Wednesday, December 26, 2012

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

• Chris Daughtry (singer, American Idol finalist, Daughtry) (33)
• Lars Ulrich (drummer, Metallica) (49)
• Carlton Fisk (Baseball Hall of Fame catcher, hit the most famous home run ever at Fenway Park, winning the World Series, on October 21, 1975, which has been called the most famous moment on television sports) (65)
• David Sedaris (writer, author of Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day, brother of actress Amy Sedaris) (56)
• Phil Spector (Influential 1960s music producer, convicted of murder after a woman was shot to death in his home…currently in jail) (73, disputed 72)
• John Walsh (America's Most Wanted host) (67)
• Jared Leto (frontman, 30 Seconds To Mars; actor Fight Club, Requiem For A Dream, Alexander) (41)
• Abdul "Duke" Fakir (of the Four Tops) (77)
• James Mercer (frontman, the Shins) (42)

ON THIS DAY:

• 1799, George Washington was eulogized 12 days after his death by Colonel Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
• 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American to win the world heavyweight title when he knocked out Canadian Tommy Burns in the 14th round in a championship bout held in Australia.
• 1919, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox reached an agreement on the sale of Boston's Babe Ruth to the Yankees. So began the mythical "Curse of the Bambino," which for years sawBoston unable to win a World Series.
• 1921 Actor-comedian-author-composer and original Tonight Show host Steve Allen is born. He dies in 2000 at age 78.
• 1924, two-and-a-half-year-old Judy Garland, billed as Baby Frances, made her debut as part of her family's vaudeville act.
• 1927 Actor-comedian Alan King is born. He dies in 2004 at age 76.
• 1944, Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie had its first public performance, at the Civic Theatre inChicago.
• 1954, one of radio's most popular programs, The Shadow, aired for the last time after 24 years.
• 1957 "Tequila" by the Champs is released.
• 1963, The Beatles released the single "I Want To Hold Your Hand," which became their first U.S. smash hit, marking the beginning of Beatlemania and music's "British Invasion."
• 1964 "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles hits Number One on the pop chart, while "She's A Woman" peaks at Number Four.
• 1966, the first Kwanzaa was celebrated in Los Angeles under the direction of Dr. Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University at Long Beach. The seven-day holiday, which has African roots, was designed by Karenga as a celebration of African-American family, community, and culture.
• 1967 The Beatles' hour-long Magical Mystery Tour TV special is shown on the BBC.
• 1968 Led Zeppelin makes their U.S. concert debut in Boston as the opening act for Vanilla Fudge and the MC5.
• 1970 "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison hits Number One on the pop chart.
• 1972, the 33rd U.S. president, Harry S Truman (1945-1953), died. He was 88.
• 1973, The Exorcist, starring a young Linda Blair, opened in movie theaters. It was viewed as so shocking that it was given an "X" rating and there were stories of people fainting in movie theaters.
• 1974, comedian Jack Benny died. He was 80.
• 1978 Live Bootleg by Aerosmith is certified platinum.
• 1982, Time magazine named a non-human as Man of the Year for the first time. "The Computer" got the title as 1982's "greatest influence for good or evil."
• 1986 Actress Elsa Lanchester (Bride Of Frankenstein, Lassie Come Home, Mary Poppins) dies at age 84.
• 1992 "Drive" by R.E.M. peaks at Number 28 on the pop chart.
• 1996, the beaten and strangled body of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of her Boulder, Colorado, home. The case remains unsolved.
• 2000 Actor Jason Robards (All The President's Men, Melvin And Howard, Parenthood, Philadelphia) dies at age 78
• 2001 Paul McCartney calls for the English government to issue a ban on fox hunting with dogs, saying: "We want to live in a country where it is illegal to inflict pain and suffering by hunting wild animals with dogs -- an activity that we along with most British people believe is cruel, unnecessary, and outdated."