Wednesday, January 16, 2013

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:

• Debbie Allen (actress/dancer/choreographer, Fame) (63)
• A.J. Foyt (Race car driver, four-time winner of theIndianapolis 500) (78)
• Kate Moss (supermodel) (39)
• John Carpenter (director, Halloween, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Thing, Vampires) (65)
• Maxine Jones (singer, member of En Vogue) (51, disputed)
• Sade (singer) (54)
• Nick Valensi (guitarist, the Strokes) (32)

ON THIS DAY:

• 1493, Christopher Columbus and his ships Nina and Pinta left fromCuba to return toSpain after his first trip to theNew World.
• 1547, Ivan the Terrible was crowned first Czar of Russia.
• 1581, the English parliament passed laws against Catholicism.
• 1920, the sale of alcoholic beverages became illegal inAmerica when the 18th Amendment to the Constitution took effect. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.
• 1938, Benny Goodman played a famous jazz concert at Carnegie Hall, after first refusing because black members of his band were barred from performing. Goodman eventually went on when Carnegie Hall relented and let all the performers play.
• 1957 The Cavern Club opens inLiverpool,England.
• 1974, the book Jaws, by Peter Benchley, was published.
• 1976, Peter Frampton released the album Frampton Comes Alive!, which went on to become the biggest-selling live album of all time.
• 1979 Gregg Allman's divorce from Cher is finalized.
  1979 Actor Ted Cassidy (The Addams Family's Lurch) dies at age 46.
• 1979, R&B star Aaliyah was born. She died in a place crash in theBahamas on August 25th, 2001, at the age of 22.
• 1979, the Shah Of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, was overthrown in the Iranian revolution and left the country.
• 1980 Paul McCartney is arrested for marijuana possession atNaritaAirport inJapan, and spends the first of 10 days in aTokyo jail.
• 1984 Paul and Linda McCartney are arrested for possession of marijuana inBarbados.
• 1987 The Beastie Boys become the first act to be censored on American Bandstand.
• 1988 "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison hits Number One on the pop chart.
• 1991 Operation Desert Shield becomes Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out ofKuwaitas the first Gulf War betweenIraqand the allied forces begins.  (it was actually January 17th inIraq).
• 1992, the government of El Salvador and rebel leaders signed a pact ending 12 years of civil war.
• 1997, two bombs exploded an hour apart in anAtlanta building containing an abortion clinic, injuring six people.
• 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was launched with seven astronauts on board. The shuttle broke apart 16 days later, on February 1st, as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere for landing, killing everyone board.
• 2004 Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson performs at The Knitting Factory inNew York City with a string quartet. The show is recorded for future release.< future for recorded is>
• 2004 The assets of Grand Royal Records, the label formerly owned and operated by the Beastie Boys, are auctioned off over the Internet.
• 2006 U2 fans in the Brazilian city ofSao Paulo wait on lines for more than 12 hours after machines printing tickets for an upcoming concert by the band break down.
• 2007 Drummer Atom Willard quits the Offspring to play full-time with Angels & Airwaves.
• 2007 Godsmack singer Sully Erna is given the key to the city ofLawrence,Massachusetts, where he grew up.
• 2007 Snow Patrol is nominated for Best Album, Best Single and Best Group in the 2007 Brit Awards.
• 2008 Foo Fighters kicks off a newU.S. tour inFlorida featuring the band's biggest live show to date, including two different stages and four additional musicians.
• 2008 Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer leaves the band's European tour for what a statement calls "personal and family reasons."