Friday, July 20, 2012

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS:

• Gisele Bundchen (Brazilian model, wife of Tom Brady) (32)
• Josh Holloway (actor, James "Sawyer" Ford on Lost) (43)
• Peter Forsberg (NHL All-Star) (39)
• Terri Irwin (wife of Animal Planet's Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter) (48)
• Simon Rex (actor/former MTV VJ) (38)
• Carlos Santana (Grammy-winning guitarist) (65)
• Chris Cornell (lead singer, Soundgarden, Audioslave) (48)
• Stone Gossard (guitarist, Pearl Jam) (46)
• Elliot Yamin (American Idol contestant) (34)
• Frank Whaley (actor, Field Of Dreams, The Freshman, The Doors, Broken Arrow) (49)
• Radney Foster (country singer-songwriter) (53)
• Donna Dixon (actress, Bosom Buddies, Doctor Detroit, Wayne's World; wife of Dan Aykroyd) (55)
• Sandra Oh (actress, Arli$$, Sideways, Grey's Anatomy) (41)
• Diana Rigg (actress, Emma Peel on The Avengers) (74)
• Kim Carnes (pop singer, "Bette Davis Eyes") (67)
• Omar Epps (actor, House, ER, The Wood, In Too Deep, Scream 2, Love & Basketball, The Mod Squad) (39)
• Judy Greer (actress, Arrested Development, The Wedding Planner, Jawbreaker, The Village, 27 Dresses, 13 Going on 30) (37)
• Julianne Hough (dancer/actress/country singer, Dancing with the Stars, Burlesque, Rock of Ages) (24)
• Andrew Stockdale (frontman, Wolfmother) (36)
• Mike Kennerty (guitarist, the All-American Rejects) (32)
• Larry Craig (former Republican senator fromIdaho; arrested for soliciting sex in a men's bathroom at an airport) (67)

ON THIS DAY:

• 1859, For the first time, admission was charged for a baseball game. People at the Fashion Park Race Course outsideNew York City paid 50 cents to watch the first of three games between all-star players from Brooklyn andNew York, whichNew York won 22-18. The players weren't paid.
• 1938 Actress Natalie Wood (Miracle On 34th Street, Rebel Without A Cause, West Side Story, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice) is born. She dies in 1981.
• 1940, The first "Music Popularity Chart" was published in Billboard magazine. The first Number One single was "I'll Never Smile Again" by Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra.
• 1944, President Roosevelt was nominated for an unprecedented fourth term of office at the Democratic convention inChicago.
• 1963, "Surf City" by Jan & Dean hits Number One on the pop chart.
• 1964, Something New by the Beatles is released.
• 1965, "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan is released.
  1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience records "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" with Aretha Franklin's backup singers the Sweet Inspirations.
• 1968, the first Special Olympics was held, inChicago.
• 1969 Apollo Eleven astronauts Neil Armstrong and Eugene "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the moon, after their lunar module lands at theSea OfTranquility. Armstrong steps onto the moon's surface at 10:56 a.m. ET and says, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
• 1973, Actor and martial arts expert Bruce Lee died at age 32.
• 1974 Joey Ramone steps out from behind the drums to become lead singer for the Ramones.
• 1974, Diamond Dogs by David Bowie peaks at Number Five on the album chart, where it stays for two weeks.
• 1974, Journey To The Centre Of The Earth by Rick Wakeman peaks at Number Three on the album chart, where it stays for two weeks.
• 1975, Guitarist "Miami" Steve Van Zandt plays his first gig as a member of the E Street Band.
• 1976, America's Viking One robot spacecraft probe made the first-ever successful landing on Mars.
• 1979, The Electric Light Orchestra takes out advertisements in magazines dedicating the release of "Don't Bring Me Down" to the Skylab space station, which had broken up upon reentering the Earth's atmosphere on July 11th.
• 1984, Vanessa Williams, Miss America 1984, was asked by pageant officials to resign because of nude photographs of her that appeared in Penthouse magazine. Williams relinquished her title three days later.
• 1985, "People Get Ready" by Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart, a cover of the Impressions hit, peaks at Number 48 on the pop chart.
• 1986 Van Halen manager Ed Leffler is hospitalized after being beaten up by an unknown assailant in aDallas hotel elevator.
• 1986, On his 39th birthday, Carlos Santana is reunited with all of his former Santana bandmates in concert.
• 1988 Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis is named as the Democratic party's presidential nominee.
• 1994 O.J. Simpson offers $500,000 as a reward for information leading to the capture of his wife Nicole's "real killer."
• 2000 Metallica plays a one-off show with the Tattoo The Earth tour at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Some of the bands playing on the second stage, outside the venue, have to buy tickets to get in and see Metallica.
• 2003 Coldplay singer Chris Martin is arrested after he threatens photographer Jon Lister, smashes his car windshield with a rock, and lets the air out of his tires. Martin became enraged after Lister snapped pictures of Martin and two friends surfing off an Australian beach.
• 2005 Actor James Doohan (Star Trek's Mr. Scott) dies at age 85.
• 2005 Courtney Love is rushed to a hospital after passing out at a party inLos Angeles. The incident is later found to be drug-related, violating her probation on previous drug offenses.
• 2006 Pearl Jam plays a benefit inPortland,Oregon, for the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Of America.
• 2012 The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in the Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman and Tom Hardy, opens in theatres everywhere.