Today's History & Birthdays - Tues. 01/14
LandonEx
Today is Tuesday, January 14, the 14th day of 2003. There are 351 days left in
the year. On this date:
In 1639, the first constitution of Connecticut -- the "Fundamental Orders" --
was adopted.
In 1742, English astronomer Edmond Halley, who observed the comet that now
bears his name, died at age 85.
In 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England ending the
Revolutionary War.
In 1794, Dr. Jesse Bennett performed the first successful Caesarean delivery,
in Edom, Virginia; the patient was his wife.
In 1858, French emperor Napoleon III escaped an attempt on his life.
In 1892, producer Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York. He founded the Hal
Roach Studios and directed such early films as "One Million B.C.," "Road Show"
and "The Devil's Brother." He also produced all the "Our Gang" comedies of the
1930s which, decades later, aired on TV under the title "The Little Rascals."
Roach died on November 2, 1992.
In 1898, author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson -- better known as "Alice in
Wonderland" creator Lewis Carroll -- died in Guildford, England, less than two
weeks before his 66th birthday.
In 1906, actor William Bendix was born in New York. He made such films as
"Wake Island," "Guadalcanal Diary," Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat," "The Hairy
Ape," "A Bell for Adano," "Two Years Before the Mast," "The Babe Ruth Story,"
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," "Detective Story" and "Boy's
Night Out." He is perhaps best remembered, however, as the beleaguered Chester
A. Riley on radio and TV in the popular series "The Life of Riley." He died on
December 14, 1964.
In 1914, automaker Henry Ford announced the newest advance in assembly line
production of cars -- the continuous motion method reduced assembly time of a
car from 12½ hours to 93 minutes.
In 1924, actor Guy Williams was born Armand Joseph Catalano in New York City.
A former model, Williams landed the role of Zorro in Walt Disney's TV serial of
the same name, and later headed the Robinson family of space travelers in the
sci-fi TV series "Lost in Space." Williams' feature films include "Damon and
Pythias," "Captain Sinbad" and "The Prince and the Pauper." He died at his
home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on May 7, 1989.
In 1926, the city of Chicago, Illinois, decided to build a municipal airport at
Cicero Avenue and 63rd Street; the airport, now called Midway, was dedicated on
December 12, 1927. Also on this date, actor Tom Tryon was born in Hartford,
Connecticut. After a stint in the Navy, Tryon studied painting at Yale and,
turning to performing, joined a stock company as a set designer and actor. He
eventually arrived in Hollywood, where starred in such productions as Disney's
"Texas John Slaughter" series for TV and in such films as "Screaming Eagles,"
"Three Violent People," "Moon Pilot," "The Longest Day," "The Cardinal," "In
Harm's Way," "The Glory Guys" and "Color Me Dead." Tryon gave up acting in the
late 1960s and subsequently authored several best-selling novels, including
"The Other" and "Crowned Heads." He died on September 4, 1991.
In 1932, horseracing legend Eddie Arcaro won his first race as he rode Eagle
Bird to victory.
In 1941, Paul Brown, then head football coach of Massillon High School, was
named head coach of Ohio State's Buckeyes; in seven years of high school
competition, coach Brown's Massillon High team had lost only one game.
In 1943, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to
fly in an airplane while in office. Roosevelt flew from Miami, Florida, to
French Morocco to meet with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and open a
wartime conference in Casablanca.
In 1951, the first National Football League Pro Bowl All-Star Game was played,
in Los Angeles, California; the American Conference defeated the National
Conference in a squeaker: 28-27.
In 1952, NBC's "Today" show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host.
In 1953, Josip Broz Tito was elected president of Yugoslavia by the country's
Parliament.
In 1954, actress Marilyn Monroe married baseball great Joe DiMaggio; the
marriage lasted nine months. After her death (in 1962), DiMaggio had red roses
delivered to her crypt at Westwood Memorial Park two to three times a week for
some 20 years.
In 1957, Oscar-winning actor Humphrey Bogart died of throat cancer at his home
in Holmby Hills, California, at 57. At the time of his death, Bogart was
married to actress Lauren (Betty) Bacall. At his funeral, long-time friend
John Huston told a grieving crowd: "He is quite irreplaceable. There will
never be anybody like him."
In 1963, George C. Wallace was sworn in as governor of Alabama with a pledge of
"segregation forever."
In 1965, actress-singing star Jeanette MacDonald died at age 61 in a Houston,
Texas, hospital while awaiting open heart surgery. Signed to a contract at MGM
in 1934, MacDonald starred in such classic MGM musicals as "The Merry Widow,"
"Naughty Marietta," "Rose Marie," "Sweethearts" and "Maytime."
In 1968, the Green Bay Packers beat the Oakland Raiders, 33-14, in Super Bowl
II at Miami, Florida. Most Valuable Player (MVP) was Packers quarterback Bart
Starr.
In 1969, 25 crew members of the U.S. aircraft carrier "Enterprise" were killed
in an explosion that ripped through the ship off the Hawaiian Islands.
In 1972, comedian Redd Foxx -- whose real last name was Sanford -- debuted on
NBC-TV in the sitcom "Sanford & Son"; actor Demond Wilson co-starred as Fred
Sanford's son.
In 1973, Super Bowl VII at Los Angeles saw the Miami Dolphins complete a
perfect National Football League season with a 14-7 win over the Washington
Redskins. MVP was the Dolphins' Jake Scott.
In 1979, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 95% of all Americans were married
or would get married, and that most people who divorce would eventually marry
again.
In 1981, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) freed radio stations of
several major regulations, including limits on the number of commercials and
minimum requirements for news and public-affairs programming.
In 1985, Martina Navratilova joined Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd as the
only professional tennis players to win 100 tournaments; Martina accomplished
this feat by defeating Manuela Maleeva to win the Virginia Slims competition in
Washington, D.C. On television, former Miss America Phyllis George joined Bill
Kurtis as host of "The CBS Morning News"; the show was a ratings disaster and
both co-hosts were eventually replaced.
In 1986, Oscar-winning actress Donna Reed ("It's a Wonderful Life," "The
Picture of Dorian Gray," "From Here to Eternity," "The Benny Goodman Story,"
TV's "The Donna Reed Show" and "Dallas," et al.) died of pancreatic cancer at
age 64 in Beverly Hills, California.
In 1990, after appearing as a brief but regular feature of TV's "The Tracy
Ullman Show," the animated series "The Simpsons" debuted on Fox-TV as its own
show, starring creator Matt Groening's wacky family of Homer and Marge Simpson
and their three offspring: Bart, Lisa and Maggie.
In 1992, historic Mideast peace talks continued in Washington, with Israel and
Jordan holding their first-ever formal negotiations, and the Israelis
continuing exchanges with Palestinian representatives.
Ten years ago (1993): Retreating from a campaign promise, U.S. President-elect
Bill Clinton said he would continue former President George H.W. Bush's policy
of forcibly returning Haitian boat people to Haiti. Television talk show host
David Letterman announced he was moving from NBC to CBS.
In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed
Kremlin accords to stop aiming missiles at any nation and to dismantle the
nuclear arsenal of Ukraine.
In 1997, the U.S. House ethics committee's ranking Democrat, Jim McDermott of
Washington state, removed himself from the investigation of Speaker Newt
Gingrich, bowing to pressure that built quickly concerning his role in the
handling of an illegally taped phone call involving the House leader.
Five years ago (1998): Whitewater prosecutors questioned Hillary Rodham Clinton
at the White House for 10 minutes about the gathering of FBI background files
on past Republican political appointees; sources quoted Ms. Clinton as saying
she knew nothing about any such collection of files. In television news, NBC
agreed to pay Warner Bros. $13 million per episode to retain the highly rated
medical drama series "E.R."
In 2001, late-night TV host David Letterman underwent emergency heart bypass
surgery. Super Bowl XXXV was decided as the New York Giants shut out the
Minnesota Vikings, 41-0, to win the NFC championship and the Baltimore Ravens
beat the Oakland Raiders, 16-3, to gain the AFC title.
One year ago (2002): Two members of U.S. Congress released excerpts of a letter
to Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay the previous August in which Enron executive
Sherron Watkins warned of the reckless practices that eventually brought down
the energy-trading giant. The World Trade Organization decided the European
Union could ask for punitive tariffs on U.S. imports.
////////// Today in Music History:
In 1900, Puccini's opera "Tosca" received a mixed reception at its world
premiere in Rome, Italy.
In 1936, Harriet Hilliard Nelson, vocalist and wife of swing bandleader Ozzie
Nelson, sang "Get Thee Behind Me Satan" for Brunswick Records.
In 1939, the radio program "Honolulu Bound" was heard on the CBS radio network,
with Phil Baker and The Andrews Sisters featured on the show.
In 1950, "I Can Dream, Can't I?" by The Andrews Sisters topped the pop music
chart and remained there for 5 weeks.
In 1955, disc jockey Alan Freed held his first Rock 'n' Roll Party stage show
in New York; acts included the Clovers, Fats Domino, and the Drifters.
In 1956, rock 'n' roller Little Richard was heard on the newly released single,
"Tutti-Frutti."
In 1960, the U.S. Army promoted Elvis Presley to the rank of sergeant.
In 1964, a hootenanny was held for the first time at the White House as the New
Christy Minstrels entertained President Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson as well as
the president of Italy.
In 1969, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters was born in Warren, Ohio.
In 1970, the first "Human Be-In" took place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park
in California. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Diana Ross and the Supremes performed
their last concert as a group, at the Frontier Hotel.
In 1973, Elvis Presley drew the largest audience for a single TV show at that
time -- an estimated 1 billion viewers in 40 countries -- as "Elvis - Aloha
From Hawaii," a live, worldwide concert from Honolulu International Center
Arena, was aired. The first U.S. airing of the event was held on April 4 on
NBC-TV; the show was also released as a two-record album and became one of
Elvis's top-selling LPs.
In 1978, Player's "Baby Come Back" was the No. 1 single in the U.S. and
remained in the top spot for three weeks.
In 1989, the song "My Prerogative" by Bobby Brown reached the No. 1 position on
the U.S. charts; it was in the top spot for one week.
In 1990, international opera star Kiri Te Kanawa drew the largest concert
audience in the history of her native New Zealand as about 140,000 people
gathered in Auckland's Domain Park for the open-air concert; some fans arrived
18 hours before the concert to grab the best positions.
In 1995, Pearl Jam performed with Neil Young for a Voters for Choice benefit in
Washington, D.C.
In 1998, Smithereens front man Pat DiNizio launched his first solo tour in
Pontiac, Michigan.
In 1999, Garth Brooks appeared on TV's "Sesame Street" and sang a song called
"Together We Make Music" with Harry and the other Sesame Street Monsters.
Hard-rock band Metallica sued Victoria's Secret, claiming that the lingerie and
accessories manufacturer infringed on its trademark by marketing a line of
"Metallica" lip pencils.
In 2000, the Nashville, Tennessee-based country fan magazine Music City News
closed its doors after 37 years of publication. Violence erupted during a
concert at California's 12,000-seat Oakland Arena starring Ginuwine and Eve;
chair -throwing fans rushed the stage and gunfire resounded as 170 law
enforcement officers cleared the venue.
//////// Today's Birthdays (born under the sign of Capricorn):
-- CBS commentator Andy Rooney (TV's "60 Minutes") is 84.
-- Former CBS newsman George Herman is 83.
-- Country singer Billy Walker ("Thank You for Calling") is 74.
-- Blues singer Clarence Carter ("Patches," "Slip Away") is 67.
-- Country singer Billie Jo Spears ("Mr. Walker, It's All Over") is 66.
-- Singer Jack Jones ("Lollipops and Roses," "Wives and Lovers") is 65.
-- Singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint ("Nothing Takes the Place of You") is 65.
-- NAACP Chairman Julian Bond is 63.
-- Actress Faye Dunaway ("Chinatown," "Barfly," "Mommie Dearest") is 62.
-- Actress Holland Taylor ("To Die For," "Legally Blonde") is 60.
-- Actor Carl Weathers ("Rocky" series, "Happy Gilmore") is 55.
-- Singer-producer T-Bone Burnett ("The Talking Animals") is 55.
-- Screenwriter-director Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill") is 54.
-- Rock singer Geoff Tate (Queensryche) is 44.
-- Screenwriter-director Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic," "Solaris") is 40.
-- Actor Mark Addy ("The Full Monty," "Jack Frost") is 39.
-- Rapper Slick Rick ("Children's Story," "I Shouldn't Have Done It") is 38.
-- Actor Dan Schneider (TV's "Head of the Class") is 37.
-- Actress Emily Watson ("Breaking the Waves," "Gosford Park") is 36.
-- Actor-comedian Tom Rhodes ("Mr. Rhodes") is 36.
-- Rapper-actor LL Cool J ("Hey Lover," "Doin' It") is 35.
-- Actor Jason Bateman ("Necessary Roughness)" is 34.
-- Rock singer-musician Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) is 34.
-- Actress Jordan Ladd ("Cabin Fever," "Boys Life 3") is 28.
////////// Thought for Today:
"Dignity is like a perfume; those who use it are scarcely conscious of it."
-- Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689)
AP / Reuters / E! Online / Zap2it
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