BROWNNOSE
BOOTLICKER
24th day of 2011 - 341 remaining
Monday, January 24, 2011
DIAMOND DAY
The lights dimmed, the crowd was hushed, the stage was laden with floral gifts, and the music played. Do you hear it babe? It was Neil. It was a Beautiful Noise. It made me feel good, If You Know What I Mean.
He sang Yesterday’s Songs, with the words that say the songs just don’t stay around long. Not true when it comes to Neil Diamond songs. Neil Diamond started singing and writing songs while a young premed student. He was born on this day in 1941.
A song titled Sunday & Me was his first hit [1965]. He wrote it for Jay and The Americans; then I’m a Believer and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You followed for the Monkees [1966].
Neil wrote and wrote and sang and sang: 36 hits for you and me to remember from 1966 through 1983; the first, Cherry, Cherry; three #1 smash hits, Cracklin’ Rosie [1970], Song Sung Blue [1972], and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers with Barbra Streisand [1978].
By 1973, Neil Diamond had gone from being a poor premed student to composing soundtracks for seven figures (Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Jazz Singer, in which he also starred and which also yielded three hits: America, Love on the Rocks and Hello, Again).
The music of Neil Diamond is everlasting poetry, Longfellow Serenade. The concert ended but it will continue, Forever in Blue Jeans. I Am, I Said, sang Neil.
Events January 24
1899 - Humphrey O’Sullivan, an Irish-American printer, patented the rubber heel on this day and, of course, nothing has ever been quite the same since. Please don’t leave black heel marks on the floor today!
1922 - Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, IA patented something quite sweet: It was an ice cream confection that we commonly know as an Eskimo Pie.
1930 - Primo Carnera made his American boxing debut by knocking out Clayton ‘Big Boy’ Patterson in one minute, ten seconds of the opening round before a small, intimate gathering of 20,000 people in New York City. How embarrassing for poor Big Boy! He would later change his name to Rocky Balboa.
1930 - Ben Bernie (Benjamin Anzelwitz) began a weekly remote broadcast from the lovely Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
1935 - Krueger Brewing Company placed the first canned beer on sale -- in Richmond, VA. I’ll have a cold Krueger Light, please.
1936 - Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded one of the all-time greats, Stompin’ at the Savoy, on Victor Records. The song became such a standard, that, literally, hundreds of artists have recorded it, including a vocal version by Barry Manilow; believe it or not. The ‘King of Swing’ recorded the song in a session at the Congress Hotel in Chicago.
1942 - Abie’s Irish Rose was first heard on NBC radio this day replacing Knickerbocker Playhouse. The program was a takeoff on the smash play from Broadway that ran for nearly 2,000 performances. Sydney Smith played the part of Abie. Rosemary Murphy was played by Betty Winkler.
1946 - The United Nations established the International Atomic Energy Commission in reaction to the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
1950 - Jackie Robinson signed highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history.
1955 - The rules committee of major-league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.
1962 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
1964 - Willie Shoemaker topped Eddie Arcaro’s career earnings record by riding four winners at Santa Anita race track in California. Shoemaker’s total earnings reached $30,040,005.
1965 - Sir Winston Churchill, former prime minister (1940-1945 and 1951-1955), died from a cerebral thrombosis in London at age 90. “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”
1970 - James (Shep) Sheppard, lead singer of The Heartbeats (A Thousand Miles Away) and Shep & the Limelights (Daddy’s Home), was found beaten to death in his car on the Long Island Expressway in New York.
1970 - Robert Moog introduced his MiniMoog synthesizer, suitable for concert stages, and costing $2,000. The American Federation of Musicians considered banning the MiniMoog, fearing that its ability to simulate acoustic instruments could put musicians out of work.
1972 - Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was discovered on Guam, having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II was still going on.
1973 - ‘Little’ Donny Osmond, of the famed Osmond Brothers/Family, received a gold record for his album, Too Young. When he played the gold-plated disc on his Mickey Mouse phonograph, all he heard was Ben by ‘little’ Michael Jackson, a competitor in the ‘Kids Who Sing Really High Awards’ battle.
1978 - Cosmos 954, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, plunged through Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated. It scattered radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.
1982 - Super Bowl XVI (at Pontiac): San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21. The first cold-weather Super Bowl, the game was played in the Pontiac, Michigan Silverdome. The 49ers led 20-0 at the half, but the Bengals chased and almost caught them in the second half. MVP: 49ers QB Joe Montana. Tickets: $40.00. The CBS telecast was viewed by 110.2 million fans and CBS radio counted 14 million listeners to its broadcast of the game.
1985 - Penny Harrington became the first woman police chief of a major city. She assumed the duties as head of the Portland, Oregon force of 940 officers and staff.
1986 - Singer and actor Gordon MacRae died of cancer in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 64. MacRae starred in many memorable movies, such as Tea for Two, On Moonlight Bay, Oklahoma! and Carousel. He also starred on television as host of the Colgate Comedy Hour and Lux Television Theatre. And he recorded many show tunes, primarily for Capitol Records. He fought a long battle against alcoholism, and once said that he had been so drunk during a concert in Greenville, South Carolina that he couldn’t remember any song lyrics. MacRae suffered a stroke in 1982 but struggled to keep performing until the cancer overtook him in 1985.
1989 - Confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was put to death in Florida’s electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of one of his victims.
1993 - Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, MD. He was 84 years old.
1994 - U.S. President Bill Clinton promoted William J. Perry, the Pentagon’s second in command, to the post of Secretary of Defense.
1994 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (National Organization for Women, Inc. v. Scheidler) that protesters who block access to abortion clinics or in other ways conspire to stop women from having abortions may be sued under federal anti-racketeering statutes.
1995 - Amid unprecedented media attention, the murder trial of Hall-of-Fame football star O.J. Simpson began in Los Angeles Superior Court. Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.
1996 - Specialist Michael New was discharged from the U.S. Army after a court-martial jury convicted him for refusing to wear a U.N. beret for a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia.
1997 - These films debuted in the U.S.: The comedy Fierce Creatures, starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin; the drama In Love and War, with Sandra Bullock, Chris O'donnell, Mackenzie Astin and Emilio Bonucci; the drama Kolya, starring Zdenek Sverak, Andrej Chalimon, Libuse Safrankova and Ondrez Vetchy; the true-life story Prefontaine, with Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'neill and Breckin Meyer; and the family-oriented flick Zeus and Roxanne, about a dog and a dolphin, with Steve Guttenberg, Kathleen Quinlan, Arnold Vosloo and Dawn Mcmillan.
1998 - The soundtrack album from Titanic hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and kept that position for 15 weeks.
1999 - The International Olympic Committee voted to expel six IOC members after charges that they had accepted money and other compensation from officials from cities bidding to host the Olympics. The cities included Sydney, Australia (2000 summer games) and Salt Lake City, Utah (2002 winter games).
1999 - In the 56th Golden Globe Awards Saving Private Ryan was named best dramatic film of 1998, Spielberg won for directing it. Shakespeare in Love won for best musical or comedy.
2000 - A vicious Sunday storm toppled trees onto cars and houses, dropped snow and freezing rain on the southern Appalachians, and spread locally heavy rain across coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas. 150,000 utility customers, mostly in the Atlanta area, without heat or electricity following the icy storm.
2001 - The last two of seven escaped convicts from Texas were captured in Colorado after 42 days on the run. Four others had been captured earlier, and one committed suicide.
2002 - The Florida state pension fund reported a $325 million loss from the demise of Enron. The University of California said it had lost $145 million on its Enron investments.
2003 - Movies making debuts in the U.S.: Chicago, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Mya and Queen Latifah; and Darkness Falls with Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Joshua Anderson, Andrew Bayly, Emily Browning, Lee Cormie, Peter Curtin, Daniel Daperis, Rebecca McCauley, Kestie Morassi, Steve Mouzakis, Alannah Oliver, Grant Piro, Angus Sampson, Christian Schaeffer, Peter Stanton and Sullivan Stapleton.
2003 - The Department of Homeland Security (under Tom Ridge) became the 15th Cabinet department in the U.S.
2004 - Howard Dean sharply questioned John Kerry’s judgment on Iraq as Democratic presidential rivals raced through a final weekend of campaigning before the New Hampshire primary. This, as New Hampshire polling experts at American Research Group reported Kerry’s lead widening over Dean.
2004 - NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on Mars, arriving at the Red Planet exactly three weeks after Spirit, its identical twin , landed.
2005 - The Wall of Names holocaust memorial was unveiled in Paris.
2005 - JP Morgan Chase bank apologized for its predecessors (Canal Bank and Citizens’ Bank), which accepted slaves as collateral.
2005 - Alan Roy Williams, a U.K. doctor was charged with serious professional misconduct. The doctor had given evidence against Sally Clark who, it turned out, was wrongfully convicted of the murder of her two sons.
2006 - Merger mania raged on: Disney and Pixar animation studios merged in a US$7.4 billion deal; and CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. announce they would merge UPN and The WB TV networks into a new network called The CW.
2007 - Some 2,400 registered participants gathered at Davos, Switzerland, for the 4-day World Economic Forum, whose theme for 2007 was: The Shifting Power Equation.
2008 - U.S. congressional leaders put together a program of tax rebates ($300 to $1,200 for households), and business tax cuts, to jolt a jittery economy.
2008 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) announced that he was “transitioning out” of the U.S. presidential campaign.
2009 - A European windstorm named Klaus killed 11 people in Spain, including four children who were killed when a sports center collapsed near Barcelona. The storm also killed four people in France and was responsible for some 27 deaths in all.
2010 - Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country would retain parts of the West Bank forever. Timing and context lent weight to the PM’s visit to two Jewish settlements. He planted a tree at one of them: Maaleh Adumim, home to about 30,000 Israelis near Jerusalem. The planting was a symbolic act of ownership.
2010 - Actor Pernell Roberts died at his home in Malibu, CA. He was 81 years old. Roberts played Adam, the eldest Cartwright son, in the Bonanza TV series from 1959 to 1965. He later played the lead in the series, Trapper John M.D.
Birthdays January 24
1862 - Edith Wharton (Jones)
Pulitzer Prize winning author: The Age of Innocence [1921]; died Aug 11, 1937
1905 - Marvin ‘Cyclone’ Wentworth
hockey: Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens; died Oct 10, 1982
1909 - Ann Todd
actress: The Human Factor, Scream of Fear, Madeleine, The Seventh Veil; died May 6, 1993
1916 - Jack (John Beasley) Brickhouse
Radio Hall of Famer: WGN, Mutual Broadcasting System, DuMont Television Network; died Aug 6, 1998
1916 - C. Gene Mako
tennis: U.S. Open runner-up [1938]
1917 - Ernest Borgnine
Academy Award-winning actor: Marty [1955], The Poseidon Adventure, The Dirty Dozen, McHale’s Navy
1918 - Oral Roberts
evangelist: founder: Oral Roberts University; died Dec 15, 2009
1925 - Gus Mortson
hockey: NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs [all-star: 1949], Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings
1925 - Maria (Betty Marie) Tallchief
prima ballerina: Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, New York City Ballet; formed ballet troupe and school (1974) which became Chicago City Ballet [1980]; wife of choreographer George Balanchine
1933 - Zeke Carey
singer: group: The Flamingos: I Only Have Eyes for You, That’s My Desire, Golden Teardrops, Jump Children, Dream of a Lifetime, Ko Ko Mo [I Love You So]; died Dec 24, 1999
1935 - Manuel Ycaza
jockey: winner of Belmont Stakes [on Quadrangle: 1964]
1936 - Jack Scott (Scafone)
singer: My True Love, Goodbye Baby, What In the World’s Come Over You, Burning Bridges
1939 - Doug Kershaw
musician: Cajun fiddle, songwriter, singer: Louisiana Man, Diggy Liggy Lo
1939 - Ray Stevens (Harold Ray Ragsdale)
singer, entertainer: Everything Is Beautiful, Mr. Businessman; #1 novelty recording artist: Ahab, the Arab, Gitarzan, The Streak
1941 - Neil Diamond
singer: see Diamond Day [above]
1941 - Aaron Neville
Grammy Award-winning singer: Healing Chant [w/Neville Brothers: 1989], Don’t Know Much [w/Linda Ronstadt: 1989], All My Life [w/Linda Ronstadt: 1990], I Fall to Pieces [w/Trisha Yearwood: 1994]; singer: Tell It Like It Is; solo: LPs: Warm Your Heart, The Grand Tour, Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas
1943 - Sharon Tate
actress: Valley of the Dolls, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Fearless Vampire Killers, The Wrecking Crew; murdered by members of the Manson family Aug 9, 1969
1944 - Bobby Lee Bryant
football: Minnesota Vikings corner back, Super Bowls VIII, XI
1944 - Julie Gregg
actress: From Hell to Borneo, The Seekers
1945 - Elaine Giftos
actress: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Student Nurses, Gas-s-s-s, The Wrestler, Paternity, Angel, Mars and Beyond
1946 - Michael Ontkean
actor: Legacy of Lies, twin Peaks, Postcards from the Edge, Slap Shot, Peacekillers
1947 - Warren Zevon
singer, songwriter: Werewolves of London, She Quit Me Man, Hasten Down the Wind, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me, Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner, The Envoy; died Sep 7, 2003
1949 - John (Adam) Belushi
comedian: Second City improvisational troupe, original cast: Saturday Night Live; actor: 1941, The Blues Brothers; older brother of actor Jim Belushi; died Mar 5, 1982
1949 - Guy Charron
hockey: NHL: Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, KC Scouts, Washington Capitals; assistant coach: Calgary Flames, NY Islanders
1951 - Yakov Smirnoff
comedian: What a Country; actor: Night Court, Up Your Alley, Heartburn, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension
1956 - Pat Skelton
actor: Soulkeeper, Braxton, One on One, All My Children
1958 - Jools (Julian) Holland
musician: keyboard: groups: Squeeze: Goodbye Girl, Up the Junction, Cool for Cats; The The: Uncertain Smile, This Is the Day, Kingdom of Rain, Jealous of Youth; solo: LP: Jools Holland & The Millionaires
1961 - Nastassja Kinski
actress: Terminal Velocity, The Hotel New Hampshire, Paris Texas, Exposed, Tess, For Your Love Only
1963 - Keech Rainwater
musician: drums: group: Lonestar: Don’t Know Why, Amazed, I’m Already There, Saturday Night, Come Cryin’ to Me, What Would It Take
1964 - Rob (Robert Keith) Dibble
baseball: pitcher: Cincinnati Reds [World Series: 1990/all-star: 1990, 1991], Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
1966 - Kim Saiki
golf: champ: U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Golf Championship [1983]; 67th on the all-time LPGA money list
1967 - Phil LaMarr
actor: Fronterz, Back by Midnight, Manna from Heaven, The Assistant, A Man is Mostly Water, Kill the Man, The Thin Pink Line
1968 - Chris Warren
football: Ferrum Univ; NFL: Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles
1968 - Mary Lou Retton
gymnast: Olympic Hall of Fame medalist [1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze: Los Angeles: 1984]; first American woman to win an individual medal in gymnastics
1969 - Stephanie Romanov
actress: It is What It Is, Tricks, Thirteen Days, Sunset Strip, Dark Spiral, Cadillac, Menno’s Mind, Spy Hard
1970 - Matthew Lillard
TV host: SK8 TV; actor: In the Name of the King, The Groomsmen, Without a Paddle, The Perfect Score, Spanish Judges
1971 - Cory Bailey
baseball: Boston Red Sox, SL Cardinals, SF Giants, KC Royals
1972 - Muriel Baumeister
actress: Das Bernstein-Amulett, Ich schenk dir einen Seitensprung, Dracula, Vogelforscher, Mein Freund, der Bulle, Mutter, ich will nicht sterben!
1973 - Chris Ferraro
hockey: NY Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Islanders, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes; twin brother of hockey player Peter Ferraro
1973 - Peter Ferraro
hockey: NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes; twin brother of hockey player Chris Ferraro
1976 - Victoria Sanchez
actress: Noel, Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story, Wolf Girl, Satan’s School for Girls, P.T. Barnum, This is My Father
1979 - Tatyana Ali
singer: Everytime, Boy You Knock Me Out, Daydreamin’, Kiss the Sky; actress: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Brother, Back in the Day, Nora’s Hair Salon, National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze, Jawbreaker
1980 - Nicole Marie Lenz
actress: Seeing Other People, Confidence, Rent Control, First Strike
1986 - Mischa Barton
actress: Octane, Julie Johnson, Skipped Parts, The Sixth Sense, Notting Hill, Polio Water
1986 - Ricky Ullman
actor: Pixel Perfect, The Boys of Sunset Ridge, Growing Up Brady, Crossfire, Phil of the Future
Chart Toppers January 24
1945Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1954Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball - Lou Monte
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1963Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1972American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1981(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
1990How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Everything - Jody Watley
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
1999Have You Ever? - Brandy
I’m Your Angel - R. Kelly & Celine Dion
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Wrong Again - Martina McBride
2008No One - Alicia Keys
Clumsy - Fergie
Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
Our Song - Taylor Swift
Happy Birthday Neil Diamond
View attachment 9804
Monday, January 24, 2011
DIAMOND DAY
The lights dimmed, the crowd was hushed, the stage was laden with floral gifts, and the music played. Do you hear it babe? It was Neil. It was a Beautiful Noise. It made me feel good, If You Know What I Mean.
He sang Yesterday’s Songs, with the words that say the songs just don’t stay around long. Not true when it comes to Neil Diamond songs. Neil Diamond started singing and writing songs while a young premed student. He was born on this day in 1941.
A song titled Sunday & Me was his first hit [1965]. He wrote it for Jay and The Americans; then I’m a Believer and A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You followed for the Monkees [1966].
Neil wrote and wrote and sang and sang: 36 hits for you and me to remember from 1966 through 1983; the first, Cherry, Cherry; three #1 smash hits, Cracklin’ Rosie [1970], Song Sung Blue [1972], and You Don’t Bring Me Flowers with Barbra Streisand [1978].
By 1973, Neil Diamond had gone from being a poor premed student to composing soundtracks for seven figures (Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Jazz Singer, in which he also starred and which also yielded three hits: America, Love on the Rocks and Hello, Again).
The music of Neil Diamond is everlasting poetry, Longfellow Serenade. The concert ended but it will continue, Forever in Blue Jeans. I Am, I Said, sang Neil.
Events January 24
1899 - Humphrey O’Sullivan, an Irish-American printer, patented the rubber heel on this day and, of course, nothing has ever been quite the same since. Please don’t leave black heel marks on the floor today!
1922 - Christian K. Nelson of Onawa, IA patented something quite sweet: It was an ice cream confection that we commonly know as an Eskimo Pie.
1930 - Primo Carnera made his American boxing debut by knocking out Clayton ‘Big Boy’ Patterson in one minute, ten seconds of the opening round before a small, intimate gathering of 20,000 people in New York City. How embarrassing for poor Big Boy! He would later change his name to Rocky Balboa.
1930 - Ben Bernie (Benjamin Anzelwitz) began a weekly remote broadcast from the lovely Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.
1935 - Krueger Brewing Company placed the first canned beer on sale -- in Richmond, VA. I’ll have a cold Krueger Light, please.
1936 - Benny Goodman and his orchestra recorded one of the all-time greats, Stompin’ at the Savoy, on Victor Records. The song became such a standard, that, literally, hundreds of artists have recorded it, including a vocal version by Barry Manilow; believe it or not. The ‘King of Swing’ recorded the song in a session at the Congress Hotel in Chicago.
1942 - Abie’s Irish Rose was first heard on NBC radio this day replacing Knickerbocker Playhouse. The program was a takeoff on the smash play from Broadway that ran for nearly 2,000 performances. Sydney Smith played the part of Abie. Rosemary Murphy was played by Betty Winkler.
1946 - The United Nations established the International Atomic Energy Commission in reaction to the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.
1950 - Jackie Robinson signed highest contract ($35,000) in Dodger history.
1955 - The rules committee of major-league baseball announced a plan to strictly enforce the rule that required a pitcher to release the ball within 20 seconds after taking his position on the mound.
1962 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American elected to Baseball Hall of Fame.
1964 - Willie Shoemaker topped Eddie Arcaro’s career earnings record by riding four winners at Santa Anita race track in California. Shoemaker’s total earnings reached $30,040,005.
1965 - Sir Winston Churchill, former prime minister (1940-1945 and 1951-1955), died from a cerebral thrombosis in London at age 90. “I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.”
1970 - James (Shep) Sheppard, lead singer of The Heartbeats (A Thousand Miles Away) and Shep & the Limelights (Daddy’s Home), was found beaten to death in his car on the Long Island Expressway in New York.
1970 - Robert Moog introduced his MiniMoog synthesizer, suitable for concert stages, and costing $2,000. The American Federation of Musicians considered banning the MiniMoog, fearing that its ability to simulate acoustic instruments could put musicians out of work.
1972 - Japanese soldier Shoichi Yokoi was discovered on Guam, having spent 28 years hiding in the jungle thinking World War II was still going on.
1973 - ‘Little’ Donny Osmond, of the famed Osmond Brothers/Family, received a gold record for his album, Too Young. When he played the gold-plated disc on his Mickey Mouse phonograph, all he heard was Ben by ‘little’ Michael Jackson, a competitor in the ‘Kids Who Sing Really High Awards’ battle.
1978 - Cosmos 954, a nuclear-powered Soviet satellite, plunged through Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated. It scattered radioactive debris over parts of northern Canada.
1982 - Super Bowl XVI (at Pontiac): San Francisco 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21. The first cold-weather Super Bowl, the game was played in the Pontiac, Michigan Silverdome. The 49ers led 20-0 at the half, but the Bengals chased and almost caught them in the second half. MVP: 49ers QB Joe Montana. Tickets: $40.00. The CBS telecast was viewed by 110.2 million fans and CBS radio counted 14 million listeners to its broadcast of the game.
1985 - Penny Harrington became the first woman police chief of a major city. She assumed the duties as head of the Portland, Oregon force of 940 officers and staff.
1986 - Singer and actor Gordon MacRae died of cancer in Lincoln, Nebraska at the age of 64. MacRae starred in many memorable movies, such as Tea for Two, On Moonlight Bay, Oklahoma! and Carousel. He also starred on television as host of the Colgate Comedy Hour and Lux Television Theatre. And he recorded many show tunes, primarily for Capitol Records. He fought a long battle against alcoholism, and once said that he had been so drunk during a concert in Greenville, South Carolina that he couldn’t remember any song lyrics. MacRae suffered a stroke in 1982 but struggled to keep performing until the cancer overtook him in 1985.
1989 - Confessed serial killer Theodore Bundy was put to death in Florida’s electric chair for the 1978 kidnap-murder of one of his victims.
1993 - Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall died in Bethesda, MD. He was 84 years old.
1994 - U.S. President Bill Clinton promoted William J. Perry, the Pentagon’s second in command, to the post of Secretary of Defense.
1994 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled (National Organization for Women, Inc. v. Scheidler) that protesters who block access to abortion clinics or in other ways conspire to stop women from having abortions may be sued under federal anti-racketeering statutes.
1995 - Amid unprecedented media attention, the murder trial of Hall-of-Fame football star O.J. Simpson began in Los Angeles Superior Court. Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.
1996 - Specialist Michael New was discharged from the U.S. Army after a court-martial jury convicted him for refusing to wear a U.N. beret for a peacekeeping mission in the former Yugoslavia.
1997 - These films debuted in the U.S.: The comedy Fierce Creatures, starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin; the drama In Love and War, with Sandra Bullock, Chris O'donnell, Mackenzie Astin and Emilio Bonucci; the drama Kolya, starring Zdenek Sverak, Andrej Chalimon, Libuse Safrankova and Ondrez Vetchy; the true-life story Prefontaine, with Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'neill and Breckin Meyer; and the family-oriented flick Zeus and Roxanne, about a dog and a dolphin, with Steve Guttenberg, Kathleen Quinlan, Arnold Vosloo and Dawn Mcmillan.
1998 - The soundtrack album from Titanic hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and kept that position for 15 weeks.
1999 - The International Olympic Committee voted to expel six IOC members after charges that they had accepted money and other compensation from officials from cities bidding to host the Olympics. The cities included Sydney, Australia (2000 summer games) and Salt Lake City, Utah (2002 winter games).
1999 - In the 56th Golden Globe Awards Saving Private Ryan was named best dramatic film of 1998, Spielberg won for directing it. Shakespeare in Love won for best musical or comedy.
2000 - A vicious Sunday storm toppled trees onto cars and houses, dropped snow and freezing rain on the southern Appalachians, and spread locally heavy rain across coastal areas of Georgia and the Carolinas. 150,000 utility customers, mostly in the Atlanta area, without heat or electricity following the icy storm.
2001 - The last two of seven escaped convicts from Texas were captured in Colorado after 42 days on the run. Four others had been captured earlier, and one committed suicide.
2002 - The Florida state pension fund reported a $325 million loss from the demise of Enron. The University of California said it had lost $145 million on its Enron investments.
2003 - Movies making debuts in the U.S.: Chicago, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Mya and Queen Latifah; and Darkness Falls with Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield, Joshua Anderson, Andrew Bayly, Emily Browning, Lee Cormie, Peter Curtin, Daniel Daperis, Rebecca McCauley, Kestie Morassi, Steve Mouzakis, Alannah Oliver, Grant Piro, Angus Sampson, Christian Schaeffer, Peter Stanton and Sullivan Stapleton.
2003 - The Department of Homeland Security (under Tom Ridge) became the 15th Cabinet department in the U.S.
2004 - Howard Dean sharply questioned John Kerry’s judgment on Iraq as Democratic presidential rivals raced through a final weekend of campaigning before the New Hampshire primary. This, as New Hampshire polling experts at American Research Group reported Kerry’s lead widening over Dean.
2004 - NASA’s Opportunity rover landed on Mars, arriving at the Red Planet exactly three weeks after Spirit, its identical twin , landed.
2005 - The Wall of Names holocaust memorial was unveiled in Paris.
2005 - JP Morgan Chase bank apologized for its predecessors (Canal Bank and Citizens’ Bank), which accepted slaves as collateral.
2005 - Alan Roy Williams, a U.K. doctor was charged with serious professional misconduct. The doctor had given evidence against Sally Clark who, it turned out, was wrongfully convicted of the murder of her two sons.
2006 - Merger mania raged on: Disney and Pixar animation studios merged in a US$7.4 billion deal; and CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. announce they would merge UPN and The WB TV networks into a new network called The CW.
2007 - Some 2,400 registered participants gathered at Davos, Switzerland, for the 4-day World Economic Forum, whose theme for 2007 was: The Shifting Power Equation.
2008 - U.S. congressional leaders put together a program of tax rebates ($300 to $1,200 for households), and business tax cuts, to jolt a jittery economy.
2008 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) announced that he was “transitioning out” of the U.S. presidential campaign.
2009 - A European windstorm named Klaus killed 11 people in Spain, including four children who were killed when a sports center collapsed near Barcelona. The storm also killed four people in France and was responsible for some 27 deaths in all.
2010 - Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country would retain parts of the West Bank forever. Timing and context lent weight to the PM’s visit to two Jewish settlements. He planted a tree at one of them: Maaleh Adumim, home to about 30,000 Israelis near Jerusalem. The planting was a symbolic act of ownership.
2010 - Actor Pernell Roberts died at his home in Malibu, CA. He was 81 years old. Roberts played Adam, the eldest Cartwright son, in the Bonanza TV series from 1959 to 1965. He later played the lead in the series, Trapper John M.D.
Birthdays January 24
1862 - Edith Wharton (Jones)
Pulitzer Prize winning author: The Age of Innocence [1921]; died Aug 11, 1937
1905 - Marvin ‘Cyclone’ Wentworth
hockey: Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Maroons, Montreal Canadiens; died Oct 10, 1982
1909 - Ann Todd
actress: The Human Factor, Scream of Fear, Madeleine, The Seventh Veil; died May 6, 1993
1916 - Jack (John Beasley) Brickhouse
Radio Hall of Famer: WGN, Mutual Broadcasting System, DuMont Television Network; died Aug 6, 1998
1916 - C. Gene Mako
tennis: U.S. Open runner-up [1938]
1917 - Ernest Borgnine
Academy Award-winning actor: Marty [1955], The Poseidon Adventure, The Dirty Dozen, McHale’s Navy
1918 - Oral Roberts
evangelist: founder: Oral Roberts University; died Dec 15, 2009
1925 - Gus Mortson
hockey: NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs [all-star: 1949], Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings
1925 - Maria (Betty Marie) Tallchief
prima ballerina: Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, New York City Ballet; formed ballet troupe and school (1974) which became Chicago City Ballet [1980]; wife of choreographer George Balanchine
1933 - Zeke Carey
singer: group: The Flamingos: I Only Have Eyes for You, That’s My Desire, Golden Teardrops, Jump Children, Dream of a Lifetime, Ko Ko Mo [I Love You So]; died Dec 24, 1999
1935 - Manuel Ycaza
jockey: winner of Belmont Stakes [on Quadrangle: 1964]
1936 - Jack Scott (Scafone)
singer: My True Love, Goodbye Baby, What In the World’s Come Over You, Burning Bridges
1939 - Doug Kershaw
musician: Cajun fiddle, songwriter, singer: Louisiana Man, Diggy Liggy Lo
1939 - Ray Stevens (Harold Ray Ragsdale)
singer, entertainer: Everything Is Beautiful, Mr. Businessman; #1 novelty recording artist: Ahab, the Arab, Gitarzan, The Streak
1941 - Neil Diamond
singer: see Diamond Day [above]
1941 - Aaron Neville
Grammy Award-winning singer: Healing Chant [w/Neville Brothers: 1989], Don’t Know Much [w/Linda Ronstadt: 1989], All My Life [w/Linda Ronstadt: 1990], I Fall to Pieces [w/Trisha Yearwood: 1994]; singer: Tell It Like It Is; solo: LPs: Warm Your Heart, The Grand Tour, Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas
1943 - Sharon Tate
actress: Valley of the Dolls, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Fearless Vampire Killers, The Wrecking Crew; murdered by members of the Manson family Aug 9, 1969
1944 - Bobby Lee Bryant
football: Minnesota Vikings corner back, Super Bowls VIII, XI
1944 - Julie Gregg
actress: From Hell to Borneo, The Seekers
1945 - Elaine Giftos
actress: On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, The Student Nurses, Gas-s-s-s, The Wrestler, Paternity, Angel, Mars and Beyond
1946 - Michael Ontkean
actor: Legacy of Lies, twin Peaks, Postcards from the Edge, Slap Shot, Peacekillers
1947 - Warren Zevon
singer, songwriter: Werewolves of London, She Quit Me Man, Hasten Down the Wind, Poor, Poor Pitiful Me, Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner, The Envoy; died Sep 7, 2003
1949 - John (Adam) Belushi
comedian: Second City improvisational troupe, original cast: Saturday Night Live; actor: 1941, The Blues Brothers; older brother of actor Jim Belushi; died Mar 5, 1982
1949 - Guy Charron
hockey: NHL: Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, KC Scouts, Washington Capitals; assistant coach: Calgary Flames, NY Islanders
1951 - Yakov Smirnoff
comedian: What a Country; actor: Night Court, Up Your Alley, Heartburn, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension
1956 - Pat Skelton
actor: Soulkeeper, Braxton, One on One, All My Children
1958 - Jools (Julian) Holland
musician: keyboard: groups: Squeeze: Goodbye Girl, Up the Junction, Cool for Cats; The The: Uncertain Smile, This Is the Day, Kingdom of Rain, Jealous of Youth; solo: LP: Jools Holland & The Millionaires
1961 - Nastassja Kinski
actress: Terminal Velocity, The Hotel New Hampshire, Paris Texas, Exposed, Tess, For Your Love Only
1963 - Keech Rainwater
musician: drums: group: Lonestar: Don’t Know Why, Amazed, I’m Already There, Saturday Night, Come Cryin’ to Me, What Would It Take
1964 - Rob (Robert Keith) Dibble
baseball: pitcher: Cincinnati Reds [World Series: 1990/all-star: 1990, 1991], Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers
1966 - Kim Saiki
golf: champ: U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Golf Championship [1983]; 67th on the all-time LPGA money list
1967 - Phil LaMarr
actor: Fronterz, Back by Midnight, Manna from Heaven, The Assistant, A Man is Mostly Water, Kill the Man, The Thin Pink Line
1968 - Chris Warren
football: Ferrum Univ; NFL: Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles
1968 - Mary Lou Retton
gymnast: Olympic Hall of Fame medalist [1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze: Los Angeles: 1984]; first American woman to win an individual medal in gymnastics
1969 - Stephanie Romanov
actress: It is What It Is, Tricks, Thirteen Days, Sunset Strip, Dark Spiral, Cadillac, Menno’s Mind, Spy Hard
1970 - Matthew Lillard
TV host: SK8 TV; actor: In the Name of the King, The Groomsmen, Without a Paddle, The Perfect Score, Spanish Judges
1971 - Cory Bailey
baseball: Boston Red Sox, SL Cardinals, SF Giants, KC Royals
1972 - Muriel Baumeister
actress: Das Bernstein-Amulett, Ich schenk dir einen Seitensprung, Dracula, Vogelforscher, Mein Freund, der Bulle, Mutter, ich will nicht sterben!
1973 - Chris Ferraro
hockey: NY Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Islanders, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes; twin brother of hockey player Peter Ferraro
1973 - Peter Ferraro
hockey: NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes; twin brother of hockey player Chris Ferraro
1976 - Victoria Sanchez
actress: Noel, Choice: The Henry Morgentaler Story, Wolf Girl, Satan’s School for Girls, P.T. Barnum, This is My Father
1979 - Tatyana Ali
singer: Everytime, Boy You Knock Me Out, Daydreamin’, Kiss the Sky; actress: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Brother, Back in the Day, Nora’s Hair Salon, National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze, Jawbreaker
1980 - Nicole Marie Lenz
actress: Seeing Other People, Confidence, Rent Control, First Strike
1986 - Mischa Barton
actress: Octane, Julie Johnson, Skipped Parts, The Sixth Sense, Notting Hill, Polio Water
1986 - Ricky Ullman
actor: Pixel Perfect, The Boys of Sunset Ridge, Growing Up Brady, Crossfire, Phil of the Future
Chart Toppers January 24
1945Don’t Fence Me In - Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
There Goes that Song Again - Russ Morgan
I Dream of You - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Freddy Stewart)
I’m Losing My Mind Over You - Al Dexter
1954Stranger in Paradise - Tony Bennett
Oh! My Pa-Pa - Eddie Fisher
At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball - Lou Monte
Bimbo - Jim Reeves
1963Go Away Little Girl - Steve Lawrence
Hotel Happiness - Brook Benton
Tell Him - The Exciters
The Ballad of Jed Clampett - Flatt & Scruggs
1972American Pie - Don McLean
Let’s Stay Together - Al Green
Day After Day - Badfinger
Carolyn - Merle Haggard
1981(Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
Love on the Rocks - Neil Diamond
The Tide is High - Blondie
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
1990How Am I Supposed to Live Without You - Michael Bolton
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic featuring Felly
Everything - Jody Watley
Nobody’s Home - Clint Black
1999Have You Ever? - Brandy
I’m Your Angel - R. Kelly & Celine Dion
...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Wrong Again - Martina McBride
2008No One - Alicia Keys
Clumsy - Fergie
Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
Our Song - Taylor Swift
Happy Birthday Neil Diamond
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