Wednesday, July 4, 2012

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS:

• Gina Lollobrigida (actress, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World) (85)
• Geraldo Rivera (talk show host/journalist) (69)
• Malia Obama (eldest daughter of U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama) (14)
• Eva Marie Saint (actress, On the Waterfront, North By Northwest, Buck Rogers, How the West was Won) (88)
• Neil Simon (playwright, The Odd Couple, Brighton Beach Memoirs) (85)
• John Waite (singer, "Missing You," The Babys) (60, disputed)
• Becki Newton (actress, Ugly Betty) (34)

ON THIS DAY:

• 1776, theUnited States of America was born when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
• 1802, theUnited StatesMilitaryAcademy officially opened atWest Point,New York.
• 1826, Oddly enough, both former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson passed away on this day, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Later, in 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, would be born on this day.
• 1918 Advice columnist Ann Landers (the twin sister of Abigail "Dear Abby" Van Buren) is born. She dies in 2002.
• 1930, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was born today. He dies in 2010.
• 1939, baseball's "Iron Horse," Lou Gehrig, said farewell to his fans atNew York's Yankee Stadium. Even though he knew he was dying of the degenerative disease that would later be named after him, Gehrig famously said, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."
• 1960,America's 50-star flag, honoring Hawaiian statehood, was officially unfurled.
• 1964, "I Get Around" by the Beach Boys hits Number One on the pop chart, where it stays for two weeks.
• 1966, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Freedom of Information Act.
• 1969 140,000 fans attend the first Atlanta Pop Festival, which features performances from Led Zeppelin, Canned Heat, Johnny Winter, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and others.
• 1971, the sitcom Hogan's Heroes last aired on CBS.
• 1975, TV's comedy series The Odd Couple aired for the last time.
• 1976,Israel launched a commando mission atEntebbeAirport inUganda to rescue passengers and AirFrance crew members being held hostage by pro-Palestinian hijackers. During the successful raid, three hostages, seven hijackers, and 20 Ugandan soldiers were killed.
• 1981, "All Those Years Ago" by George Harrison peaks at Number Two on the pop chart, where it stays for three weeks.
• 1981, Face Value by Phil Collins peaks at Number Seven on the album chart, where it stays for four weeks.
• 1982, Ozzy Osbourne and his manager Sharon Arden are married.
• 1986, More than 250 sailing ships and the United States' biggest fireworks display honored the Statue of Liberty in its 100th birthday year.
• 1990, The movie Die Hard 2, starring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Reginald VelJohnson, John Amos, and Dennis Franz, opens.
• 2000 Live At The Greek: Excess All Areas by Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes is released commercially. It was first sold through a Website.
• 2004 David Lee Roth sings "California Girls" and "Jump" in Boston with the Boston Pops at their annual July 4th event.
• 2009 Foo Fighters perform at the White House for an event honoring members of theU.S. military.