BROWNNOSE
BOOTLICKER
325th day of 2010 - 40 remaining
Sunday, November 21, 2010
WORLD HELLO DAY
Here’s one event that you can participate in without it costing you a dime or even one red cent. It’s easy, and it’s good for everyone. What could possibly be so wonderful? World Hello Day, that’s what.
This friendly annual event began on this day in 1972 and has grown enormously since. People in 180 countries have participated and the heads of state of 114 countries have given their approval.
Now here’s what you do to participate: you just say, “hello” to ten people on this day. Greet them warmly and with a smile. And you can say, “hello” in any language.
The reason: World Hello Day will put us all one step further ahead in the attempt to advance world peace through personal communication.
Events November 21
1783 - Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis Francois Laurant d’Arlandes made the first flight in a balloon, thus becoming the first men to fly - period. The pair flew nearly six miles around Paris in 25 minutes reaching an altitude of around 300 feet. Ben Franklin was one of the spectators at the big event. The flight came less than six months after the first (unmanned) public balloon demonstration.
1789 - The 12th of the 13 original colonies to become the United States of America, did so on this day. North Carolina or the Tar Heel State, boasts the brilliant red cardinal as its state Bird , the graceful dogwood as its state flower, and lays claim to being the nation’s largest producer of tobacco and textiles. Raleigh is the state capital.
1871 - The cigar lighter was patented by Moses F. Gale of New York City.
1877 - Thomas A. Edison, who really dug the jazz he heard coming from his newest invention, told those gathered that he just invented the ‘talking machine’ (phonograph). On February 19, 1878, Edison received a patent for the device and was enrolled as a charter member of the Columbia House Record Club where he received his first 10 selections free -- with only six selections purchased at regular prices over the next three years...
1934 - Cole Porter’s Anything Goes opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York City. The show ran for 420 performances.
1937 - Following Carnegie Hall performances in both 1906 and 1919, Artur Rubinstein presented another historic and highly acclaimed performance at the arts center this day.
1938 - WBOE in Cleveland, OH became the first school-operated radio station (owned by a municipality) to receive a license from the FCC. WBOE went on the air as a 500-watt AM station and later became an FM station.
1938 - The first broadcast of Central City was heard. It was an adventure-mystery show set at the newspaper in, you guessed it, Central City. Elspeth Eric played the part of crime reporter Emily Olson; and Van Heflin was crime reporter Bob Shellenberger (later, the part was played by Myron McCormick). Central City aired until 1941.
1944 - “Happy trails to you, until we meet again....” The Roy Rogers Show was first heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Singing along with Roy (‘The King of the Cowboys’), were the Whippoorwills and The Sons of the Pioneers.
1944 - I’m Beginning to See the Light, the song that would become the theme song for Harry James and his orchestra, was recorded this day. The song featured the lovely voice of Kitty Kallen (Little Things Mean a Lot).
1946 - Harry Truman became the first U.S. president to travel in a submerged submarine. At Key West, Florida, Truman rode in a captured German submarine during naval exercises. Travel is the key word here. If you consider submerging in a sub to be the same as riding in one, President Theodore Roosevelt did it first. He went down in a submarine for almost an hour on August 25, 1905 near Oyster Bay, New York.
1952 - The first U.S. postage stamp in two colors (rotary process) was introduced. 136,220,000 of the stamps that honored the International Red Cross were issued.
1953 - “Piltdown Man Hoax is Exposed,” announced the New York Times. “Part of the skull of the Piltdown man, one of the most famous fossil skulls in the world, has been declared a hoax by authorities at the British Natural History Museum,” the story said.
1955 - The first lady of the American stage, Helen Hayes, was honored for her many remarkable years in show business, as the Fulton Theatre in New York City was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre.
1959 - Following his firing from WABC Radio in New York the day before, Alan Freed refused “on principle” to sign a statement that he never received money or gifts (payola) for plugging records. Incidentally, few may remember, but Freed left WABC while he was on the air. He was replaced in mid-record by Fred Robbins, who later became a nationally-known entertainment reporter for Mutual Radio.
1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio to begin a two-day tour of Texas.
1964 - The Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened. Actually, the upper deck was opened to traffic on this day. The bridge, linking Brooklyn and Staten Island, was the world’s longest suspension bridge at 4,260 ft.
1967 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the first air quality act, allotting $428 million to fight air pollution.
1973 - President Richard M. Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the presence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.
1974 - The U.S. Senate overrode President Ford’s veto of the Freedom of Information Act. The vote was 65 to 27. The act generally requires agencies of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government to make certain information about their organization, functions and rules of procedure available to the general public.
1980 - The largest TV audience ever, an estimated 82 million people, watched as Sue Ellen’s sister, Kristin Shepard, shot J.R. Ewing on Dallas. The jilted mistress was seen holding the smoking gun after a summer of viewers asking that haunting question, “Who Shot J.R.?” Eighty percent of all viewers watched the show.
1981 - Olivia Newton-John started the first of 10 weeks at the top of the pop music charts when Physical became the music world’s top tune.
1983 - Doonesbury opened at Biltmore Theater on Broadway. The show ran for a not-so-impressive 104 performances.
1980 - 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1985 - Former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard was arrested. Pollard, convicted of spying for Israel, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987.
1986 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan instructed Attorney General Edwin Meese to open an inquiry for the purpose of compiling a “complete factual record” with respect to the Iran arms sale. This became known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
1987 - James E. Folsom , Alabama governor from 1947-1951 and 1955-1959, died. He was 79 years old.
1988 - Canada’s Progressive Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, won the general election.
1991 - The U.N. Security Council chose Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt to be the new Secretary-General, the first African and first Arab to hold the post.
1993 - Actor Bill Bixby died in Century City, CA at age 59. Bixby is remembered for roles in over forty movies, but especially for playing Tim O’Hara in the My Favorite Martian TV series and Dr. David Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk series. Bill Bixby also directed some thirty TV shows.
1995 - Capitol Records reported The Beatles’ Anthology I had sold 450,000 copies in its first day of release. It was the most single-day sales ever for an album. Yeah, yeah, yeah...
1995 - The Dayton Peace Accord was initialed this day. Parties at the Bosnia peace talks in Dayton, Ohio agreed to terms to end the bloody Balkan conflict.
1997 - These movies debuted in the U.S.: Anastasia (the lost Russian Princess Anastasia and her quest to find her true identity), starring Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst and Angela Lansbury; The Rainmaker (young lawyer and cynical partner take on powerful law firm representing a corrupt insurance company), with Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny Devito and Danny Glover; and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (set in Savannah GA amid beautiful architecture and odd doings), starring Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Lady Chablis, Alison Eastwood, Irma P. Hall, Paul Hipp and Jude Law.
1999 - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a $26 million donation to UNICEF for the elimination of tetanus.
2000 - The Florida Supreme Court granted Al Gore’s request to keep the presidential recounts going. Democrats were jubilant. Republicans were angry.
2001 - Films opening in U.S. theatres: Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Marsha Thomason and Vincent Regan; Out Cold, with Jason London, Lee Majors, and Willie Garson; and Spy Game, starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine Mccormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
2001 - Tiger Woods won his 4th consecutive PGA Grand Slam with a win at Poipu Bay in Hawaii.
2002 - The United States and the Philippines signed a controversial agreement which would allow U.S. forces to use the Asian country as a supply point for military operations.
2003 - New motion pictures opening in the U.S.: Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, with Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin and Sean Hayes; and Gothika, starring Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penélope Cruz, Dorian Harewood, Bronwen Mantel, Kathleen Mackey, Matthew G. Taylor, Michel Perron, Andrea Sheldon, Anana Rydvald, Laura Mitchell and Amy Sloan.
2003 - The U.S. Air Force conducted a second test of the MOAB, the Mother of All Bombs, in Florida. The 21,700-pound satellite-guided GBU-43/B is officially known as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb.
2004 - A trespassing deer hunter in northern Wisconsin opened fire on other hunters when they asked him to leave, killing five and wounding three. Another hunter died the next day. Police arrested Chai Soua Vang of St. Paul MN for killing six hunters. (In 2005 Vang (36) was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to six life terms.)
2004 - Scientists released water from Glen Canyon Dam to flood the Grand Canyon in a beginning effort to restore the Colorado river ecosystem.
2005 - As more than one million people in Zambia faced severe food shortages due to drought, Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa declared a national disaster and appealed for international food aid.
2006 - Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the government to recognize same-sex marriages entered into abroad.
2006 - The United Nations reported that an estimated 39.5 million people were living with the AIDS virus worldwide and that infection rates and deaths from the disease were continuing to mount.
2007 - Movies debuting in the U.S.: August Rush, with Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams and Mykelti Williamson; Christmas in Wonderland, starring Patrick Swayze, Chris Kattan, Carmen Electra and Tim Curry; Enchanted, with Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon; Hitman, starring Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei; Stephen King’s The Mist, with Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Amin Joseph, Frances Sternhagen, Alexa Davalos, Sam Witwer, Jeff DeMunn, Brian Libby, Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones; This Christmas, starring Laz Alonso, Chris Brown, Loretta Devine, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer and Columbus Short.
2007 - New Hampshire moved its presidential primary to Jan 8, reclaiming its traditional spot as the first primary in the U.S. New Hampshire’s decision was made in the wake of a Michigan Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for that state’s January 15 rogue primary.
2008 - New movies in the U.S.: Bolt, starring John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton; and Twilight, with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, CAM Cigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene.
2008 - In accordance with new legislation, Amsterdam announced the closure of dozens of coffee shops that sold cannabis near schools.
2008 - The DJIA rose 494.13 to close at 8,046.42 following news that President-elect Barack Obama would pick Timothy Geithner, chief of the New York Federal Reserve, as U.S. Treasury secretary.
2009 - Australia issued ‘catastrophic alerts’ after record-breaking temperatures and wild lightning storms sparked more than 100 big fires across the country.
2009 - The U.S. Senate voted to open debate on the health care bill. The vote was hailed a victory for President Obama, but final passage of the legislation was far from being a done deal.
Birthdays November 21
1694 - Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire)
author, philosopher; died May 30, 1778
1785 - William Beaumont
physician, researcher, physiologist: pioneered understanding of human digestion: his research proved that digestion is a chemical process; died Apr 25, 1853
1854 - Giacomo della Chiesa
Pope Benedict XV: 258th pope of the Roman Catholic Church [1914-1922]; died Jan 22, 1922
1897 - ‘Handy’ Andy (Andrew Aird) High
baseball: Brooklyn Robins, Boston Braves, SL Cardinals [World Series: 1928, 1930, 1931], Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies; died Feb 22, 1981
1904 - Coleman Hawkins
musician: tenor saxophone: solo w/Fletcher Henderson band: The Stampede, St. Louis Shuffle, Queer Notions, Hocus Pocus; jazz bandleader: Body and Soul; jazz sax solo: Picasso; died May 19, 1969
1907 - Jim Bishop
newspaper columnist, author: The Day Christ Died, The Days of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Day Kennedy Was Shot; died July 26, 1987
1908 - Paul (Rapier) Richards
baseball: catcher: Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Giants, Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers [World Series: 1945]; Manager: Chicago White 1951-61, 1976 Orioles; died May 4, 1986
1912 - Dorothy Granger
actress: Dondi, The Desperados Are in Town, Too Many Wives, High and Dizzy, Backstage Follies, Dangers of the Canadian Mounted; died Jan 4, 1995
1912 - Eleanor Powell
dancer, singer: Fascinating Rhythm, Swingin’ the Jinx Away, Star Eyes, So Long Sarah Jane, Hola E Pae, Anchors Aweigh; actress: George White’s 1935 Scandals, Born to Dance, Ship Ahoy, Sensations of 1945; died Feb 11, 1982
1916 - Sid Luckman
Pro Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears quarterback: 4 NFL Championships, MVP [1943]; shares NFL individual record for touchdowns thrown in a game [7, Nov. 14, 1943]; died July 5, 1998
1920 - Ralph Meeker
actor: Without Warning, Hi-Riders, Brannigan, Night Games, Love Comes Quietly, The Night Stalker, I Walk the Line, The Reluctant Heroes; died Aug 5, 1988
1920 - Stan ‘The Man’ (Stanley Frank) Musial
Baseball Hall of Famer: SL Cardinals outfielder, first baseman [World Series: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946/all-star: 1943, 1944, 1946-1963/Baseball Writers’ Award: 1946, 1948]; topped .300 mark 18 times, won seven N.L. batting titles with his famed corkscrew stance and ringing line drives; 3-time MVP played in 24 All-Star games; nicknamed ‘The Man’ by Dodger fans for the havoc he wrought at Ebbets Field
1924 - Vivian Blaine (Stapleton)
actress: State Fair, Guys and Dolls, Those Two; died Dec 9, 1995
1927 - Joseph Campanella
actor: Ben, Meteor, Original Intent, The President’s Plane is Missing, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Sky Hei$t, The Colbys, The Lawyers, The Nurses, Mannix; narrator: The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau; host: Emergency Call
1927 - Jean Howell
actress: Superstar, Days of Our Lives, Who’ll Stop the Rain, The Fast and the Furious, Lies, Emergency: Survival on Charter #220, Stuff and Nonsense, Hell’s Crossroads, Apache Woman; died Jul 23, 1996
1931 - Jim Ringo
Pro Football Hall of Famer: Green Bay Packers: All-Pro center [1957, 1959-1963], Philadelphia Eagles: center; died Nov 19, 2007
1933 - Jean Shepard
country singer: Satisfied Mind, Beautiful Lies, Slippin’ Away, Satin Sheets, w/Ferlin Husky: A Dear John Letter
1934 - Laurence Luckinbill
Emmy Award-winning executive producer: Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie [1992-1993]; actor: Lyndon, Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier, Messenger of Death, Cocktail, The Boys in the Band, The Delphi Bureau
1936 - James DePreist
orchestra leader: Oregon Symphony
1937 - Ingrid Pitt
actress: The House That Dripped Blood, Countess Dracula, The Asylum, Hanna’s War, Wild Geese II, Bones, Smiley’s People, The Wicker Man
1937 - Marlo (Margaret) Thomas
Emmy Award-winning producer: Marlo Thomas and Friends in Free to Be ... You and Me [1973-74], Free to Be ... A Family [1988-89], actress: Nobody’s Child [1985-86]; That Girl, Tribute to Women in Comedy, The Joey Bishop Show, Held Hostage, In the Spirit, Jenny; wife of Phil Donahue; daughter of Danny Thomas
1940 - Dr. John (‘Mac’ Malcolm John Rebennack)
musician: organ, guitar, singer: Right Place Wrong Time; songwriter: Lights Out, What’s Goin’ On, Lady Luck, Losing Battle
1940 - Natalia Makarova
ballerina: Kirov Ballet [now Saint Petersburg Ballet]: 1959-1970]
1941 - Juliet Mills
Emmy Award-winning actress: QB VII, Parts 1 & 2, ABC Movie Special [1974-75]; Nanny and the Professor, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Cracker Factory; daughter of actor John Mills and sister of actress Hayley Mills
1944 - Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe
Basketball Hall of Famer: Baltimore Bullets: Rookie of the Year [1967]; New York Knicks: championship team [1972-73]
1944 - Harold Ramis
writer: Ghostbusters series, Armed and Dangerous, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Stripes, Meatballs; writer, director: Multiplicity, Groundhog Day, Club Paradise, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, actor: Ghostbusters series, Second City TV, Love Affair, Stealing Home, Baby Boom
1945 - Goldie Hawn (Btudlendgehawn)
Academy Award-winning actress: Cactus Flower [1969]; First Wives Club, Bird on a Wire, Butterflies are Free, Housesitter, Death Becomes Her, Private Benjamin, Shampoo, The Sugarland Express, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Good Morning, World
1948 - Lonnie (LeRoy) Jordan
musician: keyboard, singer: group: War: LPs: All Day Music, The World is a Ghetto, Why Can’t We Be Friends, Galaxy, The Music Band
1948 - Deborah Shelton
actress: Surprise, Surprise, Quiet Kill, Sacrifice, Lone Greasers, The Clinic, Sins of the Night, Blind Vision
1949 - Barbara Jo Rubin
horse-racing jockey: 1st U.S. woman to win a flat race against male jockeys [1969]; 1st woman to ride in NY & NJ
1950 - Livingston Taylor
singer: I Will Be in Love with You; songwriter; brother of singer James Taylor
1952 - Lorna Luft
singer, actress: Trapper John, M.D., Where the Boys Are ’84, Grease 2; daughter of singer-actress Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft; sister of singer-actress Liza Minelli
1956 - Cynthia Rhodes
actress, dancer: Dirty Dancing, Flashdance
1963 - Nicollette Sheridan
actress: Desperate Housewives, Paper Dolls, Knots Landing, Spy Hard, Silver Strand, Noises Off, Deceptions, The Sure Thing
1965 - Björk (Guðmundsdóttir)
singer, songwriter: group: The Sugarcubes: Life’s Too Good; solo: Human Behaviour, Post, Telegram Homogenic, Selmasongs, Dancer in the Dark
1966 - Troy Aikman
football: Dallas Cowboys quarterback: Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII; holds record for longest pass completion w/receiver Alvin Harper in a playoff game [94 yards, 1/8/95]
1969 - Ken (George Kenneth) Griffey Jr.
baseball: Seattle Mariners left-handed outfielder [all-star: 1990-1996/Gold Glove Award: 1990-1993]; shares individual record for consecutive games hitting home runs [8, July 20-28, 1993]; first son and father [Ken Griffey, Sr.] to play in major leagues at same time [1989] and on same team at same time [1990]
1975 - Brian Meadows
baseball [pitcher]: Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates
1984 - Jena Malone
actress: Bastard Out of Carolina, Contact, Stepmom, Donnie Darko, Saved!, Into the Wild, Cold Mountain, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, American Girl, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Chart Toppers November 21
1944The Trolley Song - Judy Garland
I’ll Walk Alone - Dinah Shore
Together - Helen Forrest & **** Haymes
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1953Ebb Tide - The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1962Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Next Door to an Angel - Neil Sedaka
I’ve Been Everywhere - Hank Snow
1971Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Baby I’m-A Want You - Bread
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard
1980Lady - Kenny Rogers
The Wanderer - Donna Summer
I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
1989When I See You Smile - Bad English
Blame It on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
Love Shack - The B-52’s
Bayou Boys - Eddy Raven
1998Thank U - Alanis Morissette
My Favorite Mistake - Sheryl Crow
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
2007Apologize - Timbaland featuring OneRepublic
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
Stronger - Kanye West
Don’t Blink - Kenny Chesney
Chart Topper November 21st, 1980...Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
Sunday, November 21, 2010
WORLD HELLO DAY
Here’s one event that you can participate in without it costing you a dime or even one red cent. It’s easy, and it’s good for everyone. What could possibly be so wonderful? World Hello Day, that’s what.
This friendly annual event began on this day in 1972 and has grown enormously since. People in 180 countries have participated and the heads of state of 114 countries have given their approval.
Now here’s what you do to participate: you just say, “hello” to ten people on this day. Greet them warmly and with a smile. And you can say, “hello” in any language.
The reason: World Hello Day will put us all one step further ahead in the attempt to advance world peace through personal communication.
Events November 21
1783 - Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis Francois Laurant d’Arlandes made the first flight in a balloon, thus becoming the first men to fly - period. The pair flew nearly six miles around Paris in 25 minutes reaching an altitude of around 300 feet. Ben Franklin was one of the spectators at the big event. The flight came less than six months after the first (unmanned) public balloon demonstration.
1789 - The 12th of the 13 original colonies to become the United States of America, did so on this day. North Carolina or the Tar Heel State, boasts the brilliant red cardinal as its state Bird , the graceful dogwood as its state flower, and lays claim to being the nation’s largest producer of tobacco and textiles. Raleigh is the state capital.
1871 - The cigar lighter was patented by Moses F. Gale of New York City.
1877 - Thomas A. Edison, who really dug the jazz he heard coming from his newest invention, told those gathered that he just invented the ‘talking machine’ (phonograph). On February 19, 1878, Edison received a patent for the device and was enrolled as a charter member of the Columbia House Record Club where he received his first 10 selections free -- with only six selections purchased at regular prices over the next three years...
1934 - Cole Porter’s Anything Goes opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York City. The show ran for 420 performances.
1937 - Following Carnegie Hall performances in both 1906 and 1919, Artur Rubinstein presented another historic and highly acclaimed performance at the arts center this day.
1938 - WBOE in Cleveland, OH became the first school-operated radio station (owned by a municipality) to receive a license from the FCC. WBOE went on the air as a 500-watt AM station and later became an FM station.
1938 - The first broadcast of Central City was heard. It was an adventure-mystery show set at the newspaper in, you guessed it, Central City. Elspeth Eric played the part of crime reporter Emily Olson; and Van Heflin was crime reporter Bob Shellenberger (later, the part was played by Myron McCormick). Central City aired until 1941.
1944 - “Happy trails to you, until we meet again....” The Roy Rogers Show was first heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System. Singing along with Roy (‘The King of the Cowboys’), were the Whippoorwills and The Sons of the Pioneers.
1944 - I’m Beginning to See the Light, the song that would become the theme song for Harry James and his orchestra, was recorded this day. The song featured the lovely voice of Kitty Kallen (Little Things Mean a Lot).
1946 - Harry Truman became the first U.S. president to travel in a submerged submarine. At Key West, Florida, Truman rode in a captured German submarine during naval exercises. Travel is the key word here. If you consider submerging in a sub to be the same as riding in one, President Theodore Roosevelt did it first. He went down in a submarine for almost an hour on August 25, 1905 near Oyster Bay, New York.
1952 - The first U.S. postage stamp in two colors (rotary process) was introduced. 136,220,000 of the stamps that honored the International Red Cross were issued.
1953 - “Piltdown Man Hoax is Exposed,” announced the New York Times. “Part of the skull of the Piltdown man, one of the most famous fossil skulls in the world, has been declared a hoax by authorities at the British Natural History Museum,” the story said.
1955 - The first lady of the American stage, Helen Hayes, was honored for her many remarkable years in show business, as the Fulton Theatre in New York City was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre.
1959 - Following his firing from WABC Radio in New York the day before, Alan Freed refused “on principle” to sign a statement that he never received money or gifts (payola) for plugging records. Incidentally, few may remember, but Freed left WABC while he was on the air. He was replaced in mid-record by Fred Robbins, who later became a nationally-known entertainment reporter for Mutual Radio.
1963 - U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady, Jacqueline, arrived in San Antonio to begin a two-day tour of Texas.
1964 - The Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened. Actually, the upper deck was opened to traffic on this day. The bridge, linking Brooklyn and Staten Island, was the world’s longest suspension bridge at 4,260 ft.
1967 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the first air quality act, allotting $428 million to fight air pollution.
1973 - President Richard M. Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the presence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.
1974 - The U.S. Senate overrode President Ford’s veto of the Freedom of Information Act. The vote was 65 to 27. The act generally requires agencies of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government to make certain information about their organization, functions and rules of procedure available to the general public.
1980 - The largest TV audience ever, an estimated 82 million people, watched as Sue Ellen’s sister, Kristin Shepard, shot J.R. Ewing on Dallas. The jilted mistress was seen holding the smoking gun after a summer of viewers asking that haunting question, “Who Shot J.R.?” Eighty percent of all viewers watched the show.
1981 - Olivia Newton-John started the first of 10 weeks at the top of the pop music charts when Physical became the music world’s top tune.
1983 - Doonesbury opened at Biltmore Theater on Broadway. The show ran for a not-so-impressive 104 performances.
1980 - 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1985 - Former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst Jonathan Jay Pollard was arrested. Pollard, convicted of spying for Israel, was sentenced to life in prison in 1987.
1986 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan instructed Attorney General Edwin Meese to open an inquiry for the purpose of compiling a “complete factual record” with respect to the Iran arms sale. This became known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
1987 - James E. Folsom , Alabama governor from 1947-1951 and 1955-1959, died. He was 79 years old.
1988 - Canada’s Progressive Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, won the general election.
1991 - The U.N. Security Council chose Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt to be the new Secretary-General, the first African and first Arab to hold the post.
1993 - Actor Bill Bixby died in Century City, CA at age 59. Bixby is remembered for roles in over forty movies, but especially for playing Tim O’Hara in the My Favorite Martian TV series and Dr. David Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk series. Bill Bixby also directed some thirty TV shows.
1995 - Capitol Records reported The Beatles’ Anthology I had sold 450,000 copies in its first day of release. It was the most single-day sales ever for an album. Yeah, yeah, yeah...
1995 - The Dayton Peace Accord was initialed this day. Parties at the Bosnia peace talks in Dayton, Ohio agreed to terms to end the bloody Balkan conflict.
1997 - These movies debuted in the U.S.: Anastasia (the lost Russian Princess Anastasia and her quest to find her true identity), starring Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst and Angela Lansbury; The Rainmaker (young lawyer and cynical partner take on powerful law firm representing a corrupt insurance company), with Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny Devito and Danny Glover; and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (set in Savannah GA amid beautiful architecture and odd doings), starring Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Lady Chablis, Alison Eastwood, Irma P. Hall, Paul Hipp and Jude Law.
1999 - The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced a $26 million donation to UNICEF for the elimination of tetanus.
2000 - The Florida Supreme Court granted Al Gore’s request to keep the presidential recounts going. Democrats were jubilant. Republicans were angry.
2001 - Films opening in U.S. theatres: Black Knight, starring Martin Lawrence, Tom Wilkinson, Marsha Thomason and Vincent Regan; Out Cold, with Jason London, Lee Majors, and Willie Garson; and Spy Game, starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine Mccormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
2001 - Tiger Woods won his 4th consecutive PGA Grand Slam with a win at Poipu Bay in Hawaii.
2002 - The United States and the Philippines signed a controversial agreement which would allow U.S. forces to use the Asian country as a supply point for military operations.
2003 - New motion pictures opening in the U.S.: Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, with Mike Myers, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Preston, Dakota Fanning, Spencer Breslin and Sean Hayes; and Gothika, starring Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Charles Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penélope Cruz, Dorian Harewood, Bronwen Mantel, Kathleen Mackey, Matthew G. Taylor, Michel Perron, Andrea Sheldon, Anana Rydvald, Laura Mitchell and Amy Sloan.
2003 - The U.S. Air Force conducted a second test of the MOAB, the Mother of All Bombs, in Florida. The 21,700-pound satellite-guided GBU-43/B is officially known as the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb.
2004 - A trespassing deer hunter in northern Wisconsin opened fire on other hunters when they asked him to leave, killing five and wounding three. Another hunter died the next day. Police arrested Chai Soua Vang of St. Paul MN for killing six hunters. (In 2005 Vang (36) was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to six life terms.)
2004 - Scientists released water from Glen Canyon Dam to flood the Grand Canyon in a beginning effort to restore the Colorado river ecosystem.
2005 - As more than one million people in Zambia faced severe food shortages due to drought, Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa declared a national disaster and appealed for international food aid.
2006 - Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the government to recognize same-sex marriages entered into abroad.
2006 - The United Nations reported that an estimated 39.5 million people were living with the AIDS virus worldwide and that infection rates and deaths from the disease were continuing to mount.
2007 - Movies debuting in the U.S.: August Rush, with Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Terrence Howard, Robin Williams and Mykelti Williamson; Christmas in Wonderland, starring Patrick Swayze, Chris Kattan, Carmen Electra and Tim Curry; Enchanted, with Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon; Hitman, starring Timothy Olyphant, Dougray Scott, Olga Kurylenko, Robert Knepper, Ulrich Thomsen and Michael Offei; Stephen King’s The Mist, with Thomas Jane, Andre Braugher, Laurie Holden, Amin Joseph, Frances Sternhagen, Alexa Davalos, Sam Witwer, Jeff DeMunn, Brian Libby, Marcia Gay Harden and Toby Jones; This Christmas, starring Laz Alonso, Chris Brown, Loretta Devine, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer and Columbus Short.
2007 - New Hampshire moved its presidential primary to Jan 8, reclaiming its traditional spot as the first primary in the U.S. New Hampshire’s decision was made in the wake of a Michigan Supreme Court decision that cleared the way for that state’s January 15 rogue primary.
2008 - New movies in the U.S.: Bolt, starring John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman and Mark Walton; and Twilight, with Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, CAM Cigandet, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone and Ashley Greene.
2008 - In accordance with new legislation, Amsterdam announced the closure of dozens of coffee shops that sold cannabis near schools.
2008 - The DJIA rose 494.13 to close at 8,046.42 following news that President-elect Barack Obama would pick Timothy Geithner, chief of the New York Federal Reserve, as U.S. Treasury secretary.
2009 - Australia issued ‘catastrophic alerts’ after record-breaking temperatures and wild lightning storms sparked more than 100 big fires across the country.
2009 - The U.S. Senate voted to open debate on the health care bill. The vote was hailed a victory for President Obama, but final passage of the legislation was far from being a done deal.
Birthdays November 21
1694 - Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire)
author, philosopher; died May 30, 1778
1785 - William Beaumont
physician, researcher, physiologist: pioneered understanding of human digestion: his research proved that digestion is a chemical process; died Apr 25, 1853
1854 - Giacomo della Chiesa
Pope Benedict XV: 258th pope of the Roman Catholic Church [1914-1922]; died Jan 22, 1922
1897 - ‘Handy’ Andy (Andrew Aird) High
baseball: Brooklyn Robins, Boston Braves, SL Cardinals [World Series: 1928, 1930, 1931], Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies; died Feb 22, 1981
1904 - Coleman Hawkins
musician: tenor saxophone: solo w/Fletcher Henderson band: The Stampede, St. Louis Shuffle, Queer Notions, Hocus Pocus; jazz bandleader: Body and Soul; jazz sax solo: Picasso; died May 19, 1969
1907 - Jim Bishop
newspaper columnist, author: The Day Christ Died, The Days of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Day Kennedy Was Shot; died July 26, 1987
1908 - Paul (Rapier) Richards
baseball: catcher: Brooklyn Dodgers, NY Giants, Philadelphia Athletics, Detroit Tigers [World Series: 1945]; Manager: Chicago White 1951-61, 1976 Orioles; died May 4, 1986
1912 - Dorothy Granger
actress: Dondi, The Desperados Are in Town, Too Many Wives, High and Dizzy, Backstage Follies, Dangers of the Canadian Mounted; died Jan 4, 1995
1912 - Eleanor Powell
dancer, singer: Fascinating Rhythm, Swingin’ the Jinx Away, Star Eyes, So Long Sarah Jane, Hola E Pae, Anchors Aweigh; actress: George White’s 1935 Scandals, Born to Dance, Ship Ahoy, Sensations of 1945; died Feb 11, 1982
1916 - Sid Luckman
Pro Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears quarterback: 4 NFL Championships, MVP [1943]; shares NFL individual record for touchdowns thrown in a game [7, Nov. 14, 1943]; died July 5, 1998
1920 - Ralph Meeker
actor: Without Warning, Hi-Riders, Brannigan, Night Games, Love Comes Quietly, The Night Stalker, I Walk the Line, The Reluctant Heroes; died Aug 5, 1988
1920 - Stan ‘The Man’ (Stanley Frank) Musial
Baseball Hall of Famer: SL Cardinals outfielder, first baseman [World Series: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946/all-star: 1943, 1944, 1946-1963/Baseball Writers’ Award: 1946, 1948]; topped .300 mark 18 times, won seven N.L. batting titles with his famed corkscrew stance and ringing line drives; 3-time MVP played in 24 All-Star games; nicknamed ‘The Man’ by Dodger fans for the havoc he wrought at Ebbets Field
1924 - Vivian Blaine (Stapleton)
actress: State Fair, Guys and Dolls, Those Two; died Dec 9, 1995
1927 - Joseph Campanella
actor: Ben, Meteor, Original Intent, The President’s Plane is Missing, The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Sky Hei$t, The Colbys, The Lawyers, The Nurses, Mannix; narrator: The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau; host: Emergency Call
1927 - Jean Howell
actress: Superstar, Days of Our Lives, Who’ll Stop the Rain, The Fast and the Furious, Lies, Emergency: Survival on Charter #220, Stuff and Nonsense, Hell’s Crossroads, Apache Woman; died Jul 23, 1996
1931 - Jim Ringo
Pro Football Hall of Famer: Green Bay Packers: All-Pro center [1957, 1959-1963], Philadelphia Eagles: center; died Nov 19, 2007
1933 - Jean Shepard
country singer: Satisfied Mind, Beautiful Lies, Slippin’ Away, Satin Sheets, w/Ferlin Husky: A Dear John Letter
1934 - Laurence Luckinbill
Emmy Award-winning executive producer: Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie [1992-1993]; actor: Lyndon, Star Trek 5: The Final Frontier, Messenger of Death, Cocktail, The Boys in the Band, The Delphi Bureau
1936 - James DePreist
orchestra leader: Oregon Symphony
1937 - Ingrid Pitt
actress: The House That Dripped Blood, Countess Dracula, The Asylum, Hanna’s War, Wild Geese II, Bones, Smiley’s People, The Wicker Man
1937 - Marlo (Margaret) Thomas
Emmy Award-winning producer: Marlo Thomas and Friends in Free to Be ... You and Me [1973-74], Free to Be ... A Family [1988-89], actress: Nobody’s Child [1985-86]; That Girl, Tribute to Women in Comedy, The Joey Bishop Show, Held Hostage, In the Spirit, Jenny; wife of Phil Donahue; daughter of Danny Thomas
1940 - Dr. John (‘Mac’ Malcolm John Rebennack)
musician: organ, guitar, singer: Right Place Wrong Time; songwriter: Lights Out, What’s Goin’ On, Lady Luck, Losing Battle
1940 - Natalia Makarova
ballerina: Kirov Ballet [now Saint Petersburg Ballet]: 1959-1970]
1941 - Juliet Mills
Emmy Award-winning actress: QB VII, Parts 1 & 2, ABC Movie Special [1974-75]; Nanny and the Professor, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Cracker Factory; daughter of actor John Mills and sister of actress Hayley Mills
1944 - Earl ‘The Pearl’ Monroe
Basketball Hall of Famer: Baltimore Bullets: Rookie of the Year [1967]; New York Knicks: championship team [1972-73]
1944 - Harold Ramis
writer: Ghostbusters series, Armed and Dangerous, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Stripes, Meatballs; writer, director: Multiplicity, Groundhog Day, Club Paradise, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Caddyshack, actor: Ghostbusters series, Second City TV, Love Affair, Stealing Home, Baby Boom
1945 - Goldie Hawn (Btudlendgehawn)
Academy Award-winning actress: Cactus Flower [1969]; First Wives Club, Bird on a Wire, Butterflies are Free, Housesitter, Death Becomes Her, Private Benjamin, Shampoo, The Sugarland Express, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, Good Morning, World
1948 - Lonnie (LeRoy) Jordan
musician: keyboard, singer: group: War: LPs: All Day Music, The World is a Ghetto, Why Can’t We Be Friends, Galaxy, The Music Band
1948 - Deborah Shelton
actress: Surprise, Surprise, Quiet Kill, Sacrifice, Lone Greasers, The Clinic, Sins of the Night, Blind Vision
1949 - Barbara Jo Rubin
horse-racing jockey: 1st U.S. woman to win a flat race against male jockeys [1969]; 1st woman to ride in NY & NJ
1950 - Livingston Taylor
singer: I Will Be in Love with You; songwriter; brother of singer James Taylor
1952 - Lorna Luft
singer, actress: Trapper John, M.D., Where the Boys Are ’84, Grease 2; daughter of singer-actress Judy Garland and producer Sid Luft; sister of singer-actress Liza Minelli
1956 - Cynthia Rhodes
actress, dancer: Dirty Dancing, Flashdance
1963 - Nicollette Sheridan
actress: Desperate Housewives, Paper Dolls, Knots Landing, Spy Hard, Silver Strand, Noises Off, Deceptions, The Sure Thing
1965 - Björk (Guðmundsdóttir)
singer, songwriter: group: The Sugarcubes: Life’s Too Good; solo: Human Behaviour, Post, Telegram Homogenic, Selmasongs, Dancer in the Dark
1966 - Troy Aikman
football: Dallas Cowboys quarterback: Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII; holds record for longest pass completion w/receiver Alvin Harper in a playoff game [94 yards, 1/8/95]
1969 - Ken (George Kenneth) Griffey Jr.
baseball: Seattle Mariners left-handed outfielder [all-star: 1990-1996/Gold Glove Award: 1990-1993]; shares individual record for consecutive games hitting home runs [8, July 20-28, 1993]; first son and father [Ken Griffey, Sr.] to play in major leagues at same time [1989] and on same team at same time [1990]
1975 - Brian Meadows
baseball [pitcher]: Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates
1984 - Jena Malone
actress: Bastard Out of Carolina, Contact, Stepmom, Donnie Darko, Saved!, Into the Wild, Cold Mountain, Hitler: The Rise of Evil, American Girl, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Chart Toppers November 21
1944The Trolley Song - Judy Garland
I’ll Walk Alone - Dinah Shore
Together - Helen Forrest & **** Haymes
Smoke on the Water - Red Foley
1953Ebb Tide - The Frank Chacksfield Orchestra
Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Many Times - Eddie Fisher
There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce
1962Big Girls Don’t Cry - The 4 Seasons
Return to Sender - Elvis Presley
Next Door to an Angel - Neil Sedaka
I’ve Been Everywhere - Hank Snow
1971Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Baby I’m-A Want You - Bread
Have You Seen Her - Chi-Lites
Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard
1980Lady - Kenny Rogers
The Wanderer - Donna Summer
I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross
Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
1989When I See You Smile - Bad English
Blame It on the Rain - Milli Vanilli
Love Shack - The B-52’s
Bayou Boys - Eddy Raven
1998Thank U - Alanis Morissette
My Favorite Mistake - Sheryl Crow
Jumper - Third Eye Blind
Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
2007Apologize - Timbaland featuring OneRepublic
Bubbly - Colbie Caillat
Stronger - Kanye West
Don’t Blink - Kenny Chesney
Chart Topper November 21st, 1980...Could I Have This Dance - Anne Murray
