Saturday, March 2, 2013

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS:

• Jon Bon Jovi (singer, Bon Jovi) (51)
• Chris Martin (lead singer of Coldplay, husband of Gwyneth Paltrow) (36)
• Mikhail S. Gorbachev (Former head of theSoviet Union, introduced the openness policies that eventually led to the breakup of the communist U.S.S.R.) (82)
• Robert Iler (actor, A.J. on The Sopranos) (28)
• Laraine Newman (comedienne, one of the original Saturday Night Live castmembers, American Hot Wax, 7th Heaven) () (61)
• Lou Reed (Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame singer-guitarist-songwriter) (71)
• Elizabeth Jagger (actress, Igby Goes Down; daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall) (29)
• John Irving (author, The Cider House Rules) (71)
• Bryce Dallas Howard (actress, The Village, Spider Man 3) (32)
• Eddie Money (rocker) (64)
• Larry Carlton (jazz guitarist) (65)
• Mark Evans (original bassist, AC/DC) (57)
• Daniel Craig (actor, Munich, The Golden Compass, Defiance, Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Elizabeth, Dream House, Current James Bond in Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace and Skyfall) (45)
• Tom Wolfe (author, The Right Stuff, The Bonfire Of The Vanities, I Am Charlotte Simmons) (82, some sources say 83)
• Reggie Bush (football player) (28)
• Gates McFadden (actress, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Commander Crusher, M.D.) (64)
• Bryce Dallas Howard (actress, The Village, Lady in the Water, Spider-Man 3, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Help, Terminator Salvation; daughter of Ron Howard) (32)

ON THIS DAY:

• 1807, Congress abolished the slave trade, meaning no more slaves could be brought into the country, although the institution of slavery continued with those already in the U.S.
• 1824, interstate commerce came under federal control as a result of the Supreme Court ruling in a case over steamboat rights on the Hudson River.
• 1836,Texas declared its independence fromMexico.
• 1877, a special commission, made up of five members of both Houses of Congress and five members of the U.S. Supreme Court, declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the disputed 1876 presidential election over Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden won the popular vote.
• 1904 Author Dr. Seuss (real name: Theodore Geisel) is born. He dies in 1991.
• 1917 Actor-musician Desi Arnaz (I Love Lucy) is born. He dies in 1986.
• 1917, the Jones Act passed, making Puerto RicansU.S. citizens.
• 1923, Time magazine debuted.
• 1933, the movie classic King Kong, starring Fay Wray, has its world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
• 1939, Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pope on his 63rd birthday. He took the name Pius XII.
• 1944, Casablanca won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the Oscars.
• 1949, Captain James Gallagher of the U.S. Air Force completed the first non-stop flight around the world, refueling several times during the trip.
• 1950 Karen Carpenter of the Carpenters is born. She dies in 1983.
• 1951, the East beat the West, 111-94, in the first NBA All-Star Game.
• 1953 The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC.
• 1962, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia Warriors set an NBA record when he scored 100 points in a single game.
• 1965, the movie musical The Sound Of Music opened.
• 1977, future Tonight Show host Jay Leno made his first appearance on the Johnny Carson-hosted show.
• 1982 Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, whose stories were the basis for films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, dies at the age of 53.
• 1983, The compact disc and CD player is introduced inBritain by Sony, Philips, and PolyGram.
• 1984 This Is Spinal Tap opens inU.S. theatres.
• 1985, "California Girls" by David Lee Roth, a cover of the Beach Boys song, peaks at Number Three on the pop chart.
• 1985, "The Old Man Down The Road" by John Fogerty peaks at Number 10 on the pop chart.
• 1988 U2 wins two Grammy Awards for The Joshua Tree, including Album Of The Year.
• 1991 Innuendo by Queen is released. It's their last studio album with the band's original lineup.
• 1991, Iraq released CBS newsman Bob Simon and his crew, who had been held captive for nearly six weeks during the Persian Gulf War.
• 1993 Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic gives a spoken-word performance inLondon as part of a show to raise money for children injured in the war in the formerYugoslavia.
• 1995 Nine Inch Nails' debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, is certified platinum.
• 1998 ANew Jersey state appeals court rules that the Boy Scouts Of America discriminated against an assistant scoutmaster when it ousted him for being gay.
• 1998 Titanic becomes the first film to earn a billion dollars worldwide.
• 1999 Former Oasis drummer Tony McCarroll settles out of court with his former bandmates over his 1995 firing.
• 1999 Texas Governor George W. Bush announces that he's forming a presidential exploratory committee.
• 2001 Hole frontwoman Courtney Love announces that she is putting together a "femme punk supergroup" that will release an album on renowned punk label Epitaph Records. The group never materializes.
• 2004 Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell and Cult guitarist Billy Duffy officially announce the formation of their "covers" band the Cardboard Vampyres.
• 2004 The contract for Kiss drummer Peter Criss expires, and the band chooses not to renew it, ending the third tenure for the founding member.
• 2005 The members of Motley Crue ring the closing bell for the New York Stock Exchange.
• 2007 30 Seconds To Mars announces that bassist Matt Wachter is leaving the group after five years to spend more time with his family.
• 2007 Korn's MTV Unplugged performance premieres on the network, marking the return of the popular MTV program and Korn's first full-length acoustic live show.
• 2008 Nine Inch Nails releases a new collection of music, called Ghosts I - IV, through the band's official Web site. The first nine tracks of the set are made available for free downloading, while the complete 36-track, four-volume set is also made available in various digital and physical configurations at different prices.
• 2010 Original Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery quits the band after reuniting with them in 2008 for the first time since the group originally split up in 1991. Avery did not participate in the group's 1997 and 2001 reunions.