Today in History - April 7
Today's Birthdays
1770 William Wordsworth, poet, died Apr 23, 1850
1786 William King, 13th U.S. Vice President, died Apr 18, 1853
1874 Edward Knoblock, playwright (Kismet) died July 19, 1945
1897 Walter Winchell, vaudeville performer/journalist/gossip columnist/radio commentator, died Feb 20, 1972
1908 Percy Faith, orchestra leader/composer, died Feb 9, 1976
1915 Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan), jazz singer (God Bless the Child) died July 17, 1959
1920 Ravi Shankar, musician (father of Norah Jones)
1928 James Garner, actor (Maverick, Rockford Files)
1933 Wayne Rogers, actor (M*A*S*H)
1937 Charlie Thomas, R&B singer (The Drifters)
1938 Spencer Dryden, drummer (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship) died Jan 11, 2005
1938 Freddie Hubbard, Jazz trumpeter
1939 Francis Ford Coppola, film director (The Godfather series)
1943 Mick Abrahams, guitarist (Jethro Tull)
1947 Patricia Bennett, R&B singer (The Chiffons)
1949 John Oates, rock singer (Hall and Oates)
1951 Janis Ian, singer (At 17)
1952 Bruce Gary, drummer (The Knack)
1954 Jackie Chan, martial artist/actor (Rush Hour series)
1960 Simon Climie, rock musician (Climie Fisher)
1962 Hugh O'Connor, adopted son of actor Carroll O'Connor, committed suicide March 28, 1995
1964 Russell Crowe, actor (Cinderella Man, Gladiator)
1965 Bill Bellamy, actor (Fastlane)
1969 Ricky Watters, retired NFL running back (Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks)
1975 Tiki Barber, retired NFL running back (NY Giants)
1975 Heather Burns, actress (Miss Congeniality series)
Today's Deaths in History
1891 P.T. Barnum, circus magnate, dies at 80
1947 Henry Ford, auto pioneer, dies at 83
1950 Walter Huston, actor (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) dies at 66
1987 Maxine Sullivan, jazz vocalist (Blue Skies), dies at 75
2001 David Graf, actor (Police Academy series) dies at 50
2007 Johnny Hart, cartoonist (The Wizard of Id, B.C.) dies at 76
Today in History
1862 Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.
1927 An audience in New York saw an image of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover in the first successful long-distance demonstration of television.
1928 45-year-old retired goalie Lester Patrick stepped in to save a game for the New York Rangers, following an injury to the Rangers’ regular goaltender; the Rangers went on to beat Montreal and win the Stanley Cup in that game, the final of the series.
1933 Prohibition is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the XXI amendment.
1940 Booker T. Washington became the first black to be pictured on a U.S. postage stamp.
1948 The World Health Organization was founded.
1949 The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific opened on Broadway.
1953 The U.N. General Assembly elected Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden to be Secretary-General.
1957 New York City's last electric trolley completed its final run from Queens to Manhattan.
1963 Jack Nicklaus became the youngest golfer to win the Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament (23 years old).
1969 The Supreme Court unanimously struck down laws prohibiting private possession of obscene material.
1970 John Wayne, a movie veteran of more than 200 films, won his first and only Oscar, an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in True Grit, also starring Kim Darby and Glen Campbell.
1971 U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his decision to increase the rate of American troop withdrawals from Vietnam.
1990 A display of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs opened at Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center; the center and its director were indicted on obscenity charges.
1994 Civil war erupted in Rwanda, a day after a plane crash claimed the lives of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi.
2001 NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft took off on a six-month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet.
2001 An unarmed black man wanted on 14 misdemeanor warrants was fatally shot by a white police officer in Cincinnati, sparking three days of riots.
2003 U.S. troops in more than 100 U.S. armored vehicles rumbled through downtown Baghdad and seized one of Saddam Hussein's opulent palaces.
2003 The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a 50-year-old Virginia law making it a crime to burn a cross as an act of intimidation.
2007 A Russian rocket carrying American billionaire Charles Simonyi roared into the night skies over Kazakhstan, sending its three occupants on a trip to the international space station.
Chart Toppers
1945
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty
Kallen)
A Little on the Lonely Side - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Jimmy
Brown)
Shame on You - Spade Cooley
1953
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Apache - Jorgen Ingmann
On the Rebound - Floyd Cramer
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Dizzy - Tommy Roe
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass - Buck Owens
1977
Rich Girl - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Dancing Queen - Abba
Don’t Give Up on Us - David Soul
Lucille - Kenny Rogers
1985
One More Night - Phil Collins
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Country Girls - John Schneider
Quote of the Day
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President (1743 - 1826)
Full Version: Today in History
People and Events Who No Longer Interest Giac Today in History - April 7
Today's Uninteresting Birthdays
1873 John (Joseph) ‘Mugsy’ McGraw, ‘Little Napoleon,’ Baseball Hall of Famer; died Feb 25, 1934
1931 Daniel Ellsberg, author (released Pentagon Papers to the NY Times)
1935 Bobby Bare, country singer (Detroit City)
1938 Jerry Brown, Oakland mayor, former California governor
1939 David Frost, TV journalist
1944 Gerhard Schroeder, former chancellor of Germany
1954 Tony Dorsett, Football Hall of Fame running back
1954 Clark Gillies, NY Islanders left wing
1960 James ‘Buster’ Douglas, boxing champion
1970 Kevin Smith, Dallas Cowboys cornerback
1973 Brett Tomko, baseball player
1975 Ronde Barber, football player (Tampa Bay Bucaneers)
1975 Ronnie Belliard, baseball player (Clevenland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers)
Today's Uninteresting Deaths in History
1947 Rudolf Hoess, Auschwitz Camp Commandant, is hanged at 46
1991 Henry Glover, music producer, dies at 69
1995 Ruth Disney, Walt's sister, dies at 91
Today's Uninteresting History
1864 The first camel race in America was held in Sacramento, CA.
1888 P.F. Collier published a weekly periodical for the first time (Collier’s).
1939 Italy invaded Albania.
1954 "Gee," by The Crows, became the first rhythm and blues single to gain attention on pop music charts.
1973 Vicki Lawrence got her number one single as "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" made it to the top of the pop charts.
1976 China's leadership deposed Deputy Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping.
1977 In the first American League game played outside the United States, Toronto’s Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
1979 Ken Forsch of Houston pitched a no-hitter over the Atlanta Braves, 6-0, the earliets in the season a no-hitter had ever been pitched.
1984 Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers tied the record for the earliest no-hitter in a season when he whipped Chicago 4-0.
1985 Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals broke the single-game rushing mark in the United States Football League (USFL), gaining 233 yards while leading the Generals past Houston 31-25.
1990 Former national security adviser John M. Poindexter was convicted of five counts at his Iran-Contra trial (a federal appeals court later reversed the convictions).
Irrelevant Quote of the Day
It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember.
Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 - 2005)
Today's Uninteresting Birthdays
1873 John (Joseph) ‘Mugsy’ McGraw, ‘Little Napoleon,’ Baseball Hall of Famer; died Feb 25, 1934
1931 Daniel Ellsberg, author (released Pentagon Papers to the NY Times)
1935 Bobby Bare, country singer (Detroit City)
1938 Jerry Brown, Oakland mayor, former California governor
1939 David Frost, TV journalist
1944 Gerhard Schroeder, former chancellor of Germany
1954 Tony Dorsett, Football Hall of Fame running back
1954 Clark Gillies, NY Islanders left wing
1960 James ‘Buster’ Douglas, boxing champion
1970 Kevin Smith, Dallas Cowboys cornerback
1973 Brett Tomko, baseball player
1975 Ronde Barber, football player (Tampa Bay Bucaneers)
1975 Ronnie Belliard, baseball player (Clevenland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers)
Today's Uninteresting Deaths in History
1947 Rudolf Hoess, Auschwitz Camp Commandant, is hanged at 46
1991 Henry Glover, music producer, dies at 69
1995 Ruth Disney, Walt's sister, dies at 91
Today's Uninteresting History
1864 The first camel race in America was held in Sacramento, CA.
1888 P.F. Collier published a weekly periodical for the first time (Collier’s).
1939 Italy invaded Albania.
1954 "Gee," by The Crows, became the first rhythm and blues single to gain attention on pop music charts.
1973 Vicki Lawrence got her number one single as "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" made it to the top of the pop charts.
1976 China's leadership deposed Deputy Prime Minister Deng Xiaoping.
1977 In the first American League game played outside the United States, Toronto’s Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
1979 Ken Forsch of Houston pitched a no-hitter over the Atlanta Braves, 6-0, the earliets in the season a no-hitter had ever been pitched.
1984 Jack Morris of the Detroit Tigers tied the record for the earliest no-hitter in a season when he whipped Chicago 4-0.
1985 Herschel Walker of the New Jersey Generals broke the single-game rushing mark in the United States Football League (USFL), gaining 233 yards while leading the Generals past Houston 31-25.
1990 Former national security adviser John M. Poindexter was convicted of five counts at his Iran-Contra trial (a federal appeals court later reversed the convictions).
Irrelevant Quote of the Day
It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember.
Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 - 2005)
Actually, Kusand, most of those are ones I can't verify -- they came from what has become a questionable source for me when I included them last year. But you're right, some just aren't as interesting -- mainly because of input I've received from other board members who asked me to keep TiH shorter and easier to peruse.
As for the change in quote, well, it would be just plain lazy not to include a new one, now wouldn't it?
As for the change in quote, well, it would be just plain lazy not to include a new one, now wouldn't it?
QUOTE(Giac @ Apr 7 2008, 02:40 PM) 
Actually, Kusand, most of those are ones I can't verify -- they came from what has become a questionable source for me when I included them last year. But you're right, some just aren't as interesting -- mainly because of input I've received from other board members who asked me to keep TiH shorter and easier to peruse.
As for the change in quote, well, it would be just plain lazy not to include a new one, now wouldn't it?
As for the change in quote, well, it would be just plain lazy not to include a new one, now wouldn't it?
::Nods:: I thought it was kind of interesting - it's been over a year since you started, so I wanted to see what's changed. With only 366 days, there's a lot of history to cover on any given day. So I wanted to do a diff and see what got subtracted.
QUOTE(Kusand @ Apr 7 2008, 09:13 AM)
::Nods:: I thought it was kind of interesting - it's been over a year since you started, so I wanted to see what's changed. With only 366 days, there's a lot of history to cover on any given day. So I wanted to do a diff and see what got subtracted.
Yeah, it's kind of embarassing that one of the sites I used to use to put this together had a history of being flat-out wrong on stuff -- they were off sometimes by several months on birth dates, and other events I just couldn't verify. Most of the stuff I use now comes from the Associated Press and Wikipedia (and I take the wikipedia stuff with a grain of salt). I use IMDB a lot to verify birthdays and the like, too.
Some days there is a lot of stuff to cover, and like I mentioned, I do try to keep it manageable for those who do actually take the time to read it. Thanks for noticing.
Which site is the one that you don't trust anymore, and what are the ones you use? I remember asking for your original list, and I want to see what you changed.
QUOTE(Lester Patrick @ Apr 7 2008, 04:13 PM)
Which site is the one that you don't trust anymore, and what are the ones you use? I remember asking for your original list, and I want to see what you changed.
The one I don't use any more is Scope Systems. A lot of the birth and death dates they have are in direct contradiction with the sites I do still use, which are primarily the AP and Those Were the Days; I don't always trust the TTWD site if I can't verify something suspect anywhere else, like through Google, Yahoo or Wikipedia. I do use their chart toppers, which I've noticed don't change from year to year. I pull a new quote of the day each day from The Quotations Page, usually using one of the four quotes of the day, but sometimes just going to the random quotes if I don't see anything particularly poignant or pithy.
That being said, I don't do in-depth research on every single event I post -- Christ, that would take me all week to complete one day's post -- but I do try to limit them to ones that show up on multiple sites or that I can easily verify. Lately, I've been using the TiH posts from last year as a starting point, eliminating those dates which are suspect or just not as prominent (since the one complaint I had gotten was that it was too cumbersome to read the whole thing every day), and adding in new ones as appropriate. The format has changed ever so slightly from this time last year, so I make sure its consistent now. I figure in a couple of months I'll be caught up enough where all I'll need to do is add the new birthdays (people who were heretofore unknown) and recent deaths and major events each day and we'll be good.
Today in History - April 8th
Today's Birthdays
1892 Mary Pickford (Gladys Louise Smith), actress (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) died May 29, 1979
1912 Sonja Henie, ice skater (Olympic Gold Medalist 1928, 1932, 1936) died Oct 12, 1969
1918 Betty Ford, Former first lady
1920 Carmen McRae, jazz singer (The Next Time It Happens) died Nov 10, 1994
1931 John Gavin (Anthony Golenour), actor (Psycho, Spartacus)
1938 Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General
1940 John Havlicek, Basketball Hall of Famer
1941 J.J. Jackson, R&B singer (But It's Alright) died March 17, 2004
1941 Vivienne Westwood, fashion/costume designer
1942 Leon Huff, singer/songwriter (The O'Jays)
1946 Stuart Pankin, actor (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
1946 Jim (James Augustus) ‘Catfish’ Hunter, pitcher (KC Athletics, Oakland Athletics, NY Yankees, died Aug 9, 1999 of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
1947 Steve Howe, rock guitarist (Yes, Asia, GTR)
1949 John Madden, film director (Shakespeare in Love)
1949 Brenda Russell, singer/songwriter (Piano in the Dark, Get Here)
1951 Mel Schacher, rock musician (Grand Funk Railroad)
1954 John Schneider, actor/singer (The Dukes of Hazzard)
1962 Izzy Stradlin, rock guitarist (Guns n' Roses)
1963 Julian Lennon, rock singer/guitarist
1963 Donita Sparks, rock musician (L7)
1964 Lisa Guerrero, sportscaster (The Best Damn Sports Show Period)
1964 Biz Markie, rapper
1966 Robin Wright Penn, actress/wife of Sean Penn (Forrest Gump)
1968 Patricia Arquette, actress (Medium, Bringing Out the Dead)
1971 Darren Jessee, drummer (Ben Folds Five)
1972 Paul Gray, bassist (Slipknot)
1973 Emma Caulfield, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1978 Rachel Roberts, actress (Simone)
1980 Katee Sackhoff, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1981 Taylor Kitsch, actor (Friday Night Lights)
1984 Taran Noah Smith, actor (Home Improvement)
1984 Kirsten Storms, actress (Kim Possible)
Today's Deaths in History
1861 Elisha Otis, elevator builder, dies at 49
1941 Earle Graser, radio announcer (The Lone Ranger) dies in an auto accident at 32
1973 Pablo Picasso, artist, dies at 91
1978 Ford Frick, baseball commissioner, dies at 83
1981 Omar N. Bradley, World War II general/first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dies at 88
1990 Ryan White, AIDS patient/activist, dies at 18
1996 Ben Johnson, actor (Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch) dies at 77
1997 Laura Nyro, rock singer/songwriter (And When I Die), dies at 49
2000 Claire Trevor, actress, 'The Queen of Film Noir,' (Key Largo) dies at 90
Today in History
1513 Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1820 The Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Melos.
1913 The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, became law.
1935 The Works Progress Administration was approved by Congress.
1952 President Harry S. Truman seized the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike.
1960 The U.S. Senate approved the Civil Rights Act of 1960 despite Southern senators' marathon filibuster effort.
1968 The Beatles received a gold record for the single "Lady Madonna."
1969 The Montreal Expos and the New York Mets played in Shea Stadium in New York in the first international baseball game in the major leagues.
1974 Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record.
1975 Frank Robinson managed the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball's first African American manager.
1977 The Clash's self-titled debut album was released in Britain.
1986 Baritone Robert Merrill of the Metropolitan Opera became the first person to both sing the anthem and throw out the first ball at Yankee Stadium for the Yanks home opener.
1987 Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigned after saying on ABC's Nightline that blacks may lack some of the "necessities" for becoming baseball managers.
1990 Ryan White, the teen-age AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died at age 18.
1992 Tennis player Arthur Ashe announced at a news conference that he had AIDS.
1994 Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was found dead in Seattle of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27.
2000 Nineteen Marines were killed when an V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed near Marana, Arizona.
2002 Suzan-Lori Parks became the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play Topdog/Underdog.
2005 World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie
Hughes)
Personality - Johnny Mercer
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
A Girl, A Girl - Eddie Fisher
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
1970
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Let It Be - The Beatles
Instant Karma (We All Shine On) - John Ono Lennon
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Ready for the Times to Get Better - Crystal Gayle
1986
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. - John Cougar Mellencamp
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
100% Chance of Rain - Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.
Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 - 1900)
Today's Birthdays
1892 Mary Pickford (Gladys Louise Smith), actress (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) died May 29, 1979
1912 Sonja Henie, ice skater (Olympic Gold Medalist 1928, 1932, 1936) died Oct 12, 1969
1918 Betty Ford, Former first lady
1920 Carmen McRae, jazz singer (The Next Time It Happens) died Nov 10, 1994
1931 John Gavin (Anthony Golenour), actor (Psycho, Spartacus)
1938 Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General
1940 John Havlicek, Basketball Hall of Famer
1941 J.J. Jackson, R&B singer (But It's Alright) died March 17, 2004
1941 Vivienne Westwood, fashion/costume designer
1942 Leon Huff, singer/songwriter (The O'Jays)
1946 Stuart Pankin, actor (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
1946 Jim (James Augustus) ‘Catfish’ Hunter, pitcher (KC Athletics, Oakland Athletics, NY Yankees, died Aug 9, 1999 of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
1947 Steve Howe, rock guitarist (Yes, Asia, GTR)
1949 John Madden, film director (Shakespeare in Love)
1949 Brenda Russell, singer/songwriter (Piano in the Dark, Get Here)
1951 Mel Schacher, rock musician (Grand Funk Railroad)
1954 John Schneider, actor/singer (The Dukes of Hazzard)
1962 Izzy Stradlin, rock guitarist (Guns n' Roses)
1963 Julian Lennon, rock singer/guitarist
1963 Donita Sparks, rock musician (L7)
1964 Lisa Guerrero, sportscaster (The Best Damn Sports Show Period)
1964 Biz Markie, rapper
1966 Robin Wright Penn, actress/wife of Sean Penn (Forrest Gump)
1968 Patricia Arquette, actress (Medium, Bringing Out the Dead)
1971 Darren Jessee, drummer (Ben Folds Five)
1972 Paul Gray, bassist (Slipknot)
1973 Emma Caulfield, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1978 Rachel Roberts, actress (Simone)
1980 Katee Sackhoff, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1981 Taylor Kitsch, actor (Friday Night Lights)
1984 Taran Noah Smith, actor (Home Improvement)
1984 Kirsten Storms, actress (Kim Possible)
Today's Deaths in History
1861 Elisha Otis, elevator builder, dies at 49
1941 Earle Graser, radio announcer (The Lone Ranger) dies in an auto accident at 32
1973 Pablo Picasso, artist, dies at 91
1978 Ford Frick, baseball commissioner, dies at 83
1981 Omar N. Bradley, World War II general/first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dies at 88
1990 Ryan White, AIDS patient/activist, dies at 18
1996 Ben Johnson, actor (Major Dundee, The Wild Bunch) dies at 77
1997 Laura Nyro, rock singer/songwriter (And When I Die), dies at 49
2000 Claire Trevor, actress, 'The Queen of Film Noir,' (Key Largo) dies at 90
Today in History
1513 Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.
1820 The Venus de Milo was discovered on the Aegean island of Melos.
1913 The 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution, requiring direct election of Senators, became law.
1935 The Works Progress Administration was approved by Congress.
1952 President Harry S. Truman seized the steel industry to avert a nationwide strike.
1960 The U.S. Senate approved the Civil Rights Act of 1960 despite Southern senators' marathon filibuster effort.
1968 The Beatles received a gold record for the single "Lady Madonna."
1969 The Montreal Expos and the New York Mets played in Shea Stadium in New York in the first international baseball game in the major leagues.
1974 Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715th career home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record.
1975 Frank Robinson managed the Cleveland Indians in his first game as major league baseball's first African American manager.
1977 The Clash's self-titled debut album was released in Britain.
1986 Baritone Robert Merrill of the Metropolitan Opera became the first person to both sing the anthem and throw out the first ball at Yankee Stadium for the Yanks home opener.
1987 Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis resigned after saying on ABC's Nightline that blacks may lack some of the "necessities" for becoming baseball managers.
1990 Ryan White, the teen-age AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance gained national attention, died at age 18.
1992 Tennis player Arthur Ashe announced at a news conference that he had AIDS.
1994 Rock singer-musician Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was found dead in Seattle of a self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27.
2000 Nineteen Marines were killed when an V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crashed near Marana, Arizona.
2002 Suzan-Lori Parks became the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for drama for her play Topdog/Underdog.
2005 World leaders joined pilgrims and prelates in St. Peter's Square for the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie
Hughes)
Personality - Johnny Mercer
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
A Girl, A Girl - Eddie Fisher
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
1970
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
Let It Be - The Beatles
Instant Karma (We All Shine On) - John Ono Lennon
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Ready for the Times to Get Better - Crystal Gayle
1986
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. - John Cougar Mellencamp
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
100% Chance of Rain - Gary Morris
Quote of the Day
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time.
Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 - 1900)
Today in History - April 9th
Today's Birthdays
1898 Curly Lambeau, football coach/executive (Green Bay Packers) died June 1, 1965
1898 Paul Robeson, singer/actor (Ol’ Man River) died Jan 23, 1976
1905 J. William Fulbright, Congressman/benefactor (Fulbright Scholarship Program) died Feb 9, 1995
1926 Hugh Hefner, Playboy magazine founder /publisher
1932 Carl Perkins (Carl Lee Perkings), singer (Blue Suede Shoes) died Jan 19, 1998
1935 Avery Schreiber, comedian (Burns & Schreiber) died Jan 7, 2002
1939 Michael Learned, actress (The Waltons)
1942 (Andre) Brandon de Wilde, actor (Shane) killed in car crash July 6, 1972
1943 Terry Knight, singer (Terry Knight and the Pack; founded Grand Funk Railroad) died November 1, 2004
1945 Steve Gadd, jazz session drummer
1954 Dennis Quaid, actor (Innerspace, DOA, Great Balls of Fire!)
1957 Severiano (Seve) Ballesteros, golf Champion
1961 Mark Kelly, keyboards (Marillion)
1965 Paulina Porizkova, actress/supermodel
1966 Cynthia Nixon, actress (Sex & the City)
1968 Jay Chandrasekhar, actor/director (Super Troopers)
1969 Kevin Martin, rock singer (Candlebox)
1971 Jacques Villeneuve, Formula 1 racer
1974 Jenna Jameson, adult film actress
1977 Gerard Way, singer (My Chemical Romance)
1979 Keshia Knight Pulliam, actress (The Cosby Show)
1980 Albert Hammond Jr., rock musician (The Strokes)
1980 Ryan Northcott, actor (Mystery Alaska)
1981 Eric Harris, mass murderer (Columbine High School) died April 20, 1999
1990 Kristen Stewart, actress (Panic Room)
1998 Elle Fanning, actress (Because of Winn-Dixie)
Today's Deaths in History
1626 Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher/statesman/essayist, dies at 65
1959 Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, dies at 91
1976 Phil Ochs, protest singer, commits suicide at 35
1988 Brook Benton, singer (Rainy Night in Georgia) dies at 56
1988 Dave Prater, rocker (Sam & Dave), dies in a car crash at 50
2001 Willie Stargell, baseball great (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 61
2004 Nick and Mary Yankovic, parents of "Wierd Al" Yankovic, die at 86 and 81 of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning
2005 Andrea Dworkin, anti-pornography activist, dies at 58
Today in History
1682 French explorer Robert La Salle reached the Mississippi River.
1833 The nation's first tax-supported public library was founded in Peterborough, N.H.
1865 Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the village of Appomattox Court House, Va., ending the Civil War.
1867 Passed by a single vote, the United States Senate ratified a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.
1928 Mae West made her glamorous debut on Broadway in the classic production of Diamond Lil.
1939 Black singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because of her race.
1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway during World War II.
1942 American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces during World War II.
1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers announced the purchase of the baseball contract that would bring slugger Jackie Roosevelt Robinson to the Dodgers from Montreal.
1953 Warner Brothers, the first of the major Hollywood studios to introduce 3-D motion pictures, premiered The House of Wax at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.
1959 NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.
1962 President John F. Kennedy opened the Washington Senators’ baseball season by throwing out the first ball at the new D.C. Stadium.
1965 TIME magazine featured a cover with the entire Peanuts gang.
1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson attended the opening of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the first major-league baseball game played indoors.
1969 The album Nashville Skyline by Bob Dylan was released.
1973 Tommy Aaron became the second native son from Georgia to win the Masters golf title at Augusta.
1977 The Swedish pop group Abba made its debut at number one on the American pop charts, as "Dancing Queen" became the most popular record in the U.S.
1985 Tom Seaver broke a major-league baseball record (held by Walter Johnson) as he started his 15th opening-day game.
1992 Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of eight drug and racketeering charges.
1996 Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., the once-powerful House Ways and Means chairman, pleaded guilty to two mail fraud charges (he served 15 months in prison).
1996 President Bill Clinton signed a line-item veto bill into law.
2001 American Airlines' parent company acquired bankrupt Trans World Airlines, becoming America's No. 1 carrier.
2003 Jubilant Iraqis celebrated the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad.
2005 Britain's Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall.
Chart Toppers
1947
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
How are Things in Glocca Morra - Buddy Clark
Managua, Nicaragua - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Don Rodney)
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
South Street - The Orlons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) - The Temptations
For All We Know - Carpenters
What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
After the Fire is Gone - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
1979
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
I Just Fall in Love Again - Anne Murray
1987
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight - Genesis
Come Go with Me - Expose
Ocean Front Property - George Strait
Quote of the Day
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
George Santayana, philosopher (1863 - 1952)
Today's Birthdays
1898 Curly Lambeau, football coach/executive (Green Bay Packers) died June 1, 1965
1898 Paul Robeson, singer/actor (Ol’ Man River) died Jan 23, 1976
1905 J. William Fulbright, Congressman/benefactor (Fulbright Scholarship Program) died Feb 9, 1995
1926 Hugh Hefner, Playboy magazine founder /publisher
1932 Carl Perkins (Carl Lee Perkings), singer (Blue Suede Shoes) died Jan 19, 1998
1935 Avery Schreiber, comedian (Burns & Schreiber) died Jan 7, 2002
1939 Michael Learned, actress (The Waltons)
1942 (Andre) Brandon de Wilde, actor (Shane) killed in car crash July 6, 1972
1943 Terry Knight, singer (Terry Knight and the Pack; founded Grand Funk Railroad) died November 1, 2004
1945 Steve Gadd, jazz session drummer
1954 Dennis Quaid, actor (Innerspace, DOA, Great Balls of Fire!)
1957 Severiano (Seve) Ballesteros, golf Champion
1961 Mark Kelly, keyboards (Marillion)
1965 Paulina Porizkova, actress/supermodel
1966 Cynthia Nixon, actress (Sex & the City)
1968 Jay Chandrasekhar, actor/director (Super Troopers)
1969 Kevin Martin, rock singer (Candlebox)
1971 Jacques Villeneuve, Formula 1 racer
1974 Jenna Jameson, adult film actress
1977 Gerard Way, singer (My Chemical Romance)
1979 Keshia Knight Pulliam, actress (The Cosby Show)
1980 Albert Hammond Jr., rock musician (The Strokes)
1980 Ryan Northcott, actor (Mystery Alaska)
1981 Eric Harris, mass murderer (Columbine High School) died April 20, 1999
1990 Kristen Stewart, actress (Panic Room)
1998 Elle Fanning, actress (Because of Winn-Dixie)
Today's Deaths in History
1626 Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher/statesman/essayist, dies at 65
1959 Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, dies at 91
1976 Phil Ochs, protest singer, commits suicide at 35
1988 Brook Benton, singer (Rainy Night in Georgia) dies at 56
1988 Dave Prater, rocker (Sam & Dave), dies in a car crash at 50
2001 Willie Stargell, baseball great (Pittsburgh Pirates) dies at 61
2004 Nick and Mary Yankovic, parents of "Wierd Al" Yankovic, die at 86 and 81 of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning
2005 Andrea Dworkin, anti-pornography activist, dies at 58
Today in History
1682 French explorer Robert La Salle reached the Mississippi River.
1833 The nation's first tax-supported public library was founded in Peterborough, N.H.
1865 Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his army to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in the village of Appomattox Court House, Va., ending the Civil War.
1867 Passed by a single vote, the United States Senate ratified a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska.
1928 Mae West made her glamorous debut on Broadway in the classic production of Diamond Lil.
1939 Black singer Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after she was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution because of her race.
1940 Germany invaded Denmark and Norway during World War II.
1942 American and Philippine defenders on Bataan capitulated to Japanese forces during World War II.
1947 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers announced the purchase of the baseball contract that would bring slugger Jackie Roosevelt Robinson to the Dodgers from Montreal.
1953 Warner Brothers, the first of the major Hollywood studios to introduce 3-D motion pictures, premiered The House of Wax at the Paramount Theatre in New York City.
1959 NASA announced the selection of America's first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.
1962 President John F. Kennedy opened the Washington Senators’ baseball season by throwing out the first ball at the new D.C. Stadium.
1965 TIME magazine featured a cover with the entire Peanuts gang.
1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson attended the opening of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, the first major-league baseball game played indoors.
1969 The album Nashville Skyline by Bob Dylan was released.
1973 Tommy Aaron became the second native son from Georgia to win the Masters golf title at Augusta.
1977 The Swedish pop group Abba made its debut at number one on the American pop charts, as "Dancing Queen" became the most popular record in the U.S.
1985 Tom Seaver broke a major-league baseball record (held by Walter Johnson) as he started his 15th opening-day game.
1992 Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of eight drug and racketeering charges.
1996 Former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., the once-powerful House Ways and Means chairman, pleaded guilty to two mail fraud charges (he served 15 months in prison).
1996 President Bill Clinton signed a line-item veto bill into law.
2001 American Airlines' parent company acquired bankrupt Trans World Airlines, becoming America's No. 1 carrier.
2003 Jubilant Iraqis celebrated the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, beheading a toppled statue of their longtime ruler in downtown Baghdad.
2005 Britain's Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, who took the title Duchess of Cornwall.
Chart Toppers
1947
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
How are Things in Glocca Morra - Buddy Clark
Managua, Nicaragua - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Don Rodney)
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
South Street - The Orlons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me) - The Temptations
For All We Know - Carpenters
What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
After the Fire is Gone - Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
1979
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
I Just Fall in Love Again - Anne Murray
1987
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight - Genesis
Come Go with Me - Expose
Ocean Front Property - George Strait
Quote of the Day
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
George Santayana, philosopher (1863 - 1952)
Today in History - April 10th
Today's Birthdays
1847 Joseph Pulitzer, newspaperman/benefactor (Pulitzer Prize) died Oct 29, 1911
1882 Frances Perkins (Mrs. Paul Caldwell Wilson), first woman U.S. presidential cabinet member (Secretary of Labor 1933-1945) died May 14, 1965
1911 Martin Denny, composer/arranger/pianist (Exotica music) died Mar 2, 2005
1915 Harry Morgan, actor (Dragnet, M*A*S*H)
1921 Chuck (Kevin Joseph) Connors, actor (The Rifleman, Cowboy in Africa) died Nov 10, 1992
1921 Sheb Wooley, comic/singer/songwriter (The Purple People Eater) died Sep 16, 2003
1926 Alvin "Junior" Samples, country entertainer (Hee Haw) died Nov 13, 1983
1929 Max von Sydow, actor (Flash Gordon, Victory)
1932 Omar Sharif, actor (Dr. Zhivago)
1933 Ponciano "Poncie" Ponce, Hawaiian actor (Hawaiian Eye)
1936 John Madden, sportscaster (NFL)
1936 Bobbie Smith, R&B singer (The Spinners)
1938 Don Meredith, sportscaster
1947 Bunny Wailer, reggae musician
1951 Steven Seagal, actor (Under Seige series)
1954 Peter MacNicol, actor (24, Ally McBeal, Sophie's Choice)
1954 Deborah Rush, actress (American Wedding)
1957 Steven Gustafson, rock musician (10,000 Maniacs)
1958 Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R&B singer/producer
1959 Brian Setzer, rock/swing guitarist/orchestra leader
1960 Afrika Bambaataa, rapper/R&B musician (Planet Rock)
1960 Katrina Leskanich, rock singer (Katrina and the Waves)
1960 Olivia Brown, actress (Miami Vice)
1963 Warren "Torch" DeMartini, rock guitarist (Ratt)
1965 Tim "Herb" Alexander, rock musician (Primus)
1967 Kay Whitmore, NHL goalie (NY Rangers)
1968 Orlando Jones, comedian/actor (Evolution, Drumline)
1970 Mike Mushok, guitarist (Staind)
1975 Chris Carrabba, singer (Dashboard Confessional)
1980 Sean Avery, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1980 Kasey Kahne, NASCAR driver
1980 Bryce Soderberg, bassist (Lifehouse)
1981 Papagolash, "PapaG," board member
1982 Chyler Leigh, actress (The Practice, Grey's Anatomy)
1983 Ryan Merriman, actor (Final Destination 3)
1984 Mandy Moore, singer/actress (A Walk to Remember)
1988 Haley Joel Osment, actor (The Sixth Sense, Pay It Forward)
Today's Deaths in History
1919 Emiliano Zapata, activist/revolutionary, is assassinated at 39
1931 Khalil Gibran, Lebanese poet/painter, dies at 48
1954 Auguste Lumière, filmmaking pioneer, dies at 91
1958 Chuck Willis, rock musician (CC Rider), dies at 30
1962 Stuart Sutcliffe, bassist (The Beatles) dies at 21
1975 Marjorie Main, actress (Ma & Pa Kettle movies) dies at 89
1975 Walker Evans, photographer (documented the Depression), dies at 71
1980 Kay Medford, actress (To Rome with Love) dies at 65
1991 Kevin Peter Hall, actor (Predator) dies at 35 of AIDS
1991 Natalie Shafer, actress (Gilligan's Island) dies at 90
1992 Sam Kinison, comedian, dies at 38
2000 Larry Linville, actor (M*A*S*H) dies at 60
2003 Little Eva, singer (Loco-Motion) dies at 59
Today in History
1866 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
1912 The luxury liner Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1916 The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) held its first championship tournament at Siwanoy golf course in Bronxville, NY.
1925 The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published.
1932 Adolf Hitler came in second in voting for German president to the incumbent, Paul von Hindenburg.
1947 Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announced he had purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals, paving the way for Robinson to become the first black player in the major leagues.
1958 Dick Clark devoted an hour of his American Bandstand afternoon TV show to the memory of Chuck Willis who had died earlier in the day from peritonitis.
1959 Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a commoner, Michiko Shoda.
1961 Gary Player of South Africa became the first foreign golfer to win the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
1963 The nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher and its crew of 129 was lost off Cape Cod, Mass.
1970 Officially resigning from The Beatles, Paul McCartney disbanded arguably the most influential rock group in history at a public news conference.
1971 In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People's Republic of China hosted the U.S. table tennis team for a weeklong visit.
1972 Some 70 nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed an agreement banning biological warfare.
1981 Imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands won election to the British Parliament.
1991 Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky scored his NHL record 93rd playoff goal.
1992 Financier Charles Keating Jr. was sentenced in Los Angeles to nine years in prison for swindling investors when his Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed (the convictions were later overturned).
1995 NYC banneds smoking in all restaurants that seat 35 or more.
1996 President Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have outlawed a technique that opponents call "partial-birth" abortion.
2001 The Netherlands legalized mercy killings and assisted suicide for patients with unbearable, terminal illness.
2002 Eight Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber aboard a bus in Haifa.
2003 The House passed a bill creating a national Amber Alert system and strengthening child pornography laws.
2007 A woman wearing an explosives vest strapped underneath her black robe blew herself up in the midst of 200 Iraqi police recruits in Muqdadiyah, killing 16.
Chart Toppers
1948
Manana - Peggy Lee
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
(You’ve Got) The Magic Touch - The Platters
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Suspicion - Terry Stafford
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
A Horse with No Name - America
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart
1980
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl - Spinners
Call Me - Blondie
Sugar Daddy - Bellamy Brothers
1988
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson
Devil Inside - INXS
Famous Last Words of a Fool - George Strait
Quote of the Day
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.
Edward Gibbon, English historian of Rome (1737 - 1794)
Today's Birthdays
1847 Joseph Pulitzer, newspaperman/benefactor (Pulitzer Prize) died Oct 29, 1911
1882 Frances Perkins (Mrs. Paul Caldwell Wilson), first woman U.S. presidential cabinet member (Secretary of Labor 1933-1945) died May 14, 1965
1911 Martin Denny, composer/arranger/pianist (Exotica music) died Mar 2, 2005
1915 Harry Morgan, actor (Dragnet, M*A*S*H)
1921 Chuck (Kevin Joseph) Connors, actor (The Rifleman, Cowboy in Africa) died Nov 10, 1992
1921 Sheb Wooley, comic/singer/songwriter (The Purple People Eater) died Sep 16, 2003
1926 Alvin "Junior" Samples, country entertainer (Hee Haw) died Nov 13, 1983
1929 Max von Sydow, actor (Flash Gordon, Victory)
1932 Omar Sharif, actor (Dr. Zhivago)
1933 Ponciano "Poncie" Ponce, Hawaiian actor (Hawaiian Eye)
1936 John Madden, sportscaster (NFL)
1936 Bobbie Smith, R&B singer (The Spinners)
1938 Don Meredith, sportscaster
1947 Bunny Wailer, reggae musician
1951 Steven Seagal, actor (Under Seige series)
1954 Peter MacNicol, actor (24, Ally McBeal, Sophie's Choice)
1954 Deborah Rush, actress (American Wedding)
1957 Steven Gustafson, rock musician (10,000 Maniacs)
1958 Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R&B singer/producer
1959 Brian Setzer, rock/swing guitarist/orchestra leader
1960 Afrika Bambaataa, rapper/R&B musician (Planet Rock)
1960 Katrina Leskanich, rock singer (Katrina and the Waves)
1960 Olivia Brown, actress (Miami Vice)
1963 Warren "Torch" DeMartini, rock guitarist (Ratt)
1965 Tim "Herb" Alexander, rock musician (Primus)
1967 Kay Whitmore, NHL goalie (NY Rangers)
1968 Orlando Jones, comedian/actor (Evolution, Drumline)
1970 Mike Mushok, guitarist (Staind)
1975 Chris Carrabba, singer (Dashboard Confessional)
1980 Sean Avery, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1980 Kasey Kahne, NASCAR driver
1980 Bryce Soderberg, bassist (Lifehouse)
1981 Papagolash, "PapaG," board member
1982 Chyler Leigh, actress (The Practice, Grey's Anatomy)
1983 Ryan Merriman, actor (Final Destination 3)
1984 Mandy Moore, singer/actress (A Walk to Remember)
1988 Haley Joel Osment, actor (The Sixth Sense, Pay It Forward)
Today's Deaths in History
1919 Emiliano Zapata, activist/revolutionary, is assassinated at 39
1931 Khalil Gibran, Lebanese poet/painter, dies at 48
1954 Auguste Lumière, filmmaking pioneer, dies at 91
1958 Chuck Willis, rock musician (CC Rider), dies at 30
1962 Stuart Sutcliffe, bassist (The Beatles) dies at 21
1975 Marjorie Main, actress (Ma & Pa Kettle movies) dies at 89
1975 Walker Evans, photographer (documented the Depression), dies at 71
1980 Kay Medford, actress (To Rome with Love) dies at 65
1991 Kevin Peter Hall, actor (Predator) dies at 35 of AIDS
1991 Natalie Shafer, actress (Gilligan's Island) dies at 90
1992 Sam Kinison, comedian, dies at 38
2000 Larry Linville, actor (M*A*S*H) dies at 60
2003 Little Eva, singer (Loco-Motion) dies at 59
Today in History
1866 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was incorporated.
1912 The luxury liner Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1916 The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) held its first championship tournament at Siwanoy golf course in Bronxville, NY.
1925 The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published.
1932 Adolf Hitler came in second in voting for German president to the incumbent, Paul von Hindenburg.
1947 Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey announced he had purchased the contract of Jackie Robinson from the Montreal Royals, paving the way for Robinson to become the first black player in the major leagues.
1958 Dick Clark devoted an hour of his American Bandstand afternoon TV show to the memory of Chuck Willis who had died earlier in the day from peritonitis.
1959 Japan's Crown Prince Akihito married a commoner, Michiko Shoda.
1961 Gary Player of South Africa became the first foreign golfer to win the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
1963 The nuclear-powered submarine USS Thresher and its crew of 129 was lost off Cape Cod, Mass.
1970 Officially resigning from The Beatles, Paul McCartney disbanded arguably the most influential rock group in history at a public news conference.
1971 In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People's Republic of China hosted the U.S. table tennis team for a weeklong visit.
1972 Some 70 nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed an agreement banning biological warfare.
1981 Imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands won election to the British Parliament.
1991 Los Angeles King Wayne Gretzky scored his NHL record 93rd playoff goal.
1992 Financier Charles Keating Jr. was sentenced in Los Angeles to nine years in prison for swindling investors when his Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed (the convictions were later overturned).
1995 NYC banneds smoking in all restaurants that seat 35 or more.
1996 President Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have outlawed a technique that opponents call "partial-birth" abortion.
2001 The Netherlands legalized mercy killings and assisted suicide for patients with unbearable, terminal illness.
2002 Eight Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber aboard a bus in Haifa.
2003 The House passed a bill creating a national Amber Alert system and strengthening child pornography laws.
2007 A woman wearing an explosives vest strapped underneath her black robe blew herself up in the midst of 200 Iraqi police recruits in Muqdadiyah, killing 16.
Chart Toppers
1948
Manana - Peggy Lee
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
(You’ve Got) The Magic Touch - The Platters
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Suspicion - Terry Stafford
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
A Horse with No Name - America
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart
1980
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Working My Way Back to You/Forgive Me, Girl - Spinners
Call Me - Blondie
Sugar Daddy - Bellamy Brothers
1988
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Out of the Blue - Debbie Gibson
Devil Inside - INXS
Famous Last Words of a Fool - George Strait
Quote of the Day
History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind.
Edward Gibbon, English historian of Rome (1737 - 1794)
Apologies for the tardiness today, folks -- server issues here at the office.
Today in History - April 11th
Today's Birthdays
1862 Charles Evans Hughes, 11th Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1930-41) died Aug 27, 1948
1902 Quentin Reynolds, New York NY, newscaster (Its News to Me) died Mar 17, 1965
1908 Jane Bolin, attorney (first black woman graduate of Yale School of Law; first black, female judge) died Jan 8, 2007
1913 Oleg Cassini, fashion designer, died March 17, 2006
1916 Howard W. Koch, film producer (President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1977 to 1979) died Feb 16, 2001
1928 Ethel Kennedy (Skakel), widow of slain U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy
1931 Johnny Sheffield, actor (Tarzan series)
1932 Joel Grey (Katz), Tony & Academy award-winning actor (Cabaret)
1939 Louise Lasser, actress (Mary Hartman Mary Hartman)
1947 Peter Riegert, actor (Local Hero, National Lampoon’s Animal House)
1947 Meshach Taylor, actor (Mannequin, Designing Women)
1951 Paul Fox, guitarist (The Ruts) died Oct 21, 2007
1958 Stuart (William) Adamson, guitarist/singer (Big Country) committed suicide in Honolulu Dec 16, 2001
1958 Brynn Hartman, actress/wife of Phil Hartman, committed suicide May 28, 1998 after shooting her husband in his sleep
1963 Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, professional poker champion
1966 Lisa Stansfield, singer/songwriter (All Around the World)
1970 Delroy Pearson, R&B singer (Five Star)
1972 Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox catcher
1973 Jennifer Esposito, actress (Spin City)
1974 Tricia Helfer, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1974 Trot Nixon, Boston Red Sox outfielder
1978 Josh Hancock, relief pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died in a car crash April 29, 2007
1981 Allesandra Ambrosio, actress (Casino Royale)
1987 Joss Stone, pop singer
Today's Deaths in History
1906 James A Bailey, circus pioneer (Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus) dies at 58
1970 John H O'Hara, US author (Pal Joey) dies at 65
1983 Dolores Del Rio, Mexican actress, dies at 78
1987 Erskine Caldwell, writer (God's Little Acre) dies at 83
1992 James Brown, actor (The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) dies at 72
1994 John O/Brien, author (Leaving Las Vegas) dies at 33
1996 Jessica Dubrow, dies at 7 in a plane crash while attempting to become the youngest pilot to fly across the United States
2006 Proof, rapper/actor, is shot and killed in a gun battle outside a Detroit nightclub at 32
2006 June Pointer, singer (Pointer Sisters) dies at 52
2007 Kurt Vonnegut, author (Slaughterhouse Five) dies at 84
Today in History
1814 Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France and was banished to the island of Elba.
1876 The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks waorganized.
1898 President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain.
1899 The treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.
1921 Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax.
1921 KDKA radio broadcast the first live sports event (a lightweight boxing match between Johnny Ray and Johnny Dundee).
1945 The Allies liberated Buchenwald, the concentration camp where the Nazis conducted large-scale testing of vaccines for epidemic typhus, killing hundreds of prisoners.
1951 General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of command by President Harry S. Truman for insubordination and failure to follow Presidential directives.
1956 Elvis Presley reached the top spot on the Billboard music chart with his first double-sided hit, "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One."
1961 Bob Dylan made his professional singing debut in Greenwich Village.
1968 Pesident Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
1970 Apollo 13, with astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert aboard, blasted off on a mission to the moon that was cut short when an explosion crippled the spacecraft ("Houston, we've had a problem").
1979 Idi Amin, Uganda dictator, was forced to flee the capital of Kampala when the Tanzanian army, aided by Ugandian exiles who had united as the Uganda National Liberation Army, took the city.
1980 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors.
1981 Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli of One Day at a Time were married.
1981 President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital, 12 days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt.
1996 Seven-year-old Jessica Dubroff, who'd hoped to become the youngest person to fly cross-country, was killed with her father and flight instructor when her plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyo.
2001 Ending an 11-day standoff, China agreed to free the 24 crew members of an American spy plane that had collided with a Chinese fighter plane, killing its pilot.
2002 U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, was convicted of taking bribes and kickbacks from businessmen and his own staff (he was sentenced to eight years in prison).
2003 American troops took the northern Iraqi city of Mosul without a fight.
2006 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had succeeded in enriching uranium on a small scale for the first time.
2006 Israel's Cabinet declared Prime Minister Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, officially ending his five-year tenure.
2007 North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Sunflower - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skylarks)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vaughn Monroe
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
I’m Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers
The Birds and the Bees - Jewel Akens
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
King of the Road - Roger Miller
1973
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) - Four Tops
Super Kind of Woman - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma - David Frizzell & Shelly West
1989
The Look - Roxette
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young cannibals
Like a Prayer - Madonna
I’m No Stranger to the Rain - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.
James M. Barrie, Scottish dramatist & novelist (1860 - 1937)
Today in History - April 11th
Today's Birthdays
1862 Charles Evans Hughes, 11th Chief Justice of Supreme Court (1930-41) died Aug 27, 1948
1902 Quentin Reynolds, New York NY, newscaster (Its News to Me) died Mar 17, 1965
1908 Jane Bolin, attorney (first black woman graduate of Yale School of Law; first black, female judge) died Jan 8, 2007
1913 Oleg Cassini, fashion designer, died March 17, 2006
1916 Howard W. Koch, film producer (President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1977 to 1979) died Feb 16, 2001
1928 Ethel Kennedy (Skakel), widow of slain U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy
1931 Johnny Sheffield, actor (Tarzan series)
1932 Joel Grey (Katz), Tony & Academy award-winning actor (Cabaret)
1939 Louise Lasser, actress (Mary Hartman Mary Hartman)
1947 Peter Riegert, actor (Local Hero, National Lampoon’s Animal House)
1947 Meshach Taylor, actor (Mannequin, Designing Women)
1951 Paul Fox, guitarist (The Ruts) died Oct 21, 2007
1958 Stuart (William) Adamson, guitarist/singer (Big Country) committed suicide in Honolulu Dec 16, 2001
1958 Brynn Hartman, actress/wife of Phil Hartman, committed suicide May 28, 1998 after shooting her husband in his sleep
1963 Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, professional poker champion
1966 Lisa Stansfield, singer/songwriter (All Around the World)
1970 Delroy Pearson, R&B singer (Five Star)
1972 Jason Varitek, Boston Red Sox catcher
1973 Jennifer Esposito, actress (Spin City)
1974 Tricia Helfer, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
1974 Trot Nixon, Boston Red Sox outfielder
1978 Josh Hancock, relief pitcher (St Louis Cardinals) died in a car crash April 29, 2007
1981 Allesandra Ambrosio, actress (Casino Royale)
1987 Joss Stone, pop singer
Today's Deaths in History
1906 James A Bailey, circus pioneer (Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus) dies at 58
1970 John H O'Hara, US author (Pal Joey) dies at 65
1983 Dolores Del Rio, Mexican actress, dies at 78
1987 Erskine Caldwell, writer (God's Little Acre) dies at 83
1992 James Brown, actor (The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin) dies at 72
1994 John O/Brien, author (Leaving Las Vegas) dies at 33
1996 Jessica Dubrow, dies at 7 in a plane crash while attempting to become the youngest pilot to fly across the United States
2006 Proof, rapper/actor, is shot and killed in a gun battle outside a Detroit nightclub at 32
2006 June Pointer, singer (Pointer Sisters) dies at 52
2007 Kurt Vonnegut, author (Slaughterhouse Five) dies at 84
Today in History
1814 Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France and was banished to the island of Elba.
1876 The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks waorganized.
1898 President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain.
1899 The treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.
1921 Iowa became the first state to impose a cigarette tax.
1921 KDKA radio broadcast the first live sports event (a lightweight boxing match between Johnny Ray and Johnny Dundee).
1945 The Allies liberated Buchenwald, the concentration camp where the Nazis conducted large-scale testing of vaccines for epidemic typhus, killing hundreds of prisoners.
1951 General Douglas MacArthur was relieved of command by President Harry S. Truman for insubordination and failure to follow Presidential directives.
1956 Elvis Presley reached the top spot on the Billboard music chart with his first double-sided hit, "Heartbreak Hotel" and "I Was the One."
1961 Bob Dylan made his professional singing debut in Greenwich Village.
1968 Pesident Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
1970 Apollo 13, with astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert aboard, blasted off on a mission to the moon that was cut short when an explosion crippled the spacecraft ("Houston, we've had a problem").
1979 Idi Amin, Uganda dictator, was forced to flee the capital of Kampala when the Tanzanian army, aided by Ugandian exiles who had united as the Uganda National Liberation Army, took the city.
1980 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued regulations prohibiting sexual harassment of workers by supervisors.
1981 Eddie Van Halen and actress Valerie Bertinelli of One Day at a Time were married.
1981 President Ronald Reagan returned to the White House from the hospital, 12 days after he was wounded in an assassination attempt.
1996 Seven-year-old Jessica Dubroff, who'd hoped to become the youngest person to fly cross-country, was killed with her father and flight instructor when her plane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne, Wyo.
2001 Ending an 11-day standoff, China agreed to free the 24 crew members of an American spy plane that had collided with a Chinese fighter plane, killing its pilot.
2002 U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, was convicted of taking bribes and kickbacks from businessmen and his own staff (he was sentenced to eight years in prison).
2003 American troops took the northern Iraqi city of Mosul without a fight.
2006 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that his country had succeeded in enriching uranium on a small scale for the first time.
2006 Israel's Cabinet declared Prime Minister Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, officially ending his five-year tenure.
2007 North Carolina's top prosecutor dropped all charges against three former Duke University lacrosse players accused of sexually assaulting a stripper at a party.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Sunflower - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skylarks)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vaughn Monroe
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
I’m Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers
The Birds and the Bees - Jewel Akens
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
King of the Road - Roger Miller
1973
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) – Gladys Knight & The Pips
Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got) - Four Tops
Super Kind of Woman - Freddie Hart & The Heartbeats
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma - David Frizzell & Shelly West
1989
The Look - Roxette
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young cannibals
Like a Prayer - Madonna
I’m No Stranger to the Rain - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.
James M. Barrie, Scottish dramatist & novelist (1860 - 1937)
Today in History - April 12th
Today's Birthdays
1777 Henry Clay, 'The Great Compromiser,' died June 29, 1852
1907 Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial) died June 3, 2003
1916 Beverly Cleary, author (Ramona)
1923 Ann Miller (Lucille Ann Collier), actress/dancer (On the Town) died Jan 22, 2004
1926 Jane Withers, actress/TV spokesperson (Josephine the plumber)
1932 Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury), ukulele/falsetto singer (Tiptoe Through the Tulips) died Nov 30, 1996
1936 Charles Napier, actor (Rambo II)
1940 Herbie Hancock, Oscar-winning jazz/fusion musician/composer (Rockit)
1944 John Kay (Joachim Krauledat), guitarist/vocalist (Steppenwolf)
1946 Ed O’Neill, actor (Married......with Children)
1947 Dan Lauria, actor (The Wonder Years)
1947 David Letterman, TV host/comedian (Late Night with David Letterman)
1947 Tom Clancy, thriller writer (Hunt for Red October)
1949 Scott Turow, author (Presumed Innocent)
1950 David Cassidy, singer/actor (The Partridge Family)
1951 Jackson "Thunderfoot" Spires, rock drummer (Blackfoot)
1951 Alex Briley, singer (The Village People)
1954 Pat Travers, rock guitarist (Boom Boom Out Go the Lights)
1956 Andy Garcia, actor (The Untouchables, Black Rain)
1957 Vince Gill, country singer (When Love Finds You)
1958 Will Sergeant, guitarist (Echo & the Bunnymen)
1961 Lisa Gerrard, singer (Dead Can Dance)
1961 Ray Abruzzo, actor (The Sopranos)
1962 Art Alexakis, singer (Everclear)
1964 Amy Ray, singer (Indigo Girls)
1968 Adam Graves, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1968 Alicia Coppola, actress (Jericho)
1970 Nicholas Hexum, singer (311)
1971 Shannen Doherty, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1972 NiCole Robinson, actress (The West Wing)
1979 Claire Danes, actress (Romeo+Juliet, Shopgirl)
1979 Jennifer Morrison, actress (House)
1987 Brendon Urie, singer (Panic! at the Disco)
Today's Deaths in History
1748 William Kent, architect (Kensington Palace) dies at 63
1817 Charles Messier, astronomer (catalogued objects in space) dies at 86
1878 William M "Boss" Tweed, New York City politician (convicted of corruption), dies at 55
1912 Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, dies at 90
1945 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the U.S. dies at 63
1975 Josephine Baker, US/French revue artist (Folies-Bergère), dies at 68
1977 Philip K Wrigley, baseball owner (Chicago Cubs) dies at 82
1981 Joe Louis, "The Brown Bomber," boxing champion, dies at 66
1989 Abbie Hoffman, counter-culture/hippie, dies at 52
1989 Sugar Ray Robinson (Walker Smith Jr) boxing champion, dies at 67
1999 Boxcar Willie, country singer, dies at 67
2003 Cecil H. Green, founder (Texas Instruments) dies at 102
Today in History
1606 England adopted the original version of the Union Jack as its flag.
1633 The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition began.
1861 The Civil War began as Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1877 The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher's mask was used during a game.
1955 The Salk vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective.
1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.
1980 Terry Fox began his "Marathon of Hope" by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic at St. John's, Newfoundland.
1981 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.
1983 Harold Washington was elected Chicago's first black mayor.
1985 Sen. Jake Garn of Utah became the first senator to fly in space as the shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1992 Euro Disneyland, a $4 billion theme park, opened in Marne-La-Vallee, France.
1999 U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
2001 Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken declared a state of emergency amid an outbreak of racial violence.
2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country's divided military (he was returned to office two days later).
2004 Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball's career list.
2007 The Kremlin vetoed an investigation into the death of Yuri Gagarin, who was the first man in space.
2007 A suicide bomber breached security in Iraq's parliament and blew himself up in the dining hall; a Sunni parliament member was killed.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London
Book of Love - The Monotones
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Daydream - The Lovin’ Spoonful
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
Sunshine on My Shoulders - John Denver
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
Bennie & The Jets - Elton John
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Make a Move on Me - Olivia Newton-John
Big City - Merle Haggard
1990
Love Will Lead You Back - Taylor Dayne
I’ll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
All Around the World - Lisa Stansfield
Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.
John Kenneth Galbraith, administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today's Birthdays
1777 Henry Clay, 'The Great Compromiser,' died June 29, 1852
1907 Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial) died June 3, 2003
1916 Beverly Cleary, author (Ramona)
1923 Ann Miller (Lucille Ann Collier), actress/dancer (On the Town) died Jan 22, 2004
1926 Jane Withers, actress/TV spokesperson (Josephine the plumber)
1932 Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury), ukulele/falsetto singer (Tiptoe Through the Tulips) died Nov 30, 1996
1936 Charles Napier, actor (Rambo II)
1940 Herbie Hancock, Oscar-winning jazz/fusion musician/composer (Rockit)
1944 John Kay (Joachim Krauledat), guitarist/vocalist (Steppenwolf)
1946 Ed O’Neill, actor (Married......with Children)
1947 Dan Lauria, actor (The Wonder Years)
1947 David Letterman, TV host/comedian (Late Night with David Letterman)
1947 Tom Clancy, thriller writer (Hunt for Red October)
1949 Scott Turow, author (Presumed Innocent)
1950 David Cassidy, singer/actor (The Partridge Family)
1951 Jackson "Thunderfoot" Spires, rock drummer (Blackfoot)
1951 Alex Briley, singer (The Village People)
1954 Pat Travers, rock guitarist (Boom Boom Out Go the Lights)
1956 Andy Garcia, actor (The Untouchables, Black Rain)
1957 Vince Gill, country singer (When Love Finds You)
1958 Will Sergeant, guitarist (Echo & the Bunnymen)
1961 Lisa Gerrard, singer (Dead Can Dance)
1961 Ray Abruzzo, actor (The Sopranos)
1962 Art Alexakis, singer (Everclear)
1964 Amy Ray, singer (Indigo Girls)
1968 Adam Graves, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1968 Alicia Coppola, actress (Jericho)
1970 Nicholas Hexum, singer (311)
1971 Shannen Doherty, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1972 NiCole Robinson, actress (The West Wing)
1979 Claire Danes, actress (Romeo+Juliet, Shopgirl)
1979 Jennifer Morrison, actress (House)
1987 Brendon Urie, singer (Panic! at the Disco)
Today's Deaths in History
1748 William Kent, architect (Kensington Palace) dies at 63
1817 Charles Messier, astronomer (catalogued objects in space) dies at 86
1878 William M "Boss" Tweed, New York City politician (convicted of corruption), dies at 55
1912 Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, dies at 90
1945 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the U.S. dies at 63
1975 Josephine Baker, US/French revue artist (Folies-Bergère), dies at 68
1977 Philip K Wrigley, baseball owner (Chicago Cubs) dies at 82
1981 Joe Louis, "The Brown Bomber," boxing champion, dies at 66
1989 Abbie Hoffman, counter-culture/hippie, dies at 52
1989 Sugar Ray Robinson (Walker Smith Jr) boxing champion, dies at 67
1999 Boxcar Willie, country singer, dies at 67
2003 Cecil H. Green, founder (Texas Instruments) dies at 102
Today in History
1606 England adopted the original version of the Union Jack as its flag.
1633 The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition began.
1861 The Civil War began as Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1877 The catcher for Harvard's baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher's mask was used during a game.
1955 The Salk vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective.
1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.
1980 Terry Fox began his "Marathon of Hope" by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic at St. John's, Newfoundland.
1981 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.
1983 Harold Washington was elected Chicago's first black mayor.
1985 Sen. Jake Garn of Utah became the first senator to fly in space as the shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1992 Euro Disneyland, a $4 billion theme park, opened in Marne-La-Vallee, France.
1999 U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving "intentionally false" testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
2001 Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken declared a state of emergency amid an outbreak of racial violence.
2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country's divided military (he was returned to office two days later).
2004 Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball's career list.
2007 The Kremlin vetoed an investigation into the death of Yuri Gagarin, who was the first man in space.
2007 A suicide bomber breached security in Iraq's parliament and blew himself up in the dining hall; a Sunni parliament member was killed.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London
Book of Love - The Monotones
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Daydream - The Lovin’ Spoonful
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
Sunshine on My Shoulders - John Denver
Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede
Bennie & The Jets - Elton John
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Make a Move on Me - Olivia Newton-John
Big City - Merle Haggard
1990
Love Will Lead You Back - Taylor Dayne
I’ll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
All Around the World - Lisa Stansfield
Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Politics is not the art of the possible. It consists in choosing between the disastrous and the unpalatable.
John Kenneth Galbraith, administrator & economist (1908 - 2006)
Today in History - April 13th
Today's Birthdays
1743 Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President (1801-1809) died July 4, 1826
1852 F. W. (Frank Winfield) Woolworth, merchant (created the five and ten cent store) died Apr 8, 1919
1866 Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker), outlaw, died circa Nov 6, 1908
1899 Alfred Butts, architect/game inventor (Scrabble) died Apr 4, 1993
1902 Philippe de Rothschild, French race car driver/wine grower, died Jan 20, 1988
1902 Marguerite Henry, author (Misty) died Nov 26, 1997
1906 Samuel Beckett, author/critic/playwright (Waiting for Godot) died Dec 22, 1989
1909 Eudora Welty, poet (Delta Wedding) died July 23, 2001
1919 Howard Keel (Harry Clifford Leek), actor (Dallas) died Nov 7, 2004
1919 Madalyn Murray O’Hair, author/atheist (Why I Am an Atheist) murdered: missing since Aug 1995, her body was found near Camp Wood, TX Jan 28, 2001
1923 Don Adams (Donald James Yarmy), actor (Get Smart) died Sep 25, 2005
1931 Jon Stone, co-creator of Sesame Street, died March 13, 1997
1937 Edward Fox, actor (Force 10 from Navarone)
1939 Paul Sorvino, actor (Law and Order, Goodfellas)
1942 Bill Conti, Academy Award-winning composer (movie scores)
1944 Jack Casady, bassist (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane)
1944 Brian Pendleton, guitarist (The Pretty Things) died May 25, 2001
1945 Tony Dow, actor (Leave It to Beaver)
1945 Lowell George, rock singer (Little Feat) died June 29, 1979
1946 Al Green, singer/songwriter (Let’s Stay Together)
1950 Ron Perlman, actor (Hellboy)
1950 William Sadler, actor (The Shawshank Redemption)
1951 Max Weinberg, drummer (E Street Band)
1951 Peabo Bryson, singer (If Ever You're In My Arms Again)
1954 Jimmy Destri, organ (Blondie)
1957 Gary Kroeger, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1958 Randy Piper, rock guitarist (WASP)
1961 Joey Mazzola, songwriter/guitarist (Sponge)
1962 Hillel Slovak, Israeli-born guitarist (Red Hot Chili Peppers) died June 25, 1988
1963 Garry Kasparov, World Chess Champion
1964 Caroline Rhea, comic/actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1964 Page Hannah, actress (Fame)
1966 Marc Ford, guitarist (Black Crowes)
1970 Rick Schroder, actor (Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue)
1972 Aaron Lewis, singer (Staind)
1973 Bokeem Woodbine, actor (The Rock, The Big Hit)
1975 Lou Bega, singer (Mambo #5)
1976 Jonathan Brandis, actor (Who's the Boss?, SeaQuest DSV)
1981 Courtney Peldon, actress (Boston Public)
1987 Brandon Hardesty, internet entertainer (YouTube Geico commercial)
Today's Deaths in History
1605 Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia, dies at 54
1936 Milton Brown, swing bandleader, dies at 32
1975 Larry Parks, blacklisted actor (The Jolson Story) dies at 60
1984 Richard Hurndall, British actor (The Avengers, Dr. Who) dies at 73
1984 Christopher Wilder, serial killer (The Beauty Queen Killer) shoots himself when cornered by the police at 39
1986 Stephen Stucker, actor (Airplane) dies at 36
2001 Robert Moon, Postal Inspector (Father of the ZIP Code) dies at 83
2005 Johnnie Johnson, rock songwriter (Roll Over Beethoven) dies at 80
Today in History
1598 King Henry IV of France signed the Edict of Nantes, granting rights to the Protestant Huguenots.
1742 George Frideric Handel's Messiah was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.
1870 The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in New York City.
1902 James C. Penney opened his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.
1954 Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Braves.
1964 Sidney Poitier became the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award, for Lilies of the Field.
1970 Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst.
1974 Western Union, in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft, launched the U.S.'s first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1.
1983 Harold Washington was elected as the first African-American mayor in Chicago's history.
1986 Pope John Paul II visited a Rome synagogue in the first recorded papal visit of its kind.
1990 The Soviet Union accepted responsibility for the World War II murders of thousands of imprisoned Polish officers in the Katyn Forest, a massacre the Soviets had previously blamed on the Nazis.
1997 Tiger Woods, 21, became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament and the first person of African heritage to claim a major golf title.
1998 NationsBank and BankAmerica announced a $62.5 billion merger.
1999 Jack Kervorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, Mich., to 10 to 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder of a man whose assisted suicide in 1998 was videotaped and shown on 60 Minutes.
2002 Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona, resigned a day after taking office in the face of protests by thousands of supporters of the ousted president, Hugo Chavez.
2004 Barry Bonds hit his 661st homer, passing Willie Mays to take sole possession of third place on baseball's career list.
2005 Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and three other attacks in back-to-back court appearances in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Be My Love - Mario Lanza
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
Pink Shoe Laces - Dodie Stevens
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Happy Together - The Turtles
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
Bernadette - Four Tops
Walk Through This World with Me - George Jones
1975
Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band
Poetry Man - Phoebe Snow
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
Always Wanting You - Merle Haggard
1983
Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me - Culture Club
Hungry like the Wolf - Duran Duran
We’ve Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
1991
I’ve Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat
You’re in Love - Wilson Phillips
Hold You Tight - Tara Kemp
Down Home - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Nihilism is best done by professionals.
Iggy Pop
Today's Birthdays
1743 Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President (1801-1809) died July 4, 1826
1852 F. W. (Frank Winfield) Woolworth, merchant (created the five and ten cent store) died Apr 8, 1919
1866 Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker), outlaw, died circa Nov 6, 1908
1899 Alfred Butts, architect/game inventor (Scrabble) died Apr 4, 1993
1902 Philippe de Rothschild, French race car driver/wine grower, died Jan 20, 1988
1902 Marguerite Henry, author (Misty) died Nov 26, 1997
1906 Samuel Beckett, author/critic/playwright (Waiting for Godot) died Dec 22, 1989
1909 Eudora Welty, poet (Delta Wedding) died July 23, 2001
1919 Howard Keel (Harry Clifford Leek), actor (Dallas) died Nov 7, 2004
1919 Madalyn Murray O’Hair, author/atheist (Why I Am an Atheist) murdered: missing since Aug 1995, her body was found near Camp Wood, TX Jan 28, 2001
1923 Don Adams (Donald James Yarmy), actor (Get Smart) died Sep 25, 2005
1931 Jon Stone, co-creator of Sesame Street, died March 13, 1997
1937 Edward Fox, actor (Force 10 from Navarone)
1939 Paul Sorvino, actor (Law and Order, Goodfellas)
1942 Bill Conti, Academy Award-winning composer (movie scores)
1944 Jack Casady, bassist (Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane)
1944 Brian Pendleton, guitarist (The Pretty Things) died May 25, 2001
1945 Tony Dow, actor (Leave It to Beaver)
1945 Lowell George, rock singer (Little Feat) died June 29, 1979
1946 Al Green, singer/songwriter (Let’s Stay Together)
1950 Ron Perlman, actor (Hellboy)
1950 William Sadler, actor (The Shawshank Redemption)
1951 Max Weinberg, drummer (E Street Band)
1951 Peabo Bryson, singer (If Ever You're In My Arms Again)
1954 Jimmy Destri, organ (Blondie)
1957 Gary Kroeger, comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1958 Randy Piper, rock guitarist (WASP)
1961 Joey Mazzola, songwriter/guitarist (Sponge)
1962 Hillel Slovak, Israeli-born guitarist (Red Hot Chili Peppers) died June 25, 1988
1963 Garry Kasparov, World Chess Champion
1964 Caroline Rhea, comic/actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1964 Page Hannah, actress (Fame)
1966 Marc Ford, guitarist (Black Crowes)
1970 Rick Schroder, actor (Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue)
1972 Aaron Lewis, singer (Staind)
1973 Bokeem Woodbine, actor (The Rock, The Big Hit)
1975 Lou Bega, singer (Mambo #5)
1976 Jonathan Brandis, actor (Who's the Boss?, SeaQuest DSV)
1981 Courtney Peldon, actress (Boston Public)
1987 Brandon Hardesty, internet entertainer (YouTube Geico commercial)
Today's Deaths in History
1605 Boris Godunov, Tsar of Russia, dies at 54
1936 Milton Brown, swing bandleader, dies at 32
1975 Larry Parks, blacklisted actor (The Jolson Story) dies at 60
1984 Richard Hurndall, British actor (The Avengers, Dr. Who) dies at 73
1984 Christopher Wilder, serial killer (The Beauty Queen Killer) shoots himself when cornered by the police at 39
1986 Stephen Stucker, actor (Airplane) dies at 36
2001 Robert Moon, Postal Inspector (Father of the ZIP Code) dies at 83
2005 Johnnie Johnson, rock songwriter (Roll Over Beethoven) dies at 80
Today in History
1598 King Henry IV of France signed the Edict of Nantes, granting rights to the Protestant Huguenots.
1742 George Frideric Handel's Messiah was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.
1870 The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in New York City.
1902 James C. Penney opened his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.
1954 Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Braves.
1964 Sidney Poitier became the first black performer in a leading role to win an Academy Award, for Lilies of the Field.
1970 Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst.
1974 Western Union, in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft, launched the U.S.'s first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1.
1983 Harold Washington was elected as the first African-American mayor in Chicago's history.
1986 Pope John Paul II visited a Rome synagogue in the first recorded papal visit of its kind.
1990 The Soviet Union accepted responsibility for the World War II murders of thousands of imprisoned Polish officers in the Katyn Forest, a massacre the Soviets had previously blamed on the Nazis.
1997 Tiger Woods, 21, became the youngest person to win the Masters Tournament and the first person of African heritage to claim a major golf title.
1998 NationsBank and BankAmerica announced a $62.5 billion merger.
1999 Jack Kervorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, Mich., to 10 to 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder of a man whose assisted suicide in 1998 was videotaped and shown on 60 Minutes.
2002 Venezuela's interim president, Pedro Carmona, resigned a day after taking office in the face of protests by thousands of supporters of the ousted president, Hugo Chavez.
2004 Barry Bonds hit his 661st homer, passing Willie Mays to take sole possession of third place on baseball's career list.
2005 Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and three other attacks in back-to-back court appearances in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Be My Love - Mario Lanza
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
Pink Shoe Laces - Dodie Stevens
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Happy Together - The Turtles
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
Bernadette - Four Tops
Walk Through This World with Me - George Jones
1975
Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band
Poetry Man - Phoebe Snow
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
Always Wanting You - Merle Haggard
1983
Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
Do You Really Want to Hurt Me - Culture Club
Hungry like the Wolf - Duran Duran
We’ve Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
1991
I’ve Been Thinking About You - Londonbeat
You’re in Love - Wilson Phillips
Hold You Tight - Tara Kemp
Down Home - Alabama
Quote of the Day
Nihilism is best done by professionals.
Iggy Pop
Today in History - April 14th
Today's Birthdays
1866 Anne Mansfield Sullivan, educated Helen Keller; died Oct 20, 1936
1904 Sir John Gielgud, London England, actor (Arthur, Chariots of Fire) died May 21, 2000
1906 Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz, King of Saudi-Arabia; died March 25, 1975
1907 François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, dictator of Haiti; died April 21, 1971
1925 Rod Steiger, actor (On the Waterfront, Dr. Zhivago) died July 9, 2002
1930 Bradford Dillman, actor (Murder She Wrote)
1935 Loretta Lynn, country singer (Coal Miner's Daughter)
1936 Kenneth Mars, comic actor (Young Frankenstein)
1936 Frank Serpico, policeman
1941 Julie Christie, actress (Dr Zhivago)
1941 Pete Rose, "Charlie Hustle," baseball player/manager (Cincinnati Reds)
1945 Ritchie Blackmore, guitarist (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
1948 Larry Ferguson, keyboardist (Hot Chocolate)
1949 Dennis Bryon, drummer (Bee Gees)
1950 Randolph Powell, actor (Dallas, Logan's Run)
1952 Kenny Aaronson, bassist (Stories, Hall & Oates)
1957 Richard Jeni, comic; committed suicide Mar 10, 2007
1960 Brian Forster, drummer (Partridge Family)
1960 Brad Garrett, actor (Everybody Loves Raymond)
1961 Robert Carlyle, actor (The Full Monty, Trainspotting)
1967 Barret Martin, guitarist (Screaming Trees)
1968 Anthony Michael Hall, actor (16 Candles, Breakfast Club)
1973 Adrien Brody, actor (The Pianist)
1973 David Miller, tenor (Il Divo)
1974 Da Brat, female rapper
1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1980 Win Butler, singer/songwriter (Arcade Fire)
1996 Abigail Breslin, actress (Little Miss Sunshine)
Today's Deaths in History
1759 Georg Frideric Händel, organist/composer (Watermusic), dies at 74
1965 Perry E Smith, murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged at 36
1965 Robert E Hickok, murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged at 33
1975 Fredric March, actor, (Inherit the Wind, The Best Years of our Lives), dies at 77
1983 Pete Farndon, bassist (Pretenders), dies at 30
1986 Simone de Beauvoir, French author (Deuxième Sexe), dies at 86
1995 Burl Ives, folk singer/actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), dies at 85
1996 Gaylord Birch, drummer (Pointer Sisters, Herbie Hancock), dies at 50
1999 Ellen Corby, actress (The Waltons) dies at 87
2000 Phil Katz, computer programmer (PKZIP) dies at 37
2007 Don Ho, Hawaiian singer (Tiny Bubbles) dies at 76
Today in History
1775 The first American society for the abolition of slavery was organized by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
1828 The first edition of Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language was published.
1846 The Donner Party departed Springfield, Illinois, for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism and survival.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.
1894 Thomas Edison demonstrated the kinetoscope, a device using photographs that flip in sequence, a precursor to movies.
1928 The New York Rangers beat Montréal Maroons, 3 games to 2 to win the Stanley Cup.
1912 The Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began to sink.
1931 King Alfonso XIII of Spain went into exile and the Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
1939 The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, was published.
1956 Ampex Corp. demonstrated its first commercial videotape recorder.
1968 A tie between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand at the U.S. Academy Awards results in the two sharing the award for Best Actress.
1981 America's first operational space shuttle, Columbia, landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California after its first test flight.
1988 In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signed an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
1997 Whitewater figure James McDougal drew a three-year prison sentence for 18 felony fraud and conspiracy counts.
1999 NATO mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees; Yugoslav officials said 75 people were killed.
2000 Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich filed a lawsuit against P2P sharing phenomenon Napster.
2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to office two days after being ousted and arrested by his country's military.
2002 Tiger Woods became only the third golfer in history to win back-to-back Masters titles.
2003 Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit fell to U.S.-led forces with unexpectedly light resistance.
2003 U.S. commandos in Baghdad captured Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985.
2005 The Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
Chart Toppers
1944
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
I Love You - Bing Crosby
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen)
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Tell Me Why - The Four Aces
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Greenfields - The Brothers Four
Mama - Connie Francis
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Young Girl - The Union Gap
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
You are My Treasure - Jack Greene
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
’Til I Can Make It on My Own - Tammy Wynette
1984
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Thank God for the Radio - The Kendalls
Quote of the Day
Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be drawn and quoted.
Fred Allen, comedian (1894 - 1956)
Today's Birthdays
1866 Anne Mansfield Sullivan, educated Helen Keller; died Oct 20, 1936
1904 Sir John Gielgud, London England, actor (Arthur, Chariots of Fire) died May 21, 2000
1906 Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz, King of Saudi-Arabia; died March 25, 1975
1907 François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, dictator of Haiti; died April 21, 1971
1925 Rod Steiger, actor (On the Waterfront, Dr. Zhivago) died July 9, 2002
1930 Bradford Dillman, actor (Murder She Wrote)
1935 Loretta Lynn, country singer (Coal Miner's Daughter)
1936 Kenneth Mars, comic actor (Young Frankenstein)
1936 Frank Serpico, policeman
1941 Julie Christie, actress (Dr Zhivago)
1941 Pete Rose, "Charlie Hustle," baseball player/manager (Cincinnati Reds)
1945 Ritchie Blackmore, guitarist (Rainbow, Deep Purple)
1948 Larry Ferguson, keyboardist (Hot Chocolate)
1949 Dennis Bryon, drummer (Bee Gees)
1950 Randolph Powell, actor (Dallas, Logan's Run)
1952 Kenny Aaronson, bassist (Stories, Hall & Oates)
1957 Richard Jeni, comic; committed suicide Mar 10, 2007
1960 Brian Forster, drummer (Partridge Family)
1960 Brad Garrett, actor (Everybody Loves Raymond)
1961 Robert Carlyle, actor (The Full Monty, Trainspotting)
1967 Barret Martin, guitarist (Screaming Trees)
1968 Anthony Michael Hall, actor (16 Candles, Breakfast Club)
1973 Adrien Brody, actor (The Pianist)
1973 David Miller, tenor (Il Divo)
1974 Da Brat, female rapper
1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
1980 Win Butler, singer/songwriter (Arcade Fire)
1996 Abigail Breslin, actress (Little Miss Sunshine)
Today's Deaths in History
1759 Georg Frideric Händel, organist/composer (Watermusic), dies at 74
1965 Perry E Smith, murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged at 36
1965 Robert E Hickok, murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged at 33
1975 Fredric March, actor, (Inherit the Wind, The Best Years of our Lives), dies at 77
1983 Pete Farndon, bassist (Pretenders), dies at 30
1986 Simone de Beauvoir, French author (Deuxième Sexe), dies at 86
1995 Burl Ives, folk singer/actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), dies at 85
1996 Gaylord Birch, drummer (Pointer Sisters, Herbie Hancock), dies at 50
1999 Ellen Corby, actress (The Waltons) dies at 87
2000 Phil Katz, computer programmer (PKZIP) dies at 37
2007 Don Ho, Hawaiian singer (Tiny Bubbles) dies at 76
Today in History
1775 The first American society for the abolition of slavery was organized by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
1828 The first edition of Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language was published.
1846 The Donner Party departed Springfield, Illinois, for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism and survival.
1865 President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.
1894 Thomas Edison demonstrated the kinetoscope, a device using photographs that flip in sequence, a precursor to movies.
1928 The New York Rangers beat Montréal Maroons, 3 games to 2 to win the Stanley Cup.
1912 The Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began to sink.
1931 King Alfonso XIII of Spain went into exile and the Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
1939 The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, was published.
1956 Ampex Corp. demonstrated its first commercial videotape recorder.
1968 A tie between Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand at the U.S. Academy Awards results in the two sharing the award for Best Actress.
1981 America's first operational space shuttle, Columbia, landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California after its first test flight.
1988 In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signed an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
1997 Whitewater figure James McDougal drew a three-year prison sentence for 18 felony fraud and conspiracy counts.
1999 NATO mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees; Yugoslav officials said 75 people were killed.
2000 Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich filed a lawsuit against P2P sharing phenomenon Napster.
2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to office two days after being ousted and arrested by his country's military.
2002 Tiger Woods became only the third golfer in history to win back-to-back Masters titles.
2003 Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit fell to U.S.-led forces with unexpectedly light resistance.
2003 U.S. commandos in Baghdad captured Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985.
2005 The Oregon Supreme Court nullified nearly 3,000 marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
Chart Toppers
1944
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
I Love You - Bing Crosby
Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty Kallen)
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Tell Me Why - The Four Aces
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Greenfields - The Brothers Four
Mama - Connie Francis
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Young Girl - The Union Gap
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
You are My Treasure - Jack Greene
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
’Til I Can Make It on My Own - Tammy Wynette
1984
Footloose - Kenny Loggins
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Thank God for the Radio - The Kendalls
Quote of the Day
Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns; he should be drawn and quoted.
Fred Allen, comedian (1894 - 1956)
Today in History - April 15th
Today's Birthdays
1452 Leonardo da Vinci, scientist/mathematician/engineer/inventor/anatomist/painter/ sculptor/architect/musician/writer (Mona Lisa) died May 2, 1519
1741 Charles Willson Peale, painter/soldier/naturalist (portrait of George Washington) died Feb 22, 1827
1843 Henry James, author (The Portrait of a Lady) died Feb 28, 1916
1884 Bessie Smith, "Empress of the Blues," blues singer, died Sept 21, 1937
1912 Kim Il-sung, dictator of North Korea; died July 8, 1994
1917 Hans Conried, actor/voice actor (Dudley Do-Right) died Jan 5, 1982
1924 Sir Neville Marriner, conductor (Amadeus soundtrack)
1929 Sir George Adrian Hayhurst Cadbury, chocolatier
1933 Roy Clark, country musician/entertainer (Hee Haw)
1933 Elizabeth Montgomery, actress (Bewitched) died May 18, 1995
1940 Robert Walker, Jr., actor (Ensign Pulver)
1944 Dave Edmunds, rock guitarist/singer (Rockpile)
1947 Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, TV producer/writer (Designing Women)
1955 Dodi Al-Fayed, department store heir; died Aug 31, 1997 in the same car crash that claimed the life of Princess Di
1959 Emma Thompson, actress (Sense & Sensibility, Stranger Than Fiction)
1959 Thomas F. Wilson, actor (Back to the Future series)
1959 Kevin Lowe, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1966 Samantha Fox, singer (Naughty Girls Need Love Too)
1967 Frankie Poullain, bassist (The Darkness)
1968 Ed O'Brien, guitarist (Radiohead)
1968 Stacey Williams, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1971 Jason Seahorn, NFL cornerback (NY Giants)
1972 Lou Romano, voice actor (Cars)
1974 Danny Pino, actor (Cold Case)
1974 Josh Todd, rock singer (Buckcherry)
1975 Paul Dana, IRL driver; died Mar 26, 2006 in a crash during race practice
1976 Susan Ward, actress (Shallow Hal)
1982 Seth Rogen, actor/writer (40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad)
1990 Emma Watson, actress (Harry Potter series)
Today's Deaths in History
1621 John Carver, first governor of the Plymouth colony, dies at 45
1865 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, dies of a gunshot wound to the head at 56
1889 Father Damien de Veuster, missionary to the leper colony on Molokai, dies at 49 of leprosy
1912 Edward Smith, captain of the RMS Titanic, dies at 62
1949 Wallace Beery, actor (Treasure Island) dies at 64
1971 Dan Reeves, NFL owner (Cleveland/LA Rams) dies at 58
1975 Richard Conte, actor (The Godfather) dies at 65
1980 Raymond Bailey, actor (Beverly Hillbillies) dies at 75
1980 Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialist (Being and Nothingness) dies at 74
1990 Greta Garbo, actress (Anna Karenina) dies at 84
1998 Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator, dies at 72
2000 Edward Gorey, illustrator (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats) dies at 75
2001 Joey Ramone, punk music icon, dies at 49 of lymphoma
2002 Byron "Whizzer" White, running back/Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
2005 John Fred, pop singer (Judy in Disguise) dies at 63
2007 Brant Parker, cartoonist (Wizard of Id) dies at 86
Today in History
1755 Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language was published in London.
1850 The city of San Francisco was incorporated.
1861 President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops three days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1865 Abraham Lincoln died after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth; Andrew Johnson was then sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
1892 The General Electric Company was formed.
1924 Rand McNally published its first road atlas.
1945 British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.
1947 Jackie Robinson became baseball's first black major league player when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1955 Ray Kroc opened his first franchise of McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
1981 Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke relinquished the Pulitzer Prize she had received two days earlier for a feature about an 8-year-old heroin addict after admitting she had fabricated the story.
1986 The United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
1989 Students in Beijing launched a series of pro-democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang.
1997 Jackie Robinson's uniform No. 42 was retired.
2000 Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles became the 24th major league player to reach 3,000 hits.
2002 An Air China Boeing 767-200, flight CA129, crashed into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Busan, South Korea, killing 128.
Chart Toppers
1945
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Apache - Jorgen Ingmann
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Galveston - Glen Campbell
Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone) - Loretta Lynn
1977
Dancing Queen - Abba
Don’t Give Up on Us - David Soul
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Lucille - Kenny Rogers
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
Honor Bound - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of the Day
Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Mark Twain, humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today's Birthdays
1452 Leonardo da Vinci, scientist/mathematician/engineer/inventor/anatomist/painter/ sculptor/architect/musician/writer (Mona Lisa) died May 2, 1519
1741 Charles Willson Peale, painter/soldier/naturalist (portrait of George Washington) died Feb 22, 1827
1843 Henry James, author (The Portrait of a Lady) died Feb 28, 1916
1884 Bessie Smith, "Empress of the Blues," blues singer, died Sept 21, 1937
1912 Kim Il-sung, dictator of North Korea; died July 8, 1994
1917 Hans Conried, actor/voice actor (Dudley Do-Right) died Jan 5, 1982
1924 Sir Neville Marriner, conductor (Amadeus soundtrack)
1929 Sir George Adrian Hayhurst Cadbury, chocolatier
1933 Roy Clark, country musician/entertainer (Hee Haw)
1933 Elizabeth Montgomery, actress (Bewitched) died May 18, 1995
1940 Robert Walker, Jr., actor (Ensign Pulver)
1944 Dave Edmunds, rock guitarist/singer (Rockpile)
1947 Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, TV producer/writer (Designing Women)
1955 Dodi Al-Fayed, department store heir; died Aug 31, 1997 in the same car crash that claimed the life of Princess Di
1959 Emma Thompson, actress (Sense & Sensibility, Stranger Than Fiction)
1959 Thomas F. Wilson, actor (Back to the Future series)
1959 Kevin Lowe, NHL defenseman (NY Rangers)
1966 Samantha Fox, singer (Naughty Girls Need Love Too)
1967 Frankie Poullain, bassist (The Darkness)
1968 Ed O'Brien, guitarist (Radiohead)
1968 Stacey Williams, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1971 Jason Seahorn, NFL cornerback (NY Giants)
1972 Lou Romano, voice actor (Cars)
1974 Danny Pino, actor (Cold Case)
1974 Josh Todd, rock singer (Buckcherry)
1975 Paul Dana, IRL driver; died Mar 26, 2006 in a crash during race practice
1976 Susan Ward, actress (Shallow Hal)
1982 Seth Rogen, actor/writer (40-Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad)
1990 Emma Watson, actress (Harry Potter series)
Today's Deaths in History
1621 John Carver, first governor of the Plymouth colony, dies at 45
1865 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, dies of a gunshot wound to the head at 56
1889 Father Damien de Veuster, missionary to the leper colony on Molokai, dies at 49 of leprosy
1912 Edward Smith, captain of the RMS Titanic, dies at 62
1949 Wallace Beery, actor (Treasure Island) dies at 64
1971 Dan Reeves, NFL owner (Cleveland/LA Rams) dies at 58
1975 Richard Conte, actor (The Godfather) dies at 65
1980 Raymond Bailey, actor (Beverly Hillbillies) dies at 75
1980 Jean-Paul Sartre, existentialist (Being and Nothingness) dies at 74
1990 Greta Garbo, actress (Anna Karenina) dies at 84
1998 Pol Pot, Cambodian dictator, dies at 72
2000 Edward Gorey, illustrator (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats) dies at 75
2001 Joey Ramone, punk music icon, dies at 49 of lymphoma
2002 Byron "Whizzer" White, running back/Supreme Court Justice, dies at 84
2005 John Fred, pop singer (Judy in Disguise) dies at 63
2007 Brant Parker, cartoonist (Wizard of Id) dies at 86
Today in History
1755 Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language was published in London.
1850 The city of San Francisco was incorporated.
1861 President Abraham Lincoln declared a state of insurrection and called out Union troops three days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
1865 Abraham Lincoln died after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth; Andrew Johnson was then sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
1892 The General Electric Company was formed.
1924 Rand McNally published its first road atlas.
1945 British and Canadian troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen.
1947 Jackie Robinson became baseball's first black major league player when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1955 Ray Kroc opened his first franchise of McDonald's restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois.
1981 Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke relinquished the Pulitzer Prize she had received two days earlier for a feature about an 8-year-old heroin addict after admitting she had fabricated the story.
1986 The United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
1989 Students in Beijing launched a series of pro-democracy protests upon the death of former Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang.
1997 Jackie Robinson's uniform No. 42 was retired.
2000 Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles became the 24th major league player to reach 3,000 hits.
2002 An Air China Boeing 767-200, flight CA129, crashed into a hillside during heavy rain and fog near Busan, South Korea, killing 128.
Chart Toppers
1945
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Apache - Jorgen Ingmann
Dedicated to the One I Love - The Shirelles
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
Galveston - Glen Campbell
Woman of the World (Leave My World Alone) - Loretta Lynn
1977
Dancing Queen - Abba
Don’t Give Up on Us - David Soul
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Lucille - Kenny Rogers
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
Honor Bound - Earl Thomas Conley
Quote of the Day
Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Mark Twain, humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 - 1910)
Today in History - April 16th
Today's Birthdays
1867 Wilbur Wright, aeronaut (Wright Brothers) died Jan 30, 1948
1889 Charlie Chaplin (The Little Tramp), comedian/actor/director (City Lights) died Dec 25, 1977
1921 Peter Ustinov, actor (Death on Nile) died Mar 28, 2004
1924 Henry Mancini, composer/conductor (Pink Panther) died June 14, 1994
1927 Pope Benedict XVI (Josef Ratzinger)
1930 Herbie Mann, jazz flute/sax (Just Wailin') died July 1, 2003
1934 Robert Stigwood, producer (Saturday Night Fever, Grease)
1935 Bobby Vinton, singer (Roses are Red)
1939 Dusty Springfield (Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien), singer (Son of a Preacher Man) died Mar 2, 1999
1943 "Lonesome Dave" Peverett, guitarist/singer (Foghat, Savoy Brown) died Feb 7, 2000
1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), NBA center (Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers)
1947 Gerry Rafferty, guitarist/singer (Stealer's Wheel)
1950 David Graf, Lancaster OH, actor (Police Academy series) died Apr 7, 2001
1952 Bill Belichick, NFL coach (New England Patriots)
1952 Billy West, voice actor (Ren & Stimpy, Futurama)
1953 Peter Garrett, Australian singer (Midnight Oil)
1954 Ellen Barkin, actress (Sea of Love)
1962 Ian MacKaye, singer (Fugazi)
1963 Jimmy Osmond, singer (Donnie & Marie)
1964 Dave Pirner, singer (Soul Asylum)
1965 Jon Cryer, actor (Hiding Out, Pretty in Pink, 2-1/2 Men)
1965 Martin Lawrence, comedian (Big Mama's House series)
1970 Bonnie Bernstein, NFL sideline reporter
1971 Peter Billingsley, actor (A Christmas Story)
1971 Selena (Quintanilla Perez), Tejano singer, murdered Mar 31, 1995
1975 Sean Maher, actor (Firefly)
1976 Lukas Haas, actor (Mars Attacks, Witness)
Today's Deaths in History
1828 Francisco de Goya, Spanish painter, dies at 82
1850 Marie (Gresholtz) Tussaud, maker of wax figures, dies at 88
1879 Bernadette, saint (saw Virgin Mary at Lourdes), dies at 35
1914 George W. Hill, US astronomer (moon orbit), dies at 76
1968 Edna Ferber, author (American Beauty), dies at 78
1985 Scott Brady [Gerald Tierney], actor (Gremlins), dies at 60
1991 David Lean, director (Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia), dies at 83
1992 Andy Russell, drummer/vocalist (Your Hit Parade), dies of stroke at 72
1992 Neville Brand, actor (Stalag 17), dies of emphysema at 71
1994 Ralph Waldo Ellison, US writer (Invisible Man), dies at 80
1995 Cheyenne Brando, daughter of Marlon, commits suicide at 25
1999 Skip Spence, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) dies at 52
2002 Robert Urich, actor (SWAT, Spenser for Hire) dies at 55
2005 Kay Walsh, dancer/actress (Oliver Twist) dies at 93
2005 Marla Ruzicka, humanist (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict) is killed by a car bomb in Baghdad at 28
Today in History
1789 President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.
1862 A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law.
1912 Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
1917 Revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia after years of exile.
1943 Dr. Albert Hofmann discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD.
1945 In his first speech to Congress, President Harry S. Truman pledged to carry out the war and peace policies of his late predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1947 Financier and presidential confidant Bernard M. Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse, "Let us not be deceived. We are today in the midst of a cold war."
1962 Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of The CBS Evening News.
1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated for protesting against segregation.
1964 The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers), the band's debut album, was released.
1972 Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon.
1992 The House ethics committee listed 303 current and former lawmakers who had overdrawn their House bank accounts.
1996 Britain's Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, the Duchess of York, announced they were getting a divorce.
2003 Michael Jordan played his last NBA game as his Washington Wizards ended their season with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
2007 Seung-Hui Cho, a student, killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., before taking his own life in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief - Betty Hutton
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Here - Tony Martin
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
1970
Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Someone Loves You Honey - Charley Pride
1986
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
She and I - Alabama
Quote of the Day
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)
Today's Birthdays
1867 Wilbur Wright, aeronaut (Wright Brothers) died Jan 30, 1948
1889 Charlie Chaplin (The Little Tramp), comedian/actor/director (City Lights) died Dec 25, 1977
1921 Peter Ustinov, actor (Death on Nile) died Mar 28, 2004
1924 Henry Mancini, composer/conductor (Pink Panther) died June 14, 1994
1927 Pope Benedict XVI (Josef Ratzinger)
1930 Herbie Mann, jazz flute/sax (Just Wailin') died July 1, 2003
1934 Robert Stigwood, producer (Saturday Night Fever, Grease)
1935 Bobby Vinton, singer (Roses are Red)
1939 Dusty Springfield (Mary Isabel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien), singer (Son of a Preacher Man) died Mar 2, 1999
1943 "Lonesome Dave" Peverett, guitarist/singer (Foghat, Savoy Brown) died Feb 7, 2000
1947 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), NBA center (Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers)
1947 Gerry Rafferty, guitarist/singer (Stealer's Wheel)
1950 David Graf, Lancaster OH, actor (Police Academy series) died Apr 7, 2001
1952 Bill Belichick, NFL coach (New England Patriots)
1952 Billy West, voice actor (Ren & Stimpy, Futurama)
1953 Peter Garrett, Australian singer (Midnight Oil)
1954 Ellen Barkin, actress (Sea of Love)
1962 Ian MacKaye, singer (Fugazi)
1963 Jimmy Osmond, singer (Donnie & Marie)
1964 Dave Pirner, singer (Soul Asylum)
1965 Jon Cryer, actor (Hiding Out, Pretty in Pink, 2-1/2 Men)
1965 Martin Lawrence, comedian (Big Mama's House series)
1970 Bonnie Bernstein, NFL sideline reporter
1971 Peter Billingsley, actor (A Christmas Story)
1971 Selena (Quintanilla Perez), Tejano singer, murdered Mar 31, 1995
1975 Sean Maher, actor (Firefly)
1976 Lukas Haas, actor (Mars Attacks, Witness)
Today's Deaths in History
1828 Francisco de Goya, Spanish painter, dies at 82
1850 Marie (Gresholtz) Tussaud, maker of wax figures, dies at 88
1879 Bernadette, saint (saw Virgin Mary at Lourdes), dies at 35
1914 George W. Hill, US astronomer (moon orbit), dies at 76
1968 Edna Ferber, author (American Beauty), dies at 78
1985 Scott Brady [Gerald Tierney], actor (Gremlins), dies at 60
1991 David Lean, director (Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia), dies at 83
1992 Andy Russell, drummer/vocalist (Your Hit Parade), dies of stroke at 72
1992 Neville Brand, actor (Stalag 17), dies of emphysema at 71
1994 Ralph Waldo Ellison, US writer (Invisible Man), dies at 80
1995 Cheyenne Brando, daughter of Marlon, commits suicide at 25
1999 Skip Spence, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Jefferson Airplane) dies at 52
2002 Robert Urich, actor (SWAT, Spenser for Hire) dies at 55
2005 Kay Walsh, dancer/actress (Oliver Twist) dies at 93
2005 Marla Ruzicka, humanist (Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict) is killed by a car bomb in Baghdad at 28
Today in History
1789 President-elect George Washington left Mount Vernon, Va., for his inauguration in New York.
1862 A bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia became law.
1912 Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly across the English Channel.
1917 Revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Lenin returned to Russia after years of exile.
1943 Dr. Albert Hofmann discovered the psychedelic effects of LSD.
1945 In his first speech to Congress, President Harry S. Truman pledged to carry out the war and peace policies of his late predecessor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1947 Financier and presidential confidant Bernard M. Baruch said in a speech at the South Carolina statehouse, "Let us not be deceived. We are today in the midst of a cold war."
1962 Walter Cronkite succeeded Douglas Edwards as anchorman of The CBS Evening News.
1963 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. penned his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated for protesting against segregation.
1964 The Rolling Stones (England's Newest Hitmakers), the band's debut album, was released.
1972 Apollo 16 blasted off on a voyage to the moon.
1992 The House ethics committee listed 303 current and former lawmakers who had overdrawn their House bank accounts.
1996 Britain's Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, the Duchess of York, announced they were getting a divorce.
2003 Michael Jordan played his last NBA game as his Washington Wizards ended their season with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
2007 Seung-Hui Cho, a student, killed 32 people on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., before taking his own life in the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief - Betty Hutton
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Here - Tony Martin
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline
1970
Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Someone Loves You Honey - Charley Pride
1986
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
She and I - Alabama
Quote of the Day
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.
Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 - 1778)
Today in History - April 17th
Today's Birthdays
1837 J.P. (John Pierpoint) Morgan, financier; died Mar 31, 1913
1894 Nikita Khrushchev, U.S.S.R. premier (1958-1964) died Sep 11, 1971
1896 Senor Wences, Spanish comedian/ventriloquist; died April 20, 1999
1897 Thornton Wilder, novelist/playwright (Our Town) died Dec 7, 1975
1918 William Holden (Beedle Jr.), actor (Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard) died Nov 16, 1981
1923 Harry Reasoner, newsman (Sixty Minutes, ABC News) died Aug 6, 1991
1934 Don Kirshner, music publisher/creator (The Monkees)
1942 David Bradley, actor (Harry Potter series)
1943 Dennis Hextall, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1944 L. Scott Caldwell, actress (Lost)
1948 Jan Hammer, composer/musician (Miami Vice theme)
1951 Olivia Hussey, actress (Stephen King’s It)
1954 Michael Sembello, musician/songwriter (Maniac)
1955 Pete Shelley (McNeish), singer (The Buzzcocks)
1957 Teri Austin, actress (Knots Landing)
1957 Afrika Bambaataa (Kevin Donovan), DJ/musician (Planet Rock)
1959 Sean Bean, actor (Patriot Games, The Lord of the Rings series)
1959 Stephen Singleton, saxophone (ABC)
1963 Joel Murray, actor/brother of Bill Murray (Dharma and Greg)
1964 Maynard James Keenan, rock musician (A Perfect Circle, Tool)
1964 Lela Rochon, actress (Boomerang)
1965 William Mapother, actor (Lost)
1967 Henry Ian Cusick, actor (Lost)
1967 Kimberly Elise, actress (John Q)
1969 Liz Phair, singer/songwriter (Whipsmart)
1972 Jennifer Garner, actress (Elektra)
1974 Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, singer
Today's Deaths in History
0485 Proclus, Greek philosopher ("Wherever there is number, there is beauty") dies at 73
1680 Kateri Tekakwitha, "The Lily of the Mohawks," first native American to receive beatification, dies at 24
1790 Benjamin Franklin, author, political theorist, politician, printer, scientist, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat, dies at 84
1960 Eddie Cochran, singer (Summertime Blues) dies at 21 in a traffic accident
1990 Ralph Abernathy, civil rights activist, dies at 64
1998 Linda McCartney, wife of Paul, dies at 56 of breast cancer
2002 Al Hendrix, father of Jimi, dies at 82
2003 Robert Atkins, dietician (Atkins Diet) dies at 72
2003 Earl King, singer/songwriter (New Orleans R&B) dies at 69
2007 Kitty Carlisle, actress/television personality (To Tell the Truth) dies at 96
Today in History
1397 Geoffrey Chaucer told the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II.
1492 Christopher Columbus signed a contract with a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.
1521 Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings.
1524 Giovanni da Verrazano reached present-day New York harbor.
1861 The Virginia State Convention voted to secede from the Union.
1907 Ellis Island immigration center processed 11,747 people, more than any other day.
1924 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios was formed from a merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company.
1951 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1961 About 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched an invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the southwestern coast of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.
1964 The Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Mustang model.
1969 A jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
1969 Czechoslovak Communist Party chairman Alexander Dubcek was deposed.
1970 The astronauts of Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, four days after a ruptured oxygen tank crippled their spacecraft.
1975 Phnom Penh fell to Communist insurgents, ending Cambodia's five-year civil war.
1993 A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two former police officers of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King; two other officers were acquitted.
1996 Lyle and Erik Menendez were spared the death penalty by a Los Angeles jury, which recommended they serve life in prison without parole for killing their wealthy parents.
2001 Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run, becoming the 17th major leaguer to reach the mark.
2002 Four Canadian Forces soldiers were killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from two U.S. Air Force F-16s, the first deaths in a combat zone for Canada since the Korean War.
2004 Israel assassinated Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi with a missile strike on his car.
Chart Toppers
1947
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
How are Things in Glocca Morra - Buddy Clark
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Fess Parker
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
South Street - The Orlons
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Another Day/Oh Woman Oh Why - Paul McCartney
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right - Barbara Mandrell
1987
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
(You’ve Got) the Touch - Alabama
Quote of the Day
You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.
George Burns, actor & comedian (1896 - 1996)
Today's Birthdays
1837 J.P. (John Pierpoint) Morgan, financier; died Mar 31, 1913
1894 Nikita Khrushchev, U.S.S.R. premier (1958-1964) died Sep 11, 1971
1896 Senor Wences, Spanish comedian/ventriloquist; died April 20, 1999
1897 Thornton Wilder, novelist/playwright (Our Town) died Dec 7, 1975
1918 William Holden (Beedle Jr.), actor (Stalag 17, Sunset Boulevard) died Nov 16, 1981
1923 Harry Reasoner, newsman (Sixty Minutes, ABC News) died Aug 6, 1991
1934 Don Kirshner, music publisher/creator (The Monkees)
1942 David Bradley, actor (Harry Potter series)
1943 Dennis Hextall, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1944 L. Scott Caldwell, actress (Lost)
1948 Jan Hammer, composer/musician (Miami Vice theme)
1951 Olivia Hussey, actress (Stephen King’s It)
1954 Michael Sembello, musician/songwriter (Maniac)
1955 Pete Shelley (McNeish), singer (The Buzzcocks)
1957 Teri Austin, actress (Knots Landing)
1957 Afrika Bambaataa (Kevin Donovan), DJ/musician (Planet Rock)
1959 Sean Bean, actor (Patriot Games, The Lord of the Rings series)
1959 Stephen Singleton, saxophone (ABC)
1963 Joel Murray, actor/brother of Bill Murray (Dharma and Greg)
1964 Maynard James Keenan, rock musician (A Perfect Circle, Tool)
1964 Lela Rochon, actress (Boomerang)
1965 William Mapother, actor (Lost)
1967 Henry Ian Cusick, actor (Lost)
1967 Kimberly Elise, actress (John Q)
1969 Liz Phair, singer/songwriter (Whipsmart)
1972 Jennifer Garner, actress (Elektra)
1974 Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, singer
Today's Deaths in History
0485 Proclus, Greek philosopher ("Wherever there is number, there is beauty") dies at 73
1680 Kateri Tekakwitha, "The Lily of the Mohawks," first native American to receive beatification, dies at 24
1790 Benjamin Franklin, author, political theorist, politician, printer, scientist, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat, dies at 84
1960 Eddie Cochran, singer (Summertime Blues) dies at 21 in a traffic accident
1990 Ralph Abernathy, civil rights activist, dies at 64
1998 Linda McCartney, wife of Paul, dies at 56 of breast cancer
2002 Al Hendrix, father of Jimi, dies at 82
2003 Robert Atkins, dietician (Atkins Diet) dies at 72
2003 Earl King, singer/songwriter (New Orleans R&B) dies at 69
2007 Kitty Carlisle, actress/television personality (To Tell the Truth) dies at 96
Today in History
1397 Geoffrey Chaucer told the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II.
1492 Christopher Columbus signed a contract with a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.
1521 Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings.
1524 Giovanni da Verrazano reached present-day New York harbor.
1861 The Virginia State Convention voted to secede from the Union.
1907 Ellis Island immigration center processed 11,747 people, more than any other day.
1924 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios was formed from a merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company.
1951 Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1961 About 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched an invasion at the Bay of Pigs on the southwestern coast of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro.
1964 The Ford Motor Co. unveiled its new Mustang model.
1969 A jury in Los Angeles convicted Sirhan Sirhan of assassinating Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.
1969 Czechoslovak Communist Party chairman Alexander Dubcek was deposed.
1970 The astronauts of Apollo 13 splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, four days after a ruptured oxygen tank crippled their spacecraft.
1975 Phnom Penh fell to Communist insurgents, ending Cambodia's five-year civil war.
1993 A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two former police officers of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King; two other officers were acquitted.
1996 Lyle and Erik Menendez were spared the death penalty by a Los Angeles jury, which recommended they serve life in prison without parole for killing their wealthy parents.
2001 Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run, becoming the 17th major leaguer to reach the mark.
2002 Four Canadian Forces soldiers were killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from two U.S. Air Force F-16s, the first deaths in a combat zone for Canada since the Korean War.
2004 Israel assassinated Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi with a missile strike on his car.
Chart Toppers
1947
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
How are Things in Glocca Morra - Buddy Clark
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Fess Parker
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
South Street - The Orlons
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Another Day/Oh Woman Oh Why - Paul McCartney
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right - Barbara Mandrell
1987
Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
(You’ve Got) the Touch - Alabama
Quote of the Day
You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there.
George Burns, actor & comedian (1896 - 1996)
Today in History - April 18th
Today's Birthdays
1857 Clarence Darrow, attorney (Scopes Monkey Trial) died Mar 13, 1938
1904 Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, comic/actor/singer/dancer; died Dec 13, 1981
1915 Joy Gresham Lewis, writer/wife of C. S. Lewis, died July 13, 1960
1918 Tommy Mottola, guitarist (Frank Sinatra, Perry Como) died Aug 9, 2004
1922 Barbara Hale, actress (Perry Mason)
1924 Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, blues musician; died Sept 10, 2005
1940 Mike Vickers, guitarist/reeds (Manfred Mann)
1942 Pete Gogolak, first soccer-style kicker in pro football (Buffalo Bills, NY Giants)
1946 Hayley Mills, actress (The Parent Trap)
1946 Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence, drummer (Jefferson Airplane) died Apr 16, 1999
1947 James Woods, actor (Diggstown, Shark)
1953 Rick Moranis, actor (Honey I Shrunk the Kids series, Ghostbusters series)
1956 Eric Roberts, actor (Doctor Who)
1958 Les Pattinson, bassist (Echo and the Bunnymen)
1961 Jane Leeves, actress (Frasier)
1963 Conan O’Brien, TV talk show host
1963 Eric McCormack, actor (Will & Grace)
1966 Valeri Kamensky, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1967 Maria Bello, actress (Payback, The Cooler)
1970 Greg Eklund, drummer (Everclear)
1972 Eli Roth, film director (Cabin Fever, Hostel)
1974 Mark Tremonti, guitarist (Alter Bridge)
1976 Melissa Joan Hart, actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1976 Sean Maguire, actor (The Class)
1977 Dan Lacouture, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1984 America Ferrera, actress (Ugly Betty)
Today's Deaths in History
1943 Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Admiral (led Pearl Harbor attack) dies at 59 when his plane is shot down over the Solomon Islands
1945 Ernie Pyle, journalist, is shot and killed by a sniper on Ie Shima; he was 44
1955 Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist (Theory of Relativity), dies at 76
1992 Benny Hill, British comedian, dies at 68
1996 Bernard Edwards, R&B musician (Chic) dies at 43
1996 Fred G. Sullivan, filmmaker (The Beer Drinker's Guide to Fitness & Filmmaking) dies at 50
1998 Terry Garvin, wrestler, dies at 61
2001 Billy Mitchell, saxophonist (Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie) dies at 74
2002 Thor Heyerdahl, explorer (Kon Tiki) dies at 87
2002 Wahoo McDaniel, wrestler, dies at 63
Today in History
1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica was laid.
1775 Paul Revere began his ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning American colonists that the British were coming.
1906 A major earthquake struck San Francisco and set off raging fires; more than 3,000 people died.
1909 Joan of Arc was beatified in Rome.
1923 The first baseball game was played at Yankee Stadium in New York City, with the Yankees beating the Boston Red Sox 4-1.
1942 An air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
1945 American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on an island off Okinawa.
1946 The League of Nations went out of business.
1949 The Irish Republic was proclaimed.
1954 Gamal Abdal Nasser seized power in Egypt.
1956 Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
1978 The U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control in 1999.
1983 A suicide bomber killed 63 people, including 17 Americans, at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
1988 The United States launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
1989 Thousands of Chinese students demanding democracy tried to storm Communist Party headquarters in Beijing.
1999 Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League's all-time leading scorer, played the last professional game of his 20-year career, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
2002 Police arrested actor Robert Blake in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley (Blake was later acquitted of murder but found liable in a civil case).
2004 Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero ordered a withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq.
2006 Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had a baby girl, Suri.
2007 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003.
2007 Four large bombs exploded in mainly Shiite locations of Baghdad, killing at least 183 people.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
But Beautiful - Frank Sinatra
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Suspicion - Terry Stafford
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart
1980
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Honky Tonk Blues - Charley Pride
1988
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Devil Inside - INXS
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with You - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams, humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
Today's Birthdays
1857 Clarence Darrow, attorney (Scopes Monkey Trial) died Mar 13, 1938
1904 Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, comic/actor/singer/dancer; died Dec 13, 1981
1915 Joy Gresham Lewis, writer/wife of C. S. Lewis, died July 13, 1960
1918 Tommy Mottola, guitarist (Frank Sinatra, Perry Como) died Aug 9, 2004
1922 Barbara Hale, actress (Perry Mason)
1924 Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, blues musician; died Sept 10, 2005
1940 Mike Vickers, guitarist/reeds (Manfred Mann)
1942 Pete Gogolak, first soccer-style kicker in pro football (Buffalo Bills, NY Giants)
1946 Hayley Mills, actress (The Parent Trap)
1946 Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence, drummer (Jefferson Airplane) died Apr 16, 1999
1947 James Woods, actor (Diggstown, Shark)
1953 Rick Moranis, actor (Honey I Shrunk the Kids series, Ghostbusters series)
1956 Eric Roberts, actor (Doctor Who)
1958 Les Pattinson, bassist (Echo and the Bunnymen)
1961 Jane Leeves, actress (Frasier)
1963 Conan O’Brien, TV talk show host
1963 Eric McCormack, actor (Will & Grace)
1966 Valeri Kamensky, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1967 Maria Bello, actress (Payback, The Cooler)
1970 Greg Eklund, drummer (Everclear)
1972 Eli Roth, film director (Cabin Fever, Hostel)
1974 Mark Tremonti, guitarist (Alter Bridge)
1976 Melissa Joan Hart, actress (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1976 Sean Maguire, actor (The Class)
1977 Dan Lacouture, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1984 America Ferrera, actress (Ugly Betty)
Today's Deaths in History
1943 Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Admiral (led Pearl Harbor attack) dies at 59 when his plane is shot down over the Solomon Islands
1945 Ernie Pyle, journalist, is shot and killed by a sniper on Ie Shima; he was 44
1955 Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist (Theory of Relativity), dies at 76
1992 Benny Hill, British comedian, dies at 68
1996 Bernard Edwards, R&B musician (Chic) dies at 43
1996 Fred G. Sullivan, filmmaker (The Beer Drinker's Guide to Fitness & Filmmaking) dies at 50
1998 Terry Garvin, wrestler, dies at 61
2001 Billy Mitchell, saxophonist (Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie) dies at 74
2002 Thor Heyerdahl, explorer (Kon Tiki) dies at 87
2002 Wahoo McDaniel, wrestler, dies at 63
Today in History
1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica was laid.
1775 Paul Revere began his ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Mass., warning American colonists that the British were coming.
1906 A major earthquake struck San Francisco and set off raging fires; more than 3,000 people died.
1909 Joan of Arc was beatified in Rome.
1923 The first baseball game was played at Yankee Stadium in New York City, with the Yankees beating the Boston Red Sox 4-1.
1942 An air squadron from the USS Hornet led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle raided Tokyo and other Japanese cities.
1945 American war correspondent Ernie Pyle was killed by Japanese gunfire on an island off Okinawa.
1946 The League of Nations went out of business.
1949 The Irish Republic was proclaimed.
1954 Gamal Abdal Nasser seized power in Egypt.
1956 Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco.
1978 The U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to turn the Panama Canal over to Panamanian control in 1999.
1983 A suicide bomber killed 63 people, including 17 Americans, at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon.
1988 The United States launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in the largest naval battle since World War II.
1989 Thousands of Chinese students demanding democracy tried to storm Communist Party headquarters in Beijing.
1999 Wayne Gretzky, the National Hockey League's all-time leading scorer, played the last professional game of his 20-year career, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
2002 Police arrested actor Robert Blake in the shooting death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley (Blake was later acquitted of murder but found liable in a civil case).
2004 Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero ordered a withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq.
2006 Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had a baby girl, Suri.
2007 The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, upheld the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003.
2007 Four large bombs exploded in mainly Shiite locations of Baghdad, killing at least 183 people.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover - The Art Moonie Orchestra
But Beautiful - Frank Sinatra
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Suspicion - Terry Stafford
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson
My Hang-Up is You - Freddie Hart
1980
Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Honky Tonk Blues - Charley Pride
1988
Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car - Billy Ocean
Devil Inside - INXS
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
I Wanna Dance with You - Eddie Rabbitt
Quote of the Day
Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.
Douglas Adams, humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
Today in History - April 19th
Today's Birthdays
1877 Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American inventor (outboard motor) died July 12, 1934
1903 Eliot Ness, lawman (took down Al Capone) died May 16, 1957
1925 Hugh O’Brian (Krampke), actor (In Harm’s Way)
1930 Dick Sargent (Richard Cox), actor (Bewitched) died July 8, 1994
1933 Jayne Mansfield (Vera Jane Palmer), actress (It Takes a Thief) killed in car crash near New Orleans LA June 29, 1967
1934 Dickie Goodman (Richard Dorian Goodman), entertainer (Buchanan and Goodman) died Nov 6, 1989
1935 Dudley Moore, actor (Arthur films, 10) died March 22, 2002
1941 Alan Price, keyboards/singer (The Animals)
1942 Larry (Hilario) Ramos Jr., guitar/singer (The Association)
1943 Eve Graham (Evelyn May Beatsom), singer (The New Seekers)
1944 Bernie Worrell, keyboardist (P Funk)
1946 Tim Curry, actor (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October)
1947 Mark Volman, saxophone/singer (The Turtles)
1953 Rod Morgenstein, drummer (Winger)
1954 Bob Rock, guitarist/producer (The Payolas)
1962 Al Unser, Jr. Indy car driver
1965 Marion "Suge" Knight, rap producer
1968 Ashley Judd, actress (Double Jeopardy)
1969 Jesse James, custom motorcycle builder/Mr. Sandra Bullock
1978 James Franco, actor (Spiderman series)
1979 Kate Hudson, actress (Almost Famous)
1981 Hayden Christensen, actor (Star Wars series)
1987 Maria Sharapova, tennis champion
Today's Deaths in History
1824 George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, English poet (Don Juan), dies at 36
1881 Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, dies at 76
1882 Charles Darwin, biologist, dies at 73
1906 Pierre Curie, French physicist, dies at 45
1989 Daphne du Maurier, novelist (The Birds, Rebecca) dies at 81
1993 David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians, dies at 33
2004 Norris McWhirter, co-founder (Guinness Book of Records) dies at 78
2005 Ruth Hussey, actress (The Great Gatsby) dies at 93
2006 Scott Crossfield, pilot (first man to fly at Mach 2) dies at 84
Today in History
1775 The American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord.
1897 The first Boston Marathon was run.
1927 Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
1933 The United States went off the gold standard.
1934 Shirley Temple made her film debut in Stand Up and Cheer.
1943 Tens of thousands of Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto began an uprising against Nazi forces.
1951 Gen. Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his command by President Harry S. Truman, bid farewell to Congress, quoting a line from a ballad: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."
1955 German automaker Volkswagen, after six years of selling cars in the United States, founded Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to standardize its dealer and service network.
1956 Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
1971 The Vietnam Veterans Against the War began a five-day demonstration in Washington, D.C.
1971 Charles Manson was sentenced to death for the Tate-LaBianca murders.
1989 A white female jogger in New York's Central Park was brutally beaten and raped; five black and Hispanic teenagers were imprisoned, but the convictions were overturned in 2003 when a serial rapist confessed and DNA evidence tied him to the crime.
1989 A gun turret exploded on the battleship USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
1993 A 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ended when fire destroyed the structure after federal agents smashed their way in; dozens of people, including sect leader David Koresh, were killed.
1994 A Los Angeles jury awarded $3.8 million to beaten motorist Rodney King.
1995 A truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring 500; Timothy McVeigh was later convicted of federal murder charges and executed.
1997 Flooding from the Red River forced more than 50,000 residents to abandon Grand Forks, N.D.
1999 The German parliament inaugurated its new home in the restored Reichstag in Berlin, its prewar capital.
2001 The Mel Brooks musical The Producers opened on Broadway.
2005 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope; he took the name Benedict XVI.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vaughn Monroe
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
Come Go with Me - The Dell-Vikings
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
I’m Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
King of the Road - Roger Miller
1973
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Sing - Carpenters
A Shoulder to Cry On - Charley Pride
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Old Flame - Alabama
1989
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young cannibals
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
I’m No Stranger to the Rain - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science.
Henri Poincare, French mathematician & physicist (1854 - 1912)
Today's Birthdays
1877 Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American inventor (outboard motor) died July 12, 1934
1903 Eliot Ness, lawman (took down Al Capone) died May 16, 1957
1925 Hugh O’Brian (Krampke), actor (In Harm’s Way)
1930 Dick Sargent (Richard Cox), actor (Bewitched) died July 8, 1994
1933 Jayne Mansfield (Vera Jane Palmer), actress (It Takes a Thief) killed in car crash near New Orleans LA June 29, 1967
1934 Dickie Goodman (Richard Dorian Goodman), entertainer (Buchanan and Goodman) died Nov 6, 1989
1935 Dudley Moore, actor (Arthur films, 10) died March 22, 2002
1941 Alan Price, keyboards/singer (The Animals)
1942 Larry (Hilario) Ramos Jr., guitar/singer (The Association)
1943 Eve Graham (Evelyn May Beatsom), singer (The New Seekers)
1944 Bernie Worrell, keyboardist (P Funk)
1946 Tim Curry, actor (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Hunt for Red October)
1947 Mark Volman, saxophone/singer (The Turtles)
1953 Rod Morgenstein, drummer (Winger)
1954 Bob Rock, guitarist/producer (The Payolas)
1962 Al Unser, Jr. Indy car driver
1965 Marion "Suge" Knight, rap producer
1968 Ashley Judd, actress (Double Jeopardy)
1969 Jesse James, custom motorcycle builder/Mr. Sandra Bullock
1978 James Franco, actor (Spiderman series)
1979 Kate Hudson, actress (Almost Famous)
1981 Hayden Christensen, actor (Star Wars series)
1987 Maria Sharapova, tennis champion
Today's Deaths in History
1824 George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, English poet (Don Juan), dies at 36
1881 Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, dies at 76
1882 Charles Darwin, biologist, dies at 73
1906 Pierre Curie, French physicist, dies at 45
1989 Daphne du Maurier, novelist (The Birds, Rebecca) dies at 81
1993 David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians, dies at 33
2004 Norris McWhirter, co-founder (Guinness Book of Records) dies at 78
2005 Ruth Hussey, actress (The Great Gatsby) dies at 93
2006 Scott Crossfield, pilot (first man to fly at Mach 2) dies at 84
Today in History
1775 The American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord.
1897 The first Boston Marathon was run.
1927 Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail for obscenity for her play Sex.
1933 The United States went off the gold standard.
1934 Shirley Temple made her film debut in Stand Up and Cheer.
1943 Tens of thousands of Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto began an uprising against Nazi forces.
1951 Gen. Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his command by President Harry S. Truman, bid farewell to Congress, quoting a line from a ballad: "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."
1955 German automaker Volkswagen, after six years of selling cars in the United States, founded Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to standardize its dealer and service network.
1956 Actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
1971 The Vietnam Veterans Against the War began a five-day demonstration in Washington, D.C.
1971 Charles Manson was sentenced to death for the Tate-LaBianca murders.
1989 A white female jogger in New York's Central Park was brutally beaten and raped; five black and Hispanic teenagers were imprisoned, but the convictions were overturned in 2003 when a serial rapist confessed and DNA evidence tied him to the crime.
1989 A gun turret exploded on the battleship USS Iowa, killing 47 sailors.
1993 A 51-day siege at the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, ended when fire destroyed the structure after federal agents smashed their way in; dozens of people, including sect leader David Koresh, were killed.
1994 A Los Angeles jury awarded $3.8 million to beaten motorist Rodney King.
1995 A truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring 500; Timothy McVeigh was later convicted of federal murder charges and executed.
1997 Flooding from the Red River forced more than 50,000 residents to abandon Grand Forks, N.D.
1999 The German parliament inaugurated its new home in the restored Reichstag in Berlin, its prewar capital.
2001 The Mel Brooks musical The Producers opened on Broadway.
2005 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected pope; he took the name Benedict XVI.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
Red Roses for a Blue Lady - Vaughn Monroe
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
Come Go with Me - The Dell-Vikings
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
I’m Telling You Now - Freddie & The Dreamers
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
King of the Road - Roger Miller
1973
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia - Vicki Lawrence
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Sing - Carpenters
A Shoulder to Cry On - Charley Pride
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Old Flame - Alabama
1989
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young cannibals
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
I’m No Stranger to the Rain - Keith Whitley
Quote of the Day
Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science.
Henri Poincare, French mathematician & physicist (1854 - 1912)
Today in History - April 20th
Today's Birthdays
1850 Daniel Chester French, sculptor (Abraham Lincoln seated in the Lincoln Memorial) died Oct 7, 1931
1889 Adolf Hitler, dictator/racist/murderer; committed suicide Apr 30, 1945
1908 Lionel Hampton, singer/songwriter/jazz musician; died Aug 31, 2002
1920 John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.
1924 Nina Foch (Nina Consuelo Maud Fock), actress (The Ten Commandments)
1925 Tito (Ernest) Puente, jazz musician/bandleader; died June 1, 2000
1926 Elena Verdugo, actress (House of Frankenstein)
1937 George Takei, actor (Star Trek, The Green Berets)
1941 Ryan O’Neal, actor (Love Story, Paper Moon)
1943 Edie Sedgwick, actress/socialite; died Nov 15, 1971
1945 Jimmy Winston (Langwith), organ (Small Faces)
1947 David Leland, actor (Time Bandits)
1947 Björn Skifs, singer (Blue Swede)
1948 Craig Frost, keyboards (Grand Funk Railroad)
1949 Jessica (Phyllis) Lange, actress (Tootsie, King Kong)
1949 Veronica Cartwright, actress (The Birds)
1951 Luther Vandross, singer/songwriter; died July 1, 2005
1959 Clint Howard, actor (Backdraft, Cocoon)
1964 Crispin Glover, actor (Back to the Future series, Charlie’s Angels series)
1964 Andy Serkis, actor (Lords of the Rings series)
1967 Mike Portnoy, drummer (Dream Theater)
1972 Carmen Electra, model/actress (Baywatch)
1976 Joey Lawrence, actor (Gimme a Break)
Today's Deaths in History
1534 Elizabeth Barton, English nun, is executed for predicting that if Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn against the wishes of the Pope, he would die in six months
1765 Abigail Williams, accuser in the Salem Witch Trials, dies at 91
1769 Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawa tribe, dies at 49
1812 George Clinton, Vice President and former New York governor, dies at 73
1912 Bram Stoker, writer (Dracula) dies at 64
1982 Archibald McLeish, poet/Librarian of Congress, dies at 79
1993 Cantinflas, Mexican comic/actor, dies at 81
1996 Christopher Robin Milne, son of A. A. Milne, dies at 75
1999 “Ravishing” Rick Rude, wrestler, dies at 40
1999 Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist/comedian, dies at 103
2002 Alan Dale, singer (Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) dies at 75
2007 Andrew Hill, jazz composer/pianist, dies at 75
Today in History
1792 France declared war on Austria, marking the start of the French Revolutionary wars.
1836 The Territory of Wisconsin was established by Congress.
1861 Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
1902 Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
1912 Tiger Stadium in Detroit and Fenway Park in Boston opened.
1918 Manfred von Richthofen, The Red Baron, shot down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
1926 Western Electric and Warner Bros. announced Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.
1939 Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
1940 RCA publicly demonstrated its new electron microscope.
1945 Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart during World War II.
1968 Pierre Elliott Trudeau was sworn in as prime minister of Canada.
1971 The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.
1972 The manned lunar module from Apollo 16 landed on the moon.
1980 The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.
1986 Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performed in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years.
1986 Michael Jordan set a record for points in an NBA playoff game with 63 against the Boston Celtics.
1999 Two students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., killing 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives.
2005 President George W. Bush signed a bill making it harder for debt-ridden people to wipe clean their financial slates by declaring bankruptcy.
2006 Bowing to intense pressure, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari agreed to abandon his claim to another term.
2007 A man with a handgun barricaded himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London
Book of Love - The Monotones
Don’t You Just Know It - Huey (Piano) Smith & The Clowns
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Daydream - The Lovin’ Spoonful
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
The Clown - Conway Twitty
1990
I’ll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
Don’t Wanna Fall in Love - Jane Child
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
Five Minutes - Lorrie Morgan
Quote of the Day
There's only one way to have a happy marriage and as soon as I learn what it is I'll get married again.
Clint Eastwood, actor & director (1930 - )
Today's Birthdays
1850 Daniel Chester French, sculptor (Abraham Lincoln seated in the Lincoln Memorial) died Oct 7, 1931
1889 Adolf Hitler, dictator/racist/murderer; committed suicide Apr 30, 1945
1908 Lionel Hampton, singer/songwriter/jazz musician; died Aug 31, 2002
1920 John Paul Stevens, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S.
1924 Nina Foch (Nina Consuelo Maud Fock), actress (The Ten Commandments)
1925 Tito (Ernest) Puente, jazz musician/bandleader; died June 1, 2000
1926 Elena Verdugo, actress (House of Frankenstein)
1937 George Takei, actor (Star Trek, The Green Berets)
1941 Ryan O’Neal, actor (Love Story, Paper Moon)
1943 Edie Sedgwick, actress/socialite; died Nov 15, 1971
1945 Jimmy Winston (Langwith), organ (Small Faces)
1947 David Leland, actor (Time Bandits)
1947 Björn Skifs, singer (Blue Swede)
1948 Craig Frost, keyboards (Grand Funk Railroad)
1949 Jessica (Phyllis) Lange, actress (Tootsie, King Kong)
1949 Veronica Cartwright, actress (The Birds)
1951 Luther Vandross, singer/songwriter; died July 1, 2005
1959 Clint Howard, actor (Backdraft, Cocoon)
1964 Crispin Glover, actor (Back to the Future series, Charlie’s Angels series)
1964 Andy Serkis, actor (Lords of the Rings series)
1967 Mike Portnoy, drummer (Dream Theater)
1972 Carmen Electra, model/actress (Baywatch)
1976 Joey Lawrence, actor (Gimme a Break)
Today's Deaths in History
1534 Elizabeth Barton, English nun, is executed for predicting that if Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn against the wishes of the Pope, he would die in six months
1765 Abigail Williams, accuser in the Salem Witch Trials, dies at 91
1769 Pontiac, Chief of the Ottawa tribe, dies at 49
1812 George Clinton, Vice President and former New York governor, dies at 73
1912 Bram Stoker, writer (Dracula) dies at 64
1982 Archibald McLeish, poet/Librarian of Congress, dies at 79
1993 Cantinflas, Mexican comic/actor, dies at 81
1996 Christopher Robin Milne, son of A. A. Milne, dies at 75
1999 “Ravishing” Rick Rude, wrestler, dies at 40
1999 Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist/comedian, dies at 103
2002 Alan Dale, singer (Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White) dies at 75
2007 Andrew Hill, jazz composer/pianist, dies at 75
Today in History
1792 France declared war on Austria, marking the start of the French Revolutionary wars.
1836 The Territory of Wisconsin was established by Congress.
1861 Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
1902 Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie isolated the radioactive element radium.
1912 Tiger Stadium in Detroit and Fenway Park in Boston opened.
1918 Manfred von Richthofen, The Red Baron, shot down his 79th and 80th victims, his final victories before his death the following day.
1926 Western Electric and Warner Bros. announced Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.
1939 Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams made his major league debut with the Boston Red Sox.
1940 RCA publicly demonstrated its new electron microscope.
1945 Allied forces took control of the German cities of Nuremberg and Stuttgart during World War II.
1968 Pierre Elliott Trudeau was sworn in as prime minister of Canada.
1971 The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.
1972 The manned lunar module from Apollo 16 landed on the moon.
1980 The first Cubans sailing to the United States as part of the massive Mariel boatlift reached Florida.
1986 Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performed in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years.
1986 Michael Jordan set a record for points in an NBA playoff game with 63 against the Boston Celtics.
1999 Two students went on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., killing 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives.
2005 President George W. Bush signed a bill making it harder for debt-ridden people to wipe clean their financial slates by declaring bankruptcy.
2006 Bowing to intense pressure, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari agreed to abandon his claim to another term.
2007 A man with a handgun barricaded himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London
Book of Love - The Monotones
Don’t You Just Know It - Huey (Piano) Smith & The Clowns
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Daydream - The Lovin’ Spoonful
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
The Clown - Conway Twitty
1990
I’ll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
Don’t Wanna Fall in Love - Jane Child
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
Five Minutes - Lorrie Morgan
Quote of the Day
There's only one way to have a happy marriage and as soon as I learn what it is I'll get married again.
Clint Eastwood, actor & director (1930 - )
Today in History - April 21st
Today's Birthdays
1816 Charlotte Bronte, author (Jane Eyre) died Mar 31, 1855
1838 John Muir, conservationist (establishment of the U.S. National Parks system) died Dec 24, 1914
1915 Anthony Quinn, actor (The Old Man and the Sea, Zorba the Greek) died June 3, 2001
1926 Queen Elizabeth II (Elisabeth Mary), Queen of the United Kingdom
1935 Charles Grodin, actor (Midnight Run, Dave)
1936 Reg Fleming, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1939 Sister Helen Prejean, author/activist (Dead Man Walking)
1939 Ernie Maresca, songwriter (Runaround Sue, The Wanderer)
1947 Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterburg), singer/songwriter (The Stooges)
1947 John Weider, bassist (Eric Burdon and the Animals)
1948 Paul Davis, singer/songwriter (I Go Crazy)
1949 Patti LuPone, actress (Evita)
1951 Paul Carrack, pianist/singer/songwriter (Mike and the Mechanics, Ace)
1951 Tony Danza, actor (Who’s the Boss, Taxi)
1951 Steve Vickers, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1958 Andie (Rosalie Anderson) MacDowell, actress (Four Weddings and a Funeral)
1959 Robert Smith, guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Cure)
1959 Jerry Only, bassist (The Misfits)
1959 Michael Timmons, guitarist/songwriter (Cowboy Junkies)
1963 John Cameron Mitchell, actor/writer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
1969 Robin Meade, reporter (CNN)
1970 Nicole Sullivan, actress (Scrubs)
1970 Rob Riggle, U.S. Marine/comedian (Daily Show)
1971 Eric Mabius, actor (Ugly Betty)
1971 Michael Turner, comic book artist (Witchblade)
1977 Jamie Salé, pairs figure skating champion
1978 Brandon Steineckert, drummer (Rancid)
1979 James McAvoy, actor (Last King of Scotland, Atonement)
1980 Tony Romo, NFL quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
1982 Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, running back (Tampa Bay Bucaneers)
Today's Deaths in History
1509 King Henry VII of England dies at 52
1910 Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain), author (Tom Sawyer) dies at 74
1918 Manfred von Richthofen, German ace pilot, shot down over France at 25
1946 John Maynard Keynes, English economist, dies at 62
1971 François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Haitian dictator, dies at 64
1977 Gummo Marx, American actor and comedian, dies at 83
1978 Sandy Denny, singer (Fairport Convention) dies at 31
1996 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, bookmaker/sportscaster, dies at 76
2001 Jack Haley, Jr., producer (Biography series)
2003 Nina Simone, singer, dies at 70
2005 Gerry Marshall, race driver (Formula One) dies at 63
Today in History
0753 (BC) Romulus and Remus founded Rome (traditional date).
1509 Henry VIII (unofficially) ascended the throne of England at the death of his father, Henry VII.
1649 The Maryland Toleration Act, which provided for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
1789 John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
1836 Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas' independence.
1918 Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the "Red Baron," was killed in action during World War I.
1944 Women in France received the right to vote.
1952 Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) was first celebrated.
1960 Brazil inaugurated its new capital, Brasilia, transferring the seat of national government from Rio de Janeiro.
1962 The Seattle World's Fair opened, the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.
1975 South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after 10 years in office.
1977 The musical Annie opened on Broadway.
1980 Rosie Ruiz, the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, was disqualified when officials discovered she had jumped into the race about a mile from the finish.
1982 Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers became the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
1986 A vault in Chicago's Lexington Hotel that was linked to Al Capone was opened during a live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera. Except for a few bottles and a sign, the vault was empty.
1989 100,000 students gathered in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
1992 Robert Alton Harris became the first person executed by the state of California in 25 years as he was put to death in the gas chamber for the 1978 murder of two teenage boys.
2004 Five suicide attackers detonated car bombs against police buildings in Basra, Iraq, killing at least 74 people.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill - Les Paul & Mary Ford
Would I Love You - Patti Page
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
This is My Song - Petula Clark
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You - The Monkees
Lonely Again - Eddy Arnold
1975
Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Always Wanting You - Merle Haggard
1983
Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Mr. Roboto - Styx
Dixieland Delight - Alabama
1991
You’re in Love - Wilson Phillips
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
Down Home - Alabama
Quote of the Day
The secret of eternal youth is arrested development.
Alice Roosevelt Longworth, author & wit (1884 - 1980)
Today's Birthdays
1816 Charlotte Bronte, author (Jane Eyre) died Mar 31, 1855
1838 John Muir, conservationist (establishment of the U.S. National Parks system) died Dec 24, 1914
1915 Anthony Quinn, actor (The Old Man and the Sea, Zorba the Greek) died June 3, 2001
1926 Queen Elizabeth II (Elisabeth Mary), Queen of the United Kingdom
1935 Charles Grodin, actor (Midnight Run, Dave)
1936 Reg Fleming, NHL forward (NY Rangers)
1939 Sister Helen Prejean, author/activist (Dead Man Walking)
1939 Ernie Maresca, songwriter (Runaround Sue, The Wanderer)
1947 Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterburg), singer/songwriter (The Stooges)
1947 John Weider, bassist (Eric Burdon and the Animals)
1948 Paul Davis, singer/songwriter (I Go Crazy)
1949 Patti LuPone, actress (Evita)
1951 Paul Carrack, pianist/singer/songwriter (Mike and the Mechanics, Ace)
1951 Tony Danza, actor (Who’s the Boss, Taxi)
1951 Steve Vickers, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1958 Andie (Rosalie Anderson) MacDowell, actress (Four Weddings and a Funeral)
1959 Robert Smith, guitarist/singer/songwriter (The Cure)
1959 Jerry Only, bassist (The Misfits)
1959 Michael Timmons, guitarist/songwriter (Cowboy Junkies)
1963 John Cameron Mitchell, actor/writer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch)
1969 Robin Meade, reporter (CNN)
1970 Nicole Sullivan, actress (Scrubs)
1970 Rob Riggle, U.S. Marine/comedian (Daily Show)
1971 Eric Mabius, actor (Ugly Betty)
1971 Michael Turner, comic book artist (Witchblade)
1977 Jamie Salé, pairs figure skating champion
1978 Brandon Steineckert, drummer (Rancid)
1979 James McAvoy, actor (Last King of Scotland, Atonement)
1980 Tony Romo, NFL quarterback (Dallas Cowboys)
1982 Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, running back (Tampa Bay Bucaneers)
Today's Deaths in History
1509 King Henry VII of England dies at 52
1910 Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain), author (Tom Sawyer) dies at 74
1918 Manfred von Richthofen, German ace pilot, shot down over France at 25
1946 John Maynard Keynes, English economist, dies at 62
1971 François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Haitian dictator, dies at 64
1977 Gummo Marx, American actor and comedian, dies at 83
1978 Sandy Denny, singer (Fairport Convention) dies at 31
1996 Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, bookmaker/sportscaster, dies at 76
2001 Jack Haley, Jr., producer (Biography series)
2003 Nina Simone, singer, dies at 70
2005 Gerry Marshall, race driver (Formula One) dies at 63
Today in History
0753 (BC) Romulus and Remus founded Rome (traditional date).
1509 Henry VIII (unofficially) ascended the throne of England at the death of his father, Henry VII.
1649 The Maryland Toleration Act, which provided for freedom of worship for all Christians, was passed by the Maryland assembly.
1789 John Adams was sworn in as the first vice president of the United States.
1836 Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring Texas' independence.
1918 Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German ace known as the "Red Baron," was killed in action during World War I.
1944 Women in France received the right to vote.
1952 Secretary's Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) was first celebrated.
1960 Brazil inaugurated its new capital, Brasilia, transferring the seat of national government from Rio de Janeiro.
1962 The Seattle World's Fair opened, the first World's Fair in the United States since World War II.
1975 South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu resigned after 10 years in office.
1977 The musical Annie opened on Broadway.
1980 Rosie Ruiz, the first woman to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon, was disqualified when officials discovered she had jumped into the race about a mile from the finish.
1982 Rollie Fingers of the Milwaukee Brewers became the first pitcher to record 300 saves.
1986 A vault in Chicago's Lexington Hotel that was linked to Al Capone was opened during a live TV special hosted by Geraldo Rivera. Except for a few bottles and a sign, the vault was empty.
1989 100,000 students gathered in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang.
1992 Robert Alton Harris became the first person executed by the state of California in 25 years as he was put to death in the gas chamber for the 1978 murder of two teenage boys.
2004 Five suicide attackers detonated car bombs against police buildings in Basra, Iraq, killing at least 74 people.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill - Les Paul & Mary Ford
Would I Love You - Patti Page
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
I Need Your Love Tonight - Elvis Presley
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
This is My Song - Petula Clark
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You - The Monkees
Lonely Again - Eddy Arnold
1975
Philadelphia Freedom - The Elton John Band
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Always Wanting You - Merle Haggard
1983
Billy Jean - Michael Jackson
Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Mr. Roboto - Styx
Dixieland Delight - Alabama
1991
You’re in Love - Wilson Phillips
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
Down Home - Alabama
Quote of the Day
The secret of eternal youth is arrested development.
Alice Roosevelt Longworth, author & wit (1884 - 1980)
Steve Vickers once picked me up hitching when I was a young teen. He was headed to Esposito's (one of two bars - Wilsey Pub was the other at that time) in Ridgewood. He was driving a Lotus or something exotic. It was cool.
Today in History - April 22nd
Today's Birthdays
1724 Immanuel Kant, philosopher; died Feb 12, 1804
1870 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Vladimir Lenin), Communist revolutionary; died Jan 21, 1924
1899 Vladimir Nabokov, Russian writer (Lolita) died July 2, 1977
1904 J. (Julius) Robert Oppenheimer, physicist (first atomic bomb) died Feb 18, 1967
1906 Eddie Albert (Edward Albert Heimberger), actor (Green Acres) died May 26, 2005
1920 Hal March (Mendelson), TV emcee (The $64,000 Question) died Jan 19, 1970
1922 Charles Mingus, bassist/piano/singer/bandleader/composer (20th century black music) died Jan 5, 1979
1923 Aaron Spelling, executive producer (Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island) died June 23, 2006
1923 Bettie Page, American model/pinup girl
1926 Charlotte Rae, actress (Facts of Life)
1936 Glen Campbell, country singer (Rhinestone Cowboy)
1937 Jack Nicholson, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Prizzi’s Honor)
1946 John Waters, director (Hairspray)
1950 Peter Frampton, rock guitarist/singer (Show Me the Way)
1951 Paul Carrack, singer (Ace, Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics)
1952 Marilyn Chambers, adult film actress (Behind the Green Door)
1954 Joseph Bottoms, actor (The Net)
1959 Ryan Stiles, comic actor (The Drew Carey Show)
1959 Catherine Mary Stewart, actress (Weekend at Bernie's)
1961 Byron Allen, TV host/comedian (Real People)
1964 Chris Makepeace, actor (My Bodyguard)
1967 Sheryl Lee, actress (One Tree Hill)
1967 Sherri Shepherd, actress (The Wedding Bells)
1974 Shavo Odadjian, rock musician (System of a Down)
1976 Dan Cloutier, NHL goaltender (New York Rangers)
1978 Jason Stollsteimer, singer/guitarist (The Von Bondies)
1979 Daniel Johns, rock musician (Silverchair)
1984 Michelle Ryan, actress (The Bionic Woman)
Today's Deaths in History
1778 James Hargreaves, inventor (The Spinning Jenny) dies at 58
1933 Henry Royce, British automobile manufacturer (Rolls-Royce) dies at 70
1946 Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, dies at 73
1978 Will Geer, actor (The Waltons) dies at 1976
1983 Earl "Fatha" Hines, jazz pianist, dies at 79
1984 Ansel Adams, American photographer, dies at 82
1994 Richard M. Nixon, 37th president of the United States, dies at age 81
1996 Erma Bombeck, humorist/author (The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank) dies at 69
2002 Linda Lovelace, adult film actress (Deep Throat) dies at 53
2003 Andrea King, actress (Dragnet) dies at 84
2004 Pat Tillman, Arizona Cardinals/Army Ranger, is killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan at 27
2004 Jason L. Dunham, U.S. Marine Corporal/Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 22 when he covered a grenade with his body, saving the lives of the Marines around him
Today in History
1509 Henry VIII officially became king of England following the death of his father, Henry VII.
1864 Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.
1876 The Boston Red Stockings defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in the first National League Baseball game.
1889 The Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.
1898 The first shot of the Spanish-American War rang out as the USS Nashville captured a Spanish merchant ship off Key West, Fla.
1912 Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, began publication in Saint Petersburg.
1945 After learning that Soviet forces had taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admitted defeat in his underground bunker and stated that suicide was his only recourse.
1952 An atomic test conducted in Nevada became the first nuclear explosion shown on live network TV.
1954 The televised Senate Army-McCarthy hearings began.
1970 Earth Day was observed for the first time.
1983 The West German news magazine Stern announced the discovery of 60 volumes of personal diaries purportedly written by Adolf Hitler. However, the diaries turned out to be a hoax.
1990 Pro-Iranian kidnappers in Lebanon freed American hostage Robert Polhill after nearly 39 months of captivity.
1993 The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
1993 Web browser Mosaic version 1.0 is released.
1997 Government commandos stormed the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, ending a 126-day hostage crisis; all 14 Tupac Amaru rebels were killed; 71 hostages were rescued.
2000 In a pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' home in Miami; the 6-year-old boy was reunited with his father.
2004 Pro football player Pat Tillman, who traded in a multimillion-dollar contract to serve as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, was killed by friendly fire; he was 27.
2005 Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with the Sept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans (he was later sentenced to life in prison).
2006 The Iraqi parliament elected Jalal Talabani to another term as president.
Chart Toppers
1944
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
I Love You - Bing Crosby
Poinciana - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Be My Life’s Companion - The Mills Brothers
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Greenfields - The Brothers Four
Sweet Nothin’s - Brenda Lee
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
Lady Madonna - The Beatles
Fist City - Loretta Lynn
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind) - Eddie Rabbitt
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
The Yellow Rose - Johnny Lee with Lane Brody
Quote of the Day
There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence.
Henry Adams, author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 - 1918)
Today's Birthdays
1724 Immanuel Kant, philosopher; died Feb 12, 1804
1870 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Vladimir Lenin), Communist revolutionary; died Jan 21, 1924
1899 Vladimir Nabokov, Russian writer (Lolita) died July 2, 1977
1904 J. (Julius) Robert Oppenheimer, physicist (first atomic bomb) died Feb 18, 1967
1906 Eddie Albert (Edward Albert Heimberger), actor (Green Acres) died May 26, 2005
1920 Hal March (Mendelson), TV emcee (The $64,000 Question) died Jan 19, 1970
1922 Charles Mingus, bassist/piano/singer/bandleader/composer (20th century black music) died Jan 5, 1979
1923 Aaron Spelling, executive producer (Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island) died June 23, 2006
1923 Bettie Page, American model/pinup girl
1926 Charlotte Rae, actress (Facts of Life)
1936 Glen Campbell, country singer (Rhinestone Cowboy)
1937 Jack Nicholson, actor (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Prizzi’s Honor)
1946 John Waters, director (Hairspray)
1950 Peter Frampton, rock guitarist/singer (Show Me the Way)
1951 Paul Carrack, singer (Ace, Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics)
1952 Marilyn Chambers, adult film actress (Behind the Green Door)
1954 Joseph Bottoms, actor (The Net)
1959 Ryan Stiles, comic actor (The Drew Carey Show)
1959 Catherine Mary Stewart, actress (Weekend at Bernie's)
1961 Byron Allen, TV host/comedian (Real People)
1964 Chris Makepeace, actor (My Bodyguard)
1967 Sheryl Lee, actress (One Tree Hill)
1967 Sherri Shepherd, actress (The Wedding Bells)
1974 Shavo Odadjian, rock musician (System of a Down)
1976 Dan Cloutier, NHL goaltender (New York Rangers)
1978 Jason Stollsteimer, singer/guitarist (The Von Bondies)
1979 Daniel Johns, rock musician (Silverchair)
1984 Michelle Ryan, actress (The Bionic Woman)
Today's Deaths in History
1778 James Hargreaves, inventor (The Spinning Jenny) dies at 58
1933 Henry Royce, British automobile manufacturer (Rolls-Royce) dies at 70
1946 Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, dies at 73
1978 Will Geer, actor (The Waltons) dies at 1976
1983 Earl "Fatha" Hines, jazz pianist, dies at 79
1984 Ansel Adams, American photographer, dies at 82
1994 Richard M. Nixon, 37th president of the United States, dies at age 81
1996 Erma Bombeck, humorist/author (The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank) dies at 69
2002 Linda Lovelace, adult film actress (Deep Throat) dies at 53
2003 Andrea King, actress (Dragnet) dies at 84
2004 Pat Tillman, Arizona Cardinals/Army Ranger, is killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan at 27
2004 Jason L. Dunham, U.S. Marine Corporal/Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 22 when he covered a grenade with his body, saving the lives of the Marines around him
Today in History
1509 Henry VIII officially became king of England following the death of his father, Henry VII.
1864 Congress authorized the use of the phrase "In God We Trust" on U.S. coins.
1876 The Boston Red Stockings defeated the Philadelphia Athletics 6-5 in the first National League Baseball game.
1889 The Oklahoma Land Rush began at noon as thousands of homesteaders staked claims.
1898 The first shot of the Spanish-American War rang out as the USS Nashville captured a Spanish merchant ship off Key West, Fla.
1912 Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, began publication in Saint Petersburg.
1945 After learning that Soviet forces had taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admitted defeat in his underground bunker and stated that suicide was his only recourse.
1952 An atomic test conducted in Nevada became the first nuclear explosion shown on live network TV.
1954 The televised Senate Army-McCarthy hearings began.
1970 Earth Day was observed for the first time.
1983 The West German news magazine Stern announced the discovery of 60 volumes of personal diaries purportedly written by Adolf Hitler. However, the diaries turned out to be a hoax.
1990 Pro-Iranian kidnappers in Lebanon freed American hostage Robert Polhill after nearly 39 months of captivity.
1993 The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in Washington, D.C.
1993 Web browser Mosaic version 1.0 is released.
1997 Government commandos stormed the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, ending a 126-day hostage crisis; all 14 Tupac Amaru rebels were killed; 71 hostages were rescued.
2000 In a pre-dawn raid, armed immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' home in Miami; the 6-year-old boy was reunited with his father.
2004 Pro football player Pat Tillman, who traded in a multimillion-dollar contract to serve as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, was killed by friendly fire; he was 27.
2005 Zacarias Moussaoui pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring with the Sept. 11 hijackers to kill Americans (he was later sentenced to life in prison).
2006 The Iraqi parliament elected Jalal Talabani to another term as president.
Chart Toppers
1944
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
I Love You - Bing Crosby
Poinciana - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Be My Life’s Companion - The Mills Brothers
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Greenfields - The Brothers Four
Sweet Nothin’s - Brenda Lee
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
Lady Madonna - The Beatles
Fist City - Loretta Lynn
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind) - Eddie Rabbitt
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
The Yellow Rose - Johnny Lee with Lane Brody
Quote of the Day
There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence.
Henry Adams, author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 - 1918)
Today in History - April 23rd
Today's Birthdays
1564 William Shakespeare, playwright (Romeo & Juliet) died April 23, 1616
1791 James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States, died June 1, 1868
1813 Stephen Douglas, Illinois politician/Presidential Candidate, died June 3, 1861
1858 Max Planck, German physicist (Nobel Prize laureate; quantum theory) died Oct 4, 1947
1891 Sergei Prokofiev, pianist/composer (Peter and the Wolf) died Mar 5, 1953
1921 Janet Blair, actress (South Pacific) died February 19, 2007
1928 Shirley Temple Black, Diplomat/former child actress
1932 (Roy) Halston (Frowick), fashion designer
1932 Jim Fixx, runner/writer (The Complete Book of Running) died July 20, 1984
1936 Roy Orbison, singer (Only the Lonely, Oh Pretty Woman, Crying) died Dec 6, 1988
1939 Lee Majors, actor (The Six Millon Dollar Man)
1939 Ray Peterson, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her) died Jan 25, 2005
1942 Sandra Dee (Alexandra Zuck), actress (A Summer Place, Gidget) died Feb 20, 2005
1943 Tony (Anthony James) Esposito, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (Chicago Blackhawks)
1943 Hervé Villechaize, actor (Fantasy Island) died Sep 4, 1993
1947 Glenn Cornick, bassist (Jethro Tull)
1948 Blair Brown, actress (Altered States)
1949 Joyce DeWitt, actress (Three's Company)
1949 David Cross, violinist (King Crimson)
1952 Narada Michael Walden, drummer/composer (Weather Report)
1953 James Russo, actor (Donnie Brasco)
1954 Michael Moore, film director (Roger & Me)
1955 Judy Davis, actress (The Ref)
1957 Jan Hooks, actress/comedienne (Saturday Night Live)
1960 Valerie Bertinelli, actress (One Day at a Time)
1960 Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) died Jan 8, 1991
1960 Craig Sheffer, actor (Some Kind of Wonderful)
1961 George Lopez, comic/actor (George Lopez Show)
1962 John Hannah, Scottish actor (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors, Mummy series)
1964 Tara Morice, actress (Strictly Ballroom)
1967 Melina Kanakaredes, actress (CSI:NY, Providence)
1968 Stan Frazier, drummer (Sugar Ray)
1968 Timothy McVeigh, terrorist (Oklahoma City bombing) executed June 11, 2001
1970 Scott Bairstow, actor (Party of Five)
1977 Kal Penn, actor (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, House MD)
1977 John Cena, wrestler/actor (The Marine)
1979 Jaime King, actress (Pearl Harbor)
1981 Joanna Krupa, model/actress (Scary Movie 4)
Today's Deaths in History
1616 William Shakespeare, playwright (Romeo & Juliet) dies on his 52nd birthday
1616 Cervantes, Spanish poet, dies at 68
1850 William Wordsworth, English poet (Lyrical Ballads) dies at 80
1951 Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States, dies at 85
1983 Buster Crabbe, swimmer/actor, dies at 75
1986 Otto Preminger, film director (Anatomy of a Murder) dies at 79
1990 Paulette Goddard, actress (The Great Dictator) dies at 79
1991 Johnny Thunders, guitarist/singer/songwriter (New York Dolls) dies at 38
1993 Cesar Chavez, labor leader, dies at 66
1995 Howard Cosell, sportscaster, "The Mouth That Roared," dies at age 77
1998 James Earl Ray, assassin (Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.) dies at age 70
2007 Boris Yeltsin, First President of the Russian Federation, dies at 76
2007 David Halberstam, journalist/author, dies in a car crash at 73
Today in History
1597 Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor was first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I in attendance.
1635 The Boston Latin School, the first public school in the United States, was founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
1789 President-elect George Washington and his wife moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House in New York City.
1867 William Lincoln patented the zoetrope, a machine which showed animated pictures by mounting a strip of drawings in a wheel.
1896 The Vitascope system for projecting movies onto a screen was demonstrated in New York City.
1908 President Theodore Roosevelt signed an act creating the U.S. Army Reserve.
1940 About 200 people died in a dance-hall fire in Natchez, Miss.
1954 Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
1968 Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City took over administration buildings and shut down the university in protets of the Vietnam War.
1968 The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.
1969 Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (the sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment).
1971 The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers was released.
1985 The Coca-Cola Co. announced it was changing its secret formula for Coke; negative public reaction later forced the company to resume selling the original version.
1987 Twenty-six construction workers were killed when an apartment complex being built in Bridgeport, Conn., suddenly collapsed.
1988 Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon dropped off the charts for the first time after spending a record 741 consecutive weeks (more than 14 years) on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.
1992 McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Beijing.
1993 Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
2003 Beijing closed all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus.
2004 President George W. Bush eased Reagan-era sanctions against Libya in return for Moammar Gadhafi's giving up weapons of mass destruction.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Pretend - Nat King Cole
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
It’s Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
Galveston - Glen Campbell
1977
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Hotel California - Eagles
She’s Got You - Loretta Lynn
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
I Need More of You - Bellamy Brothers
Quote of the Day
There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 - 1973)
Today's Birthdays
1564 William Shakespeare, playwright (Romeo & Juliet) died April 23, 1616
1791 James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States, died June 1, 1868
1813 Stephen Douglas, Illinois politician/Presidential Candidate, died June 3, 1861
1858 Max Planck, German physicist (Nobel Prize laureate; quantum theory) died Oct 4, 1947
1891 Sergei Prokofiev, pianist/composer (Peter and the Wolf) died Mar 5, 1953
1921 Janet Blair, actress (South Pacific) died February 19, 2007
1928 Shirley Temple Black, Diplomat/former child actress
1932 (Roy) Halston (Frowick), fashion designer
1932 Jim Fixx, runner/writer (The Complete Book of Running) died July 20, 1984
1936 Roy Orbison, singer (Only the Lonely, Oh Pretty Woman, Crying) died Dec 6, 1988
1939 Lee Majors, actor (The Six Millon Dollar Man)
1939 Ray Peterson, singer (Tell Laura I Love Her) died Jan 25, 2005
1942 Sandra Dee (Alexandra Zuck), actress (A Summer Place, Gidget) died Feb 20, 2005
1943 Tony (Anthony James) Esposito, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (Chicago Blackhawks)
1943 Hervé Villechaize, actor (Fantasy Island) died Sep 4, 1993
1947 Glenn Cornick, bassist (Jethro Tull)
1948 Blair Brown, actress (Altered States)
1949 Joyce DeWitt, actress (Three's Company)
1949 David Cross, violinist (King Crimson)
1952 Narada Michael Walden, drummer/composer (Weather Report)
1953 James Russo, actor (Donnie Brasco)
1954 Michael Moore, film director (Roger & Me)
1955 Judy Davis, actress (The Ref)
1957 Jan Hooks, actress/comedienne (Saturday Night Live)
1960 Valerie Bertinelli, actress (One Day at a Time)
1960 Steve Clark, guitarist (Def Leppard) died Jan 8, 1991
1960 Craig Sheffer, actor (Some Kind of Wonderful)
1961 George Lopez, comic/actor (George Lopez Show)
1962 John Hannah, Scottish actor (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors, Mummy series)
1964 Tara Morice, actress (Strictly Ballroom)
1967 Melina Kanakaredes, actress (CSI:NY, Providence)
1968 Stan Frazier, drummer (Sugar Ray)
1968 Timothy McVeigh, terrorist (Oklahoma City bombing) executed June 11, 2001
1970 Scott Bairstow, actor (Party of Five)
1977 Kal Penn, actor (Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, House MD)
1977 John Cena, wrestler/actor (The Marine)
1979 Jaime King, actress (Pearl Harbor)
1981 Joanna Krupa, model/actress (Scary Movie 4)
Today's Deaths in History
1616 William Shakespeare, playwright (Romeo & Juliet) dies on his 52nd birthday
1616 Cervantes, Spanish poet, dies at 68
1850 William Wordsworth, English poet (Lyrical Ballads) dies at 80
1951 Charles G. Dawes, Vice President of the United States, dies at 85
1983 Buster Crabbe, swimmer/actor, dies at 75
1986 Otto Preminger, film director (Anatomy of a Murder) dies at 79
1990 Paulette Goddard, actress (The Great Dictator) dies at 79
1991 Johnny Thunders, guitarist/singer/songwriter (New York Dolls) dies at 38
1993 Cesar Chavez, labor leader, dies at 66
1995 Howard Cosell, sportscaster, "The Mouth That Roared," dies at age 77
1998 James Earl Ray, assassin (Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.) dies at age 70
2007 Boris Yeltsin, First President of the Russian Federation, dies at 76
2007 David Halberstam, journalist/author, dies in a car crash at 73
Today in History
1597 Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor was first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I in attendance.
1635 The Boston Latin School, the first public school in the United States, was founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
1789 President-elect George Washington and his wife moved into the first executive mansion, the Franklin House in New York City.
1867 William Lincoln patented the zoetrope, a machine which showed animated pictures by mounting a strip of drawings in a wheel.
1896 The Vitascope system for projecting movies onto a screen was demonstrated in New York City.
1908 President Theodore Roosevelt signed an act creating the U.S. Army Reserve.
1940 About 200 people died in a dance-hall fire in Natchez, Miss.
1954 Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves hit the first of his 755 major-league home runs in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
1968 Student protesters at Columbia University in New York City took over administration buildings and shut down the university in protets of the Vietnam War.
1968 The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged to form the United Methodist Church.
1969 Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to death for assassinating New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (the sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment).
1971 The Rolling Stones album Sticky Fingers was released.
1985 The Coca-Cola Co. announced it was changing its secret formula for Coke; negative public reaction later forced the company to resume selling the original version.
1987 Twenty-six construction workers were killed when an apartment complex being built in Bridgeport, Conn., suddenly collapsed.
1988 Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon dropped off the charts for the first time after spending a record 741 consecutive weeks (more than 14 years) on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart.
1992 McDonald's opened its first restaurant in Beijing.
1993 Eritreans voted overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.
2003 Beijing closed all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus.
2004 President George W. Bush eased Reagan-era sanctions against Libya in return for Moammar Gadhafi's giving up weapons of mass destruction.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Pretend - Nat King Cole
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Your Cheatin’ Heart - Hank Williams
1961
Blue Moon - The Marcels
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
You’ve Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears
It’s Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
Galveston - Glen Campbell
1977
Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Hotel California - Eagles
She’s Got You - Loretta Lynn
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Nightshift - Commodores
I Need More of You - Bellamy Brothers
Quote of the Day
There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 - 1973)
Today in History - April 24th
Today's Birthdays
1904 Willem de Kooning, painter (expressionist) died Mar 19, 1997
1906 William Joyce, Irish/Nazi propagandist (Lord Haw-Haw) in World War II, executed Jan 3, 1946
1914 William Castle, film producer (House on Haunted Hill) died May 31, 1977
1922 Aaron Bell, jazz bass (Duke Ellington) died July 28, 2003
1922 J.D. Cannon, actor (Cool Hand Luke) died May 20, 2005
1928 Johnny Griffin, jazz tenor sax (Chicago Riffin’)
1930 Richard Donner, film director/producer (Lethal Weapon series)
1934 Shirley MacLaine (Shirley MacLean Beaty), actress (Terms of Endearment)
1936 Jill Ireland, actress/wife of Charles Bronson, died May 18, 1990
1937 Joe Henderson, composer/tenor sax, died June 30, 2001
1940 Sue Grafton, crime novelist
1942 Richard Daley, Chicago mayor
1942 Barbra (Joan) Streisand, singer/actress (The Way We Were)
1943 Richard Sterban, bassist/singer (The Oak Ridge Boys)
1945 Doug Clifford, drummer (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1952 Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
1953 Eric Bogosian, playwright/actor (Talk Radio)
1954 Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), bassist/singer (Happy Talk)
1955 Michael O’Keefe, actor (The Great Santini, Caddyshack)
1957 Boris Williams, drummer (The Cure)
1957 David J, bassist (Bauhaus)
1959 Paula Yates, ex-wife of Bob Geldof, died Sept 17, 2000 of an accidental drug overdose
1963 Billy Gould, bassist (Faith No More)
1964 Cedric the Entertainer, comedian/actor (Barbershop series)
1964 Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor (ER, Beauty Shop, Gladiator)
1964 Paul Ryder, bassist (Happy Mondays)
1967 Shannon Larkin, drummer (Godsmack)
1967 Patty Schemel, drummer (Hole)
1968 Aaron Comess, drummer (Spin Doctors)
1969 Melinda Clarke, actress (The O.C.)
1973 Damon Lindelof, executive producer (Lost)
1974 Joseph Bruce, rapper (Insane Clown Posse)
1974 Derek Luke, actor (Antwone Fisher)
1974 Brian Marshall, bassist (Creed, Alter Bridge)
1977 Eric Balfour, actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, What Women Want)
1979 Rebecca Mader, actress (Lost)
1982 Kelly Clarkson, singer/TV personality (winner of first American Idol)
1984 Tyson Ritter, singer/bassist (All-American Rejects)
1985 Courtney Draper, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Today's Deaths in History
1731 Daniel Defoe, writer (Robinson Cruse) dies at 70
1947 Willa Cather, American writer (My Antonia) dies at 73
1967 Vladimir Komarov, cosmonaut, dies at 40 when his space capsule's parachute failed to open
1974 Bud Abbott, actor/comedian (Abbott & Costello) dies at 78
1986 Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor, dies at 89
1997 Pat Paulsen, comedian/politician (Laugh-In) dies at 69
2001 Al Hibbler, singer (Unchained Melody) dies at 85
2004 Estée Lauder, cosmetics entrepreneur, dies at 97
Today in History
1184 (BC) Greek soldiers entered Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional).
1704 The first regular newspaper in the United States, the Boston, Massachusetts New-Letter, was first published.
1792 The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," was composed by Capt. Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
1800 Congress approved a bill establishing the Library of Congress.
1877 Federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.
1898 Spain declared war on the United States after rejecting America's ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.
1913 The Woolworth Building in New York City was opened.
1915 The Ottoman Turkish Empire began a mass deportation of Armenians during World War I.
1916 The Easter uprising began when some 1,600 Irish nationalists seized several key sites in Dublin.
1953 British statesman Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
1962 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, Calif., and Westford, Mass.
1968 Leftist students at Columbia University in New York City began a weeklong occupation of several campus buildings.
1980 The United States launched an abortive attempt to free the American hostages in Iran; eight U.S. servicemen died.
1990 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope.
1990 Gruinard Island, Scotland, was officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
1996 The main assembly of the Palestine Liberation Organization voted to revoke clauses in its charter that called for an armed struggle to destroy Israel.
2004 The United States lifted economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
2005 Pope Benedict XVI was installed as leader of the Roman Catholic Church in cermonies at the Vatican.
2006 King Gyanendra of Nepal gave into the demands of protesters and restored the parliament that he dissolved in 2002.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Here - Tony Martin
The Man with the Banjo - The Ames Brothers
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp
Young World - Rick Nelson
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone - Charley Pride
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Can’t Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
Every Time Two Fools Collide - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1986
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
Cajun Moon - Ricky Skaggs
Quote of the Day
The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber has already been cut and attached together in the form of furniture, finished, and put inside boxes.
Dave Barry, columnist & humorist (1947 - )
Today's Birthdays
1904 Willem de Kooning, painter (expressionist) died Mar 19, 1997
1906 William Joyce, Irish/Nazi propagandist (Lord Haw-Haw) in World War II, executed Jan 3, 1946
1914 William Castle, film producer (House on Haunted Hill) died May 31, 1977
1922 Aaron Bell, jazz bass (Duke Ellington) died July 28, 2003
1922 J.D. Cannon, actor (Cool Hand Luke) died May 20, 2005
1928 Johnny Griffin, jazz tenor sax (Chicago Riffin’)
1930 Richard Donner, film director/producer (Lethal Weapon series)
1934 Shirley MacLaine (Shirley MacLean Beaty), actress (Terms of Endearment)
1936 Jill Ireland, actress/wife of Charles Bronson, died May 18, 1990
1937 Joe Henderson, composer/tenor sax, died June 30, 2001
1940 Sue Grafton, crime novelist
1942 Richard Daley, Chicago mayor
1942 Barbra (Joan) Streisand, singer/actress (The Way We Were)
1943 Richard Sterban, bassist/singer (The Oak Ridge Boys)
1945 Doug Clifford, drummer (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1952 Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
1953 Eric Bogosian, playwright/actor (Talk Radio)
1954 Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), bassist/singer (Happy Talk)
1955 Michael O’Keefe, actor (The Great Santini, Caddyshack)
1957 Boris Williams, drummer (The Cure)
1957 David J, bassist (Bauhaus)
1959 Paula Yates, ex-wife of Bob Geldof, died Sept 17, 2000 of an accidental drug overdose
1963 Billy Gould, bassist (Faith No More)
1964 Cedric the Entertainer, comedian/actor (Barbershop series)
1964 Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor (ER, Beauty Shop, Gladiator)
1964 Paul Ryder, bassist (Happy Mondays)
1967 Shannon Larkin, drummer (Godsmack)
1967 Patty Schemel, drummer (Hole)
1968 Aaron Comess, drummer (Spin Doctors)
1969 Melinda Clarke, actress (The O.C.)
1973 Damon Lindelof, executive producer (Lost)
1974 Joseph Bruce, rapper (Insane Clown Posse)
1974 Derek Luke, actor (Antwone Fisher)
1974 Brian Marshall, bassist (Creed, Alter Bridge)
1977 Eric Balfour, actor (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, What Women Want)
1979 Rebecca Mader, actress (Lost)
1982 Kelly Clarkson, singer/TV personality (winner of first American Idol)
1984 Tyson Ritter, singer/bassist (All-American Rejects)
1985 Courtney Draper, actress (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Today's Deaths in History
1731 Daniel Defoe, writer (Robinson Cruse) dies at 70
1947 Willa Cather, American writer (My Antonia) dies at 73
1967 Vladimir Komarov, cosmonaut, dies at 40 when his space capsule's parachute failed to open
1974 Bud Abbott, actor/comedian (Abbott & Costello) dies at 78
1986 Wallis Simpson, American wife of Edward, Duke of Windsor, dies at 89
1997 Pat Paulsen, comedian/politician (Laugh-In) dies at 69
2001 Al Hibbler, singer (Unchained Melody) dies at 85
2004 Estée Lauder, cosmetics entrepreneur, dies at 97
Today in History
1184 (BC) Greek soldiers entered Troy using the Trojan Horse (traditional).
1704 The first regular newspaper in the United States, the Boston, Massachusetts New-Letter, was first published.
1792 The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," was composed by Capt. Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
1800 Congress approved a bill establishing the Library of Congress.
1877 Federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.
1898 Spain declared war on the United States after rejecting America's ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.
1913 The Woolworth Building in New York City was opened.
1915 The Ottoman Turkish Empire began a mass deportation of Armenians during World War I.
1916 The Easter uprising began when some 1,600 Irish nationalists seized several key sites in Dublin.
1953 British statesman Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.
1962 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, Calif., and Westford, Mass.
1968 Leftist students at Columbia University in New York City began a weeklong occupation of several campus buildings.
1980 The United States launched an abortive attempt to free the American hostages in Iran; eight U.S. servicemen died.
1990 The space shuttle Discovery blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., carrying the $1.5 billion Hubble Space Telescope.
1990 Gruinard Island, Scotland, was officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
1996 The main assembly of the Palestine Liberation Organization voted to revoke clauses in its charter that called for an armed struggle to destroy Israel.
2004 The United States lifted economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years previously as a reward for its cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction.
2005 Pope Benedict XVI was installed as leader of the Roman Catholic Church in cermonies at the Vatican.
2006 King Gyanendra of Nepal gave into the demands of protesters and restored the parliament that he dissolved in 2002.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
You Won’t Be Satisfied - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Here - Tony Martin
The Man with the Banjo - The Ames Brothers
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp
Young World - Rick Nelson
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone - Charley Pride
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Can’t Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
Every Time Two Fools Collide - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1986
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
Cajun Moon - Ricky Skaggs
Quote of the Day
The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber has already been cut and attached together in the form of furniture, finished, and put inside boxes.
Dave Barry, columnist & humorist (1947 - )
Today in History - April 25th
Today's Birthdays
1599 Oliver Cromwell, English statesman, died Sept 3, 1658
1874 Guglielmo Marconi, ‘Father of Radio,’ inventor (1909 Nobel Laureate in Physics) died July 19, 1937
1906 William J. Brennan Jr., Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died July 24, 1997
1908 Edward R. (Roscoe) Murrow, newsman (You Are There) died Apr 27, 1965
1912 Gladys Presley, Elvis' Mom, died Aug 14, 1958
1917 Ella Fitzgerald, singer (Mack the Knife, A-Tisket A-Tasket) died June 15, 1996
1923 Albert King (Nelson), blues singer/guitarist, died Dec 21, 1992
1930 Paul Mazursky, director (Harry and Tonto)
1932 Meadowlark (George) Lemon, basketball (Harlem Globetrotters)
1933 Jerry Leiber, record producer (with Mike Stoller)
1940 Al (Alfredo James) Pacino, actor (Scarface, Serpico, The Godfather series)
1945 Stu Cook, bassist (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1945 Bjorn Ulvaeus, guitarist/singer (Abba)
1946 Talia Shire (Coppola), actress (Godfather series, Rocky series, GEICO commercials)
1947 Jeffrey DeMunn, actor (The Shawshank Redemption)
1949 Michael Brown (Lookofsky), keyboards (The Left Banke)
1950 Steve Ferrone, drummer (The Heartbreakers)
1952 Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet goaltender
1954 Randy Cross, sportscaster (NFL)
1958 Fish, Scottish singer/lyricist (Marillion)
1964 Andy Bell, singer (Erasure)
1964 Hank Azaria, actor (Mystery Alaska, The Simpsons)
1965 Eric Avery, bassist (Jane's Addiction)
1969 Joe Buck, sports broadcaster (NFL)
1969 Gina Torres, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1969 Renée Zellweger, actress (Bridget Jones series, Jerry Maguire)
1970 Jason Lee, actor (My Name is Earl, Dogma)
1970 Tionne Watkins, singer (TLC)
1977 Marguerite Moreau, actress (Mighty Ducks series)
1988 Sara Paxton, actress (Sleepover)
1996 Allisyn Ashley Arm, actress (Man of the House)
Today's Deaths in History
1744 Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (Celcius scale) dies at 42
1800 William Cowper, English poet/hymnist, dies at 68
1878 Anna Sewell, English author (Black Beauty) dies at 58
1915 Frederick William Seward, United States Assistant Secretary of State, dies at 84
1972 George Sanders, actor (The Picture of Dorian Gray) dies at 65
1984 Richard Benedict, actor (Hawaii Five-O) dies at 64
1990 Dexter Gordon, saxophonist, dies at 67
1995 Art Fleming, game show host (Jeopardy) dies at 70
1995 Ginger Rogers, actress/dancer (w/Fred Astaire) dies at 83
1999 Roger Troutman, pop/R&B musician, is shot and killed at 47 by his brother Larry (who then committed suicide)
2000 David Merrick, theatrical producer (42nd Street) dies at 88
2002 Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, rapper (TLC) dies at 30 in an automobile crash
2007 Bobby "Boris" Pickett, singer/songwriter (Monster Mash) dies at 69
Today in History
1507 America got its name from German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller, who first used the term on a world map to refer to the huge mass of land in the Western Hemisphere, in honor of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
1792 Highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person under French law to be executed by guillotine.
1792 The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," was composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
1859 Ground was broken for the Suez Canal.
1862 Union forces under Admiral David Farragut captured the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
1898 The United States declared war on Spain.
1901 New York became the first state to require automobile license plates.
1915 The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian, British, French and New Zealand troops began with landings at ANZAC Cove and Cape Helles.
1916 ANZAC Day was commemorated for the first time, on the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove.
1944 The United Negro College Fund was incorporated.
1945 U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, in central Europe, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany.
1945 Delegates from some 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.
1953 Francis Crick and James D. Watson published Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid, describing the double helix structure of DNA.
1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping.
1961 Robert Noyce was granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
1981 More than 100 workers were exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan.
1983 Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov invited Samantha Smith to visit his country after receiving a letter in which the Maine schoolgirl expressed fears about nuclear war.
1983 The Pioneer 10 spacecraft crossed Pluto's orbit.
1990 Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was inaugurated as president of Nicaragua, ending 11 years of leftist Sandinista rule.
1990 The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery.
1992 Islamic forces in Afghanistan took control of most of the capital of Kabul following the collapse of the Communist government.
1998 Whitewater prosecutors questioned first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on videotape about her work as a private lawyer for a failed savings and loan.
2003 Georgia lawmakers voted to scrap the Dixie cross from the state's flag.
2007 The Dow Jones industrial average topped 13,000 for the first time, ending the day at 13,089.89.
Chart Toppers
1947
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
Unchained Melody - Al Hibler
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Heart of Glass - Blondie
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
All I Ever Need is You - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1987
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
Sign ’o’ the Times - Prince
Rose in Paradise - Waylon Jennings
Quote of the Day
In all large corporations, there is a pervasive fear that someone, somewhere is having fun with a computer on company time. Networks help alleviate that fear.
John C. Dvorak
Today's Birthdays
1599 Oliver Cromwell, English statesman, died Sept 3, 1658
1874 Guglielmo Marconi, ‘Father of Radio,’ inventor (1909 Nobel Laureate in Physics) died July 19, 1937
1906 William J. Brennan Jr., Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, died July 24, 1997
1908 Edward R. (Roscoe) Murrow, newsman (You Are There) died Apr 27, 1965
1912 Gladys Presley, Elvis' Mom, died Aug 14, 1958
1917 Ella Fitzgerald, singer (Mack the Knife, A-Tisket A-Tasket) died June 15, 1996
1923 Albert King (Nelson), blues singer/guitarist, died Dec 21, 1992
1930 Paul Mazursky, director (Harry and Tonto)
1932 Meadowlark (George) Lemon, basketball (Harlem Globetrotters)
1933 Jerry Leiber, record producer (with Mike Stoller)
1940 Al (Alfredo James) Pacino, actor (Scarface, Serpico, The Godfather series)
1945 Stu Cook, bassist (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1945 Bjorn Ulvaeus, guitarist/singer (Abba)
1946 Talia Shire (Coppola), actress (Godfather series, Rocky series, GEICO commercials)
1947 Jeffrey DeMunn, actor (The Shawshank Redemption)
1949 Michael Brown (Lookofsky), keyboards (The Left Banke)
1950 Steve Ferrone, drummer (The Heartbreakers)
1952 Vladislav Tretiak, Soviet goaltender
1954 Randy Cross, sportscaster (NFL)
1958 Fish, Scottish singer/lyricist (Marillion)
1964 Andy Bell, singer (Erasure)
1964 Hank Azaria, actor (Mystery Alaska, The Simpsons)
1965 Eric Avery, bassist (Jane's Addiction)
1969 Joe Buck, sports broadcaster (NFL)
1969 Gina Torres, actress (Xena: Warrior Princess)
1969 Renée Zellweger, actress (Bridget Jones series, Jerry Maguire)
1970 Jason Lee, actor (My Name is Earl, Dogma)
1970 Tionne Watkins, singer (TLC)
1977 Marguerite Moreau, actress (Mighty Ducks series)
1988 Sara Paxton, actress (Sleepover)
1996 Allisyn Ashley Arm, actress (Man of the House)
Today's Deaths in History
1744 Anders Celsius, Swedish astronomer (Celcius scale) dies at 42
1800 William Cowper, English poet/hymnist, dies at 68
1878 Anna Sewell, English author (Black Beauty) dies at 58
1915 Frederick William Seward, United States Assistant Secretary of State, dies at 84
1972 George Sanders, actor (The Picture of Dorian Gray) dies at 65
1984 Richard Benedict, actor (Hawaii Five-O) dies at 64
1990 Dexter Gordon, saxophonist, dies at 67
1995 Art Fleming, game show host (Jeopardy) dies at 70
1995 Ginger Rogers, actress/dancer (w/Fred Astaire) dies at 83
1999 Roger Troutman, pop/R&B musician, is shot and killed at 47 by his brother Larry (who then committed suicide)
2000 David Merrick, theatrical producer (42nd Street) dies at 88
2002 Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, rapper (TLC) dies at 30 in an automobile crash
2007 Bobby "Boris" Pickett, singer/songwriter (Monster Mash) dies at 69
Today in History
1507 America got its name from German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller, who first used the term on a world map to refer to the huge mass of land in the Western Hemisphere, in honor of Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
1792 Highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier became the first person under French law to be executed by guillotine.
1792 The French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," was composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
1859 Ground was broken for the Suez Canal.
1862 Union forces under Admiral David Farragut captured the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
1898 The United States declared war on Spain.
1901 New York became the first state to require automobile license plates.
1915 The invasion of the Turkish Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian, British, French and New Zealand troops began with landings at ANZAC Cove and Cape Helles.
1916 ANZAC Day was commemorated for the first time, on the first anniversary of the landing at ANZAC Cove.
1944 The United Negro College Fund was incorporated.
1945 U.S. and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, in central Europe, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany.
1945 Delegates from some 50 countries met in San Francisco to organize the United Nations.
1953 Francis Crick and James D. Watson published Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid, describing the double helix structure of DNA.
1959 The St. Lawrence Seaway opened to shipping.
1961 Robert Noyce was granted a patent for an integrated circuit.
1981 More than 100 workers were exposed to radiation during repairs of a nuclear power plant in Tsuruga, Japan.
1983 Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov invited Samantha Smith to visit his country after receiving a letter in which the Maine schoolgirl expressed fears about nuclear war.
1983 The Pioneer 10 spacecraft crossed Pluto's orbit.
1990 Violeta Barrios de Chamorro was inaugurated as president of Nicaragua, ending 11 years of leftist Sandinista rule.
1990 The Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the space shuttle Discovery.
1992 Islamic forces in Afghanistan took control of most of the capital of Kabul following the collapse of the Communist government.
1998 Whitewater prosecutors questioned first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on videotape about her work as a private lawyer for a failed savings and loan.
2003 Georgia lawmakers voted to scrap the Dixie cross from the state's flag.
2007 The Dow Jones industrial average topped 13,000 for the first time, ending the day at 13,089.89.
Chart Toppers
1947
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Bill Hayes
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
Unchained Melody - Al Hibler
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
He’s So Fine - The Chiffons
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Still - Bill Anderson
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
Knock on Wood - Amii Stewart
Heart of Glass - Blondie
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
All I Ever Need is You - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1987
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) - Aretha Franklin & George Michael
Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
Sign ’o’ the Times - Prince
Rose in Paradise - Waylon Jennings
Quote of the Day
In all large corporations, there is a pervasive fear that someone, somewhere is having fun with a computer on company time. Networks help alleviate that fear.
John C. Dvorak
Today in History - April 26th
Today's Birthdays
0121 Antonius Marcus Aurelius (Marcus A Verus), Emperor of Rome (161-180) died Mar 17, 0180
1785 John James Audubon, bird watcher/artist, died Jan 27, 1851
1822 Frederick Law Olmsted, architect/writer (designed Central Park) died Aug 28, 1903
1884 Harry Sothern, actor (Buck Rogers) died Feb 22, 1957
1886 Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett), "Mother of the Blues," US blues singer, died Dec 22, 1939
1893 Anita Loos, author (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) died Aug 18, 1981
1895 Rudolf Hess, Hitler's Deputy Führer, died Aug 17, 1987
1900 Charles Richter, earthquake seismologist (Richter scale) died Apr 30, 1985
1917 Ieoh Ming Pei, architect (1961 Brunner Prize)
1918 Stafford Repp, actor (Batman) died Nov 5, 1974
1933 Carol Burnett, comedian/actress (Carol Burnett Show)
1938 Duane Eddy, guitarist (Peter Gunn, Cannonball)
1938 Maurice Williams, rocker (The Zodiacs)
1940 Giorgio Moroder, composer/producer/singer (Top Gun)
1941 Bruce MacGregor, NHL (NY Rangers)
1942 Bobby Rydell, rock singer (Bye Bye Birdie)
1943 Gary Wright, singer/keyboardist (Dream Weaver)
1956 Koo Stark [Kathleen Dee-Anne], photographer/actress (Emily)
1958 Giancarlo Esposito, actor (Bob Roberts)
1960 Roger Taylor, rock drummer (Duran Duran)
1961 Anthony Cumia, radio personality (The Opie and Anthony Show)
1961 Joan Chen (Chen Chong), actress (Heaven & Earth)
1961 Chris Mars, rock drummer (The Replacements)
1963 Jet Li, actor (Romeo Must Die)
1964 Jimmy Stafford, rocker (Train)
1965 Kevin James, comic/actor (King of Queens)
1967 Marianne Jean-Baptiste, actress (Without a Trace)
1970 Melania Trump, wife of "The Donald"
1970 Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, singer (TLC)
1975 Nathan "Joey" Jordison, rock musician (Slipknot)
1976 Jose Pasillas, rocker (Incubus)
1977 Tom Welling, actor (Smallville)
1980 Jordana Brewster, actress (The Fast and the Furious)
1983 Jessica Lynch, US soldier, POW in Operation Iraqi Freedom
1984 Ryan O'Donohue, Pomona CA, actress (Byrds of Paradise)
Today's Deaths in History
1865 John Wilkes Booth, assassin, is shot dead near Bowling Green, VA at 27
1956 Edward Arnold, actor (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), dies at 66
1970 Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Louise Hovick), stripper/actress, dies at 56
1973 Irene Ryan, actress (Beverly Hillbillies), dies at 69
1981 Jim Davis, actor (Dallas), dies at 65
1984 William "Count" Basie, jazz piano great, dies at 79
1986 (William) Broderick Crawford, actor (Highway Patrol), dies at 74
1989 Lucille Ball, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy), dies at 78
1991 Carmine Coppola, composer/father of Francis Ford Coppola, dies
2003 Peter Stone, sxreen writer (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Father Goose, Charade) dies at 73
2007 Jack Valenti, film industry lobbyist/White House aide, dies at 85
Today in History
1607 An expedition of English colonists went ashore at Cape Henry, Va., to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere; they later settled at Jamestown.
1785 Naturalist and artist John James Audubon was born in Haiti.
1805 United States Marines captured Derne, Tripoli under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon ("...to the shores of Triploi").
1865 John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded and killed by federal troops near Bowling Green, Va.
1933 The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, was established.
1937 Planes from Nazi Germany raided the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
1945 Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II, was arrested.
1962 NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashed into the Moon.
1964 The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.
1986 An explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine killed at least 31 people and sent radioactivity into the atmosphere.
1994 Physicists announced the first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle.
1998 Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading human rights activist in Guatemala, was bludgeoned to death two days after a report he'd compiled on atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war was made public.
2000 Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.
2001 Junichiro Koizumi was elected prime minister of Japan by the lower house of Japan's parliament.
2002 An expelled student went on a shooting rampage at a school in Erfurt, Germany, killing 13 teachers, two students and a police officer before taking his own life.
2004 The government unveiled the new colorized $50 bill.
2005 Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon ended as Syrian soldiers completed a withdrawal brought about by international pressure and Lebanese street protests.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Ivory Tower - Cathy Carr
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Do You Want to Know a Secret - The Beatles
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Chantilly Lace - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
With You I’m Born Again - Billy Preston & Syreeta
A Lesson in Leavin’ - Dottie West
1988
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
Devil Inside - INXS
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
I’ll Always Come Back - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.
Will Rogers, humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
Today's Birthdays
0121 Antonius Marcus Aurelius (Marcus A Verus), Emperor of Rome (161-180) died Mar 17, 0180
1785 John James Audubon, bird watcher/artist, died Jan 27, 1851
1822 Frederick Law Olmsted, architect/writer (designed Central Park) died Aug 28, 1903
1884 Harry Sothern, actor (Buck Rogers) died Feb 22, 1957
1886 Ma Rainey (Gertrude Pridgett), "Mother of the Blues," US blues singer, died Dec 22, 1939
1893 Anita Loos, author (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) died Aug 18, 1981
1895 Rudolf Hess, Hitler's Deputy Führer, died Aug 17, 1987
1900 Charles Richter, earthquake seismologist (Richter scale) died Apr 30, 1985
1917 Ieoh Ming Pei, architect (1961 Brunner Prize)
1918 Stafford Repp, actor (Batman) died Nov 5, 1974
1933 Carol Burnett, comedian/actress (Carol Burnett Show)
1938 Duane Eddy, guitarist (Peter Gunn, Cannonball)
1938 Maurice Williams, rocker (The Zodiacs)
1940 Giorgio Moroder, composer/producer/singer (Top Gun)
1941 Bruce MacGregor, NHL (NY Rangers)
1942 Bobby Rydell, rock singer (Bye Bye Birdie)
1943 Gary Wright, singer/keyboardist (Dream Weaver)
1956 Koo Stark [Kathleen Dee-Anne], photographer/actress (Emily)
1958 Giancarlo Esposito, actor (Bob Roberts)
1960 Roger Taylor, rock drummer (Duran Duran)
1961 Anthony Cumia, radio personality (The Opie and Anthony Show)
1961 Joan Chen (Chen Chong), actress (Heaven & Earth)
1961 Chris Mars, rock drummer (The Replacements)
1963 Jet Li, actor (Romeo Must Die)
1964 Jimmy Stafford, rocker (Train)
1965 Kevin James, comic/actor (King of Queens)
1967 Marianne Jean-Baptiste, actress (Without a Trace)
1970 Melania Trump, wife of "The Donald"
1970 Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, singer (TLC)
1975 Nathan "Joey" Jordison, rock musician (Slipknot)
1976 Jose Pasillas, rocker (Incubus)
1977 Tom Welling, actor (Smallville)
1980 Jordana Brewster, actress (The Fast and the Furious)
1983 Jessica Lynch, US soldier, POW in Operation Iraqi Freedom
1984 Ryan O'Donohue, Pomona CA, actress (Byrds of Paradise)
Today's Deaths in History
1865 John Wilkes Booth, assassin, is shot dead near Bowling Green, VA at 27
1956 Edward Arnold, actor (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), dies at 66
1970 Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Louise Hovick), stripper/actress, dies at 56
1973 Irene Ryan, actress (Beverly Hillbillies), dies at 69
1981 Jim Davis, actor (Dallas), dies at 65
1984 William "Count" Basie, jazz piano great, dies at 79
1986 (William) Broderick Crawford, actor (Highway Patrol), dies at 74
1989 Lucille Ball, comedienne/actress (I Love Lucy), dies at 78
1991 Carmine Coppola, composer/father of Francis Ford Coppola, dies
2003 Peter Stone, sxreen writer (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, Father Goose, Charade) dies at 73
2007 Jack Valenti, film industry lobbyist/White House aide, dies at 85
Today in History
1607 An expedition of English colonists went ashore at Cape Henry, Va., to establish the first permanent English settlement in the Western Hemisphere; they later settled at Jamestown.
1785 Naturalist and artist John James Audubon was born in Haiti.
1805 United States Marines captured Derne, Tripoli under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon ("...to the shores of Triploi").
1865 John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, was surrounded and killed by federal troops near Bowling Green, Va.
1933 The Gestapo, the official secret police force of Nazi Germany, was established.
1937 Planes from Nazi Germany raided the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
1945 Marshal Henri Philippe Petain, the head of France's Vichy government during World War II, was arrested.
1962 NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashed into the Moon.
1964 The African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form Tanzania.
1986 An explosion and fire at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine killed at least 31 people and sent radioactivity into the atmosphere.
1994 Physicists announced the first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle.
1998 Auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera, a leading human rights activist in Guatemala, was bludgeoned to death two days after a report he'd compiled on atrocities during Guatemala's 36-year civil war was made public.
2000 Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.
2001 Junichiro Koizumi was elected prime minister of Japan by the lower house of Japan's parliament.
2002 An expelled student went on a shooting rampage at a school in Erfurt, Germany, killing 13 teachers, two students and a police officer before taking his own life.
2004 The government unveiled the new colorized $50 bill.
2005 Syria's 29-year military presence in Lebanon ended as Syrian soldiers completed a withdrawal brought about by international pressure and Lebanese street protests.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
The Poor People of Paris - Les Baxter
Ivory Tower - Cathy Carr
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Twist and Shout - The Beatles
Do You Want to Know a Secret - The Beatles
Understand Your Man - Johnny Cash
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
Rockin’ Robin - Michael Jackson
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Chantilly Lace - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
With You I’m Born Again - Billy Preston & Syreeta
A Lesson in Leavin’ - Dottie West
1988
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
Devil Inside - INXS
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
I’ll Always Come Back - K.T. Oslin
Quote of the Day
I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat.
Will Rogers, humorist & showman (1879 - 1935)
Today in History - April 27th
Today's Birthdays
1737 Edward Gibbon, historian/author (History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) died Jan 16, 1794
1791 Samuel F.B. (Finley Breese) Morse, inventor (electromagnetic telegraph) died Apr 2, 1872
1822 Ulysses S. Grant, Union General/18th U.S. President, died July 23, 1885
1891 Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (Peter and the Wolf) died March 5, 1953
1894 George Petty, WWII Pin-Up Artist (Memphis Belle) died July 21, 1975
1896 Rogers Hornsby, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (St. Louis Cardinals) died Jan 5, 1963
1900 Walter Lantz, animator (Woody Woodpecker) died Mar 22, 1994
1916 Enos (Bradsher) ‘Country’ Slaughter, Baseball Hall of Famer (St Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees) died Aug 12, 2002
1922 Jack Klugman, actor (The Odd Couple)
1926 Tim LaHaye, reverend/author (Left Behind series)
1927 Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader/wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, died Jan 31, 2006
1932 Anouk Aimee (Françoise Sorya Dreyfus), actress (La Dolce Vita)
1932 Casey Kasem (Kemal Amin Kasem), radio DJ/announcer/host (American Top 40)
1937 Sandy Dennis, actress (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff) died Mar 2, 1992
1938 Earl Anthony, bowling champion; died Aug 14, 2001
1939 Judy Carne (Joyce Betterill), comedienne/actress (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In)
1942 Jim Keltner, rock drummer (George Harrison, Ringo's All-Starr Band)
1944 Cuba Gooding, Sr., singer (The Main Ingredient)
1947 Pete Ham, guitarist/pianist/singer (Badfinger) died April 24, 1975
1948 Kate Pierson, organist/singer (The B-52’s)
1948 Frank Abagnale, Jr., forger (subject of Catch Me if You Can)
1949 Herbie Murrell, R&B singer (The Stylistics)
1951 Paul Daniel ‘Ace’ Frehley, rock musician (Kiss)
1954 Herm Edwards, NFL head coach (Kansas City Chiefs)
1956 Kevin McNally, actor (Pirates of the Caribbean series)
1959 Sheena Easton (Sheena Shirley Orr), singer (Morning Train)
1959 Marco Pirroni, guitarist/songwriter (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
1962 James LeGros, actor (Sleeper Cell)
1979 William James Boyd, bassist (Evanescence)
1979 Travis Meeks, rock singer (Days of the New)
1984 Patrick Stump, guitarist/singer (Fall Out Boy)
Today's Deaths in History
1521 Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer, is killed by Filipino natives at 41
1813 Zebulon Pike, American frontiersman and explorer (Pike's Peak) dies at 34
1882 Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist/poet, dies at 78
1932 Hart Crane, writer/lyricist (White Buildings) commits suicide at 32
1965 Edward R. Murrow, journalist, dies at 57
1977 Stanley Adams, actor (Star Trek-The Trouble with Tribbles) dies at 62
1994 Lynne Frederick, actress/former Mrs. Peter Sellers, dies at 39 of alcoholism
1996 William Colby, American director of the Central Intelligence Agency, dies at 76
1999 Al Hirt, trumpeter, dies at 76
2000 Vicki Sue Robinson, singer (Turn the Beat Around) dies at 45
2002 Ruth Handler, toy manufacturer (Barbie Doll) dies at 85
2005 Red Horner, NHL Hall of Fame defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs) dies at 95
Today in History
1509 Pope Julius II excommunicated the Italian state of Venice.
1521 Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.
1773 The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the North American tea trade.
1810 Beethoven composed his famous piece, "Für Elise."
1861 President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus.
1865 The steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing more than 1,400 Union prisoners of war.
1865 The New York State Senate created Cornell University as the state's land grant institution.
1947 "Babe Ruth Day" was held at Yankee Stadium to honor the ailing baseball star.
1972 Apollo 16 returned to Earth after a manned voyage to the moon.
1978 Former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman was released from prison after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
1981 Xerox PARC introduced the computer mouse.
1982 John W. Hinckley Jr. went on trial in Washington, D.C., in the shooting of President Ronald Reagan (he was acquitted by reason of insanity).
1987 The Justice Department barred Austrian President Kurt Waldheim from entering the United States, saying he had aided in the deportation and execution of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.
1992 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Belgrade by the Republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.
1992 Russia and 12 other former Soviet republics won entry into the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
1993 Everyone on the Zambian national football team was killed a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon in route to play a World Cup qualifying match against Senegal.
2005 Russian President Vladimir Putin became the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel.
2006 Construction began on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
"A" You’re Adorable - Perry Como
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Mama Look at Bubu - Harry Belafonte
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
This is It - Jim Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Sing - Carpenters
The Cisco Kid - War
Superman - Donna Fargo
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Being with You - Smokey Robinson
A Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight) - Mickey Gilley
1989
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
The Church on Cumberland Road - Shenandoah
Quote of the Day
Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
Today's Birthdays
1737 Edward Gibbon, historian/author (History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) died Jan 16, 1794
1791 Samuel F.B. (Finley Breese) Morse, inventor (electromagnetic telegraph) died Apr 2, 1872
1822 Ulysses S. Grant, Union General/18th U.S. President, died July 23, 1885
1891 Sergei Prokofiev, Russian composer (Peter and the Wolf) died March 5, 1953
1894 George Petty, WWII Pin-Up Artist (Memphis Belle) died July 21, 1975
1896 Rogers Hornsby, Baseball Hall of Fame 2nd baseman (St. Louis Cardinals) died Jan 5, 1963
1900 Walter Lantz, animator (Woody Woodpecker) died Mar 22, 1994
1916 Enos (Bradsher) ‘Country’ Slaughter, Baseball Hall of Famer (St Louis Cardinals, NY Yankees) died Aug 12, 2002
1922 Jack Klugman, actor (The Odd Couple)
1926 Tim LaHaye, reverend/author (Left Behind series)
1927 Coretta Scott King, civil rights leader/wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, died Jan 31, 2006
1932 Anouk Aimee (Françoise Sorya Dreyfus), actress (La Dolce Vita)
1932 Casey Kasem (Kemal Amin Kasem), radio DJ/announcer/host (American Top 40)
1937 Sandy Dennis, actress (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff) died Mar 2, 1992
1938 Earl Anthony, bowling champion; died Aug 14, 2001
1939 Judy Carne (Joyce Betterill), comedienne/actress (Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In)
1942 Jim Keltner, rock drummer (George Harrison, Ringo's All-Starr Band)
1944 Cuba Gooding, Sr., singer (The Main Ingredient)
1947 Pete Ham, guitarist/pianist/singer (Badfinger) died April 24, 1975
1948 Kate Pierson, organist/singer (The B-52’s)
1948 Frank Abagnale, Jr., forger (subject of Catch Me if You Can)
1949 Herbie Murrell, R&B singer (The Stylistics)
1951 Paul Daniel ‘Ace’ Frehley, rock musician (Kiss)
1954 Herm Edwards, NFL head coach (Kansas City Chiefs)
1956 Kevin McNally, actor (Pirates of the Caribbean series)
1959 Sheena Easton (Sheena Shirley Orr), singer (Morning Train)
1959 Marco Pirroni, guitarist/songwriter (Siouxsie & the Banshees)
1962 James LeGros, actor (Sleeper Cell)
1979 William James Boyd, bassist (Evanescence)
1979 Travis Meeks, rock singer (Days of the New)
1984 Patrick Stump, guitarist/singer (Fall Out Boy)
Today's Deaths in History
1521 Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer, is killed by Filipino natives at 41
1813 Zebulon Pike, American frontiersman and explorer (Pike's Peak) dies at 34
1882 Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist/poet, dies at 78
1932 Hart Crane, writer/lyricist (White Buildings) commits suicide at 32
1965 Edward R. Murrow, journalist, dies at 57
1977 Stanley Adams, actor (Star Trek-The Trouble with Tribbles) dies at 62
1994 Lynne Frederick, actress/former Mrs. Peter Sellers, dies at 39 of alcoholism
1996 William Colby, American director of the Central Intelligence Agency, dies at 76
1999 Al Hirt, trumpeter, dies at 76
2000 Vicki Sue Robinson, singer (Turn the Beat Around) dies at 45
2002 Ruth Handler, toy manufacturer (Barbie Doll) dies at 85
2005 Red Horner, NHL Hall of Fame defenseman (Toronto Maple Leafs) dies at 95
Today in History
1509 Pope Julius II excommunicated the Italian state of Venice.
1521 Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines.
1773 The Parliament of Great Britain passed the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the North American tea trade.
1810 Beethoven composed his famous piece, "Für Elise."
1861 President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus.
1865 The steamer Sultana exploded on the Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn., killing more than 1,400 Union prisoners of war.
1865 The New York State Senate created Cornell University as the state's land grant institution.
1947 "Babe Ruth Day" was held at Yankee Stadium to honor the ailing baseball star.
1972 Apollo 16 returned to Earth after a manned voyage to the moon.
1978 Former Nixon aide John D. Ehrlichman was released from prison after serving 18 months for Watergate-related crimes.
1981 Xerox PARC introduced the computer mouse.
1982 John W. Hinckley Jr. went on trial in Washington, D.C., in the shooting of President Ronald Reagan (he was acquitted by reason of insanity).
1987 The Justice Department barred Austrian President Kurt Waldheim from entering the United States, saying he had aided in the deportation and execution of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.
1992 The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in Belgrade by the Republic of Serbia and its lone ally, Montenegro.
1992 Russia and 12 other former Soviet republics won entry into the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
1993 Everyone on the Zambian national football team was killed a plane crash off Libreville, Gabon in route to play a World Cup qualifying match against Senegal.
2005 Russian President Vladimir Putin became the first Kremlin leader to visit Israel.
2006 Construction began on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
"A" You’re Adorable - Perry Como
Candy Kisses - George Morgan
1957
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Mama Look at Bubu - Harry Belafonte
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
Game of Love - Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
This is It - Jim Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
Sing - Carpenters
The Cisco Kid - War
Superman - Donna Fargo
1981
Kiss on My List - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Being with You - Smokey Robinson
A Headache Tomorrow (Or a Heartache Tonight) - Mickey Gilley
1989
Like a Prayer - Madonna
Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
The Church on Cumberland Road - Shenandoah
Quote of the Day
Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance.
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist (1922 - 2007)
Today in History - April 28
Today's Birthdays
1758 James Monroe, 5th President of the United States, died July 4, 1831
1878 Lionel Barrymore (Blythe), actor (It’s a Wonderful Life, Key Largo) died Nov 15, 1954
1911 Lee Falk, comic strip artist (The Phantom) died Mar 13, 1999
1916 Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer, died February 20, 1993
1922 Alistair Stuart MacLean, author (The Guns of Navarone) died Feb 2, 1987
1926 Harper Lee, author (To Kill a Mockingbird)
1929 Carolyn Jones, actress (The Addams Family) died Aug 3, 1983
1937 Saddam Hussein, Iraqi dictator, hung Dec 30, 2006
1938 Madge Sinclair, actress (Coming to America) died Dec 20, 1995
1941 Ann-Margret, singer/actress (Tommy, Viva Las Vegas)
1948 Marcia Strassman, actress (Welcome Back Kotter)
1949 Paul Guilfoyle, actor (CSI)
1949 Bruno Kirby, actor (City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally, Good Morning Vietnam) died Aug 14, 2006
1950 Jay Leno, comic/talk show host (The Tonight Show)
1952 Chuck Leavell, keyboardist (Allman Brother Band)
1953 Kim Gordon, bassist (Sonic Youth)
1953 Mary McDonnell, actress (Dances with Wolves, Battlestar Galactica)
1967 Kari Wührer, actress (Eight Legged Freaks)
1967 Peter Stoyanovich, kicker (Miami Dolphins)
1968 Daisy Berkowitz, guitarist (Marilyn Manson)
1971 Simbi Khali, actress (3rd Rock from the Sun)
1971 Chris Young, actor (Max Headroom)
1973 Elisabeth Rohm, actress (Law and Order)
1973 Jorge Garcia, actor (Lost)
1974 Penelope Cruz, actress (Woman on Top)
1978 Nate Richert, actor (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1981 Jessica Alba, actress (Fantastic Four)
1991 Aleisha Allen, actress (Are We There Yet?)
Today's Deaths in History
1926 Zip the Pinhead, freak show performer, dies at 83
1945 Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator, is exected at 61
1970 Ed Begley, actor (Sweet Bird of Youth) dies at 69
1975 Tom Donahue, FM radio DJ (pioneer, freeform radio) dies at 46
1981 Steve Currie, rock musician (T Rex) dies in a car crash at 33
1988 B.W. Stevenson, country singer/songwriter (My Maria) dies at 38
1993 Jim Valvano, college basketball coach (North Carolina State ) dies at 47
1999 Rory Calhoun, actor (Pure Country) dies at 76
2005 Percy Heath, jazz bassist (Modern Jazz Quartet) dies at 71
2007 Dabbs Greer, actor (The Green Mile, Picket Fences) dies at 90
Today in History
1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1789 The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.
1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed.
1947 A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Supreme Commander of NATO.
1967 Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.
1969 Charles de Gaulle resigned as President of France.
1970 President Richard M. Nixon formally authorized American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.
1980 President Jimmy Carter accepted the resignation of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran.
1986 U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise beame the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
1988 The roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 peeled back during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu, killing flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing and injuring 61 people.
1990 The musical A Chorus Line closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway.
1994 Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S.secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1996 President Bill Clinton gave 4-1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
1996 Martin Bryant went on a shooting spree in Tasmania, Australia, killing 35 people and seriously injuring 37 more.
1999 The House rejected on a tie vote of 213-213 a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign against Yugoslavia; the House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
2001 A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito.
2003 The iTunes online music store from Apple Inc. opened.
2004 The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS' 60 Minutes II.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
The Witch Doctor - David Seville
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher
Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
Hello Love - Hank Snow
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Crying My Heart Out Over You - Ricky Skaggs
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
When everyone is against you, it means that you are absolutely wrong-- or absolutely right.
Albert Guinon (1863 - 1923)
Today's Birthdays
1758 James Monroe, 5th President of the United States, died July 4, 1831
1878 Lionel Barrymore (Blythe), actor (It’s a Wonderful Life, Key Largo) died Nov 15, 1954
1911 Lee Falk, comic strip artist (The Phantom) died Mar 13, 1999
1916 Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian automobile manufacturer, died February 20, 1993
1922 Alistair Stuart MacLean, author (The Guns of Navarone) died Feb 2, 1987
1926 Harper Lee, author (To Kill a Mockingbird)
1929 Carolyn Jones, actress (The Addams Family) died Aug 3, 1983
1937 Saddam Hussein, Iraqi dictator, hung Dec 30, 2006
1938 Madge Sinclair, actress (Coming to America) died Dec 20, 1995
1941 Ann-Margret, singer/actress (Tommy, Viva Las Vegas)
1948 Marcia Strassman, actress (Welcome Back Kotter)
1949 Paul Guilfoyle, actor (CSI)
1949 Bruno Kirby, actor (City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally, Good Morning Vietnam) died Aug 14, 2006
1950 Jay Leno, comic/talk show host (The Tonight Show)
1952 Chuck Leavell, keyboardist (Allman Brother Band)
1953 Kim Gordon, bassist (Sonic Youth)
1953 Mary McDonnell, actress (Dances with Wolves, Battlestar Galactica)
1967 Kari Wührer, actress (Eight Legged Freaks)
1967 Peter Stoyanovich, kicker (Miami Dolphins)
1968 Daisy Berkowitz, guitarist (Marilyn Manson)
1971 Simbi Khali, actress (3rd Rock from the Sun)
1971 Chris Young, actor (Max Headroom)
1973 Elisabeth Rohm, actress (Law and Order)
1973 Jorge Garcia, actor (Lost)
1974 Penelope Cruz, actress (Woman on Top)
1978 Nate Richert, actor (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
1981 Jessica Alba, actress (Fantastic Four)
1991 Aleisha Allen, actress (Are We There Yet?)
Today's Deaths in History
1926 Zip the Pinhead, freak show performer, dies at 83
1945 Benito Mussolini, Italian dictator, is exected at 61
1970 Ed Begley, actor (Sweet Bird of Youth) dies at 69
1975 Tom Donahue, FM radio DJ (pioneer, freeform radio) dies at 46
1981 Steve Currie, rock musician (T Rex) dies in a car crash at 33
1988 B.W. Stevenson, country singer/songwriter (My Maria) dies at 38
1993 Jim Valvano, college basketball coach (North Carolina State ) dies at 47
1999 Rory Calhoun, actor (Pure Country) dies at 76
2005 Percy Heath, jazz bassist (Modern Jazz Quartet) dies at 71
2007 Dabbs Greer, actor (The Green Mile, Picket Fences) dies at 90
Today in History
1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1789 The crew of the British ship Bounty mutineed, setting Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors adrift in a launch in the South Pacific.
1945 Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed.
1947 A six-man expedition sailed from Peru aboard a balsa wood raft named the Kon-Tiki on a 101-day journey across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia.
1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower resigned as Supreme Commander of NATO.
1967 Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the Army.
1969 Charles de Gaulle resigned as President of France.
1970 President Richard M. Nixon formally authorized American combat troops to fight communist sanctuaries in Cambodia.
1980 President Jimmy Carter accepted the resignation of Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the failed rescue mission aimed at freeing American hostages in Iran.
1986 U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Enterprise beame the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to transit the Suez Canal, navigating from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
1988 The roof of an Aloha Airlines Boeing 737 peeled back during a flight from Hilo to Honolulu, killing flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing and injuring 61 people.
1990 The musical A Chorus Line closed after 6,137 performances on Broadway.
1994 Former CIA official Aldrich Ames, who had betrayed U.S.secrets to the Soviet Union and then Russia, pleaded guilty to espionage and tax evasion and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
1996 President Bill Clinton gave 4-1/2 hours of videotaped testimony as a defense witness in the criminal trial of his former Whitewater business partners.
1996 Martin Bryant went on a shooting spree in Tasmania, Australia, killing 35 people and seriously injuring 37 more.
1999 The House rejected on a tie vote of 213-213 a measure expressing support for NATO's five-week-old air campaign against Yugoslavia; the House also voted to limit the president's authority to use ground forces in Yugoslavia.
2001 A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist, California businessman Dennis Tito.
2003 The iTunes online music store from Apple Inc. opened.
2004 The first photos of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal were shown on CBS' 60 Minutes II.
Chart Toppers
1950
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
The Witch Doctor - David Seville
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher
Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
Hello Love - Hank Snow
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Crying My Heart Out Over You - Ricky Skaggs
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
When everyone is against you, it means that you are absolutely wrong-- or absolutely right.
Albert Guinon (1863 - 1923)
Today in History - April 29th
Today's Birthdays
1745 Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (3rd to be selected) died Nov 26, 1807
1863 William Randolph Hearst, publisher (subject of Citizen Kane) died Aug 14, 1951
1899 Duke Ellington, Jazz musician/composer; died May 24, 1974
1901 Hirohito, Japan’s longest-reigning emperor; died Jan 7, 1989
1907 Fred Zinnemann, Academy Award-winning director (High Noon, From Here to Eternity) died Mar 14, 1997
1909 Tom Ewell (Samuel Yewell Tompkins), actor (The Seven Year Itch) died Sep 12, 1994
1919 Celeste Holm, actress (Gentlemen’s Agreement, All About Eve)
1925 Iwao Takamoto, animator/producer/film director (Hanna-Barbera Productions) died January 8, 2007
1928 Carl Gardner, R&B singer (The Coasters)
1931 (Anthony James) Lonnie Donegan, folk singer/guitarist/banjo (Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On the Bedpost Overnight) died Nov 3, 2002
1933 Rod McKuen, poet
1934 Otis Rush, blues musician
1936 April Stevens (Carol Lo Tempio), singer (Deep Purple)
1945 Tammi Terrell, singer (w/Marvin Gaye) died March 16, 1970
1946 John Waters, film director/writer (Polyester, Hairspray)
1947 Tommy James, singer (The Shondells)
1947 Jim Ryun, runner/member U.S. House of Representative (Kansas)
1949 Francis Rossi, guitarist/singer (Status Quo)
1951 Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR auto racing champion; killed in crash in Daytona 500, Feb 18, 2001
1952 Nora Dunn, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1954 Jerry Seinfeld, actor/comedian
1954 Debora Iyall, singer (Romeo Void)
1955 Kate Mulgrew, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
1957 Daniel Day-Lewis, actor (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood)
1958 Michelle Pfeiffer, actress (Fabulous Baker Boys, Dangerous Liaisons)
1958 Eve Plumb, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1960 Phil King, bassist (Lush)
1960 Audrey Wells, writer (Under the Tuscan Sun)
1967 Curtis "CuJo" Joseph, NHL goaltender (Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings)
1968 Carnie Wilson, singer (Wilson Phillips)
1970 Andre Agassi, professional tennis champion
1970 Uma Thurman, actress (Kill Bill series, Pulp Fiction, Be Cool)
1973 Mike Hogan, bassist (The Cranberries)
Today's Deaths in History
1937 William Gillette, actor (Sherlock Holmes) dies at 83
1967 Anthony Mann, actor/director (Man from Laramie) dies at 60
1980 Alfred Hitchcock, film director (Psycho, The Birds) dies at 80
1993 Mick Ronson, guitarist/composer (Ziggy Stardust's Spiders from Mars) dies at 46
1993 Michael Gordon, film director (Cyrano de Bergerac) dies at 83
1997 Mike Royko, newspaper columnist (Chicago Tribune) dies at 64
1998 Hal Laycoe, hockey defenseman/coach (NY Rangers) dies at 75
2005 William J. Bell, television writer/producer (soap operas) dies at 78
2006 John Kenneth Galbraith, economist, dies at 97
2007 Josh Hancock, relief pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals) dies at 29 in an auto accident
Today in History
1429 Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a victory over the English.
1770 Captain James Cook arrived at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
1861 Maryland's House of Delegates voted against seceding from the Union.
1862 New Orleans fell to Union forces during the Civil War.
1864 Theta Xi fraternity was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
1916 The Easter uprising in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British authorities.
1945 Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler married his longtime mistress Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker; the couple killed themselves the next day.
1945 American soldiers liberated the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
1946 Twenty-eight former Japanese leaders were indicted as war criminals.
1953 The first experimental 3D-TV broadcast in the U.S. showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
1967 After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing title.
1974 President Richard Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.
1975 The U.S. began to evacuate US citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover.
1981 Truck driver Peter Sutcliffe admitted in a London court to being the Yorkshire Ripper, the killer of 13 women in northern England over five years.
1983 Harold Washington was sworn in as the first black mayor of Chicago.
1986 Roger Clemens, of the Boston Red Sox, set a major league baseball record with 20 strikeouts in nine innings against the Seattle Mariners.
1992 Rioting erupted in Los Angeles after a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King; 54 people were killed.
1996 Former CIA Director William Colby was missing and presumed drowned after an apparent boating accident in Maryland.
1996 The musical Rent opened on Broadway.
1997 A worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons went into effect.
1997 Astronaut Jerry Linenger and cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev went on the first U.S.-Russian space walk.
2002 A year after the loss of a seat it had held for over 50 years, the United States won election to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
2003 The Palestinian parliament approved Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister.
2004 President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney met behind closed doors with the Sept. 11 commission.
2004 A national monument to the 16 million U.S. men and women who served during World War II opened to the public in Washington D.C.
2004 Oldsmobile built its final car, ending 107 years of production.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Would I Love You - Patti Page
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
Guitar Boogie Shuffle - The Virtues
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You - The Monkees
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Need You - Sonny James
1975
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Supernatural Thing - Ben E. King
Blanket on the Ground - Billie Jo Spears
1983
Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
American Made - The Oak Ridge Boys
1991
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Down Home - Alabama
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
1745 Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (3rd to be selected) died Nov 26, 1807
1863 William Randolph Hearst, publisher (subject of Citizen Kane) died Aug 14, 1951
1899 Duke Ellington, Jazz musician/composer; died May 24, 1974
1901 Hirohito, Japan’s longest-reigning emperor; died Jan 7, 1989
1907 Fred Zinnemann, Academy Award-winning director (High Noon, From Here to Eternity) died Mar 14, 1997
1909 Tom Ewell (Samuel Yewell Tompkins), actor (The Seven Year Itch) died Sep 12, 1994
1919 Celeste Holm, actress (Gentlemen’s Agreement, All About Eve)
1925 Iwao Takamoto, animator/producer/film director (Hanna-Barbera Productions) died January 8, 2007
1928 Carl Gardner, R&B singer (The Coasters)
1931 (Anthony James) Lonnie Donegan, folk singer/guitarist/banjo (Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour On the Bedpost Overnight) died Nov 3, 2002
1933 Rod McKuen, poet
1934 Otis Rush, blues musician
1936 April Stevens (Carol Lo Tempio), singer (Deep Purple)
1945 Tammi Terrell, singer (w/Marvin Gaye) died March 16, 1970
1946 John Waters, film director/writer (Polyester, Hairspray)
1947 Tommy James, singer (The Shondells)
1947 Jim Ryun, runner/member U.S. House of Representative (Kansas)
1949 Francis Rossi, guitarist/singer (Status Quo)
1951 Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR auto racing champion; killed in crash in Daytona 500, Feb 18, 2001
1952 Nora Dunn, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1954 Jerry Seinfeld, actor/comedian
1954 Debora Iyall, singer (Romeo Void)
1955 Kate Mulgrew, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
1957 Daniel Day-Lewis, actor (My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood)
1958 Michelle Pfeiffer, actress (Fabulous Baker Boys, Dangerous Liaisons)
1958 Eve Plumb, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1960 Phil King, bassist (Lush)
1960 Audrey Wells, writer (Under the Tuscan Sun)
1967 Curtis "CuJo" Joseph, NHL goaltender (Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings)
1968 Carnie Wilson, singer (Wilson Phillips)
1970 Andre Agassi, professional tennis champion
1970 Uma Thurman, actress (Kill Bill series, Pulp Fiction, Be Cool)
1973 Mike Hogan, bassist (The Cranberries)
Today's Deaths in History
1937 William Gillette, actor (Sherlock Holmes) dies at 83
1967 Anthony Mann, actor/director (Man from Laramie) dies at 60
1980 Alfred Hitchcock, film director (Psycho, The Birds) dies at 80
1993 Mick Ronson, guitarist/composer (Ziggy Stardust's Spiders from Mars) dies at 46
1993 Michael Gordon, film director (Cyrano de Bergerac) dies at 83
1997 Mike Royko, newspaper columnist (Chicago Tribune) dies at 64
1998 Hal Laycoe, hockey defenseman/coach (NY Rangers) dies at 75
2005 William J. Bell, television writer/producer (soap operas) dies at 78
2006 John Kenneth Galbraith, economist, dies at 97
2007 Josh Hancock, relief pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals) dies at 29 in an auto accident
Today in History
1429 Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a victory over the English.
1770 Captain James Cook arrived at and names Botany Bay, Australia.
1861 Maryland's House of Delegates voted against seceding from the Union.
1862 New Orleans fell to Union forces during the Civil War.
1864 Theta Xi fraternity was founded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
1916 The Easter uprising in Dublin collapsed as Irish nationalists surrendered to British authorities.
1945 Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler married his longtime mistress Eva Braun in a Berlin bunker; the couple killed themselves the next day.
1945 American soldiers liberated the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
1946 Twenty-eight former Japanese leaders were indicted as war criminals.
1953 The first experimental 3D-TV broadcast in the U.S. showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.
1967 After refusing induction into the United States Army the day before (citing religious reasons), Muhammad Ali was stripped of his boxing title.
1974 President Richard Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of secretly made White House tape recordings related to the Watergate scandal.
1975 The U.S. began to evacuate US citizens from Saigon prior to an expected North Vietnamese takeover.
1981 Truck driver Peter Sutcliffe admitted in a London court to being the Yorkshire Ripper, the killer of 13 women in northern England over five years.
1983 Harold Washington was sworn in as the first black mayor of Chicago.
1986 Roger Clemens, of the Boston Red Sox, set a major league baseball record with 20 strikeouts in nine innings against the Seattle Mariners.
1992 Rioting erupted in Los Angeles after a jury acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King; 54 people were killed.
1996 Former CIA Director William Colby was missing and presumed drowned after an apparent boating accident in Maryland.
1996 The musical Rent opened on Broadway.
1997 A worldwide treaty to ban chemical weapons went into effect.
1997 Astronaut Jerry Linenger and cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev went on the first U.S.-Russian space walk.
2002 A year after the loss of a seat it had held for over 50 years, the United States won election to the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
2003 The Palestinian parliament approved Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister.
2004 President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney met behind closed doors with the Sept. 11 commission.
2004 A national monument to the 16 million U.S. men and women who served during World War II opened to the public in Washington D.C.
2004 Oldsmobile built its final car, ending 107 years of production.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Would I Love You - Patti Page
The Rhumba Boogie - Hank Snow
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I - Elvis Presley
Guitar Boogie Shuffle - The Virtues
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You - The Monkees
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Need You - Sonny James
1975
(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song - B.J. Thomas
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Supernatural Thing - Ben E. King
Blanket on the Ground - Billie Jo Spears
1983
Come on Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Der Kommissar - After the Fire
American Made - The Oak Ridge Boys
1991
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Down Home - Alabama
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 - April 30th
Today's Birthdays
1662 Queen Mary II of England (Mary, Queen of Scots), died Dec 28, 1694
1877 Alice B. Toklas, companion of Gertrude Stein, died March 7, 1967
1908 Eve Arden (Eunice Quedens), actress (Our Miss Brooks, Grease) died Nov 12, 1990
1910 Al Lewis (Albert Meister), actor (The Munsters, Car 54 Where are You?) died Feb 3, 2006
1925 Johnny Horton, rock musician (Battle of New Orleans) died Nov 5, 1960
1926 Cloris Leachman, actress (Young Frankenstein)
1933 Willie Nelson, country singer/songwriter
1940 Burt Young, actor (Rocky series)
1943 Bobby Vee (Robert Velline), singer (Devil or Angel)
1944 Jill Clayburgh, actress (Nip/Tuck)
1953 Merrill Osmond, singer (The Osmonds)
1954 Jane Campion, film director (The Piano)
1963 Michael Waltrip, NASCAR race driver
1965 Adrian Pasdar, actor (Heroes)
1966 Wendy L. Walsh, actress (The Day After Tomorrow)
1969 Clark Vogeler, rock guitarist (The Toadies)
1969 Paulo Jr., rock bassist (Sepultura)
1971 Chris Henderson, rock musician (3 Doors Down)
1972 J.R. Richards, rock singer (Dishwalla)
1972 Lisa Dean Ryan, actress (CSI)
1973 Akon, R&B singer
1975 Johnny Galecki, actor (Roseanne)
1976 Amanda Palmer, lead singer (The Dresden Dolls)
1978 Tyler Labine, actor (Boston Legal)
1982 Kirsten Dunst, actress (, Interview with the Vampire, Spiderman series)
1987 Nikki Webster, actress (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
Today's Deaths in History
1883 Édouard Manet, French painter, dies at 51
1900 John Luther "Casey" Jones, train engineer, dies in railroad crash at 37
1945 Adolph Hitler, Nazi dictator, commits suicide at 56
1945 Eva Braun, bride of Adolph Hitler, commits suicide at 33
1970 Inger Stevens, actress (A Guide for the Married Man) commits suicide by overdose at 35
1972 Gia Scala, actress (The Guns of Navarone) dies at 38
1974 Agnes Moorehead, actress (Bewitched) dies at 73
1982 Lester Bangs, music journalist/author/musician (Creem, Rolling Stone) dies at 33
1983 George Balanchine, Russian-born dancer/choreographer, dies at 79
1983 Muddy Waters, blues guitarist, dies at 68
1989 Guy Williams, actor (Zorro, Lost in Space) dies at 65
1989 Sergio Leone, film director (Once Upon a Time in America) dies at 60
1994 Richard Scarry, author (Little Golden Books) dies at 74
2007 Kevin Mitchell, NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins) dies at 36
2007 Tom Poston, actor (Newhart) dies at 85
2007 Zola Taylor, singer (The Platters) dies at 69
Today in History
1492 Ferdoinand and Isabella of Spain gave Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
1789 George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States.
1803 The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France.
1812 Louisiana became the 18th state.
1900 Train engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones of the Illinois Central Railroad died in a wreck near Vaughan, Miss., after staying at the controls in an effort to save the passengers.
1900 Hawaii was organized as a U.S. territory.
1907 Honolulu, Hawaii became an independent city.
1925 Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc was sold to Dillon, Read & Company for $146 million plus $50 million for charity.
1927 Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford became the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
1939 The New York World's Fair, billed as a look at "the world of tomorrow," opened; Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to appear on television during the opening ceremonies broadcast.
1943 The submarine HMS Seraph surfaced in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain to deposit a dead man planted with false invasion plans and dressed as a British military intelligence officer.
1945 Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker.
1970 President Richard Nixon announced the United States was sending troops into Cambodia.
1973 President Richard Nixon announced that top White House aids H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and others had resigned.
1975 The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.
1993 Top-ranked women's tennis player Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a man who ran onto the court during a match in Hamburg, Germany.
1997 ABC aired the "coming out" episode of the sitcom Ellen, in which the title character, played by Ellen DeGeneres, admitted she is a lesbian.
2001 Chandra Levy, a federal government intern, went missing; her remains were found more than a year later in a Washington, D.C., park.
2002 A referendum in Pakistan overwhelmingly approved the Presidency of Pervez Musharraf for another five years.
2003 Mahmoud Abbas took office as the first Palestinian prime minister; international mediators presented Israeli and Palestinian leaders with a "road map" to peace.
2003 The U.S. Navy withdrew from its disputed Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico.
2004 Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty in Santa Maria, Calif., to a grand jury indictment that expanded the child molestation case against him (he was later acquited).
2004 Former NBA star Jayson Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun slaying of a limousine driver at his New Jersey mansion, but found guilty of trying to cover up the shooting.
2005 Missing Georgia woman Jennifer Wilbanks turned up in Albuquerque, N.M., originally claiming to have been abducted but then admitting she was a "runaway bride."
2007 A British judge sentenced five al-Qaida-linked men, all British citizens, to life in prison for plotting to attack London targets, including a nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, with bombs.
Chart Toppers
1944
I Love You - Bing Crosby
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
San Fernando Valley - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
Sixteen Reasons - Connie Stevens
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
Young Girl - The Union Gap
The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - Merle Haggard
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Together Again - Emmylou Harris
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
Right or Wrong - George Strait
Quote of the Day
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
George Orwell, essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 - 1950)
Today's Birthdays
1662 Queen Mary II of England (Mary, Queen of Scots), died Dec 28, 1694
1877 Alice B. Toklas, companion of Gertrude Stein, died March 7, 1967
1908 Eve Arden (Eunice Quedens), actress (Our Miss Brooks, Grease) died Nov 12, 1990
1910 Al Lewis (Albert Meister), actor (The Munsters, Car 54 Where are You?) died Feb 3, 2006
1925 Johnny Horton, rock musician (Battle of New Orleans) died Nov 5, 1960
1926 Cloris Leachman, actress (Young Frankenstein)
1933 Willie Nelson, country singer/songwriter
1940 Burt Young, actor (Rocky series)
1943 Bobby Vee (Robert Velline), singer (Devil or Angel)
1944 Jill Clayburgh, actress (Nip/Tuck)
1953 Merrill Osmond, singer (The Osmonds)
1954 Jane Campion, film director (The Piano)
1963 Michael Waltrip, NASCAR race driver
1965 Adrian Pasdar, actor (Heroes)
1966 Wendy L. Walsh, actress (The Day After Tomorrow)
1969 Clark Vogeler, rock guitarist (The Toadies)
1969 Paulo Jr., rock bassist (Sepultura)
1971 Chris Henderson, rock musician (3 Doors Down)
1972 J.R. Richards, rock singer (Dishwalla)
1972 Lisa Dean Ryan, actress (CSI)
1973 Akon, R&B singer
1975 Johnny Galecki, actor (Roseanne)
1976 Amanda Palmer, lead singer (The Dresden Dolls)
1978 Tyler Labine, actor (Boston Legal)
1982 Kirsten Dunst, actress (, Interview with the Vampire, Spiderman series)
1987 Nikki Webster, actress (Priscilla Queen of the Desert)
Today's Deaths in History
1883 Édouard Manet, French painter, dies at 51
1900 John Luther "Casey" Jones, train engineer, dies in railroad crash at 37
1945 Adolph Hitler, Nazi dictator, commits suicide at 56
1945 Eva Braun, bride of Adolph Hitler, commits suicide at 33
1970 Inger Stevens, actress (A Guide for the Married Man) commits suicide by overdose at 35
1972 Gia Scala, actress (The Guns of Navarone) dies at 38
1974 Agnes Moorehead, actress (Bewitched) dies at 73
1982 Lester Bangs, music journalist/author/musician (Creem, Rolling Stone) dies at 33
1983 George Balanchine, Russian-born dancer/choreographer, dies at 79
1983 Muddy Waters, blues guitarist, dies at 68
1989 Guy Williams, actor (Zorro, Lost in Space) dies at 65
1989 Sergio Leone, film director (Once Upon a Time in America) dies at 60
1994 Richard Scarry, author (Little Golden Books) dies at 74
2007 Kevin Mitchell, NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins) dies at 36
2007 Tom Poston, actor (Newhart) dies at 85
2007 Zola Taylor, singer (The Platters) dies at 69
Today in History
1492 Ferdoinand and Isabella of Spain gave Christopher Columbus his commission of exploration.
1789 George Washington took office in New York as the first president of the United States.
1803 The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France.
1812 Louisiana became the 18th state.
1900 Train engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones of the Illinois Central Railroad died in a wreck near Vaughan, Miss., after staying at the controls in an effort to save the passengers.
1900 Hawaii was organized as a U.S. territory.
1907 Honolulu, Hawaii became an independent city.
1925 Automaker Dodge Brothers, Inc was sold to Dillon, Read & Company for $146 million plus $50 million for charity.
1927 Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford became the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
1939 The New York World's Fair, billed as a look at "the world of tomorrow," opened; Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to appear on television during the opening ceremonies broadcast.
1943 The submarine HMS Seraph surfaced in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain to deposit a dead man planted with false invasion plans and dressed as a British military intelligence officer.
1945 Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker.
1970 President Richard Nixon announced the United States was sending troops into Cambodia.
1973 President Richard Nixon announced that top White House aids H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman, and others had resigned.
1975 The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces.
1993 Top-ranked women's tennis player Monica Seles was stabbed in the back by a man who ran onto the court during a match in Hamburg, Germany.
1997 ABC aired the "coming out" episode of the sitcom Ellen, in which the title character, played by Ellen DeGeneres, admitted she is a lesbian.
2001 Chandra Levy, a federal government intern, went missing; her remains were found more than a year later in a Washington, D.C., park.
2002 A referendum in Pakistan overwhelmingly approved the Presidency of Pervez Musharraf for another five years.
2003 Mahmoud Abbas took office as the first Palestinian prime minister; international mediators presented Israeli and Palestinian leaders with a "road map" to peace.
2003 The U.S. Navy withdrew from its disputed Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico.
2004 Michael Jackson pleaded not guilty in Santa Maria, Calif., to a grand jury indictment that expanded the child molestation case against him (he was later acquited).
2004 Former NBA star Jayson Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter in the shotgun slaying of a limousine driver at his New Jersey mansion, but found guilty of trying to cover up the shooting.
2005 Missing Georgia woman Jennifer Wilbanks turned up in Albuquerque, N.M., originally claiming to have been abducted but then admitting she was a "runaway bride."
2007 A British judge sentenced five al-Qaida-linked men, all British citizens, to life in prison for plotting to attack London targets, including a nightclub, power plants and shopping mall, with bombs.
Chart Toppers
1944
I Love You - Bing Crosby
It’s Love, Love, Love - The Guy Lombardo Orchestra (vocal: Skip Nelson)
San Fernando Valley - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Wheel of Fortune - Kay Starr
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
(When You Feel like You’re in Love) Don’t Just Stand There - Carl Smith
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
Sixteen Reasons - Connie Stevens
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Cry like a Baby - The Box Tops
Young Girl - The Union Gap
The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - Merle Haggard
1976
Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor
Let Your Love Flow - Bellamy Brothers
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Together Again - Emmylou Harris
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
Right or Wrong - George Strait
Quote of the Day
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
George Orwell, essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 - 1950)
Today in History - May 1st
Today's Birthdays
1852 Calamity Jane, American Wild West performer, died Aug 1, 1903
1907 Kate Smith, singer (God Bless America) died June 17, 1986
1913 Louis Nye, comedian/actor (Beverly Hillbillies) died Oct 9, 2005
1916 Glenn Ford (Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford), actor (Blackboard Jungle, Midway) died Aug 30, 2006
1918 Jack Paar, TV host (The Tonight Show) died Jan 27, 2004
1919 Dan O’Herlihy, actor (Halloween 3, RoboCop) died Feb 17, 2005
1923 Joseph Heller, writer (Sex and the Single Girl, Catch-22) died Dec 10, 1999
1924 Art Fleming, game show host (Jeopardy) died April 25, 1995
1925 Scott Carpenter, former astronaut (Project Mercury)
1929 Sonny James (James Loden), singer (Young Love)
1934 Shirley Horn, jazz singer/pianist; died Oct 20, 2005
1939 Judy Collins, singer (Both Sides Now)
1939 Max Robinson, broadcast journalist (ABC News World News Tonight) died Dec 20, 1988
1942 Stephen Macht, actor (Sliders)
1945 Rita Coolidge, singer (One Fine Day)
1946 Joanna Lumley, actress (Absolutely Fabulous)
1946 John Woo, director (Face/Off)
1946 Nick Fortune (Fortuna), bassist (The Buckinghams)
1951 Dann Florek, actor (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit)
1954 Ray Parker Jr., R&B singer (Raydio)
1957 Steve Farris, guitarist (Mr. Mister)
1959 Phil Smith, saxophonist (Haircut 100)
1961 Marilyn Milian, judge (The People's Court)
1962 Maia Morgenstern, actress (Passion of the Christ)
1966 Johnny Colt, bassist (Black Crowes)
1966 Charlie Schlatter, actor (18 Again)
1967 Tim McGraw, country singer
1968 D'Arcy Wretzky, bassist (Smashing Pumpkins)
1969 Wes Anderson, director (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)
1972 Julie Benz, actress (Dexter)
1976 Darius McCrary, actor (15 Minutes)
1985 Drew Sidora, actress (That's So Raven)
1997 Ariel Gade, actress (Dark Water)
Today's Deaths in History
1873 David Livingstone, Scottish missionary, dies at 60
1904 Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer, dies at 62
1945 Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda, commits suicide at 47
1965 Spike Jones, band leader/musician/comedian, dies at 53
1986 Hugo Peretti, songwriter/record producer (The Loin Sleeps Tonight) dies at 69
1989 Sally Kirkland, fashion editor (LIFE) dies at 76
1998 Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther leader, dies at 62
2000 Steve Reeves, actor (Hercules) dies at 74
2001 Harold 'Happy' Hairston, actor (Airport '79) dies at 58
2003 Elizabeth Hulette, WCW "First Lady of Wrestling," dies at 42
2006 Johnny Paris, saxophonist (Johnny and the Hurricanes) dies at 65
Today in History
1707 The Kingdom of Great Britain was created as a treaty merging England and Scotland took effect.
1785 Kamehameha, the king of Hawai'i, defeated Kalanikupule and established the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
1786 Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro premiered in Vienna.
1840 The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom.
1901 The Pan-American Exposition opened in Buffalo, New York.
1915 The RMS Lusitania departed from New York City on her two hundred and second and final crossing of the North Atlantic; six days later, the ship was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
1930 The dwarf planet Pluto was officially named.
1931 The 102-story Empire State Building in New York City was dedicated.
1941 The Orson Welles film Citizen Kane premiered in New York.
1948 The People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was proclaimed.
1950 Guam was organized as a United States commonwealth.
1956 The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was made available to the public.
1960 The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane near Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
1967 Singer Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas.
1971 Amtrak went into service, combining and streamlining the operations of 18 intercity passenger railroads.
1978 The first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (spam) was sent by a DEC marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
1989 Disney-MGM Studios opened at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
1992 On the third day of the Los Angeles riots, Rodney King appeared in public to appeal for calm, asking, "Can we all get along?"
1997 Tasmania became the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality.
1999 The Mercury space capsule Liberty Bell 7 that Gus Grissom flew in 1961 was found in the Atlantic Ocean 300 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla.
2001 Thomas E. Blanton Jr. became the second ex-Ku Klux Klansman to be convicted in the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Ala., that claimed the lives of four black girls (he was later sentenced to life in prison).
2003 President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast and, in a speech to the nation, declared major combat in Iraq over.
2007 In only his second veto, President George W. Bush rejected legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq in a showdown with Congress over whether the war should end or escalate.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
I’ve Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
It’s Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
Hair - The Cowsills
Galveston - Glen Campbell
1977
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Hotel California - Eagles
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
She’s Pulling Me Back Again - Mickey Gilley
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge
Girls Night Out - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke, physicist & science fiction author (1917 - )
Today's Birthdays
1852 Calamity Jane, American Wild West performer, died Aug 1, 1903
1907 Kate Smith, singer (God Bless America) died June 17, 1986
1913 Louis Nye, comedian/actor (Beverly Hillbillies) died Oct 9, 2005
1916 Glenn Ford (Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford), actor (Blackboard Jungle, Midway) died Aug 30, 2006
1918 Jack Paar, TV host (The Tonight Show) died Jan 27, 2004
1919 Dan O’Herlihy, actor (Halloween 3, RoboCop) died Feb 17, 2005
1923 Joseph Heller, writer (Sex and the Single Girl, Catch-22) died Dec 10, 1999
1924 Art Fleming, game show host (Jeopardy) died April 25, 1995
1925 Scott Carpenter, former astronaut (Project Mercury)
1929 Sonny James (James Loden), singer (Young Love)
1934 Shirley Horn, jazz singer/pianist; died Oct 20, 2005
1939 Judy Collins, singer (Both Sides Now)
1939 Max Robinson, broadcast journalist (ABC News World News Tonight) died Dec 20, 1988
1942 Stephen Macht, actor (Sliders)
1945 Rita Coolidge, singer (One Fine Day)
1946 Joanna Lumley, actress (Absolutely Fabulous)
1946 John Woo, director (Face/Off)
1946 Nick Fortune (Fortuna), bassist (The Buckinghams)
1951 Dann Florek, actor (Law and Order: Special Victims Unit)
1954 Ray Parker Jr., R&B singer (Raydio)
1957 Steve Farris, guitarist (Mr. Mister)
1959 Phil Smith, saxophonist (Haircut 100)
1961 Marilyn Milian, judge (The People's Court)
1962 Maia Morgenstern, actress (Passion of the Christ)
1966 Johnny Colt, bassist (Black Crowes)
1966 Charlie Schlatter, actor (18 Again)
1967 Tim McGraw, country singer
1968 D'Arcy Wretzky, bassist (Smashing Pumpkins)
1969 Wes Anderson, director (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou)
1972 Julie Benz, actress (Dexter)
1976 Darius McCrary, actor (15 Minutes)
1985 Drew Sidora, actress (That's So Raven)
1997 Ariel Gade, actress (Dark Water)
Today's Deaths in History
1873 David Livingstone, Scottish missionary, dies at 60
1904 Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer, dies at 62
1945 Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda, commits suicide at 47
1965 Spike Jones, band leader/musician/comedian, dies at 53
1986 Hugo Peretti, songwriter/record producer (The Loin Sleeps Tonight) dies at 69
1989 Sally Kirkland, fashion editor (LIFE) dies at 76
1998 Eldridge Cleaver, Black Panther leader, dies at 62
2000 Steve Reeves, actor (Hercules) dies at 74
2001 Harold 'Happy' Hairston, actor (Airport '79) dies at 58
2003 Elizabeth Hulette, WCW "First Lady of Wrestling," dies at 42
2006 Johnny Paris, saxophonist (Johnny and the Hurricanes) dies at 65
Today in History
1707 The Kingdom of Great Britain was created as a treaty merging England and Scotland took effect.
1785 Kamehameha, the king of Hawai'i, defeated Kalanikupule and established the Kingdom of Hawai'i.
1786 Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro premiered in Vienna.
1840 The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom.
1901 The Pan-American Exposition opened in Buffalo, New York.
1915 The RMS Lusitania departed from New York City on her two hundred and second and final crossing of the North Atlantic; six days later, the ship was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
1930 The dwarf planet Pluto was officially named.
1931 The 102-story Empire State Building in New York City was dedicated.
1941 The Orson Welles film Citizen Kane premiered in New York.
1948 The People's Democratic Republic of Korea (North Korea) was proclaimed.
1950 Guam was organized as a United States commonwealth.
1956 The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was made available to the public.
1960 The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane near Sverdlovsk and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.
1967 Singer Elvis Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas.
1971 Amtrak went into service, combining and streamlining the operations of 18 intercity passenger railroads.
1978 The first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (spam) was sent by a DEC marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
1989 Disney-MGM Studios opened at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida.
1992 On the third day of the Los Angeles riots, Rodney King appeared in public to appeal for calm, asking, "Can we all get along?"
1997 Tasmania became the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality.
1999 The Mercury space capsule Liberty Bell 7 that Gus Grissom flew in 1961 was found in the Atlantic Ocean 300 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla.
2001 Thomas E. Blanton Jr. became the second ex-Ku Klux Klansman to be convicted in the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Ala., that claimed the lives of four black girls (he was later sentenced to life in prison).
2003 President George W. Bush landed in a jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast and, in a speech to the nation, declared major combat in Iraq over.
2007 In only his second veto, President George W. Bush rejected legislation to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq in a showdown with Congress over whether the war should end or escalate.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time - The Les Brown Orchestra (vocal: Doris Day)
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Till I Waltz Again with You - Teresa Brewer
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
I’ve Told Every Little Star - Linda Scott
Don’t Worry - Marty Robbins
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
It’s Your Thing - The Isley Brothers
Hair - The Cowsills
Galveston - Glen Campbell
1977
Southern Nights - Glen Campbell
Hotel California - Eagles
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
She’s Pulling Me Back Again - Mickey Gilley
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Rhythm of the Night - DeBarge
Girls Night Out - The Judds
Quote of the Day
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke, physicist & science fiction author (1917 - )
Today in History - May 2nd
Today's Birthdays
1843 Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born inventor (automatic lubricators) died Oct 10, 1929
1885 Hedda Hopper, American gossip columnist, died Feb 1, 1966
1892 Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," German World War I pilot, died Apr 21, 1918
1895 Lorenz Hart, Broadway lyricist (Blue Moon, My Funny Valentine) died Nov 22, 1943
1903 Dr. Benjamin Spock, pediatrician/author, died March 15, 1998
1925 Roscoe Lee Browne, actor (The Cowboys) died Apr 11, 2007
1929 Link Wray, guitarist (Link Wray & His Ray Men) died Nov 5, 2005
1936 Engelbert Humperdinck, singer
1937 Lorenzo Music, actor (Rhoda) died Aug 4, 2001
1945 Bianca Jagger, human rights activist/ex-Mrs Mick Jagger
1946 Lesley Gore, singer (It's My Party)
1947 Jo Ann Pflug, actress (Love American Style)
1950 Lou Gramm, rock singer (Foreigner)
1952 Christine Baranski, actress (Cybil, The Birdcage)
1954 Angela Bofill, R&B singer
1955 Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
1956 David Rhodes, guitarist (Peter Gabriel)
1962 Elizabeth Berridge, actress (Amadeus)
1969 Todd Sucherman, rock drummer (Styx)
1972 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, wrestler/actor (Be Cool)
1975 David Beckham, futbol star/Mr. Posh Spice
1977 Jenna Von Oy, actress (Blossom)
1978 Steve Bays, singer/keyboards (Hot Hot Heat)
1979 Roman Lyashenko, NHL (New York Rangers) commited suicide July 5, 2003
1983 Gaius Charles, actor (Friday Night Lights)
1985 Sarah Hughes, champion figure skater
1985 Lily Allen, English singer/songwriter (Smile)
1985 Kyle Busch, NASCAR race driver
1986 James Kirk, actor (She's the Man)
Today's Deaths in History
1519 Leonardo da Vinci, artist/inventor, dies at 67
1945 Martin Bormann, Nazi official/Hitler's secretary, dies at 44
1957 Joseph R. McCarthy, U.S. Senator (R-Wis.) dies at 48
1972 J. Edgar Hoover, FBI head, dies at 77
1980 George Pal, film director (The Time Machine) dies at 72
1983 Norm Van Brocklin, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (LA Rams) dies at 57
1984 Jack Barry, TV game show producer/host (Joler's Wild), dies at 66
1990 David Rappaport, diminutive actor (Time Bandits) dies at 38
1992 Wilbur Mills, U.S. Congressman, dies at 82
1999 Oliver Reed, English actor (Oliver, Gladiator) dies at 61
2001 Gina Mastrogiacomo, actress (Goodfellas) dies at 39
2002 Judy Toll, comedian (The Groundlings) dies at 44
Today in History
1670 The Hudson Bay Co. was chartered by England's King Charles II.
1863 Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Va.; he died eight days later.
1885 Good Housekeeping magazine went on sale for the first time.
1890 The Oklahoma Territory was organized.
1918 General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
1920 The first game of the Negro National League baseball was played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1932 Jack Benny's first radio show debuted on the NBC Blue Network.
1939 New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played came to an end when the ailing slugger removed himself from the lineup.
1941 The Federal Communications Commission agreed to let regular scheduling of TV broadcasts by commercial TV stations begin on July 1, 1941.
1945 The Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.
1954 Stan ‘The Man’ Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals smacked five home runs in a double-header against the New York Giants, establishing a major-league record.
1955 Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
1969 The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departed on her maiden voyage to New York City.
1974 Former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was disbarred by the Maryland Court of Appeals.
1974 Filming got underway for the motion picture Jaws in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.
1985 General Motors' X-Cars rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, MI for the final time.
1986 The photo essay A Day in the Life of America began as two hundred photojournalists covered the USA to take 350,000 pictures.
1994 Nelson Mandela claimed victory in South Africa's first democratic elections.
1997 Tony Blair became, at age 44, Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years.
2000 President Bill Clinton announced that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
All Through the Day - Perry Como
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Soldier Boy - The Shirelles
Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
ABC - The Jackson 5
American Woman/No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who
Love or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends of Distinction
My Woman My Woman, My Wife - Marty Robbins
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Can’t Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
Every Time Two Fools Collide - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1986
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Now and Forever (You and Me) - Anne Murray
Quote of the Day
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
Herbert Spencer, English philosopher (1820 - 1903)
Today's Birthdays
1843 Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born inventor (automatic lubricators) died Oct 10, 1929
1885 Hedda Hopper, American gossip columnist, died Feb 1, 1966
1892 Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron," German World War I pilot, died Apr 21, 1918
1895 Lorenz Hart, Broadway lyricist (Blue Moon, My Funny Valentine) died Nov 22, 1943
1903 Dr. Benjamin Spock, pediatrician/author, died March 15, 1998
1925 Roscoe Lee Browne, actor (The Cowboys) died Apr 11, 2007
1929 Link Wray, guitarist (Link Wray & His Ray Men) died Nov 5, 2005
1936 Engelbert Humperdinck, singer
1937 Lorenzo Music, actor (Rhoda) died Aug 4, 2001
1945 Bianca Jagger, human rights activist/ex-Mrs Mick Jagger
1946 Lesley Gore, singer (It's My Party)
1947 Jo Ann Pflug, actress (Love American Style)
1950 Lou Gramm, rock singer (Foreigner)
1952 Christine Baranski, actress (Cybil, The Birdcage)
1954 Angela Bofill, R&B singer
1955 Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
1956 David Rhodes, guitarist (Peter Gabriel)
1962 Elizabeth Berridge, actress (Amadeus)
1969 Todd Sucherman, rock drummer (Styx)
1972 Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, wrestler/actor (Be Cool)
1975 David Beckham, futbol star/Mr. Posh Spice
1977 Jenna Von Oy, actress (Blossom)
1978 Steve Bays, singer/keyboards (Hot Hot Heat)
1979 Roman Lyashenko, NHL (New York Rangers) commited suicide July 5, 2003
1983 Gaius Charles, actor (Friday Night Lights)
1985 Sarah Hughes, champion figure skater
1985 Lily Allen, English singer/songwriter (Smile)
1985 Kyle Busch, NASCAR race driver
1986 James Kirk, actor (She's the Man)
Today's Deaths in History
1519 Leonardo da Vinci, artist/inventor, dies at 67
1945 Martin Bormann, Nazi official/Hitler's secretary, dies at 44
1957 Joseph R. McCarthy, U.S. Senator (R-Wis.) dies at 48
1972 J. Edgar Hoover, FBI head, dies at 77
1980 George Pal, film director (The Time Machine) dies at 72
1983 Norm Van Brocklin, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (LA Rams) dies at 57
1984 Jack Barry, TV game show producer/host (Joler's Wild), dies at 66
1990 David Rappaport, diminutive actor (Time Bandits) dies at 38
1992 Wilbur Mills, U.S. Congressman, dies at 82
1999 Oliver Reed, English actor (Oliver, Gladiator) dies at 61
2001 Gina Mastrogiacomo, actress (Goodfellas) dies at 39
2002 Judy Toll, comedian (The Groundlings) dies at 44
Today in History
1670 The Hudson Bay Co. was chartered by England's King Charles II.
1863 Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville, Va.; he died eight days later.
1885 Good Housekeeping magazine went on sale for the first time.
1890 The Oklahoma Territory was organized.
1918 General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
1920 The first game of the Negro National League baseball was played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
1932 Jack Benny's first radio show debuted on the NBC Blue Network.
1939 New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played came to an end when the ailing slugger removed himself from the lineup.
1941 The Federal Communications Commission agreed to let regular scheduling of TV broadcasts by commercial TV stations begin on July 1, 1941.
1945 The Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin and the Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.
1954 Stan ‘The Man’ Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals smacked five home runs in a double-header against the New York Giants, establishing a major-league record.
1955 Tennessee Williams won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
1969 The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departed on her maiden voyage to New York City.
1974 Former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was disbarred by the Maryland Court of Appeals.
1974 Filming got underway for the motion picture Jaws in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.
1985 General Motors' X-Cars rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, MI for the final time.
1986 The photo essay A Day in the Life of America began as two hundred photojournalists covered the USA to take 350,000 pictures.
1994 Nelson Mandela claimed victory in South Africa's first democratic elections.
1997 Tony Blair became, at age 44, Britain's youngest prime minister in 185 years.
2000 President Bill Clinton announced that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
All Through the Day - Perry Como
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Soldier Boy - The Shirelles
Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
ABC - The Jackson 5
American Woman/No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who
Love or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends of Distinction
My Woman My Woman, My Wife - Marty Robbins
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
Can’t Smile Without You - Barry Manilow
Every Time Two Fools Collide - Kenny Rogers & Dottie West
1986
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Now and Forever (You and Me) - Anne Murray
Quote of the Day
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
Herbert Spencer, English philosopher (1820 - 1903)
Today in History - May 3rd
Today's Birthdays
1469 Niccolo Machiavelli, philosopher/writer (The Prince) died June 22, 1527
1874 François Coty, French perfume manufacturer, died July 25, 1934
1888 Beulah Bondi, actress (It's a Wonderful Life) died Jan 11, 1981
1898 Golda Meir, Israeli founder and prime minister, died Dec 8, 1978
1903 Bing Crosby, singer/actor, died October 14, 1977
1906 Mary Astor, actress (Maltese Falcon) died Sep 25, 1987
1913 William Inge, playwright (Come Back Little Sheba) died June 10, 1973
1919 Pete Seeger, folk singer
1919 Betty Comden (Cohen), screenwriter (Singin’ in the Rain) died Nov 23, 2006
1921 Sugar Ray Robinson, International Boxing Hall of Famer (middleweight champ) died Apr 12, 1989
1926 Ann B. Davis, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1932 Robert Osborne, film historian/TV Host (American Movie Classics)
1933 James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, singer (Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag) died Dec 25, 2006
1934 Frankie Valli, singer (The Four Seasons)
1935 Ron Popeil, inventor (Veg-O-Matic, Popeil Pocket Fisherman)
1944 Pete Staples, bassist (The Troggs)
1946 Greg Gumbel, sportscaster (NFL on CBS)
1947 Doug Henning, magician/illusionist (The World of Magic) died Feb 8, 2000
1950 Mary Hopkin, singer (Those Were the Days)
1950 Howard Ashman, lyricist (Little Shop of Horrors) died of AIDS March 14, 1991
1951 Christopher Cross, singer (Sailing, Arthur's Theme)
1953 Bruce Hall, bassist (REO Speedwagon)
1959 David Ball, keyboardist (Soft Cell)
1960 Amy Steel, actress (Friday the 13th Part 2)
1971 Bobby Cannavale, actor (Will and Grace)
1971 Josey Scott, rock singer (Saliva)
1973 Jennifer Tung, actress (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist)
1975 Dule' Hill, actor (The West Wing, Psych)
1981 Farrah Franklin, singer (Destiny's Child)
1983 Joseph Addai, NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts)
1984 Cheryl Burke, dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1990 Jillian Berard, actress (Happy Texas)
Today's Deaths in History
1758 Pope Benedict XIV dies at 83
1972 Bruce Cabot, actor (King Kong) dies at 68
1988 Milton Caniff, cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon) dies at 81
1989 Christine Jorgensen, transexual, dies at 62
1996 Jack Weston, actor (The Cincinnati Kid) dies at 71
2000 Cardinal John O'Connor, archbishop of New York, died at 80
2001 Billy Higgins, jazz drummer, dies at 64
2003 Suzy Parker, actress (Kiss Them for Me) dies at 70
2004 Michelle Skalnik, actress (Poltergeist: The Legacy) dies at 27
2006 Earl Woods, father of golfer Tiger Woods, dies at 74
2007 Wally Schirra, NASA astronaut (Mercury 7) dies at 84
Today in History
1494 Christopher Columbus first sighted the land that will be called Jamaica.
1802 Washington, D.C., was incorporated.
1916 Irish nationalist Padraic Pearse and two others were executed by the British for their roles in the Easter uprising.
1921 West Virginia imposed the first state sales tax.
1933 Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to head the United States Mint.
1936 Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1937 Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Gone with the Wind.
1948 The Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable.
1951 The United States Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees began their closed door hearings into the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur by U.S. President Harry Truman.
1951 The Kentucky Derby was televised for the first time.
1957 Walter O'Malley, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agreed to move the team from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California.
1960 The musical The Fantasticks opened off-Broadway, beginning a record run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 performances.
1971 Anti-war protesters began four days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C., aimed at shutting down the nation's capital.
1973 The Sears Tower in Chicago was topped out as the world's tallest building.
1979 Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections.
1988 The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule President Ronald Reagan's activities.
2000 The archbishop of New York, Cardinal John O'Connor, died at age 80.
2001 The United States lost its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
2003 New Hampshire's famous Old Man of the Mountain collapsed.
2005 Iraq's first democratically elected government was sworn in.
2006 A federal jury in Alexandria, Va., rejected the death penalty for al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, deciding he should spend life in prison for his role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Chart Toppers
1947
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Mam’selle - Art Lund
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Dance with Me Henry (Wallflower) - Georgia Gibbs
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary
Lonesome 7-7203 - Hawkshaw Hawkins
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
Heart of Glass - Blondie
Reunited - Peaches & Herb
Stumblin’ In - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
Where Do I Put Her Memory - Charley Pride
1987
(I Just) Died in Your Arms - Cutting Crew
Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley
La Isla Bonita - Madonna
Don’t Go to Strangers - T. Graham Brown
Quote of the Day
That all men are equal is a proposition which, at ordinary times, no sane individual has ever given his assent.
Aldous Huxley, English critic & novelist (1894 - 1963)
Today's Birthdays
1469 Niccolo Machiavelli, philosopher/writer (The Prince) died June 22, 1527
1874 François Coty, French perfume manufacturer, died July 25, 1934
1888 Beulah Bondi, actress (It's a Wonderful Life) died Jan 11, 1981
1898 Golda Meir, Israeli founder and prime minister, died Dec 8, 1978
1903 Bing Crosby, singer/actor, died October 14, 1977
1906 Mary Astor, actress (Maltese Falcon) died Sep 25, 1987
1913 William Inge, playwright (Come Back Little Sheba) died June 10, 1973
1919 Pete Seeger, folk singer
1919 Betty Comden (Cohen), screenwriter (Singin’ in the Rain) died Nov 23, 2006
1921 Sugar Ray Robinson, International Boxing Hall of Famer (middleweight champ) died Apr 12, 1989
1926 Ann B. Davis, actress (The Brady Bunch)
1932 Robert Osborne, film historian/TV Host (American Movie Classics)
1933 James Brown, The Godfather of Soul, singer (Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag) died Dec 25, 2006
1934 Frankie Valli, singer (The Four Seasons)
1935 Ron Popeil, inventor (Veg-O-Matic, Popeil Pocket Fisherman)
1944 Pete Staples, bassist (The Troggs)
1946 Greg Gumbel, sportscaster (NFL on CBS)
1947 Doug Henning, magician/illusionist (The World of Magic) died Feb 8, 2000
1950 Mary Hopkin, singer (Those Were the Days)
1950 Howard Ashman, lyricist (Little Shop of Horrors) died of AIDS March 14, 1991
1951 Christopher Cross, singer (Sailing, Arthur's Theme)
1953 Bruce Hall, bassist (REO Speedwagon)
1959 David Ball, keyboardist (Soft Cell)
1960 Amy Steel, actress (Friday the 13th Part 2)
1971 Bobby Cannavale, actor (Will and Grace)
1971 Josey Scott, rock singer (Saliva)
1973 Jennifer Tung, actress (Kung Pow: Enter the Fist)
1975 Dule' Hill, actor (The West Wing, Psych)
1981 Farrah Franklin, singer (Destiny's Child)
1983 Joseph Addai, NFL running back (Indianapolis Colts)
1984 Cheryl Burke, dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1990 Jillian Berard, actress (Happy Texas)
Today's Deaths in History
1758 Pope Benedict XIV dies at 83
1972 Bruce Cabot, actor (King Kong) dies at 68
1988 Milton Caniff, cartoonist (Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon) dies at 81
1989 Christine Jorgensen, transexual, dies at 62
1996 Jack Weston, actor (The Cincinnati Kid) dies at 71
2000 Cardinal John O'Connor, archbishop of New York, died at 80
2001 Billy Higgins, jazz drummer, dies at 64
2003 Suzy Parker, actress (Kiss Them for Me) dies at 70
2004 Michelle Skalnik, actress (Poltergeist: The Legacy) dies at 27
2006 Earl Woods, father of golfer Tiger Woods, dies at 74
2007 Wally Schirra, NASA astronaut (Mercury 7) dies at 84
Today in History
1494 Christopher Columbus first sighted the land that will be called Jamaica.
1802 Washington, D.C., was incorporated.
1916 Irish nationalist Padraic Pearse and two others were executed by the British for their roles in the Easter uprising.
1921 West Virginia imposed the first state sales tax.
1933 Nellie Tayloe Ross became the first woman to head the United States Mint.
1936 Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1937 Margaret Mitchell won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel Gone with the Wind.
1948 The Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable.
1951 The United States Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees began their closed door hearings into the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur by U.S. President Harry Truman.
1951 The Kentucky Derby was televised for the first time.
1957 Walter O'Malley, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agreed to move the team from Brooklyn, New York, to Los Angeles, California.
1960 The musical The Fantasticks opened off-Broadway, beginning a record run of nearly 42 years and 17,162 performances.
1971 Anti-war protesters began four days of demonstrations in Washington, D.C., aimed at shutting down the nation's capital.
1973 The Sears Tower in Chicago was topped out as the world's tallest building.
1979 Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections.
1988 The White House acknowledged that first lady Nancy Reagan had used astrological advice to help schedule President Ronald Reagan's activities.
2000 The archbishop of New York, Cardinal John O'Connor, died at age 80.
2001 The United States lost its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
2003 New Hampshire's famous Old Man of the Mountain collapsed.
2005 Iraq's first democratically elected government was sworn in.
2006 A federal jury in Alexandria, Va., rejected the death penalty for al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, deciding he should spend life in prison for his role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Chart Toppers
1947
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
Mam’selle - Art Lund
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - Merle Travis
1955
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
The Ballad of Davy Crockett - Tennessee Ernie Ford
Dance with Me Henry (Wallflower) - Georgia Gibbs
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Can’t Get Used to Losing You - Andy Williams
Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary
Lonesome 7-7203 - Hawkshaw Hawkins
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Put Your Hand in the Hand - Ocean
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
Empty Arms - Sonny James
1979
Heart of Glass - Blondie
Reunited - Peaches & Herb
Stumblin’ In - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
Where Do I Put Her Memory - Charley Pride
1987
(I Just) Died in Your Arms - Cutting Crew
Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley
La Isla Bonita - Madonna
Don’t Go to Strangers - T. Graham Brown
Quote of the Day
That all men are equal is a proposition which, at ordinary times, no sane individual has ever given his assent.
Aldous Huxley, English critic & novelist (1894 - 1963)
Today in History - May 4th
Today's Birthdays
1655 Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian inventor (piano) died Jan 27, 1731
1796 Horace Mann, the father of public education in the U.S., died Aug 2, 1859
1820 Julia Tyler (Gardiner), First Lady, died July 10, 1889
1852 Alice Pleasance Liddell, English schoolgirl (model for Alice in Wonderland) died Nov 15, 1934
1909 Howard Da Silva (Silverblatt), actor (The Great Gatsby) died Feb 16, 1986
1923 Ed ‘Cass’ Cassidy, drummer (Taj Mahal, Spirit)
1928 Maynard Ferguson, jazz trumpeter/trombone/horns, died August 23, 2006
1928 Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian President
1929 Audrey (Edda Kathleen) Hepburn (van Heemstra), actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's) died Jan 20, 1993
1937 Dick Dale, surf music guitarist
1939 Paul Gleason, actor (The Breakfast Club, Die Hard) died May 27, 2006
1940 Robin Cook, author (Coma, Mortal Fear)
1941 George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
1942 Nickolas Ashford, producer/songwriter/singer (Ashford & Simpson)
1943 Ronnie Bond (Ronald Bulls), drummer (The Troggs)
1949 Stella Parton, actress/singer (Dukes of Hazzard TV series)
1950 Darryl Hunt, bassist (The Pogues)
1951 Jackie (Sigmund) Jackson, singer (The Jackson Five)
1951 Mick Mars, rock guitarist (Mötley Crüe)
1952 Anthony Hamilton, actor (Mission: Impossible TV series) died March 29, 1995 1954 Pia Zadora, actress (Hairspray)
1955 Lynne Spears, Britney's mom
1959 Randy Travis (Randy Bruce Traywick), country singer (Forever and Ever Amen)
1961 Mary McDonough, actress (The Waltons)
1962 Oleta Adams, singer (Get Here)
1967 Ana Gasteyer, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1972 Mike Dirnt, rock bassist (Green Day)
1975 Laci Peterson, housewife/murder victim, died Dec 25, 2002
1977 Emily Perkins, actress (Stephen King's It)
1979 Lance Bass, singer (’N Sync)
1994 Alexander Gould, actor (Finding Nemo)
Today's Deaths in History
1961 Anita Stewart, actress (A Tale of Two Cities) dies at 66
1975 Moe Howard, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 77
1980 Josip Broz Tito, President (Yugoslavia) dies at 87
1983 Todd Starke, actor (Adam-12) dies in a motorcycle accident at 21
1984 Bob Clampett, cartoonist (Looney Tunes) dies at 70
1985 Clarence Wiseman, 10th General of the Salvation Army, dies at 77
1987 Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica player, dies at 44
2001 Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of Robert Blake, is shot and killed at 44
2005 David Hackworth, U.S. Army officer/military journalist, dies at 74
2006 Michael 'Bear' Taliferro, actor (Half Past Dead) dies at 45
Today in History
1626 Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on what is now Manhattan.
1776 Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
1886 A labor demonstration for an eight-hour workday at Haymarket Square in Chicago turned into a riot when a bomb exploded.
1904 Construction by the United States began on the Panama Canal.
1927 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.
1930 British police arrested Mahatma Gandhi and placed him in Yeravda Central Prison.
1932 Mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
1946 A two-day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay ended after five people were killed.
1953 Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
1959 The first Grammy Awards were held.
1961 A group of Freedom Riders left Washington, D.C., for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.
1970 Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine.
1972 The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changed its name to Greenpeace Foundation.
1989 Fired White House aide Oliver North was convicted of shredding documents and two other charges stemming from the Iran-Contra affair (the convictions were overturned on appeal).
1994 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
1998 Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
2000 Londoners elected their mayor for the first time.
2006 A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
2007 A judge in Los Angeles sentenced hotel heiress Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case by driving with a suspended license.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Manana - Peggy Lee
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
Moonglow and Theme from ’Picnic’ - Morris Stoloff
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Hello Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Bits and Pieces - The Dave Clark Five
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Betcha By Golly, Wow - The Stylistics
Chantilly Lace - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Lost in Love - Air Supply
Are You on the Road to Lovin’ Me Again - Debby Boone
1988
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
Angel - Aerosmith
It’s Such a Small World - Rodney Crowell & Rosanne Cash
Quote of the Day
It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea.
Randy K. Milholland, Webcomic pioneer
Today's Birthdays
1655 Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian inventor (piano) died Jan 27, 1731
1796 Horace Mann, the father of public education in the U.S., died Aug 2, 1859
1820 Julia Tyler (Gardiner), First Lady, died July 10, 1889
1852 Alice Pleasance Liddell, English schoolgirl (model for Alice in Wonderland) died Nov 15, 1934
1909 Howard Da Silva (Silverblatt), actor (The Great Gatsby) died Feb 16, 1986
1923 Ed ‘Cass’ Cassidy, drummer (Taj Mahal, Spirit)
1928 Maynard Ferguson, jazz trumpeter/trombone/horns, died August 23, 2006
1928 Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian President
1929 Audrey (Edda Kathleen) Hepburn (van Heemstra), actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's) died Jan 20, 1993
1937 Dick Dale, surf music guitarist
1939 Paul Gleason, actor (The Breakfast Club, Die Hard) died May 27, 2006
1940 Robin Cook, author (Coma, Mortal Fear)
1941 George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist
1942 Nickolas Ashford, producer/songwriter/singer (Ashford & Simpson)
1943 Ronnie Bond (Ronald Bulls), drummer (The Troggs)
1949 Stella Parton, actress/singer (Dukes of Hazzard TV series)
1950 Darryl Hunt, bassist (The Pogues)
1951 Jackie (Sigmund) Jackson, singer (The Jackson Five)
1951 Mick Mars, rock guitarist (Mötley Crüe)
1952 Anthony Hamilton, actor (Mission: Impossible TV series) died March 29, 1995 1954 Pia Zadora, actress (Hairspray)
1955 Lynne Spears, Britney's mom
1959 Randy Travis (Randy Bruce Traywick), country singer (Forever and Ever Amen)
1961 Mary McDonough, actress (The Waltons)
1962 Oleta Adams, singer (Get Here)
1967 Ana Gasteyer, actress/comedian (Saturday Night Live)
1972 Mike Dirnt, rock bassist (Green Day)
1975 Laci Peterson, housewife/murder victim, died Dec 25, 2002
1977 Emily Perkins, actress (Stephen King's It)
1979 Lance Bass, singer (’N Sync)
1994 Alexander Gould, actor (Finding Nemo)
Today's Deaths in History
1961 Anita Stewart, actress (A Tale of Two Cities) dies at 66
1975 Moe Howard, actor/comedian (Three Stooges) dies at 77
1980 Josip Broz Tito, President (Yugoslavia) dies at 87
1983 Todd Starke, actor (Adam-12) dies in a motorcycle accident at 21
1984 Bob Clampett, cartoonist (Looney Tunes) dies at 70
1985 Clarence Wiseman, 10th General of the Salvation Army, dies at 77
1987 Paul Butterfield, blues harmonica player, dies at 44
2001 Bonnie Lee Bakley, wife of Robert Blake, is shot and killed at 44
2005 David Hackworth, U.S. Army officer/military journalist, dies at 74
2006 Michael 'Bear' Taliferro, actor (Half Past Dead) dies at 45
Today in History
1626 Dutch explorer Peter Minuit landed on what is now Manhattan.
1776 Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
1886 A labor demonstration for an eight-hour workday at Haymarket Square in Chicago turned into a riot when a bomb exploded.
1904 Construction by the United States began on the Panama Canal.
1927 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded.
1930 British police arrested Mahatma Gandhi and placed him in Yeravda Central Prison.
1932 Mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
1946 A two-day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay ended after five people were killed.
1953 Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
1959 The first Grammy Awards were held.
1961 A group of Freedom Riders left Washington, D.C., for New Orleans to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.
1970 Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on anti-war protesters at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine.
1972 The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changed its name to Greenpeace Foundation.
1989 Fired White House aide Oliver North was convicted of shredding documents and two other charges stemming from the Iran-Contra affair (the convictions were overturned on appeal).
1994 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
1998 Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was given four life sentences plus 30 years by a federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., under a plea agreement that spared him the death penalty.
2000 Londoners elected their mayor for the first time.
2006 A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
2007 A judge in Los Angeles sentenced hotel heiress Paris Hilton to 45 days in jail for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case by driving with a suspended license.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Manana - Peggy Lee
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
Moonglow and Theme from ’Picnic’ - Morris Stoloff
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Can’t Buy Me Love - The Beatles
Hello Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Bits and Pieces - The Dave Clark Five
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Betcha By Golly, Wow - The Stylistics
Chantilly Lace - Jerry Lee Lewis
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Lost in Love - Air Supply
Are You on the Road to Lovin’ Me Again - Debby Boone
1988
Where Do Broken Hearts Go - Whitney Houston
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
Angel - Aerosmith
It’s Such a Small World - Rodney Crowell & Rosanne Cash
Quote of the Day
It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea.
Randy K. Milholland, Webcomic pioneer
Today in History - May 5th
Today's Birthdays
1813 Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher, died Nov 11, 1855
1818 Karl Marx, socialist writer/ founder of communism (Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto) died Mar 14, 1883
1867 Nelly Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman), journalist/women’s rights advocate, died Jan 27, 1922
1903 James Beard, chef/cookbook writer, died Jan 21, 1985
1914 Tyrone Power (Tyrone Edmund Power Jr.), actor (The Mark of Zorro, Witness for the Prosecution) died Nov 15, 1958
1915 Alice Faye (Alice Jeanne Leppert), actress (State Fair) died May 9, 1998
1934 ‘Ace’ Cannon (John Henry Cannon Jr.), saxophonist (Tuff)
1937 Sandy Baron (Sanford Beresofsky), comedian/actor (If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium) died Jan 21, 2001
1937 Johnnie Taylor, singer (Who's Making Love) died May 31, 2000
1938 Michael Murphy, actor (Batman Returns, The Year of Living Dangerously)
1940 Lance Henriksen, actor (Aliens, The Terminator, The Right Stuff)
1942 Tammy Wynette (Virginia Wynette Pugh), country singer (Stand By Your Man) died Apr 6, 1998
1943 Michael Palin, comedian/actor (Monty Python)
1944 Roger Rees, actor (Robin Hood: Men in Tights)
1944 John Rhys-Davies, actor (Sliders, Lord of the Rings series)
1948 Bill Ward, drummer (Black Sabbath)
1952 Alan Clark, rock musician (Dire Straits)
1957 Richard E. Grant, actor (Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
1957 Lisa Eilbacher, actress (Beverly Hills Cop, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1959 Ian McCulloch, singer/guitarist (Echo & the Bunnymen)
1959 Brian Williams, news anchor (NBC Nightly News)
1962 Gary Daly, singer (China Crisis)
1962 Kevin Mooney, bassist (Adam & the Ants)
1965 Shelley Bruce, Broadway actress (Annie)
1966 Shawn Drover, drummer (Megadeth)
1970 Will Arnett, actor/comedian (Arrested Development)
1973 Tina Yothers, actress (Family Ties)
1979 Vincent Kartheiser, American actor (Angel, Mad Men)
1983 Henry Cavill, actor (Hellraiser: Hellworld, The Tudors)
1987 Ian Michael Smith, actor (Simon Birch)
1988 Jessica Dubroff, aviator, died Apr 11, 1996
1988 Brooke Hogan, singer/reality TV star (daughter of Hulk Hogan)
Today's Deaths in History
1821 Napoléon Bonaparte, French general & politician, dies at 51
1981 Ronald McQueen, reggae bassist (Steel Pulse), dies at 31
1981 Bobby Sands, Irish activist, dies at 27 during his hunger strike
1996 Jordan Carlton, actor (Mr. Holland's Opus) dies at 15
2001 Cliff Hillegass, writer/publisher (Cliff Notes), dies at 83
2001 Terry Ryan, screenwriter (The Phil Silvers Show) dies at 78
2002 George Sidney, film director (Our Gang comedies) dies at 85
2007 Theodore Harold Maiman, inventor (first working laser) dies at 79
Today in History
1862 Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla.
1865 The first train robbery in the United States took place in North Bend, Ohio.
1891 Carnegie Hall (then named Music Hall) opened in New York City.
1892 Congress extended the Chinese Exclusion Act for 10 years.
1893 Panic hit the New York Stock Exchange; by year's end, the country was in the throes of a severe depression.
1904 Cy Young of the Boston Americans pitched the first perfect game in modern major league baseball history in a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
1925 John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.
1945 In the only fatal attack of its kind during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children.
1955 West Germany became a sovereign state.
1955 The baseball musical Damn Yankees opened on Broadway.
1961 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1981 Irish Republican Army hunger-striker Bobby Sands died at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland on his 66th day without food.
1985 President Ronald Reagan attended a wreath-laying ceremony at a military cemetery in Bitburg, West Germany. The visit drew worldwide condemnation because 49 members of the Waffen SS were buried there.
1992 The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
2000 Reformers swept Iran's run-off elections, winning control of the legislature from conservatives for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
2002 French President Jacques Chirac was re-elected in a landslide victory over extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Again - Doris Day
Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
1957
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
School Day - Chuck Berry
A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
I’ll Never Find Another You - The Seekers
This is It - Jim Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
The Cisco Kid - War
Little Willy - The Sweet
Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
1981
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Being with You - Smokey Robinson
Rest Your Love on Me - Conway Twitty
1989
Like a Prayer - Madonna
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Young Love - The Judds
Quote of the Day
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French general & politician (1769 - 1821)
Today's Birthdays
1813 Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher, died Nov 11, 1855
1818 Karl Marx, socialist writer/ founder of communism (Das Kapital, The Communist Manifesto) died Mar 14, 1883
1867 Nelly Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman), journalist/women’s rights advocate, died Jan 27, 1922
1903 James Beard, chef/cookbook writer, died Jan 21, 1985
1914 Tyrone Power (Tyrone Edmund Power Jr.), actor (The Mark of Zorro, Witness for the Prosecution) died Nov 15, 1958
1915 Alice Faye (Alice Jeanne Leppert), actress (State Fair) died May 9, 1998
1934 ‘Ace’ Cannon (John Henry Cannon Jr.), saxophonist (Tuff)
1937 Sandy Baron (Sanford Beresofsky), comedian/actor (If It’s Tuesday This Must Be Belgium) died Jan 21, 2001
1937 Johnnie Taylor, singer (Who's Making Love) died May 31, 2000
1938 Michael Murphy, actor (Batman Returns, The Year of Living Dangerously)
1940 Lance Henriksen, actor (Aliens, The Terminator, The Right Stuff)
1942 Tammy Wynette (Virginia Wynette Pugh), country singer (Stand By Your Man) died Apr 6, 1998
1943 Michael Palin, comedian/actor (Monty Python)
1944 Roger Rees, actor (Robin Hood: Men in Tights)
1944 John Rhys-Davies, actor (Sliders, Lord of the Rings series)
1948 Bill Ward, drummer (Black Sabbath)
1952 Alan Clark, rock musician (Dire Straits)
1957 Richard E. Grant, actor (Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
1957 Lisa Eilbacher, actress (Beverly Hills Cop, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1959 Ian McCulloch, singer/guitarist (Echo & the Bunnymen)
1959 Brian Williams, news anchor (NBC Nightly News)
1962 Gary Daly, singer (China Crisis)
1962 Kevin Mooney, bassist (Adam & the Ants)
1965 Shelley Bruce, Broadway actress (Annie)
1966 Shawn Drover, drummer (Megadeth)
1970 Will Arnett, actor/comedian (Arrested Development)
1973 Tina Yothers, actress (Family Ties)
1979 Vincent Kartheiser, American actor (Angel, Mad Men)
1983 Henry Cavill, actor (Hellraiser: Hellworld, The Tudors)
1987 Ian Michael Smith, actor (Simon Birch)
1988 Jessica Dubroff, aviator, died Apr 11, 1996
1988 Brooke Hogan, singer/reality TV star (daughter of Hulk Hogan)
Today's Deaths in History
1821 Napoléon Bonaparte, French general & politician, dies at 51
1981 Ronald McQueen, reggae bassist (Steel Pulse), dies at 31
1981 Bobby Sands, Irish activist, dies at 27 during his hunger strike
1996 Jordan Carlton, actor (Mr. Holland's Opus) dies at 15
2001 Cliff Hillegass, writer/publisher (Cliff Notes), dies at 83
2001 Terry Ryan, screenwriter (The Phil Silvers Show) dies at 78
2002 George Sidney, film director (Our Gang comedies) dies at 85
2007 Theodore Harold Maiman, inventor (first working laser) dies at 79
Today in History
1862 Troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halted a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla.
1865 The first train robbery in the United States took place in North Bend, Ohio.
1891 Carnegie Hall (then named Music Hall) opened in New York City.
1892 Congress extended the Chinese Exclusion Act for 10 years.
1893 Panic hit the New York Stock Exchange; by year's end, the country was in the throes of a severe depression.
1904 Cy Young of the Boston Americans pitched the first perfect game in modern major league baseball history in a 3-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics.
1925 John T. Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.
1945 In the only fatal attack of its kind during World War II, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing the pregnant wife of a minister and five children.
1955 West Germany became a sovereign state.
1955 The baseball musical Damn Yankees opened on Broadway.
1961 Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became America's first space traveler as he made a 15-minute suborbital flight in a capsule launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
1981 Irish Republican Army hunger-striker Bobby Sands died at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland on his 66th day without food.
1985 President Ronald Reagan attended a wreath-laying ceremony at a military cemetery in Bitburg, West Germany. The visit drew worldwide condemnation because 49 members of the Waffen SS were buried there.
1992 The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.
2000 Reformers swept Iran's run-off elections, winning control of the legislature from conservatives for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
2002 French President Jacques Chirac was re-elected in a landslide victory over extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Again - Doris Day
Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
1957
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
School Day - Chuck Berry
A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins
Gone - Ferlin Husky
1965
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
I Know a Place - Petula Clark
I’ll Never Find Another You - The Seekers
This is It - Jim Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
The Cisco Kid - War
Little Willy - The Sweet
Behind Closed Doors - Charlie Rich
1981
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Being with You - Smokey Robinson
Rest Your Love on Me - Conway Twitty
1989
Like a Prayer - Madonna
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
Young Love - The Judds
Quote of the Day
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte, French general & politician (1769 - 1821)
Today in History - May 6th
Today's Birthdays
1758 Maximilian Robespierre, French revolutionary, executed by guillotine July 28, 1794
1856 Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, died Sept 23, 1939
1856 Robert E. Peary, explorer (North Pole, Greenland) died Jan 20, 1920
1895 Rudolph Valentino (Rodolpho Alfonso Rafaello Pietro Filiberto Guglielmi Di Valentina D’Antonguolla), actor (The Sheik) died Aug 23, 1926
1903 (Bernard) Toots Shor, restaurateur/barkeep, died Jan 23, 1977
1907 (Wilbur Charles) Weeb Ewbank, Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach (Baltimore Colts, NY Jets) died Nov 17, 1998
1913 Stewart Granger, actor (The Hound of the Baskervilles) died Aug 16, 1993
1915 (George) Orson Welles, actor (War of the Worlds, Citizen Kane) died Oct 10, 1985
1931 Willie Mays, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (New York Giants, San Francisco Giants)
1945 Bob Seger, guitarist/singer (Night Moves)
1947 Alan Dale, actor (Ugly Betty, Lost)
1948 Mary MacGregor, singer (Torn Between Two Lovers)
1951 Davey Johnstone, guitarist (Elton John)
1952 Gregg Henry, actor (Payback)
1953 Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister
1955 Tom Bergeron, TV host (Dancing with the Stars)
1959 Heather Ripley, actress (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
1960 John Flansburgh, singer (They Might Be Giants)
1960 Roma Downey, actress (Touched by an Angel)
1960 Anne Parillaud, actress (Man in the Iron Mask)
1961 George Clooney, actor (Ocean's Eleven series, Leatherheads)
1964 Tony Scalzo, bassist/songwriter (Fastball)
1964 Dana Hill, voice actress (Rugrats) died July 15, 1996
1965 Leslie Hope, actress (24)
1966 Thurman Thomas, NFL Hall of Fame running back (Buffalo Bills)
1967 Mark Bryan, guitarist (Hootie and the Blowfish)
1971 Chris Shiflett, guitarist (Foo Fighters)
1972 Martin Brodeur, NHL goaltender (New Jersey Devils)
1981 Mark O'Connell, drummer (Taking Back Sunday)
1983 Adrianne Palicki, actress (Friday Night Lights)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 Henry David Thoreau, author/philosopher, dies at 44
1902 Bret Harte, author/poet, dies at 64
1910 King Edward VII of Britian dies at 68
1919 L. Frank Baum, writer (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) dies at 62
1983 Kai Winding, jazz trombonist/composer, dies at 60
1987 William Casey, Central Intelligence Agency director, dies at 74
1992 Marlene Dietrich, actress (The Blue Angel) dies at 90
1996 William Colby, CIA director, found dead after possible drowning at 76
1999 Mark Tuinei, NFL tackle (Dallas Cowboys) dies of a drug overdose at 39
2002 Otis Blackwell, pianist/singer/songwriter, dies at 70
2004 Barney Kessel, jazz guitarist, dies at 80
2006 Lillian Asplund, last American RMS Titanic survivor, dies at 99
Today in History
1835 James Gordon Bennett, Sr. published the first issue of the New York Herald.
1840 A tornado that touched down in eastern Louisiana and crossed the Mississippi River into Natchez, Miss., killed 317 people - most of them on boats in the river - making it the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union.
1877 Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska.
1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the United States for 10 years.
1889 The Paris Exposition opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.
1915 Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox hit the first of his 714 major league home runs in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds.
1937 The hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 36 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground.
1940 John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
1942 Some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1954 Roger Bannister became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes, finishing in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds during a track meet in Oxford, England.
1960 Britain's Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey.
1994 Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he'd sexually harassed her in 1991.
1994 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiated at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
1996 The body of former CIA director William E. Colby was found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he'd disappeared.
1997 Hemophiliacs who contracted AIDS between 1978 and 1985 from tainted blood products accepted a $600 million settlement from four health-care companies.
1998 Kerry Wood struck out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens.
2001 Pope John Paul II, during a trip to Syria, became the first pope to enter a mosque.
2002 Right-wing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot and killed in Hilversum, Netherlands.
2002 Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was freed after 19 months of house arrest.
2004 The final first-run episode of Friends aired on NBC.
2007 Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy won the French presidency by a comfortable margin over socialist opponent Segolene Royal.
Chart Toppers
1950
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
Bewitched - The Bill Snyder Orchestra
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
The Witch Doctor - David Seville
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
Good Lovin’ - The Young Rascals
Monday Monday - The Mamas & The Papas
Sloop John B - The Beach Boys
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
The Streak - Ray Stevens
Things Aren’t Funny Anymore - Merle Haggard
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Mountain Music - Alabama
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.
H. L. Mencken, editor (1880 - 1956)
Today's Birthdays
1758 Maximilian Robespierre, French revolutionary, executed by guillotine July 28, 1794
1856 Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, died Sept 23, 1939
1856 Robert E. Peary, explorer (North Pole, Greenland) died Jan 20, 1920
1895 Rudolph Valentino (Rodolpho Alfonso Rafaello Pietro Filiberto Guglielmi Di Valentina D’Antonguolla), actor (The Sheik) died Aug 23, 1926
1903 (Bernard) Toots Shor, restaurateur/barkeep, died Jan 23, 1977
1907 (Wilbur Charles) Weeb Ewbank, Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach (Baltimore Colts, NY Jets) died Nov 17, 1998
1913 Stewart Granger, actor (The Hound of the Baskervilles) died Aug 16, 1993
1915 (George) Orson Welles, actor (War of the Worlds, Citizen Kane) died Oct 10, 1985
1931 Willie Mays, Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (New York Giants, San Francisco Giants)
1945 Bob Seger, guitarist/singer (Night Moves)
1947 Alan Dale, actor (Ugly Betty, Lost)
1948 Mary MacGregor, singer (Torn Between Two Lovers)
1951 Davey Johnstone, guitarist (Elton John)
1952 Gregg Henry, actor (Payback)
1953 Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister
1955 Tom Bergeron, TV host (Dancing with the Stars)
1959 Heather Ripley, actress (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)
1960 John Flansburgh, singer (They Might Be Giants)
1960 Roma Downey, actress (Touched by an Angel)
1960 Anne Parillaud, actress (Man in the Iron Mask)
1961 George Clooney, actor (Ocean's Eleven series, Leatherheads)
1964 Tony Scalzo, bassist/songwriter (Fastball)
1964 Dana Hill, voice actress (Rugrats) died July 15, 1996
1965 Leslie Hope, actress (24)
1966 Thurman Thomas, NFL Hall of Fame running back (Buffalo Bills)
1967 Mark Bryan, guitarist (Hootie and the Blowfish)
1971 Chris Shiflett, guitarist (Foo Fighters)
1972 Martin Brodeur, NHL goaltender (New Jersey Devils)
1981 Mark O'Connell, drummer (Taking Back Sunday)
1983 Adrianne Palicki, actress (Friday Night Lights)
Today's Deaths in History
1862 Henry David Thoreau, author/philosopher, dies at 44
1902 Bret Harte, author/poet, dies at 64
1910 King Edward VII of Britian dies at 68
1919 L. Frank Baum, writer (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) dies at 62
1983 Kai Winding, jazz trombonist/composer, dies at 60
1987 William Casey, Central Intelligence Agency director, dies at 74
1992 Marlene Dietrich, actress (The Blue Angel) dies at 90
1996 William Colby, CIA director, found dead after possible drowning at 76
1999 Mark Tuinei, NFL tackle (Dallas Cowboys) dies of a drug overdose at 39
2002 Otis Blackwell, pianist/singer/songwriter, dies at 70
2004 Barney Kessel, jazz guitarist, dies at 80
2006 Lillian Asplund, last American RMS Titanic survivor, dies at 99
Today in History
1835 James Gordon Bennett, Sr. published the first issue of the New York Herald.
1840 A tornado that touched down in eastern Louisiana and crossed the Mississippi River into Natchez, Miss., killed 317 people - most of them on boats in the river - making it the second deadliest tornado in U.S. history.
1861 Arkansas seceded from the Union.
1877 Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska.
1882 Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the United States for 10 years.
1889 The Paris Exposition opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.
1915 Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox hit the first of his 714 major league home runs in a 4-3 loss to the New York Yankees at the Polo Grounds.
1937 The hydrogen-filled German dirigible Hindenburg burned and crashed in Lakehurst, N.J., killing 36 of the 97 people on board and a Navy crewman on the ground.
1940 John Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath.
1942 Some 15,000 Americans and Filipinos on Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese during World War II.
1954 Roger Bannister became the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes, finishing in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds during a track meet in Oxford, England.
1960 Britain's Princess Margaret married Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey.
1994 Former Arkansas state worker Paula Jones filed suit against President Bill Clinton, alleging he'd sexually harassed her in 1991.
1994 Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiated at the opening of the Channel Tunnel.
1996 The body of former CIA director William E. Colby was found washed up on a riverbank in southern Maryland, eight days after he'd disappeared.
1997 Hemophiliacs who contracted AIDS between 1978 and 1985 from tainted blood products accepted a $600 million settlement from four health-care companies.
1998 Kerry Wood struck out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens.
2001 Pope John Paul II, during a trip to Syria, became the first pope to enter a mosque.
2002 Right-wing Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was shot and killed in Hilversum, Netherlands.
2002 Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was freed after 19 months of house arrest.
2004 The final first-run episode of Friends aired on NBC.
2007 Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy won the French presidency by a comfortable margin over socialist opponent Segolene Royal.
Chart Toppers
1950
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
Bewitched - The Bill Snyder Orchestra
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
Tequila - The Champs
The Witch Doctor - David Seville
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
Good Lovin’ - The Young Rascals
Monday Monday - The Mamas & The Papas
Sloop John B - The Beach Boys
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
The Streak - Ray Stevens
Things Aren’t Funny Anymore - Merle Haggard
1982
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Mountain Music - Alabama
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
I Wanna Be Rich - Calloway
How Can We Be Lovers - Michael Bolton
Love on Arrival - Dan Seals
Quote of the Day
The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.
H. L. Mencken, editor (1880 - 1956)
Today in History - May 7th
Today's Birthdays
1812 Robert Browning, poet, died Dec 12, 1889
1833 Johannes Brahms, composer (Lullaby) died April 3, 1897
1840 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer (1812 Overture) died Nov 6, 1893
1885 Gabby (George Francis) Hayes, actor/vaudevillian (silent movie villain) died Feb 9, 1969
1892 Archibald MacLeish, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet/U.S. Librarian of Congress, died Apr 20, 1982
1892 Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia, died May 4, 1980
1901 Gary (Frank James) Cooper, actor (Sergeant York, High Noon) died May 13, 1961
1909 Edwin H. Land, American inventor (polaroid instant photography) died March 1, 1991
1919 Eva (Evita) Peron, wife of Argentina’s President, died July 26, 1952
1922 Darren McGavin, actor (The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story) died Feb 25, 2006
1923 Anne Baxter, actress (The Ten Commandments, All About Eve) died Dec 12, 1985
1930 Totie Fields (Sophie Feldman), entertainer/comedienne, died August 2, 1978
1933 Johnny Unitas, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers) Sep 11, 2002
1939 Jimmy Ruffin, R&B singer (What becomes of the Broken Hearted)
1946 Thelma Houston, R&B singer (Don't Leave Me This Way)
1946 Bill Kreutzmann, rock musician (Grateful Dead)
1950 Tim Russert, broadcast journalist (Meet the Press)
1950 Randall 'Tex' Cobb, boxer/actor (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)
1951 Robert Hegyes, actor (Welcome Back, Kotter)
1951 Janis Ian (Janis Eddy Fink), songwriter/singer (At Seventeen)
1954 Amy Heckerling, writer/director (Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
1959 Michael E. Knight, actor (All My Children)
1961 Phil Campbell, rock singer/musician (Motorhead)
1962 Robbie Knievel, daredevil/son of Evel Knievel
1963 Johnny Lee Middleton, bassist (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
1965 Chris O'Connor, singer/guitarist (Primitive Radio Gods)
1965 Owen Hart, wrestler, died from injuries sustained in a fall May 23, 1999
1969 Traci Lords, actress (Cry Baby)
1972 Eagle-Eye Cherry, rock singer (Save Tonight)
1974 Breckin Meyer, actor (Clueless)
1984 Alex Smith, NFL quarterback (San Francisco '49ers)
1986 Matt Helders, drummer (Arctic Monkeys)
Today's Deaths in History
1825 Antonio Salieri, Italian composer, dies at 74
1989 Guy Williams, actor (Zorro, Lost in Space) dies at 65
1991 Dennis Crosby, actor/son of Bing Crosby, commits suicide at 56
1995 Ray McKinley, jazz drummer/singer/bandleader, dies at 84
1998 Eddie Rabbitt, country singer (I Love a Rainy Night) dies at 56
2000 Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., actor (Little Caesar) dies at 90
2002 Seattle Slew, Triple Crown-winning race horse, dies at 28
2002 James 'Buster' Brown, dancer/choreographer (Cotton Club) dies at 88
Today in History
1429 Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning, wounded, to lead the final charge.
1789 The first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President George Washington and his wife, Martha.
1840 The Great Natchez Tornado struck Natchez, Mississippi, killing 317 people in the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
1847 The American Medical Association was founded in Philadelphia.
1915 A German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1939 Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. 1945 Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, bringing an end to World War II in Europe.
1946 Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) was founded.
1952 The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, was first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer.
1954 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended after 55 days with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.
1960 Leonid Brezhnev replaced Marshal Kliment Voroshilov as president of the Supreme Soviet.
1977 Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, on his way to horse racing's Triple Crown.
1984 A $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans.
1992 A 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise was ratified when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.
1998 The parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corp. for more than $37 billion.
1999 NATO jets struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three people and injuring 20; President Bill Clinton called the attack a "tragic mistake."
1999 A jury found The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Bros. liable in the shooting death of Scott Amedure, after the show purposely deceived Jonathan Schmitz to appear on a secret same-sex crush episode; Schmitz later killed Amedure and the jury awarded Amedure's family $25 million.
2000 President Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in Russia's first democratic transfer of power.
2001 Ronnie Biggs, the "Great Train Robber" who had eluded capture for decades following his prison escape in 1965, returned to Britain, where he was arrested and jailed to complete the 28 remaining years of his sentence.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Sparrow in the Treetop - Bing Crosby
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
The Happening - The Supremes
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Need You - Sonny James
1975
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
Chevy Van - Sammy Johns
Roll on Big Mama - Joe Stampley
1983
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Jose Cuervo - Shelly West
1991
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Rockin’ Years - Dolly Parton with Ricky Van Shelton
Quote of the Day
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
Robert Frost, poet (1874 - 1963)
Today's Birthdays
1812 Robert Browning, poet, died Dec 12, 1889
1833 Johannes Brahms, composer (Lullaby) died April 3, 1897
1840 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composer (1812 Overture) died Nov 6, 1893
1885 Gabby (George Francis) Hayes, actor/vaudevillian (silent movie villain) died Feb 9, 1969
1892 Archibald MacLeish, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet/U.S. Librarian of Congress, died Apr 20, 1982
1892 Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia, died May 4, 1980
1901 Gary (Frank James) Cooper, actor (Sergeant York, High Noon) died May 13, 1961
1909 Edwin H. Land, American inventor (polaroid instant photography) died March 1, 1991
1919 Eva (Evita) Peron, wife of Argentina’s President, died July 26, 1952
1922 Darren McGavin, actor (The Night Stalker, A Christmas Story) died Feb 25, 2006
1923 Anne Baxter, actress (The Ten Commandments, All About Eve) died Dec 12, 1985
1930 Totie Fields (Sophie Feldman), entertainer/comedienne, died August 2, 1978
1933 Johnny Unitas, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Baltimore Colts, San Diego Chargers) Sep 11, 2002
1939 Jimmy Ruffin, R&B singer (What becomes of the Broken Hearted)
1946 Thelma Houston, R&B singer (Don't Leave Me This Way)
1946 Bill Kreutzmann, rock musician (Grateful Dead)
1950 Tim Russert, broadcast journalist (Meet the Press)
1950 Randall 'Tex' Cobb, boxer/actor (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)
1951 Robert Hegyes, actor (Welcome Back, Kotter)
1951 Janis Ian (Janis Eddy Fink), songwriter/singer (At Seventeen)
1954 Amy Heckerling, writer/director (Clueless, Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
1959 Michael E. Knight, actor (All My Children)
1961 Phil Campbell, rock singer/musician (Motorhead)
1962 Robbie Knievel, daredevil/son of Evel Knievel
1963 Johnny Lee Middleton, bassist (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
1965 Chris O'Connor, singer/guitarist (Primitive Radio Gods)
1965 Owen Hart, wrestler, died from injuries sustained in a fall May 23, 1999
1969 Traci Lords, actress (Cry Baby)
1972 Eagle-Eye Cherry, rock singer (Save Tonight)
1974 Breckin Meyer, actor (Clueless)
1984 Alex Smith, NFL quarterback (San Francisco '49ers)
1986 Matt Helders, drummer (Arctic Monkeys)
Today's Deaths in History
1825 Antonio Salieri, Italian composer, dies at 74
1989 Guy Williams, actor (Zorro, Lost in Space) dies at 65
1991 Dennis Crosby, actor/son of Bing Crosby, commits suicide at 56
1995 Ray McKinley, jazz drummer/singer/bandleader, dies at 84
1998 Eddie Rabbitt, country singer (I Love a Rainy Night) dies at 56
2000 Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., actor (Little Caesar) dies at 90
2002 Seattle Slew, Triple Crown-winning race horse, dies at 28
2002 James 'Buster' Brown, dancer/choreographer (Cotton Club) dies at 88
Today in History
1429 Joan of Arc ended the Siege of Orléans, pulling an arrow from her own shoulder and returning, wounded, to lead the final charge.
1789 The first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President George Washington and his wife, Martha.
1840 The Great Natchez Tornado struck Natchez, Mississippi, killing 317 people in the second deadliest tornado in United States history.
1847 The American Medical Association was founded in Philadelphia.
1915 A German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1939 Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance known as the Rome-Berlin Axis. 1945 Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied headquarters in Rheims, France, bringing an end to World War II in Europe.
1946 Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) was founded.
1952 The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, was first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer.
1954 The Battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam ended after 55 days with Vietnamese insurgents overrunning French forces.
1960 Leonid Brezhnev replaced Marshal Kliment Voroshilov as president of the Supreme Soviet.
1977 Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, on his way to horse racing's Triple Crown.
1984 A $180 million out-of-court settlement was announced in the Agent Orange class-action suit brought by Vietnam veterans.
1992 A 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise was ratified when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it.
1998 The parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corp. for more than $37 billion.
1999 NATO jets struck the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, killing three people and injuring 20; President Bill Clinton called the attack a "tragic mistake."
1999 A jury found The Jenny Jones Show and Warner Bros. liable in the shooting death of Scott Amedure, after the show purposely deceived Jonathan Schmitz to appear on a secret same-sex crush episode; Schmitz later killed Amedure and the jury awarded Amedure's family $25 million.
2000 President Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in Russia's first democratic transfer of power.
2001 Ronnie Biggs, the "Great Train Robber" who had eluded capture for decades following his prison escape in 1965, returned to Britain, where he was arrested and jailed to complete the 28 remaining years of his sentence.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
Sparrow in the Treetop - Bing Crosby
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
1959
Come Softly to Me - The Fleetwoods
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
Somethin’ Stupid - Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
The Happening - The Supremes
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Need You - Sonny James
1975
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
Chevy Van - Sammy Johns
Roll on Big Mama - Joe Stampley
1983
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Jose Cuervo - Shelly West
1991
Baby Baby - Amy Grant
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Rockin’ Years - Dolly Parton with Ricky Van Shelton
Quote of the Day
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.
Robert Frost, poet (1874 - 1963)
Today in History - May 8th
Today's Birthdays
1828 Jean Henri Dunant, author/philanthropist (founder of Red Cross Society) died Oct 30, 1910
1848 Oscar Hammerstein I, playwright/producer; died Aug 1, 1919
1884 Harry S Truman, "Give ’Em Hell Harry," 33rd U.S. President, died Dec 26, 1972
1906 Roberto Rossellini, director (Seven Deadly Sins, The Messiah) died June 3, 1977
1911 Robert Johnson, Blues Hall of Fame singer/songwriter/guitarist (Sweet Home Chicago) died Aug 16, 1938
1913 Bob Clampett, animator (Looney Tunes) died May 4, 1984
1919 Lex Barker (Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr.), actor (La Dolce Vita) died May 11, 1973
1926 Don Rickles, comedian/actor (CPO Sharkey, Kelly’s Heroes)
1932 (Charles) Sonny Liston, International Boxing Hall of Famer, died Dec 30, 1970
1940 Peter Benchley, author (Jaws, The Deep) died Feb 11, 2006
1940 Ricky (Eric Hilliard) Nelson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Garden Party) killed in plane crash Dec 31, 1985
1940 Toni Tennille, singer (The Captain and Tenille)
1941 John Fred, singer (Judy in Disguise) died April 14, 2005
1943 Paul Samwell-Smith, bassist (The Yardbirds)
1944 Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd), singer (Rock And Roll Parts I & II)
1944 Captain Dale Dye, U.S. Marine/Hollywood consultant/actor (Saving Private Ryan)
1945 Keith Jarrett, pianist/composer
1951 Philip Bailey, singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1951 Chris Frantz, rock drummer (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club)
1953 Alex Van Halen, rock drummer (Van Halen)
1953 Billy Burnette, singer/guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
1954 David Keith, actor (The Great Santini, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1954 Stephen Furst, actor (Animal House)
1960 Eric Brittingham, rock bassist (Cinderella)
1964 Melissa Gilbert, actress (Little House on the Prairie)
1964 Dave Rowntree, rock drummer (Blur)
1969 Chad Rowan, first foreign sumo Yokozuna (Akebono)
1972 Darren Hayes, singer (Savage Garden)
1974 Korey Stringer, NFL lineman (Minnesota Vikings) died of a heat stroke in training camp Aug 1, 2001
1975 Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer (Rhythm Divine)
1978 Josie Maran, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1980 Kimberlee Peterson, actress (NCIS)
1985 Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian Women's hockey player (Olympic Gold medalist)
Today's Deaths in History
1819 Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii, dies at 61
1880 Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary) dies at 58
1903 Paul Gauguin, French painter, dies at 54
1952 William Fox, film producer (Fox Films) dies at 73
1967 LaVerne Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) dies at 55
1982 Neil Bogart, American record executive (Casablanca Records) dies at 39
1982 Gilles Villeneuve, Formula One race driver, dies in a crash during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at 32
1985 Dolph Sweet, actor (Dark Shadows) dies at 64
1988 Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction writer (Starship Troopers) dies at 80
1994 George Peppard, U.S. Marine/actor (The A-Team) dies at 65
1998 Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, banker/Watergate figure, dies at 85
1999 Dirk Bogarde, actor (The Servant) dies at 78
1999 Dana Plato, actress (Diff'rent Strokes) commits suicide at 34
2006 Iain MacMillan, Abbey Road photographer, dies at 67
2008 Eddy Arnold, country music star, dies at
Today in History
1541 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1794 Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France's Reign of Terror.
1846 The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in victory for Gen. Zachary Taylor's forces.
1861 Richmond, Virginia was named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
1877 The first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opened at Gilmore's Gardens in New York City.
1886 Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1944 The first eye bank was established, in New York City.
1945 President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that World War II had ended in Europe.
1958 Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1968 Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins in Oakland; he also drove in three of the Athletics' four runs.
1970 The Hard Hat riot occurred in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clashed with anti-war demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
1970 The album Let It Be by the Beatles was released.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon announced his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
1973 Militant American Indians who had held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrendered.
1978 David Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to the Son of Sam killings.
1982 Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve died in a crash during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.
1987 Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1999 The Citadel, South Carolina's formerly all-male military school, graduated its first female cadet.
Chart Toppers
1944
I Love You - Bing Crosby
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Easy on the Eyes - Eddy Arnold
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
Sixteen Reasons - Connie Stevens
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
Young Girl - The Union Gap
The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - Merle Haggard
1976
Welcome Back - John Sebastian
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
My Eyes Can Only See as Far as You - Charley Pride
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes - The Oak Ridge Boys
Quote of the Day
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
Philip K. Dick, author (1928 - 1982)
Today's Birthdays
1828 Jean Henri Dunant, author/philanthropist (founder of Red Cross Society) died Oct 30, 1910
1848 Oscar Hammerstein I, playwright/producer; died Aug 1, 1919
1884 Harry S Truman, "Give ’Em Hell Harry," 33rd U.S. President, died Dec 26, 1972
1906 Roberto Rossellini, director (Seven Deadly Sins, The Messiah) died June 3, 1977
1911 Robert Johnson, Blues Hall of Fame singer/songwriter/guitarist (Sweet Home Chicago) died Aug 16, 1938
1913 Bob Clampett, animator (Looney Tunes) died May 4, 1984
1919 Lex Barker (Alexander Crichlow Barker Jr.), actor (La Dolce Vita) died May 11, 1973
1926 Don Rickles, comedian/actor (CPO Sharkey, Kelly’s Heroes)
1932 (Charles) Sonny Liston, International Boxing Hall of Famer, died Dec 30, 1970
1940 Peter Benchley, author (Jaws, The Deep) died Feb 11, 2006
1940 Ricky (Eric Hilliard) Nelson, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer (Garden Party) killed in plane crash Dec 31, 1985
1940 Toni Tennille, singer (The Captain and Tenille)
1941 John Fred, singer (Judy in Disguise) died April 14, 2005
1943 Paul Samwell-Smith, bassist (The Yardbirds)
1944 Gary Glitter (Paul Gadd), singer (Rock And Roll Parts I & II)
1944 Captain Dale Dye, U.S. Marine/Hollywood consultant/actor (Saving Private Ryan)
1945 Keith Jarrett, pianist/composer
1951 Philip Bailey, singer (Earth, Wind & Fire)
1951 Chris Frantz, rock drummer (Talking Heads, Tom Tom Club)
1953 Alex Van Halen, rock drummer (Van Halen)
1953 Billy Burnette, singer/guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
1954 David Keith, actor (The Great Santini, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1954 Stephen Furst, actor (Animal House)
1960 Eric Brittingham, rock bassist (Cinderella)
1964 Melissa Gilbert, actress (Little House on the Prairie)
1964 Dave Rowntree, rock drummer (Blur)
1969 Chad Rowan, first foreign sumo Yokozuna (Akebono)
1972 Darren Hayes, singer (Savage Garden)
1974 Korey Stringer, NFL lineman (Minnesota Vikings) died of a heat stroke in training camp Aug 1, 2001
1975 Enrique Iglesias, Spanish singer (Rhythm Divine)
1978 Josie Maran, model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue)
1980 Kimberlee Peterson, actress (NCIS)
1985 Sarah Vaillancourt, Canadian Women's hockey player (Olympic Gold medalist)
Today's Deaths in History
1819 Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii, dies at 61
1880 Gustave Flaubert, French novelist (Madame Bovary) dies at 58
1903 Paul Gauguin, French painter, dies at 54
1952 William Fox, film producer (Fox Films) dies at 73
1967 LaVerne Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) dies at 55
1982 Neil Bogart, American record executive (Casablanca Records) dies at 39
1982 Gilles Villeneuve, Formula One race driver, dies in a crash during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix at 32
1985 Dolph Sweet, actor (Dark Shadows) dies at 64
1988 Robert A. Heinlein, science fiction writer (Starship Troopers) dies at 80
1994 George Peppard, U.S. Marine/actor (The A-Team) dies at 65
1998 Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, banker/Watergate figure, dies at 85
1999 Dirk Bogarde, actor (The Servant) dies at 78
1999 Dana Plato, actress (Diff'rent Strokes) commits suicide at 34
2006 Iain MacMillan, Abbey Road photographer, dies at 67
2008 Eddy Arnold, country music star, dies at
Today in History
1541 Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
1794 Antoine Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry, was executed on the guillotine during France's Reign of Terror.
1846 The first major battle of the Mexican War was fought at Palo Alto, Texas, resulting in victory for Gen. Zachary Taylor's forces.
1861 Richmond, Virginia was named the capital of the Confederate States of America.
1877 The first Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opened at Gilmore's Gardens in New York City.
1886 Atlanta pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invented the flavor syrup for Coca-Cola.
1944 The first eye bank was established, in New York City.
1945 President Harry S. Truman announced in a radio address that World War II had ended in Europe.
1958 Vice President Richard Nixon was shoved, stoned, booed and spat upon by anti-American protesters in Lima, Peru.
1968 Jim "Catfish" Hunter of the Oakland Athletics pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins in Oakland; he also drove in three of the Athletics' four runs.
1970 The Hard Hat riot occurred in the Wall Street area of New York City as blue-collar construction workers clashed with anti-war demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War.
1970 The album Let It Be by the Beatles was released.
1972 President Richard M. Nixon announced his order to place mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
1973 Militant American Indians who had held the South Dakota hamlet of Wounded Knee for 10 weeks surrendered.
1978 David Berkowitz pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn courtroom to the Son of Sam killings.
1982 Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve died in a crash during practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.
1987 Gary Hart, dogged by questions about his personal life, withdrew from the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
1999 The Citadel, South Carolina's formerly all-male military school, graduated its first female cadet.
Chart Toppers
1944
I Love You - Bing Crosby
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Easy on the Eyes - Eddy Arnold
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton
Sixteen Reasons - Connie Stevens
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
Young Girl - The Union Gap
The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde - Merle Haggard
1976
Welcome Back - John Sebastian
Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
My Eyes Can Only See as Far as You - Charley Pride
1984
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
I Guess It Never Hurts to Hurt Sometimes - The Oak Ridge Boys
Quote of the Day
Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
Philip K. Dick, author (1928 - 1982)
Today in History - May 9th
Today’s Birthdays
1800 John Brown, American abolitionist, tried for treason and hanged Dec 2, 1859
1860 J. M. Barrie, Scottish author (Peter Pan) died June 19, 1937
1882 Henry J. Kaiser, builder (Hoover Dam, Kaiser Shipyards) died Aug 24, 1967
1914 Hank Snow, country singer/songwriter (Hello Love) died Dec 20, 1999
1918 Mike Wallace, broadcast journalist (60 Minutes)
1920 Richard Adams, English author (Watership Down)
1928 Colin Chapman, English engineer/automobile manufacturer (Lotus)
1928 (Richard) Pancho Gonzales, U.S. Open Tennis Champion, died July 3, 1995
1931 Vance Brand, astronaut (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project)
1935 Nokie Edwards, guitarist (The Ventures)
1936 Albert Finney, actor (Murder on the Orient Express)
1936 Glenda Jackson, actress (A Touch of Class)
1937 Sonny Curtis, guitarist (Buddy Holly & the Crickets)
1937 David Prater, singer (Sam & Dave) died April 9, 1988
1940 James L. Brooks, film producer/writer (Terms of Endearment)
1941 Pete Birrell, bassist (Freddie & the Dreamers)
1942 John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General
1942 Tommy Roe, singer/songwriter (Dizzy)
1944 Richie Furay, rock singer/songwriter/guitarist (Poco, Buffalo Springfield)
1945 Steve Katz, producer/guitarist/harmonica/singer (Blood, Sweat and Tears)
1946 Candice Bergen, actress (Murphy Brown)
1946 Clint Holmes, singer/songwriter (Playground in My Mind)
1949 Billy Joel, singer/songwriter/pianist (Piano Man)
1950 Tom Petersson, bassist/singer (Cheap Trick)
1955 Kevin Peter Hall, actor (Predator, Harry & the Hendersons) died April 10, 1991
1956 Wendy Crewson, actress (The Santa Clause series)
1961 John Corbett, actor (Northern Exposure, My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
1962 David Gahan, singer (Depeche Mode)
1962 Paul Heaton, guitarist/singer (The Housemartins)
1970 Ghostface Killah, rapper
1971 Paul McGuigan, rock bassist (Oasis)
1977 Dan Regan, saxophonist (Reel Big Fish)
1979 Rosario Dawson, actress (Clerks II)
1982 Rachel Boston, actress (Grey's Anatomy, American Dreams)
1985 Audrina Patridge, TV personality (The Hills)
Today’s Deaths in History
1657 William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony, dies at 67
1914 C.W. Post, food manufacturer (Post cereals) dies at 59
1957 Ezio Pinza, Italian bass (South Pacific) dies at 64
1977 James Jones, writer (From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line) dies at 55
1978 Aldo Moro, Prime Minister of Italy, dies at 61
1985 Edmond O'Brien, actor (DOA) dies at 69
1986 Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese sherpa (Edmund Hillary & Mount Everest) dies at 72
1989 Keith Whitley, country music singer, dies at 33
1998 Alice Faye, actress (Fallen Angel) dies at 83
2001 James E. Myers, songwriter/producer (Rock Around the Clock) dies at 81
2002 Dan Devine, former NCAA and NFL head coach (Notre Dame, Gren Bay Packers) dies at 77
2004 Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen president assassinated at 52
2004 Alan King, comedian, dies at 76
Today in History
1502 Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere.
1868 The city of Reno, Nevada, was founded.
1901 Australia opened its first parliament in Melbourne.
1913 The 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the popular election of U.S. senators, was ratified.
1926 Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett became the first men to make an airplane flight over the North Pole.
1936 Italy annexed Ethiopia.
1941 The German submarine U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy; on board was the latest Enigma cryptography machine which Allied cryptographers later used to break coded German messages.
1955 Sam and Friends debuted on a local U.S. television channel, marking the first television appearance of both Jim Henson and what would become Kermit the Frog and the Muppets.
1960 The Food and Drug Administration approved use of a birth control pill.
1961 Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow condemned TV programming as a "vast wasteland" in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters.
1961 Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles became the first player in baseball history to hit grand slams in consecutive innings.
1974 The House Judiciary Committee opened hearings on whether to recommend the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.
1974 Bruce Springsteen performed a concert in Cambridge, Mass., that prompted rock critic Jon Landau to write, "I saw rock and roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen."
1978 The bullet-riddled body of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who'd been abducted by the Red Brigades, was found in an automobile in the center of Rome.
1994 South Africa's newly-elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president.
1994 Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire, was placed under quarantine after an outbreak of Ebola virus.
2000 Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards was convicted of extortion schemes to manipulate the licensing of riverboat casinos.
2002 Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening suspended executions in his state while a study was done on whether the death penalty was being meted out in a racially discriminatory way (Glendening's successor, Gov. Robert Ehrlich, lifted the moratorium seven months later).
2004 Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov and 23 other people were killed in a bombing in the capital Grozny.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
He’s Home for a Little While - Dinah Shore
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels
Hello Walls - Faron Young
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
Hair - The Cowsills
Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures
Hungry Eyes - Merle Haggard
1977
Hotel California - Eagles
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Play, Guitar Play - Conway Twitty
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
There’s No Way - Alabama
Quote of the Day
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Steven Wright, comedian (1955 - )
Today’s Birthdays
1800 John Brown, American abolitionist, tried for treason and hanged Dec 2, 1859
1860 J. M. Barrie, Scottish author (Peter Pan) died June 19, 1937
1882 Henry J. Kaiser, builder (Hoover Dam, Kaiser Shipyards) died Aug 24, 1967
1914 Hank Snow, country singer/songwriter (Hello Love) died Dec 20, 1999
1918 Mike Wallace, broadcast journalist (60 Minutes)
1920 Richard Adams, English author (Watership Down)
1928 Colin Chapman, English engineer/automobile manufacturer (Lotus)
1928 (Richard) Pancho Gonzales, U.S. Open Tennis Champion, died July 3, 1995
1931 Vance Brand, astronaut (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project)
1935 Nokie Edwards, guitarist (The Ventures)
1936 Albert Finney, actor (Murder on the Orient Express)
1936 Glenda Jackson, actress (A Touch of Class)
1937 Sonny Curtis, guitarist (Buddy Holly & the Crickets)
1937 David Prater, singer (Sam & Dave) died April 9, 1988
1940 James L. Brooks, film producer/writer (Terms of Endearment)
1941 Pete Birrell, bassist (Freddie & the Dreamers)
1942 John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General
1942 Tommy Roe, singer/songwriter (Dizzy)
1944 Richie Furay, rock singer/songwriter/guitarist (Poco, Buffalo Springfield)
1945 Steve Katz, producer/guitarist/harmonica/singer (Blood, Sweat and Tears)
1946 Candice Bergen, actress (Murphy Brown)
1946 Clint Holmes, singer/songwriter (Playground in My Mind)
1949 Billy Joel, singer/songwriter/pianist (Piano Man)
1950 Tom Petersson, bassist/singer (Cheap Trick)
1955 Kevin Peter Hall, actor (Predator, Harry & the Hendersons) died April 10, 1991
1956 Wendy Crewson, actress (The Santa Clause series)
1961 John Corbett, actor (Northern Exposure, My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
1962 David Gahan, singer (Depeche Mode)
1962 Paul Heaton, guitarist/singer (The Housemartins)
1970 Ghostface Killah, rapper
1971 Paul McGuigan, rock bassist (Oasis)
1977 Dan Regan, saxophonist (Reel Big Fish)
1979 Rosario Dawson, actress (Clerks II)
1982 Rachel Boston, actress (Grey's Anatomy, American Dreams)
1985 Audrina Patridge, TV personality (The Hills)
Today’s Deaths in History
1657 William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony, dies at 67
1914 C.W. Post, food manufacturer (Post cereals) dies at 59
1957 Ezio Pinza, Italian bass (South Pacific) dies at 64
1977 James Jones, writer (From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line) dies at 55
1978 Aldo Moro, Prime Minister of Italy, dies at 61
1985 Edmond O'Brien, actor (DOA) dies at 69
1986 Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese sherpa (Edmund Hillary & Mount Everest) dies at 72
1989 Keith Whitley, country music singer, dies at 33
1998 Alice Faye, actress (Fallen Angel) dies at 83
2001 James E. Myers, songwriter/producer (Rock Around the Clock) dies at 81
2002 Dan Devine, former NCAA and NFL head coach (Notre Dame, Gren Bay Packers) dies at 77
2004 Akhmad Kadyrov, Chechen president assassinated at 52
2004 Alan King, comedian, dies at 76
Today in History
1502 Christopher Columbus left Cadiz, Spain, on his fourth and final trip to the Western Hemisphere.
1868 The city of Reno, Nevada, was founded.
1901 Australia opened its first parliament in Melbourne.
1913 The 17th amendment to the Constitution, providing for the popular election of U.S. senators, was ratified.
1926 Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett became the first men to make an airplane flight over the North Pole.
1936 Italy annexed Ethiopia.
1941 The German submarine U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy; on board was the latest Enigma cryptography machine which Allied cryptographers later used to break coded German messages.
1955 Sam and Friends debuted on a local U.S. television channel, marking the first television appearance of both Jim Henson and what would become Kermit the Frog and the Muppets.
1960 The Food and Drug Administration approved use of a birth control pill.
1961 Federal Communications Commission chairman Newton N. Minow condemned TV programming as a "vast wasteland" in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters.
1961 Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles became the first player in baseball history to hit grand slams in consecutive innings.
1974 The House Judiciary Committee opened hearings on whether to recommend the impeachment of President Richard Nixon.
1974 Bruce Springsteen performed a concert in Cambridge, Mass., that prompted rock critic Jon Landau to write, "I saw rock and roll future and it's name is Bruce Springsteen."
1978 The bullet-riddled body of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who'd been abducted by the Red Brigades, was found in an automobile in the center of Rome.
1994 South Africa's newly-elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president.
1994 Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire, was placed under quarantine after an outbreak of Ebola virus.
2000 Former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards was convicted of extortion schemes to manipulate the licensing of riverboat casinos.
2002 Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening suspended executions in his state while a study was done on whether the death penalty was being meted out in a racially discriminatory way (Glendening's successor, Gov. Robert Ehrlich, lifted the moratorium seven months later).
2004 Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov and 23 other people were killed in a bombing in the capital Grozny.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
He’s Home for a Little While - Dinah Shore
Smoke on the Water - Bob Wills
1953
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
I Believe - Frankie Laine
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels
Hello Walls - Faron Young
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
Hair - The Cowsills
Hawaii Five-O - The Ventures
Hungry Eyes - Merle Haggard
1977
Hotel California - Eagles
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Play, Guitar Play - Conway Twitty
1985
We are the World - USA for Africa
Crazy for You - Madonna
Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
There’s No Way - Alabama
Quote of the Day
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.
Steven Wright, comedian (1955 - )
Today in History - May 10th
Today’s Birthdays
1760 Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French composer (La Marseillaise) died June 26, 1836
1838 John Wilkes Booth, actor/assassin (Abraham Lincoln) died April 26, 1865
1850 Thomas Lipton, founder (Lipton Tea Co.) died Oct 2, 1931
1899 Fred Astaire, dancer/actor (Daddy Long legs) died June 22, 1987
1902 David O. Selznick, film producer (Gone With the Wind) died June 22, 1965
1909 Maybelle Carter, country singer (mother of June Carter Cash) died Oct 23, 1978
1915 Denis Thatcher, British businessman/husband of Margaret Thatcher
1922 Nancy Walker (Ann Myrtle Swoyer), actress (McMillan and Wife) died Mar 25, 1992
1930 Pat Summerall, sports broadcaster (CBS, Fox, ESPN)
1930 Scott Muni, Disc Jockey (Beatles) died Sept 28, 2004
1936 Gary Owens, actor/announcer (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In)
1938 Henry Fambrough, singer (Spinners)
1941 Danny Rapp, singer (Danny & the Juniors)
1944 Jim Abrahams, film director (Naked Gun series)
1946 Donovan, Scottish singer (Hurdy Gurdy Man, Mellow Yellow)
1946 Dave Mason, guitarist/singer (Traffic)
1946 Graham Gouldman, guitarist/bassist/songwriter (10cc)
1947 Jay (John) Ferguson, singer (Spirit)
1951 Ron Banks, R&B singer (The Dramatics)
1955 Chris Berman, sportscaster (ESPN)
1955 Mark David Chapman, assassin (John Lennon)
1957 Sid Vicious, punk bassist (The Sex Pistols) died February 2, 1979
1960 Bono, Irish rock singer (U2)
1960 Victoria Rowell, actress (Diagnosis: Murder)
1961 Danny Carey, rock drummer (Tool)
1963 Lisa Nowak, former astronaut (attempted to kidnap U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman)
1965 Linda Evangelista, supermodel
1965 Krist Novoselic, rock guitarist (Nirvana)
1967 Young MC, rapper (Bust a Move)
1968 Eric Palladino, actor (ER, Over There)
1970 Gina Phillips, actress (Hawaii)
1973 Dario Franchitti, IRL race driver/Mr. Ashley Judd
1975 Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian IRL driver/TV personality (Dancing with the Stars)
1975 Andrea Anders, actress (The Class)
1976 Rhona Bennett, singer (En Vogue)
1978 Kenan Thompson, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Snakes on a Plane)
Today’s Deaths in History
1566 Leonhart Fuchs, German botanist (co-founder of botany) dies at 65
1774 King Louis XV of France dies at 64
1818 Paul Revere, American patriot, dies at 83
1863 Stonewall Jackson, Confederate general, dies at 39 after being accidentally being shot by his own men
1968 Scotty Beckett, child actor (Our Gang) dies at 38
1977 Joan Crawford, actress (Mildred Pierce, Caged) dies at 73
1989 Woody Shaw, jazz trumpeter/composer, dies at 44
1990 Susan Oliver, actress (Star Trek) dies at 58
1994 John Wayne Gacy, serial killer, is executed at 52 for the rape and murder of 33 boys
1999 Shel Silverstein, poet/composer (Where the Sidewalk Ends) dies at 68
2000 Bart the Bear, animal actor (The Edge, Legends of the Fall) dies at 23
2001 Deborah Walley, actress (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) dies at 57
2005 David Wayne, rock singer (Metal Church) dies at 47 after a car crash
2006 A.M. Rosenthal, newspaper editor (New York Daily News) dies at 84
Today in History
1503 Christopher Columbus visited the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there.
1774 Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.
1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.
1865 Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.
1869 A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
1872 Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States.
1908 The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia.
1924 J. Edgar Hoover became director of the FBI, a job he held until his death in 1972.
1933 The Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.
1940 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.
1941 Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.
1954 Bill Haley & His Comets released "Rock Around the Clock," the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the charts.
1960 The nuclear submarine USS Triton completed the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth.
1968 Preliminary Vietnam peace talks began in Paris.
1970 The Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1941 when Bobby Orr scored the winning goal in overtime followed by a leap in the air that would become one of the most famous photographs in ice hockey.
1994 The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
1997 An earthquake in northeastern Iran killed at least 2,400 people.
2002 A 39-day standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ended with 13 suspected militants flown into European exile and 26 released into the Gaza Strip.
2002 FBI agent Robert Hanssen was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for selling U.S. secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
2003 The New York Times announced that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud."
2005 Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial.
2005 A hand grenade allegedly thrown by Vladimir Arutinian landed about 65 feet from President George W. Bush while he was giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctioned and did not detonate.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Shoo Fly Pie - The Stan Kenton Orchestra (vocal: June Christy)
One-zy, Two-zy - Phil Harris
New Spanish Two Step - Bob Wills
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Little Things Mean a Lot - Kitty Kallen
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Soldier Boy - The Shirelles
Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp
Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
American Woman/No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who
Vehicle - The Ides of March
Love or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends of Distinction
The Pool Shark - Dave Dudley
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
The Closer I Get to You - Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway
It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right - Dolly Parton
1986
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
Why Can’t This Be Love - Van Halen
Grandpa (Tell Me ’bout the Good Old Days) - The Judds
Quote of the Day
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
David T. Wolf (1943 - )
Today’s Birthdays
1760 Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, French composer (La Marseillaise) died June 26, 1836
1838 John Wilkes Booth, actor/assassin (Abraham Lincoln) died April 26, 1865
1850 Thomas Lipton, founder (Lipton Tea Co.) died Oct 2, 1931
1899 Fred Astaire, dancer/actor (Daddy Long legs) died June 22, 1987
1902 David O. Selznick, film producer (Gone With the Wind) died June 22, 1965
1909 Maybelle Carter, country singer (mother of June Carter Cash) died Oct 23, 1978
1915 Denis Thatcher, British businessman/husband of Margaret Thatcher
1922 Nancy Walker (Ann Myrtle Swoyer), actress (McMillan and Wife) died Mar 25, 1992
1930 Pat Summerall, sports broadcaster (CBS, Fox, ESPN)
1930 Scott Muni, Disc Jockey (Beatles) died Sept 28, 2004
1936 Gary Owens, actor/announcer (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In)
1938 Henry Fambrough, singer (Spinners)
1941 Danny Rapp, singer (Danny & the Juniors)
1944 Jim Abrahams, film director (Naked Gun series)
1946 Donovan, Scottish singer (Hurdy Gurdy Man, Mellow Yellow)
1946 Dave Mason, guitarist/singer (Traffic)
1946 Graham Gouldman, guitarist/bassist/songwriter (10cc)
1947 Jay (John) Ferguson, singer (Spirit)
1951 Ron Banks, R&B singer (The Dramatics)
1955 Chris Berman, sportscaster (ESPN)
1955 Mark David Chapman, assassin (John Lennon)
1957 Sid Vicious, punk bassist (The Sex Pistols) died February 2, 1979
1960 Bono, Irish rock singer (U2)
1960 Victoria Rowell, actress (Diagnosis: Murder)
1961 Danny Carey, rock drummer (Tool)
1963 Lisa Nowak, former astronaut (attempted to kidnap U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman)
1965 Linda Evangelista, supermodel
1965 Krist Novoselic, rock guitarist (Nirvana)
1967 Young MC, rapper (Bust a Move)
1968 Eric Palladino, actor (ER, Over There)
1970 Gina Phillips, actress (Hawaii)
1973 Dario Franchitti, IRL race driver/Mr. Ashley Judd
1975 Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian IRL driver/TV personality (Dancing with the Stars)
1975 Andrea Anders, actress (The Class)
1976 Rhona Bennett, singer (En Vogue)
1978 Kenan Thompson, actor/comedian (Saturday Night Live, Snakes on a Plane)
Today’s Deaths in History
1566 Leonhart Fuchs, German botanist (co-founder of botany) dies at 65
1774 King Louis XV of France dies at 64
1818 Paul Revere, American patriot, dies at 83
1863 Stonewall Jackson, Confederate general, dies at 39 after being accidentally being shot by his own men
1968 Scotty Beckett, child actor (Our Gang) dies at 38
1977 Joan Crawford, actress (Mildred Pierce, Caged) dies at 73
1989 Woody Shaw, jazz trumpeter/composer, dies at 44
1990 Susan Oliver, actress (Star Trek) dies at 58
1994 John Wayne Gacy, serial killer, is executed at 52 for the rape and murder of 33 boys
1999 Shel Silverstein, poet/composer (Where the Sidewalk Ends) dies at 68
2000 Bart the Bear, animal actor (The Edge, Legends of the Fall) dies at 23
2001 Deborah Walley, actress (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) dies at 57
2005 David Wayne, rock singer (Metal Church) dies at 47 after a car crash
2006 A.M. Rosenthal, newspaper editor (New York Daily News) dies at 84
Today in History
1503 Christopher Columbus visited the Cayman Islands and named them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there.
1774 Louis XVI ascended the throne of France.
1775 Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y.
1865 Union forces captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irwinville, Ga.
1869 A golden spike was driven at Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.
1872 Victoria Woodhull became the first woman nominated for President of the United States.
1908 The first Mother's Day observance took place during church services in Grafton, W.Va., and Philadelphia.
1924 J. Edgar Hoover became director of the FBI, a job he held until his death in 1972.
1933 The Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.
1940 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned, and Winston Churchill formed a new government.
1941 Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.
1954 Bill Haley & His Comets released "Rock Around the Clock," the first rock and roll record to reach number one on the charts.
1960 The nuclear submarine USS Triton completed the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth.
1968 Preliminary Vietnam peace talks began in Paris.
1970 The Boston Bruins won their first Stanley Cup since 1941 when Bobby Orr scored the winning goal in overtime followed by a leap in the air that would become one of the most famous photographs in ice hockey.
1994 The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.
1997 An earthquake in northeastern Iran killed at least 2,400 people.
2002 A 39-day standoff between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ended with 13 suspected militants flown into European exile and 26 released into the Gaza Strip.
2002 FBI agent Robert Hanssen was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole for selling U.S. secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
2003 The New York Times announced that one of its reporters, Jayson Blair, had "committed frequent acts of journalistic fraud."
2005 Germany dedicated a national Holocaust memorial.
2005 A hand grenade allegedly thrown by Vladimir Arutinian landed about 65 feet from President George W. Bush while he was giving a speech to a crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia, but it malfunctioned and did not detonate.
Chart Toppers
1946
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Shoo Fly Pie - The Stan Kenton Orchestra (vocal: June Christy)
One-zy, Two-zy - Phil Harris
New Spanish Two Step - Bob Wills
1954
Wanted - Perry Como
Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
Little Things Mean a Lot - Kitty Kallen
Slowly - Webb Pierce
1962
Soldier Boy - The Shirelles
Mashed Potato Time - Dee Dee Sharp
Stranger on the Shore - Mr. Acker Bilk
Charlie’s Shoes - Billy Walker
1970
American Woman/No Sugar Tonight - The Guess Who
Vehicle - The Ides of March
Love or Let Me Be Lonely - The Friends of Distinction
The Pool Shark - Dave Dudley
1978
Night Fever - Bee Gees
If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
The Closer I Get to You - Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway
It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right - Dolly Parton
1986
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys
Greatest Love of All - Whitney Houston
Why Can’t This Be Love - Van Halen
Grandpa (Tell Me ’bout the Good Old Days) - The Judds
Quote of the Day
Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows.
David T. Wolf (1943 - )
Today in History - May 11th
Today’s Birthdays
1811 Chang and Eng Bunker, famous conjoined twins, died Jan 17, 1874
1875 Harriet Quimby, aviator (first woman to receive pilot's license) died July 1, 1912
1888 Irving Berlin (Israel Baline), composer (God Bless America, White Christmas) died Sept 22, 1989
1894 Martha Graham, modern dancer/choreographer, died Apr 1, 1991
1904 Salvadore (Felipe Jacinto) Dalí (y Domenech), surrealist artist, died Jan 23, 1989
1911 Phil Silvers (Philip Silversmith), comedian/actor (Sgt. Bilko) died Nov 1, 1985
1912 Foster Brooks, comedian/actor (Mork & Mindy) died Dec 20, 2001
1918 Richard Feynman, physicist/Nobel Prize laureate (atomic bomb) died Feb 15, 1988
1920 Denver Pyle, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) died Dec 25, 1997
1927 Mort Sahl, comedian/actor (Don’t Make Waves)
1932 Valentino (Garavani), fashion designer
1933 Louis Farrakhan, Black Muslim leader
1935 Doug McClure, actor (Shenandoah) died Feb 5, 1995
1941 Eric Burdon, singer (War, The Animals)
1943 Les (John) Chadwick, bassist (Gerry & the Pacemakers)
1946 Robert Jarvik, physician/inventor (Jarvik 7 artificial heart)
1947 Butch Trucks, drummer (The Allman Brothers Band)
1952 Shohreh Aghdashloo, actress (House of Sand and Fog)
1958 Christian Brando, actor/eldest child of Marlon Brando, died January 26, 2008
1959 Martha Quinn, television personality (MTV VJ)
1963 Natasha Richardson, actress (Widow’s Peak, Nell)
1965 Greg Dulli, singer (The Afghan Whigs)
1966 Christoph Schneider, drummer (Rammstein)
1966 Nancy Hower, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
1970 Nicky Katt, actor (Dazed & Confused, Grindhouse)
1975 Coby Bell, actor (Third Watch)
1978 Laetitia Casta, supermodel/actress
1982 Jonathan Jackson, actor (Tuck Everlasting)
1983 Holly Valance, actress/singer (DOA: Dead or Alive)
Today’s Deaths in History
1960 John D. Rockefeller, Jr., philanthropist, dies at 86
1970 Johnny Hodges, Jazz saxophonist (Duke Ellington) dies at 62
1973 Lex Barker, actor (Tarzan) dies at 54
1979 Barbara Hutton, former Mrs. Cary Grant, dies at 66
1979 Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician (Flatt & Scruggs) dies at 64
1981 Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae singer/musician, dies at 36
1985 Chester Gould, cartoonist (Dick Tracy) dies at 1984
1988 Kim Philby, British intelligence officer/KGB spy, dies at 76
2001 Douglas Adams, author (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series) dies at 49
2003 Noel Redding, rock bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), dies at 57
2004 John Whitehead, R&B singer (McFadden & Whitehead) dies at 54
2006 Floyd Patterson, champion boxer (youngest to win the heavyweight title) dies at 71
2006 Frankie Thomas, actor (Tom Corbett: Space Cadet) dies at 85
Today in History
1310 54 members of the Knights Templar were burned at the stake in France for being heretics.
1647 Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor.
1858 Minnesota became the 32nd state.
1864 Confederate General JEB Stuart was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia.
1894 Workers at the Pullman Palace Car Co. in Illinois went on strike; the job action spread and crippled railroad service nationwide before the federal government intervened to end the strike in July.
1910 Glacier National Park in Montana was established.
1924 Mercedes-Benz was formed when Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged the two companies.
1942 William Faulkner's collections of short stories, Go Down, Moses, was published.
1944 Allied forces launched a major offensive in central Italy.
1946 The first CARE packages for Europe arrived at Le Havre, France.
1947 The B.F. Goodrich Co. of Akron, Ohio, announced the development of a tubeless tire.
1949 Israel was admitted to the United Nations.
1949 Siam changed its named to Thailand.
1960 Four Israeli Mossad agents captured fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann, living in Buenos Aires under the assumed name Ricardo Klement.
1973 Charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the Pentagon Papers case were dismissed by a judge who cited government misconduct.
1985 A flash fire swept through a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England, killing 55 people.
1996 An Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.
1997 The Deep Blue IBM computer defeated Garry Kasparov to win a six-game chess match between man and machine in New York.
1998 India set off three underground atomic blasts, its first nuclear tests in 24 years.
1998 A French mint produced the first coins of Europe's single currency, the euro.
2002 The New England Patriots opened Gillette Stadium.
2004 A video on an al-Qaida-linked Web site showed the beheading of American hostage Nicholas Berg, who had been kidnapped in Iraq.
2007 North and South Korea adopted a military agreement, enabling the first train crossing of their border in more than half a century.
Chart Toppers
1947
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) - Red Foley
1955
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
Honey-Babe - Art Mooney
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary
If You Wanna Be Happy - Jimmy Soul
Lonesome 7-7203 - Hawkshaw Hawkins
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
I Am...I Said - Neil Diamond
How Much More Can She Stand - Conway Twitty
1979
Reunited - Peaches & Herb
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
Stumblin’ In - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
Backside of Thirty - John Conlee
1987
(I Just) Died in Your Arms - Cutting Crew
Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley
With or Without You - U2
The Moon is Still Over Her Shoulder - Michael Johnson
Quote of the Day
I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.
Bethania McKenstry
Today’s Birthdays
1811 Chang and Eng Bunker, famous conjoined twins, died Jan 17, 1874
1875 Harriet Quimby, aviator (first woman to receive pilot's license) died July 1, 1912
1888 Irving Berlin (Israel Baline), composer (God Bless America, White Christmas) died Sept 22, 1989
1894 Martha Graham, modern dancer/choreographer, died Apr 1, 1991
1904 Salvadore (Felipe Jacinto) Dalí (y Domenech), surrealist artist, died Jan 23, 1989
1911 Phil Silvers (Philip Silversmith), comedian/actor (Sgt. Bilko) died Nov 1, 1985
1912 Foster Brooks, comedian/actor (Mork & Mindy) died Dec 20, 2001
1918 Richard Feynman, physicist/Nobel Prize laureate (atomic bomb) died Feb 15, 1988
1920 Denver Pyle, actor (The Dukes of Hazzard) died Dec 25, 1997
1927 Mort Sahl, comedian/actor (Don’t Make Waves)
1932 Valentino (Garavani), fashion designer
1933 Louis Farrakhan, Black Muslim leader
1935 Doug McClure, actor (Shenandoah) died Feb 5, 1995
1941 Eric Burdon, singer (War, The Animals)
1943 Les (John) Chadwick, bassist (Gerry & the Pacemakers)
1946 Robert Jarvik, physician/inventor (Jarvik 7 artificial heart)
1947 Butch Trucks, drummer (The Allman Brothers Band)
1952 Shohreh Aghdashloo, actress (House of Sand and Fog)
1958 Christian Brando, actor/eldest child of Marlon Brando, died January 26, 2008
1959 Martha Quinn, television personality (MTV VJ)
1963 Natasha Richardson, actress (Widow’s Peak, Nell)
1965 Greg Dulli, singer (The Afghan Whigs)
1966 Christoph Schneider, drummer (Rammstein)
1966 Nancy Hower, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
1970 Nicky Katt, actor (Dazed & Confused, Grindhouse)
1975 Coby Bell, actor (Third Watch)
1978 Laetitia Casta, supermodel/actress
1982 Jonathan Jackson, actor (Tuck Everlasting)
1983 Holly Valance, actress/singer (DOA: Dead or Alive)
Today’s Deaths in History
1960 John D. Rockefeller, Jr., philanthropist, dies at 86
1970 Johnny Hodges, Jazz saxophonist (Duke Ellington) dies at 62
1973 Lex Barker, actor (Tarzan) dies at 54
1979 Barbara Hutton, former Mrs. Cary Grant, dies at 66
1979 Lester Flatt, bluegrass musician (Flatt & Scruggs) dies at 64
1981 Bob Marley, Jamaican reggae singer/musician, dies at 36
1985 Chester Gould, cartoonist (Dick Tracy) dies at 1984
1988 Kim Philby, British intelligence officer/KGB spy, dies at 76
2001 Douglas Adams, author (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series) dies at 49
2003 Noel Redding, rock bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), dies at 57
2004 John Whitehead, R&B singer (McFadden & Whitehead) dies at 54
2006 Floyd Patterson, champion boxer (youngest to win the heavyweight title) dies at 71
2006 Frankie Thomas, actor (Tom Corbett: Space Cadet) dies at 85
Today in History
1310 54 members of the Knights Templar were burned at the stake in France for being heretics.
1647 Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor.
1858 Minnesota became the 32nd state.
1864 Confederate General JEB Stuart was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, Virginia.
1894 Workers at the Pullman Palace Car Co. in Illinois went on strike; the job action spread and crippled railroad service nationwide before the federal government intervened to end the strike in July.
1910 Glacier National Park in Montana was established.
1924 Mercedes-Benz was formed when Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz merged the two companies.
1942 William Faulkner's collections of short stories, Go Down, Moses, was published.
1944 Allied forces launched a major offensive in central Italy.
1946 The first CARE packages for Europe arrived at Le Havre, France.
1947 The B.F. Goodrich Co. of Akron, Ohio, announced the development of a tubeless tire.
1949 Israel was admitted to the United Nations.
1949 Siam changed its named to Thailand.
1960 Four Israeli Mossad agents captured fugitive Nazi Adolf Eichmann, living in Buenos Aires under the assumed name Ricardo Klement.
1973 Charges against Daniel Ellsberg for his role in the Pentagon Papers case were dismissed by a judge who cited government misconduct.
1985 A flash fire swept through a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England, killing 55 people.
1996 An Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board.
1997 The Deep Blue IBM computer defeated Garry Kasparov to win a six-game chess match between man and machine in New York.
1998 India set off three underground atomic blasts, its first nuclear tests in 24 years.
1998 A French mint produced the first coins of Europe's single currency, the euro.
2002 The New England Patriots opened Gillette Stadium.
2004 A video on an al-Qaida-linked Web site showed the beheading of American hostage Nicholas Berg, who had been kidnapped in Iraq.
2007 North and South Korea adopted a military agreement, enabling the first train crossing of their border in more than half a century.
Chart Toppers
1947
Linda - Buddy Clark with the Ray Noble Orchestra
Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orchestra (whistler: Elmo Tanner)
The Anniversary Song - Dinah Shore
New Jolie Blonde (New Pretty Blonde) - Red Foley
1955
Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White - Perez Prado
Unchained Melody - Les Baxter
Honey-Babe - Art Mooney
In the Jailhouse Now - Webb Pierce
1963
I Will Follow Him - Little Peggy March
Puff the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul & Mary
If You Wanna Be Happy - Jimmy Soul
Lonesome 7-7203 - Hawkshaw Hawkins
1971
Joy to the World - Three Dog Night
Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson 5
I Am...I Said - Neil Diamond
How Much More Can She Stand - Conway Twitty
1979
Reunited - Peaches & Herb
Music Box Dancer - Frank Mills
Stumblin’ In - Suzi Quatro & Chris Norman
Backside of Thirty - John Conlee
1987
(I Just) Died in Your Arms - Cutting Crew
Looking for a New Love - Jody Watley
With or Without You - U2
The Moon is Still Over Her Shoulder - Michael Johnson
Quote of the Day
I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side -- I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.
Bethania McKenstry
Today in History - May 12th
Today’s Birthdays
1812 Edward Lear, illustrator/poet (Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense) died June 29, 1888
1820 Florence Nightingale, nurse/author (Notes on Nursing) died Aug 13, 1910
1828 Dante Rossetti, poet/artist (The Annunciation) died Apr 9, 1882
1850 Henry Cabot Lodge, statesman, died Nov 9, 1924
1907 Katharine Hepburn, actress (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, On Golden Pond, The African Queen) died June 29, 2003
1912 Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General/special prosecutor (Watergate) died May 29, 2004
1914 Howard K. (Kingsbury) Smith, journalist/TV anchorman (ABC News) died Feb 15, 2002
1915 Mary Kay Ash, founder (Mary Kay Cosmetics) died November 22, 2001
1918 Julius Rosenberg, convicted spy, executed June 19, 1953
1925 Yogi (Lawrence Peter) Berra, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (NY Yankees, NY Mets)
1928 Burt Bacharach, composer (Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head)
1936 Tom Snyder, broadcast journalist (The Late Show with Tom Snyder, Tomorrow) died July 29, 2007
1937 George Carlin, actor/comedian (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)
1938 Millie Perkins, actress (Ensign Pulver)
1939 Ronald L. Ziegler, journalist/Press Secretary (President Richard M. Nixon) died Feb 10, 2003
1942 Ian Dury singer (Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) died Mar 27, 2000
1942 Billy Swan, songwriter/singer (I Can Help)
1943 David Walker, guitarist (Gary Lewis & The Playboys)
1945 Ian McLagan, keyboardist (The Faces)
1948 Lindsay Crouse, actress (Places in the Heart, Slap Shot)
1948 Steve Winwood, keyboardist/singer (Blind Faith, Traffic, Spencer Davis Group)
1950 Bruce Boxleitner, actor (Scarecrow and Mrs. King)
1950 Billy Squier, singer/guitarist (Everybody Wants You, The Stroke)
1950 Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor (The Usual Suspects, A Simple Twist of Fate)
1956 Greg Phillinganes, keyboardist (Toto)
1958 Kim Greist, actress (Throw Momma from the Train)
1958 Eric Singer, rock drummer (KISS, Alice Cooper)
1959 Ving Rhames, actor (Pulp Fiction)
1961 Billy Duffy, guitarist (The Cult)
1962 Emilio Estevez, actor (Breakfast Club, Mighty Ducks series)
1962 Brett Gurewitz, songwriter/producer (Bad Religion)
1962 April Grace, actress (Lost)
1963 Vanessa A. Williams, actress (Soul Food)
1963 Deborah Kara Unger, actress (The Game, Payback)
1966 Stephen Baldwin, actor (The Usual Suspects)
1967 Paul D'Amour, bassist (Tool)
1968 Tony Hawk, skateboard champion
1969 Kim Fields, actress (The Facts of Life, Living Single)
1970 Samantha Mathis, actress (Broken Arrow, American Psycho)
1978 Jason Biggs, actor (American Pie series)
1978 Amy Sloan, actress (Gilmore Girls)
1984 Cheryl Burke, ballroom dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1986 Emily VanCamp, actress (Everwood)
1992 Malcolm David Kelley, actor (Lost)
Today’s Deaths in History
1864 J. E. B. Stuart, Confederate Army general, dies at 31
1889 John Cadbury, English chocolate entrepreneur, dies at 87
1957 Erich von Stroheim, film director/actor (Sunset Boulevard) dies at 71
1992 Robert Reed, actor (Brady Bunch) dies at 59 of AIDS-related cancer
2000 Adam Petty, NASCAR driver, dies at 19 in a crash during race practice
2001 Perry Como, singer, dies at 88
2001 Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer, dies at 75
Today in History
1870 Manitoba entered the confederation as a Canadian province.
1932 The body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was found in a wooded area of Hopewell, N.J.
1937 Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrendered during World War II.
1949 The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin blockade.
1962 Douglas MacArthur delivered his famous "Duty, Honor, Country" valedictory speech at the United States Military Academy.
1965 West Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations.
1967 At Queen Elizabeth Hall in England, Pink Floyd staged the first-ever quadraphonic rock concert.
1970 The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Harry A. Blackmun as a Supreme Court justice.
1972 The album Exile on Main St. by the Rolling Stones was released.
1975 The Cambodian navy seized the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez in international waters.
1982 Security guards in Fatima, Portugal, overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who was trying to reach Pope John Paul II.
1992 Four suspects were arrested in the beating of trucker Reginald Denny at the start of the Los Angeles riots.
2002 Jimmy Carter became the first present or former U.S. president to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.
2003 Suicide bombers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 26 people, including nine U.S. citizens.
2003 Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers brought the Texas House to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Hello Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Do You Want to Know a Secret - The Beatles
My Guy - Mary Wells
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Betcha By Golly, Wow - The Stylistics
Grandma Harp - Merle Haggard
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Lost in Love - Air Supply
Beneath Still Waters - Emmylou Harris
1988
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
Anything for You - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole
Cry, Cry, Cry - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.
Robert E. Lee, Confederate general (1807 - 1870)
Today’s Birthdays
1812 Edward Lear, illustrator/poet (Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense) died June 29, 1888
1820 Florence Nightingale, nurse/author (Notes on Nursing) died Aug 13, 1910
1828 Dante Rossetti, poet/artist (The Annunciation) died Apr 9, 1882
1850 Henry Cabot Lodge, statesman, died Nov 9, 1924
1907 Katharine Hepburn, actress (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, On Golden Pond, The African Queen) died June 29, 2003
1912 Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General/special prosecutor (Watergate) died May 29, 2004
1914 Howard K. (Kingsbury) Smith, journalist/TV anchorman (ABC News) died Feb 15, 2002
1915 Mary Kay Ash, founder (Mary Kay Cosmetics) died November 22, 2001
1918 Julius Rosenberg, convicted spy, executed June 19, 1953
1925 Yogi (Lawrence Peter) Berra, Baseball Hall of Fame catcher/manager (NY Yankees, NY Mets)
1928 Burt Bacharach, composer (Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head)
1936 Tom Snyder, broadcast journalist (The Late Show with Tom Snyder, Tomorrow) died July 29, 2007
1937 George Carlin, actor/comedian (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)
1938 Millie Perkins, actress (Ensign Pulver)
1939 Ronald L. Ziegler, journalist/Press Secretary (President Richard M. Nixon) died Feb 10, 2003
1942 Ian Dury singer (Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) died Mar 27, 2000
1942 Billy Swan, songwriter/singer (I Can Help)
1943 David Walker, guitarist (Gary Lewis & The Playboys)
1945 Ian McLagan, keyboardist (The Faces)
1948 Lindsay Crouse, actress (Places in the Heart, Slap Shot)
1948 Steve Winwood, keyboardist/singer (Blind Faith, Traffic, Spencer Davis Group)
1950 Bruce Boxleitner, actor (Scarecrow and Mrs. King)
1950 Billy Squier, singer/guitarist (Everybody Wants You, The Stroke)
1950 Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor (The Usual Suspects, A Simple Twist of Fate)
1956 Greg Phillinganes, keyboardist (Toto)
1958 Kim Greist, actress (Throw Momma from the Train)
1958 Eric Singer, rock drummer (KISS, Alice Cooper)
1959 Ving Rhames, actor (Pulp Fiction)
1961 Billy Duffy, guitarist (The Cult)
1962 Emilio Estevez, actor (Breakfast Club, Mighty Ducks series)
1962 Brett Gurewitz, songwriter/producer (Bad Religion)
1962 April Grace, actress (Lost)
1963 Vanessa A. Williams, actress (Soul Food)
1963 Deborah Kara Unger, actress (The Game, Payback)
1966 Stephen Baldwin, actor (The Usual Suspects)
1967 Paul D'Amour, bassist (Tool)
1968 Tony Hawk, skateboard champion
1969 Kim Fields, actress (The Facts of Life, Living Single)
1970 Samantha Mathis, actress (Broken Arrow, American Psycho)
1978 Jason Biggs, actor (American Pie series)
1978 Amy Sloan, actress (Gilmore Girls)
1984 Cheryl Burke, ballroom dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1986 Emily VanCamp, actress (Everwood)
1992 Malcolm David Kelley, actor (Lost)
Today’s Deaths in History
1864 J. E. B. Stuart, Confederate Army general, dies at 31
1889 John Cadbury, English chocolate entrepreneur, dies at 87
1957 Erich von Stroheim, film director/actor (Sunset Boulevard) dies at 71
1992 Robert Reed, actor (Brady Bunch) dies at 59 of AIDS-related cancer
2000 Adam Petty, NASCAR driver, dies at 19 in a crash during race practice
2001 Perry Como, singer, dies at 88
2001 Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer, dies at 75
Today in History
1870 Manitoba entered the confederation as a Canadian province.
1932 The body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was found in a wooded area of Hopewell, N.J.
1937 Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrendered during World War II.
1949 The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin blockade.
1962 Douglas MacArthur delivered his famous "Duty, Honor, Country" valedictory speech at the United States Military Academy.
1965 West Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations.
1967 At Queen Elizabeth Hall in England, Pink Floyd staged the first-ever quadraphonic rock concert.
1970 The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Harry A. Blackmun as a Supreme Court justice.
1972 The album Exile on Main St. by the Rolling Stones was released.
1975 The Cambodian navy seized the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez in international waters.
1982 Security guards in Fatima, Portugal, overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who was trying to reach Pope John Paul II.
1992 Four suspects were arrested in the beating of trucker Reginald Denny at the start of the Los Angeles riots.
2002 Jimmy Carter became the first present or former U.S. president to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.
2003 Suicide bombers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 26 people, including nine U.S. citizens.
2003 Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers brought the Texas House to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan.
Chart Toppers
1948
Now is the Hour - Bing Crosby
Manana - Peggy Lee
The Dickey Bird Song - The Freddy Martin Orchestra (vocal: Glenn Hughes)
Anytime - Eddy Arnold
1956
Heartbreak Hotel/I Was the One - Elvis Presley
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
1964
Hello Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Do You Want to Know a Secret - The Beatles
My Guy - Mary Wells
My Heart Skips a Beat - Buck Owens
1972
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
I Gotcha - Joe Tex
Betcha By Golly, Wow - The Stylistics
Grandma Harp - Merle Haggard
1980
Call Me - Blondie
Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross
Lost in Love - Air Supply
Beneath Still Waters - Emmylou Harris
1988
Wishing Well - Terence Trent D’Arby
Anything for You - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole
Cry, Cry, Cry - Highway 101
Quote of the Day
It is well that war is so terrible - otherwise we would grow too fond of it.
Robert E. Lee, Confederate general (1807 - 1870)
Today in History - May 13th
Today’s Birthdays
1842 Arthur (Seymour) Sullivan, operetta composer (The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance) died Nov 22, 1900
1907 Dame Daphne du Maurier, English author (The Birds, Rebecca) died Apr 19, 1989
1914 Joe Louis (Barrow), ‘The Brown Bomber,’ champion boxer, died Apr 12, 1981
1923 Bea (Beatrice) Arthur (Bernice Frankel), actress/U.S. Marine (The Golden Girls, Maude)
1927 Herbert Ross, film director (Steel Magnolias, Footloose) died Oct 9, 2001
1931 Jim Jones, cult leader, died Nov 18, 1978
1939 Harvey Keitel, actor (Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, From Dusk 'til Dawn))
1941 Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela), singer (Donna, La Bamba) killed in a plane crash Feb 3, 1959
1943 Mary Wells, singer (My Guy) died July 26, 1992
1945 Magic Dick, harmonica player (The J. Geils Band)
1946 Danny Klein, bassist (J. Geils Band)
1947 (Pete) Overend Watts, bassist (Mott the Hoople)
1949 Franklyn Ajaye, comic/actor (The Jazz Singer, Car Wash)
1950 Stevie Wonder (Stevland Morris), singer/songwriter (My Cherie Amour, For Once in My Life)
1950 Danny Kirwan, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)
1951 Paul Thompson, drummer (Roxy Music)
1957 Alan Ball, screenwriter/director/producer (American Beauty, Six Feet Under)
1957 Koji Suzuki, Japanese writer (The Ring, Dark Water)
1958 Karen Cellini, actress (Dynasty)
1960 Julianne Phillips, actress/Mrs Bruce Springsteen (Skin Deep)
1961 Siobhan Fallon, comic/actress (Saturday Night Live, Men in Black)
1964 Stephen Colbert, comedian/actor (The Colbert Report)
1964 Tom Verica, actor (American Dreams, From the Earth to the Moon)
1966 Darius Rucker, singer/guitarist (Hootie & the Blowfish)
1967 Chuck Schuldiner, heavy metal guitarist (Death) died Dec 13, 2001
1967 Melanie Thornton, singer (La Bouche) died in a plane crash Nov 24, 2001
1968 Buckethead, guitarist (Guns N' Roses)
1977 Samantha Morton, English actress (Minority Report)
1979 Michael Madden, bassist (Maroon 5)
Today’s Deaths in History
1884 Cyrus McCormick, inventor (mechanical reaper) dies at 75
1961 Gary Cooper, actor (Sergeant York, High Noon) dies at 60
1972 Dan Blocker, actor (Bonanza) dies at 43
1975 Bob Wills, country singer/songwriter, dies at 70
1988 Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, dies at 58
2000 Paul Bartel, actor/writer/director (Eating Raoul) dies at 61
2006 Johnnie Wilder, Jr., R&B singer (Heatwave) dies at 56
Today in History
1607 An English colony was settled at Jamestown in present-day Virginia.
1846 The United States declared that a state of war existed against Mexico.
1880 Thomas Edison performed the first test of his electric railway in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
1914 Boxing champion Joe Louis was born in Lafayette, Ala.
1917 Three peasant children near Fatima, Portugal, reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary.
1939 The first commercial FM radio station in the United States was launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
1940 Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in his first speech as prime minister, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
1958 Vice President Richard Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
1958 The trademark "Velcro" was registered.
1960 Hundreds of UC Berkeley students congregated for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
1981 Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.
1985 Philadelphia police dropped an explosive onto the headquarters of the radical group MOVE; 11 people died in the resulting fire.
2001 Silvio Berlusconi's House of Freedoms coalition won the Italian general elections.
2003 The government unveiled a new version of the $20 bill, the first to be colorized in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Careless Hands - Mel Torme
Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
1957
School Day - Chuck Berry
A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins
So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
1965
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
Count Me In - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Ticket to Ride - The Beatles
Girl on the Billboard - Del Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
You are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
Little Willy - The Sweet
Come Live with Me - Roy Clark
1981
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Am I Losing You - Ronnie Milsap
1989
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
Real Love - Jody Watley
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul
Is It Still Over? - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
Paul Gauguin, French Post-Impressionist painter (1848 - 1903)
Today’s Birthdays
1842 Arthur (Seymour) Sullivan, operetta composer (The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance) died Nov 22, 1900
1907 Dame Daphne du Maurier, English author (The Birds, Rebecca) died Apr 19, 1989
1914 Joe Louis (Barrow), ‘The Brown Bomber,’ champion boxer, died Apr 12, 1981
1923 Bea (Beatrice) Arthur (Bernice Frankel), actress/U.S. Marine (The Golden Girls, Maude)
1927 Herbert Ross, film director (Steel Magnolias, Footloose) died Oct 9, 2001
1931 Jim Jones, cult leader, died Nov 18, 1978
1939 Harvey Keitel, actor (Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, From Dusk 'til Dawn))
1941 Ritchie Valens (Richard Steven Valenzuela), singer (Donna, La Bamba) killed in a plane crash Feb 3, 1959
1943 Mary Wells, singer (My Guy) died July 26, 1992
1945 Magic Dick, harmonica player (The J. Geils Band)
1946 Danny Klein, bassist (J. Geils Band)
1947 (Pete) Overend Watts, bassist (Mott the Hoople)
1949 Franklyn Ajaye, comic/actor (The Jazz Singer, Car Wash)
1950 Stevie Wonder (Stevland Morris), singer/songwriter (My Cherie Amour, For Once in My Life)
1950 Danny Kirwan, guitarist/singer/songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)
1951 Paul Thompson, drummer (Roxy Music)
1957 Alan Ball, screenwriter/director/producer (American Beauty, Six Feet Under)
1957 Koji Suzuki, Japanese writer (The Ring, Dark Water)
1958 Karen Cellini, actress (Dynasty)
1960 Julianne Phillips, actress/Mrs Bruce Springsteen (Skin Deep)
1961 Siobhan Fallon, comic/actress (Saturday Night Live, Men in Black)
1964 Stephen Colbert, comedian/actor (The Colbert Report)
1964 Tom Verica, actor (American Dreams, From the Earth to the Moon)
1966 Darius Rucker, singer/guitarist (Hootie & the Blowfish)
1967 Chuck Schuldiner, heavy metal guitarist (Death) died Dec 13, 2001
1967 Melanie Thornton, singer (La Bouche) died in a plane crash Nov 24, 2001
1968 Buckethead, guitarist (Guns N' Roses)
1977 Samantha Morton, English actress (Minority Report)
1979 Michael Madden, bassist (Maroon 5)
Today’s Deaths in History
1884 Cyrus McCormick, inventor (mechanical reaper) dies at 75
1961 Gary Cooper, actor (Sergeant York, High Noon) dies at 60
1972 Dan Blocker, actor (Bonanza) dies at 43
1975 Bob Wills, country singer/songwriter, dies at 70
1988 Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, dies at 58
2000 Paul Bartel, actor/writer/director (Eating Raoul) dies at 61
2006 Johnnie Wilder, Jr., R&B singer (Heatwave) dies at 56
Today in History
1607 An English colony was settled at Jamestown in present-day Virginia.
1846 The United States declared that a state of war existed against Mexico.
1880 Thomas Edison performed the first test of his electric railway in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
1914 Boxing champion Joe Louis was born in Lafayette, Ala.
1917 Three peasant children near Fatima, Portugal, reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary.
1939 The first commercial FM radio station in the United States was launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut.
1940 Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in his first speech as prime minister, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
1958 Vice President Richard Nixon's limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-U.S. demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
1958 The trademark "Velcro" was registered.
1960 Hundreds of UC Berkeley students congregated for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
1981 Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter's Square by Turkish assailant Mehmet Ali Agca.
1985 Philadelphia police dropped an explosive onto the headquarters of the radical group MOVE; 11 people died in the resulting fire.
2001 Silvio Berlusconi's House of Freedoms coalition won the Italian general elections.
2003 The government unveiled a new version of the $20 bill, the first to be colorized in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.
Chart Toppers
1949
Cruising Down the River - The Russ Morgan Orchestra (vocal: The Skyliners)
Forever and Ever - Perry Como
Careless Hands - Mel Torme
Lovesick Blues - Hank Williams
1957
School Day - Chuck Berry
A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) - Marty Robbins
So Rare - Jimmy Dorsey
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
1965
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter - Herman’s Hermits
Count Me In - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Ticket to Ride - The Beatles
Girl on the Billboard - Del Reeves
1973
Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree - Dawn featuring Tony Orlando
You are the Sunshine of My Life - Stevie Wonder
Little Willy - The Sweet
Come Live with Me - Roy Clark
1981
Morning Train (Nine to Five) - Sheena Easton
Just the Two of Us - Grover Washington, Jr./Bill Withers
Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes
Am I Losing You - Ronnie Milsap
1989
I’ll Be There for You - Bon Jovi
Real Love - Jody Watley
Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul
Is It Still Over? - Randy Travis
Quote of the Day
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
Paul Gauguin, French Post-Impressionist painter (1848 - 1903)
Today in History - May 14th
Today’s Birthdays
1265 Dante Alighieri, Italian poet (The Divine Comedy) died September 13, 1321
1727 Thomas Gainsborough, artist (The Blue Boy) died Aug 2, 1788
1916 Skip (Lloyd) Martin, bandleader/composer/arranger (Singin’ in the Rain, Guys and Dolls) died in Feb 1976
1921 Richard Deacon, actor (Leave It to Beaver, Carousel) died Aug 8, 1984
1925 Al Porcino, jazz trumpeter (Louis Prima, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie)
1929 Gump (Lorne John) Worsley, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (New York Rangers) died January 26, 2007
1936 Bobby Darin (Cassotto), singer (Mack the Knife, Splish Splash) died Dec 20, 1973
1943 Jack Bruce, bassist (Cream)
1943 Derek Leckenby, guitarist (Herman’s Hermits) died June 4, 1994
1943 Elizabeth Ray, sex scandal figure (U.S. Rep. Wayne Hays)
1944 George Lucas (George Walton Lucas Jr.), film producer/director (Star Wars series, Indiana Jones series, American Graffiti)
1946 Gene Cornish, guitarist (The Young Rascals/Rascals)
1947 Tamara Dobson, actress (Cleopatra Jones) died Oct 2, 2006
1951 Pierre Plante NHL winger (NY Rangers)
1952 David Byrne, singer/composer (Talking Heads)
1952 Robert Zemeckis, director/executive producer (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future trilogy)
1953 Tom Cochrane, guitarist/singer (Red Rider)
1959 Steve Hogarth, singer (Marillion)
1961 Tim Roth, English actor (Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms)
1962 Ian Astbury, singer (The Cult)
1962 C.C. DeVille, guitarist (Poison)
1964 Suzy Kolber, sportscaster (NFL)
1964 Eric Peterson, guitarist (Testament)
1966 Fabrice Morvan, notorious lipsyncer (Milli Vanilli)
1966 Mike Inez, bassist (Ozzy Osbourne)
1966 Raphael Saadiq, singer/producer (Tony! Toni! Toné!)
1967 Tony Siragusa, NFL tackle/sportscaster (Indianapolis Colts)
1969 Danny Wood, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1969 Cate Blanchett, actress (Elizabeth, Bandits)
1971 Sofia Coppola, film director/writer (Lost in Translation)
1976 Hunter Burgan, rock bassist (AFI)
1978 Henry Garza, singer/guitarist (Los Lonely Boys)
1982 Rachel Roth, actress (Titus)
1983 Amber Tamblyn, actress (Joan of Arcadia)
1984 Mark Zuckerberg, founder & CEO (Facebook)
Today’s Deaths in History
1919 Henry John Heinz, founder of the H. J. Heinz Company, dies at 75
1959 Sidney Bechet, jazz saxophonist/composer, dies on his 62nd birthday
1968 Husband E. Kimmel, Pacific Fleet Admiral (Pearl Harbor) dies at 86
1970 Billie Burke, actress (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 84
1976 Keith Relf, singer/harmonica player (The Yardbirds) dies at 33
1982 Hugh Beaumont, actor (Leave it to Beaver) dies at 73
1987 Rita Hayworth, actress (Gilda) dies at 68
1992 Lyle Alzado, defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos) dies at 42
1993 William Randolph Hearst Jr., newspaper magnate, dies at 85
1997 Harry Blackstone Jr., magician, dies at 62
1998 Frank Sinatra, singer/actor (Old Blue Eyes) dies at 82
2003 Dave DeBusschere, NBA Hall of Famer, dies at 62
2003 Wendy Hiller, actress (Voyage of the Damned) dies at 90
2003 Robert Stack, actor (Untouchables) dies at 84
2004 Anna Lee, actress (How Green Was My Valley) dies at 91
Today in History
1607 Jamestown, Virginia was settled as an English colony.
1643 Four-year-old Louis XIV became King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.
1796 Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccination.
1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition departed from Camp Dubois, beginning its historic journey by traveling up the Missouri River.
1913 New York Governor William Sulzer approved the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation.
1939 Peruvian Lina Medina became the world's youngest confirmed mother at the age of five years, 7 months and 21 days.
1948 Israel was declared to be an independent state and a provisional government was established; immediately after the declaration, Israel was attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
1961 The Freedom Riders bus was fire-bombed near Anniston, Alabama, and the civil rights protesters were beaten by an angry mob.
1970 Mississippi state police kill two black students at Jackson State University.
1988 A drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, hit a converted school bus carrying a church youth group; the crash and ensuing fire killed 27.
2004 The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturned the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.
2005 Pope Benedict XVI observed his first beatification, elevating Blessed Marianne of Molokai on the road to canonization into sainthood.
2005 The USS America (CV-66), a decommissioned Navy supercarrier, was deliberately sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after four weeks of live-fire exercises, the largest ship ever to be disposed of as a target in a military exercise.
Chart Toppers
1950
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
It Isn’t Fair - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
Return to Me - Dean Martin
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
Monday Monday - The Mamas & The Papas
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan
Kicks - Paul Revere & The Raiders
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
The Streak - Ray Stevens
Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
Is It Wrong (For Loving You) - Sonny James
1982
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Don’t Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield
Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
Vogue - Madonna
All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You - Heart
Help Me Hold On - Travis Tritt
Quote of the Day
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams, English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
Today’s Birthdays
1265 Dante Alighieri, Italian poet (The Divine Comedy) died September 13, 1321
1727 Thomas Gainsborough, artist (The Blue Boy) died Aug 2, 1788
1916 Skip (Lloyd) Martin, bandleader/composer/arranger (Singin’ in the Rain, Guys and Dolls) died in Feb 1976
1921 Richard Deacon, actor (Leave It to Beaver, Carousel) died Aug 8, 1984
1925 Al Porcino, jazz trumpeter (Louis Prima, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie)
1929 Gump (Lorne John) Worsley, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender (New York Rangers) died January 26, 2007
1936 Bobby Darin (Cassotto), singer (Mack the Knife, Splish Splash) died Dec 20, 1973
1943 Jack Bruce, bassist (Cream)
1943 Derek Leckenby, guitarist (Herman’s Hermits) died June 4, 1994
1943 Elizabeth Ray, sex scandal figure (U.S. Rep. Wayne Hays)
1944 George Lucas (George Walton Lucas Jr.), film producer/director (Star Wars series, Indiana Jones series, American Graffiti)
1946 Gene Cornish, guitarist (The Young Rascals/Rascals)
1947 Tamara Dobson, actress (Cleopatra Jones) died Oct 2, 2006
1951 Pierre Plante NHL winger (NY Rangers)
1952 David Byrne, singer/composer (Talking Heads)
1952 Robert Zemeckis, director/executive producer (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future trilogy)
1953 Tom Cochrane, guitarist/singer (Red Rider)
1959 Steve Hogarth, singer (Marillion)
1961 Tim Roth, English actor (Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms)
1962 Ian Astbury, singer (The Cult)
1962 C.C. DeVille, guitarist (Poison)
1964 Suzy Kolber, sportscaster (NFL)
1964 Eric Peterson, guitarist (Testament)
1966 Fabrice Morvan, notorious lipsyncer (Milli Vanilli)
1966 Mike Inez, bassist (Ozzy Osbourne)
1966 Raphael Saadiq, singer/producer (Tony! Toni! Toné!)
1967 Tony Siragusa, NFL tackle/sportscaster (Indianapolis Colts)
1969 Danny Wood, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1969 Cate Blanchett, actress (Elizabeth, Bandits)
1971 Sofia Coppola, film director/writer (Lost in Translation)
1976 Hunter Burgan, rock bassist (AFI)
1978 Henry Garza, singer/guitarist (Los Lonely Boys)
1982 Rachel Roth, actress (Titus)
1983 Amber Tamblyn, actress (Joan of Arcadia)
1984 Mark Zuckerberg, founder & CEO (Facebook)
Today’s Deaths in History
1919 Henry John Heinz, founder of the H. J. Heinz Company, dies at 75
1959 Sidney Bechet, jazz saxophonist/composer, dies on his 62nd birthday
1968 Husband E. Kimmel, Pacific Fleet Admiral (Pearl Harbor) dies at 86
1970 Billie Burke, actress (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 84
1976 Keith Relf, singer/harmonica player (The Yardbirds) dies at 33
1982 Hugh Beaumont, actor (Leave it to Beaver) dies at 73
1987 Rita Hayworth, actress (Gilda) dies at 68
1992 Lyle Alzado, defensive lineman (Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos) dies at 42
1993 William Randolph Hearst Jr., newspaper magnate, dies at 85
1997 Harry Blackstone Jr., magician, dies at 62
1998 Frank Sinatra, singer/actor (Old Blue Eyes) dies at 82
2003 Dave DeBusschere, NBA Hall of Famer, dies at 62
2003 Wendy Hiller, actress (Voyage of the Damned) dies at 90
2003 Robert Stack, actor (Untouchables) dies at 84
2004 Anna Lee, actress (How Green Was My Valley) dies at 91
Today in History
1607 Jamestown, Virginia was settled as an English colony.
1643 Four-year-old Louis XIV became King of France upon the death of his father, Louis XIII.
1796 Edward Jenner administered the first smallpox vaccination.
1804 The Lewis and Clark Expedition departed from Camp Dubois, beginning its historic journey by traveling up the Missouri River.
1913 New York Governor William Sulzer approved the charter for the Rockefeller Foundation.
1939 Peruvian Lina Medina became the world's youngest confirmed mother at the age of five years, 7 months and 21 days.
1948 Israel was declared to be an independent state and a provisional government was established; immediately after the declaration, Israel was attacked by the neighboring Arab states, triggering the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
1961 The Freedom Riders bus was fire-bombed near Anniston, Alabama, and the civil rights protesters were beaten by an angry mob.
1970 Mississippi state police kill two black students at Jackson State University.
1988 A drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, hit a converted school bus carrying a church youth group; the crash and ensuing fire killed 27.
2004 The Constitutional Court of South Korea overturned the impeachment of President Roh Moo-hyun.
2005 Pope Benedict XVI observed his first beatification, elevating Blessed Marianne of Molokai on the road to canonization into sainthood.
2005 The USS America (CV-66), a decommissioned Navy supercarrier, was deliberately sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after four weeks of live-fire exercises, the largest ship ever to be disposed of as a target in a military exercise.
Chart Toppers
1950
My Foolish Heart - The Gordon Jenkins Orchestra (vocal: Eileen Wilson)
It Isn’t Fair - The Sammy Kaye Orchestra (vocal: Don Cornell)
The Third Man Theme - Alton Karas
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
1958
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers
Wear My Ring Around Your Neck - Elvis Presley
Return to Me - Dean Martin
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
1966
Monday Monday - The Mamas & The Papas
Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 - Bob Dylan
Kicks - Paul Revere & The Raiders
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
1974
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
The Streak - Ray Stevens
Dancing Machine - The Jackson 5
Is It Wrong (For Loving You) - Sonny James
1982
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney with Stevie Wonder
Don’t Talk to Strangers - Rick Springfield
Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson
1990
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
Vogue - Madonna
All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You - Heart
Help Me Hold On - Travis Tritt
Quote of the Day
Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.
Douglas Adams, English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 - 2001)
QUOTE
1939 Peruvian Lina Medina became the world's youngest confirmed mother at the age of five years, 7 months and 21 days.
I did not believe this and had to look it up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lina_Medina
Today in History - May 15th
Today’s Birthdays
1856 Lyman Frank Baum, newspaperman/author (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) died May 5, 1919
1859 Pierre Curie, French physicist/Nobel Prize laureate, died Apr 19, 1906
1902 Richard Joseph Daley, ‘The Boss,’ politician (former mayor of Chicago) died Dec 20, 1976
1905 Joseph (Cheshire) Cotten, actor (Tora Tora Tora, The Philadelphia Story) died Feb 6, 1994
1909 James (Neville) Mason, actor (The Desert Fox, Lolita) died July 27, 1984
1914 Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese Sherpa (Mt Everest) died May 9, 1986
1918 Eddy (Richard Edward) Arnold, Country Music Hall of Famer (Make the World Go Away) died May 8, 2008
1923 Richard Avedon, glamour photographer, died October 1, 2004
1923 Ellis Larkins, pianist (Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams) died Sep 29, 2002
1936 Anna Maria Alberghetti, singer/actress (Carnival)
1936 Paul Zindel, writer (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds) died Mar 27, 2003
1936 Ralph Steadman, cartoonist/illustrator (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas)
1937 Trini López, singer/actor (The Dirty Dozen)
1937 Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
1938 Lenny Welch, singer (Since I Fell for You)
1940 Lainie Kazan (Lainie Levine), singer/actress (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
1940 Roger Ailes, Fox News Chairman and CEO
1941 K.T. Oslin, country singer/songwriter
1943 David Cronenberg, film director (Dead Ringers, The Fly)
1945 Jerry Quarry, heavyweight boxing champion
1947 Graham Goble, guitarist/singer (Little River Band)
1948 Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno), composer/musician/producer (Roxy Music)
1950 Nicholas Hammond, actor (Lord of the Flies, Spiderman TV series)
1951 Chazz Palminteri, actor/writer/director (A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects)
1951 Jonathan Richman, punk guitarist (The Modern Lovers)
1953 Pat Hickey, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1953 Mike Oldfield, composer/musician (Tubular Bells)
1955 Lee Horsley, actor (North and South Book II)
1955 Melinda Culea, actress (The A-Team)
1956 Dan Patrick, sportscaster (ESPN)
1959 Andrew Eldritch, singer/songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy)
1961 Giselle Fernandez, actress/dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1961 Melle Mel, Rapper (Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five)
1968 Seth Putnam, bassist (Anal C**t)
1970 Prince B, rapper/R&B musician (PM Dawn)
1972 David Charvet, actor (Baywatch, Melrose Place)
1974 Ahmet Zappa, musician/son of Frank Zappa
1978 Amy Chow, gymnastic Gold Medalist (1996 Atlanta Olympics)
1978 David Krumholtz, actor (NUMB3RS, The Santa Clause series)
1978 Krissy Taylor, model (Cosmo, Vogue) died July 2, 1995
1981 Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress (The Sopranos)
1982 Jessica Sutta, dancer/singer (The Pussycat Dolls)
1982 Alex Breckenridge, actress (She's the Man, Dirt)
1983 Devin Bronson, guitarist (Avril Lavigne)
Today’s Deaths in History
1886 Emily Dickinson, poet (Because I Could Not Stop for Death) dies at 55
1948 Father Edward Flanagan, priest/founder (Boys Town) dies at 61
1954 William March, writer (The Bad Seed) dies at 60
1967 Edward Hopper, painter (Nighthawks) dies at 84
1982 Gordon Smiley, Indy race car driver, killed at 36 while attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500
1986 Theodore White, journalist/historian (The Making of the President) dies at 71
1989 Johnny Green, songwriter (Easy Come Easy Go) dies at 80
1996 Charles B. Fulton, jurist (Federal Judge) dies at 86
2003 June Carter Cash, country musician/singer/Mrs. Johnny Cash, dies at 73
2007 The Rev. Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority) dies at 73
2007 Yolanda King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 51
Today in History
1776 The Virginia Convention instructed its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
1817 The first private mental health hospital in the United States opened, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1869 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman's Suffrage Association in New York.
1911 The Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Co., ruling it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1918 U.S. airmail began service between Washington, Philadelphia and New York.
1930 Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.
1940 Nylon stockings went on general sale for the first time in the United States.
1941 Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees began his record-breaking 56-game hitting streak.
1942 Gasoline rationing went into effect in 17 states.
1948 Hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
1963 NASA launchede the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut L. Gordon Cooper on board; he became the first American to spend more than a day in space.
1969 Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees.
1970 Two black students at Jackson State University in Mississippi were killed when police opened fire during student protests.
1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army Generals.
1972 Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Md., and left permanently paralyzed below the waist.
1972 The island of Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverted to Japanese control.
1981 Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitched a perfect game in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
1988 The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
1990 Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent van Gogh was sold for a record $82.5 million, the most expensive painting at the time.
1995 Dow Corning Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing potentially astronomical expenses from liability lawsuits.
1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole announced he was leaving the Senate after 27 years to challenge President Bill Clinton full time.
1997 The United States government acknowledged the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other Secret War veterans.
2001 A runaway freight train rolled about 70 miles through Ohio with no one aboard before a railroad employee jumped onto the locomotive and brought it to a stop.
2003 Texas Democrats boarded two buses and returned home after a self-imposed four-day exile in Oklahoma that temporarily succeeded in killing a redistricting plan they opposed.
2006 A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial, insisting he was still Iraq's president as a judge formally charged him with crimes against humanity.
2006 The Pentagon disclosed the names of everyone detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison since it opened four years earlier.
2006 The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states and said it would restore normal diplomatic relations.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
On Top of Old Smokey - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
1959
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
The Happening - The Supremes
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Groovin’ - The Young Rascals
Sam’s Place - Buck Owens
1975
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
Jackie Blue - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles) - Gary Stewart
1983
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Overkill - Men at Work
Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love - B.J. Thomas
1991
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Here We Go - C + C Music Factory Presents Freedom Williams and Zelma Davis
If I Know Me - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher & physician (1875 - 1965)
Today’s Birthdays
1856 Lyman Frank Baum, newspaperman/author (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) died May 5, 1919
1859 Pierre Curie, French physicist/Nobel Prize laureate, died Apr 19, 1906
1902 Richard Joseph Daley, ‘The Boss,’ politician (former mayor of Chicago) died Dec 20, 1976
1905 Joseph (Cheshire) Cotten, actor (Tora Tora Tora, The Philadelphia Story) died Feb 6, 1994
1909 James (Neville) Mason, actor (The Desert Fox, Lolita) died July 27, 1984
1914 Tenzing Norgay, Nepalese Sherpa (Mt Everest) died May 9, 1986
1918 Eddy (Richard Edward) Arnold, Country Music Hall of Famer (Make the World Go Away) died May 8, 2008
1923 Richard Avedon, glamour photographer, died October 1, 2004
1923 Ellis Larkins, pianist (Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams) died Sep 29, 2002
1936 Anna Maria Alberghetti, singer/actress (Carnival)
1936 Paul Zindel, writer (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds) died Mar 27, 2003
1936 Ralph Steadman, cartoonist/illustrator (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas)
1937 Trini López, singer/actor (The Dirty Dozen)
1937 Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
1938 Lenny Welch, singer (Since I Fell for You)
1940 Lainie Kazan (Lainie Levine), singer/actress (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
1940 Roger Ailes, Fox News Chairman and CEO
1941 K.T. Oslin, country singer/songwriter
1943 David Cronenberg, film director (Dead Ringers, The Fly)
1945 Jerry Quarry, heavyweight boxing champion
1947 Graham Goble, guitarist/singer (Little River Band)
1948 Brian Eno (Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno), composer/musician/producer (Roxy Music)
1950 Nicholas Hammond, actor (Lord of the Flies, Spiderman TV series)
1951 Chazz Palminteri, actor/writer/director (A Bronx Tale, The Usual Suspects)
1951 Jonathan Richman, punk guitarist (The Modern Lovers)
1953 Pat Hickey, NHL left wing (NY Rangers)
1953 Mike Oldfield, composer/musician (Tubular Bells)
1955 Lee Horsley, actor (North and South Book II)
1955 Melinda Culea, actress (The A-Team)
1956 Dan Patrick, sportscaster (ESPN)
1959 Andrew Eldritch, singer/songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy)
1961 Giselle Fernandez, actress/dancer (Dancing with the Stars)
1961 Melle Mel, Rapper (Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five)
1968 Seth Putnam, bassist (Anal C**t)
1970 Prince B, rapper/R&B musician (PM Dawn)
1972 David Charvet, actor (Baywatch, Melrose Place)
1974 Ahmet Zappa, musician/son of Frank Zappa
1978 Amy Chow, gymnastic Gold Medalist (1996 Atlanta Olympics)
1978 David Krumholtz, actor (NUMB3RS, The Santa Clause series)
1978 Krissy Taylor, model (Cosmo, Vogue) died July 2, 1995
1981 Jamie-Lynn Sigler, actress (The Sopranos)
1982 Jessica Sutta, dancer/singer (The Pussycat Dolls)
1982 Alex Breckenridge, actress (She's the Man, Dirt)
1983 Devin Bronson, guitarist (Avril Lavigne)
Today’s Deaths in History
1886 Emily Dickinson, poet (Because I Could Not Stop for Death) dies at 55
1948 Father Edward Flanagan, priest/founder (Boys Town) dies at 61
1954 William March, writer (The Bad Seed) dies at 60
1967 Edward Hopper, painter (Nighthawks) dies at 84
1982 Gordon Smiley, Indy race car driver, killed at 36 while attempting to qualify for the Indianapolis 500
1986 Theodore White, journalist/historian (The Making of the President) dies at 71
1989 Johnny Green, songwriter (Easy Come Easy Go) dies at 80
1996 Charles B. Fulton, jurist (Federal Judge) dies at 86
2003 June Carter Cash, country musician/singer/Mrs. Johnny Cash, dies at 73
2007 The Rev. Jerry Falwell (Moral Majority) dies at 73
2007 Yolanda King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 51
Today in History
1776 The Virginia Convention instructed its Continental Congress delegation to propose a resolution of independence from Great Britain, paving the way for the United States Declaration of Independence.
1817 The first private mental health hospital in the United States opened, the Asylum for the Relief of Persons Deprived of the Use of Their Reason (now Friends Hospital) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1869 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman's Suffrage Association in New York.
1911 The Supreme Court ordered the dissolution of Standard Oil Co., ruling it violated the Sherman Antitrust Act.
1918 U.S. airmail began service between Washington, Philadelphia and New York.
1930 Ellen Church, the first airline stewardess, went on duty aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco and Cheyenne, Wyo.
1940 Nylon stockings went on general sale for the first time in the United States.
1941 Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees began his record-breaking 56-game hitting streak.
1942 Gasoline rationing went into effect in 17 states.
1948 Hours after declaring its independence, the new state of Israel was attacked by Transjordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
1963 NASA launchede the final Mercury mission, Mercury-Atlas 9 with astronaut L. Gordon Cooper on board; he became the first American to spend more than a day in space.
1969 Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned amid a controversy over his past legal fees.
1970 Two black students at Jackson State University in Mississippi were killed when police opened fire during student protests.
1970 President Richard Nixon appoints Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington the first female United States Army Generals.
1972 Alabama Gov. George Wallace was shot while campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination in Laurel, Md., and left permanently paralyzed below the waist.
1972 The island of Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its conquest in 1945, reverted to Japanese control.
1981 Len Barker of the Cleveland Indians pitched a perfect game in a 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
1988 The Soviet Union began withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.
1990 Portrait of Doctor Gachet by Vincent van Gogh was sold for a record $82.5 million, the most expensive painting at the time.
1995 Dow Corning Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing potentially astronomical expenses from liability lawsuits.
1996 Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole announced he was leaving the Senate after 27 years to challenge President Bill Clinton full time.
1997 The United States government acknowledged the existence of the "Secret War" in Laos and dedicates the Laos Memorial in honor of Hmong and other Secret War veterans.
2001 A runaway freight train rolled about 70 miles through Ohio with no one aboard before a railroad employee jumped onto the locomotive and brought it to a stop.
2003 Texas Democrats boarded two buses and returned home after a self-imposed four-day exile in Oklahoma that temporarily succeeded in killing a redistricting plan they opposed.
2006 A defiant Saddam Hussein refused to enter a plea at his trial, insisting he was still Iraq's president as a judge formally charged him with crimes against humanity.
2006 The Pentagon disclosed the names of everyone detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison since it opened four years earlier.
2006 The United States removed Libya from its list of terrorist states and said it would restore normal diplomatic relations.
Chart Toppers
1951
If - Perry Como
Mockingbird Hill -Patti Page
On Top of Old Smokey - The Weavers (vocal: Terry Gilkyson)
Cold, Cold Heart - Hank Williams
1959
The Happy Organ - Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez
Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) - The Impalas
Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb) - Edward Byrnes & Connie Stevens
White Lightning - George Jones
1967
The Happening - The Supremes
Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Groovin’ - The Young Rascals
Sam’s Place - Buck Owens
1975
He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You) - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Before the Next Teardrop Falls - Freddy Fender
Jackie Blue - Ozark Mountain Daredevils
She’s Actin’ Single (I’m Drinkin’ Doubles) - Gary Stewart
1983
Beat It - Michael Jackson
Let’s Dance - David Bowie
Overkill - Men at Work
Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love - B.J. Thomas
1991
Joyride - Roxette
I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) - Hi-Five
Here We Go - C + C Music Factory Presents Freedom Williams and Zelma Davis
If I Know Me - George Strait
Quote of the Day
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher & physician (1875 - 1965)
Today in History - May 16th
Today’s Birthdays
1801 William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State (bought Alaska) died October 10, 1872
1905 Henry (Jaynes) Fonda, actor (Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts) died Aug 12, 1982
1912 Studs Terkel, writer/broadcaster (Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression)
1913 Woody Herman, musician/band leader, died October 29, 1987
1919 (Wladziu Valentino) Liberace, concert pianist/showman, died Feb 4, 1987
1921 Harry Carey, Jr., actor (Monkey Business, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Rio Bravo)
1928 Billy (Alfred Manuel) Martin, baseball player/manager (NY Yankees) died Dec 25, 1989
1937 Yvonne Craig, actress (Batgirl)
1944 Billy Cobham, virtuoso drummer
1945 Nicky Chinn, songwriter (Sweet, Suzi Quatro)
1946 Roger Earl, drummer (Savoy Brown, Foghat)
1946 Robert Fripp, guitarist (King Crimson)
1953 Pierce Brosnan, actor (Remington Steele, The Thomas Crown Affair, James Bond)
1955 Olga Korbut, Russian gymnast (1972, 19876 Olympics)
1955 (Mary) Debra Winger, actress (Terms of Endearment, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1959 Mare Winningham, actress (Turner and Hooch, St. Elmo’s Fire)
1961 Kevin McDonald, actor (The Kids in the Hall, That 70's Show)
1964 Boyd Tinsley, violinist (Dave Matthews Band)
1965 Krist Novoselic, bassist (Nirvana)
1966 Janet Jackson, singer (Control, Miss You Much)
1968 Ralph Tresvant, singer (New Edition)
1969 Tracey Gold, actress (Growing Pains)
1969 David Boreanaz, actor (Angel, Bones)
1970 Gabriela Sabatini, tennis champion
1970 Danielle Spencer, Australian singer/actress/Mrs. Russell Crowe
1973 Tori Spelling, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1974 Sonny Sandoval, rock singer (P.O.D.)
1977 Jean-Sebastien Giguere, NHL goaltender (Anaheim Ducks)
1979 Kaila Yu, actress (The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift)
1986 Megan Fox, actress (Transformers)
Today’s Deaths in History
1953 Django Reinhardt, Belgian jazz guitarist, dies at 43
1955 James Agee, writer (A Death in the Family) dies at 45
1956 H. B. Reese, founder of Reese's candies, dies at 77
1957 Eliot Ness, federal agent (The Untouchables) dies at 54
1969 Robert R., first confirmed to die from AIDS in North America, dies at 15
1984 Andy Kaufman, comedian/actor (Taxi, Andy's Funhouse) dies at 35
1984 Irwin Shaw, author (Rich Man Poor Man) dies at 71
1985 Margaret Hamilton, actress (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 82
1990 Sammy Davis Jr., singer/dancer/entertainer, dies at 64
1990 Jim Henson, puppeteer (Muppets) dies at 53
1993 Marv Johnson, R&B/soul singer (I Love The Way You Love) dies at 54
1994 Jack Dodson, actor (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 63
1996 Jeremy Michael Boorda, Navy Admiral, commits suicide at 56
2001 Brian Pendleton, guitarist (The Pretty Things) dies at 57
Today in History
1532 Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor of England.
1770 14-year old Marie Antoinette married 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
1836 Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia.
1843 The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest set out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
1866 The U.S. Congress eliminated the half dime coin and replaced it with the five cent piece, or nickel.
1866 Charles Elmer Hires invented root beer.
1868 President Andrew Johnson was acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote in the United States Senate.
1918 The Sedition Act of 1918 was passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense.
1920 In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc as a saint.
1929 The first Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood.
1948 Chaim Weizmann was elected the first President of Israel.
1965 The Campbell Soup Company introduced SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand.
1966 The Communist Party of China issued the 'May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
1974 Josip Broz Tito was re-elected president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, this time for life.
1975 Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1992 Space Shuttle Endeavour landed safely after a successful maiden voyage.
2005 Kuwait permitted women's suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote.
2008 The death toll of Cyclone Nargis stood at 77,000 with 56,000 unaccounted for.
2008 The death toll of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake stood at 28,000 with more than 30,000 missing.
2008 An audio tape believed to be Osama bin Laden was released calling to continue the holy war against Israel.
Chart Toppers
1944
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
San Fernando Valley - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Kiss of Fire - Georgia Gibbs
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
The Wild Side of Life - Hank Thompson
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Cathy’s Clown - The Everly Brothers
Night - Jackie Wilson
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Hugo Montenegro
Have a Little Faith - David Houston
1976
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
Silly Love Songs - Wings
Fooled Around and Fell in Love - Elvin Bishop
What Goes on When the Sun Goes Down - Ronnie Milsap
1984
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
Let’s Hear It for the Boy - Deniece Williams
To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before - Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson
Quote of the Day
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
William G. McAdoo, industrialist, lawyer, & politician (1863 - 1941)
Today’s Birthdays
1801 William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State (bought Alaska) died October 10, 1872
1905 Henry (Jaynes) Fonda, actor (Grapes of Wrath, Mister Roberts) died Aug 12, 1982
1912 Studs Terkel, writer/broadcaster (Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression)
1913 Woody Herman, musician/band leader, died October 29, 1987
1919 (Wladziu Valentino) Liberace, concert pianist/showman, died Feb 4, 1987
1921 Harry Carey, Jr., actor (Monkey Business, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Rio Bravo)
1928 Billy (Alfred Manuel) Martin, baseball player/manager (NY Yankees) died Dec 25, 1989
1937 Yvonne Craig, actress (Batgirl)
1944 Billy Cobham, virtuoso drummer
1945 Nicky Chinn, songwriter (Sweet, Suzi Quatro)
1946 Roger Earl, drummer (Savoy Brown, Foghat)
1946 Robert Fripp, guitarist (King Crimson)
1953 Pierce Brosnan, actor (Remington Steele, The Thomas Crown Affair, James Bond)
1955 Olga Korbut, Russian gymnast (1972, 19876 Olympics)
1955 (Mary) Debra Winger, actress (Terms of Endearment, An Officer and a Gentleman)
1959 Mare Winningham, actress (Turner and Hooch, St. Elmo’s Fire)
1961 Kevin McDonald, actor (The Kids in the Hall, That 70's Show)
1964 Boyd Tinsley, violinist (Dave Matthews Band)
1965 Krist Novoselic, bassist (Nirvana)
1966 Janet Jackson, singer (Control, Miss You Much)
1968 Ralph Tresvant, singer (New Edition)
1969 Tracey Gold, actress (Growing Pains)
1969 David Boreanaz, actor (Angel, Bones)
1970 Gabriela Sabatini, tennis champion
1970 Danielle Spencer, Australian singer/actress/Mrs. Russell Crowe
1973 Tori Spelling, actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
1974 Sonny Sandoval, rock singer (P.O.D.)
1977 Jean-Sebastien Giguere, NHL goaltender (Anaheim Ducks)
1979 Kaila Yu, actress (The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift)
1986 Megan Fox, actress (Transformers)
Today’s Deaths in History
1953 Django Reinhardt, Belgian jazz guitarist, dies at 43
1955 James Agee, writer (A Death in the Family) dies at 45
1956 H. B. Reese, founder of Reese's candies, dies at 77
1957 Eliot Ness, federal agent (The Untouchables) dies at 54
1969 Robert R., first confirmed to die from AIDS in North America, dies at 15
1984 Andy Kaufman, comedian/actor (Taxi, Andy's Funhouse) dies at 35
1984 Irwin Shaw, author (Rich Man Poor Man) dies at 71
1985 Margaret Hamilton, actress (The Wizard of Oz) dies at 82
1990 Sammy Davis Jr., singer/dancer/entertainer, dies at 64
1990 Jim Henson, puppeteer (Muppets) dies at 53
1993 Marv Johnson, R&B/soul singer (I Love The Way You Love) dies at 54
1994 Jack Dodson, actor (The Andy Griffith Show) dies at 63
1996 Jeremy Michael Boorda, Navy Admiral, commits suicide at 56
2001 Brian Pendleton, guitarist (The Pretty Things) dies at 57
Today in History
1532 Sir Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor of England.
1770 14-year old Marie Antoinette married 15-year-old Louis-Auguste, who later becomes king of France.
1836 Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia.
1843 The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest set out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
1866 The U.S. Congress eliminated the half dime coin and replaced it with the five cent piece, or nickel.
1866 Charles Elmer Hires invented root beer.
1868 President Andrew Johnson was acquitted in his impeachment trial by one vote in the United States Senate.
1918 The Sedition Act of 1918 was passed by the U.S. Congress, making criticism of the government an imprisonable offense.
1920 In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc as a saint.
1929 The first Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood.
1948 Chaim Weizmann was elected the first President of Israel.
1965 The Campbell Soup Company introduced SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand.
1966 The Communist Party of China issued the 'May 16 Notice', marking the beginning of the Cultural Revolution.
1974 Josip Broz Tito was re-elected president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, this time for life.
1975 Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1992 Space Shuttle Endeavour landed safely after a successful maiden voyage.
2005 Kuwait permitted women's suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote.
2008 The death toll of Cyclone Nargis stood at 77,000 with 56,000 unaccounted for.
2008 The death toll of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake stood at 28,000 with more than 30,000 missing.
2008 An audio tape believed to be Osama bin Laden was released calling to continue the holy war against Israel.
Chart Toppers
1944
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
San Fernando Valley - Bing Crosby
Too Late to Worry, Too Blue to Cry - Al Dexter
1952
Blue Tango - The Leroy Anderson Orchestra
Kiss of Fire - Georgia Gibbs
Blacksmith Blues - Ella Mae Morse
The Wild Side of Life - Hank Thompson
1960
Stuck on You - Elvis Presley
Cathy’s Clown - The Everly Brothers
Night - Jackie Wilson
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin
1968
Honey - Bobby Goldsboro
Tighten Up - Archie Bell & The Drells
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Hugo Montenegro
Have a Little Faith - David Houston
1976
Boogie Fever - Sylvers
Silly Love Songs - Wings
Fooled Around and Fell in Love - Elvin Bishop
What Goes on When the Sun Goes Down - Ronnie Milsap
1984
Hello - Lionel Richie
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
Let’s Hear It for the Boy - Deniece Williams
To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before - Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson
Quote of the Day
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
William G. McAdoo, industrialist, lawyer, & politician (1863 - 1941)
Today in History - May 17th
Today’s Birthdays
1682 Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart), notorious Welsh pirate, died Feb 17, 1722
1866 Erik Satie, French composer (Gymnopédies) died July 1, 1925
1903 James (Thomas) Bell, ‘Cool Papa,’ Baseball Hall of Famer (Negro League) died Mar 7, 1991
1911 Maureen (Paul) O’Sullivan, actress (Tarzan films, Hannah and Her Sisters) died June 23, 1998
1936 Dennis Hopper, actor/director (Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now)
1938 Pervis Jackson, R&B singer (The Spinners)
1942 Taj Mahal, blues singer
1949 Bill Bruford, rock drummer (Genesis, Yes)
1955 Bill Paxton, actor (Twister, True Lies, Aliens, Apollo 13)
1956 Sugar Ray Leonard, champion boxer
1956 Bob Saget, actor/comedian (Full House)
1958 Paul Di'Anno, rock singer (Iron Maiden)
1959 Jim Nantz, CBS sportscaster (NFL)
1961 Enya, Irish singer/songwriter (Orinoco Flow)
1962 Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor/comedian/talk show host (Drew Carey Show, The Late Late Show)
1963 Page McConnell, keyboardist/songwriter (Phish)
1964 Paige Turco, actress (The Agency)
1965 Trent Reznor, singer/songwriter/musician (Nine Inch Nails)
1966 Hill Harper, actor (CSI: NY)
1970 Jordan Knight, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1971 Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
1973 Matthew McGrory, actor (Big Fish, Carnivalé) died August 9, 2005
1973 Josh Homme, guitarist/songwriter (Queens of the Stone Age)
1974 Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
1974 Sendhil Ramamurthy, actor (Heroes)
1978 Kat Foster, actress ('Til Death)
1982 Tony Parker, NBA point guard (San Antonio Spurs)
1988 Nikki Reed, actress (The O.C., Lords of Dogtown)
Today’s Deaths in History
1510 Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (The Birth of Venus) dies at 65
1536 George Boleyn, English diplomat/brother to Anne Boleyn, is executed at 34 for incest and adultery with his sister
1829 John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States, dies at 83
1886 John Deere, American blacksmith/manufacturer, dies at 82
1992 Lawrence Welk, musician/TV host, dies at 89
1995 Hector "Toe" Blake, NHL left wing/coach (Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens) dies at 82
1996 Scott Brayton, Indy race driver, dies at 39 in a crash practicing for the Indy 500
1999 Bruce Fairbairn, record producer/musician (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Loverboy) dies at 49
2002 Dave Berg, cartoonist (Lighter Side) dies at 81
2004 Tony Randall, actor (The Odd Couple) dies at 84
2005 Frank Gorshin, impressionist/actor (Batman) dies at 72
2007 Lloyd Alexander, author (The Chronicles of Prydain) dies at 83
Today in History
1792 The New York Stock Exchange was founded by brokers meeting under a tree on what is now Wall Street.
1875 The first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides.
1902 Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovered the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
1940 The Nazis occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War II.
1943 The United States Army contracted with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
1946 President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.
1954 The Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.
1973 The Senate began hearings into the Watergate scandal.
1974 Police in Los Angeles raided the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
1980 Rioting that claimed 18 lives erupted in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating a black man.
1980 General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea declared martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
1983 Lebanon, Israel, and the United States signed an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
1987 An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors; Iraq and the United States called the attack a mistake.
1995 After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac took office as President of France.
1996 President Bill Clinton signed a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in; Megan's Law was named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed in 1994.
1997 Rebel leader Kabila declared himself president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire.
1998 New York Yankees pitcher David Wells became the 13th player in modern major league baseball history to throw a perfect game in a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
1999 Labor Party leader Ehud Barak unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections.
2000 Two former Ku Klux Klansmen were arrested on murder charges in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four black girls (Thomas E. Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry were later convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Cherry died in 2004).
2003 A top Vatican official confirmed that Pope John Paul II was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
2004 Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages.
2005 Los Angeles Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa trounced Mayor James Hahn to be elected the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century.
2006 The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to be an artificial reef.
2007 World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz announced he would resign following controversy over his handling of a pay package for his girlfriend.
2007 Trains crossed the border dividing the two Koreas for the first time in more than half a century.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
Dream - The Pied Pipers
At Mail Call Today - Gene Autry
1953
I Believe - Frankie Laine
April in Portugal - The Les Baxter Orchestra
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels
Hello Walls - Faron Young
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
Hair - The Cowsills
Get Back - The Beatles
My Life (Throw It Away if I Want To) - Bill Anderson
1977
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Couldn’t Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
Some Broken Hearts Never Mend - Don Williams
1985
Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
Everything She Wants - Wham!
Somebody Should Leave - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.
Dame Edna Everage, Australian Comedian (1934 - )
Today’s Birthdays
1682 Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart), notorious Welsh pirate, died Feb 17, 1722
1866 Erik Satie, French composer (Gymnopédies) died July 1, 1925
1903 James (Thomas) Bell, ‘Cool Papa,’ Baseball Hall of Famer (Negro League) died Mar 7, 1991
1911 Maureen (Paul) O’Sullivan, actress (Tarzan films, Hannah and Her Sisters) died June 23, 1998
1936 Dennis Hopper, actor/director (Easy Rider, Apocalypse Now)
1938 Pervis Jackson, R&B singer (The Spinners)
1942 Taj Mahal, blues singer
1949 Bill Bruford, rock drummer (Genesis, Yes)
1955 Bill Paxton, actor (Twister, True Lies, Aliens, Apollo 13)
1956 Sugar Ray Leonard, champion boxer
1956 Bob Saget, actor/comedian (Full House)
1958 Paul Di'Anno, rock singer (Iron Maiden)
1959 Jim Nantz, CBS sportscaster (NFL)
1961 Enya, Irish singer/songwriter (Orinoco Flow)
1962 Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor/comedian/talk show host (Drew Carey Show, The Late Late Show)
1963 Page McConnell, keyboardist/songwriter (Phish)
1964 Paige Turco, actress (The Agency)
1965 Trent Reznor, singer/songwriter/musician (Nine Inch Nails)
1966 Hill Harper, actor (CSI: NY)
1970 Jordan Knight, singer (New Kids on the Block)
1971 Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
1973 Matthew McGrory, actor (Big Fish, Carnivalé) died August 9, 2005
1973 Josh Homme, guitarist/songwriter (Queens of the Stone Age)
1974 Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
1974 Sendhil Ramamurthy, actor (Heroes)
1978 Kat Foster, actress ('Til Death)
1982 Tony Parker, NBA point guard (San Antonio Spurs)
1988 Nikki Reed, actress (The O.C., Lords of Dogtown)
Today’s Deaths in History
1510 Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (The Birth of Venus) dies at 65
1536 George Boleyn, English diplomat/brother to Anne Boleyn, is executed at 34 for incest and adultery with his sister
1829 John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States, dies at 83
1886 John Deere, American blacksmith/manufacturer, dies at 82
1992 Lawrence Welk, musician/TV host, dies at 89
1995 Hector "Toe" Blake, NHL left wing/coach (Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens) dies at 82
1996 Scott Brayton, Indy race driver, dies at 39 in a crash practicing for the Indy 500
1999 Bruce Fairbairn, record producer/musician (Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Loverboy) dies at 49
2002 Dave Berg, cartoonist (Lighter Side) dies at 81
2004 Tony Randall, actor (The Odd Couple) dies at 84
2005 Frank Gorshin, impressionist/actor (Batman) dies at 72
2007 Lloyd Alexander, author (The Chronicles of Prydain) dies at 83
Today in History
1792 The New York Stock Exchange was founded by brokers meeting under a tree on what is now Wall Street.
1875 The first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides.
1902 Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovered the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
1940 The Nazis occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War II.
1943 The United States Army contracted with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
1946 President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.
1954 The Supreme Court issued its landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, which declared that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.
1973 The Senate began hearings into the Watergate scandal.
1974 Police in Los Angeles raided the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
1980 Rioting that claimed 18 lives erupted in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating a black man.
1980 General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea declared martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
1983 Lebanon, Israel, and the United States signed an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
1987 An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors; Iraq and the United States called the attack a mistake.
1995 After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac took office as President of France.
1996 President Bill Clinton signed a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in; Megan's Law was named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed in 1994.
1997 Rebel leader Kabila declared himself president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire.
1998 New York Yankees pitcher David Wells became the 13th player in modern major league baseball history to throw a perfect game in a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
1999 Labor Party leader Ehud Barak unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections.
2000 Two former Ku Klux Klansmen were arrested on murder charges in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four black girls (Thomas E. Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry were later convicted and sentenced to life in prison; Cherry died in 2004).
2003 A top Vatican official confirmed that Pope John Paul II was suffering from Parkinson's disease.
2004 Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages.
2005 Los Angeles Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa trounced Mayor James Hahn to be elected the city's first Hispanic mayor in more than a century.
2006 The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany was sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to be an artificial reef.
2007 World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz announced he would resign following controversy over his handling of a pay package for his girlfriend.
2007 Trains crossed the border dividing the two Koreas for the first time in more than half a century.
Chart Toppers
1945
Candy - Johnny Mercer & Jo Stafford
I’m Beginning to See the Light - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Kitty Kallen)
Dream - The Pied Pipers
At Mail Call Today - Gene Autry
1953
I Believe - Frankie Laine
April in Portugal - The Les Baxter Orchestra
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
Mexican Joe - Jim Reeves
1961
Runaway - Del Shannon
Mother-In-Law - Ernie K-Doe
A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels
Hello Walls - Faron Young
1969
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In - The 5th Dimension
Hair - The Cowsills
Get Back - The Beatles
My Life (Throw It Away if I Want To) - Bill Anderson
1977
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Couldn’t Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
Some Broken Hearts Never Mend - Don Williams
1985
Don’t You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
Everything She Wants - Wham!
Somebody Should Leave - Reba McEntire
Quote of the Day
Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.
Dame Edna Everage, Australian Comedian (1934 - )
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