History Blog

Tag Archives: Entertainment

September 6

Happy Birthday RIP Patricia “Patti” Yasutake(1953–2024) ; Jo Anne Worley–87 George Roger Waters–81 Swoosie Kurtz–80 Jane Curtin–77 Anne Lockhart(Maloney)–71 Jeffrey Foxworthy–66 Rosa “Rosie” Perez–60 Natalie McIntyre(“Macy Gray”)–57 Cecilia “CeCe” Peniston–55 Idrissa Elba–52 ; 1916 – The first self-service grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis, Tennessee, by Clarence Saunders

September 5

Happy Birthday RIP “Freddie Mercury”(Farrokh Bulsara 1946–1991) Raquel Welch(Tejada 1940–2023) George Robert “Bob” Newhart(1929–2024) ; William Devane–85 Michael Keaton(Douglas)–73 Peter Wingfield–62 Rose McGowan–51 ; 1957 – “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac, the defining novel of the Beat Generation, was published. Jackie Beat, the drag personality, derived her name from his first name and the generation name ; 1975 – Sacramento CA Lynette Frome attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford

September 4

Happy Birthday RIP Henry Ford II(1917–1987) Richard “Dick” York(1928–1992) ; “Mitzi Gaynor”(Francesca von Gerber)–93 Damon Wayans–64 Wesley Bentley–46 Max Greenfield–45 Beyoncé Knowles–43 ; 1781 – Los Angeles is founded as El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula (The Village of Our Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola) by 44 Spanish settlers ; 1882 – Thomas Edison flips the switch to the first commercial electrical power plant in history, lighting one square mile of lower Manhattan. This is considered by many as the day that began the electrical age

September 3

Happy Birthday RIP Alan Ladd(1913–1964) Verla Eileen Brennan(1932–2013) “Kitty Carlisle”(Catherine Conn 1910–2007) Anna “Anne” Jackson(1925–2016) ; Valerie Perrine–81 Holt McCallany–61 Adam Curry–60 “Charlie Sheen”(Carlos Estevez)–59 Samuel “Nick” Wechsler–46 David Moretti–43 Garrett Hedlund–40 ; 1951 – The first long-running American soap opera, “Search for Tomorrow”, airs its first episode on the CBS television network in black and white. Color broadcast starts in 1967. Soap opera is defined as TV drama series dealing with daily events of the same group of characters.

September 2

Happy Birthday RIP Meinhardt Raabe(“Munchkin Coroner” 1915–2010) Christa McAuliffe(1948–1986) ; Mary Jo Catlett–86 Terry Bradshaw–76 Thomas Mark Harmon–73 James “Jimmy” Connors–72 Keanu Reeves–60 Salma Hayek Jiménez–58 Charles “Tuc” Watkins III–58 ; 1789 – The U.S. Treasury Department was established ; 1963 – CBS Evening News becomes U.S. network television’s first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes with Walter Cronkite hosting the program

September 1

Happy Birthday RIP “Yvonne De Carlo”(Margaret Middleton 1922–2007) Richard Farnsworth(1920–2000) Conway Twitty(Harold Jenkins 1933–1993) George Maharias (1928–2023; Mary Jean “Lily” Tomlin–85 Don Stroud–81 Barry Gibb–78 Dr. Phillip McGraw–74 Gloria Estefan(Garcia)–67 Burn Gorman–50 Robert Scott Speedman–49 Robert Boyd Holbrook–43 ; 1878 – Emma Nutt becomes the world’s first female telephone operator when she is recruited by Alexander Graham Bell to the Boston Telephone Dispatch Company ; 1897 – The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America(ie first underground subway)

August 31

Happy Birthday RIP James Coburn Jr(1928–2002) “Buddy Hackett”(Leonard Hacker 1924–2003) ; Lee Bryant–79 Isaac Perlman–79 Sir George Ivan “Van” Morrison–79 Richard Gere–75 Julie Brown–66 Jonathan LaPaglia–55 Deborah Gibson–54 Christopher Tucker–53 ; 1920 – The first radio news program is broadcast by 8MK in Detroit, Michigan ; 1997 – Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris France

August 30

Happy Birthday RIP Raymond Massey(1896–1983) “Shirley Booth”(Thelma Ford 1898–1992) Fredrick MacMurray(1908–1991) Bill Daily(1927–2018) ; Elizabeth Ashley(Cole)–85 Timothy Bottoms–73 Paul Oakenfold–61 Michael Chiklis–61 Cameron Diaz–52 Lisa Ling–51 Andrew “Andy” Roddick–42 ; 1963 – The Moscow–Washington hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union goes into operation

August 29

Happy Birthday RIP Ingrid Bergman(1915–1982) Eloise “Isabel” Sanford(1917–2004) Michael Jackson(1958–2009) Robin Leach(1941–2018) William Friedkin(1935–2023) ; Elliott Gould(Goldstein)–86 Ellen Geer–83 Temple Grandin–77 Rebecca DeMornay(Pearch)–65 Perri “Pebbles” McKissack–60 Carla Gugino–53 William Levy–44 Lea Michele Sarfati–38 ; 1898 – The Goodyear tire company is founded ; 1922 – The first radio advertisement is broadcast on WEAF-AM in New York City advertising a new apartment complex in Jackson Heights, Queens

August 28

Happy Birthday RIP Nancy Kulp(1921–1991) Roxie Roker(1929–1995) Donald O’Connor(1925–2003) Charles Rocket(1949–2005) Biagio “Ben” Gazzara(1930–2012) David Soul(Solberg 1943–2024) ; Luis Guzmán–68 Scott Hamilton–66 Brian Thompson–65 Emma Samuelson(“Samms”)–64 Jennifer Coolidge–63 David Fincher–62 “Shania Twain”(Eilleen Edwards)–59 Jason Priestley–55 Thomas “Jack” Black–55 Margaret LeAnn Rimes–42 Armond “Armie” Hammer–38 ; 1898 – Caleb Bradham (a pharmacist) invents the carbonated soft drink that will later be called “Pepsi-Cola” and was president of the original corporation ; 1963 – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his “I Have a Dream” speech