day, The Poseidon Adventure) died July 13, 2006
1923 Claude King, singer (Wolverton Mountain)
1934 Don Cherry, hockey commentator (Hockey Night in Canada)
1934 Hank (Henry Louis) Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer (Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves)
1941 Barrett Strong, singer/songwriter (Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Ball of Confusion)
1941 Stephen J. Cannell, TV writer/producer (The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings)
1942 Roger Staubach, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
1942 Cory Wells, singer (Three Dog Night)
1943 Craig Morton, NFL quarterback (Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos)
1943 Chuck Winfield, musician (Blood Sweat & Tears)
1946 Charlotte Rampling, actress (The Verdict, Georgy Girl, Swimming Pool)
1947 Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR race driver
1948 Christopher Guest, writer/comedian/director/actor (Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind)
1948 Tom Wilkinson, actor (The Full Monty, Shakespeare in Love, The Patriot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
1948 Barbara Hershey (Herzstein), actress (Beaches, The Right Stuff, The Natural, From Here to Eternity)
1961 Tim Meadows, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Benchwarmers)
1962 Jennifer Jason Leigh (Morrow), actress (The Hudsucker Proxy, Single White Female, Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
1964 Laura Linney, actress (Primal Fear, Absolute Power, The Truman Show, The Mothman Prophecies)
1964 Duff McKagan, bassist (Guns n' Roses)
1968 Chris Barron, singer (Spin Doctors)
1969 Bobby Brown, singer (Every Little Step, My Prerogative)
1971 Sara Evans, country singer
1975 Adam Carson, drummer (AFI)
1981 Nora Zehetner, actress (Everwood)
1982 Kevin Everett, NFL tight end (Buffalo Bills)
1985 Laurence Maroney, NFL running back (New England Patriots)
Today's Deaths in History
1941 Banjo Paterson, Australian poet/author (Walzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River) dies at 76
1969 Thelma Ritter, actress (Miracle on 34th Street, Rear Window, Pillow Talk) dies at 66
1976 Rudy Pompilli, saxophonist (Bill Haley and His Comets) dies at 51
1987 William Collier, actor (Little Caesar, Cimarron) dies at 84
1991 Dean Jagger, actor (White Christmas, Bad Day at Black Rock, Vanishing Point) dies at 87
1995 Doug McClure, actor (Shenandoah, The Virginian, Maverick) dies at 59
1998 Tim Kelly, guitarist (Slaughter) dies at 35
2004 John Hench, animator (Walt Disnet Company) dies at 95
2006 Franklin Cover, actor (The Jeffersons) dies at 77
Today in History
1846 The Oregon Spectator became the first newspaper published in American territory west of the Rocky Mountains.
1861 Samuel Goodale of Cincinnati, OH patented the moving picture peep show machine.
1881 Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated.
1887 Verdi's opera Otello premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
1897 The Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure redefining the area of a circle and the value of pi (the bill died in the state Senate).
1916 Enrico Caruso recorded "O Solo Mio" for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
1917 Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, a law severely curtailing the immigration of Asians.
1917 Mexico's constitution was adopted.
1919 Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launched United Artists.
1931 Maxine Dunlap became the first woman licensed as a glider pilot.
1937 Modern Times, the first Charlie Chaplin talkie, was released.
1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics charged that he was attempting to "pack" the court.
1940 Glenn Miller and his band played "Tuxedo Junction" at the RCA Victor studios in Manhattan.
1953 Walt Disney’s film Peter Pan opened at the Roxy Theatre in New York City.
1958 Gamel Abdel Nasser was nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic.
1958 A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb was lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
1961 The Shirelles wound up their first week at #1 on the music charts with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."
1972 Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
1974 John Murtha became the first Vietnam War veteran elected to Congress.
1988 The Arizona House of Representatives impeached Gov. Evan Mecham, setting the stage for his conviction in the state Senate.
1988 Panamanian military leader Gen. Manuel Noriega was indicted on bribery and drug trafficking charges in Florida.
1993 Federal judge Kimba Wood, President Bill Clinton's expected choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration, saying her baby sitter had been an illegal alien for seven years.
1994 White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Miss., of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963; he was sentenced to life in prison.
1997 Investment companies Morgan Stanley Group Inc. and Dean Witter, Discover & Co. announced their intention to merge.
2001 Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
2002 A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban," on 10 charges, alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.
2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists, claims that later turned out to be false.
2006 Iran ended all voluntary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
2006 The Pittsburgh Steelers won a record-tying fifth Super Bowl with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
2007 NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Fla., accused of trying to kidnap a perceived rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot.
Chart Toppers
1948
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
How Soon - Jack Owens
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
See You Later, Alligator - Bill Haley & His Comets
No, Not Much! - The Four Lads
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
Out of Limits - The Marketts
Begging to You - Marty Robbins
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
One’s on the Way - Loretta Lynn
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
I’ll Be Coming Back for More - T.G. Sheppard
1988
Need You Tonight - INXS
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Hazy Shade of Winter - Bangles
Wheels - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.
John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today's Birthdays
1744 John Jeffries, physician/weather forecaster, died Sep 16, 1819
1788 Robert Peel, English statesman (established Irish Contabulary/London Police) died July 2, 1850
1848 Belle Starr, American outlaw, died Feb 3, 1889
1900 Adlai Stevenson, Presidential candidate, died July 14, 1965
1906 John (Richmond Reed) Carradine, actor (Captains Courageous, The Grapes of Wrath) died Nov 27, 1988
1914 William Seward Burroughs II, writer (Naked Lunch, Soft Machine) died Aug 2, 1997
1919 Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt), comedian/actor (The Longest Day, The Poseidon Adventure) died July 13, 2006
1923 Claude King, singer (Wolverton Mountain)
1934 Don Cherry, hockey commentator (Hockey Night in Canada)
1934 Hank (Henry Louis) Aaron, Baseball Hall of Famer (Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves)
1941 Barrett Strong, singer/songwriter (Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Ball of Confusion)
1941 Stephen J. Cannell, TV writer/producer (The Rockford Files, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street, Silk Stalkings)
1942 Roger Staubach, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
1942 Cory Wells, singer (Three Dog Night)
1943 Craig Morton, NFL quarterback (Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos)
1943 Chuck Winfield, musician (Blood Sweat & Tears)
1946 Charlotte Rampling, actress (The Verdict, Georgy Girl, Swimming Pool)
1947 Darrell Waltrip, NASCAR race driver
1948 Christopher Guest, writer/comedian/director/actor (Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind)
1948 Tom Wilkinson, actor (The Full Monty, Shakespeare in Love, The Patriot, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
1948 Barbara Hershey (Herzstein), actress (Beaches, The Right Stuff, The Natural, From Here to Eternity)
1961 Tim Meadows, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, The Benchwarmers)
1962 Jennifer Jason Leigh (Morrow), actress (The Hudsucker Proxy, Single White Female, Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
1964 Laura Linney, actress (Primal Fear, Absolute Power, The Truman Show, The Mothman Prophecies)
1964 Duff McKagan, bassist (Guns n' Roses)
1968 Chris Barron, singer (Spin Doctors)
1969 Bobby Brown, singer (Every Little Step, My Prerogative)
1971 Sara Evans, country singer
1975 Adam Carson, drummer (AFI)
1981 Nora Zehetner, actress (Everwood)
1982 Kevin Everett, NFL tight end (Buffalo Bills)
1985 Laurence Maroney, NFL running back (New England Patriots)
Today's Deaths in History
1941 Banjo Paterson, Australian poet/author (Walzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River) dies at 76
1969 Thelma Ritter, actress (Miracle on 34th Street, Rear Window, Pillow Talk) dies at 66
1976 Rudy Pompilli, saxophonist (Bill Haley and His Comets) dies at 51
1987 William Collier, actor (Little Caesar, Cimarron) dies at 84
1991 Dean Jagger, actor (White Christmas, Bad Day at Black Rock, Vanishing Point) dies at 87
1995 Doug McClure, actor (Shenandoah, The Virginian, Maverick) dies at 59
1998 Tim Kelly, guitarist (Slaughter) dies at 35
2004 John Hench, animator (Walt Disnet Company) dies at 95
2006 Franklin Cover, actor (The Jeffersons) dies at 77
Today in History
1846 The Oregon Spectator became the first newspaper published in American territory west of the Rocky Mountains.
1861 Samuel Goodale of Cincinnati, OH patented the moving picture peep show machine.
1881 Phoenix, Ariz., was incorporated.
1887 Verdi's opera Otello premiered at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
1897 The Indiana House of Representatives unanimously passed a measure redefining the area of a circle and the value of pi (the bill died in the state Senate).
1916 Enrico Caruso recorded "O Solo Mio" for the Victor Talking Machine Company.
1917 Congress passed, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto, a law severely curtailing the immigration of Asians.
1917 Mexico's constitution was adopted.
1919 Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launched United Artists.
1931 Maxine Dunlap became the first woman licensed as a glider pilot.
1937 Modern Times, the first Charlie Chaplin talkie, was released.
1937 President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed increasing the number of Supreme Court justices; critics charged that he was attempting to "pack" the court.
1940 Glenn Miller and his band played "Tuxedo Junction" at the RCA Victor studios in Manhattan.
1953 Walt Disney’s film Peter Pan opened at the Roxy Theatre in New York City.
1958 Gamel Abdel Nasser was nominated to become the first president of the new United Arab Republic.
1958 A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb was lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered.
1961 The Shirelles wound up their first week at #1 on the music charts with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow."
1972 Bob Douglas became the first black man elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.
1974 John Murtha became the first Vietnam War veteran elected to Congress.
1988 The Arizona House of Representatives impeached Gov. Evan Mecham, setting the stage for his conviction in the state Senate.
1988 Panamanian military leader Gen. Manuel Noriega was indicted on bribery and drug trafficking charges in Florida.
1993 Federal judge Kimba Wood, President Bill Clinton's expected choice for attorney general, withdrew from consideration, saying her baby sitter had been an illegal alien for seven years.
1994 White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, Miss., of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963; he was sentenced to life in prison.
1997 Investment companies Morgan Stanley Group Inc. and Dean Witter, Discover & Co. announced their intention to merge.
2001 Four disciples of Osama bin Laden went on trial in New York in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
2002 A federal grand jury indicted John Walker Lindh, the so-called "American Taliban," on 10 charges, alleging that he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and that he conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans.
2003 Secretary of State Colin Powell urged the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists, claims that later turned out to be false.
2006 Iran ended all voluntary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
2006 The Pittsburgh Steelers won a record-tying fifth Super Bowl with a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
2007 NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Fla., accused of trying to kidnap a perceived rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot.
Chart Toppers
1948
Golden Earrings - Peggy Lee
How Soon - Jack Owens
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
See You Later, Alligator - Bill Haley & His Comets
No, Not Much! - The Four Lads
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
Out of Limits - The Marketts
Begging to You - Marty Robbins
1972
American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
One’s on the Way - Loretta Lynn
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
I’ll Be Coming Back for More - T.G. Sheppard
1988
Need You Tonight - INXS
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Hazy Shade of Winter - Bangles
Wheels - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.
John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today in History - Feb 6th
Today's Birthdays
1564 Christopher Marlowe, poet/dramatist (The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus) died May 30, 1593
1756 Aaron Burr, 3rd U.S. Vice President (killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel) died Sep 14, 1836
1895 Babe (George Herman) Ruth, Baseball Hall of Famer (Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees, Boston Braves) died Aug, 16, 1948
1911 Ronald Wilson Reagan, actor/40th president of the United States, died June 5, 2004
1912 Eva Braun, mistress/wife of Adolf Hitler, died Apr 30, 1945
1914 Thurl Ravenscroft, voice actor (Tony the Tiger, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) died May 22, 2005
1917 Zsa Zsa (Sari) Gabor, actress (Boy’s Night Out, Moulin Rouge, Ninotchka)
1922 Patrick Macnee, actor (The Avengers, A View to a Kill, Battlestar Gallactica, This is Spinal Tap)
1926 Walker Edmiston, voice actor (Ernie the Keebler Elf, H.R. Pufnstuf) died February 15, 2007
1931 Rip (Elmore) Torn, actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Men in Black series, Dodgeball)
1931 Mamie Van Doren (Joan Olander), actress (High School Confidential, The Candidate, Teacher’s Pet)
1932 Francois Truffaut, director (Fahrenheit 451) died Oct 21, 1984
1939 Mike Farrell, actor (M*A*S*H)
1940 Tom Brokaw, news anchor/author (NBC Nightly News, Today; The Greatest Generation)
1943 Fabian (Fabian Forte), singer/actor (Turn Me Loose; The Longest Day)
1945 Bob Marley, reggae singer/songwriter, died May 11, 1981
1945 Michael Tucker, actor (L.A. Law, For Love or Money, Radio Days, Diner)
1950 Natalie Cole, singer (This Will Be, I’ve Got Love on My Mind, Unforgettable)
1956 Jon Walmsley, actor (The Waltons)
1957 Robert Townsend, actor (The Meteor Man, The Mighty Quinn, Hollywood Shuffle, A Soldier’s Story)
1957 Simon Phillips, drummer (Toto)
1957 Kathy Najimy, actress (Sister Act series)
1958 Barry Miller, actor (Biloxi Blues, Saturday Night Fever, The Last Temptation of Christ)
1960 Megan Gallagher, actress (Hill Street Blues, China Beach)
1962 Axl Rose, singer (Guns N' Roses)
1966 Rick Astley, singer/songwriter (Never Gonna Give You Up)
1970 Denis Lemieux, board member
1971 Brian Stepanek, actor (Kim Possible, Over the Hedge, The Island)
1980 Beamer, board member
1980 Kim Poirier, actress (PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal)
1981 Ty Warren, NFL defensive lineman (New England Patriots)
1983 Brodie Croyle, NFL quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs)
Today's Deaths in History
1918 Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter, dies at 55
1960 Jesse Belvin, R&B singer/songwriter, dies in a car crash at 26
1976 Vince Guaraldi, jazz musician (Linus and Lucy, Charlie Brown Theme) dies at 47
1981 Hugo Montenegro, orchestra leader (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) dies at 55
1989 Barbara W. Tuchman, historian, dies at 77
1991 Danny Thomas, singer/comedian/actor (Make Room for Daddy) dies at 79
1993 Arthur Ashe, Tennis Hall of Famer, dies at 49
1994 Joseph Cotten, actor (Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Journey Into Fear) dies at 88
1998 Falco, Austrian singer (Rock Me Amadues) dies at 40
1998 Carl Wilson, singer/guitarist (The Beach Boys) dies at 51
2007 Frankie Laine, singer (Jezebel, High Noon, Lord You Gave Me a Mountain) dies at 93
Today in History
1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state to enter the United States of America.
1843 The first minstrel show in America, the Original Virginia Minstrels, opened at the Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City.
1926 The National Football League adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college classes graduate.
1932 Dog sled racing occured for the first time in Olympic competition.
1933 The 20th Amendment to the Constitution was declared in effect; it moved the start of presidential, vice-presidential and congressional terms from March to January.
1936 The 4th Olympic Winter Games opened in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
1937 K. Elizabeth Ohi became the first Japanese woman lawyer as she received her degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL.
1943 Frank Sinatra made his debut as vocalist on radio’s Your Hit Parade.
1956 St. Patrick Center, the first circular school building in the United States, opened in Kankakee, IL.
1959 Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.
1959 The United States successfully test-fired a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral for the first time.
1968 Joan Whitney Payson was elected president of the New York Mets.
1968 The Xth Winter Olympic games opened in Grenoble, France.
1971 NASA Astronaut Alan B. Shepard took a six-iron that he had stashed away inside his spacecraft and swung at three golf balls on the surface of the moon.
1977 Queen Elizabeth II marked her Silver Jubilee, the twenty-fifth anniversary of her accession to the Brittish Throne.
1981 Former Beatles, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison teamed up once again to record a musical tribute to John Lennon.
1985 Perrier debuted its first new product in 123 years, water with a twist of lemon, lime or orange.
1993 Riddick Bowe stopped Michael Dokes in the first round at Madison Square Garden in New York in the first defense of his heavyweight title.
1998 Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
1999 Excerpts of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's videotaped testimony were shown at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2000 First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
2001 Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister in a landslide over Ehud Barak.
2003 ABC's 20/20 aired a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the singer revealed he sometimes let children sleep in his bed.
2004 An explosion ripped through a Moscow subway car during rush hour, killing 41 people in a terrorist attack blamed on Chechen separatists.
2006 Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada's 22nd prime minister.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Banana Boat (Day-O) - Harry Belafonte
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Why Can’t We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries) - Conway Twitty
1981
The Tide is High - Blondie
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
I Feel like Loving You Again - T.G. Sheppard
1989
When I’m with You - Sheriff
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
When the Children Cry - White Lion
What I’d Say - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of the Day
Dance like it hurts, Love like you need money, Work when people are watching.
Scott Adams, cartoonist (1957 - )
Today's Birthdays
1564 Christopher Marlowe, poet/dramatist (The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus) died May 30, 1593
1756 Aaron Burr, 3rd U.S. Vice President (killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel) died Sep 14, 1836
1895 Babe (George Herman) Ruth, Baseball Hall of Famer (Boston Red Sox, NY Yankees, Boston Braves) died Aug, 16, 1948
1911 Ronald Wilson Reagan, actor/40th president of the United States, died June 5, 2004
1912 Eva Braun, mistress/wife of Adolf Hitler, died Apr 30, 1945
1914 Thurl Ravenscroft, voice actor (Tony the Tiger, How the Grinch Stole Christmas) died May 22, 2005
1917 Zsa Zsa (Sari) Gabor, actress (Boy’s Night Out, Moulin Rouge, Ninotchka)
1922 Patrick Macnee, actor (The Avengers, A View to a Kill, Battlestar Gallactica, This is Spinal Tap)
1926 Walker Edmiston, voice actor (Ernie the Keebler Elf, H.R. Pufnstuf) died February 15, 2007
1931 Rip (Elmore) Torn, actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Men in Black series, Dodgeball)
1931 Mamie Van Doren (Joan Olander), actress (High School Confidential, The Candidate, Teacher’s Pet)
1932 Francois Truffaut, director (Fahrenheit 451) died Oct 21, 1984
1939 Mike Farrell, actor (M*A*S*H)
1940 Tom Brokaw, news anchor/author (NBC Nightly News, Today; The Greatest Generation)
1943 Fabian (Fabian Forte), singer/actor (Turn Me Loose; The Longest Day)
1945 Bob Marley, reggae singer/songwriter, died May 11, 1981
1945 Michael Tucker, actor (L.A. Law, For Love or Money, Radio Days, Diner)
1950 Natalie Cole, singer (This Will Be, I’ve Got Love on My Mind, Unforgettable)
1956 Jon Walmsley, actor (The Waltons)
1957 Robert Townsend, actor (The Meteor Man, The Mighty Quinn, Hollywood Shuffle, A Soldier’s Story)
1957 Simon Phillips, drummer (Toto)
1957 Kathy Najimy, actress (Sister Act series)
1958 Barry Miller, actor (Biloxi Blues, Saturday Night Fever, The Last Temptation of Christ)
1960 Megan Gallagher, actress (Hill Street Blues, China Beach)
1962 Axl Rose, singer (Guns N' Roses)
1966 Rick Astley, singer/songwriter (Never Gonna Give You Up)
1970 Denis Lemieux, board member
1971 Brian Stepanek, actor (Kim Possible, Over the Hedge, The Island)
1980 Beamer, board member
1980 Kim Poirier, actress (PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal)
1981 Ty Warren, NFL defensive lineman (New England Patriots)
1983 Brodie Croyle, NFL quarterback (Kansas City Chiefs)
Today's Deaths in History
1918 Gustav Klimt, Austrian painter, dies at 55
1960 Jesse Belvin, R&B singer/songwriter, dies in a car crash at 26
1976 Vince Guaraldi, jazz musician (Linus and Lucy, Charlie Brown Theme) dies at 47
1981 Hugo Montenegro, orchestra leader (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) dies at 55
1989 Barbara W. Tuchman, historian, dies at 77
1991 Danny Thomas, singer/comedian/actor (Make Room for Daddy) dies at 79
1993 Arthur Ashe, Tennis Hall of Famer, dies at 49
1994 Joseph Cotten, actor (Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Journey Into Fear) dies at 88
1998 Falco, Austrian singer (Rock Me Amadues) dies at 40
1998 Carl Wilson, singer/guitarist (The Beach Boys) dies at 51
2007 Frankie Laine, singer (Jezebel, High Noon, Lord You Gave Me a Mountain) dies at 93
Today in History
1788 Massachusetts became the sixth state to enter the United States of America.
1843 The first minstrel show in America, the Original Virginia Minstrels, opened at the Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City.
1926 The National Football League adopted a rule that made players ineligible for competition until their college classes graduate.
1932 Dog sled racing occured for the first time in Olympic competition.
1933 The 20th Amendment to the Constitution was declared in effect; it moved the start of presidential, vice-presidential and congressional terms from March to January.
1936 The 4th Olympic Winter Games opened in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
1937 K. Elizabeth Ohi became the first Japanese woman lawyer as she received her degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL.
1943 Frank Sinatra made his debut as vocalist on radio’s Your Hit Parade.
1956 St. Patrick Center, the first circular school building in the United States, opened in Kankakee, IL.
1959 Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.
1959 The United States successfully test-fired a Titan intercontinental ballistic missile from Cape Canaveral for the first time.
1968 Joan Whitney Payson was elected president of the New York Mets.
1968 The Xth Winter Olympic games opened in Grenoble, France.
1971 NASA Astronaut Alan B. Shepard took a six-iron that he had stashed away inside his spacecraft and swung at three golf balls on the surface of the moon.
1977 Queen Elizabeth II marked her Silver Jubilee, the twenty-fifth anniversary of her accession to the Brittish Throne.
1981 Former Beatles, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison teamed up once again to record a musical tribute to John Lennon.
1985 Perrier debuted its first new product in 123 years, water with a twist of lemon, lime or orange.
1993 Riddick Bowe stopped Michael Dokes in the first round at Madison Square Garden in New York in the first defense of his heavyweight title.
1998 Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan National Airport.
1999 Excerpts of former White House intern Monica Lewinsky's videotaped testimony were shown at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2000 First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launched her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate.
2001 Ariel Sharon was elected Israeli prime minister in a landslide over Ehud Barak.
2003 ABC's 20/20 aired a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the singer revealed he sometimes let children sleep in his bed.
2004 An explosion ripped through a Moscow subway car during rush hour, killing 41 people in a terrorist attack blamed on Chechen separatists.
2006 Stephen Harper was sworn in as Canada's 22nd prime minister.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Banana Boat (Day-O) - Harry Belafonte
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
The Name Game - Shirley Ellis
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Why Can’t We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries) - Conway Twitty
1981
The Tide is High - Blondie
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
I Feel like Loving You Again - T.G. Sheppard
1989
When I’m with You - Sheriff
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
When the Children Cry - White Lion
What I’d Say - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of the Day
Dance like it hurts, Love like you need money, Work when people are watching.
Scott Adams, cartoonist (1957 - )
Today in History - Feb 7th
Today's Birthdays
1478 Sir Thomas More, statesman/author, beheaded July 6, 1535
1804 John Deere, manufacturer (Deere & Company) died May 17, 1886
1812 Charles Dickens, novelist (David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist) died June 9, 1870
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, writer (Little House series) died Feb 10, 1957
1883 James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, pianist/bandleader/songwriter, died Feb 12, 1983
1885 (Harry) Sinclair Lewis, author (Elmer Gantry, Main Street) died Jan 10, 1951
1908 Buster (Clarence Linden) Crabbe, Olympic swimmer/actor (Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers) died Apr 23, 1983
1932 Gay Talese, writer (The New York Times; The Kingdom and the Power, Unto the Sons)
1945 Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener)
1948 Jimmy Greenspoon, organist (Three Dog Night)
1949 Joe English, drummer (Paul McCartney & Wings)
1949 Alan Lancaster, bassist (Status Quo)
1953 Dan Quisenberry, MLB pitcher (Kansas City Royals) died September 30, 1998
1954 Miguel Ferrer, actor (Twin Peaks, Stephen King’s The Stand, Robocop, Crossing Jordan)
1956 Emo Philips, comedian
1956 Mark St. John, guitarist (Kiss) died April 5, 2007
1959 Brian Travers, saxophonist (UB40)
1960 James Spader, actor (Boston Legal, The Practice, Crash, Stargate, sex, lies and videotape, Wall Street, Mannequin)
1962 (Troyal) Garth Brooks, country singer (Friends in Low Places, The Thunder Rolls)
1962 David Bryan, keyboardist (Bon Jovi)
1962 Eddie Izzard, writer/actor/comedian (The Avengers, Mystery Men, The Riches)
1965 Jason Gedrick, actor (Iron Eagle, Born on the Fourth of July, Backdraft)
1966 Chris Rock, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Lethal Weapon 4, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma)
1968 Sully Erna, singer (Godsmack)
1972 Robyn Lively, actress (Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., Chicago Hope)
1973 Juwan Howard, NBA forward (Dallas Mavericks)
1974 Steve Nash, NBA point guard (Phoenix Suns)
1975 Wes Borland, guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
1975 Alexandre Daigle, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1978 Ashton Kutcher, actor (That '70s Show, Guess Who, Dude Where's My Car)
1979 Cerina Vincent, actress (Not Another Teen Movie)
1985 Tina Majorino, actress (Corrina Corrina, Waterworld, Napoleon Dynamite)
1993 David Dorfman, actor (The Ring series)
Today's Deaths in History
1937 Elihu Root, statesman/diplomat, dies at 91
1938 Harvey Firestone, manufacturer (Firestone Tires) dies at 69
1959 Guitar Slim, blues guitarist, dies at 32
1979 Dr. Josef Mengele, accused Nazi war criminal, dies at 67
1990 Jimmy Van Heusen, songwriter (High Hopes, Call Me Irresponsible) dies at 77
1998 Lawrence Sanders, author (Guilty Pleasures) dies at 77
1999 King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan dies at 63
1999 Bobby Troup, musician/actor (Route 66; Emergency) dies at 80
2000 Doug Henning, magician, dies at 52
2000 Dave Peverett, singer/guitarist (Foghat, Savoy Brown) dies at 56
2001 Dale Evans, actress/singer/Mrs Roy Rogers, dies at 88
2001 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, author/aviator, dies at 94
Today in History
1818 Academician, the first successful educational magazine, began publication in New York City.
1877 The first Guernsey Cattle Club was organized in New York City.
1882 The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City.
1893 Elisha Gray of Highland Park, IL patented the telautograph.
1914 Charlie Chaplin first appears as the Tramp when his first film Kid Auto Races at Venice was released by Keystone Studios.
1936 A U.S. Vice President’s flag was established by executive order.
1940 The world premiere of the Walt Disney animated movie Pinocchio was held at the Center Theatre in Manhattan.
1944 Germany launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1948 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1964 More than 3,000 fans jammed LaGuardia Airport in New York as the Beatles arrived for their first U.S. visit.
1974 The island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.
1974 Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra received a gold record for the disco hit, "Love’s Theme."
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1985 Sports Illustrated released its annual swimsuit edition, the biggest regular edition in the magazine’s history, weighing in at 218 pages; Paulina Porizkova joined Cheryl Tiegs and Christie Brinkley as the only models to make the cover more than once.
1985 "New York, New York" became the official anthem of the Big Apple.
1986 Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of family rule.
1990 The Soviet Union's Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power by agreeing to let other political parties compete for control of the country.
1991 The Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president.
1994 Paul Anka was honored at the French music industry’s annual awards in Paris for his song "My Way."
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1998 The XVIIIth Winter Olympic games opened at Nagano, Japan.
2005 Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, the most notorious figure in the sex scandal that rocked the Boston Archdiocese, was convicted of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at his church during the 1980s (Shanley was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison).
2008 The Chinese "Year of the Rat" began.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Get a Job - The Silhouettes
Sail Along Silvery Moon - Billy Vaughn
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
My Love - Petula Clark
Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
Americans - Byron MacGregor
Jolene - Dolly Parton
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
Lonely Nights - Mickey Gilley
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
C. P. Snow, English novelist & scientist (1905 - 1980)
Today's Birthdays
1478 Sir Thomas More, statesman/author, beheaded July 6, 1535
1804 John Deere, manufacturer (Deere & Company) died May 17, 1886
1812 Charles Dickens, novelist (David Copperfield, A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist) died June 9, 1870
1867 Laura Ingalls Wilder, writer (Little House series) died Feb 10, 1957
1883 James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, pianist/bandleader/songwriter, died Feb 12, 1983
1885 (Harry) Sinclair Lewis, author (Elmer Gantry, Main Street) died Jan 10, 1951
1908 Buster (Clarence Linden) Crabbe, Olympic swimmer/actor (Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers) died Apr 23, 1983
1932 Gay Talese, writer (The New York Times; The Kingdom and the Power, Unto the Sons)
1945 Pete Postlethwaite, English actor (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Amistad, Brassed Off, The Shipping News, The Constant Gardener)
1948 Jimmy Greenspoon, organist (Three Dog Night)
1949 Joe English, drummer (Paul McCartney & Wings)
1949 Alan Lancaster, bassist (Status Quo)
1953 Dan Quisenberry, MLB pitcher (Kansas City Royals) died September 30, 1998
1954 Miguel Ferrer, actor (Twin Peaks, Stephen King’s The Stand, Robocop, Crossing Jordan)
1956 Emo Philips, comedian
1956 Mark St. John, guitarist (Kiss) died April 5, 2007
1959 Brian Travers, saxophonist (UB40)
1960 James Spader, actor (Boston Legal, The Practice, Crash, Stargate, sex, lies and videotape, Wall Street, Mannequin)
1962 (Troyal) Garth Brooks, country singer (Friends in Low Places, The Thunder Rolls)
1962 David Bryan, keyboardist (Bon Jovi)
1962 Eddie Izzard, writer/actor/comedian (The Avengers, Mystery Men, The Riches)
1965 Jason Gedrick, actor (Iron Eagle, Born on the Fourth of July, Backdraft)
1966 Chris Rock, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Lethal Weapon 4, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma)
1968 Sully Erna, singer (Godsmack)
1972 Robyn Lively, actress (Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., Chicago Hope)
1973 Juwan Howard, NBA forward (Dallas Mavericks)
1974 Steve Nash, NBA point guard (Phoenix Suns)
1975 Wes Borland, guitarist (Limp Bizkit)
1975 Alexandre Daigle, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1978 Ashton Kutcher, actor (That '70s Show, Guess Who, Dude Where's My Car)
1979 Cerina Vincent, actress (Not Another Teen Movie)
1985 Tina Majorino, actress (Corrina Corrina, Waterworld, Napoleon Dynamite)
1993 David Dorfman, actor (The Ring series)
Today's Deaths in History
1937 Elihu Root, statesman/diplomat, dies at 91
1938 Harvey Firestone, manufacturer (Firestone Tires) dies at 69
1959 Guitar Slim, blues guitarist, dies at 32
1979 Dr. Josef Mengele, accused Nazi war criminal, dies at 67
1990 Jimmy Van Heusen, songwriter (High Hopes, Call Me Irresponsible) dies at 77
1998 Lawrence Sanders, author (Guilty Pleasures) dies at 77
1999 King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan dies at 63
1999 Bobby Troup, musician/actor (Route 66; Emergency) dies at 80
2000 Doug Henning, magician, dies at 52
2000 Dave Peverett, singer/guitarist (Foghat, Savoy Brown) dies at 56
2001 Dale Evans, actress/singer/Mrs Roy Rogers, dies at 88
2001 Anne Morrow Lindbergh, author/aviator, dies at 94
Today in History
1818 Academician, the first successful educational magazine, began publication in New York City.
1877 The first Guernsey Cattle Club was organized in New York City.
1882 The last bareknuckle fight for the heavyweight boxing championship took place in Mississippi City.
1893 Elisha Gray of Highland Park, IL patented the telautograph.
1914 Charlie Chaplin first appears as the Tramp when his first film Kid Auto Races at Venice was released by Keystone Studios.
1936 A U.S. Vice President’s flag was established by executive order.
1940 The world premiere of the Walt Disney animated movie Pinocchio was held at the Center Theatre in Manhattan.
1944 Germany launched a counteroffensive at Anzio, Italy, during World War II.
1948 Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Army chief of staff and was succeeded by Gen. Omar Bradley.
1964 More than 3,000 fans jammed LaGuardia Airport in New York as the Beatles arrived for their first U.S. visit.
1974 The island nation of Grenada won independence from Britain.
1974 Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra received a gold record for the disco hit, "Love’s Theme."
1979 Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered.
1985 Sports Illustrated released its annual swimsuit edition, the biggest regular edition in the magazine’s history, weighing in at 218 pages; Paulina Porizkova joined Cheryl Tiegs and Christie Brinkley as the only models to make the cover more than once.
1985 "New York, New York" became the official anthem of the Big Apple.
1986 Haitian President-for-Life Jean-Claude Duvalier fled his country, ending 28 years of family rule.
1990 The Soviet Union's Communist Party gave up its monopoly on power by agreeing to let other political parties compete for control of the country.
1991 The Rev. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was sworn in as Haiti's first democratically elected president.
1994 Paul Anka was honored at the French music industry’s annual awards in Paris for his song "My Way."
1995 Ramzi Yousef, the alleged mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was arrested in Islamabad, Pakistan.
1998 The XVIIIth Winter Olympic games opened at Nagano, Japan.
2005 Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, the most notorious figure in the sex scandal that rocked the Boston Archdiocese, was convicted of repeatedly raping and fondling a boy at his church during the 1980s (Shanley was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in prison).
2008 The Chinese "Year of the Rat" began.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Dinah Shore
A Dreamer’s Holiday - Perry Como
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Get a Job - The Silhouettes
Sail Along Silvery Moon - Billy Vaughn
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
My Love - Petula Clark
Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys
No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach’s In) - The T-Bones
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
Americans - Byron MacGregor
Jolene - Dolly Parton
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Turn Your Love Around - George Benson
Lonely Nights - Mickey Gilley
1990
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Downtown Train - Rod Stewart
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
Quote of the Day
When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
C. P. Snow, English novelist & scientist (1905 - 1980)
Today in History - Feb 8th
Today's Birthdays
1820 William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War general, died Feb 14, 1891
1828 Jules Verne, writer (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days) died Mar 24, 1905
1888 Dame Edith Evans, actress (Scrooge, David Copperfield) died Oct 14, 1976
1921 Lana (Julia Jean) Turner, actress (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Madame X) died June 29, 1995
1925 Jack Lemmon (John Uhler Lemmon III), actor (Mr. Roberts, The Apartment, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men series, Some Like It Hot) died June 27, 2001
1926 Audrey Meadows, actress (The Honeymooners) died Feb 3, 1996
1931 James Dean, actor (Giant, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause) killed in car crash Sep 30, 1955
1932 John Williams, composer (Schindler’s List, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars)
1940 Ted Koppel, journalist/anchor (Nightline)
1941 Nick Nolte, actor (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Deep, Blue Chips, 48 Hours, The Prince of Tides)
1943 Creed Bratton, actor (The Office)
1948 Dan Seals, singer (England Dan & John Ford Coley)
1948 Ron Tyson, singer (The Temptations)
1949 Brooke Adams, actress (Days of Heaven, Gas Food Lodging)
1953 Mary Steenburgen, actress (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Back to the Future Part 3, Parenthood, Joan of Arcadia)
1955 John Grisham, author (A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker)
1955 John Fox, NFL head coach (Carolina Panthers)
1961 Vince Neil (Wharton), singer (Motley Crue)
1968 Gary Coleman, actor (Diff’rent Strokes)
1969 Mary McCormack, actress (Mystery Alaska, K-Pax, Private Parts, Deep Impact)
1970 Alonzo Mourning, NBA player (Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat)
1974 Seth Green, actor (Austin Powers movies, That 70's Show)
1980 Cameron Muncey, guitarist (Jet)
Today's Deaths in History
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at 44
1956 Connie Mack, baseball manager/executive (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 93
1990 Del Shannon, singer (Runaway) commits suicide at 50
2000 Derrick Thomas, NFL linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs) dies at 33
2005 Keith Knudsen, drummer/singer/songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) dies at 56
2006 Elton Dean, saxophonist (Soft Machine) dies at 60
2007 Anna Nicole Smith, model (1993 Playboy Plamate of the Year) dies at 39
Today in History
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
1692 A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggested that two girls in the family of the village minister may have been suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials.
1693 A charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1802 Simon Willard patented the banjo clock.
1887 The Aurora Ski Club of Red Wing, MN became the first ski club in the United States.
1910 Chicago businessman William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America.
1915 D.W. Griffith's silent movie epic about the Civil War, The Birth of a Nation, premiered in Los Angeles.
1918 The Stars and Stripes, the weekly newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces, was published for the first time.
1924 John Joseph Carty of the Bell Telephone System gave a speech in Chicago, IL which was carried across the nation on the first coast-to-coast radio hookup.
1924 The first execution by gas in the United State took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
1936 The first National Football League draft was held (the Philadelphia Eagles took Jay Berwanger with the first pick).
1960 U.S. Congressional investigators began exploring the influence of payola in the radio and record industries.
1963 Lamar Hunt, owner of the American Football League franchise in Dallas, TX, moved the operation to Kansas City and named the new team the Chiefs.
1968 Three college students died in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.
1969 The last issue of the Saturday Evening Post was published, ending a magazine tradition that began in 1821.
1978 Senate deliberations were broadcast on radio for the first time as members opened debate on the Panama Canal treaties.
1980 President Jimmy Carter unveiled a plan to re-introduce draft registration.
1984 The Winter Olympics opened in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
1985 The Dukes of Hazzard ended its 6-1/2 year run on CBS television.
1990 Singer Del Shannon shot himself in the head with a .22 caliber rifle at his home in Santa Clarita, California.
1992 The XVIth Winter Olympic Games opened in Albertville, France.
1992 "I’m Too Sexy," by Right Said Fred, was #1 in the U.S.
1993 General Motors sued NBC, alleging that the program Dateline NBC had rigged two crashes to show that GM pickups were prone to fires; NBC settled the lawsuit the following day.
1996 An agreement was reached between the city of Cleveland, the NFL and Art Modell, permitting Modell to move his football franchise, the Cleveland Browns, to Baltimore.
1998 Finland beat Sweden 6-0 in the first women's ice hockey game in Olympic history.
2002 Opening Ceremonies of the XIX Winter Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City, UT.
2004 Beyonce won five Grammy Awards, tying the record for female performers held by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keyes and Norah Jones.
2005 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a cease-fire at a summit in Egypt.
2007 Model and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
If - Perry Como
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Fire - Ohio Players
You’re No Good
Boogie on Reggae Woman - Stevie Wonder
Then Who Am I - Charley Pride
1983
Africa - Toto
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Inside - Ronnie Milsap
1991
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
Play that Funky Music - Vanilla Ice
Daddy’s Come Around - Paul Overstreet
Quote of the Day
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
G. K. Chesterton, English author & mystery novelist (1874 - 1936)
Today's Birthdays
1820 William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War general, died Feb 14, 1891
1828 Jules Verne, writer (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days) died Mar 24, 1905
1888 Dame Edith Evans, actress (Scrooge, David Copperfield) died Oct 14, 1976
1921 Lana (Julia Jean) Turner, actress (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Madame X) died June 29, 1995
1925 Jack Lemmon (John Uhler Lemmon III), actor (Mr. Roberts, The Apartment, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men series, Some Like It Hot) died June 27, 2001
1926 Audrey Meadows, actress (The Honeymooners) died Feb 3, 1996
1931 James Dean, actor (Giant, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause) killed in car crash Sep 30, 1955
1932 John Williams, composer (Schindler’s List, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars)
1940 Ted Koppel, journalist/anchor (Nightline)
1941 Nick Nolte, actor (Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Deep, Blue Chips, 48 Hours, The Prince of Tides)
1943 Creed Bratton, actor (The Office)
1948 Dan Seals, singer (England Dan & John Ford Coley)
1948 Ron Tyson, singer (The Temptations)
1949 Brooke Adams, actress (Days of Heaven, Gas Food Lodging)
1953 Mary Steenburgen, actress (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Back to the Future Part 3, Parenthood, Joan of Arcadia)
1955 John Grisham, author (A Time to Kill, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker)
1955 John Fox, NFL head coach (Carolina Panthers)
1961 Vince Neil (Wharton), singer (Motley Crue)
1968 Gary Coleman, actor (Diff’rent Strokes)
1969 Mary McCormack, actress (Mystery Alaska, K-Pax, Private Parts, Deep Impact)
1970 Alonzo Mourning, NBA player (Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat)
1974 Seth Green, actor (Austin Powers movies, That 70's Show)
1980 Cameron Muncey, guitarist (Jet)
Today's Deaths in History
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots, is beheaded at 44
1956 Connie Mack, baseball manager/executive (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 93
1990 Del Shannon, singer (Runaway) commits suicide at 50
2000 Derrick Thomas, NFL linebacker (Kansas City Chiefs) dies at 33
2005 Keith Knudsen, drummer/singer/songwriter (The Doobie Brothers) dies at 56
2006 Elton Dean, saxophonist (Soft Machine) dies at 60
2007 Anna Nicole Smith, model (1993 Playboy Plamate of the Year) dies at 39
Today in History
1587 Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.
1692 A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggested that two girls in the family of the village minister may have been suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials.
1693 A charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
1802 Simon Willard patented the banjo clock.
1887 The Aurora Ski Club of Red Wing, MN became the first ski club in the United States.
1910 Chicago businessman William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America.
1915 D.W. Griffith's silent movie epic about the Civil War, The Birth of a Nation, premiered in Los Angeles.
1918 The Stars and Stripes, the weekly newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces, was published for the first time.
1924 John Joseph Carty of the Bell Telephone System gave a speech in Chicago, IL which was carried across the nation on the first coast-to-coast radio hookup.
1924 The first execution by gas in the United State took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City.
1936 The first National Football League draft was held (the Philadelphia Eagles took Jay Berwanger with the first pick).
1960 U.S. Congressional investigators began exploring the influence of payola in the radio and record industries.
1963 Lamar Hunt, owner of the American Football League franchise in Dallas, TX, moved the operation to Kansas City and named the new team the Chiefs.
1968 Three college students died in a confrontation with highway patrolmen in Orangeburg, S.C., during a civil rights protest against a whites-only bowling alley.
1969 The last issue of the Saturday Evening Post was published, ending a magazine tradition that began in 1821.
1978 Senate deliberations were broadcast on radio for the first time as members opened debate on the Panama Canal treaties.
1980 President Jimmy Carter unveiled a plan to re-introduce draft registration.
1984 The Winter Olympics opened in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
1985 The Dukes of Hazzard ended its 6-1/2 year run on CBS television.
1990 Singer Del Shannon shot himself in the head with a .22 caliber rifle at his home in Santa Clarita, California.
1992 The XVIth Winter Olympic Games opened in Albertville, France.
1992 "I’m Too Sexy," by Right Said Fred, was #1 in the U.S.
1993 General Motors sued NBC, alleging that the program Dateline NBC had rigged two crashes to show that GM pickups were prone to fires; NBC settled the lawsuit the following day.
1996 An agreement was reached between the city of Cleveland, the NFL and Art Modell, permitting Modell to move his football franchise, the Cleveland Browns, to Baltimore.
1998 Finland beat Sweden 6-0 in the first women's ice hockey game in Olympic history.
2002 Opening Ceremonies of the XIX Winter Olympic Games were held in Salt Lake City, UT.
2004 Beyonce won five Grammy Awards, tying the record for female performers held by Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keyes and Norah Jones.
2005 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced a cease-fire at a summit in Egypt.
2007 Model and tabloid sensation Anna Nicole Smith died at age 39 of an accidental drug overdose.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
If - Perry Como
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene
1975
Fire - Ohio Players
You’re No Good
Boogie on Reggae Woman - Stevie Wonder
Then Who Am I - Charley Pride
1983
Africa - Toto
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Inside - Ronnie Milsap
1991
The First Time - Surface
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
Play that Funky Music - Vanilla Ice
Daddy’s Come Around - Paul Overstreet
Quote of the Day
An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
G. K. Chesterton, English author & mystery novelist (1874 - 1936)
Today in History - Feb 9th
Today's Birthdays
1773 William Henry Harrison, 9th U.S. President, died April 4, 1841
1891 Ronald (Charles) Colman, actor (Lost Horizon, Prisoner of Zenda, Around the World in 80 Days) died May 19, 1958
1901 (Waldo) Brian Donlevy, actor (Destry Rides Again, Wake Island, Jesse James) died Apr 5, 1972
1909 Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha), the ‘Brazilian Bombshell,’ singer/dancer/actress (Chiquita Banana) died Aug 5, 1955
1914 Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Hovick), actress/dancer/stripper (The Stripper) died Apr 26, 1970
1914 Ernest Tubb,Country Music Hall of Famer (Walking the Floor Over You) died Sep 6, 1984
1922 Kathryn Grayson (Zelma Hednick), actress (Kiss Me Kate, Show Boat, Anchors Aweigh)
1928 Roger Mudd, broadcast journalist (CBS News, NBC News, PBS)
1942 Carole King (Klein), songwriter/singer (Loco-motion, It’s Too Late, Jazzman)
1943 Joe Pesci, actor (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, My Cousin Vinny, Lethal Weapon series)
1944 Alice Walker, author (The Color Purple)
1945 Mia Farrow (Maria de Lourdes Villers), actress (Peyton Place, Hannah and Her Sisters, Rosemary’s Baby)
1947 Major Harris, R&B singer (Love Won't Let Me Wait)
1949 Judith Light, actress (Who’s the Boss, Ugly Betty)
1955 Charles Shaughnessy, actor (The Nanny)
1958 Chris Nilan, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1960 Holly Johnson, singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1963 (James) Travis Tritt, country singer
1965 Julie Warner, actress (Doc Hollywood, Tommy Boy)
1976 Vladimir Guerrero, MLB outfielder (LA Angels)
1979 Zhang Ziyi, actress (Memoirs of a Geisha, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Road Home)
1981 The Reverend Tholomew Plague, drummer (Avenged Sevenfold)
1981 Bleedin-Blue, board member
1981 John Walker Lindh, American Taliban fighter
Today's Deaths in History
1881 Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov) dies at 59
1969 Gabby Hayes, actor (Hopalong Cassidy) dies at 83
1973 Max Yasgur, farm owner (Woodstock Festival) dies at 53
1981 Bill Haley, singer/guitarist (Bill Haley & his Comets) dies at 55
1984 Yuri V. Andropov, Soviet leader, dies at 69
1997 Brian Connolly, singer (Sweet) dies at 51
2002 Britain's Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 71
Today in History
1825 The House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.
1861 The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president.
1870 The United States Weather Bureau was authorized by Congress.
1885 The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii.
1895 The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.
1932 America entered the 2-man bobsled competition for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games held at Lake Placid, NY.
1942 Daylight-saving "war time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.
1943 The World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.
1950 Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R Wis., during a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., charged that the State Department was riddled with Communists.
1960 A verbal agreement was reached between representatives of the American and National Football Leagues not to tamper with player contracts.
1960 Joanne Woodward received the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1963 The very first Boeing 727 took off.
1964 The Beatles made the first of three record-breaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1969 The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight, ushering in the age of the jumbo jet.
1970 Sly and the Family Stone received a gold record for the single, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."
1971 Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1987 Twenty years after the first woman was admitted to the New York Stock Exchange, the Exchange Luncheon Club installed a ladies rest room.
1993 NBC News announced it had settled a defamation lawsuit brought by General Motors over the network's "inappropriate demonstration" of a fiery pickup truck crash on Dateline NBC.
1995 Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale became the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
1997 The Simpsons became the longest-running prime-time animated series; the record was previously held by The Flintstones.
1999 The Senate began closed-door deliberations in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2001 A collision between the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Greeneville and the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru sank the fishing boat; nine of the 35 people aboard the Japanese vessel were killed in the collision.
2006 Kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll appeared in a video aired on a private Kuwaiti TV station, appealing for her supporters to do whatever it took to win her release "as quickly as possible" (she was freed the following month).
2007 Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Munich, Germany, that serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggested that Iranians were linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants.
Chart Topppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
No Love, No Nothin’ - Ella Mae Morse
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Where or When - Dion & The Belmonts
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Spooky - Classics IV
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
Sometimes - Bill Anderson & Mary Lou Turner
1984
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Joanna - Kool & The Gang
Running with the Night - Lionel Richie
Show Her - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Today's Birthdays
1773 William Henry Harrison, 9th U.S. President, died April 4, 1841
1891 Ronald (Charles) Colman, actor (Lost Horizon, Prisoner of Zenda, Around the World in 80 Days) died May 19, 1958
1901 (Waldo) Brian Donlevy, actor (Destry Rides Again, Wake Island, Jesse James) died Apr 5, 1972
1909 Carmen Miranda (Maria do Carmo Miranda Da Cunha), the ‘Brazilian Bombshell,’ singer/dancer/actress (Chiquita Banana) died Aug 5, 1955
1914 Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Hovick), actress/dancer/stripper (The Stripper) died Apr 26, 1970
1914 Ernest Tubb,Country Music Hall of Famer (Walking the Floor Over You) died Sep 6, 1984
1922 Kathryn Grayson (Zelma Hednick), actress (Kiss Me Kate, Show Boat, Anchors Aweigh)
1928 Roger Mudd, broadcast journalist (CBS News, NBC News, PBS)
1942 Carole King (Klein), songwriter/singer (Loco-motion, It’s Too Late, Jazzman)
1943 Joe Pesci, actor (Goodfellas, Raging Bull, My Cousin Vinny, Lethal Weapon series)
1944 Alice Walker, author (The Color Purple)
1945 Mia Farrow (Maria de Lourdes Villers), actress (Peyton Place, Hannah and Her Sisters, Rosemary’s Baby)
1947 Major Harris, R&B singer (Love Won't Let Me Wait)
1949 Judith Light, actress (Who’s the Boss, Ugly Betty)
1955 Charles Shaughnessy, actor (The Nanny)
1958 Chris Nilan, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1960 Holly Johnson, singer (Frankie Goes to Hollywood)
1963 (James) Travis Tritt, country singer
1965 Julie Warner, actress (Doc Hollywood, Tommy Boy)
1976 Vladimir Guerrero, MLB outfielder (LA Angels)
1979 Zhang Ziyi, actress (Memoirs of a Geisha, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Road Home)
1981 The Reverend Tholomew Plague, drummer (Avenged Sevenfold)
1981 Bleedin-Blue, board member
1981 John Walker Lindh, American Taliban fighter
Today's Deaths in History
1881 Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov) dies at 59
1969 Gabby Hayes, actor (Hopalong Cassidy) dies at 83
1973 Max Yasgur, farm owner (Woodstock Festival) dies at 53
1981 Bill Haley, singer/guitarist (Bill Haley & his Comets) dies at 55
1984 Yuri V. Andropov, Soviet leader, dies at 69
1997 Brian Connolly, singer (Sweet) dies at 51
2002 Britain's Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, dies at 71
Today in History
1825 The House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.
1861 The Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis president and Alexander H. Stephens vice president.
1870 The United States Weather Bureau was authorized by Congress.
1885 The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawaii.
1895 The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.
1932 America entered the 2-man bobsled competition for the first time at the Olympic Winter Games held at Lake Placid, NY.
1942 Daylight-saving "war time" went into effect in the United States, with clocks turned one hour forward.
1943 The World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.
1950 Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R Wis., during a speech in Wheeling, W.Va., charged that the State Department was riddled with Communists.
1960 A verbal agreement was reached between representatives of the American and National Football Leagues not to tamper with player contracts.
1960 Joanne Woodward received the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1963 The very first Boeing 727 took off.
1964 The Beatles made the first of three record-breaking appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1969 The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight, ushering in the age of the jumbo jet.
1970 Sly and the Family Stone received a gold record for the single, "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."
1971 Satchel Paige became the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1987 Twenty years after the first woman was admitted to the New York Stock Exchange, the Exchange Luncheon Club installed a ladies rest room.
1993 NBC News announced it had settled a defamation lawsuit brought by General Motors over the network's "inappropriate demonstration" of a fiery pickup truck crash on Dateline NBC.
1995 Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale became the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
1997 The Simpsons became the longest-running prime-time animated series; the record was previously held by The Flintstones.
1999 The Senate began closed-door deliberations in President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial.
2001 A collision between the nuclear submarine U.S.S. Greeneville and the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru sank the fishing boat; nine of the 35 people aboard the Japanese vessel were killed in the collision.
2006 Kidnapped American journalist Jill Carroll appeared in a video aired on a private Kuwaiti TV station, appealing for her supporters to do whatever it took to win her release "as quickly as possible" (she was freed the following month).
2007 Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Munich, Germany, that serial numbers and other markings on bombs suggested that Iranians were linked to deadly explosives used by Iraqi militants.
Chart Topppers
1944
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
No Love, No Nothin’ - Ella Mae Morse
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Where or When - Dion & The Belmonts
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers
Spooky - Classics IV
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
Sometimes - Bill Anderson & Mary Lou Turner
1984
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Joanna - Kool & The Gang
Running with the Night - Lionel Richie
Show Her - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.
Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)
Today in History - Feb 10th
Today's Birthdays
1890 Boris Pasternak, poet/writer (Doctor Zhivago) died May 30, 1960
1893 Jimmy (James Francis) Durante, actor/comedian ("Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.") died Jan 29, 1980
1898 Dame Judith (Frances Margaret) Anderson, actress (The Ten Commandments, Star Trek 3, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) died Jan 3, 1992
1898 Bertolt Brecht, German author (Baal, Drums in the Night) died August 14, 1956
1906 Lon Chaney Jr., actor (The Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, Dracula vs. Frankenstein) died July 12, 1973
1920 Alex Comfort, author (The Joy of Sex) died Mar 26, 2000
1923 Allie Sherman, former NFL head coach (NY Giants)
1924 Bud (Norman) Poile, NHL right wing/coach/league executice (NY Rangers) died January 4, 2005
1927 Leontyne Price, operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera)
1930 Robert Wagner, actor (Hart to Hart, The Towering Inferno, Titanic, Pink Panther, Midway)
1937 Don Wilson, rhythm guitarist (The Ventures)
1939 Roberta Flack,singer (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Feel Like Making Love, Killing Me Softly With His Song)
1940 Jimmy Merchant, singer (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers)
1949 Nigel Olsson, drummer (Elton John)
1949 Harold Sylvester, actor (An Officer and a Gentleman, Uncommon Valor, Innerspace, Vision Quest)
1950 Mark Spitz, Olympic Gold Medal swimmer
1955 Greg Norman, golf champion
1961 George Stephanopoulos, broadcast journalist (This Week)
1961 Alexander Payne, director (Sideways)
1962 Cliff Burton, bassist (Metallica) died September 27, 1986
1963 Lenny (Leonard Kyle) Dykstra , MLB centerfielder (NY Mets, Philadelphia Phillies)
1964 Glenn Beck, radio/television host/commentator
1967 Laura Dern, actress (Jurassic Park, Blue Velvet, Rambling Rose)
1968 Peter Popovic, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1972 steamroller, board member
1974 Elizabeth Banks, actress (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Slither, Invincible)
1975 Amber Frey, witness against Scott Peterson
1991 Emma Roberts, actress (Nancy Drew)
Today's Deaths in History
1912 Joseph Lister, British surgeon/inventor (antiseptic treatment of wounds) dies at 84
1923 Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist (X-Rays) died at 77
1957 Laura Ingalls Wilder, author (Little House on the Prairie) dies at 90
1992 Alex Haley, author (Roots) dies at 70
2000 Jim Varney, actor (Ernest series) dies at 50
2001 Abraham Beame, former mayor (New York City) dies at 94
2003 Ron Ziegler, White House Press Secretary (Richard Nixon) dies at 63
2005 Arthur Miller, playwright (Death of a Salesman) dies at 89
2007 Ned Austin, character actor (Maximum Overdrive, Annie Hall) dies at 81
Today in History
1542 Queen Catherine Howard of England was confined in the Tower of London to be executed three days later for treason (adultery).
1763 France ceded Canada to England under the Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War.
1846 Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons, began an exodus west from Illinois.
1863 Two of the world’s most famous midgets, General Tom Thumb, (3' 4") and his lovely bride, Lavinia Warren, (2' 8"), were married in New York City.
1863 The fire extinguisher was patented by Alanson Crane.
1870 The YWCA was founded in New York City.
1897 The New York Times began using the slogan, "All the news that's fit to print" on its front page.
1933 The singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegraph Company of New York City.
1934 The first imperforated, ungummed sheets of postage stamps were issued by the U.S. Postal Service in New York City.
1935 The Pennsylvania Railroad began passenger service with its new ‘streamlined’ electric locomotive.
1942 The former French liner Normandie capsized in New York Harbor a day after it caught fire while being refitted for the U.S. Navy.
1949 Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman opened on Broadway.
1954 President Dwight Eisenhower warned against United States intervention in Vietnam.
1956 Elvis Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA Records in Nashville, TN.
1961 The American Football League Los Angeles franchise was transferred to San Diego.
1962 The Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for a Soviet spy held by the United States.
1964 Bob Dylan's album The Times They Are A-Changin' was released.
1965 Hubert H. Humphrey was quoted as saying, "The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor."
1967 The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, was ratified by Congress.
1968 Peggy Fleming of the United States won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.
1981 Fire broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino, killing eight people and injuring 198.
1989 Ron Brown was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first black to head a major U.S. political party.
1992 Boxer Mike Tyson was convicted in Indianapolis of raping Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant.
1996 The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov at chess for the first time.
1998 AOL raised its monthly flat access rate from $19.95 to $21.95, explaining it needed to upgrade its network to handle the onslaught of people taking advantage of its flat price.
1998 Voters in Maine repealed a gay rights law passed in 1997, becoming the first U.S. state to abandon that law.
2000 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered inspections of MD-80, MD-90, DC-9 and Boeing 717 series jetliners in the wake of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which crashed off the California coast January 31, killing all 88 people on board.
2003 Iraq agreed to allow U-2 surveillance flights over its territory, meeting a key demand by U.N. inspectors searching for banned weapons; President George W. Bush brushed aside Iraqi concessions as too little, too late.
2005 North Korea boasted publicly for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons.
2007 Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced his bid for president.
2007 Gen. David Petraeus took charge of U.S. forces in Iraq.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
1961
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
1985
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Easy Lover - Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Ain’t She Somethin’ Else - Conway Twitty
Quote of the Day
As I grow older , I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me.
H. Rider Haggard, English novelist (1856 - 1925)
Today's Birthdays
1890 Boris Pasternak, poet/writer (Doctor Zhivago) died May 30, 1960
1893 Jimmy (James Francis) Durante, actor/comedian ("Good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.") died Jan 29, 1980
1898 Dame Judith (Frances Margaret) Anderson, actress (The Ten Commandments, Star Trek 3, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) died Jan 3, 1992
1898 Bertolt Brecht, German author (Baal, Drums in the Night) died August 14, 1956
1906 Lon Chaney Jr., actor (The Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, Dracula vs. Frankenstein) died July 12, 1973
1920 Alex Comfort, author (The Joy of Sex) died Mar 26, 2000
1923 Allie Sherman, former NFL head coach (NY Giants)
1924 Bud (Norman) Poile, NHL right wing/coach/league executice (NY Rangers) died January 4, 2005
1927 Leontyne Price, operatic soprano (Metropolitan Opera)
1930 Robert Wagner, actor (Hart to Hart, The Towering Inferno, Titanic, Pink Panther, Midway)
1937 Don Wilson, rhythm guitarist (The Ventures)
1939 Roberta Flack,singer (The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Feel Like Making Love, Killing Me Softly With His Song)
1940 Jimmy Merchant, singer (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers)
1949 Nigel Olsson, drummer (Elton John)
1949 Harold Sylvester, actor (An Officer and a Gentleman, Uncommon Valor, Innerspace, Vision Quest)
1950 Mark Spitz, Olympic Gold Medal swimmer
1955 Greg Norman, golf champion
1961 George Stephanopoulos, broadcast journalist (This Week)
1961 Alexander Payne, director (Sideways)
1962 Cliff Burton, bassist (Metallica) died September 27, 1986
1963 Lenny (Leonard Kyle) Dykstra , MLB centerfielder (NY Mets, Philadelphia Phillies)
1964 Glenn Beck, radio/television host/commentator
1967 Laura Dern, actress (Jurassic Park, Blue Velvet, Rambling Rose)
1968 Peter Popovic, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1972 steamroller, board member
1974 Elizabeth Banks, actress (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Slither, Invincible)
1975 Amber Frey, witness against Scott Peterson
1991 Emma Roberts, actress (Nancy Drew)
Today's Deaths in History
1912 Joseph Lister, British surgeon/inventor (antiseptic treatment of wounds) dies at 84
1923 Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist (X-Rays) died at 77
1957 Laura Ingalls Wilder, author (Little House on the Prairie) dies at 90
1992 Alex Haley, author (Roots) dies at 70
2000 Jim Varney, actor (Ernest series) dies at 50
2001 Abraham Beame, former mayor (New York City) dies at 94
2003 Ron Ziegler, White House Press Secretary (Richard Nixon) dies at 63
2005 Arthur Miller, playwright (Death of a Salesman) dies at 89
2007 Ned Austin, character actor (Maximum Overdrive, Annie Hall) dies at 81
Today in History
1542 Queen Catherine Howard of England was confined in the Tower of London to be executed three days later for treason (adultery).
1763 France ceded Canada to England under the Treaty of Paris, which ended the French and Indian War.
1846 Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the Mormons, began an exodus west from Illinois.
1863 Two of the world’s most famous midgets, General Tom Thumb, (3' 4") and his lovely bride, Lavinia Warren, (2' 8"), were married in New York City.
1863 The fire extinguisher was patented by Alanson Crane.
1870 The YWCA was founded in New York City.
1897 The New York Times began using the slogan, "All the news that's fit to print" on its front page.
1933 The singing telegram was introduced by the Postal Telegraph Company of New York City.
1934 The first imperforated, ungummed sheets of postage stamps were issued by the U.S. Postal Service in New York City.
1935 The Pennsylvania Railroad began passenger service with its new ‘streamlined’ electric locomotive.
1942 The former French liner Normandie capsized in New York Harbor a day after it caught fire while being refitted for the U.S. Navy.
1949 Arthur Miller's play Death of a Salesman opened on Broadway.
1954 President Dwight Eisenhower warned against United States intervention in Vietnam.
1956 Elvis Presley recorded "Heartbreak Hotel" for RCA Records in Nashville, TN.
1961 The American Football League Los Angeles franchise was transferred to San Diego.
1962 The Soviet Union exchanged captured American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers for a Soviet spy held by the United States.
1964 Bob Dylan's album The Times They Are A-Changin' was released.
1965 Hubert H. Humphrey was quoted as saying, "The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor."
1967 The 25th Amendment to the Constitution, dealing with presidential disability and succession, was ratified by Congress.
1968 Peggy Fleming of the United States won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France.
1981 Fire broke out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino, killing eight people and injuring 198.
1989 Ron Brown was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first black to head a major U.S. political party.
1992 Boxer Mike Tyson was convicted in Indianapolis of raping Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant.
1996 The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov at chess for the first time.
1998 AOL raised its monthly flat access rate from $19.95 to $21.95, explaining it needed to upgrade its network to handle the onslaught of people taking advantage of its flat price.
1998 Voters in Maine repealed a gay rights law passed in 1997, becoming the first U.S. state to abandon that law.
2000 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered inspections of MD-80, MD-90, DC-9 and Boeing 717 series jetliners in the wake of the crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261, which crashed off the California coast January 31, killing all 88 people on board.
2003 Iraq agreed to allow U-2 surveillance flights over its territory, meeting a key demand by U.N. inspectors searching for banned weapons; President George W. Bush brushed aside Iraqi concessions as too little, too late.
2005 North Korea boasted publicly for the first time that it possessed nuclear weapons.
2007 Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced his bid for president.
2007 Gen. David Petraeus took charge of U.S. forces in Iraq.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Johnny Mercer
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Why Don’t You Believe Me - Joni James
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
1961
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Daddy Sang Bass - Johnny Cash
1977
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
1985
I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
Easy Lover - Philip Bailey with Phil Collins
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Ain’t She Somethin’ Else - Conway Twitty
Quote of the Day
As I grow older , I regret to say that a detestable habit of thinking seems to be getting a hold of me.
H. Rider Haggard, English novelist (1856 - 1925)
Today in History - Feb 11th
Today's Birthdays
1847 Thomas Alva Edison, inventor (incandescent light bulb, phonograph) died Oct 18, 1931
1908 Philip Dunne, director/playwright (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, How Green was My Valley) died June 2, 1992
1909 Max (Maximillian Adalbert) Baer, boxing champion, died Nov 21, 1959
1909 Joseph Mankiewicz, playwright/director (All About Eve, Guys and Dolls, The Barefoot Contessa) died Feb 5, 1993
1917 Sidney Sheldon, author (Bloodline, The Other Side of Midnight) died Jan 30, 2007
1919 Eva Gabor, actress (Green Acres, Gigi, The Last Time I Saw Paris) died July 4, 1995
1926 Leslie Nielsen, actor (Police Squad, Airplane series, Naked Gun series, Forbidden Planet)
1928 Conrad Janis, actor (Mork and Mindy)
1934 Tina Louise (Blacker), actress (Gilligan’s Island)
1935 Gene Vincent (Craddock), singer (Be-Bop-A-Lula) died Oct 12, 1971
1936 Burt Reynolds, actor (Evening Shade, Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit series, Cannonball Run, The Longest Yard)
1938 Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett, singer (The Monster Mash) died April 25, 2007
1939 Gerry Goffin, lyricist (Will You Love Me Tomorrow, You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman)
1953 Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida/brother of President Bush
1961 Carey Lowell, actress (Law and Order, Licence to Kill)
1962 Sheryl Crow, singer (All I Wanna Do, Every Day is a Winding Road)
1963 Diane Franklin, actress (The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)
1969 Jennifer Aniston, actress (Friends, Rock Star, The Good Girl)
1972 Kelly Slater, surfing champion
1977 Mike Shinoda, rapper/keyboardist (Linkin Park)
1979 Brandy Norwood, singer (The Boy Is Mine)
1981 Kelly Rowland, R&B singer (Destiny's Child)
1990 Q'orianka Kilcher, actress (The New World)
Today's Deaths in History
1511 Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, dies at 5 weeks
1650 René Descartes, French philosopher (Cogito ergo sum) dies at 53
1948 Sergei Eisenstein, Latvian film director (Battleship Potemkin) dies at 50
1963 Sylvia Plath, writer (The Bell Jar) dies at 30
1976 Lee J Cobb, actor (Death of a Salesman, On the Waterfront) dies at 64
1982 Eleanor Powell, actress/dancer (Broadway Melody of 1936) dies at 69
1986 Frank Herbert, author (Dune) dies at 65
1994 Neil Bonnett, NASCAR driver, dies at 47
1994 Sorrell Booke, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) dies at 64
1994 William Conrad, actor (Cannon, Jake and the Fat Man) dies at 73
2000 Roger Vadim, French director (And God Created Woman) dies at 72
2006 Peter Benchley, author (Jaws) dies at 65
Today in History
1531 Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
1752 The Pennsylvania Hospital opened, the first hospital in America.
1809 Robert Fulton patented the steamboat.
1812 Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law that favored his party, giving rise to the term "gerrymandering."
1858 A French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary near Lourdes.
1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln and his wife left Springfield, IL by train for Washington, D.C.
1916 Emma Goldman was arrested for lecturing on birth control.
1916 The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert, the first by a municipal orchestra supported by taxes.
1929 The Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.
1937 A sit-down strike against General Motors ended with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
1940 NBC radio presented The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street for the first time.
1941 The first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
1943 General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin wrapped up a conference at Yalta in the Crimea by signing a series of agreements on the governance of post-World War II Europe.
1953 President Dwight Eisenhower refused a clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
1958 Ruth Carol Taylor became the first black stewardess (flight attendant), on Mohawk Airlines.
1960 Jack Paar walked off NBC’s Tonight Show in a spat with censors.
1966 Willie Mays became the highest-paid baseball player in either league as he signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for a salary of $130,000 a year.
1968 The new 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden officially opened in New York.
1970 Variety reported that Walt Disney had secretly taken its Song of the South movie out of circulation back in 1958.
1972 McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine canceled plans to publish what turned out to be a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.
1979 Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile.
1982 ABC-TV’s presentation of The Winds of War concluded; the 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most-watched television program in history at the time.
1985 Kent Hrbek became the first player in the history of the Minnesota Twins to sign a contract for $1 million.
1987 North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith got his 600th career coaching win as the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest 94-85.
1989 The Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 55, of Boston, was consecrated as the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican Church.
1990 James ‘Buster’ Douglas knocked out ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the 10th round to grab the heavyweight boxing crown.
1990 Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leading antiapartheid figure was freed after 27 years in prison.
1993 President Bill Clinton announced his choice of Miami prosecutor Janet Reno to be the nation's first female attorney general.
1997 The Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
2002 Israel attacked Palestinian security headquarters in Gaza City in response to unprecedented Palestinian rocket fire and a shooting attack on Israeli civilians.
2003 The al-Jazeera Arab satellite station broadcast what was believed to be a new audio statement from Osama bin Laden urging Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks on Americans.
2004 A car bomb at an army recruiting center in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 47 people.
2006 Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.
2006 Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, won approval from a secretive U.S. panel for a $6.8 billion deal to take over operations at six American ports (the deal was later blocked).
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Young-at-Heart - Frank Sinatra
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
Norman - Sue Thompson
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Venus - The Shocking Blue
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star - Sly & The Family Stone
I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Dionne Warwick
A Week in a Country Jail - Tom T. Hall
1978
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love - Larry Gatlin with Brothers &
Friends
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Hurt - Juice Newton
Quote of the Day
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
Thomas Jones (1892 - 1969)
Today's Birthdays
1847 Thomas Alva Edison, inventor (incandescent light bulb, phonograph) died Oct 18, 1931
1908 Philip Dunne, director/playwright (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, How Green was My Valley) died June 2, 1992
1909 Max (Maximillian Adalbert) Baer, boxing champion, died Nov 21, 1959
1909 Joseph Mankiewicz, playwright/director (All About Eve, Guys and Dolls, The Barefoot Contessa) died Feb 5, 1993
1917 Sidney Sheldon, author (Bloodline, The Other Side of Midnight) died Jan 30, 2007
1919 Eva Gabor, actress (Green Acres, Gigi, The Last Time I Saw Paris) died July 4, 1995
1926 Leslie Nielsen, actor (Police Squad, Airplane series, Naked Gun series, Forbidden Planet)
1928 Conrad Janis, actor (Mork and Mindy)
1934 Tina Louise (Blacker), actress (Gilligan’s Island)
1935 Gene Vincent (Craddock), singer (Be-Bop-A-Lula) died Oct 12, 1971
1936 Burt Reynolds, actor (Evening Shade, Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit series, Cannonball Run, The Longest Yard)
1938 Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett, singer (The Monster Mash) died April 25, 2007
1939 Gerry Goffin, lyricist (Will You Love Me Tomorrow, You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman)
1953 Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida/brother of President Bush
1961 Carey Lowell, actress (Law and Order, Licence to Kill)
1962 Sheryl Crow, singer (All I Wanna Do, Every Day is a Winding Road)
1963 Diane Franklin, actress (The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)
1969 Jennifer Aniston, actress (Friends, Rock Star, The Good Girl)
1972 Kelly Slater, surfing champion
1977 Mike Shinoda, rapper/keyboardist (Linkin Park)
1979 Brandy Norwood, singer (The Boy Is Mine)
1981 Kelly Rowland, R&B singer (Destiny's Child)
1990 Q'orianka Kilcher, actress (The New World)
Today's Deaths in History
1511 Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, dies at 5 weeks
1650 René Descartes, French philosopher (Cogito ergo sum) dies at 53
1948 Sergei Eisenstein, Latvian film director (Battleship Potemkin) dies at 50
1963 Sylvia Plath, writer (The Bell Jar) dies at 30
1976 Lee J Cobb, actor (Death of a Salesman, On the Waterfront) dies at 64
1982 Eleanor Powell, actress/dancer (Broadway Melody of 1936) dies at 69
1986 Frank Herbert, author (Dune) dies at 65
1994 Neil Bonnett, NASCAR driver, dies at 47
1994 Sorrell Booke, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) dies at 64
1994 William Conrad, actor (Cannon, Jake and the Fat Man) dies at 73
2000 Roger Vadim, French director (And God Created Woman) dies at 72
2006 Peter Benchley, author (Jaws) dies at 65
Today in History
1531 Henry VIII of England was recognized as supreme head of the Church of England.
1752 The Pennsylvania Hospital opened, the first hospital in America.
1809 Robert Fulton patented the steamboat.
1812 Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting law that favored his party, giving rise to the term "gerrymandering."
1858 A French girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary near Lourdes.
1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln and his wife left Springfield, IL by train for Washington, D.C.
1916 Emma Goldman was arrested for lecturing on birth control.
1916 The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra presented its first concert, the first by a municipal orchestra supported by taxes.
1929 The Lateran Treaty was signed, with Italy recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Vatican City.
1937 A sit-down strike against General Motors ended with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
1940 NBC radio presented The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street for the first time.
1941 The first gold record was presented to Glenn Miller for "Chattanooga Choo Choo."
1943 General Dwight David Eisenhower was selected to command the allied armies in Europe.
1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin wrapped up a conference at Yalta in the Crimea by signing a series of agreements on the governance of post-World War II Europe.
1953 President Dwight Eisenhower refused a clemency appeal for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.
1958 Ruth Carol Taylor became the first black stewardess (flight attendant), on Mohawk Airlines.
1960 Jack Paar walked off NBC’s Tonight Show in a spat with censors.
1966 Willie Mays became the highest-paid baseball player in either league as he signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants for a salary of $130,000 a year.
1968 The new 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden officially opened in New York.
1970 Variety reported that Walt Disney had secretly taken its Song of the South movie out of circulation back in 1958.
1972 McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. and Life magazine canceled plans to publish what turned out to be a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.
1979 Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile.
1982 ABC-TV’s presentation of The Winds of War concluded; the 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most-watched television program in history at the time.
1985 Kent Hrbek became the first player in the history of the Minnesota Twins to sign a contract for $1 million.
1987 North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith got his 600th career coaching win as the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest 94-85.
1989 The Rev. Barbara C. Harris, 55, of Boston, was consecrated as the first female bishop in the 450-year history of the Anglican Church.
1990 James ‘Buster’ Douglas knocked out ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson in the 10th round to grab the heavyweight boxing crown.
1990 Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s leading antiapartheid figure was freed after 27 years in prison.
1993 President Bill Clinton announced his choice of Miami prosecutor Janet Reno to be the nation's first female attorney general.
1997 The Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
2002 Israel attacked Palestinian security headquarters in Gaza City in response to unprecedented Palestinian rocket fire and a shooting attack on Israeli civilians.
2003 The al-Jazeera Arab satellite station broadcast what was believed to be a new audio statement from Osama bin Laden urging Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks on Americans.
2004 A car bomb at an army recruiting center in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 47 people.
2006 Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and wounded a companion during a weekend quail-hunting trip in Texas.
2006 Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, won approval from a secretive U.S. panel for a $6.8 billion deal to take over operations at six American ports (the deal was later blocked).
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Let It Snow - Vaughn Monroe
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Young-at-Heart - Frank Sinatra
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1962
Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & The Starliters
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
Norman - Sue Thompson
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Venus - The Shocking Blue
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star - Sly & The Family Stone
I’ll Never Fall in Love Again - Dionne Warwick
A Week in a Country Jail - Tom T. Hall
1978
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love - Larry Gatlin with Brothers &
Friends
1986
That’s What Friends are For - Dionne & Friends
Burning Heart - Survivor
I’m Your Man - Wham!
Hurt - Juice Newton
Quote of the Day
Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
Thomas Jones (1892 - 1969)
QUOTE
2006 Peter Benchley, author (Jaws) dies at 65
Wow - and Schieder died yesterday? Weird.
QUOTE(Sed @ Feb 11 2008, 09:19 AM)
Wow - and Schieder died yesterday? Weird.
I was thinking the same thing as I was compiling that this morning....kept hearing the opening theme of Twilight Zone in the back of my mind.......
Today in History - Feb 12th
Today's Birthdays
1775 Louisa Adams (Johnson), 1st Lady, died May 15, 1852
1809 Charles Darwin, naturalist (On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection) died Apr 19, 1882
1809 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, assassinated Apr 15, 1865
1893 Omar Bradley, Army General/first Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (WWII) died April 8, 1981
1904 Ted Mack (William Maguiness), TV host (The Original Amateur Hour) died July 12, 1976
1914 (Gordon) Tex Beneke, singer/tenor sax (Glenn Miller Orchestra) died May 30, 2000
1915 Lorne Greene, actor (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica) died Sep 11, 1987
1917 Dom (Dominic Paul) DiMaggio, MLB center fielder (Boston Red Sox)
1919 Forrest Tucker, actor (Sands of Iwo Jima, The Yearling, F Troop) died Oct 25, 1986
1926 Joe (Joseph Henry) Garagiola, MLB catcher/sportscaster (SL Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, NY Giants)
1926 Charles Van Doren, quiz show contestant (quiz show scandal)
1930 Arlen Specter, US Senator (R-Pa)
1934 Bill Russell (William Felton), Basketball Hall of Famer (Boston Celtics)
1936 Joe Don Baker, actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Natural, Fletch)
1938 Johnny Rutherford, Indy car racer
1939 Ray Manzarek, keyboardist (The Doors)
1945 Maud Adams, actress (Octopussy, The Man with the Golden Gun)
1946 Joe Schermie, bassist (Three Dog Night) died Mar 25, 2002
1948 Mike Robitaille, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1950 Michael Ironside, actor (Scanners, Top Gun, Total Recall, Starship Troopers)
1950 Steve Hackett, guitarist (Genesis, GTR)
1952 Michael McDonald, singer (The Doobie Brothers)
1953 Joanna Kerns, actress (The Four Seasons, Growing Pains)
1955 Arsenio Hall, TV talk-show host
1956 Brian Robertson, guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Motörhead)
1965 Christine Elise, actress (Beverly Hills 90210, ER)
1968 Chynna Phillips, singer (Wilson Phillips)
1968 Josh Brolin, actor (No Country for Old Men)
1968 Christopher McCandless, subject of biography Into the Wild, died Aug 18, 1992
1970 Jim Creeggan, bassist (Barenaked Ladies)
1976 Anna Benson, model/former stripper/Mrs Kris Benson
1979 Jesse Spencer, actor (House)
1980 Christina Ricci, actress (Addams Family series, Black Snake Moan, Sleepy Hollow)
1980 Sarah Lancaster, actress (Chuck)
1981 Zaylenz, board member
Today's Deaths in History
1554 Lady Jane Grey, claimant to the English throne, is beheaded at 16
1789 Ethan Allen, American patriot (Green Mountain Boys) dies at 51
1804 Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (enlightenment philosophy) dies at 79
1971 James C. Penney, department store founder, dies at 95
1976 Sal Mineo, actor (Rebel Without a Cause) dies at 37
1983 Eubie Blake, musician/songwriter (Charleston Rag, Love Will Find a Way) dies at 96
1991 Roger Patterson, death metal bassist (R.A.V.A.G.E.) dies at 23
1995 Philip Taylor Kramer, bassist (Iron Butterfly) dies at 42
2000 Screamin' Jay Hawkins, blues/rock musician (I Put a Spell On You) dies at 70
2000 Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist (Peanuts) dies at 77
2000 Tom Landry, Football Hall of Fame coach (Dallas Cowboys) dies at 75
2007 Randy Stone, actor/casting director (Millennium) dies at 58
Today in History
1554 Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, was beheaded after being charged with treason.
1733 English colonists led by James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, Ga.
1855 Michigan State University was established.
1878 Frederick W. Thayer, the captain of the Harvard University Baseball Club, patented the now-familiar baseball catcher’s mask.
1879 The first artificial ice rink in North America opened at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
1880 The National Croquet League was organized in Philadelphia, PA.
1909 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.
1912 Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, abdicated, marking the end of the Qing Dynasty.
1915 The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C.
1924 George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premiered in New York City.
1924 Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential political speech on radio.
1924 The Eveready Hour became radio’s first sponsored network program.
1940 Mutual Radio presented the first broadcast of the tales of comic-strip hero Superman.
1964 The Beatles played two concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1968 Singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix received an honorary high school diploma from Garfield High School in Seattle, WA, where he had dropped out at the age of 14.
1973 The first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.
1973 The State of Ohio went metric, becoming the first in the U.S. to post metric distance signs along Interstate 71.
1993 Two 10-year-old boys lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother at a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, then beat him to death.
1994 The XVIIth Winter Olympic Games opened in Lillehammer, Norway.
1998 A federal judge threw out President Bill Clinton's new line-item veto authority.
1999 The Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
2000 Hall-of-Fame football coach Tom Landry, who led the Dallas Cowboys to five Super Bowls in 20 consecutive winning seasons, died in Irving, Texas.
2001 The NEAR spacecraft touched down on Eros, completing the first landing on an asteroid.
2002 The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic began in The Hague.
2002 Pakistan charged three men in connection with the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi.
2004 Defying a California law, San Francisco officials began performing weddings for same-sex couples.
2006 A record 26.9 inches of snow fell in New York's Central Park.
2007 A gunman opened fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing 5 people in the Trolley Square shooting.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Hearts of Stone - Fontane Sisters
Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) - Perry Como
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Loop De Loop - Johnny Thunder
Up on the Roof - The Drifters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
Joshua - Dolly Parton
1979
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John
Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt
1987
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Change of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
Leave Me Lonely - Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other.
Jascha Heifetz, Russian-American violinist (1901 - 1987)
Today's Birthdays
1775 Louisa Adams (Johnson), 1st Lady, died May 15, 1852
1809 Charles Darwin, naturalist (On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection) died Apr 19, 1882
1809 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, assassinated Apr 15, 1865
1893 Omar Bradley, Army General/first Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (WWII) died April 8, 1981
1904 Ted Mack (William Maguiness), TV host (The Original Amateur Hour) died July 12, 1976
1914 (Gordon) Tex Beneke, singer/tenor sax (Glenn Miller Orchestra) died May 30, 2000
1915 Lorne Greene, actor (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica) died Sep 11, 1987
1917 Dom (Dominic Paul) DiMaggio, MLB center fielder (Boston Red Sox)
1919 Forrest Tucker, actor (Sands of Iwo Jima, The Yearling, F Troop) died Oct 25, 1986
1926 Joe (Joseph Henry) Garagiola, MLB catcher/sportscaster (SL Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, NY Giants)
1926 Charles Van Doren, quiz show contestant (quiz show scandal)
1930 Arlen Specter, US Senator (R-Pa)
1934 Bill Russell (William Felton), Basketball Hall of Famer (Boston Celtics)
1936 Joe Don Baker, actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Natural, Fletch)
1938 Johnny Rutherford, Indy car racer
1939 Ray Manzarek, keyboardist (The Doors)
1945 Maud Adams, actress (Octopussy, The Man with the Golden Gun)
1946 Joe Schermie, bassist (Three Dog Night) died Mar 25, 2002
1948 Mike Robitaille, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1950 Michael Ironside, actor (Scanners, Top Gun, Total Recall, Starship Troopers)
1950 Steve Hackett, guitarist (Genesis, GTR)
1952 Michael McDonald, singer (The Doobie Brothers)
1953 Joanna Kerns, actress (The Four Seasons, Growing Pains)
1955 Arsenio Hall, TV talk-show host
1956 Brian Robertson, guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Motörhead)
1965 Christine Elise, actress (Beverly Hills 90210, ER)
1968 Chynna Phillips, singer (Wilson Phillips)
1968 Josh Brolin, actor (No Country for Old Men)
1968 Christopher McCandless, subject of biography Into the Wild, died Aug 18, 1992
1970 Jim Creeggan, bassist (Barenaked Ladies)
1976 Anna Benson, model/former stripper/Mrs Kris Benson
1979 Jesse Spencer, actor (House)
1980 Christina Ricci, actress (Addams Family series, Black Snake Moan, Sleepy Hollow)
1980 Sarah Lancaster, actress (Chuck)
1981 Zaylenz, board member
Today's Deaths in History
1554 Lady Jane Grey, claimant to the English throne, is beheaded at 16
1789 Ethan Allen, American patriot (Green Mountain Boys) dies at 51
1804 Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (enlightenment philosophy) dies at 79
1971 James C. Penney, department store founder, dies at 95
1976 Sal Mineo, actor (Rebel Without a Cause) dies at 37
1983 Eubie Blake, musician/songwriter (Charleston Rag, Love Will Find a Way) dies at 96
1991 Roger Patterson, death metal bassist (R.A.V.A.G.E.) dies at 23
1995 Philip Taylor Kramer, bassist (Iron Butterfly) dies at 42
2000 Screamin' Jay Hawkins, blues/rock musician (I Put a Spell On You) dies at 70
2000 Charles M. Schulz, cartoonist (Peanuts) dies at 77
2000 Tom Landry, Football Hall of Fame coach (Dallas Cowboys) dies at 75
2007 Randy Stone, actor/casting director (Millennium) dies at 58
Today in History
1554 Lady Jane Grey, who had claimed the throne of England for nine days, was beheaded after being charged with treason.
1733 English colonists led by James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, Ga.
1855 Michigan State University was established.
1878 Frederick W. Thayer, the captain of the Harvard University Baseball Club, patented the now-familiar baseball catcher’s mask.
1879 The first artificial ice rink in North America opened at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
1880 The National Croquet League was organized in Philadelphia, PA.
1909 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded.
1912 Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, abdicated, marking the end of the Qing Dynasty.
1915 The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C.
1924 George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premiered in New York City.
1924 Calvin Coolidge made the first presidential political speech on radio.
1924 The Eveready Hour became radio’s first sponsored network program.
1940 Mutual Radio presented the first broadcast of the tales of comic-strip hero Superman.
1964 The Beatles played two concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1968 Singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix received an honorary high school diploma from Garfield High School in Seattle, WA, where he had dropped out at the age of 14.
1973 The first release of American prisoners of war from the Vietnam conflict took place.
1973 The State of Ohio went metric, becoming the first in the U.S. to post metric distance signs along Interstate 71.
1993 Two 10-year-old boys lured 2-year-old James Bulger from his mother at a shopping mall in Liverpool, England, then beat him to death.
1994 The XVIIth Winter Olympic Games opened in Lillehammer, Norway.
1998 A federal judge threw out President Bill Clinton's new line-item veto authority.
1999 The Senate voted to acquit President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.
2000 Hall-of-Fame football coach Tom Landry, who led the Dallas Cowboys to five Super Bowls in 20 consecutive winning seasons, died in Irving, Texas.
2001 The NEAR spacecraft touched down on Eros, completing the first landing on an asteroid.
2002 The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic began in The Hague.
2002 Pakistan charged three men in connection with the kidnapping of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi.
2004 Defying a California law, San Francisco officials began performing weddings for same-sex couples.
2006 A record 26.9 inches of snow fell in New York's Central Park.
2007 A gunman opened fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing 5 people in the Trolley Square shooting.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Ole Buttermilk Sky - The Kay Kyser Orchestra (vocal: Mike Douglas & The Campus Kids)
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Hearts of Stone - Fontane Sisters
Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) - Perry Como
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Loop De Loop - Johnny Thunder
Up on the Roof - The Drifters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
Knock Three Times - Dawn
One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
Joshua - Dolly Parton
1979
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John
Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt
1987
Open Your Heart - Madonna
Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Change of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
Leave Me Lonely - Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
No matter what side of the argument you are on, you always find people on your side that you wish were on the other.
Jascha Heifetz, Russian-American violinist (1901 - 1987)
Today in History - Feb 13th
Today's Birthdays
1885 Bess Truman (Wallace), Frist Lady, died Oct 18, 1982
1891 Grant Wood, painter (American Gothic) died Feb 12, 1942
1918 Oliver Smith, Broadway scenic designer (On the Town, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot) died Jan 23, 1994
1919 Tennessee Ernie Ford, singer (16 Tons) died October 17, 1991
1923 Chuck Yeager, USAF test pilot (first to break the sound barrier)
1928 Dorothy McGuire, singer (The McGuire Sisters)
1933 Kim (Marilyn) Novak, actress (The Man with the Golden Arm, Vertigo)
1934 George Segal, actor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Just Shoot Me)
1938 Oliver Reed, actor (Oliver!, Tommy, Gladiator) died May 2, 1999
1942 Carol Lynley (Jones), actress (The Poseidon Adventure, Fantasy Island)
1942 Peter Tork (Peter Halsten Thorkelson), bassist/singer (The Monkees)
1944 Stockard Channing (Susan Stockard), actress (Grease, Six Degrees of Separation, The West Wing)
1944 Jerry Springer, TV host
1944 Bo Svenson, actor (Heartbreak Ridge, North Dallas Forty)
1945 King Floyd, singer (Groove Me) died March 6, 2006
1947 Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball coach (Duke University)
1950 Peter (Brian) Gabriel, singer (Genesis)
1951 David Naughton, actor (An American Werewolf in London)
1956 Peter Hook, bassist (Joy Division, New Order)
1957 Tony Butler, bassist (Big Country)
1961 Henry Rollins, singer/TV host (Black Flag)
1966 Freedom Williams, singer (C&C Music Factory)
1966 Neal McDonough, actor (Band of Brothers, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report)
1967 Kelly Hu, actress (Martial Law, Nash Bridges, X-Men II: X-Men United)
1976 Feist, singer/songwriter
1977 Randy Moss, NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots)
1979 Mena Suvari, actress (American Beauty, American Pie series, Beauty Shop)
Today's Deaths in History
1542 Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, is executed at 21
1883 Richard Wagner, German composer (Die Valkerie) dies at 69
1980 David Janssen, actor (The Fugitive, Harry O) dies at 48
1996 Martin Balsam, actor (On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men) dies at 76
2002 Waylon Jennings, country singer/songwriter (Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys) dies at 64
2003 Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer, dies at 77
2005 Dick Weber, bowling champion, dies at 75
Today in History
1542 The fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery.
1633 Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
1635 The Boston Latin School, the first public school building in the United States, was established.
1741 The American Magazine, the first magazine in the U.S., was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1866 Jesse James and his gang committed the first armed bank robbery in United States history during peacetime in Liberty, Missouri.
1867 Johann Strauss’ "Blue Danube Waltz" was performed for the first time at a public concert in Vienna, Austria.
1875 Mrs. Edna Kanouse of Watertown, WI gave birth to America’s first quintuplets.
1914 The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was formed in New York City.
1920 The National Negro Baseball League was organized.
1935 A jury in Flemington, N.J., found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-death of the infant son of avaitor Charles Lindberg and his wife, Anne; Hauptmann was later executed.
1940 Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines and his orchestra recorded the classic "Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues" for the Bluebird record label.
1945 Allied planes began bombing the German city of Dresden.
1953 Senator Edwin Johnson warned Major League Baseball against televising their games nationwide, saying that broadcasting the games to a national audience would be a threat to the survival of minor league baseball.
1960 France exploded its first atomic bomb.
1965 Sixteen-year-old Peggy Fleming won the ladies senior figure skating title at Lake Placid, NY.
1974 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970, was exiled from the Soviet Union.
1984 Konstantin Chernenko was chosen to be general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding the late Yuri Andropov.
1988 Michael Jackson purchased a Santa Ynez, CA ranch and named it Neverland.
1991 Hundreds of Iraqi civilians were killed when a pair of laser-guided U.S. bombs destroyed an underground facility in Baghdad identified by U.S. officials as a military installation, but which Iraqi officials said was a bomb shelter.
1997 Space shuttle Discovery’s astronauts hauled the Hubble Space Telescope aboard to begin a $350 million refurbishment.
2000 Charles Schulz's final Peanuts comic strip ran in Sunday newspapers, the day after the cartoonist died.
2001 A 6.6 magnitude earthquake shook El Salvador, killing at least 402 people one month to the day after another quake killed more than 800 people.
2002 John Walker Lindh pleaded innocent in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to conspiring to kill Americans and supporting the Taliban and terrorist organizations (Lindh later pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison).
2005 Final results showed clergy-backed Shiites and independence-minded Kurds had swept to victory in Iraq's landmark elections.
2005 Ray Charles won eight posthumous Grammy awards for his final album, Genius Loves Company.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
I’ll Dance at Your Wedding - Buddy Clark with The Ray Noble Orchestra
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
No, Not Much! - The Four Lads
Teenage Prayer - Gale Storm
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - Major Lance
Begging to You - Marty Robbins
1972
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Without You - Nilsson
Precious and Few - Climax
One’s on the Way - Loretta Lynn
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight - The Oak Ridge Boys
1988
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Seasons Change - Expose
I Want to Be Your Man - Roger
Wheels - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
Franklin P. Jones
Today's Birthdays
1885 Bess Truman (Wallace), Frist Lady, died Oct 18, 1982
1891 Grant Wood, painter (American Gothic) died Feb 12, 1942
1918 Oliver Smith, Broadway scenic designer (On the Town, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot) died Jan 23, 1994
1919 Tennessee Ernie Ford, singer (16 Tons) died October 17, 1991
1923 Chuck Yeager, USAF test pilot (first to break the sound barrier)
1928 Dorothy McGuire, singer (The McGuire Sisters)
1933 Kim (Marilyn) Novak, actress (The Man with the Golden Arm, Vertigo)
1934 George Segal, actor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Just Shoot Me)
1938 Oliver Reed, actor (Oliver!, Tommy, Gladiator) died May 2, 1999
1942 Carol Lynley (Jones), actress (The Poseidon Adventure, Fantasy Island)
1942 Peter Tork (Peter Halsten Thorkelson), bassist/singer (The Monkees)
1944 Stockard Channing (Susan Stockard), actress (Grease, Six Degrees of Separation, The West Wing)
1944 Jerry Springer, TV host
1944 Bo Svenson, actor (Heartbreak Ridge, North Dallas Forty)
1945 King Floyd, singer (Groove Me) died March 6, 2006
1947 Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball coach (Duke University)
1950 Peter (Brian) Gabriel, singer (Genesis)
1951 David Naughton, actor (An American Werewolf in London)
1956 Peter Hook, bassist (Joy Division, New Order)
1957 Tony Butler, bassist (Big Country)
1961 Henry Rollins, singer/TV host (Black Flag)
1966 Freedom Williams, singer (C&C Music Factory)
1966 Neal McDonough, actor (Band of Brothers, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report)
1967 Kelly Hu, actress (Martial Law, Nash Bridges, X-Men II: X-Men United)
1976 Feist, singer/songwriter
1977 Randy Moss, NFL wide receiver (New England Patriots)
1979 Mena Suvari, actress (American Beauty, American Pie series, Beauty Shop)
Today's Deaths in History
1542 Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, is executed at 21
1883 Richard Wagner, German composer (Die Valkerie) dies at 69
1980 David Janssen, actor (The Fugitive, Harry O) dies at 48
1996 Martin Balsam, actor (On the Waterfront, 12 Angry Men) dies at 76
2002 Waylon Jennings, country singer/songwriter (Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys) dies at 64
2003 Kid Gavilan, Cuban boxer, dies at 77
2005 Dick Weber, bowling champion, dies at 75
Today in History
1542 The fifth wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery.
1633 Galileo Galilei arrived in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.
1635 The Boston Latin School, the first public school building in the United States, was established.
1741 The American Magazine, the first magazine in the U.S., was published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1866 Jesse James and his gang committed the first armed bank robbery in United States history during peacetime in Liberty, Missouri.
1867 Johann Strauss’ "Blue Danube Waltz" was performed for the first time at a public concert in Vienna, Austria.
1875 Mrs. Edna Kanouse of Watertown, WI gave birth to America’s first quintuplets.
1914 The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers was formed in New York City.
1920 The National Negro Baseball League was organized.
1935 A jury in Flemington, N.J., found Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of first-degree murder in the kidnap-death of the infant son of avaitor Charles Lindberg and his wife, Anne; Hauptmann was later executed.
1940 Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines and his orchestra recorded the classic "Boogie Woogie on St. Louis Blues" for the Bluebird record label.
1945 Allied planes began bombing the German city of Dresden.
1953 Senator Edwin Johnson warned Major League Baseball against televising their games nationwide, saying that broadcasting the games to a national audience would be a threat to the survival of minor league baseball.
1960 France exploded its first atomic bomb.
1965 Sixteen-year-old Peggy Fleming won the ladies senior figure skating title at Lake Placid, NY.
1974 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970, was exiled from the Soviet Union.
1984 Konstantin Chernenko was chosen to be general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding the late Yuri Andropov.
1988 Michael Jackson purchased a Santa Ynez, CA ranch and named it Neverland.
1991 Hundreds of Iraqi civilians were killed when a pair of laser-guided U.S. bombs destroyed an underground facility in Baghdad identified by U.S. officials as a military installation, but which Iraqi officials said was a bomb shelter.
1997 Space shuttle Discovery’s astronauts hauled the Hubble Space Telescope aboard to begin a $350 million refurbishment.
2000 Charles Schulz's final Peanuts comic strip ran in Sunday newspapers, the day after the cartoonist died.
2001 A 6.6 magnitude earthquake shook El Salvador, killing at least 402 people one month to the day after another quake killed more than 800 people.
2002 John Walker Lindh pleaded innocent in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to conspiring to kill Americans and supporting the Taliban and terrorist organizations (Lindh later pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison).
2005 Final results showed clergy-backed Shiites and independence-minded Kurds had swept to victory in Iraq's landmark elections.
2005 Ray Charles won eight posthumous Grammy awards for his final album, Genius Loves Company.
Chart Toppers
1948
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
I’ll Dance at Your Wedding - Buddy Clark with The Ray Noble Orchestra
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
No, Not Much! - The Four Lads
Teenage Prayer - Gale Storm
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - Major Lance
Begging to You - Marty Robbins
1972
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Without You - Nilsson
Precious and Few - Climax
One’s on the Way - Loretta Lynn
1980
Rock with You - Michael Jackson
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Coward of the County - Kenny Rogers
Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight - The Oak Ridge Boys
1988
Could’ve Been - Tiffany
Seasons Change - Expose
I Want to Be Your Man - Roger
Wheels - Restless Heart
Quote of the Day
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
Franklin P. Jones
Today in History - Feb 14th
Today's Birthdays
1838 Margaret Knight, inventor (paper bag making machine) died October 12, 1914
1859 George Ferris, inventor (Ferris wheel) died Nov 22, 1896
1894 Jack Benny (Benjamin Kubelsky), violinist/comedian, died Dec 26, 1974
1913 Mel Allen (Israel), sportscaster (New York Yankees) died June 16, 1996
1913 Woody (Wayne) Hayes, College Football Hall of Fame coach, died Mar 12, 1987
1913 Jimmy Hoffa, labor union leader, disappeared in 1975
1921 Hugh Downs, TV host (Concentration, Today, 20/20)
1922 Murray the K, impresario/disc jockey, died February 21, 1982
1929 Vic Morrow, actor (Twilight Zone: The Movie, Blackboard Jungle, Combat) died July 23, 1982
1931 Brian Kelly, actor (Flipper) died February 12, 2005
1931 Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion, NHL right wing (NY Rangers) died March 11, 2006
1934 Florence Henderson, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1936 Andrew Prine, actor (The Miracle Worker, Gettysburg, The Devil’s Brigade)
1941 Paul Tsongas, Senator (D-Mass) died January 18, 1997)
1942 Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor
1942 Andrew Robinson, actor (Dirty Harry, Hellraiser, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
1943 Maceo Parker, saxophonist (P-Funk)
1944 Carl Bernstein, journalist (Washington Post)
1946 Gregory Hines, dancer/actor (Renaissance Man, Tap, The Cotton Club, Running Scared) died Aug 9, 2003
1947 Tim Buckley, singer/songwriter, died June 29, 1975
1948 Teller, comedian/magician (Penn and Teller)
1948 Pat O'Brien, TV host (The Insider)
1950 Roger Fisher, guitarist (Heart)
1951 (Alicia) Jo Jo Starbuck, ice skater/ex-Mrs. Terry Bradshaw
1956 Ken Wahl, actor (Wiseguy, The Favor, Fort Apache the Bronx)
1957 Alan Hunter, original MTV VJ
1960 Meg Tilly, actress (Body Snatchers, The Two Jakes, Psycho 2, The Big Chill)
1960 Jim Kelly, Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Buffalo Bills)
1963 Enrico Colantoni, actor (Just Shoot Me, Galaxy Quest)
1964 Zach Galligan, actor (Gremlins series)
1970 Simon Pegg, comedian/actor (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)
1972 Rob Thomas, singer (Matchbox 20)
1972 Drew Bledsoe, NFL quarterback (New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys)
1973 Steve McNair, NFL quarterback (Tennessee Titans)
1992 Freddie Highmore, actor (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Today's Deaths in History
0270 St. Valentine, martyred saint, dies (age unknown)
1744 John Hadley, inventor (octant) dies at 61
1779 James Cook, British naval captain/explorer, is killed by Hawaiian natives at 50
1891 William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War General, dies at 71
1969 Vito Genovese, American gangster, dies at 71
1975 P. G. Wodehouse, English writer/lyricist (The Three Musketeers) dies at 93
1988 Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (Lerner & Loewe) dies at 86
1999 John Ehrlichman, presidential advisor (Watergate) dies at 73
1999 Buddy Knox, singer/songwriter (Party Doll) dies at 65
Today in History
1778 The United States Flag was formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
1779 James Cook was killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
1803 Moses Coats received a patent on the apple parer.
1849 James K. Polk became the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
1859 Oregon became the 33rd of the United States of America.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone.
1895 Oscar Wilde's final play, The Importance of Being Earnest, opened at the St. James' Theatre in London.
1899 Voting machines for use in federal elections were approved by the U.S. Congress.
1912 Arizona became the 48th of the United States of America.
1912 The first diesel-powered submarine was commissioned in Groton, Connecticut.
1920 The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago.
1929 Seven rivals of gangster Al Capone were gunned down in a Chicago garage in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
1932 The U.S. won its first Olympic bobsled competition at the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY.
1940 The first porpoise born in captivity arrived at Marineland in Florida.
1941 Frank Leahy was named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.
1949 The Knesset (Israeli parliament) convened for the first time.
1962 First lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted a televised tour of the White House.
1966 Rick Mount of Lebanon, IN became the first high school male athlete to be pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
1966 Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers set a NBA record with a career high 20,884 points after seven seasons as a pro basketball player.
1972 The musical Grease opened at the Eden Theatre in New York City.
1979 Twenty-year-old rookie Don Maloney of the New York Rangers scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot.
1979 Adolph Dubs, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Kabul by Muslim extremists and killed in a shootout between his abductors and police.
1980 Walter Cronkite announced his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
1984 Elton John married Renate Blauel in Sydney, Australia; they divorced Nov 18, 1988.
1989 Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, a novel Khomeini condemned as blasphemous.
1989 Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million to the government of India in a court-ordered settlement of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster.
1998 Eric Rudolph was declared the suspect in the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic.
2003 Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult, was put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease.
2005 Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
2005 Seven people were killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit the Philippines' Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.
2006 Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment; Russia and France immediately called on Iran to halt its work.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
You Don’t Owe Me a Thing - Johnnie Ray
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
All Day and All of the Night - The Kinks
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Why Can’t We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries) - Conway Twitty
1981
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
Who’s Cheatin’ Who - Charly McClain
1989
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Wild Thing - Tone Loc
Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
Song of the South - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted than when we read it in the original author?
Philip G. Hamerton
Today's Birthdays
1838 Margaret Knight, inventor (paper bag making machine) died October 12, 1914
1859 George Ferris, inventor (Ferris wheel) died Nov 22, 1896
1894 Jack Benny (Benjamin Kubelsky), violinist/comedian, died Dec 26, 1974
1913 Mel Allen (Israel), sportscaster (New York Yankees) died June 16, 1996
1913 Woody (Wayne) Hayes, College Football Hall of Fame coach, died Mar 12, 1987
1913 Jimmy Hoffa, labor union leader, disappeared in 1975
1921 Hugh Downs, TV host (Concentration, Today, 20/20)
1922 Murray the K, impresario/disc jockey, died February 21, 1982
1929 Vic Morrow, actor (Twilight Zone: The Movie, Blackboard Jungle, Combat) died July 23, 1982
1931 Brian Kelly, actor (Flipper) died February 12, 2005
1931 Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Geoffrion, NHL right wing (NY Rangers) died March 11, 2006
1934 Florence Henderson, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1936 Andrew Prine, actor (The Miracle Worker, Gettysburg, The Devil’s Brigade)
1941 Paul Tsongas, Senator (D-Mass) died January 18, 1997)
1942 Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor
1942 Andrew Robinson, actor (Dirty Harry, Hellraiser, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
1943 Maceo Parker, saxophonist (P-Funk)
1944 Carl Bernstein, journalist (Washington Post)
1946 Gregory Hines, dancer/actor (Renaissance Man, Tap, The Cotton Club, Running Scared) died Aug 9, 2003
1947 Tim Buckley, singer/songwriter, died June 29, 1975
1948 Teller, comedian/magician (Penn and Teller)
1948 Pat O'Brien, TV host (The Insider)
1950 Roger Fisher, guitarist (Heart)
1951 (Alicia) Jo Jo Starbuck, ice skater/ex-Mrs. Terry Bradshaw
1956 Ken Wahl, actor (Wiseguy, The Favor, Fort Apache the Bronx)
1957 Alan Hunter, original MTV VJ
1960 Meg Tilly, actress (Body Snatchers, The Two Jakes, Psycho 2, The Big Chill)
1960 Jim Kelly, Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Buffalo Bills)
1963 Enrico Colantoni, actor (Just Shoot Me, Galaxy Quest)
1964 Zach Galligan, actor (Gremlins series)
1970 Simon Pegg, comedian/actor (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz)
1972 Rob Thomas, singer (Matchbox 20)
1972 Drew Bledsoe, NFL quarterback (New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys)
1973 Steve McNair, NFL quarterback (Tennessee Titans)
1992 Freddie Highmore, actor (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, The Spiderwick Chronicles)
Today's Deaths in History
0270 St. Valentine, martyred saint, dies (age unknown)
1744 John Hadley, inventor (octant) dies at 61
1779 James Cook, British naval captain/explorer, is killed by Hawaiian natives at 50
1891 William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War General, dies at 71
1969 Vito Genovese, American gangster, dies at 71
1975 P. G. Wodehouse, English writer/lyricist (The Three Musketeers) dies at 93
1988 Frederick Loewe, Austrian-American composer (Lerner & Loewe) dies at 86
1999 John Ehrlichman, presidential advisor (Watergate) dies at 73
1999 Buddy Knox, singer/songwriter (Party Doll) dies at 65
Today in History
1778 The United States Flag was formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
1779 James Cook was killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
1803 Moses Coats received a patent on the apple parer.
1849 James K. Polk became the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken.
1859 Oregon became the 33rd of the United States of America.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone.
1895 Oscar Wilde's final play, The Importance of Being Earnest, opened at the St. James' Theatre in London.
1899 Voting machines for use in federal elections were approved by the U.S. Congress.
1912 Arizona became the 48th of the United States of America.
1912 The first diesel-powered submarine was commissioned in Groton, Connecticut.
1920 The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago.
1929 Seven rivals of gangster Al Capone were gunned down in a Chicago garage in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
1932 The U.S. won its first Olympic bobsled competition at the Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid, NY.
1940 The first porpoise born in captivity arrived at Marineland in Florida.
1941 Frank Leahy was named head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.
1949 The Knesset (Israeli parliament) convened for the first time.
1962 First lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted a televised tour of the White House.
1966 Rick Mount of Lebanon, IN became the first high school male athlete to be pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
1966 Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers set a NBA record with a career high 20,884 points after seven seasons as a pro basketball player.
1972 The musical Grease opened at the Eden Theatre in New York City.
1979 Twenty-year-old rookie Don Maloney of the New York Rangers scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shot.
1979 Adolph Dubs, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, was kidnapped in Kabul by Muslim extremists and killed in a shootout between his abductors and police.
1980 Walter Cronkite announced his retirement from the CBS Evening News.
1984 Elton John married Renate Blauel in Sydney, Australia; they divorced Nov 18, 1988.
1989 Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses, a novel Khomeini condemned as blasphemous.
1989 Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million to the government of India in a court-ordered settlement of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster.
1998 Eric Rudolph was declared the suspect in the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama abortion clinic.
2003 Dolly the sheep, the first mammal cloned from an adult, was put to death at age 6 due to premature aging and disease.
2005 Former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated.
2005 Seven people were killed and 151 wounded in a series of bombings by suspected Al-Qaeda-linked militants that hit the Philippines' Makati financial district in Metro Manila, Davao City, and General Santos City.
2006 Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment; Russia and France immediately called on Iran to halt its work.
Chart Toppers
1949
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
You Don’t Owe Me a Thing - Johnnie Ray
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’ - The Righteous Brothers
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
All Day and All of the Night - The Kinks
You’re the Only World I Know - Sonny James
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Why Can’t We Live Together - Timmy Thomas
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
She Needs Someone to Hold Her (When She Cries) - Conway Twitty
1981
Celebration - Kool & The Gang
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
Who’s Cheatin’ Who - Charly McClain
1989
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Wild Thing - Tone Loc
Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
Song of the South - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Have you ever observed that we pay much more attention to a wise passage when it is quoted than when we read it in the original author?
Philip G. Hamerton
Today in History - Feb 15th
Today's Birthdays
1564 Galileo Galilei, astronomer, died Jan 8, 1642
1803 John Sutter, California settler (Sutter’s Mill) died June 18, 1880
1809 Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor (mechanical reaper) died May 13, 1884
1812 Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler, died Feb 18, 1902
1820 Susan B. (Brownell) Anthony, suffragist, died Mar 13, 1906
1905 Harold Arlen (Hyman Arluck), composer (Stormy Weather, It’s Only a Paper Moon) died Apr 23, 1986
1914 Kevin McCarthy, actor (The Howling, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Matinee)
1918 Allan Arbus, actor (M*A*S*H)
1927 Harvey Korman, comedian/actor (The Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety)
1929 Graham Hill, Indy car racer, killed in crash of his private plane Nov 29, 1975
1929 James Schlesinger, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy
1931 Claire Bloom, actress (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Anastasia)
1935 Roger Chaffee, astronaut, died January 27, 1967 in the Apollo 1 fire
1941 Brian Holland, songwriter (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
1944 Mick Avory, drummer (The Kinks)
1945 John Anthony Helliwell, saxophonist (Supertramp)
1947 David Brown, bassist (Santana) died in 2000
1947 Rusty Hamer, actor (Make Room for Daddy) died Jan 18, 1990
1949 Ken Anderson, NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals)
1951 Melissa Manchester, singer (Don’t Cry Out Loud, Midnight Blue)
1951 Jane Seymour (Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg), actress (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Somewhere in Time)
1954 Matt Groening, cartoonist (The Simpsons)
1955 Christopher McDonald, actor (Happy Gilmore, *61)
1955 Janice Dickinson, model/TV personality (America's Next Top Model)
1959 Ali (Alistair) Campbell, guitarist/lead singer (UB40)
1959 Joseph R. Gannascoli, actor (The Sopranos)
1960 Mikey Craig, bassist (Culture Club)
1964 Chris Farley, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World series, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) died Dec 18, 1997
1967 Jane Child, singer/producer (Don't Wanna Fall in Love)
1971 Renee O'Connor, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1972 Jaromir Jagr, NHL wing (NY Rangers)
1973 Sarah Wynter, actress (24, Lost Souls)
1974 Seattle Slew, racehorse, died May 7, 2002
1976 Ronnie Vannucci, drummer (The Killers)
1976 Brandon Boyd, singer (Incubus)
1977 Brooks Wackerman, drummer (Bad Religion)
Today's Deaths in History
1965 Nat ‘King’ Cole, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa, The Christmas Song), dies at 45
1973 Wally Cox, actor (Mr. Peepers) dies at 48
1973 Tim Holt, actor (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) dies at 54
1984 Ethel Merman, singer/actress (Anything Goes) dies at 76
1988 Richard Feynman, physicist (atomic bomb) dies at 69
1996 Tommy Rettig, actor (Lassie) dies at 54
1996 McLean Stevenson, actor (M*A*S*H) dies at 68
2002 Howard K. Smith, journalist (CBS, ABC) dies at 87
2002 Kevin Smith, actor (Xena: Warrior Princess) dies at 38
2007 Walker Edmiston, actor (Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Knots Landing) dies at 81
2007 Ray Evans, songwriter (Buttons and Bows, Mona Lisa) dies at 92
Today in History
1758 Mustard was advertised for the first time in America, by Benjamin Franklin.
1764 The city of St. Louis was established.
1799 Printed ballots were authorized for use in elections in the State of Pennsylvania.
1842 Adhesive postage stamps were used for the first time by the City Dispatch Post Office in New York City.
1852 The Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children in London admitted its first patient.
1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court.
1898 The USS Maine exploded in el Puerto De Habana, Cuba, killing 266 crewmen, and marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.
1932 George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS radio.
1933 President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt escaped an assassination attempt in Miami that claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.
1941 Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded "Take the 'A' Train[/i] at Victor’s Hollywood studios.
1942 The British colony of Singapore surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1946 Edith Houghton, the first female scout in the major leagues, was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
1946 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first general-purpose electronic computer, was unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
1953 Seventeen-year-old Tenley Albright became the first American to win the world figure skating championship.
1958 "Get A Job," by The Silhouettes, reached the top spot on the music Tunedex.
1962 CBS-TV bought the exclusive rights to college football games from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for an all-time high dollar figure of $10,200,000.
1965 Canada displayed its new red and white Maple Leaf flag, which replaced the old Red Ensign standard.
1978 Boxer Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali to win the universally recognized heavyweight boxing crown.
1989 The Soviet Union announced that the last of its troops had left Afghanistan after more than nine years of military intervention.
1998 Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 on the 50th Anniversary of NASCAR, the 40th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 and his 20th running of the storied race.
2002 President George W. Bush approved Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the site for long-term disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste.
2002 Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded a gold medal to resolve a judging controversy at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2005 Defrocked priest Paul Shanley was sentenced in Boston to 12 to 15 years in prison on child rape charges.
2005 YouTube was launched in the United States.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
There’s No Tomorrow - Tony Martin
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Get a Job - The Silhouettes
Catch a Falling Star/Magic Moments - Perry Como
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
My Love - Petula Clark
Lightnin’ Strikes - Lou Christie
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) - Stevie Wonder
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
Americans - Byron MacGregor
Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) - Aretha
Franklin
World of Make Believe - Bill Anderson
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Open Arms - Journey
Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt
1990
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Two to Make It Right - Seduction
Janie’s Got a Gun - Aerosmith
Southern Star - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Fortune can, for her pleasure, fools advance, And toss them on the wheels of Chance.
Juvenal, Roman poet & satirist (55 AD - 127 AD) (not to be confused with Juvenile, the rapper)
Today's Birthdays
1564 Galileo Galilei, astronomer, died Jan 8, 1642
1803 John Sutter, California settler (Sutter’s Mill) died June 18, 1880
1809 Cyrus Hall McCormick, inventor (mechanical reaper) died May 13, 1884
1812 Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler, died Feb 18, 1902
1820 Susan B. (Brownell) Anthony, suffragist, died Mar 13, 1906
1905 Harold Arlen (Hyman Arluck), composer (Stormy Weather, It’s Only a Paper Moon) died Apr 23, 1986
1914 Kevin McCarthy, actor (The Howling, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Matinee)
1918 Allan Arbus, actor (M*A*S*H)
1927 Harvey Korman, comedian/actor (The Carol Burnett Show, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety)
1929 Graham Hill, Indy car racer, killed in crash of his private plane Nov 29, 1975
1929 James Schlesinger, U.S. Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Energy
1931 Claire Bloom, actress (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Anastasia)
1935 Roger Chaffee, astronaut, died January 27, 1967 in the Apollo 1 fire
1941 Brian Holland, songwriter (Holland-Dozier-Holland)
1944 Mick Avory, drummer (The Kinks)
1945 John Anthony Helliwell, saxophonist (Supertramp)
1947 David Brown, bassist (Santana) died in 2000
1947 Rusty Hamer, actor (Make Room for Daddy) died Jan 18, 1990
1949 Ken Anderson, NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals)
1951 Melissa Manchester, singer (Don’t Cry Out Loud, Midnight Blue)
1951 Jane Seymour (Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg), actress (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Somewhere in Time)
1954 Matt Groening, cartoonist (The Simpsons)
1955 Christopher McDonald, actor (Happy Gilmore, *61)
1955 Janice Dickinson, model/TV personality (America's Next Top Model)
1959 Ali (Alistair) Campbell, guitarist/lead singer (UB40)
1959 Joseph R. Gannascoli, actor (The Sopranos)
1960 Mikey Craig, bassist (Culture Club)
1964 Chris Farley, comedian/actor (Saturday Night Live, Wayne’s World series, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep) died Dec 18, 1997
1967 Jane Child, singer/producer (Don't Wanna Fall in Love)
1971 Renee O'Connor, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1972 Jaromir Jagr, NHL wing (NY Rangers)
1973 Sarah Wynter, actress (24, Lost Souls)
1974 Seattle Slew, racehorse, died May 7, 2002
1976 Ronnie Vannucci, drummer (The Killers)
1976 Brandon Boyd, singer (Incubus)
1977 Brooks Wackerman, drummer (Bad Religion)
Today's Deaths in History
1965 Nat ‘King’ Cole, singer (Unforgettable, Mona Lisa, The Christmas Song), dies at 45
1973 Wally Cox, actor (Mr. Peepers) dies at 48
1973 Tim Holt, actor (Treasure of the Sierra Madre) dies at 54
1984 Ethel Merman, singer/actress (Anything Goes) dies at 76
1988 Richard Feynman, physicist (atomic bomb) dies at 69
1996 Tommy Rettig, actor (Lassie) dies at 54
1996 McLean Stevenson, actor (M*A*S*H) dies at 68
2002 Howard K. Smith, journalist (CBS, ABC) dies at 87
2002 Kevin Smith, actor (Xena: Warrior Princess) dies at 38
2007 Walker Edmiston, actor (Gunsmoke, Mission: Impossible, Knots Landing) dies at 81
2007 Ray Evans, songwriter (Buttons and Bows, Mona Lisa) dies at 92
Today in History
1758 Mustard was advertised for the first time in America, by Benjamin Franklin.
1764 The city of St. Louis was established.
1799 Printed ballots were authorized for use in elections in the State of Pennsylvania.
1842 Adhesive postage stamps were used for the first time by the City Dispatch Post Office in New York City.
1852 The Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children in London admitted its first patient.
1879 President Rutherford B. Hayes signed a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court.
1898 The USS Maine exploded in el Puerto De Habana, Cuba, killing 266 crewmen, and marking the beginning of the Spanish-American War.
1932 George Burns and Gracie Allen debuted as regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS radio.
1933 President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt escaped an assassination attempt in Miami that claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.
1941 Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded "Take the 'A' Train[/i] at Victor’s Hollywood studios.
1942 The British colony of Singapore surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1946 Edith Houghton, the first female scout in the major leagues, was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies.
1946 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the first general-purpose electronic computer, was unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania.
1953 Seventeen-year-old Tenley Albright became the first American to win the world figure skating championship.
1958 "Get A Job," by The Silhouettes, reached the top spot on the music Tunedex.
1962 CBS-TV bought the exclusive rights to college football games from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for an all-time high dollar figure of $10,200,000.
1965 Canada displayed its new red and white Maple Leaf flag, which replaced the old Red Ensign standard.
1978 Boxer Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali to win the universally recognized heavyweight boxing crown.
1989 The Soviet Union announced that the last of its troops had left Afghanistan after more than nine years of military intervention.
1998 Dale Earnhardt finally won the Daytona 500 on the 50th Anniversary of NASCAR, the 40th Anniversary of the Daytona 500 and his 20th running of the storied race.
2002 President George W. Bush approved Nevada's Yucca Mountain as the site for long-term disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste.
2002 Canadian pairs figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier were awarded a gold medal to resolve a judging controversy at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
2005 Defrocked priest Paul Shanley was sentenced in Boston to 12 to 15 years in prison on child rape charges.
2005 YouTube was launched in the United States.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
There’s No Tomorrow - Tony Martin
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Get a Job - The Silhouettes
Catch a Falling Star/Magic Moments - Perry Como
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
My Love - Petula Clark
Lightnin’ Strikes - Lou Christie
Uptight (Everything’s Alright) - Stevie Wonder
Giddyup Go - Red Sovine
1974
Love’s Theme - Love Unlimited Orchestra
Americans - Byron MacGregor
Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) - Aretha
Franklin
World of Make Believe - Bill Anderson
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Harden My Heart - Quarterflash
Open Arms - Journey
Someone Could Lose a Heart Tonight - Eddie Rabbitt
1990
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Two to Make It Right - Seduction
Janie’s Got a Gun - Aerosmith
Southern Star - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Fortune can, for her pleasure, fools advance, And toss them on the wheels of Chance.
Juvenal, Roman poet & satirist (55 AD - 127 AD) (not to be confused with Juvenile, the rapper)
Today in History - Feb 16th
Today's Birthdays
1884 Robert Flaherty, film producer (Father of the Documentary Film) died July 23, 1951
1901 Chester Morris, actor (Frankie and Johnny, The Great White Hope) died Sep 11, 1970
1903 Edgar Bergen (Bergren), actor/ventriloquist (Charlie McCarthy) died Sep 30, 1978
1909 Hugh Beaumont, actor (To the Shores of Tripoli, Leave It to Beaver) died May 14, 1982
1918 Patty Andrews (Patricia Marie Andrews), singer (The Andrews Sisters)
1932 Otis Blackwell, songwriter/singer (Great Balls of Fire, Don't Be Cruel) died May 6, 2002
1932 Gretchen Wyler (Wienecke), actress (The Devil’s Brigade) died May 27, 2007
1935 Sonny (Salvatore) Bono, singer/entertainer/mayor/U.S. Congressman, died Jan 5, 1998
1942 Kim Jong-il, North Korean dictator
1946 Pete Postlethwaite, actor (The Usual Suspects, Brassed Off, The Shipping News)
1951 William Katt, actor (The Greatest American Hero, Carrie)
1955 Margaux Hemingway, actress (Bad Love, Lipstick) died July 2, 1996
1957 LeVar Burton (Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.), actor (Alex Haley’s Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1957 James Ingram, singer (Baby Come to Me, Just Once)
1958 Ice-T (Tracy Marrow), rapper/actor (Ricochet, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
1958 Lisa Loring, actress (Addams Family TV series)
1959 John McEnroe, tennis champion
1960 Pete Willis, guitarist (Def Leppard)
1961 Andy Taylor, guitarist (Duran Duran)
1964 Christopher Eccleston, actor (28 Days Later, Dr Who)
1965 Dave Lombardo, drummer (Slayer)
1972 Taylor Hawkins, drummer (Foo Fighters)
1972 Sarah Clarke, actress (24)
1972 Jerome Bettis, NFL running back (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1977 Ahman Green, NFL running back (Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans)
1980 Ashley Lelie, NFL wide receiver (San Francisco 49ers)
Today's Deaths in History
1967 Smiley Burnette, actor/singer/songwriter (Rin Tin Tin) dies at 55
1996 Roger Bowen, actor (Heaven Can Wait, The Main Event) dies at 63
1996 Brownie McGhee, blues singer (Brownie McGhee and his Jook House Rockers) dies at 80
2001 Howard W. Koch, film director (The Manchurian Candidate) dies at 84
2001 William Masters, sexologist (Masters & Johnson) dies at 85
2005 Nicole DeHuff, actress (Meet the Parents) dies at 30
Today in History
1741 Benjamin Franklin published America’s second magazine, The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle.
1804 Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli harbor to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the hands of pirates.
1857 The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, D.C.
1862 Some 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered at Fort Donelson, Tenn., to Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
1868 The Jolly Corks organization in New York City changed their name to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
1923 The burial chamber of King Tutankhamen's recently unearthed tomb was unsealed in Egypt.
1932 The first fruit tree patent was issued to James E. Markham for a peach tree which ripens later than other varieties.
1937 Wallace H. Carothers patented nylon.
1945 American troops landed on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines during World War II.
1948 NBC-TV presented the first daily newsreel telecast, known as the 20th Century Fox - Movietone News.
1950 What's My Line debuted on CBS-TV, begiining a 17-year run in prime time.
1959 Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
1963 The Beatles moved to the top of the British rock charts with "Please, Please Me" exactly one month after the record was released.
1968 The nation's first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala.
1968 Elvis Presley received a gold record for his sacred album of hymns, How Great Thou Art (it also received one of Elvis' only three Grammy Awards).
1972 Los Angeles Lakers basketball-great Wilt Chamberlain topped the 30,000-point mark in his career during a game against the Phoenix Suns.
1978 The first computer bulletin board system was created.
1985 Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini lost the World Boxing Association lightweight championship crown to Livingstone Bramble; it was Mancini's last fight.
1985 Basketball coach Lefty Driesell got his 400th career victory as the University of Maryland defeated Davidson 65-63.
1989 Investigators in Lockerbie, Scotland, said a bomb hidden inside a radio-cassette player was what brought down Pan Am Flight 103 the previous December, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground.
1999 Enraged Kurds seized embassies and held hostages across Europe following Turkey's arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
2002 The operator of a crematory in Noble, Ga., was arrested after dozens of decomposing corpses were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered around the building and surrounding woods.
2005 The NHL canceled what was left of its season after a round of last-gasp negotiations failed to resolve differences over a salary cap, the issue that led to a lockout.
2006 The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
If - Perry Como
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
16 Candles - The Crests
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
Don’t Come Home a’Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn
1975
You’re No Good - Linda Ronstadt
Pick Up the Pieces - AWB
Best of My Love - The Eagles
Devil in the Bottle - T.G. Sheppard
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
’Til I Gain Control Again - Crystal Gayle
1991
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
All the Man that I Need - Whitney Houston
One More Try - Timmy T
Brother Jukebox - Mark Chesnutt
Quote of the Day
In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.
Mark Twain, humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today's Birthdays
1884 Robert Flaherty, film producer (Father of the Documentary Film) died July 23, 1951
1901 Chester Morris, actor (Frankie and Johnny, The Great White Hope) died Sep 11, 1970
1903 Edgar Bergen (Bergren), actor/ventriloquist (Charlie McCarthy) died Sep 30, 1978
1909 Hugh Beaumont, actor (To the Shores of Tripoli, Leave It to Beaver) died May 14, 1982
1918 Patty Andrews (Patricia Marie Andrews), singer (The Andrews Sisters)
1932 Otis Blackwell, songwriter/singer (Great Balls of Fire, Don't Be Cruel) died May 6, 2002
1932 Gretchen Wyler (Wienecke), actress (The Devil’s Brigade) died May 27, 2007
1935 Sonny (Salvatore) Bono, singer/entertainer/mayor/U.S. Congressman, died Jan 5, 1998
1942 Kim Jong-il, North Korean dictator
1946 Pete Postlethwaite, actor (The Usual Suspects, Brassed Off, The Shipping News)
1951 William Katt, actor (The Greatest American Hero, Carrie)
1955 Margaux Hemingway, actress (Bad Love, Lipstick) died July 2, 1996
1957 LeVar Burton (Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr.), actor (Alex Haley’s Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1957 James Ingram, singer (Baby Come to Me, Just Once)
1958 Ice-T (Tracy Marrow), rapper/actor (Ricochet, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
1958 Lisa Loring, actress (Addams Family TV series)
1959 John McEnroe, tennis champion
1960 Pete Willis, guitarist (Def Leppard)
1961 Andy Taylor, guitarist (Duran Duran)
1964 Christopher Eccleston, actor (28 Days Later, Dr Who)
1965 Dave Lombardo, drummer (Slayer)
1972 Taylor Hawkins, drummer (Foo Fighters)
1972 Sarah Clarke, actress (24)
1972 Jerome Bettis, NFL running back (Pittsburgh Steelers)
1977 Ahman Green, NFL running back (Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans)
1980 Ashley Lelie, NFL wide receiver (San Francisco 49ers)
Today's Deaths in History
1967 Smiley Burnette, actor/singer/songwriter (Rin Tin Tin) dies at 55
1996 Roger Bowen, actor (Heaven Can Wait, The Main Event) dies at 63
1996 Brownie McGhee, blues singer (Brownie McGhee and his Jook House Rockers) dies at 80
2001 Howard W. Koch, film director (The Manchurian Candidate) dies at 84
2001 William Masters, sexologist (Masters & Johnson) dies at 85
2005 Nicole DeHuff, actress (Meet the Parents) dies at 30
Today in History
1741 Benjamin Franklin published America’s second magazine, The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle.
1804 Lt. Stephen Decatur led a successful raid into Tripoli harbor to burn the U.S. Navy frigate Philadelphia, which had fallen into the hands of pirates.
1857 The National Deaf Mute College was incorporated in Washington, D.C.
1862 Some 14,000 Confederate soldiers surrendered at Fort Donelson, Tenn., to Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
1868 The Jolly Corks organization in New York City changed their name to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
1923 The burial chamber of King Tutankhamen's recently unearthed tomb was unsealed in Egypt.
1932 The first fruit tree patent was issued to James E. Markham for a peach tree which ripens later than other varieties.
1937 Wallace H. Carothers patented nylon.
1945 American troops landed on the island of Corregidor in the Philippines during World War II.
1948 NBC-TV presented the first daily newsreel telecast, known as the 20th Century Fox - Movietone News.
1950 What's My Line debuted on CBS-TV, begiining a 17-year run in prime time.
1959 Fidel Castro became premier of Cuba after the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
1963 The Beatles moved to the top of the British rock charts with "Please, Please Me" exactly one month after the record was released.
1968 The nation's first 911 emergency telephone system was inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala.
1968 Elvis Presley received a gold record for his sacred album of hymns, How Great Thou Art (it also received one of Elvis' only three Grammy Awards).
1972 Los Angeles Lakers basketball-great Wilt Chamberlain topped the 30,000-point mark in his career during a game against the Phoenix Suns.
1978 The first computer bulletin board system was created.
1985 Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Mancini lost the World Boxing Association lightweight championship crown to Livingstone Bramble; it was Mancini's last fight.
1985 Basketball coach Lefty Driesell got his 400th career victory as the University of Maryland defeated Davidson 65-63.
1989 Investigators in Lockerbie, Scotland, said a bomb hidden inside a radio-cassette player was what brought down Pan Am Flight 103 the previous December, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground.
1999 Enraged Kurds seized embassies and held hostages across Europe following Turkey's arrest of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan.
2002 The operator of a crematory in Noble, Ga., was arrested after dozens of decomposing corpses were found stacked in storage sheds and scattered around the building and surrounding woods.
2005 The NHL canceled what was left of its season after a round of last-gasp negotiations failed to resolve differences over a salary cap, the issue that led to a lockout.
2006 The last Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) was decommissioned by the United States Army.
Chart Toppers
1951
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
If - Perry Como
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
16 Candles - The Crests
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves
1967
I’m a Believer - The Monkees
Georgy Girl - The Seekers
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
Don’t Come Home a’Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind) - Loretta Lynn
1975
You’re No Good - Linda Ronstadt
Pick Up the Pieces - AWB
Best of My Love - The Eagles
Devil in the Bottle - T.G. Sheppard
1983
Down Under - Men at Work
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
’Til I Gain Control Again - Crystal Gayle
1991
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music Factory featuring Freedom Williams
All the Man that I Need - Whitney Houston
One More Try - Timmy T
Brother Jukebox - Mark Chesnutt
Quote of the Day
In religion and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.
Mark Twain, humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today in History - Feb 17th
Today's Birthdays
1766 Thomas Malthus, economist/demographer, died Dec 29, 1834
1844 Aaron Montgomery Ward, merchant/department store mogul, died Dec 7, 1913
1908 Red (Walter) Barber, sportscaster (Brooklyn Dodgers) died Oct 22, 1992
1919 Kathleen Freeman, actress (The Blues Brothers, The Nutty Professor) died August 23, 2001
1924 (Mary) Margaret Truman (Daniel), daughter of 33rd U.S. President Harry S Truman, died January 29, 2008
1925 Hal Holbrook (Harold Rowe Jr.), actor (Mark Twain, All the President’s Men, Sorry Wrong Number, The Firm)
1933 Bobby Lewis, pianist/singer (Tossing and Turnin’)
1935 Christina Pickles, actress (Romeo+Juliet, The Wedding Singer)
1936 Jim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back/actor (The Dirty Dozen, Mars Attacks)
1941 Gene Pitney, singer (Town Without Pity, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) died Apr 5, 2006
1942 Huey P. Newton, political activist (Black Panthers) died August 22, 1989
1945 Brenda Fricker, actress (My Left Foot, A Time to Kill, Angels in the Outfield, So I Married an Axe Murderer)
1954 Rene Russo, actress (Lethal Weapon series, The Thomas Crown Affair, Major League)
1956 Richard Karn, actor (Home Improvement)
1957 Loreena McKennitt, singer (The Mummer's Dance)
1962 Lou Diamond Phillips, actor (Courage Under Fire, Young Guns series, La Bamba, Stand and Deliver)
1963 Michael Jordan, NBA guard (Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards)
1965 Michael Bay, film director (Transformers, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys series)
1966 Luc Robitaille, NHL left wing (NY Rangers, LA Kings)
1970 Dominic Purcell, actor (Prison Break)
1971 Denise Richards, actress (Wild Things, Undercover Brother)
1972 Billie Joe Armstrong, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Green Day)
1974 Jerry O'Connell, actor (Crossing Jordan, Joe's Apartment)
1976 Kelly Carlson, actress (Nip/Tuck)
1980 Jason Ritter, actor (Joan of Arcadia)
1981 Paris Hilton, heiress/celebutante
1981 Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor (3rd Rock from the Sun)
Today's Deaths in History
1890 Christopher Sholes, inventor (first practical typewriter) dies at 71
1909 Geronimo, Apache leader, dies at 79
1982 Thelonious Monk, pianist/jazz pioneer, dies at 64
1982 Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (The Godfather: Part II) dies at 80
1990 Hap Day, Hockey Hall of Fame player/executive ( Toronto St. Pats, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans) dies at 88
1998 Bob Merrill, composer/lyricist (Love Makes the World Go 'Round, Honeycomb) dies at 76
2005 Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (The Last Starfighter, Robocop series) dies at 85
2006 Bill Cowsill, singer (The Cowsills) dies at 58
Today in History
1801 The House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, choosing Jefferson to be president.
1817 A street in Baltimore became the first to be lighted with gas from America's first gas company.
1864 The H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
1865 Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in.
1897 The National Congress of Mothers was organized in Washington, D.C.
1933 Blondie Boopadoop, the title role and flapper in the comic strip Blondie, married Dagwood Bumstead.
1933 Newsweek magazine was first published.
1933 The Blaine Act ended Prohibition in the United States.
1934 The first high school automobile driver’s education course was introduced in State College, PA.
1947 The Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
1954 Doris Day’s single "Secret Love" became the #1 tune in the U.S.
1962 Gene Chandler hit #1 with "Duke of Earl."
1964 The Supreme Court ruled in Westberry v. Sanders that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.
1964 Luke Appling became the 101st member elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
1965 Comedienne Joan Rivers made the first of many guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC-TV.
1966 Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler received a gold record for both the album and the single of The Ballad of the Green Berets.
1968 The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, MA.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon departed Washington, D.C. on his historic trip to China.
1985 Laffit Pincay, Jr. rode his 6,000th career winner at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, CA to become the third jockey to reach that mark.
1987 Don Mattingly won the highest award in the 13-year history of salary arbitration when a judge ruled that the New York Yankee first baseman deserved a salary of $1,975,000.
1992 Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
1995 Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings that also wounded 19 people.
1996 World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning a six-game match in Philadelphia.
2000 Windows 2000 Professional Edition was released.
2002 The new Transportation Security Administration took over supervision of aviation security from the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration.
2003 Twenty-one people were killed in a stampede at a crowded nightclub in Chicago.
2004 Cingular Wireless agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services.
2005 President George W. Bush named John Negroponte as the government's first national intelligence director.
2005 Iraq's electoral commission certified the results of the Jan. 30 elections and allocated 140 of 275 National Assembly seats to the United Iraqi Alliance, giving the Shiite-dominated party a majority in the new parliament.
2006 More than 1,000 people were buried alive and perished in the St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines mudslide.
Chart Toppers
1944
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty
Kallen
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
The White Knight - Cledus Maggard & the Citizen’s Band
1984
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Joanna - Kool & The Gang
Jump - Van Halen
That’s the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard
Quote of the Day
Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats.
Howard Aiken, computer scientist (1900 - 1973)
Today's Birthdays
1766 Thomas Malthus, economist/demographer, died Dec 29, 1834
1844 Aaron Montgomery Ward, merchant/department store mogul, died Dec 7, 1913
1908 Red (Walter) Barber, sportscaster (Brooklyn Dodgers) died Oct 22, 1992
1919 Kathleen Freeman, actress (The Blues Brothers, The Nutty Professor) died August 23, 2001
1924 (Mary) Margaret Truman (Daniel), daughter of 33rd U.S. President Harry S Truman, died January 29, 2008
1925 Hal Holbrook (Harold Rowe Jr.), actor (Mark Twain, All the President’s Men, Sorry Wrong Number, The Firm)
1933 Bobby Lewis, pianist/singer (Tossing and Turnin’)
1935 Christina Pickles, actress (Romeo+Juliet, The Wedding Singer)
1936 Jim Brown, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back/actor (The Dirty Dozen, Mars Attacks)
1941 Gene Pitney, singer (Town Without Pity, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) died Apr 5, 2006
1942 Huey P. Newton, political activist (Black Panthers) died August 22, 1989
1945 Brenda Fricker, actress (My Left Foot, A Time to Kill, Angels in the Outfield, So I Married an Axe Murderer)
1954 Rene Russo, actress (Lethal Weapon series, The Thomas Crown Affair, Major League)
1956 Richard Karn, actor (Home Improvement)
1957 Loreena McKennitt, singer (The Mummer's Dance)
1962 Lou Diamond Phillips, actor (Courage Under Fire, Young Guns series, La Bamba, Stand and Deliver)
1963 Michael Jordan, NBA guard (Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards)
1965 Michael Bay, film director (Transformers, Armageddon, The Rock, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys series)
1966 Luc Robitaille, NHL left wing (NY Rangers, LA Kings)
1970 Dominic Purcell, actor (Prison Break)
1971 Denise Richards, actress (Wild Things, Undercover Brother)
1972 Billie Joe Armstrong, singer/songwriter/guitarist (Green Day)
1974 Jerry O'Connell, actor (Crossing Jordan, Joe's Apartment)
1976 Kelly Carlson, actress (Nip/Tuck)
1980 Jason Ritter, actor (Joan of Arcadia)
1981 Paris Hilton, heiress/celebutante
1981 Joseph Gordon-Levitt, actor (3rd Rock from the Sun)
Today's Deaths in History
1890 Christopher Sholes, inventor (first practical typewriter) dies at 71
1909 Geronimo, Apache leader, dies at 79
1982 Thelonious Monk, pianist/jazz pioneer, dies at 64
1982 Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (The Godfather: Part II) dies at 80
1990 Hap Day, Hockey Hall of Fame player/executive ( Toronto St. Pats, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Americans) dies at 88
1998 Bob Merrill, composer/lyricist (Love Makes the World Go 'Round, Honeycomb) dies at 76
2005 Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (The Last Starfighter, Robocop series) dies at 85
2006 Bill Cowsill, singer (The Cowsills) dies at 58
Today in History
1801 The House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, choosing Jefferson to be president.
1817 A street in Baltimore became the first to be lighted with gas from America's first gas company.
1864 The H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
1865 Columbia, S.C., burned as the Confederates evacuated and Union forces moved in.
1897 The National Congress of Mothers was organized in Washington, D.C.
1933 Blondie Boopadoop, the title role and flapper in the comic strip Blondie, married Dagwood Bumstead.
1933 Newsweek magazine was first published.
1933 The Blaine Act ended Prohibition in the United States.
1934 The first high school automobile driver’s education course was introduced in State College, PA.
1947 The Voice of America began broadcasting to the Soviet Union.
1954 Doris Day’s single "Secret Love" became the #1 tune in the U.S.
1962 Gene Chandler hit #1 with "Duke of Earl."
1964 The Supreme Court ruled in Westberry v. Sanders that congressional districts within each state had to be roughly equal in population.
1964 Luke Appling became the 101st member elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
1965 Comedienne Joan Rivers made the first of many guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on NBC-TV.
1966 Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler received a gold record for both the album and the single of The Ballad of the Green Berets.
1968 The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opened in Springfield, MA.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon departed Washington, D.C. on his historic trip to China.
1985 Laffit Pincay, Jr. rode his 6,000th career winner at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, CA to become the third jockey to reach that mark.
1987 Don Mattingly won the highest award in the 13-year history of salary arbitration when a judge ruled that the New York Yankee first baseman deserved a salary of $1,975,000.
1992 Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced in Milwaukee to life in prison.
1995 Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings that also wounded 19 people.
1996 World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning a six-game match in Philadelphia.
2000 Windows 2000 Professional Edition was released.
2002 The new Transportation Security Administration took over supervision of aviation security from the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration.
2003 Twenty-one people were killed in a stampede at a crowded nightclub in Chicago.
2004 Cingular Wireless agreed to pay nearly $41 billion in cash to buy AT&T Wireless Services.
2005 President George W. Bush named John Negroponte as the government's first national intelligence director.
2005 Iraq's electoral commission certified the results of the Jan. 30 elections and allocated 140 of 275 National Assembly seats to the United Iraqi Alliance, giving the Shiite-dominated party a majority in the new parliament.
2006 More than 1,000 people were buried alive and perished in the St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines mudslide.
Chart Toppers
1944
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty
Kallen
Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1952
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
Teen Angel - Mark Dinning
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer
You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate
The White Knight - Cledus Maggard & the Citizen’s Band
1984
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Joanna - Kool & The Gang
Jump - Van Halen
That’s the Way Love Goes - Merle Haggard
Quote of the Day
Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats.
Howard Aiken, computer scientist (1900 - 1973)
Today in History - Feb 18th
Today's Birthdays
1892 Wendell L. (Lewis) Willkie, lawyer/Republican presidential nominee, died Oct 8, 1944
1898 Enzo Ferrari, auto racer/manufacturer, died Aug 14, 1988
1919 Jack Palance (Vladimir Palahnuik), actor (City Slickers, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Batman) died Nov 10, 2006
1920 Bill Cullen, TV host (The Price is Right, The Joker’s Wild, Name that Tune) died July 7, 1990
1922 Helen Gurley Brown, feminist/publisher (Cosmopolitan)
1925 George Kennedy, actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Blue Knight, Naked Gun series, Airplane, Dallas, The Dirty Dozen)
1927 John Warner, U.S. senator (R-Va)
1931 Toni Morrison (Chloe Anthony Wofford), author (Beloved)
1931 Johnny Hart, cartoonist (BC, The Wizard of Id) died Apr 7, 2007
1932 Milos Forman, director (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus)
1933 Yoko Ono Lennon, singer (Plastic Ono Band)
1936 Dick Duff, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers)
1941 Herman Santiago, singer (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers)
1947 Dennis DeYoung, keyboardist/singer (Styx)
1948 Keith Knudsen, drummer/singer (The Doobie Brothers) died Feb 8, 2005
1950 Cybill Shepherd, actress (Cybill, Moonlighting, The Last Picture Show)
1950 John Hughes, film writer/director (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink)
1952 Randy (Veronica) Crawford, singer (Imagine, Nightline)
1952 Juice Newton (Judy Cohen), singer (Angel of the Morning)
1953 Robbie Bachman, drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
1954 John Travolta, actor (Welcome Back Kotter, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Urban Cowboy, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty)
1957 Vanna White (Rosich), TV personality (Wheel of Fortune)
1958 Gar Samuelson, drummer (Megadeath) died July 22, 1999
1960 Greta Scacchi, actress (White Mischief, Presumed Innocent)
1964 Matt Dillon, actor (My Bodyguard, Drugstore Cowboy, The Outsiders, There's Something About Mary)
1965 Dr. Dre, rapper
1968 Molly Ringwald, actress (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink)
1969 Jason Sutter, drummer (Smash Mouth, American Hi-Fi)
1985 Lee Boyd Malvo, serial killer (D.C. sniper)
Today's Deaths in History
1546 Martin Luther, German religious reformer, dies at 62
1564 Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian painter/sculptor, dies at 88
1902 Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler (Tiffany & Co.) dies at 90
1967 J. Robert Oppenheimer, physicist (Manhattan Project) dies at 62
1995 Bob Stinson, guitarist (The Replacements) dies at 35
1998 Harry Caray, sportscaster (Chicago Cubs) dies at 83
2001 Dale Earnhardt Sr., NASCAR driver, dies at 49 from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500
2003 Johnny Paycheck, country singer/songwriter (Take This Job and Shove It) dies at 64
2006 Richard Bright, actor (Godfather series) dies at 68
Today in History
1735 The first opera performed in America, Flora, also known as [/i]Hob in the Well,[/i] was presented in Charleston, S.C.
1841 The first continuous filibuster in the U.S. Senate began; it lasted until March 11th.
1861 Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Ala.
1885 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, was published.
1922 Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigned his post as U.S. District Judge in Illinois to devote himself full-time to his post as baseball commissioner.
1930 Photographic evidence of Pluto was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
1930 Elm Farm Ollie became the first cow to fly in an airplane.
1932 Sonja Henie won her 6th world women’s figure skating title in Montreal, Canada.
1942 The Mills Brothers waxed "Paper Doll," Decca record #18318.
1953 The 3-D film Bwana Devil opened at Loew’s State Theatre in New York City.
1953 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz signed a contract worth $8,000,000 to continue the I Love Lucy TV show through 1955, the richest deal in TV history at the time.
1954 The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles, California.
1960 The VIIIth Winter Olympic Games were opened in Squaw Valley, California.
1970 Five of the Chicago Seven defendants were found guilty of intent to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic national convention; the convictions were later overturned.
1972 The California Supreme Court declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the state constitution.
1973 The King Biscuit Flower Hour debuted in the U.S. with a live broadcast of Blood Sweat & Tears and the Mahavisnu Orchestra.
1977 The space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden flight above the Mojave Desert.
1984 Reed Larson of Detroit got two assists to become the highest scoring American-born player in the history of the National Hockey League with 432 points.
1987 The executives of the Girl Scouts movement decided, because the older girls wanted a change, that it was time to change the color of the scout uniform from the traditional Girl Scout green to the newer Girl Scout blue.
1997 Trinity Broadcasting Network, a U.S. Christian TV net, cancelled Pat Boone’s weekly gospel music show after he appeared in black leather and fake tattoos on the American Music Awards show.
2001 Auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr., 49, died from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500.
2001 Veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested, accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years.
2006 American Shani Davis won the men's 1,000-meter speedskating in Turin, becoming the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history.
2006 A Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament was sworn in.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
1961
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
1977
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
1985
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Loverboy - Billy Ocean
Method of Modern Love - Daryl Hall John Oates
Make My Life with You - The Oak Ridge Boys
Quote of the Day
Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes.
Edgard Varese, composer (1883 - 1965)
Today's Birthdays
1892 Wendell L. (Lewis) Willkie, lawyer/Republican presidential nominee, died Oct 8, 1944
1898 Enzo Ferrari, auto racer/manufacturer, died Aug 14, 1988
1919 Jack Palance (Vladimir Palahnuik), actor (City Slickers, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Batman) died Nov 10, 2006
1920 Bill Cullen, TV host (The Price is Right, The Joker’s Wild, Name that Tune) died July 7, 1990
1922 Helen Gurley Brown, feminist/publisher (Cosmopolitan)
1925 George Kennedy, actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Blue Knight, Naked Gun series, Airplane, Dallas, The Dirty Dozen)
1927 John Warner, U.S. senator (R-Va)
1931 Toni Morrison (Chloe Anthony Wofford), author (Beloved)
1931 Johnny Hart, cartoonist (BC, The Wizard of Id) died Apr 7, 2007
1932 Milos Forman, director (One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus)
1933 Yoko Ono Lennon, singer (Plastic Ono Band)
1936 Dick Duff, Hockey Hall of Fame forward (NY Rangers)
1941 Herman Santiago, singer (Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers)
1947 Dennis DeYoung, keyboardist/singer (Styx)
1948 Keith Knudsen, drummer/singer (The Doobie Brothers) died Feb 8, 2005
1950 Cybill Shepherd, actress (Cybill, Moonlighting, The Last Picture Show)
1950 John Hughes, film writer/director (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink)
1952 Randy (Veronica) Crawford, singer (Imagine, Nightline)
1952 Juice Newton (Judy Cohen), singer (Angel of the Morning)
1953 Robbie Bachman, drummer (Bachman-Turner Overdrive)
1954 John Travolta, actor (Welcome Back Kotter, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Urban Cowboy, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty)
1957 Vanna White (Rosich), TV personality (Wheel of Fortune)
1958 Gar Samuelson, drummer (Megadeath) died July 22, 1999
1960 Greta Scacchi, actress (White Mischief, Presumed Innocent)
1964 Matt Dillon, actor (My Bodyguard, Drugstore Cowboy, The Outsiders, There's Something About Mary)
1965 Dr. Dre, rapper
1968 Molly Ringwald, actress (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink)
1969 Jason Sutter, drummer (Smash Mouth, American Hi-Fi)
1985 Lee Boyd Malvo, serial killer (D.C. sniper)
Today's Deaths in History
1546 Martin Luther, German religious reformer, dies at 62
1564 Michelangelo Buonarroti, Italian painter/sculptor, dies at 88
1902 Charles Lewis Tiffany, jeweler (Tiffany & Co.) dies at 90
1967 J. Robert Oppenheimer, physicist (Manhattan Project) dies at 62
1995 Bob Stinson, guitarist (The Replacements) dies at 35
1998 Harry Caray, sportscaster (Chicago Cubs) dies at 83
2001 Dale Earnhardt Sr., NASCAR driver, dies at 49 from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500
2003 Johnny Paycheck, country singer/songwriter (Take This Job and Shove It) dies at 64
2006 Richard Bright, actor (Godfather series) dies at 68
Today in History
1735 The first opera performed in America, Flora, also known as [/i]Hob in the Well,[/i] was presented in Charleston, S.C.
1841 The first continuous filibuster in the U.S. Senate began; it lasted until March 11th.
1861 Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Ala.
1885 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, was published.
1922 Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigned his post as U.S. District Judge in Illinois to devote himself full-time to his post as baseball commissioner.
1930 Photographic evidence of Pluto was discovered by Clyde W. Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Ariz.
1930 Elm Farm Ollie became the first cow to fly in an airplane.
1932 Sonja Henie won her 6th world women’s figure skating title in Montreal, Canada.
1942 The Mills Brothers waxed "Paper Doll," Decca record #18318.
1953 The 3-D film Bwana Devil opened at Loew’s State Theatre in New York City.
1953 Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz signed a contract worth $8,000,000 to continue the I Love Lucy TV show through 1955, the richest deal in TV history at the time.
1954 The first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles, California.
1960 The VIIIth Winter Olympic Games were opened in Squaw Valley, California.
1970 Five of the Chicago Seven defendants were found guilty of intent to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic national convention; the convictions were later overturned.
1972 The California Supreme Court declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the state constitution.
1973 The King Biscuit Flower Hour debuted in the U.S. with a live broadcast of Blood Sweat & Tears and the Mahavisnu Orchestra.
1977 The space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden flight above the Mojave Desert.
1984 Reed Larson of Detroit got two assists to become the highest scoring American-born player in the history of the National Hockey League with 432 points.
1987 The executives of the Girl Scouts movement decided, because the older girls wanted a change, that it was time to change the color of the scout uniform from the traditional Girl Scout green to the newer Girl Scout blue.
1997 Trinity Broadcasting Network, a U.S. Christian TV net, cancelled Pat Boone’s weekly gospel music show after he appeared in black leather and fake tattoos on the American Music Awards show.
2001 Auto racing star Dale Earnhardt Sr., 49, died from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500.
2001 Veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested, accused of spying for Russia for more than 15 years.
2006 American Shani Davis won the men's 1,000-meter speedskating in Turin, becoming the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history.
2006 A Hamas-dominated Palestinian parliament was sworn in.
Chart Toppers
1945
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
Accentuate the Positive - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
I Let the Stars Get in My Eyes - Goldie Hill
1961
Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
Shop Around - The Miracles
Calendar Girl - Neil Sedaka
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Touch Me - The Doors
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
1977
Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
Near You - George Jones & Tammy Wynette
1985
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Loverboy - Billy Ocean
Method of Modern Love - Daryl Hall John Oates
Make My Life with You - The Oak Ridge Boys
Quote of the Day
Everyone is born with genius, but most people only keep it a few minutes.
Edgard Varese, composer (1883 - 1965)
So John Travolta was born on the same day as the establishment of the first Scientology church. Veeerrryy Interesting!
Today in History - Feb 19th
Today's Birthdays
1473 Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernick), Polish astronomer, died May 24, 1543
1895 Louis Calhern (Carl Henry Vogt), actor (The Count of Monte Cristo, Blackboard Jungle) died May 12, 1956
1902 Nydia Westman, actress (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut) died May 23, 1970
1911 Merle Oberon (Thompson), actress (Wuthering Heights, Hotel) died Nov 23, 1979
1916 Eddie (George) Arcaro, jockey (won two Triple Crowns) died Nov 14, 1997
1917 Carson McCullers (Smith), author (The Member of the Wedding, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter) died Sep 29, 1967
1924 Bruce Norris, NHL executive, died January 1, 1986
1924 Lee Marvin, actor (Cat Ballou, The Caine Mutiny, The Dirty Dozen) died Aug 29, 1987
1930 John Frankenheimer, director (The French Connection, The Manchurian Candidate) died July 6, 2002
1939 Gwen Taylor, English actress (Life of Brian)
1940 Bobby Rogers, R&B singer (The Miracles)
1940 Smokey (William) Robinson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (The Miracles)
1942 Paul Krause, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings)
1943 Lou Christie (Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco), singer (Lightnin’ Strikes)
1946 Paul Dean, guitarist (Loverboy)
1946 Karen Silkwood, nuclear safety activist, died November 13, 1974
1948 Tony Iommi, guitarist (Black Sabbath)
1950 Andy Powell, guitarist (Wishbone Ash)
1952 Amy Tan, author (The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter)
1954 Francis Buchholz, guitarist (Scorpions)
1955 Jeff Daniels, actor (Speed, Dumb and Dumber, Radio Days, Something Wild, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
1956 Dave Wakeling, musician/singer (General Public, English Beat)
1957 Falco (Johann Hölzel), singer/songwriter (Rock Me Amadeus) died Feb 6, 1998
1960 Prince Andrew (Duke of York), British royalty
1962 Hana Mandlikova, Tennis Hall of Famer
1963 Seal, singer (Crazy, Kiss from a Rose, Prayer for the Dying)
1966 Justine Bateman, actress (Family Ties)
1967 Benicio Del Toro, actor (The Usual Suspects, Traffic)
1975 Daniel Adair, drummer (Nickelback)
1985 Haylie Duff, singer/actress (7th Heaven)
Today's Deaths in History
1916 Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist/philosopher (Mach number) dies at 78
1936 Billy Mitchell, American general/military aviation pioneer, dies at 56
1936 Max Schreck, German actor (Nosferatu) dies at 56
1969 Madge Blake, actress (Batman TV series) dies at 69
1980 Bon Scott, singer (AC/DC) dies at 33
1996 Charles O. Finley, MLB owner (Oakland A's) dies at 77
1997 Deng Xiaoping, Chinese Communist revolutionary, dies at 93
1998 Grandpa Jones, entertainer (Grand Ol' Opry, Hee Haw) dies at 84
2001 Stanley Kramer, director (The Wild One) dies at 87
2007 Janet Blair, actress (Night of the Eagle) dies at 85
Today in History
1856 The tintype photographic process was patented by Professor Hamilton L. Smith of Gambier, OH.
1864 The Fraternal Order of Knights of Pythias was founded in Washington, D.C.
1878 Thomas Alva Edison patented a music player at his laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ.
1881 Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
1942 The New York Yankees announced that they would admit 5,000 uniformed servicemen free to each of their home ball games during the coming season.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans.
1945 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima and began a month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces during World War II.
1949 The first Bollingen Prize in poetry was awarded to Ezra Pound for his poetry collection, The Pisan Cantos.
1953 Georgia approved the first literature censorship board in the United States.
1965 Rod Stewart and his group The Soul Agents played their first major gig at a club in the London Borough of Harrow.
1981 George Harrison was ordered to pay ABKCO Music the sum of $587,000 for “subconscious plagiarism” between his song "My Sweet Lord" and the Chiffons early 1960s hit "He’s So Fine."
1984 The XIV Winter Olympic Games ended at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
1985 William Schroeder became the first artificial-heart patient to leave the confines of the hospital where the historic operation was performed.
1985 Cherry Coke was introduced by the Coca-Cola Company in New York City.
1986 The U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide, 37 years after the pact had first been submitted for ratification.
1987 A controversial anti-smoking ad aired for the first time on television, featuring actor Yul Brynner in a public service announcement that was recorded shortly before his October 1985 death from lung cancer.
1997 Deng Xiaoping, the last of China’s major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 93.
2001 The Oklahoma City bombing museum was dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
2002 Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics when she and Jill Bakken took top honors in bobsledding in Salt Lake City.
2004 Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's collapse (he was later convicted and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison).
2004 After sanctioning more than 2,800 gay marriages, the city of San Francisco sued the state of California, challenging its ban on same-sex marriages.
2004 Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal was awarded an honorary knighthood in recognition of a "lifetime of service to humanity."
2005 Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession in Iraq in a wave of attacks that killed dozens.
2005 The USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs, was commissioned at Groton, Conn.
2007 New Jersey became the third state to offer civil unions to gay couples.
2008 After almost 50 years in power, Fidel Castro resigned as President of Cuba.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Aren’t You Glad You’re You - Bing Crosby
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Secret Love - Doris Day
Till Then - The Hilltoppers
Wake Up, Irene - Hank Thompson
1962
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
Norman - Sue Thompson
The Wanderer - Dion
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star - Sly & The Family Stone
Hey There Lonely Girl - Eddie Holman
No Time - The Guess Who
It’s Just a Matter of Time - Sonny James
1978
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You - Margo Smith
1986
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean
Kyrie - Mr. Mister
Makin’ Up for Lost Time (The Dallas Lovers’ Song) - Crystal Gayle & Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.
Patrick Young
Today's Birthdays
1473 Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernick), Polish astronomer, died May 24, 1543
1895 Louis Calhern (Carl Henry Vogt), actor (The Count of Monte Cristo, Blackboard Jungle) died May 12, 1956
1902 Nydia Westman, actress (The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut) died May 23, 1970
1911 Merle Oberon (Thompson), actress (Wuthering Heights, Hotel) died Nov 23, 1979
1916 Eddie (George) Arcaro, jockey (won two Triple Crowns) died Nov 14, 1997
1917 Carson McCullers (Smith), author (The Member of the Wedding, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter) died Sep 29, 1967
1924 Bruce Norris, NHL executive, died January 1, 1986
1924 Lee Marvin, actor (Cat Ballou, The Caine Mutiny, The Dirty Dozen) died Aug 29, 1987
1930 John Frankenheimer, director (The French Connection, The Manchurian Candidate) died July 6, 2002
1939 Gwen Taylor, English actress (Life of Brian)
1940 Bobby Rogers, R&B singer (The Miracles)
1940 Smokey (William) Robinson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (The Miracles)
1942 Paul Krause, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings)
1943 Lou Christie (Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco), singer (Lightnin’ Strikes)
1946 Paul Dean, guitarist (Loverboy)
1946 Karen Silkwood, nuclear safety activist, died November 13, 1974
1948 Tony Iommi, guitarist (Black Sabbath)
1950 Andy Powell, guitarist (Wishbone Ash)
1952 Amy Tan, author (The Joy Luck Club, The Bonesetter's Daughter)
1954 Francis Buchholz, guitarist (Scorpions)
1955 Jeff Daniels, actor (Speed, Dumb and Dumber, Radio Days, Something Wild, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
1956 Dave Wakeling, musician/singer (General Public, English Beat)
1957 Falco (Johann Hölzel), singer/songwriter (Rock Me Amadeus) died Feb 6, 1998
1960 Prince Andrew (Duke of York), British royalty
1962 Hana Mandlikova, Tennis Hall of Famer
1963 Seal, singer (Crazy, Kiss from a Rose, Prayer for the Dying)
1966 Justine Bateman, actress (Family Ties)
1967 Benicio Del Toro, actor (The Usual Suspects, Traffic)
1975 Daniel Adair, drummer (Nickelback)
1985 Haylie Duff, singer/actress (7th Heaven)
Today's Deaths in History
1916 Ernst Mach, Austrian-Czech physicist/philosopher (Mach number) dies at 78
1936 Billy Mitchell, American general/military aviation pioneer, dies at 56
1936 Max Schreck, German actor (Nosferatu) dies at 56
1969 Madge Blake, actress (Batman TV series) dies at 69
1980 Bon Scott, singer (AC/DC) dies at 33
1996 Charles O. Finley, MLB owner (Oakland A's) dies at 77
1997 Deng Xiaoping, Chinese Communist revolutionary, dies at 93
1998 Grandpa Jones, entertainer (Grand Ol' Opry, Hee Haw) dies at 84
2001 Stanley Kramer, director (The Wild One) dies at 87
2007 Janet Blair, actress (Night of the Eagle) dies at 85
Today in History
1856 The tintype photographic process was patented by Professor Hamilton L. Smith of Gambier, OH.
1864 The Fraternal Order of Knights of Pythias was founded in Washington, D.C.
1878 Thomas Alva Edison patented a music player at his laboratory in Menlo Park, NJ.
1881 Kansas became the first state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages.
1942 The New York Yankees announced that they would admit 5,000 uniformed servicemen free to each of their home ball games during the coming season.
1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order giving the military the authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans.
1945 30,000 U.S. Marines landed on Iwo Jima and began a month-long battle to seize control of the island from Japanese forces during World War II.
1949 The first Bollingen Prize in poetry was awarded to Ezra Pound for his poetry collection, The Pisan Cantos.
1953 Georgia approved the first literature censorship board in the United States.
1965 Rod Stewart and his group The Soul Agents played their first major gig at a club in the London Borough of Harrow.
1981 George Harrison was ordered to pay ABKCO Music the sum of $587,000 for “subconscious plagiarism” between his song "My Sweet Lord" and the Chiffons early 1960s hit "He’s So Fine."
1984 The XIV Winter Olympic Games ended at Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
1985 William Schroeder became the first artificial-heart patient to leave the confines of the hospital where the historic operation was performed.
1985 Cherry Coke was introduced by the Coca-Cola Company in New York City.
1986 The U.S. Senate approved a treaty outlawing genocide, 37 years after the pact had first been submitted for ratification.
1987 A controversial anti-smoking ad aired for the first time on television, featuring actor Yul Brynner in a public service announcement that was recorded shortly before his October 1985 death from lung cancer.
1997 Deng Xiaoping, the last of China’s major Communist revolutionaries, died at age 93.
2001 The Oklahoma City bombing museum was dedicated at the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
2002 Vonetta Flowers became the first black athlete ever to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics when she and Jill Bakken took top honors in bobsledding in Salt Lake City.
2004 Former Enron Corp. chief executive Jeffrey Skilling was charged with fraud, insider trading and other crimes in connection with the energy trader's collapse (he was later convicted and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison).
2004 After sanctioning more than 2,800 gay marriages, the city of San Francisco sued the state of California, challenging its ban on same-sex marriages.
2004 Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal was awarded an honorary knighthood in recognition of a "lifetime of service to humanity."
2005 Eight suicide bombers struck in quick succession in Iraq in a wave of attacks that killed dozens.
2005 The USS Jimmy Carter, the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs, was commissioned at Groton, Conn.
2007 New Jersey became the third state to offer civil unions to gay couples.
2008 After almost 50 years in power, Fidel Castro resigned as President of Cuba.
Chart Toppers
1946
Symphony - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Clyde Rogers)
I Can’t Begin to Tell You - Bing Crosby with the Carmen Cavallaro Orchestra
Aren’t You Glad You’re You - Bing Crosby
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
Secret Love - Doris Day
Till Then - The Hilltoppers
Wake Up, Irene - Hank Thompson
1962
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
Norman - Sue Thompson
The Wanderer - Dion
Walk on By - Leroy Van Dyke
1970
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody is a Star - Sly & The Family Stone
Hey There Lonely Girl - Eddie Holman
No Time - The Guess Who
It’s Just a Matter of Time - Sonny James
1978
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
(Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You - Margo Smith
1986
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean
Kyrie - Mr. Mister
Makin’ Up for Lost Time (The Dallas Lovers’ Song) - Crystal Gayle & Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.
Patrick Young
Today in History - Feb 20th
Today's Birthdays
1726 William Prescott, Revolutionary War solier ("Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes") died Oct 13, 1795
1898 Enzo Ferrari, Italian automobile manufacturer/designer/racing car driver, died August 14, 1988
1902 Ansel Adams, photographer, died April 22, 1984
1904 Aleksei (Nikolevich) Kosygin, Soviet premier, died in Dec 1980
1910 Carl E. Stotz, founder (Little Legaue Baseball) died June 4, 1992
1912 Pierre Boulle, French author (Bridge Over the River Kwai, Planet of the Apes) died Jan 30, 1994
1914 John Daly, reporter/TV host (What’s My Line) died Feb 24, 1991
1924 Gloria Vanderbilt, fashion designer
1925 Robert Altman, director (M*A*S*H, Nashville) died Nov 20, 2006
1927 Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) died August 6, 2005
1927 Sidney Poitier, actor (Lilies of the Field, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, To Sir With Love, Sneakers)
1929 Amanda Blake (Beverly Louise Neill), actress (Gunsmoke) died Aug 16, 1989
1934 Bobby Unser, Indy car driver
1936 Larry Hovis, actor (Hogan's Heroes) died September 9, 2003
1937 Roger Penske, race car driver/team owner
1937 Nancy Wilson, singer (You Don’t Know How Glad I Am, It’s Over, What Are You Doing New Year's Eve)
1938 Richard Beymer, actor (West Side Story, Twin Peaks, The Longest Day)
1941 Buffy (Beverly) Sainte-Marie, singer (Mister Can’t You See, Up Where We Belong)
1942 Phil Esposito, Hockey Hall of fame center (NY Rangers)
1945 Brion James, actor (Blade Runner, Enemy Mine) died August 7, 1999
1946 Sandy Duncan, dancer/actress (Peter Pan, Pinnochio, The Hogan Family)
1946 J. (Jerome) Geils, guitarist (The J. Geils Band)
1946 Brenda Blethyn, actress (Secrets & Lies, Little Voice)
1947 Peter Strauss, actor (Peter Gunn, Rich Man Poor Man, Soldier Blue, The Jericho Mile)
1948 Jennifer O’Neill, actress (The Summer of ’42)
1950 Walter Becker, bassist/guitarist (Steely Dan)
1951 Edward Albert, actor (Butterflies are Free, The Heist, Guarding Tess) died Sep 22, 2006
1951 Randy California (Wolfe), singer/guitarist (Spirit) died Jan 2, 1997 in swimming accident off Molokai, HI
1951 Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister
1954 Jon Brant, bassist (Cheap Trick)
1954 Patty Hearst (Shaw), heiress/kidnapee/actress (Cry-Baby)
1960 Joel Hodgson, comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
1963 Charles Barkley, former NBA forward (Phoenix Suns)
1963 Ian Brown, singer (Stone Roses)
1964 French Stewart, actor (3rd Rock from the Sun)
1965 Ron Eldard, actor (ER, Deep Impact)
1966 Cindy Crawford, supermodel/actress
1967 Kurt Cobain, guitarist/singer (Nirvana) committed suicide April 5, 1994
1967 Andrew Shue, actor (Melrose Place)
1967 Lili Taylor, actress (Six Feet Under, I Shot Andy Warhol)
1975 Brian (Thomas) Littrell, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1976 Ed Graham, drummer (The Darkness)
1978 Lauren Ambrose, actress (Six Feet Under)
1988 Rihanna, R&B singer
Today's Deaths in History
1895 Frederick Douglass, abolitionist writer, dies at 77
1920 Robert Peary, explorer (North Pole) dies at 63
1966 Chester Nimitz, WWII Navy Admiral, dies at 80
1972 Walter Winchell, journalist (New York Evening Graphic) dies at 74
1985 Clarence "Ducky" Nash, voice actor (Donald Duck) dies at 80
1992 Dick York, actor (Bewitched) dies at 63
1993 Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer, dies at 76
1999 Gene Siskel, film critic, dies at 53
2003 Ty Longley, guitarist (Great White) dies at 31 in a nightclub fire
2005 Pam Bricker, singer (Thievery Corporation) dies at 50
2005 Hunter S. Thompson, journalist/author, commits suicide at 67
2005 Sandra Dee, actress (Gidget, A Summer Place) dies at 62
2006 Curt Gowdy, sportscaster (Boston Red Sox, NBC sports) dies at 86
Today in History
1792 President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act.
1809 The Supreme Court ruled that the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state.
1839 Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia.
1872 Luther Crowell received a patent for a machine for manufacturing paper bags.
1872 The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.
1872 Silas Noble and J.P. Cooley of Granville, MA patented the toothpick manufacturing machine.
1873 The University of California opened its first medical school in San Francisco, California.
1901 The legislature of the Territory of Hawaii convened for the first time.
1931 California got the go-ahead from Congress to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
1933 Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, which would end Prohibition.
1943 American movie studio executives agreed to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.
1944 During World War II, U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft manufacturing centers in a series of attacks that became known as Big Week.
1952 Emmett L. Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball.
1952 The African Queen opened at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.
1958 Jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000 at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.
1962 John Glenn became the first American in space, orbiting the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes.
1963 Willie Mays signed with the San Francisco Giants as baseball’s highest-paid player, earning $100,000 a year.
1965 The Ranger 8 spacecraft crashed on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of the lunar surface.
1974 Cher filed for separation from husband Sonny Bono after a decade of marriage.
1982 Singer Pat Benatar married musician-producer Neil Geraldo in Hawaii.
1986 Los Angeles Dodger’s pitching ace Orel Hershiser became the first player to receive a one million dollar salary by arbitration.
1987 David Hartman left ABC’s Good Morning America after 11 years on the air.
1992 Texas billionaire Ross Perot, appearing on CNN’s Larry King Live, said he would run for president of the U.S. if his name was placed on the ballot in all 50 states.
1997 The National Transportation Safety Board called for a speedup in the redesign of the rudder controls on Boeing 737s.
1998 American Tara Lipinski became, at age 15, the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano, Japan.
2000 Defending Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett won his third Daytona 500 in eight years.
2003 Fire broke out during a Great White rock concert at a nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., killing 100 people and injuring about 200 others.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Oh, But I Do - Margaret Whiting
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
Tweedle Dee - Georgia Gibbs
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Walk like a Man - The 4 Seasons
Ruby Baby - Dion
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Mama’s Pearl - The Jackson 5
Help Me Make It Through the Night - Sammi Smith
1979
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John
Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt
1987
Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Change of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
Touch Me (I Want Your Body) - Samantha Fox
How Do I Turn You On - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain.
John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President (1917 - 1963)
Today's Birthdays
1726 William Prescott, Revolutionary War solier ("Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes") died Oct 13, 1795
1898 Enzo Ferrari, Italian automobile manufacturer/designer/racing car driver, died August 14, 1988
1902 Ansel Adams, photographer, died April 22, 1984
1904 Aleksei (Nikolevich) Kosygin, Soviet premier, died in Dec 1980
1910 Carl E. Stotz, founder (Little Legaue Baseball) died June 4, 1992
1912 Pierre Boulle, French author (Bridge Over the River Kwai, Planet of the Apes) died Jan 30, 1994
1914 John Daly, reporter/TV host (What’s My Line) died Feb 24, 1991
1924 Gloria Vanderbilt, fashion designer
1925 Robert Altman, director (M*A*S*H, Nashville) died Nov 20, 2006
1927 Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) died August 6, 2005
1927 Sidney Poitier, actor (Lilies of the Field, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, To Sir With Love, Sneakers)
1929 Amanda Blake (Beverly Louise Neill), actress (Gunsmoke) died Aug 16, 1989
1934 Bobby Unser, Indy car driver
1936 Larry Hovis, actor (Hogan's Heroes) died September 9, 2003
1937 Roger Penske, race car driver/team owner
1937 Nancy Wilson, singer (You Don’t Know How Glad I Am, It’s Over, What Are You Doing New Year's Eve)
1938 Richard Beymer, actor (West Side Story, Twin Peaks, The Longest Day)
1941 Buffy (Beverly) Sainte-Marie, singer (Mister Can’t You See, Up Where We Belong)
1942 Phil Esposito, Hockey Hall of fame center (NY Rangers)
1945 Brion James, actor (Blade Runner, Enemy Mine) died August 7, 1999
1946 Sandy Duncan, dancer/actress (Peter Pan, Pinnochio, The Hogan Family)
1946 J. (Jerome) Geils, guitarist (The J. Geils Band)
1946 Brenda Blethyn, actress (Secrets & Lies, Little Voice)
1947 Peter Strauss, actor (Peter Gunn, Rich Man Poor Man, Soldier Blue, The Jericho Mile)
1948 Jennifer O’Neill, actress (The Summer of ’42)
1950 Walter Becker, bassist/guitarist (Steely Dan)
1951 Edward Albert, actor (Butterflies are Free, The Heist, Guarding Tess) died Sep 22, 2006
1951 Randy California (Wolfe), singer/guitarist (Spirit) died Jan 2, 1997 in swimming accident off Molokai, HI
1951 Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister
1954 Jon Brant, bassist (Cheap Trick)
1954 Patty Hearst (Shaw), heiress/kidnapee/actress (Cry-Baby)
1960 Joel Hodgson, comedian (Mystery Science Theater 3000)
1963 Charles Barkley, former NBA forward (Phoenix Suns)
1963 Ian Brown, singer (Stone Roses)
1964 French Stewart, actor (3rd Rock from the Sun)
1965 Ron Eldard, actor (ER, Deep Impact)
1966 Cindy Crawford, supermodel/actress
1967 Kurt Cobain, guitarist/singer (Nirvana) committed suicide April 5, 1994
1967 Andrew Shue, actor (Melrose Place)
1967 Lili Taylor, actress (Six Feet Under, I Shot Andy Warhol)
1975 Brian (Thomas) Littrell, singer (Backstreet Boys)
1976 Ed Graham, drummer (The Darkness)
1978 Lauren Ambrose, actress (Six Feet Under)
1988 Rihanna, R&B singer
Today's Deaths in History
1895 Frederick Douglass, abolitionist writer, dies at 77
1920 Robert Peary, explorer (North Pole) dies at 63
1966 Chester Nimitz, WWII Navy Admiral, dies at 80
1972 Walter Winchell, journalist (New York Evening Graphic) dies at 74
1985 Clarence "Ducky" Nash, voice actor (Donald Duck) dies at 80
1992 Dick York, actor (Bewitched) dies at 63
1993 Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer, dies at 76
1999 Gene Siskel, film critic, dies at 53
2003 Ty Longley, guitarist (Great White) dies at 31 in a nightclub fire
2005 Pam Bricker, singer (Thievery Corporation) dies at 50
2005 Hunter S. Thompson, journalist/author, commits suicide at 67
2005 Sandra Dee, actress (Gidget, A Summer Place) dies at 62
2006 Curt Gowdy, sportscaster (Boston Red Sox, NBC sports) dies at 86
Today in History
1792 President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act.
1809 The Supreme Court ruled that the power of the federal government is greater than that of any individual state.
1839 Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia.
1872 Luther Crowell received a patent for a machine for manufacturing paper bags.
1872 The Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.
1872 Silas Noble and J.P. Cooley of Granville, MA patented the toothpick manufacturing machine.
1873 The University of California opened its first medical school in San Francisco, California.
1901 The legislature of the Territory of Hawaii convened for the first time.
1931 California got the go-ahead from Congress to build the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
1933 Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, which would end Prohibition.
1943 American movie studio executives agreed to allow the Office of War Information to censor movies.
1944 During World War II, U.S. bombers began raiding German aircraft manufacturing centers in a series of attacks that became known as Big Week.
1952 Emmett L. Ashford became the first black umpire in organized baseball.
1952 The African Queen opened at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.
1958 Jockey Eddie Arcaro got win number 4,000 at Santa Anita race track in Southern California.
1962 John Glenn became the first American in space, orbiting the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes.
1963 Willie Mays signed with the San Francisco Giants as baseball’s highest-paid player, earning $100,000 a year.
1965 The Ranger 8 spacecraft crashed on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of the lunar surface.
1974 Cher filed for separation from husband Sonny Bono after a decade of marriage.
1982 Singer Pat Benatar married musician-producer Neil Geraldo in Hawaii.
1986 Los Angeles Dodger’s pitching ace Orel Hershiser became the first player to receive a one million dollar salary by arbitration.
1987 David Hartman left ABC’s Good Morning America after 11 years on the air.
1992 Texas billionaire Ross Perot, appearing on CNN’s Larry King Live, said he would run for president of the U.S. if his name was placed on the ballot in all 50 states.
1997 The National Transportation Safety Board called for a speedup in the redesign of the rudder controls on Boeing 737s.
1998 American Tara Lipinski became, at age 15, the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympics history when she won the ladies' figure skating title at Nagano, Japan.
2000 Defending Winston Cup champ Dale Jarrett won his third Daytona 500 in eight years.
2003 Fire broke out during a Great White rock concert at a nightclub in West Warwick, R.I., killing 100 people and injuring about 200 others.
Chart Toppers
1947
For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
A Gal in Calico - Johnny Mercer
Oh, But I Do - Margaret Whiting
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Sincerely - McGuire Sisters
Melody of Love - Billy Vaughn
Tweedle Dee - Georgia Gibbs
Let Me Go, Lover! - Hank Snow
1963
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
Walk like a Man - The 4 Seasons
Ruby Baby - Dion
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1971
One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Mama’s Pearl - The Jackson 5
Help Me Make It Through the Night - Sammi Smith
1979
Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Y.M.C.A. - Village People
A Little More Love - Olivia Newton-John
Every Which Way But Loose - Eddie Rabbitt
1987
Livin’ on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
Change of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
Touch Me (I Want Your Body) - Samantha Fox
How Do I Turn You On - Ronnie Milsap
Quote of the Day
Liberty without learning is always in peril; learning without liberty is always in vain.
John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President (1917 - 1963)
Today in History - Feb 21st
Today's Birthdays
1903 Anaïs Nin, French writer, died January 14, 1977
1907 W.H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden, poet (The Age of Anxiety) died Sep 28, 1973
1925 Sam Peckinpah, director (The Rifleman, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway) died Dec 28, 1984
1927 Erma Bombeck (Fiste), humorist/writer (The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank) died Apr 22, 1996
1927 Hubert de Givenchy, fashion designer
1933 Nina Simone (Eunice Waymon), singer/songwriter (To Be Young Gifted and Black) died Apr 21, 2003
1935 Rue McClanahan, actress (The Golden Girls)
1943 David Geffen, producer/record executive (Geffen Records)
1946 Tyne (Ellen) Daly, actress (Cagney and Lacey)
1946 Anthony Daniels, actor (Star Wars films)
1946 Alan Rickman, actor (Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sense and Sensibility)
1949 Jerry Harrison, keyboards (Talking Heads)
1951 Vince Welnick, keyboardist (The Tubes, The Grateful Dead) died June 2, 2006
1952 Jean-Jacques Burnel, bassist/singer (The Stranglers)
1953 Christine Ebersole, actress (Amadeus)
1955 Kelsey Grammer, actor (Frasier, Cheers, X-Men 3)
1961 Christopher Atkins, actor (Dallas, The Blue Lagoon)
1961 Ranking Roger, singer (General Public, English Beat)
1962 Chuck Palahniuk, writer (Fight Club)
1963 William Baldwin, actor (Backdraft, Bulworth, Primary Suspect)
1979 Jennifer Love Hewitt, actress (Party of Five, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Ghost Whisperer)
1986 Charlotte Church, singer (Voice of an Angel)
1987 Ellen Page, actress (Hard Candy, Juno)
Today's Deaths in History
1554 Hieronymus Bock, German botanist, dies at 55
1965 Malcolm X (Little), former Black Muslim leader, is assassinated at 39
1982 Murray the K, impresario/disc jockey, dies at 60
1999 Wilmer David "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, MLB pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets) dies at 68
Today in History
1842 John J. Greenough of Washington, D.C. patented the sewing machine.
1848 Former President John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.; he died two days later.
1855 The official dedication of the Washington Monument took place in Washington, D.C., although the monument wasn’t completed for another thirty-three years.
1878 The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT.
1904 The National Ski Association was formed in Ishpeming, MI.
1925 The first issue of The New Yorker was published.
1932 William N. Goodwin of Newark, New Jersey patented the camera exposure meter.
1947 Edwin Land demonstrated a the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper (in black and white), all in about a minute, to the Optical Society of America in New York City.
1948 NASCAR was incorporated.
1950 The first International Pancake Race was held in Liberal, Kansas.
1958 The Peace symbol was designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
1965 Black activist Malcolm X was shot by Black Muslim assassins as he was about to address a rally in New York.
1968 An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased the minimum salary for major-league players to $10,000 a year.
1972 Climax received a gold record for their one and only hit, "Precious and Few."
1973 Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people.
1975 Former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2-1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
1981 REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity became the #1 U.S. album.
1988 Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute.
1989 President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior."
1995 Former Chicago stockbroker and U.S. balloonist Steve Fossett made history, becoming the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
2002 The State Department declared that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was dead, a month after he'd been abducted by Islamic extremists in Pakistan.
2006 President George W. Bush endorsed the takeover of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, and pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement.
2007 British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced his country would withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months; Denmark said it would withdraw its 460 troops.
Chart Toppers
1948
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
It’s Almost Tomorrow - The Dream Weavers
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
She Loves You - The Beatles
B.J. the D.J. - Stonewall Jackson
1972
Without You - Nilsson
Hurting Each Other - Carpenters
Never Been to Spain - Three Dog Night
It’s Four in the Morning - Faron Young
1980
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Yes, I’m Ready - Teri DeSario with K.C.
Love Me Over Again - Don Williams
1988
Seasons Change - Expose
What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
Father Figure - George Michael
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star - Merle Haggard
Quote of the Day
It is by universal misunderstanding that all agree. For if, by ill luck, people understood each other, they would never agree.
Charles Baudelaire, French poet (1821 - 1867)
Today's Birthdays
1903 Anaïs Nin, French writer, died January 14, 1977
1907 W.H. (Wystan Hugh) Auden, poet (The Age of Anxiety) died Sep 28, 1973
1925 Sam Peckinpah, director (The Rifleman, The Wild Bunch, The Getaway) died Dec 28, 1984
1927 Erma Bombeck (Fiste), humorist/writer (The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank) died Apr 22, 1996
1927 Hubert de Givenchy, fashion designer
1933 Nina Simone (Eunice Waymon), singer/songwriter (To Be Young Gifted and Black) died Apr 21, 2003
1935 Rue McClanahan, actress (The Golden Girls)
1943 David Geffen, producer/record executive (Geffen Records)
1946 Tyne (Ellen) Daly, actress (Cagney and Lacey)
1946 Anthony Daniels, actor (Star Wars films)
1946 Alan Rickman, actor (Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sense and Sensibility)
1949 Jerry Harrison, keyboards (Talking Heads)
1951 Vince Welnick, keyboardist (The Tubes, The Grateful Dead) died June 2, 2006
1952 Jean-Jacques Burnel, bassist/singer (The Stranglers)
1953 Christine Ebersole, actress (Amadeus)
1955 Kelsey Grammer, actor (Frasier, Cheers, X-Men 3)
1961 Christopher Atkins, actor (Dallas, The Blue Lagoon)
1961 Ranking Roger, singer (General Public, English Beat)
1962 Chuck Palahniuk, writer (Fight Club)
1963 William Baldwin, actor (Backdraft, Bulworth, Primary Suspect)
1979 Jennifer Love Hewitt, actress (Party of Five, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Ghost Whisperer)
1986 Charlotte Church, singer (Voice of an Angel)
1987 Ellen Page, actress (Hard Candy, Juno)
Today's Deaths in History
1554 Hieronymus Bock, German botanist, dies at 55
1965 Malcolm X (Little), former Black Muslim leader, is assassinated at 39
1982 Murray the K, impresario/disc jockey, dies at 60
1999 Wilmer David "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, MLB pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets) dies at 68
Today in History
1842 John J. Greenough of Washington, D.C. patented the sewing machine.
1848 Former President John Quincy Adams suffered a stroke on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C.; he died two days later.
1855 The official dedication of the Washington Monument took place in Washington, D.C., although the monument wasn’t completed for another thirty-three years.
1878 The first telephone directories issued in the U.S. were distributed to residents in New Haven, CT.
1904 The National Ski Association was formed in Ishpeming, MI.
1925 The first issue of The New Yorker was published.
1932 William N. Goodwin of Newark, New Jersey patented the camera exposure meter.
1947 Edwin Land demonstrated a the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper (in black and white), all in about a minute, to the Optical Society of America in New York City.
1948 NASCAR was incorporated.
1950 The first International Pancake Race was held in Liberal, Kansas.
1958 The Peace symbol was designed and completed by Gerald Holtom, commissioned by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment.
1965 Black activist Malcolm X was shot by Black Muslim assassins as he was about to address a rally in New York.
1968 An agreement between baseball players and club owners increased the minimum salary for major-league players to $10,000 a year.
1972 Climax received a gold record for their one and only hit, "Precious and Few."
1973 Israeli fighter planes shot down a Libyan Airlines jet over the Sinai Desert, killing more than 100 people.
1975 Former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and former White House aides H.R. Haldeman and John D. Ehrlichman were sentenced to 2-1/2 to 8 years in prison for their roles in the Watergate cover-up.
1981 REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity became the #1 U.S. album.
1988 Televangelist Jimmy Swaggert resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute.
1989 President George H.W. Bush called Ayatollah Khomeini's death warrant against "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie "deeply offensive to the norms of civilized behavior."
1995 Former Chicago stockbroker and U.S. balloonist Steve Fossett made history, becoming the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon.
2002 The State Department declared that Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was dead, a month after he'd been abducted by Islamic extremists in Pakistan.
2006 President George W. Bush endorsed the takeover of shipping operations at six major U.S. seaports by a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates, and pledged to veto any bill Congress might approve to block the agreement.
2007 British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced his country would withdraw around 1,600 troops from Iraq in the coming months; Denmark said it would withdraw its 460 troops.
Chart Toppers
1948
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Ballerina - Vaughn Monroe
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’ll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms) - Eddy Arnold
1956
Rock and Roll Waltz - Kay Starr
Lisbon Antigua - Nelson Riddle
It’s Almost Tomorrow - The Dream Weavers
Sixteen Tons - Tennessee Ernie Ford
1964
I Want to Hold Your Hand - The Beatles
You Don’t Own Me - Leslie Gore
She Loves You - The Beatles
B.J. the D.J. - Stonewall Jackson
1972
Without You - Nilsson
Hurting Each Other - Carpenters
Never Been to Spain - Three Dog Night
It’s Four in the Morning - Faron Young
1980
Do that to Me One More Time - The Captain & Tennille
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen
Yes, I’m Ready - Teri DeSario with K.C.
Love Me Over Again - Don Williams
1988
Seasons Change - Expose
What Have I Done to Deserve This? - Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield
Father Figure - George Michael
Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star - Merle Haggard
Quote of the Day
It is by universal misunderstanding that all agree. For if, by ill luck, people understood each other, they would never agree.
Charles Baudelaire, French poet (1821 - 1867)
Today in History - Feb 22nd
Today's Birthdays
1732 George Washington, firtst U.S. President, died Dec. 14, 1799
1778 Rembrandt Peale, artist, died in Oct 1860
1810 Frederic Francois Chopin, composer, died Oct 17, 1849
1819 James Russell Lowell, essayist/poet/editor (Atlantic Monthly) died Aug 12, 1891
1892 Edna St. Vincent Millay, American writer (Euclid Alone Has Looked on Beauty Bare) died October 19, 1950
1907 Robert (George) Young, actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby M.D.) died July 21, 1998
1907 Sheldon Leonard (Bershad), actor (It’s a Wonderful Life, Guys and Dolls) died Jan 10, 1997
1908 Sir John Mills, actor (Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities) died April 23, 2005
1918 Robert Pershing Wadlow, the world's tallest man (8' 11.1") died July 15, 1940
1918 Charles O. (Oscar) Finley, baseball owner (KC Athletics, Oakland Athletics) died Feb 19, 1996
1918 Don Pardo, TV announcer (Saturday Night Live)
1928 Paul Dooley, actor (Sixteen Candles, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Slap Shot)
1932 Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy, Senator (D-Mass)
1934 Sparky (George Lee) Anderson, MLB manager (Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers)
1936 Ernie K-Doe (Ernest Kador Jr.), singer/songwriter (Mother-In-Law) died July 5, 2001
1944 Jonathan Demme, director (Silence of the Lambs; Philadelphia, Married to the Mob)
1945 Oliver (Swofford), singer (Good Morning Starshine) died Feb 12, 2000
1949 Niki (Andreas Nikolaus) Lauda, Grand Prix Hall of Fame auto racer
1950 Julius Erving II, Basketball Hall of Famer (Virginia Squires, NY Nets, Philadelphia 76ers)
1950 Miou-Miou (Sylvette Héry), actress (Going Places, Entre Nous)
1950 Julie Walters, actress (The Summer House, Mack the Knife, Educating Rita)
1951 Ellen Greene, actress (Pushing Daisies, Talk Radio, Little Shop of Horrors)
1959 Kyle MacLachlan, actor (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune)
1962 Steve Irwin, Australian herpetologist (Crocodile Hunter) died September 4, 2006
1963 Vijay Singh, golf champion
1965 Pat Lafontaine, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers)
1966 Rachel Dratch, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Bradley Nowell, singer/guitarist (Sublime) died May 25, 1996
1968 Jeri Ryan, actress (Shark, Boston Public, Star Trek: Voyager)
1969 Thomas Jane, actor (The Punisher, *61)
1975 Drew Barrymore, actress (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Scream, Charlie’s Angels series, 50 First Dates)
1977 James Blunt, singer (You're Beautiful)
Today's Deaths in History
1512 Amerigo Vespucci, Italian merchant/explorer, dies at 57
1890 John Jacob Astor III, railroad businessman, dies at 67
1965 Felix Frankfurter, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at 82
1976 Florence Ballard, singer (The Supremes) dies at 32
1987 Andy Warhol, pop artist, dies at 58
1994 Papa John Creach, musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
2002 Chuck Jones, animator (Warner Bros) dies at 89
2002 Daniel Pearl, journalist, is killed in Pakistan at 38
Today in History
1630 Popcorn was introduced to English colonists.
1819 Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
1856 The Republican Party opened its first national meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1860 Organized baseball’s first game was played in San Francisco, CA.
1865 Tennessee adopted a new constitution abolishing slavery.
1879 Frank W. Woolworth opened his first 5 and 10-cent store.
1889 President Grover Cleveland signed a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
1919 The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opened in Emeryville, CA.
1923 The first successful chinchilla farm opened in Los Angeles, CA.
1924 Calvin Coolidge delivered the first presidential radio broadcast from the White House.
1935 It became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House.
1949 Gorgeous George and Ernie Dusek ushered in a brand new era in professional wrestling, with the debut of “flying leaps, sequins and schmaltz,” according to the sports scribes covering the event.
1954 ABC radio’s popular Breakfast Club program with longtime host, Don McNeill, began simulcasting on TV.
1956 Elvis Presley entered the music charts for the first time with "Heartbreak Hotel."
1959 Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500.
1965 Filming began for the Beatles’ second movie, HELP!, in the Bahamas.
1969 Barbara Jo Rubin became the first woman to win a U.S. thoroughbred horse race.
1980 The ‘Miracle on Ice’ U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated Russia in a dramatic, come-from-behind 4-3 victory.
1992 Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Albertville Olympics.
1993 The U.N. Security Council approved creation of an international war crimes tribunal to punish those responsible for atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.
1994 The Justice Department charged 31-year CIA veteran Aldrich Ames and his wife, Rosario, with selling national security secrets to the Soviet Union.
2001 A U.N. war crimes tribunal convicted three Bosnian Serbs on charges of rape and torture in the first case of wartime sexual enslavement to go before an international court.
2002 San Diego police arrested David Westerfield in connection with the disappearance of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam (Westerfield was later convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death).
2002 The Angolan army and government announced the killing of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
2005 A Virginia man was charged with plotting with al-Qaida to kill President George W. Bush (Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was later convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison).
2006 Insurgents destroyed the golden dome of one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines, the Askariya mosque in Samarra, setting off a spasm of sectarian violence.
2006 Thieves stole $96 million from a Bank of England cash depot 30 miles southeast of London in Britain's largest cash robbery.
Chart Toppers
1949
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Love is Strange - Mickey & Sylvia
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
My Girl - The Temptations
The Jolly Green Giant - The Kingsmen
I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail - Buck Owens
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
I Wonder if They Ever Think of Me - Merle Haggard
1981
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
Woman - John Lennon
Southern Rains - Mel Tillis
1989
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Wild Thing - Tone Loc
Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
Big Wheels in the Moonlight - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.
Jane Wagner
Today's Birthdays
1732 George Washington, firtst U.S. President, died Dec. 14, 1799
1778 Rembrandt Peale, artist, died in Oct 1860
1810 Frederic Francois Chopin, composer, died Oct 17, 1849
1819 James Russell Lowell, essayist/poet/editor (Atlantic Monthly) died Aug 12, 1891
1892 Edna St. Vincent Millay, American writer (Euclid Alone Has Looked on Beauty Bare) died October 19, 1950
1907 Robert (George) Young, actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby M.D.) died July 21, 1998
1907 Sheldon Leonard (Bershad), actor (It’s a Wonderful Life, Guys and Dolls) died Jan 10, 1997
1908 Sir John Mills, actor (Frankenstein, A Tale of Two Cities) died April 23, 2005
1918 Robert Pershing Wadlow, the world's tallest man (8' 11.1") died July 15, 1940
1918 Charles O. (Oscar) Finley, baseball owner (KC Athletics, Oakland Athletics) died Feb 19, 1996
1918 Don Pardo, TV announcer (Saturday Night Live)
1928 Paul Dooley, actor (Sixteen Candles, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Slap Shot)
1932 Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy, Senator (D-Mass)
1934 Sparky (George Lee) Anderson, MLB manager (Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers)
1936 Ernie K-Doe (Ernest Kador Jr.), singer/songwriter (Mother-In-Law) died July 5, 2001
1944 Jonathan Demme, director (Silence of the Lambs; Philadelphia, Married to the Mob)
1945 Oliver (Swofford), singer (Good Morning Starshine) died Feb 12, 2000
1949 Niki (Andreas Nikolaus) Lauda, Grand Prix Hall of Fame auto racer
1950 Julius Erving II, Basketball Hall of Famer (Virginia Squires, NY Nets, Philadelphia 76ers)
1950 Miou-Miou (Sylvette Héry), actress (Going Places, Entre Nous)
1950 Julie Walters, actress (The Summer House, Mack the Knife, Educating Rita)
1951 Ellen Greene, actress (Pushing Daisies, Talk Radio, Little Shop of Horrors)
1959 Kyle MacLachlan, actor (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Dune)
1962 Steve Irwin, Australian herpetologist (Crocodile Hunter) died September 4, 2006
1963 Vijay Singh, golf champion
1965 Pat Lafontaine, Hockey Hall of Fame center (NY Rangers)
1966 Rachel Dratch, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1968 Bradley Nowell, singer/guitarist (Sublime) died May 25, 1996
1968 Jeri Ryan, actress (Shark, Boston Public, Star Trek: Voyager)
1969 Thomas Jane, actor (The Punisher, *61)
1975 Drew Barrymore, actress (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Scream, Charlie’s Angels series, 50 First Dates)
1977 James Blunt, singer (You're Beautiful)
Today's Deaths in History
1512 Amerigo Vespucci, Italian merchant/explorer, dies at 57
1890 John Jacob Astor III, railroad businessman, dies at 67
1965 Felix Frankfurter, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at 82
1976 Florence Ballard, singer (The Supremes) dies at 32
1987 Andy Warhol, pop artist, dies at 58
1994 Papa John Creach, musician (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna)
2002 Chuck Jones, animator (Warner Bros) dies at 89
2002 Daniel Pearl, journalist, is killed in Pakistan at 38
Today in History
1630 Popcorn was introduced to English colonists.
1819 Spain ceded Florida to the United States.
1856 The Republican Party opened its first national meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1860 Organized baseball’s first game was played in San Francisco, CA.
1865 Tennessee adopted a new constitution abolishing slavery.
1879 Frank W. Woolworth opened his first 5 and 10-cent store.
1889 President Grover Cleveland signed a bill admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Washington as U.S. states.
1919 The first dog race track to use an imitation rabbit opened in Emeryville, CA.
1923 The first successful chinchilla farm opened in Los Angeles, CA.
1924 Calvin Coolidge delivered the first presidential radio broadcast from the White House.
1935 It became illegal for airplanes to fly over the White House.
1949 Gorgeous George and Ernie Dusek ushered in a brand new era in professional wrestling, with the debut of “flying leaps, sequins and schmaltz,” according to the sports scribes covering the event.
1954 ABC radio’s popular Breakfast Club program with longtime host, Don McNeill, began simulcasting on TV.
1956 Elvis Presley entered the music charts for the first time with "Heartbreak Hotel."
1959 Lee Petty won the first Daytona 500.
1965 Filming began for the Beatles’ second movie, HELP!, in the Bahamas.
1969 Barbara Jo Rubin became the first woman to win a U.S. thoroughbred horse race.
1980 The ‘Miracle on Ice’ U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated Russia in a dramatic, come-from-behind 4-3 victory.
1992 Kristi Yamaguchi of the United States won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Albertville Olympics.
1993 The U.N. Security Council approved creation of an international war crimes tribunal to punish those responsible for atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.
1994 The Justice Department charged 31-year CIA veteran Aldrich Ames and his wife, Rosario, with selling national security secrets to the Soviet Union.
2001 A U.N. war crimes tribunal convicted three Bosnian Serbs on charges of rape and torture in the first case of wartime sexual enslavement to go before an international court.
2002 San Diego police arrested David Westerfield in connection with the disappearance of 7-year-old Danielle van Dam (Westerfield was later convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death).
2002 The Angolan army and government announced the killing of UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi.
2005 A Virginia man was charged with plotting with al-Qaida to kill President George W. Bush (Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was later convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison).
2006 Insurgents destroyed the golden dome of one of Iraq's holiest Shiite shrines, the Askariya mosque in Samarra, setting off a spasm of sectarian violence.
2006 Thieves stole $96 million from a Bank of England cash depot 30 miles southeast of London in Britain's largest cash robbery.
Chart Toppers
1949
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
A Little Bird Told Me - Evelyn Knight
I Love You So Much It Hurts - Jimmy Wakely
1957
Too Much - Elvis Presley
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Love is Strange - Mickey & Sylvia
Young Love - Sonny James
1965
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
My Girl - The Temptations
The Jolly Green Giant - The Kingsmen
I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail - Buck Owens
1973
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
Oh, Babe, What Would You Say? - Hurricane Smith
Dueling Banjos - Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell
I Wonder if They Ever Think of Me - Merle Haggard
1981
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt
Woman - John Lennon
Southern Rains - Mel Tillis
1989
Straight Up - Paula Abdul
Wild Thing - Tone Loc
Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
Big Wheels in the Moonlight - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.
Jane Wagner
Today in History - Feb 23rd
Today's Birthdays
1685 George Frederick Handel, composer (Messiah) died Apr 14, 1759
1904 William L. Shirer, journalist/author (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) died Dec 28, 1993
1915 Paul Tibbets, retired Brigadier General/pilot (Enola Gay) died November 1, 2007
1938 Diane Varsi, actress (Peyton Place, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) died Nov 19, 1992
1940 Peter Fonda, director/actor (Easy Rider, Futureworld, Ghost Rider)
1943 Fred Biletnikoff, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Oakland Raiders)
1944 Mike Maxfield, guitarist (Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas)
1944 Johnny Winter (John Dawson III), blues/rock guitarist
1946 Rusty Young, steel guitar (Poco)
1950 Steve Priest, bassist/singer (The Sweet)
1950 Jim Youngblood, NFL linebacker (LA Rams)
1951 Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones, NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys)
1951 Patricia Richardson, actress (Home Improvement)
1952 Brad Whitford, guitarist (Aerosmith)
1955 Tom Bodett, voice actor/radio personality (Motel 6)
1955 Howard Jones, singer (No One is to Blame, New Song)
1960 Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
1962 Michael Wilton, guitarist (Queensryche)
1963 Bobby (Roberto Martin Antonio) Bonilla, MLB 3rd baseman/ouitfielder (NY Mets, St Louis Cardinals)
1964 John Norum, guitarist (Europe)
1965 Kristin Davis, actress (Sex and the City)
1965 Michael Dell, computer manufacturer
1965 Veronica Webb, supermodel/actress (Jungle Fever)
1971 Jeff Beres, bassist/singer (Sister Hazel)
1973 Lars-Olof Johansson, guitarist (The Cardigans)
1976 Kelly Macdonald, actress (Finding Neverland, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
1978 Dan Snyder, NHL center (Atlanta Thrashers) killed in a car crash October 5, 2003
1979 D-Roc, rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
1983 Emily Blunt, actress (The Devil Wears Prada)
1994 Dakota Fanning, actress (War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web)
Today's Deaths in History
1819 John Keats, English poet (Ode on a Grecian Urn) dies at 25
1848 John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States, dies at 80
1948 John Robert Gregg, Irish-born publisher/inventor (shorthand) dies at 80
1965 Stan Laurel, comedian/actor (Laurel and Hardy) dies at 74
1969 King Saud of Saudi Arabia dies at 67
1995 Melvin Franklin, singer (The Temptations) dies at 52
1995 James Herriot, English writer (All Creatures Great and Small) dies at 78
1999 Carlos Hathcock, USMC sniper (93 confirmed kills) dies at 56
2000 Ofra Haza, Israeli singer, dies at 42
2003 Howie Epstein, bassist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) dies at 47
2004 Carl Anderson, singer/actor (Jesus Christ Superstar) dies at 58
Today in History
1821 The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries was established, the first pharmacy college in the U.S.
1822 Boston was granted a charter to incorporate as a city.
1836 The siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas.
1847 U.S. troops under Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican general Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista in Mexico.
1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington to take office after an assassination plot was foiled in Baltimore.
1886 Charles M. Hall completed his invention of aluminum.
1898 Émile Zola was imprisoned in France after writing J'accuse, a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully placing Captain Alfred Dreyfus in jail.
1904 The United States gained control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million.
1905 The Rotary Club was founded in Chicago, IL by Attorney Paul Harris.
1919 Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist Party in Italy.
1927 President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill into law that created the Federal Radio Commission.
1934 Casey Stengel became manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team.
1941 Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
1942 The first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery in Ellwood, Calif.
1945 Marines from the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, reached the top of Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, and raised the American flag on Japanese soil for the first time during World War II.
1954 The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began, in Pittsburgh.
1960 Wrecking crews began to demolish Ebbets Field in New York City.
1963 The Chiffons recording of "He’s So Fine" was released.
1968 Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers became the first pro basketball player to score more than 25,000 career points.
1974 The Symbionese Liberation Army demanded $4 million more for the release of Patty Hearst.
1975 In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commenced nearly two months early in the United States.
1981 An attempted coup began in Spain as 200 members of the Civil Guard invaded the Parliament, taking lawmakers hostage.
1985 Breaking with tradition, the TV show Gimme a Break was broadcast live before a studio audience.
1991 President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun.
1997 The story broke that Dr. Ian Wilmut of the Roslin Institute a 7-month old sheep named Dolly was the first clone of an adult mammal.
1997 A large fire occurred in the Russian Space station, Mir.
1997 A Palestinian man opened fire on the observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding six before shooting himself to death.
1998 Osama bin Laden published a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr.
2000 Carlos Santana won eight Grammy Awards for his album Supernatural, tying the record set by Michael Jackson in 1983 for Thriller.
2003 Norah Jones won five Grammy Awards for the album Come Away With Me, tying the record for a female artist held by Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys, and since tied by Beyonce.
2004 The Army canceled its Comanche helicopter program after sinking $6.9 billion into it over 21 years.
2006 Dubai Ports World agreed to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
There’s No Tomorrow - Tony Martin
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Sail Along Silvery Moon/Raunchy - Billy Vaughn
Short Shorts - The Royal Teens
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
Lightnin’ Strikes - Lou Christie
These Boots are Made for Walkin’ - Nancy Sinatra
My World is Empty Without You - The Supremes
Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line - Buck Owens
1974
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) - Aretha Franklin
Another Lonely Song - Tammy Wynette
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Open Arms - Journey
Shake It Up - The Cars
Only One You - T.G. Sheppard
1990
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Two to Make It Right - Seduction
Escapade - Janet Jackson
On Second Thought - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
Vince Lombardi, football coach (1913 - 1970)
Today's Birthdays
1685 George Frederick Handel, composer (Messiah) died Apr 14, 1759
1904 William L. Shirer, journalist/author (The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich) died Dec 28, 1993
1915 Paul Tibbets, retired Brigadier General/pilot (Enola Gay) died November 1, 2007
1938 Diane Varsi, actress (Peyton Place, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) died Nov 19, 1992
1940 Peter Fonda, director/actor (Easy Rider, Futureworld, Ghost Rider)
1943 Fred Biletnikoff, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver (Oakland Raiders)
1944 Mike Maxfield, guitarist (Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas)
1944 Johnny Winter (John Dawson III), blues/rock guitarist
1946 Rusty Young, steel guitar (Poco)
1950 Steve Priest, bassist/singer (The Sweet)
1950 Jim Youngblood, NFL linebacker (LA Rams)
1951 Ed ‘Too Tall’ Jones, NFL defensive end (Dallas Cowboys)
1951 Patricia Richardson, actress (Home Improvement)
1952 Brad Whitford, guitarist (Aerosmith)
1955 Tom Bodett, voice actor/radio personality (Motel 6)
1955 Howard Jones, singer (No One is to Blame, New Song)
1960 Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan
1962 Michael Wilton, guitarist (Queensryche)
1963 Bobby (Roberto Martin Antonio) Bonilla, MLB 3rd baseman/ouitfielder (NY Mets, St Louis Cardinals)
1964 John Norum, guitarist (Europe)
1965 Kristin Davis, actress (Sex and the City)
1965 Michael Dell, computer manufacturer
1965 Veronica Webb, supermodel/actress (Jungle Fever)
1971 Jeff Beres, bassist/singer (Sister Hazel)
1973 Lars-Olof Johansson, guitarist (The Cardigans)
1976 Kelly Macdonald, actress (Finding Neverland, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
1978 Dan Snyder, NHL center (Atlanta Thrashers) killed in a car crash October 5, 2003
1979 D-Roc, rapper (Ying Yang Twins)
1983 Emily Blunt, actress (The Devil Wears Prada)
1994 Dakota Fanning, actress (War of the Worlds, Charlotte's Web)
Today's Deaths in History
1819 John Keats, English poet (Ode on a Grecian Urn) dies at 25
1848 John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States, dies at 80
1948 John Robert Gregg, Irish-born publisher/inventor (shorthand) dies at 80
1965 Stan Laurel, comedian/actor (Laurel and Hardy) dies at 74
1969 King Saud of Saudi Arabia dies at 67
1995 Melvin Franklin, singer (The Temptations) dies at 52
1995 James Herriot, English writer (All Creatures Great and Small) dies at 78
1999 Carlos Hathcock, USMC sniper (93 confirmed kills) dies at 56
2000 Ofra Haza, Israeli singer, dies at 42
2003 Howie Epstein, bassist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) dies at 47
2004 Carl Anderson, singer/actor (Jesus Christ Superstar) dies at 58
Today in History
1821 The Philadelphia College of Apothecaries was established, the first pharmacy college in the U.S.
1822 Boston was granted a charter to incorporate as a city.
1836 The siege of the Alamo began in San Antonio, Texas.
1847 U.S. troops under Gen. Zachary Taylor defeated Mexican general Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista in Mexico.
1861 President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington to take office after an assassination plot was foiled in Baltimore.
1886 Charles M. Hall completed his invention of aluminum.
1898 Émile Zola was imprisoned in France after writing J'accuse, a letter accusing the French government of anti-Semitism and wrongfully placing Captain Alfred Dreyfus in jail.
1904 The United States gained control of the Panama Canal Zone for $10 million.
1905 The Rotary Club was founded in Chicago, IL by Attorney Paul Harris.
1919 Benito Mussolini formed the Fascist Party in Italy.
1927 President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill into law that created the Federal Radio Commission.
1934 Casey Stengel became manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team.
1941 Plutonium was first produced and isolated by Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg.
1942 The first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred as a Japanese submarine fired on an oil refinery in Ellwood, Calif.
1945 Marines from the 28th Regiment, 5th Marine Division, reached the top of Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, and raised the American flag on Japanese soil for the first time during World War II.
1954 The first mass inoculation of children against polio with the Salk vaccine began, in Pittsburgh.
1960 Wrecking crews began to demolish Ebbets Field in New York City.
1963 The Chiffons recording of "He’s So Fine" was released.
1968 Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers became the first pro basketball player to score more than 25,000 career points.
1974 The Symbionese Liberation Army demanded $4 million more for the release of Patty Hearst.
1975 In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commenced nearly two months early in the United States.
1981 An attempted coup began in Spain as 200 members of the Civil Guard invaded the Parliament, taking lawmakers hostage.
1985 Breaking with tradition, the TV show Gimme a Break was broadcast live before a studio audience.
1991 President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun.
1997 The story broke that Dr. Ian Wilmut of the Roslin Institute a 7-month old sheep named Dolly was the first clone of an adult mammal.
1997 A large fire occurred in the Russian Space station, Mir.
1997 A Palestinian man opened fire on the observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding six before shooting himself to death.
1998 Osama bin Laden published a fatwa declaring jihad against all Jews and Crusaders.
1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr.
2000 Carlos Santana won eight Grammy Awards for his album Supernatural, tying the record set by Michael Jackson in 1983 for Thriller.
2003 Norah Jones won five Grammy Awards for the album Come Away With Me, tying the record for a female artist held by Lauryn Hill and Alicia Keys, and since tied by Beyonce.
2004 The Army canceled its Comanche helicopter program after sinking $6.9 billion into it over 21 years.
2006 Dubai Ports World agreed to postpone its plans to take over management of six U.S. ports after the proposal ignited harsh bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill.
Chart Toppers
1950
Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby
There’s No Tomorrow - Tony Martin
The Old Master Painter - Snooky Lanson
Chatanoogie Shoe Shine Boy - Red Foley
1958
Don’t/I Beg of You - Elvis Presley
Sail Along Silvery Moon/Raunchy - Billy Vaughn
Short Shorts - The Royal Teens
Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
1966
Lightnin’ Strikes - Lou Christie
These Boots are Made for Walkin’ - Nancy Sinatra
My World is Empty Without You - The Supremes
Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line - Buck Owens
1974
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do) - Aretha Franklin
Another Lonely Song - Tammy Wynette
1982
Centerfold - The J. Geils Band
Open Arms - Journey
Shake It Up - The Cars
Only One You - T.G. Sheppard
1990
Opposites Attract - Paula Abdul with The Wild Pair
Two to Make It Right - Seduction
Escapade - Janet Jackson
On Second Thought - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?
Vince Lombardi, football coach (1913 - 1970)
Today in History - Feb 24th
Today's Birthdays
1786 Wilhelm Grimm, author (Grimm’s Fairy Tales) died Dec 16, 1859
1836 Winslow Homer, artist (On a Lee Shore, Mending the Nets) died Sep 29, 1910
1874 Honus (John Peter) Wagner, ‘The Flying Dutchman,’ Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Pittsburgh Pirates) died Dec 6, 1955
1885 Chester Nimitz, U.S. Navy Admiral (WWII Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief) died Feb 20, 1966
1890 Marjorie Main (Mary Tomlinson), actress (Ma and Pa Kettle films, The Harvey Girls) died Apr 10, 1975
1921 Abe Vigoda, actor (Barney Miller, The Godfather, Joe Versus the Volcano)
1922 Steven Hill, actor (Law & Order, Mission: Impossible, The Firm)
1929 Richard B. Shull, actor (Splash, Trapped in Paradise) died Oct 14, 1999
1931 Dominic Chianese, actor/singer (The Sopranos)
1932 Michel Legrand, composer (Yentl, Brian’s Song, Ice Station Zebra)
1932 John Vernon, actor (The Outlaw Josey Wales, National Lampoon’s Animal House) died Feb 1, 2005
1938 James Farentino, actor (Dynasty, Ensign Pulver, The Final Countdown)
1942 Paul Jones, singer (Manfred Mann)
1943 George Harrison, Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer (Beatles) died Nov 29, 2001
1945 Barry Bostwick, actor (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spin City)
1947 Rupert Holmes, singer/songwriter (Escape: The Pina Colada Song)
1947 Edward James Olmos, actor (Miami Vice, Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner)
1947 Lonnie Turner, bassist/singer (The Steve Miller Band)
1950 George Thorogood, blues/rock singer/guitarist (Bad to the Bone)
1951 Helen Shaver, actress (The Craft, The Color of Money, The Amityville Horror)
1951 Debra Jo Rupp, actress (That '70s Show)
1955 Steve Jobs, computer pioneer (Apple)
1956 Eddie (Clarence) Murray, Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (Baltimore Orioles, LA Dodgers, NY Mets)
1956 Paula Zahn, broadcast journalist (CBS This Morning, American Morning with Paula Zahn)
1962 Michelle Shocked, singer (On the Greener Side)
1962 Teri Weigel, playmate (April 1986)
1966 Billy Zane, actor (Titanic, Memphis Belle)
1968 Mitch Hedberg, comedian (non sequiturs) died March 29, 2005
1970 Jeff Garcia, NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1972 Manon Rhéaume, female NHL goaltender (Tampa Bay Lightning)
1973 Chris Fehn, drummer (Slipknot)
1973 Alexei Kovalev, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1974 Mike Lowell, MLB 3rd baseman (Boston Red Sox)
1974 Bonnie Somerville, actress (NYPD Blue)
1977 Floyd Mayweather Jr, boxing champion
Today's Deaths in History
1815 Robert Fulton, inventor (steamboat) dies at 49
1825 Thomas Bowdler, English physician/editor (bowderlized versions of Shakespeare) dies at 80
1970 Conrad Nagel, actor (One Million B.C.) dies at 72
1990 Johnnie Ray, singer (Cry) dies at 63
1990 Malcolm Forbes, publisher (Forbes magazine) dies at 70
1991 Webb Pierce, country music star, dies at 65
1991 George Gobel, comedian (Hollywood Squares) dies at 71
1994 Dinah Shore, actress/singer (The Dinah Shore Show) dies at 77
1998 Henny Youngman, comedian, dies at 91
2002 Arthur Lyman, jazz vibraphone/marimba player (Yellow Bird) dies at 70
2006 Don Knotts, actor (Andy Griffith Show, The Incredible Mr. Limpet) dies at 81
2006 Dennis Weaver, actor (McCloud, Gunsmoke) dies at 81
2007 Damien Nash, NFL running back (Denver Broncos) dies at 24
Today in History
1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull, or edict, outlining his calendar reforms (the Gregorian Calendar is the calendar in general use today).
1803 The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues.
1835 Siwinowe Kesibwi (The Shawnee Sun) became the first Indian language monthly publication in the United States.
1839 Mr. William S. Otis of Philadelphia, PA received a patent for the steam shovel.
1857 The first shipment of perforated postage stamps was received by the U.S. Government.
1863 Arizona was organized as a territory.
1866 The Capitol in Washington, D.C. displayed an American flag made entirely of American bunting for the first time.
1868 The House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the Senate later acquitted Johnson.
1868 The first parade to have floats was staged at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1903 The United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
1909 The Hudson Motor Car Company was founded.
1925 A thermite reaction was used for the first time to break up an ice jam, in the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, NY.
1938 The first nylon bristle toothbrush was made in Arlington, NJ.
1942 Voice of America (VOA) radio signed on for the first time.
1945 American forces liberated the Philippine capital, Manila, from the control of the Japanese empire in World War II.
1940 Frances Langford recorded "When You Wish Upon a Star" for Decca Records during a session in Los Angeles.
1969 Johnny Cash recorded his second live prison performance, Johnny Cash at San Quentin.
1970 National Public Radio was founded in the United States.
1973 Roberta Flack’s "Killing Me Softly with His Song" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1976 The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits became the first LP in the US to be certified platinum.
1980 The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal, defeating Finland 4-2.
1981 Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
1983 A congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a "grave injustice."
1985 Quarterback Doug Flutie played his first game as a pro, leading the New Jersey Generals against Birmingham, and losing 38-28.
1987 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers got his first three-point shot.
1988 The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a $200,000 award that Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry Flynt.
1989 Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sentenced author Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) to death and slapped a one to three-million-dollar bounty (depending upon who got him) on his head.
1989 United Airlines Flight 811, out of Honolulu on its way to Sidney, was 100 miles southwest of Hawaii when its cargo door blew out; the explosion created a 10x40-ft. hole in the fuselage, knocked out the two engines on the right side, and nine passengers were sucked out of the jetliner to their deaths 20,000 ft over the Pacific.
1996 Cuba shot down two small planes operated by a Cuban-American group over the waters north of Havana.
1997 The Food and Drug Administration named six brands of birth control as safe and effective "morning-after" pills for preventing pregnancy.
1999 Lauryn Hill won five Grammys for her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, setting a record for a female artist that has since been tied by Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Beyonce.
2004 President George W. Bush urged approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
2006 South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions.
2007 The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Donna - Ritchie Valens
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
1967
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
Love is Here and Now You’re Gone - The Supremes
The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher
Where Does the Good Times Go - Buck Owens
1975
Pick Up the Pieces - AWB
Best of My Love - The Eagles
Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk
I Care - Tom T. Hall
1983
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Faking Love - T.G. Sheppard & Karen Brooks
1991
All the Man that I Need - Whitney Houston
One More Try - Timmy T
Someday - Mariah Carey
Walk on Faith - Mike Reid
Quote of the Day
Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.
W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist & novelist (1874 - 1965)
Today's Birthdays
1786 Wilhelm Grimm, author (Grimm’s Fairy Tales) died Dec 16, 1859
1836 Winslow Homer, artist (On a Lee Shore, Mending the Nets) died Sep 29, 1910
1874 Honus (John Peter) Wagner, ‘The Flying Dutchman,’ Baseball Hall of Fame shortstop (Pittsburgh Pirates) died Dec 6, 1955
1885 Chester Nimitz, U.S. Navy Admiral (WWII Pacific Fleet Commander in Chief) died Feb 20, 1966
1890 Marjorie Main (Mary Tomlinson), actress (Ma and Pa Kettle films, The Harvey Girls) died Apr 10, 1975
1921 Abe Vigoda, actor (Barney Miller, The Godfather, Joe Versus the Volcano)
1922 Steven Hill, actor (Law & Order, Mission: Impossible, The Firm)
1929 Richard B. Shull, actor (Splash, Trapped in Paradise) died Oct 14, 1999
1931 Dominic Chianese, actor/singer (The Sopranos)
1932 Michel Legrand, composer (Yentl, Brian’s Song, Ice Station Zebra)
1932 John Vernon, actor (The Outlaw Josey Wales, National Lampoon’s Animal House) died Feb 1, 2005
1938 James Farentino, actor (Dynasty, Ensign Pulver, The Final Countdown)
1942 Paul Jones, singer (Manfred Mann)
1943 George Harrison, Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer (Beatles) died Nov 29, 2001
1945 Barry Bostwick, actor (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spin City)
1947 Rupert Holmes, singer/songwriter (Escape: The Pina Colada Song)
1947 Edward James Olmos, actor (Miami Vice, Stand and Deliver, Blade Runner)
1947 Lonnie Turner, bassist/singer (The Steve Miller Band)
1950 George Thorogood, blues/rock singer/guitarist (Bad to the Bone)
1951 Helen Shaver, actress (The Craft, The Color of Money, The Amityville Horror)
1951 Debra Jo Rupp, actress (That '70s Show)
1955 Steve Jobs, computer pioneer (Apple)
1956 Eddie (Clarence) Murray, Baseball Hall of Fame 1st baseman (Baltimore Orioles, LA Dodgers, NY Mets)
1956 Paula Zahn, broadcast journalist (CBS This Morning, American Morning with Paula Zahn)
1962 Michelle Shocked, singer (On the Greener Side)
1962 Teri Weigel, playmate (April 1986)
1966 Billy Zane, actor (Titanic, Memphis Belle)
1968 Mitch Hedberg, comedian (non sequiturs) died March 29, 2005
1970 Jeff Garcia, NFL quarterback (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
1972 Manon Rhéaume, female NHL goaltender (Tampa Bay Lightning)
1973 Chris Fehn, drummer (Slipknot)
1973 Alexei Kovalev, NHL right wing (NY Rangers)
1974 Mike Lowell, MLB 3rd baseman (Boston Red Sox)
1974 Bonnie Somerville, actress (NYPD Blue)
1977 Floyd Mayweather Jr, boxing champion
Today's Deaths in History
1815 Robert Fulton, inventor (steamboat) dies at 49
1825 Thomas Bowdler, English physician/editor (bowderlized versions of Shakespeare) dies at 80
1970 Conrad Nagel, actor (One Million B.C.) dies at 72
1990 Johnnie Ray, singer (Cry) dies at 63
1990 Malcolm Forbes, publisher (Forbes magazine) dies at 70
1991 Webb Pierce, country music star, dies at 65
1991 George Gobel, comedian (Hollywood Squares) dies at 71
1994 Dinah Shore, actress/singer (The Dinah Shore Show) dies at 77
1998 Henny Youngman, comedian, dies at 91
2002 Arthur Lyman, jazz vibraphone/marimba player (Yellow Bird) dies at 70
2006 Don Knotts, actor (Andy Griffith Show, The Incredible Mr. Limpet) dies at 81
2006 Dennis Weaver, actor (McCloud, Gunsmoke) dies at 81
2007 Damien Nash, NFL running back (Denver Broncos) dies at 24
Today in History
1582 Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull, or edict, outlining his calendar reforms (the Gregorian Calendar is the calendar in general use today).
1803 The Supreme Court in Marbury v. Madison ruled itself the final interpreter of constitutional issues.
1835 Siwinowe Kesibwi (The Shawnee Sun) became the first Indian language monthly publication in the United States.
1839 Mr. William S. Otis of Philadelphia, PA received a patent for the steam shovel.
1857 The first shipment of perforated postage stamps was received by the U.S. Government.
1863 Arizona was organized as a territory.
1866 The Capitol in Washington, D.C. displayed an American flag made entirely of American bunting for the first time.
1868 The House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; the Senate later acquitted Johnson.
1868 The first parade to have floats was staged at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana.
1903 The United States signed an agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
1909 The Hudson Motor Car Company was founded.
1925 A thermite reaction was used for the first time to break up an ice jam, in the St. Lawrence River near Waddington, NY.
1938 The first nylon bristle toothbrush was made in Arlington, NJ.
1942 Voice of America (VOA) radio signed on for the first time.
1945 American forces liberated the Philippine capital, Manila, from the control of the Japanese empire in World War II.
1940 Frances Langford recorded "When You Wish Upon a Star" for Decca Records during a session in Los Angeles.
1969 Johnny Cash recorded his second live prison performance, Johnny Cash at San Quentin.
1970 National Public Radio was founded in the United States.
1973 Roberta Flack’s "Killing Me Softly with His Song" hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
1976 The Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits became the first LP in the US to be certified platinum.
1980 The U.S. Olympic Hockey Team won the gold medal, defeating Finland 4-2.
1981 Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Britain's Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.
1983 A congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a "grave injustice."
1985 Quarterback Doug Flutie played his first game as a pro, leading the New Jersey Generals against Birmingham, and losing 38-28.
1987 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers got his first three-point shot.
1988 The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a $200,000 award that Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and publisher Larry Flynt.
1989 Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini sentenced author Salman Rushdie (The Satanic Verses) to death and slapped a one to three-million-dollar bounty (depending upon who got him) on his head.
1989 United Airlines Flight 811, out of Honolulu on its way to Sidney, was 100 miles southwest of Hawaii when its cargo door blew out; the explosion created a 10x40-ft. hole in the fuselage, knocked out the two engines on the right side, and nine passengers were sucked out of the jetliner to their deaths 20,000 ft over the Pacific.
1996 Cuba shot down two small planes operated by a Cuban-American group over the waters north of Havana.
1997 The Food and Drug Administration named six brands of birth control as safe and effective "morning-after" pills for preventing pregnancy.
1999 Lauryn Hill won five Grammys for her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, setting a record for a female artist that has since been tied by Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Beyonce.
2004 President George W. Bush urged approval of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
2006 South Dakota lawmakers approved a ban on nearly all abortions.
2007 The Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution expressing "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell
Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page
There’s Been a Change in Me - Eddy Arnold
1959
Stagger Lee - Lloyd Price
Donna - Ritchie Valens
The All American Boy - Bill Parsons
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town - Johnny Cash
1967
Kind of a Drag - The Buckinghams
Love is Here and Now You’re Gone - The Supremes
The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher
Where Does the Good Times Go - Buck Owens
1975
Pick Up the Pieces - AWB
Best of My Love - The Eagles
Some Kind of Wonderful - Grand Funk
I Care - Tom T. Hall
1983
Baby, Come to Me - Patti Austin with James Ingram
Shame on the Moon - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Faking Love - T.G. Sheppard & Karen Brooks
1991
All the Man that I Need - Whitney Houston
One More Try - Timmy T
Someday - Mariah Carey
Walk on Faith - Mike Reid
Quote of the Day
Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit.
W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist & novelist (1874 - 1965)
Today in History - Feb 25th
Today's Birthdays
1841 Pierre-August Renoir, artist (The Bathers) died Dec 3, 1919
1873 Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor, died August 2, 1921
1901 Zeppo (Herbert) Marx, comedian (Marx Brothers) died Nov 30, 1979
1910 Millicent Fenwick, U.S. congresswoman, died Sep 16, 1992
1913 Jim Backus, comedian/actor (Mr. Magoo, Gilligan's Island) died July 3, 1989
1917 (John) Anthony Burgess, author (A Clockwork Orange) died Nov 25, 1993
1918 Bobby (Robert Larrimore) Riggs (Larimore), tennis champion, died Oct 25, 1995
1928 Larry Gelbart, producer (M*A*S*H)
1932 Faron Young, country singer (Hello Walls) died Dec 10, 1996
1935 Sally Jessy Raphael (Sally Lowenthal), TV talk-show host
1937 Bob Schieffer, broadcast journalist (CBS News)
1942 Carl Eller, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Minnesota Vikings)
1947 Doug Yule, bassist (The Velvet Underground)
1949 Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair, wrestler
1951 James "JB" Brown, sportscaster (Fox Sports, NFL on CBS)
1953 John Doe, songwriter/bassist (X), actor (Road House, Great Balls of Fire!, Boogie Nights)
1957 Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood, guitarist (Bay City Rollers)
1958 Jeff Fisher, NFL coach (Tennessee Titans)
1959 Mike Peters, guitarist/singer (The Alarm)
1961 Davey Allison, NASCAR driver, died July 13, 1993
1965 Carrot Top, comedian
1966 Téa Leoni, actress (Jurassic Park III, Deep Impact)
1971 Sean Astin, actor (The Goonies, Encino Man, The Lord of the Rings series)
1971 Daniel Powter, singer (Bad Day)
1973 Richard Liles, drummer (3 Doors Down)
1976 Rashida Jones, actress (Boston Public, The Office)
1976 Chris Pitman, keyboardist (Guns N' Roses)
1978 Brian Urlacher, NFL linebacker (Chichago Bears)
1986 Justin Berfield, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
Today's Deaths in History
1966 James D. Norris, Hockey Hall of Fame executive (Chicago Blackhawks) dies at 59
1978 Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., first African-American four-star general (Air Force) dies at 57
1983 Tennessee Williams, playwright (The Glass Menagerie) dies at 71
1987 James Coco, actor (Ensign Pulver, The Muppets Take Manhattan) dies at 56
1994 Jersey Joe Walcott, boxing champion, dies at 80
1996 Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-born actor (The Killing Fields) is murdered at 55
2004 Donald Hings, inventor (walkie-talkie) dies at 96
2006 Darren McGavin, actor (The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story) dies at 83
Today in History
1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated England's Queen Elizabeth I.
1793 George Washington convened the first Cabinet meeting on record, at his home.
1836 Samuel Colt received a patent for a pistol that used a revolving cylinder containing powder and bullets in six individual tubes.
1837 The first practical electric motor in the US was patented by Thomas Davenport.
1870 Hiram Revels, a Mississippi Republican, was sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. Senate.
1901 United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan.
1913 The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect.
1919 Oregon became the first state to tax gasoline.
1924 Ty Cobb issued an edict to his team, the Detroit Tigers, that outlawed the playing of golf during training camp.
1928 The Federal Radio Commission issued the first U.S. television license to Charles Jenkins Laboratories in Washington, D.C.
1940 The first televised hockey game was broadcast on W2XBS-TV in New York City, with the New York Rangers defeating the Montreal Canadiens 6-2.
1948 Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia.
1950 Your Show of Shows debuted on NBC.
1956 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow.
1957 Buddy Holly and the Crickets traveled to Clovis, NM, to record "That’ll Be the Day."
1963 "Please Please Me" became the second record released in the U.S. by The Beatles.
1964 Twenty-two-year old Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight boxing title by defeating Sonny Liston in the seventh round in Miami, FL.
1966 Nancy Sinatra received a gold record award for the hit, "These Boots are Made for Walkin’."
1972 Germany gave in to ransom demands from the Arab terrorist hijackers of a jumbo jet and paid $5 million for the release of its passengers.
1983 Playwright Tennessee Williams was found dead in his New York hotel suite at age 71.
1984 Michael Spinks defeated Eddie Davis in a unanimous decision to retain the light heavyweight boxing championship.
1986 "We are the World" captured four Grammy Awards.
1986 President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.
1990 Nicaraguans voted in an election that led to an upset victory for opponents of the ruling Sandinistas.
1991 An Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 Americans during the Persian Gulf War.
1993 The Florida Marlins baseball team introduced their mascot, Billy the Marlin.
1994 American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank, killing 29 Muslims before he was beaten to death by worshippers.
1995 Madonna’s "Take a Bow" became the #1 single in the U.S.
1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, sentenced white supremacist John William King to death for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man.
2000 A jury in Albany, N.Y., acquitted four white New York City police officers of all charges in the shooting death of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo.
2002 Former NBA star Jayson Williams was charged in the shooting death of a limousine driver; Williams was later acquitted of manslaughter, but the jury deadlocked on another (prosecutors are seeking a retrial).
2005 Dennis Rader was arrested for the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kansas (he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 life prison terms).
Chart Toppers
1944
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Ration Blues - Louis Jordan
1952
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
What in the World’s Come Over You - Jack Scott
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Theme from S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
Love Machine (Part 1) - The Miracles
Good Hearted Woman - Waylon & Willie
1984
Jump - Van Halen
99 Luftballons - Nena
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Stay Young - Don Williams
Quote of the Day
Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.
W. C. Fields, actor (1880 - 1946)
Today's Birthdays
1841 Pierre-August Renoir, artist (The Bathers) died Dec 3, 1919
1873 Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor, died August 2, 1921
1901 Zeppo (Herbert) Marx, comedian (Marx Brothers) died Nov 30, 1979
1910 Millicent Fenwick, U.S. congresswoman, died Sep 16, 1992
1913 Jim Backus, comedian/actor (Mr. Magoo, Gilligan's Island) died July 3, 1989
1917 (John) Anthony Burgess, author (A Clockwork Orange) died Nov 25, 1993
1918 Bobby (Robert Larrimore) Riggs (Larimore), tennis champion, died Oct 25, 1995
1928 Larry Gelbart, producer (M*A*S*H)
1932 Faron Young, country singer (Hello Walls) died Dec 10, 1996
1935 Sally Jessy Raphael (Sally Lowenthal), TV talk-show host
1937 Bob Schieffer, broadcast journalist (CBS News)
1942 Carl Eller, Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end (Minnesota Vikings)
1947 Doug Yule, bassist (The Velvet Underground)
1949 Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair, wrestler
1951 James "JB" Brown, sportscaster (Fox Sports, NFL on CBS)
1953 John Doe, songwriter/bassist (X), actor (Road House, Great Balls of Fire!, Boogie Nights)
1957 Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood, guitarist (Bay City Rollers)
1958 Jeff Fisher, NFL coach (Tennessee Titans)
1959 Mike Peters, guitarist/singer (The Alarm)
1961 Davey Allison, NASCAR driver, died July 13, 1993
1965 Carrot Top, comedian
1966 Téa Leoni, actress (Jurassic Park III, Deep Impact)
1971 Sean Astin, actor (The Goonies, Encino Man, The Lord of the Rings series)
1971 Daniel Powter, singer (Bad Day)
1973 Richard Liles, drummer (3 Doors Down)
1976 Rashida Jones, actress (Boston Public, The Office)
1976 Chris Pitman, keyboardist (Guns N' Roses)
1978 Brian Urlacher, NFL linebacker (Chichago Bears)
1986 Justin Berfield, actor (Malcolm in the Middle)
Today's Deaths in History
1966 James D. Norris, Hockey Hall of Fame executive (Chicago Blackhawks) dies at 59
1978 Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., first African-American four-star general (Air Force) dies at 57
1983 Tennessee Williams, playwright (The Glass Menagerie) dies at 71
1987 James Coco, actor (Ensign Pulver, The Muppets Take Manhattan) dies at 56
1994 Jersey Joe Walcott, boxing champion, dies at 80
1996 Haing S. Ngor, Cambodian-born actor (The Killing Fields) is murdered at 55
2004 Donald Hings, inventor (walkie-talkie) dies at 96
2006 Darren McGavin, actor (The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story) dies at 83
Today in History
1570 Pope Pius V excommunicated England's Queen Elizabeth I.
1793 George Washington convened the first Cabinet meeting on record, at his home.
1836 Samuel Colt received a patent for a pistol that used a revolving cylinder containing powder and bullets in six individual tubes.
1837 The first practical electric motor in the US was patented by Thomas Davenport.
1870 Hiram Revels, a Mississippi Republican, was sworn in as the first black member of the U.S. Senate.
1901 United States Steel Corp. was incorporated by J.P. Morgan.
1913 The 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress the power to levy and collect income taxes, was declared in effect.
1919 Oregon became the first state to tax gasoline.
1924 Ty Cobb issued an edict to his team, the Detroit Tigers, that outlawed the playing of golf during training camp.
1928 The Federal Radio Commission issued the first U.S. television license to Charles Jenkins Laboratories in Washington, D.C.
1940 The first televised hockey game was broadcast on W2XBS-TV in New York City, with the New York Rangers defeating the Montreal Canadiens 6-2.
1948 Communists seized power in Czechoslovakia.
1950 Your Show of Shows debuted on NBC.
1956 Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev harshly criticized the late Josef Stalin in a speech before a Communist Party congress in Moscow.
1957 Buddy Holly and the Crickets traveled to Clovis, NM, to record "That’ll Be the Day."
1963 "Please Please Me" became the second record released in the U.S. by The Beatles.
1964 Twenty-two-year old Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight boxing title by defeating Sonny Liston in the seventh round in Miami, FL.
1966 Nancy Sinatra received a gold record award for the hit, "These Boots are Made for Walkin’."
1972 Germany gave in to ransom demands from the Arab terrorist hijackers of a jumbo jet and paid $5 million for the release of its passengers.
1983 Playwright Tennessee Williams was found dead in his New York hotel suite at age 71.
1984 Michael Spinks defeated Eddie Davis in a unanimous decision to retain the light heavyweight boxing championship.
1986 "We are the World" captured four Grammy Awards.
1986 President Ferdinand E. Marcos fled the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency.
1990 Nicaraguans voted in an election that led to an upset victory for opponents of the ruling Sandinistas.
1991 An Iraqi Scud missile hit a U.S. barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 Americans during the Persian Gulf War.
1993 The Florida Marlins baseball team introduced their mascot, Billy the Marlin.
1994 American-born Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire inside the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank, killing 29 Muslims before he was beaten to death by worshippers.
1995 Madonna’s "Take a Bow" became the #1 single in the U.S.
1999 A jury in Jasper, Texas, sentenced white supremacist John William King to death for the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., a black man.
2000 A jury in Albany, N.Y., acquitted four white New York City police officers of all charges in the shooting death of unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo.
2002 Former NBA star Jayson Williams was charged in the shooting death of a limousine driver; Williams was later acquitted of manslaughter, but the jury deadlocked on another (prosecutors are seeking a retrial).
2005 Dennis Rader was arrested for the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kansas (he later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 life prison terms).
Chart Toppers
1944
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Ration Blues - Louis Jordan
1952
Cry - Johnnie Ray
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
What in the World’s Come Over You - Jack Scott
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976
50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Theme from S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
Love Machine (Part 1) - The Miracles
Good Hearted Woman - Waylon & Willie
1984
Jump - Van Halen
99 Luftballons - Nena
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Stay Young - Don Williams
Quote of the Day
Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.
W. C. Fields, actor (1880 - 1946)
Today in History - Feb 26th
Today's Birthdays
1802 Victor Hugo, author (Les Miserables) died May 22, 1885
1829 Levi Strauss, inventor (blue jeans) died Sep 26, 1902
1846 William Frederic "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman/showman, died Jan 10, 1917
1887 William Frawley, actor (I Love Lucy, Miracle on 34th Street) died Mar 3, 1966
1907 Dub Taylor, actor (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Getaway) died October 3, 1994
1908 Tex Avery, cartoonist (Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Droopy) died August 26, 1980
1916 Jackie (Herbert John) Gleason, comedian/actor/orchestra leader (The Honeymooners, Smokey and the Bandit) died June 24, 1987
1920 Tony Randall (Leonard Rosenberg), actor (The Odd Couple, Pillow Talk) died May 17, 2004
1921 Betty Hutton (Elizabeth Thornberg), actress (Annie Get Your Gun, The Greatest Show on Earth) died Mar 11, 2007
1928 Fats (Antoine) Domino, pianist/songwriter/singer (Ain’t That a Shame, I'm Walkin’, Blueberry Hill)
1932 Johnny Cash, guitarist/singer (Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire) died Sep 12, 2003
1945 Mitch Ryder (William Levise), singer (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels)
1945 Bob Hite, singer/harmonicist (Canned Heat) died April 5, 1981
1950 Jonathan Cain, keyboardist (Babys, Journey)
1954 Michael Bolton, singer (When a Man Loves a Woman)
1958 Greg Germann, actor (Ally McBeal, Talladega Nights)
1961 John-Jon (John Andrew Foster), keyboardist (Bronski Beat)
1966 Jennifer Grant, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1968 Tim Commerford, bassist (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)
1971 Erykah Badu, R&B singer (Mama's Gun)
1973 Marshall Faulk, NFL running ack (St Louis Rams)
1979 Corinne Bailey Rae, R&B singer (Put Your Records On)
Today's Deaths in History
1990 Cornell Gunter, singer (The Coasters) dies at 53
1993 Constance Ford, actress (Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents) dies at 69
1994 Bill Hicks, comedian (Dangerous) dies at 32
1997 David Doyle, actor (Charlie's Angels) dies at 67
2002 Lawrence Tierney, actor (Dillinger, Reservoir Dogs) dies at 82
Today in History
1815 Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the island of Elba to begin his second conquest of France.
1870 New York City's first pneumatic-powered subway line was opened to the public; the tunnel was only a block long, and the line had only one car.
1907 Members of the U.S. Congress raised their own pay to $7500 each.
1916 Mutual Studios signed Charlie Chaplin to a film contract.
1917 The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first ever jazz record for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York.
1919 The Grand Canyon was established as a National Park by an act of the U.S. Congress.
1922 Dancing to jazz music and tango bands was criticized in Paris as distracting the French from their postwar reconstruction, according to La Revue Mondiale.
1939 Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in support of African American opera singer Marian Anderson.
1951 Minnesota became the 36th state to ratify the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1952 Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb.
1957 The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
1977 The Eagles’ "New Kid in Town" landed in the top spot on the pop music charts.
1983 Michael Jackson’s Thriller hit #1 in the U.S.
1987 The Tower Commission issued its report on the Iran-Contra affair, rebuking President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.
1991 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad Radio that he had ordered his forces to withdraw from Kuwait.
1991 Rockline on MTV premiered with host Martha Quinn.
1993 Six people were killed and more than a thousand injured in New York City as a van packed with a 1,210-pound bomb exploded in the parking garage underneath the World Trade Center.
1995 Barings PLC, Britain's oldest investment banking firm, collapsed after a securities dealer lost more than $1.4 billion by gambling on Tokyo stock prices.
1998 A jury rejected a lawsuit by Texas cattlemen who claimed Oprah Winfrey’s televised comments about mad-cow disease caused the beef market to plummet and cost them millions of dollars.
2000 Pope John Paul II visited Mount Sinai in Egypt, revered as the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
2001 The Taliban destroyed two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan.
2001 A U.N. tribunal convicted Bosnian Croat political leader Dario Kordic and military commander Mario Cerkez of war crimes for ordering the systematic murder and persecution of Muslim civilians during the Bosnian war.
2007 The Iraqi Cabinet approved draft legislation to manage the country's vast oil industry and divide its wealth among the population.
Chart Toppers
1945
Accentuate the Positive - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
Kaw-Liga - Hank Williams
1961
Pony Time - Chubby Checker
There’s a Moon Out Tonight - The Capris
Surrender - Elvis Presley
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
1977
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller
Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow - Tom Jones
1985
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Loverboy - Billy Ocean
Can’t Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On - Mel McDaniel
Quote of the Day
There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
Today's Birthdays
1802 Victor Hugo, author (Les Miserables) died May 22, 1885
1829 Levi Strauss, inventor (blue jeans) died Sep 26, 1902
1846 William Frederic "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman/showman, died Jan 10, 1917
1887 William Frawley, actor (I Love Lucy, Miracle on 34th Street) died Mar 3, 1966
1907 Dub Taylor, actor (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Getaway) died October 3, 1994
1908 Tex Avery, cartoonist (Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Droopy) died August 26, 1980
1916 Jackie (Herbert John) Gleason, comedian/actor/orchestra leader (The Honeymooners, Smokey and the Bandit) died June 24, 1987
1920 Tony Randall (Leonard Rosenberg), actor (The Odd Couple, Pillow Talk) died May 17, 2004
1921 Betty Hutton (Elizabeth Thornberg), actress (Annie Get Your Gun, The Greatest Show on Earth) died Mar 11, 2007
1928 Fats (Antoine) Domino, pianist/songwriter/singer (Ain’t That a Shame, I'm Walkin’, Blueberry Hill)
1932 Johnny Cash, guitarist/singer (Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire) died Sep 12, 2003
1945 Mitch Ryder (William Levise), singer (Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels)
1945 Bob Hite, singer/harmonicist (Canned Heat) died April 5, 1981
1950 Jonathan Cain, keyboardist (Babys, Journey)
1954 Michael Bolton, singer (When a Man Loves a Woman)
1958 Greg Germann, actor (Ally McBeal, Talladega Nights)
1961 John-Jon (John Andrew Foster), keyboardist (Bronski Beat)
1966 Jennifer Grant, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1968 Tim Commerford, bassist (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave)
1971 Erykah Badu, R&B singer (Mama's Gun)
1973 Marshall Faulk, NFL running ack (St Louis Rams)
1979 Corinne Bailey Rae, R&B singer (Put Your Records On)
Today's Deaths in History
1990 Cornell Gunter, singer (The Coasters) dies at 53
1993 Constance Ford, actress (Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents) dies at 69
1994 Bill Hicks, comedian (Dangerous) dies at 32
1997 David Doyle, actor (Charlie's Angels) dies at 67
2002 Lawrence Tierney, actor (Dillinger, Reservoir Dogs) dies at 82
Today in History
1815 Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from the island of Elba to begin his second conquest of France.
1870 New York City's first pneumatic-powered subway line was opened to the public; the tunnel was only a block long, and the line had only one car.
1907 Members of the U.S. Congress raised their own pay to $7500 each.
1916 Mutual Studios signed Charlie Chaplin to a film contract.
1917 The Original Dixieland Jass Band recorded the first ever jazz record for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York.
1919 The Grand Canyon was established as a National Park by an act of the U.S. Congress.
1922 Dancing to jazz music and tango bands was criticized in Paris as distracting the French from their postwar reconstruction, according to La Revue Mondiale.
1939 Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution in support of African American opera singer Marian Anderson.
1951 Minnesota became the 36th state to ratify the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
1952 Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Britain had developed its own atomic bomb.
1957 The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
1977 The Eagles’ "New Kid in Town" landed in the top spot on the pop music charts.
1983 Michael Jackson’s Thriller hit #1 in the U.S.
1987 The Tower Commission issued its report on the Iran-Contra affair, rebuking President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff.
1991 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein announced on Baghdad Radio that he had ordered his forces to withdraw from Kuwait.
1991 Rockline on MTV premiered with host Martha Quinn.
1993 Six people were killed and more than a thousand injured in New York City as a van packed with a 1,210-pound bomb exploded in the parking garage underneath the World Trade Center.
1995 Barings PLC, Britain's oldest investment banking firm, collapsed after a securities dealer lost more than $1.4 billion by gambling on Tokyo stock prices.
1998 A jury rejected a lawsuit by Texas cattlemen who claimed Oprah Winfrey’s televised comments about mad-cow disease caused the beef market to plummet and cost them millions of dollars.
2000 Pope John Paul II visited Mount Sinai in Egypt, revered as the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
2001 The Taliban destroyed two giant Buddha statues in Bamyan, Afghanistan.
2001 A U.N. tribunal convicted Bosnian Croat political leader Dario Kordic and military commander Mario Cerkez of war crimes for ordering the systematic murder and persecution of Muslim civilians during the Bosnian war.
2007 The Iraqi Cabinet approved draft legislation to manage the country's vast oil industry and divide its wealth among the population.
Chart Toppers
1945
Accentuate the Positive - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1953
Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes - Perry Como
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Keep It a Secret - Jo Stafford
Kaw-Liga - Hank Williams
1961
Pony Time - Chubby Checker
There’s a Moon Out Tonight - The Capris
Surrender - Elvis Presley
North to Alaska - Johnny Horton
1969
Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations
Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis
Until My Dreams Come True - Jack Greene
1977
New Kid in Town - Eagles
Love Theme from "A Star is Born" (Evergreen) - Barbra Streisand
Fly like an Eagle - Steve Miller
Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow - Tom Jones
1985
Careless Whisper - Wham! featuring George Michael
Loverboy - Billy Ocean
Can’t Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On - Mel McDaniel
Quote of the Day
There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution, and I don't know what can be done to fix it. This is it: Only nut cases want to be president.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
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