History Blog

August 15

Happy Birthday RIP Julia Child(McWilliams 1912–2004) Peter Nigel Terry(1945–2015) “Mike Connors”(Krekor Ohanian 1925–2017) Rose Marie Mazetta(1923–2017) ; Patricia Priest–87 Linda Ellerbee(Smith)–79 Princess Anne Windsor–73 Tessie Harper(Washam)–73 Željko Ivanek–66 Debra Messing–55 Benjamin Affleck-Boldt–51 Joseph Jonas–34 Jennifer Lawrence–33 ; 1939 – “The Wizard of Oz” premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood California which is now Mann’s Chinese Theater with the cement footprints still out front (Celebrity foot and hand prints in concrete in the front of the building.) Noted celebs: Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson, Pola Negri, Janet Gaynor, Shirley Temple, Ginger Rogers, Red Skelton, Cecil B DeMille, Bob Hope, John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Doris Day, Kirk Douglas, Dick Van Dyke, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Harrison Ford, Al Panico, Jodi Foster, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Robin Williams, Cher, Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton and dozens more.

August 14

Happy Birthday RIP Alice Ghostley(1924–2007) ; David Crosby–82 Stephen “Steve” Martin–78 Antonio Fargas–77 Susan Saint James(Miller)–77 Danielle Schuelein-Steel–76 Gary Larson–73 Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr–64 Marcia Gay Harden–64 Maria Halle Berry–57 Catherine Bell–55 Christopher Gorham–49 Milena “Mila” Kunis–40 ; 1935 – Social Security Act, creating a government pension system for the retired, is signed into law by Franklin Roosevelt ; 1975 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the longest-running release in film history, opens in London at the Rialto Theater

August 13

Happy Birthday RIP Irving “Bert” Lahrheim(1895–1967) Alfred Hitchcock(1899–1980) Neville Brand(1920–1992) Herbert Ritts(1952–2002) Daniel “Pat” Harrington Jr(1929–2016) ; “Kevin Tighe”(John Fishburn)–79 Dante “Danny” Bonaduce–64 John Slattery Jr–61 James Carpinello–48 Augusto “Alex” González–43 ; 1942 – Walt Disney’s animated feature “Bambi” premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

August 12

Happy Birthday RIP Jane Wyatt(1910–2006) Cecil Blount DeMille(1881–1959) Marjorie Reynolds(Goodspeed 1917–1997); George Hamilton–84 Patrick “Pat” Metheny–69 Bruce Greenwood–67 Peter Krause–58 Rebecca Gayheart–52 Michael Ian Black(Schwartz)–52 Caleb Casey Affleck–48 ; 1851 – Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his invention, the sewing machine

August 11

Happy Birthday Ian McDiarmid–79 Terry Bollea(“Hulk Hogan”)–70 Viola Davis–58 Anna Gunn–56 Chris Messina–49 Chris Hemsworth–40 ; 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island ; 1965 – deadly rioting and looting broke out in the predominantly black populated Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.

August 10

Happy Birthday RIP Herbert Hoover(1874–1964) Edith Norma Shearer(1902–1983) John “Jack” Haley Jr “Scarecrow”:(1898–1979) Noah Beery Jr. (1913–1994) “Jeff Corey”(Arthur Zwerling 1914–2002) Eddie Fisher(Edwin Tisch 1928–2010) Jimmy Dean(1928–2010) Martha Lou Spring(“Martha Hyer 1924 – 2014)” ; Ian Anderson–76 Donald Swayze–65 Rosanna Arquette–64 José Antonio Banderas–63 Justin Theroux–52 Ryan Eggold–39 Lucas Till–33 ; 1977 – In Yonkers, New York, 24yo postal employee David Berkowitz (“Son of Sam”) is arrested for a series of killings in the New York City area over the period of one year. He is still alive and in prison.

August 9

Happy Birthday RIP Whitney Houston(1963–2012) ; Samuel Elliott–79 Melanie Griffith–66 Amanda Bearse–65 Gillian Anderson–55 Eric Banadinovic(Eric Bana)–55 Chris Cuomo–53 Audrey Tautou–47 Anna Kendrick–38 ; 1969 – Actress Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring and Steven Parent were found murdered in Los Angeles at 10500 Cielon Drive ; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his followers were later convicted of the murders

August 8

Happy Birthday RIP Esther Williams(1921–2013) Richard Anderson(1926–2017) Lonnie Melvin Tillis(1932–2017) ; Donald P. Bellisario–88 Dustin Hoffman–86 Concetta Ingolia(“Connie Stevens”)–85 Larry Wilcox–76 Keith Carradine–74 Donald Most–70 Joshua “J.C.” Chasez–47 Jackie Cruz–37 ; 1876 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for his mimeograph ; 1974 – Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day

August 7

Happy Birthday RIP Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer (1927–1959) Mary “Billie” Burke(1884–1970) ; John Glover Jr–79 Wayne Knight–68 Paul Bruce Dickinson–65 David Duchovny–63 Michael Shannon–49 Charlize Theron–48 Eric Johnson–44 Randy Wayne Frederick–42 ; 1782 – George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit to honor soldiers wounded in battle. It is later renamed to the more poetic Purple Heart ; 1981 – The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication

August 6

Happy Birthday RIP Robert Mitchum(1917–1997) Andy Warhola(1928–1987) Lucille Ball(1911–1989) Barbara Windsor(Deeks 1937–2020) ; Manoj Nelliyattu “M Night” Shyamalan–53 Vera Farmiga–50 Soleil Moon Frye–47 Melissa George–47 Karl Davies–41 Christopher Anton Ploszczansky–37 ; 1926 – In New York City, the Warner Bros.’ Vitaphone system premieres with the movie Don Juan starring John Barrymore ; 1945 – the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, that instantly killed an estimated 66,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare ; 1965 – US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.