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Thanks all;
224th day of 2010 - 141 remaining
Thursday, August 12, 2010
CAST OF THOUSANDS DAY
Important Hollywood film innovations -- the first use of indoor lighting on an actor, the first film to publicize its stars’ names, the sneak preview, the concept of different versions of the same movie -- were the creations of moviedom’s Cecil B. (Blount) DeMille.
DeMille, born on this day in 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts is, however, better known for producing the film spectacular. On that large scale were over seventy films including The Crusades, The Sign of the Cross, King of Kings, Cleopatra, The Plainsman, Reap the Wild Wind, The Buccaneer, and his Academy Award-winner, The Greatest Show on Earth [1952].
Cecil B. DeMille’s all-time greatest show was The Ten Commandments. His first production of this biblical story was in 1923. Then, in 1956, he presented a new epic version (which is shown annually on TV) with the famous cast of thousands.
Events August 12
1851 - Isaac Singer of New York City patented the double-treadle sewing machine on this day. Although a sewing machine had already been patented, Singer’s sewing machine was revolutionary, having a double treadle. With patent in hand, Isaac set up shop in Boston, Massachusetts and began to manufacture his invention. Even after huge settlements paid to Elias Howe, another sewing machine patent holder, Singer, through business innovations like installment buying, after-sale servicing and trade-in allowances, had the marketplace all sewn up...
1865 - Joseph Lister became the first doctor to use disinfectant during surgery. Hmm. Joseph Lister. That name rings a bell. Yep. Same Joseph Lister as the one whose name is on those bottles of Listerine mouthwash.
1877 - Thomas A. Edison finished figuring out his first phonograph. Edison handed the model of his invention to John Kreusi with instructions on how to build it. Kreusi, a confident man, bet the inventor $2 and said that there was no way that the machine would ever work. He lost the bet.
1879 - The first National Archery Association tournament began in Chicago, IL. No, Robin Hood was nowhere to be seen...
1918 - Regular air-mail service began between New York City and Washington, DC.
1936 - Berlin, Germany was host to the Olympics and the youngest winner of a gold medal (to that day). The U.S.A.’s 13-year-old diver, Marjorie Gestring, won the springboard event.
1937 - Comedian Red Skelton got his first taste of network radio as he appeared on the Rudy Vallee Show on NBC.
1940 - Will Bradley and his trio recorded Down the Road Apiece on Columbia Records.
1944 - Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, was killed, along with his co-pilot, when their explosives-laden Navy plane blew up over England.
1953 - The Soviet Union conducted a secret test of its first hydrogen bomb.
1955 - President Eisenhower raised the minimum wage in the U.S. from 75 cents to $1 an hour.
1964 - For the 10th time in his major-league baseball career, Mickey Mantle hit home runs from both the left and ride sides of the plate in the same game -- setting a new baseball record. Would we call this ‘am-bat-extrous’?
1966 - The last tour for The Beatles began at the International Amphitheater in Chicago; and John Lennon apologized for boasting that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. London’s Catholic Herald said Lennon’s comment was “arrogant ... but probably true.”
1967 - Fleetwood Mac made their stage debut at the National Blues and Jazz Festival in Great Britain.
1970 - President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the most comprehensive postal legislation since the founding of the Republic, Public Law 91-375. The U.S. Post Office became the United States Postal Service, an independent government corporation.
1973 - Golfer Jack Nicklaus won his 14th major golf title, breaking a record held for nearly 50 years by Bobby Jones. Nicklaus won the PGA Championship for the third time.
1977 - The first reusable orbital spacecraft (space shuttle), christened Enterprise, made its first test flight by gliding off the back of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and landing safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.
1978 - Pope Paul VI, who had died six days earlier at age 80, was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
1981 - IBM (International Business Machines) introduced the Model 5150 PC (personal computer). The IBM PC ran on the Intel 8088 microprocessor at 4.77 MHz with one or two 160K floppy disk drives. It had 16 kilobytes of memory, expandable to 256k, five 8-bit ISA slots, a 65-watt power supply, no built-in clock, no built-in serial or parallel ports, and no built-in video capability -- it was available with an optional color monitor. MS-DOS 1.0/1.1 was issued with the PC (IBM later released its own operating system: PC-DOS). Prices started at $1,565. The IBM PC was a smashing success and IBM quickly became the #1 microcomputer company, with Apple dropping to #2.
1982 - Terry Felton of the Minnesota Twins set a major-league record for rookie pitchers. He had no wins and 14 losses. Guy Morton of the Cleveland Indians had lost 13 games, but won his 14th, back in 1914.
1982 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit bottom, closing at 776.92. The next morning, a bull market began that lasted until the 500-point crash of 1987.
1984 - Luis Aparicio and Don Drysdale, who began their playing careers on the same day (in 1956), were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Also inducted were Pee Wee Reese, Harmon Killebrew and Rick Ferrell.
1985 - The world’s worst single-aircraft disaster happened when a crippled Japan Air Lines Boeing 747, on a flight from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed into Mount Osutaka. The aircraft had a sudden decompression that damaged hydraulic systems and the vertical fin. That damage also disabled the flight controls for the rudder and elevator. All 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers were killed. One of those who perished in the crash was Kyu Sakamoto, whose Sukiyaki held the #1 spot on U.S. pop charts in 1963.
1986 - Rod Carew became the first player in the history of the California Angels franchise to have his uniform retired. Number 29 played for the Angels for seven years.
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ, the controversial film directed by Martin Scorsese, opened despite demonstrations and protestations by religious groups.
1988 - The U.S. Senate confirmed **** Thornburgh to succeed Edwin Meese III as attorney general (vote was 85-to-0).
1992 - The United States, Mexico and Canada agreed to form a free-trade zone that would remove most barriers to trade and investment and create the world’s largest trading bloc: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
1993 - U.S. President Clinton lifted the ban on rehiring air traffic controllers fired (by President Reagan) for strike in 1981.
1994 - Woodstock ’94 began in Saugerties, New York (it ran thru August 14). 235,000-350,000 rockers attended the show, which featured 30+ bands, included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow, Areosmith, Metallica and Nine Inch Nails.
1995 - Bones Thugs N’ Harmony hit #1 with their album, E. 1999 Eternal. Number one for two weeks, the album featured: Da Introduction, East 1999, Eternal, Crept and We Came, Down ’71 (The Getaway), Mr. Bill Collector, Budsmokers Only, Tha Crossroad, Me Killa, Land of Tha Heartless, No Shorts, No Losses, 1st of tha Month, Buddah Lovaz, Die Die Die, Mr. Ouija 2, Mo’ Murda and Shotz to tha Double Glock.
1996 - The Republican Party opened its 36th national convention in San Diego by celebrating Bob Dole as a tested, trustworthy leader who would lower taxes and bring compassionate conservatism to the White House.
1997 - Steel workers in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania ended a 10-month strike at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. with a new contract. It was the longest strike of a major steel company.
1998 - Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion to settle lawsuits filed by Holocaust survivors and their heirs. The banks had kept millions of dollars deposited by Holocaust victims and their relatives before and during World War II.
2000 - The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank, killing its 118-man crew during naval exercises in the Barents Sea. The Kursk was one of Russia’s most powerful nuclear submarines. The sinking followed the accidental explosion of one of its own on-board torpedos.
2000 - Evander Holyfield won a 12-round unanimous decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas for the WBA heavyweight title.
2000 - Academy Award-winning Actress (The Farmer’s Daughter [1947]) Loretta Young died at 87 years of age. She made over 100 movies during a career spanning some 70 years.
2001 - Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the international space station delivering three new residents (American astronaut Frank Culbertson and Russians Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin) to the 240 mile high outpost.
2002 - Iraq’s information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf told the Arabic satellite TV station Al-Jazeera that there was no need for U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad. al-Sahhaf branded as lies allegations that Saddam Hussein still had weapons of mass destruction.
2003 - An Internet worm targeting MS Windows users spread rapidly around the world, triggering computer crashes and slowing Web connections. The worm was dubbed Blaster, but also known as LoveSan or MSBlaster.
2004 - New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, a twice-married father, announced his resignation with the disclosure that he was gay and had been involved in an extramarital affair with a man who threatened to undermine his “ability to govern.”
2004 - Greece’s $930 million, 3km Rion-Antirion Bridge across the western end of the Gulf of Corinth opened to traffic. The bridge crosses the Corinth strait near the city of Patras, connecting Peloponnese with mainland Greece.
2005 - New movies in the U.S.: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, starring Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin, Arija Bareikis, Oded Fehr and Til Schweiger; Four Brothers, with Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Dashon Howard, Taraji P. Henson and Sofia Vergara; The Great Raid, starring Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Fiennes and Mark Consuelos; and The Skeleton Key, with Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt and Joy Bryant.
2005 - 104 Ecuadorians attempting to emigrate to the U.S. were killed when their small boat sank in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia. Just nine people were rescued two days later after being spotted clinging to a wooden box and buoys.
2006 - The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution seeking a ‘full cessation’ of violence between Israel and Hezbollah. The month of fighting had killed more than 800 people and inflamed Mideast tensions.
2006 - 400 paratroopers were deployed to join the struggle to control scores of forest fires in northwestern Spain. A total of 24 people were arrested since Aug 1 on suspicion of deliberately starting many of the fires.
2007 - TV talk-show host Merv Griffin died at 82 years of age. Griffin created the TV game show Jeopardy in 1964 and sold the rights for the show to Coca-Cola for $250 million in 1986. On his tombstone, Griffin has the phrase, “I WILL NOT BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS MESSAGE”.
2007 - A 35-year-old Canadian woman gave birth to rare identical quadruplets. Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by Caesarian section at Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls, Montana.
2008 - Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005. This, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
2008 - The U.S. Navy agreed to restrict loud sonar blasts from anti-submarine vessels in large areas of the world’s oceans to protect whales and other vulnerable creatures.
2009 - China’s state media reported that authorities in northern China have shut down the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. in Shaanxi province after it was found to have caused lead poisoning that sickened more than 300 children.
Birthdays August 12
1753 - Thomas Bewick
illustrator [of books]: Fables of Aesop, History of Quadrapeds, British Birds; died Nov 8, 1828
1849 - Abbott Thayer
artist: created camouflage pattern for military; died May 29, 1921
1880 - Christy (Christopher) ‘Matty’ Mathewson
‘Big Six’: Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher: developed the screwball; New York Giants {World Series: 1905: shut out Philadelphia in 1st three games, 1911, 1912, 1913], Cincinnati Reds; manager: Cincinnati Reds; coach: NY Giants; president: Boston Braves; died Oct 7, 1925
1881 - Cecil B. (Blount) DeMille
Academy Award-winning film producer; died Jan 21, 1959; see Cast of Thousands Day [above]
1892 - Alfred Lunt
Tony Award-winning actor: Quadrille [1955]; The Guardsman, Sally of the Sawdust; died Aug 3, 1977
1910 - Jane Wyatt
Emmy Award-winning actress: Father Knows Best [1957, 1958-59, 1959-60]; Gentleman’s Agreement, Lost Horizon, Amityville 4; died Oct 20, 2006)
1911 - Cantinflas (Mario Moreno Reyes)
comic actor: Around the World in 80 Days, Pepe; Mexico’s vaudeville: carpas; died Apr 20, 1993
1915 - Michael Kidd (Milton Greenwald)
choreographer, dancer: It’s Always Fair Weather, Smile; died Dec 23, 2007
1917 - Marjorie Reynolds (Goodspeed)
actress: Gone with the Wind, The Time of Their Lives, Doomed to Die1916 - Marjorie Reynolds (Goodspeed) (actress: Gone with the Wind, The Time of Their Lives, Doomed to Die; died Feb 1, 1997)
1925 - Dale L. Bumpers
Governor of Arkansas [1971-1975]; U.S. Senator from Arkansas [1975-1999]
1926 - John Derek (Derek Harris)
actor: All the King’s Men, Prince of Players, Ambush at Tomahawk Gap, Exodus; director: Bolero; married to Bo Derek; died May 22, 1998
1926 - Joe Jones
singer: You Talk Too Much; pianist for B.B. King; died Nov 27, 2005
1927 - Porter Wagoner
singer: Satisfied Mind, Sorrow on the Rocks, Big Wind, Cold Hard Facts of Life, Misery Loves Company, The Carroll County Accident; w/Dolly Parton: Daddy Was An Old-Time Preacher Man, Please Don’t Stop Loving Me; songwriter: Tore Down, I Haven’t Learned a Thing, Ole Slew Foot; died Oct 28, 2007
1928 - Bob (Robert Ray) Buhl
baseball: Milwaukee Braves [World Series: 1957/all-star: 1960], Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies; died Feb 16, 2001
1929 - Buck Owens (Alvis Edgar Owens Jr.)
singer: I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail, Act Naturally, Waiting in Your Welfare Line, Made in Japan; songwriter: Crying Time; TV host: Hee Haw, Buck Owen’s Ranch House; died Mar 25, 2006
1931 - William Goldman
screen writer: Marathon Man, The Princess Bride, All the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chaplin
1932 - Charlie O’Donnell
TV announcer: Wheel of Fortune, Burt Luddin’s Love Buffet, Let’s Go Back, The Quiz Kids Challenge, Solid Gold, The Wizard of Odds, Monopoly, American Bandstand; radio DJ: KRLA [Los Angeles]
1933 - Parnelli (Rufus) Jones
auto racer: Indianapolis 500 winner [1963]
1935 - Sam Moore
singer: duo: Sam and DAVE : Hold On, I'm Comin’, Soul Man
1939 - George Hamilton
actor: Love at First Bite, Act One, The Survivors, Zorro, the Gay Blade, Where the Boys Are, Evel Knievel, The Dead Don’t Die, Doc Hollywood
1939 - Larry Ziegler
golf: Senior PGA Tour: in top 70 on the all-time money list
1941 - Jennifer Warren
actress: Amazons, Slap Shot, The Intruder Within, Confessions of a Married Man, Fatal Beauty, Partners in Crime
1949 - Mark Knopfler
musician: guitar, songwriter, singer: group: Dire Straits: Money for Nothing
1950 - George McGinnis
basketball: Indiana University, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers
1954 - Sam J. Jones
actor: Texas Payback, Fists of Iron, Thunder in Paradise, Maximum Force, Fist of Honor, Silent Assassins, 10, flash Gordon, The Highwayman
1954 - Pat Metheny
musician: jazz-guitar: LPs: Bright Size Life, Watercolors, Pat Metheny Group, New Chautauqua, American Garage, As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, Offramp, Travels, Rejoicing, First Circle, Song X, Still Life [Talking]
1959 - Suzanne Vega
musician: folk-guitar, singer, songwriter: Luka, Marlene on the Wall, Small Blue Thing, Calypso, Tom’s Diner
1961 - Roy Hay
musician: guitar: group: Culture Club: Karma Chameleon
1963 - Anthony Ray aka Sir Mix-a-Lot
Grammy Award-winning rapper: Baby Got Back [1993]; Let’s G, I’m a Trip, Square Dance Rap, Rippin’, Posse on Broadway, Ironman, My Hooptie
1965 - Peter Krause
actor: Civic Duty, We Don’t Live Here Anymore, It’s a Shame About Ray, The Truman Show, Lovelife, Double Edge, Dirty Sexy Money, Parenthood, Six Feet Under
1967 - Andrew Glover
football [tight end]: Los Angeles Raiders, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints
1971 - Pete Sampras
tennis champion: Australian Open [[1994], Wimbledon [1993, 94, 95], U.S. Open [1990, 93, 95]
1972 - Rebecca Gayheart
actress: Urban Legend, Jawbreaker, Scream 2, Beverly Hills, 90210, Shadow Hours
1973 - Todd Marchant
hockey: New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Anaheim Ducks
1974 - Matt Clement
baseball [pitcher]: SD Padres, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox
1974 - Greg Spires
football [defensive end]: Florida State Univ; NFL: NE Patriots, Cleveland Browns, TB Buccaneers
1975 - Casey Affleck
actor: Hamlet [2000], Drowning Mona, American Pie, 200 Cigarettes, Chasing Amy, To Die For, The Kennedys of Massachusetts
1975 - Donovin Darius
football [safety]: Univ of Syracuse; NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars
1976 - Brad Lukowich
hockey: Dallas Stars, TB Lightning
1976 - Antoine Walker
basketball [forward]: Univ of Kentucky; NBA: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat
1977 - Plaxico Burress
football [wide receiver]: Michigan State Univ; NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers, NY Giants
1980 - Maggie Lawson
actress: Psych, It’s All Relative, Spellbound, Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Winter Break, Nancy Drew, Model Behavior, Pleasantville
ABA Birthdays Today
78jeep , mysterious_u_c , dofu (59) , qwesat12 (58) , inaru (52) , ice2u (50) , llyoungblood (50) , ongnoi (48) , lina12 , nesa (45) , Mr Tock (40) , 8ball (35) , guyver (28) , fireman1764 (27)
Chart Toppers August 12
1951Too Young - Nat King Cole
Mister and Mississippi - Patti Page
Because of You - Tony Bennett
Hey, Good Lookin’ - Hank Williams
1960Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini - Brian Hyland
It’s Now or Never - Elvis Presley
Image of a Girl - Safaris
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin
1969In the Year 2525 - Zager & Evans
Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker and The All Stars
All I Have to Offer You (Is Me) - Charley Pride
1978Three Times a Lady - Commodores
Grease - Frankie Valli
Last Dance - Donna Summer
You Don’t Love Me Anymore - Eddie Rabbitt
1987I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
I Want Your Sex - George Michael
Heart and Soul - T’Pau
One Promise Too Late - Reba McEntire
1996Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) - Los Del Rio
Twisted - Keith Sweat
Change the World - Eric Clapton
Carried Away - George Strait
2005We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Don’t Cha - *****cat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes
Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
As Good As I Once Was - Toby Keith
Chart Topper August 12th, 1978...Three Times a Lady - Commodores
enjoy all
224th day of 2010 - 141 remaining
Thursday, August 12, 2010
CAST OF THOUSANDS DAY
Important Hollywood film innovations -- the first use of indoor lighting on an actor, the first film to publicize its stars’ names, the sneak preview, the concept of different versions of the same movie -- were the creations of moviedom’s Cecil B. (Blount) DeMille.
DeMille, born on this day in 1881 in Ashfield, Massachusetts is, however, better known for producing the film spectacular. On that large scale were over seventy films including The Crusades, The Sign of the Cross, King of Kings, Cleopatra, The Plainsman, Reap the Wild Wind, The Buccaneer, and his Academy Award-winner, The Greatest Show on Earth [1952].
Cecil B. DeMille’s all-time greatest show was The Ten Commandments. His first production of this biblical story was in 1923. Then, in 1956, he presented a new epic version (which is shown annually on TV) with the famous cast of thousands.
Events August 12
1851 - Isaac Singer of New York City patented the double-treadle sewing machine on this day. Although a sewing machine had already been patented, Singer’s sewing machine was revolutionary, having a double treadle. With patent in hand, Isaac set up shop in Boston, Massachusetts and began to manufacture his invention. Even after huge settlements paid to Elias Howe, another sewing machine patent holder, Singer, through business innovations like installment buying, after-sale servicing and trade-in allowances, had the marketplace all sewn up...
1865 - Joseph Lister became the first doctor to use disinfectant during surgery. Hmm. Joseph Lister. That name rings a bell. Yep. Same Joseph Lister as the one whose name is on those bottles of Listerine mouthwash.
1877 - Thomas A. Edison finished figuring out his first phonograph. Edison handed the model of his invention to John Kreusi with instructions on how to build it. Kreusi, a confident man, bet the inventor $2 and said that there was no way that the machine would ever work. He lost the bet.
1879 - The first National Archery Association tournament began in Chicago, IL. No, Robin Hood was nowhere to be seen...
1918 - Regular air-mail service began between New York City and Washington, DC.
1936 - Berlin, Germany was host to the Olympics and the youngest winner of a gold medal (to that day). The U.S.A.’s 13-year-old diver, Marjorie Gestring, won the springboard event.
1937 - Comedian Red Skelton got his first taste of network radio as he appeared on the Rudy Vallee Show on NBC.
1940 - Will Bradley and his trio recorded Down the Road Apiece on Columbia Records.
1944 - Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, was killed, along with his co-pilot, when their explosives-laden Navy plane blew up over England.
1953 - The Soviet Union conducted a secret test of its first hydrogen bomb.
1955 - President Eisenhower raised the minimum wage in the U.S. from 75 cents to $1 an hour.
1964 - For the 10th time in his major-league baseball career, Mickey Mantle hit home runs from both the left and ride sides of the plate in the same game -- setting a new baseball record. Would we call this ‘am-bat-extrous’?
1966 - The last tour for The Beatles began at the International Amphitheater in Chicago; and John Lennon apologized for boasting that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. London’s Catholic Herald said Lennon’s comment was “arrogant ... but probably true.”
1967 - Fleetwood Mac made their stage debut at the National Blues and Jazz Festival in Great Britain.
1970 - President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the most comprehensive postal legislation since the founding of the Republic, Public Law 91-375. The U.S. Post Office became the United States Postal Service, an independent government corporation.
1973 - Golfer Jack Nicklaus won his 14th major golf title, breaking a record held for nearly 50 years by Bobby Jones. Nicklaus won the PGA Championship for the third time.
1977 - The first reusable orbital spacecraft (space shuttle), christened Enterprise, made its first test flight by gliding off the back of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet and landing safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.
1978 - Pope Paul VI, who had died six days earlier at age 80, was buried in St. Peter’s Basilica.
1981 - IBM (International Business Machines) introduced the Model 5150 PC (personal computer). The IBM PC ran on the Intel 8088 microprocessor at 4.77 MHz with one or two 160K floppy disk drives. It had 16 kilobytes of memory, expandable to 256k, five 8-bit ISA slots, a 65-watt power supply, no built-in clock, no built-in serial or parallel ports, and no built-in video capability -- it was available with an optional color monitor. MS-DOS 1.0/1.1 was issued with the PC (IBM later released its own operating system: PC-DOS). Prices started at $1,565. The IBM PC was a smashing success and IBM quickly became the #1 microcomputer company, with Apple dropping to #2.
1982 - Terry Felton of the Minnesota Twins set a major-league record for rookie pitchers. He had no wins and 14 losses. Guy Morton of the Cleveland Indians had lost 13 games, but won his 14th, back in 1914.
1982 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit bottom, closing at 776.92. The next morning, a bull market began that lasted until the 500-point crash of 1987.
1984 - Luis Aparicio and Don Drysdale, who began their playing careers on the same day (in 1956), were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Also inducted were Pee Wee Reese, Harmon Killebrew and Rick Ferrell.
1985 - The world’s worst single-aircraft disaster happened when a crippled Japan Air Lines Boeing 747, on a flight from Tokyo to Osaka, crashed into Mount Osutaka. The aircraft had a sudden decompression that damaged hydraulic systems and the vertical fin. That damage also disabled the flight controls for the rudder and elevator. All 15 crew members and 505 of the 509 passengers were killed. One of those who perished in the crash was Kyu Sakamoto, whose Sukiyaki held the #1 spot on U.S. pop charts in 1963.
1986 - Rod Carew became the first player in the history of the California Angels franchise to have his uniform retired. Number 29 played for the Angels for seven years.
1988 - The Last Temptation of Christ, the controversial film directed by Martin Scorsese, opened despite demonstrations and protestations by religious groups.
1988 - The U.S. Senate confirmed **** Thornburgh to succeed Edwin Meese III as attorney general (vote was 85-to-0).
1992 - The United States, Mexico and Canada agreed to form a free-trade zone that would remove most barriers to trade and investment and create the world’s largest trading bloc: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
1993 - U.S. President Clinton lifted the ban on rehiring air traffic controllers fired (by President Reagan) for strike in 1981.
1994 - Woodstock ’94 began in Saugerties, New York (it ran thru August 14). 235,000-350,000 rockers attended the show, which featured 30+ bands, included Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sheryl Crow, Areosmith, Metallica and Nine Inch Nails.
1995 - Bones Thugs N’ Harmony hit #1 with their album, E. 1999 Eternal. Number one for two weeks, the album featured: Da Introduction, East 1999, Eternal, Crept and We Came, Down ’71 (The Getaway), Mr. Bill Collector, Budsmokers Only, Tha Crossroad, Me Killa, Land of Tha Heartless, No Shorts, No Losses, 1st of tha Month, Buddah Lovaz, Die Die Die, Mr. Ouija 2, Mo’ Murda and Shotz to tha Double Glock.
1996 - The Republican Party opened its 36th national convention in San Diego by celebrating Bob Dole as a tested, trustworthy leader who would lower taxes and bring compassionate conservatism to the White House.
1997 - Steel workers in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania ended a 10-month strike at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. with a new contract. It was the longest strike of a major steel company.
1998 - Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion to settle lawsuits filed by Holocaust survivors and their heirs. The banks had kept millions of dollars deposited by Holocaust victims and their relatives before and during World War II.
2000 - The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank, killing its 118-man crew during naval exercises in the Barents Sea. The Kursk was one of Russia’s most powerful nuclear submarines. The sinking followed the accidental explosion of one of its own on-board torpedos.
2000 - Evander Holyfield won a 12-round unanimous decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas for the WBA heavyweight title.
2000 - Academy Award-winning Actress (The Farmer’s Daughter [1947]) Loretta Young died at 87 years of age. She made over 100 movies during a career spanning some 70 years.
2001 - Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the international space station delivering three new residents (American astronaut Frank Culbertson and Russians Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin) to the 240 mile high outpost.
2002 - Iraq’s information minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf told the Arabic satellite TV station Al-Jazeera that there was no need for U.N. weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad. al-Sahhaf branded as lies allegations that Saddam Hussein still had weapons of mass destruction.
2003 - An Internet worm targeting MS Windows users spread rapidly around the world, triggering computer crashes and slowing Web connections. The worm was dubbed Blaster, but also known as LoveSan or MSBlaster.
2004 - New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey, a twice-married father, announced his resignation with the disclosure that he was gay and had been involved in an extramarital affair with a man who threatened to undermine his “ability to govern.”
2004 - Greece’s $930 million, 3km Rion-Antirion Bridge across the western end of the Gulf of Corinth opened to traffic. The bridge crosses the Corinth strait near the city of Patras, connecting Peloponnese with mainland Greece.
2005 - New movies in the U.S.: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, starring Rob Schneider, Eddie Griffin, Arija Bareikis, Oded Fehr and Til Schweiger; Four Brothers, with Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, Terrence Dashon Howard, Taraji P. Henson and Sofia Vergara; The Great Raid, starring Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen, Joseph Fiennes and Mark Consuelos; and The Skeleton Key, with Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt and Joy Bryant.
2005 - 104 Ecuadorians attempting to emigrate to the U.S. were killed when their small boat sank in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia. Just nine people were rescued two days later after being spotted clinging to a wooden box and buoys.
2006 - The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution seeking a ‘full cessation’ of violence between Israel and Hezbollah. The month of fighting had killed more than 800 people and inflamed Mideast tensions.
2006 - 400 paratroopers were deployed to join the struggle to control scores of forest fires in northwestern Spain. A total of 24 people were arrested since Aug 1 on suspicion of deliberately starting many of the fires.
2007 - TV talk-show host Merv Griffin died at 82 years of age. Griffin created the TV game show Jeopardy in 1964 and sold the rights for the show to Coca-Cola for $250 million in 1986. On his tombstone, Griffin has the phrase, “I WILL NOT BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS MESSAGE”.
2007 - A 35-year-old Canadian woman gave birth to rare identical quadruplets. Karen Jepp of Calgary, Alberta, delivered Autumn, Brooke, Calissa and Dahlia by Caesarian section at Benefis Healthcare in Great Falls, Montana.
2008 - Two-thirds of U.S. corporations paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005. This, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.
2008 - The U.S. Navy agreed to restrict loud sonar blasts from anti-submarine vessels in large areas of the world’s oceans to protect whales and other vulnerable creatures.
2009 - China’s state media reported that authorities in northern China have shut down the Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. in Shaanxi province after it was found to have caused lead poisoning that sickened more than 300 children.
Birthdays August 12
1753 - Thomas Bewick
illustrator [of books]: Fables of Aesop, History of Quadrapeds, British Birds; died Nov 8, 1828
1849 - Abbott Thayer
artist: created camouflage pattern for military; died May 29, 1921
1880 - Christy (Christopher) ‘Matty’ Mathewson
‘Big Six’: Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher: developed the screwball; New York Giants {World Series: 1905: shut out Philadelphia in 1st three games, 1911, 1912, 1913], Cincinnati Reds; manager: Cincinnati Reds; coach: NY Giants; president: Boston Braves; died Oct 7, 1925
1881 - Cecil B. (Blount) DeMille
Academy Award-winning film producer; died Jan 21, 1959; see Cast of Thousands Day [above]
1892 - Alfred Lunt
Tony Award-winning actor: Quadrille [1955]; The Guardsman, Sally of the Sawdust; died Aug 3, 1977
1910 - Jane Wyatt
Emmy Award-winning actress: Father Knows Best [1957, 1958-59, 1959-60]; Gentleman’s Agreement, Lost Horizon, Amityville 4; died Oct 20, 2006)
1911 - Cantinflas (Mario Moreno Reyes)
comic actor: Around the World in 80 Days, Pepe; Mexico’s vaudeville: carpas; died Apr 20, 1993
1915 - Michael Kidd (Milton Greenwald)
choreographer, dancer: It’s Always Fair Weather, Smile; died Dec 23, 2007
1917 - Marjorie Reynolds (Goodspeed)
actress: Gone with the Wind, The Time of Their Lives, Doomed to Die1916 - Marjorie Reynolds (Goodspeed) (actress: Gone with the Wind, The Time of Their Lives, Doomed to Die; died Feb 1, 1997)
1925 - Dale L. Bumpers
Governor of Arkansas [1971-1975]; U.S. Senator from Arkansas [1975-1999]
1926 - John Derek (Derek Harris)
actor: All the King’s Men, Prince of Players, Ambush at Tomahawk Gap, Exodus; director: Bolero; married to Bo Derek; died May 22, 1998
1926 - Joe Jones
singer: You Talk Too Much; pianist for B.B. King; died Nov 27, 2005
1927 - Porter Wagoner
singer: Satisfied Mind, Sorrow on the Rocks, Big Wind, Cold Hard Facts of Life, Misery Loves Company, The Carroll County Accident; w/Dolly Parton: Daddy Was An Old-Time Preacher Man, Please Don’t Stop Loving Me; songwriter: Tore Down, I Haven’t Learned a Thing, Ole Slew Foot; died Oct 28, 2007
1928 - Bob (Robert Ray) Buhl
baseball: Milwaukee Braves [World Series: 1957/all-star: 1960], Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies; died Feb 16, 2001
1929 - Buck Owens (Alvis Edgar Owens Jr.)
singer: I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail, Act Naturally, Waiting in Your Welfare Line, Made in Japan; songwriter: Crying Time; TV host: Hee Haw, Buck Owen’s Ranch House; died Mar 25, 2006
1931 - William Goldman
screen writer: Marathon Man, The Princess Bride, All the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chaplin
1932 - Charlie O’Donnell
TV announcer: Wheel of Fortune, Burt Luddin’s Love Buffet, Let’s Go Back, The Quiz Kids Challenge, Solid Gold, The Wizard of Odds, Monopoly, American Bandstand; radio DJ: KRLA [Los Angeles]
1933 - Parnelli (Rufus) Jones
auto racer: Indianapolis 500 winner [1963]
1935 - Sam Moore
singer: duo: Sam and DAVE : Hold On, I'm Comin’, Soul Man
1939 - George Hamilton
actor: Love at First Bite, Act One, The Survivors, Zorro, the Gay Blade, Where the Boys Are, Evel Knievel, The Dead Don’t Die, Doc Hollywood
1939 - Larry Ziegler
golf: Senior PGA Tour: in top 70 on the all-time money list
1941 - Jennifer Warren
actress: Amazons, Slap Shot, The Intruder Within, Confessions of a Married Man, Fatal Beauty, Partners in Crime
1949 - Mark Knopfler
musician: guitar, songwriter, singer: group: Dire Straits: Money for Nothing
1950 - George McGinnis
basketball: Indiana University, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers
1954 - Sam J. Jones
actor: Texas Payback, Fists of Iron, Thunder in Paradise, Maximum Force, Fist of Honor, Silent Assassins, 10, flash Gordon, The Highwayman
1954 - Pat Metheny
musician: jazz-guitar: LPs: Bright Size Life, Watercolors, Pat Metheny Group, New Chautauqua, American Garage, As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls, Offramp, Travels, Rejoicing, First Circle, Song X, Still Life [Talking]
1959 - Suzanne Vega
musician: folk-guitar, singer, songwriter: Luka, Marlene on the Wall, Small Blue Thing, Calypso, Tom’s Diner
1961 - Roy Hay
musician: guitar: group: Culture Club: Karma Chameleon
1963 - Anthony Ray aka Sir Mix-a-Lot
Grammy Award-winning rapper: Baby Got Back [1993]; Let’s G, I’m a Trip, Square Dance Rap, Rippin’, Posse on Broadway, Ironman, My Hooptie
1965 - Peter Krause
actor: Civic Duty, We Don’t Live Here Anymore, It’s a Shame About Ray, The Truman Show, Lovelife, Double Edge, Dirty Sexy Money, Parenthood, Six Feet Under
1967 - Andrew Glover
football [tight end]: Los Angeles Raiders, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints
1971 - Pete Sampras
tennis champion: Australian Open [[1994], Wimbledon [1993, 94, 95], U.S. Open [1990, 93, 95]
1972 - Rebecca Gayheart
actress: Urban Legend, Jawbreaker, Scream 2, Beverly Hills, 90210, Shadow Hours
1973 - Todd Marchant
hockey: New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Anaheim Ducks
1974 - Matt Clement
baseball [pitcher]: SD Padres, Florida Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox
1974 - Greg Spires
football [defensive end]: Florida State Univ; NFL: NE Patriots, Cleveland Browns, TB Buccaneers
1975 - Casey Affleck
actor: Hamlet [2000], Drowning Mona, American Pie, 200 Cigarettes, Chasing Amy, To Die For, The Kennedys of Massachusetts
1975 - Donovin Darius
football [safety]: Univ of Syracuse; NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars
1976 - Brad Lukowich
hockey: Dallas Stars, TB Lightning
1976 - Antoine Walker
basketball [forward]: Univ of Kentucky; NBA: Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat
1977 - Plaxico Burress
football [wide receiver]: Michigan State Univ; NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers, NY Giants
1980 - Maggie Lawson
actress: Psych, It’s All Relative, Spellbound, Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman, Winter Break, Nancy Drew, Model Behavior, Pleasantville
ABA Birthdays Today
78jeep , mysterious_u_c , dofu (59) , qwesat12 (58) , inaru (52) , ice2u (50) , llyoungblood (50) , ongnoi (48) , lina12 , nesa (45) , Mr Tock (40) , 8ball (35) , guyver (28) , fireman1764 (27)
Chart Toppers August 12
1951Too Young - Nat King Cole
Mister and Mississippi - Patti Page
Because of You - Tony Bennett
Hey, Good Lookin’ - Hank Williams
1960Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini - Brian Hyland
It’s Now or Never - Elvis Presley
Image of a Girl - Safaris
Please Help Me, I’m Falling - Hank Locklin
1969In the Year 2525 - Zager & Evans
Honky Tonk Women - The Rolling Stones
What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker and The All Stars
All I Have to Offer You (Is Me) - Charley Pride
1978Three Times a Lady - Commodores
Grease - Frankie Valli
Last Dance - Donna Summer
You Don’t Love Me Anymore - Eddie Rabbitt
1987I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For - U2
I Want Your Sex - George Michael
Heart and Soul - T’Pau
One Promise Too Late - Reba McEntire
1996Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix) - Los Del Rio
Twisted - Keith Sweat
Change the World - Eric Clapton
Carried Away - George Strait
2005We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Don’t Cha - *****cat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes
Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
As Good As I Once Was - Toby Keith
Chart Topper August 12th, 1978...Three Times a Lady - Commodores
enjoy all