On This Day January 7 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1800 – 13th U.S. President Millard Fillmore (d. 1874) 1948 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins (“Danny’s Song,” “This is It,” “I’m Alright,” “Footloose”) 1956 – Golden Globe-winning actor David Caruso (“Hill Street Blues,” “NYPD Blue,” “CSI: Miami”) 1957 – TV journalist and former “Today” show co-host and “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric 1964 – Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage (“Raising Arizona,” “Moonstruck,” “Wild at Heart,” “The Rock,” “Face/Off,” “City of Angels,” “Adaptation,” “National Treasure,” “Ghost Rider”, “The Croods”, “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse”) 1971 – Actor Jeremy Renner (“Dahmer,” “North Country,” “The Hurt Locker,” “The Town,” “Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol,” “The Avengers,” “The Bourne Legacy,” “American Hustle,” “Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation,” “Captain America: Civil War”) History Highlights 1789 – America’s first presidential election is held and George Washington emerges as the winner. The Virginia landowner who led the patriotic forces in the war against the British is sworn in to office about three months later. 1927 – The first official transatlantic telephone call is made when Walter Gifford, president of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (known today as AT&T), calls Sir Evelyn Murray, secretary of the General Post Office of Great Britain. Speaking into a phone on his desk in New York, Gifford’s first words are, “How’s the weather over in London? “ 1953 – During his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, President Harry Truman discusses U.S. development of the hydrogen bomb. 1985 – General Motors (GM) launches Saturn Corporation as a wholly owned independent subsidiary in response to growing Japanese automobile imports in the U.S. The company markets itself as a “different kind of car company.” 1999 – The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton, formally charged with lying under oath and obstructing justice, begins in the U.S. Senate. Musical Milestones 1956 – “Memories Are Made of This” puts Dean Martin on top of Billboard’s Most Played by [Disc] Jockeys chart (precursor to the Hot 100) for six weeks. The track becomes a Gold record and “Dino’s” biggest hit as well as his only No. 1 recording in the U.K. 1967 – The Monkees maintain their grip on the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week with “I’m A Believer,” which holds at No. 1 for a total of seven weeks. 1978 – The Bee Gees mark their third and final week at No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart with “How Deep is Your Love.” 1986 – Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me,” from the movie “White Nights,” starring Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines, is No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 1992 – Pop sensation Debbie Gibson makes her Broadway debut playing Eponine in “Les Misérables.” 1995 – “On Bended Knee,” by Boyz II Men, is in the middle of a four-week run on top of the Billboard Hot 100. 2006 – Mariah Carey begins her second and final week on top of the pop chart with “Don’t Forget About Us.” 2012 – “Sexy and I Know It,” by LMFAO, begins two weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100. LMFAO consists of Stephen Gordy (a.k.a. Redfoo) and Skyler Gordy (a.k.a. Sky Blu) — son and grandson of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy. READ MORE
On This Day December 19 Click each item below to learn more! Celebrity Birthdays 1915 – Internationally acclaimed French cabaret singer-songwriter and actress Edith Piaf, who became widely regarded as France’s national chanteuse (d. 1963) 1924 – Emmy and Tony-winning actress Cicely Tyson (“Sounder,” “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman,” “The Help”) 1944 – Paleoanthropologist-conservationist Richard Leakey 1957 – Basketball Hall of Famer Kevin McHale 1963 – Actress Jennifer Beals (“Flashdance,” “Devil in a Blue Dress,” “Four Rooms,” “The Chicago Code”) 1972 – Actress Alyssa Milano (“Who’s the Boss?” “Melrose Place,” “Charmed,” “Mistresses”) 1980 – Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (“October Sky,” “Donnie Darko,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Jarhead,” “Brokeback Mountain,” “Zodiac,” “Nightcrawler,” “Southpaw”) History Highlights 1732 – Benjamin Franklin begins publishing “Poor Richard’s Almanack.” The book, filled with proverbs preaching industry and prudence, is published continuously for 25 years and becomes one of the most popular publications in colonial America, selling an average of 10,000 copies a year. 1843 – Charles Dickens publishes his Christmas classic, “A Christmas Carol.” Originally titled “A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,” the first edition sells out by Christmas Eve. By the end of 1844, 13 editions had been released. The work continues to be printed and sold nearly 200 years later and has been adapted countless times for film, stage, opera and other media, including a video game. 1903 – New Yorkers celebrate the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge, the second and largest of three steel-frame suspension bridges crossing the East River. 1917 – The National Hockey League (NHL) opens its first season with two games. At the time, the league consists of five franchises: the Canadiens and the Wanderers (both of Montreal), the Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Bulldogs and the Toronto Arenas (known at the time as the Toronto Hockey Club). 1972 – NASA’S Apollo manned lunar-landing program ends as the last three astronauts to travel to the moon safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Apollo 17 had blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 10 days earlier. 1984 – The British government signs an agreement to return Hong Kong to China in 1997. 1997 – Director James Cameron’s epic drama “Titanic” opens in U.S. theaters, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film becomes a box office smash and goes on to capture 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. 1998 – President Bill Clinton is impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice by a divided House of Representatives, which recommends virtually along party lines that the Senate remove the nation’s 42d president from office. Clinton vows to finish his term. Musical Milestones 1964 – Diana Ross & The Supremes score their third No. 1 single of 1964 with “Come See About Me,” which holds the top spot for a week. 1970 – Elton John’s first U.S. hit, “Your Song,” from the “Elton John” album, enters the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it eventually climbs to No. 8. 1979 – Elvis Presley’s personal physician, George Nichopoulos, is charged with ‘illegally and indiscriminately’ prescribing more than 12,000 uppers, downers and painkillers for the star during the 20 months preceding his untimely death. 1981 – Olivia Newton-John is in the middle of a 10-week ride atop the Billboard Hot 100 with “Physical.” 1987 – George Michael is in the middle of a four-week domination of the pop chart with “Faith.” 1992 – “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston, starts its fourth week as a No. 1 single. It holds the top spot for a total of 14 weeks. 2000 – Roebuck “Pops” Staples, gospel singer, songwriter, guitarist and founding member of the Staple Singers, dies at age 85. The group had hits including “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself” and “Let’s Do It Again” in the 1970s. 2009 – “Empire State of Mind,” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, rules the singles chart. READ MORE