Today in History

[yelladawg]

September 12
1866 - The first burlesque show opened in New York City. The show was a four-act performance called The Black Crook. It ran for 475 performances and made about $1.3 million for its producers. Not bad money in 1866. Actually, not bad money now, either.
1873 - The first practical typewriter was sold to customers. We think that in order to celebrate this momentous occasion, we should all hunt and peck on our word processors today ... since all typewriters in this, the Electronic Age, are pretty much impractical ...

1928 - Actress Katharine Hepburn made her stage debut. The play was titled The Czarina. It would be four years before the ‘First Lady of the American Screen’ would indeed, make her first film, A Bill of Divorcement.

1938 - H.V. Kaltenborn made broadcasting history by covering a crisis in Czechoslovakia for CBS radio beginning on this day. Kaltenborn was so devoted to his work that he slept in the studio for 18 days while bringing updates to his appreciative audience.

1940 - Johnny Long’s orchestra recorded the classic In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town for Decca Records.

1953 - The opening scene of Camelot was staged. 24-year-old Jacqueline Lee Bouvier wed the 36-year-old U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, future U.S. President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

1954 - A standing-room-only crowd of 84,587 arrived at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, OH to watch the Indians play the New York Yankees. The Indians won both ends of the doubleheader: 4-1 and 3-2.

1954 - Lassie was seen on CBS-TV for the first time. Despite being called “girl” by Jeff Miller, who starred as Tommy, and Jan Clayton, who starred as Jeff's mom, Ellen, Lassie was, in reality, a male dog. In fact, there were more than a half-dozen Lassie dogs doing stunts. Lassie ran on CBS for exactly 17 years. The last show aired on September 12, 1971.

1966 - The Beatles received a gold record this day for Yellow Submarine.

1970 - James Taylor’s first single, Fire and Rain, was released. Taylor scored 14 hits on the music charts in the 1970s and 1980s.

1973 - Horse race jockey Bill Shoemaker rode his 100th winner -- in a $100,000 stakes race. Shoemaker was aboard Such a Rush in the Del Mar Futurity at Del Mar, CA.

1979 - Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox became the first American League player to get 3,000 career hits -- and 400 career home runs -- as the Red Sox downed the New York Yankees 9-2 at Fenway Park in Boston.

1980 - An in-depth report on the death of Elvis Presley aired on ABC-TV’s 20/20. It raised so many unanswered questions that the official case concerning Elvis’ death was reopened. Elvis has left the building...

1983 - Arnold “I’ll Be Back” Schwarzenegger became a U.S. citizen, 14 years after emigrating from Austria.

1984 - Michael Jordan signed a seven-year contract to play basketball with the Chicago Bulls. ‘Air’ Jordan became an NBA star for the Bulls and helped make the team a dominant force in the NBA.

1984 - Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets set a rookie strikeout record by fanning his 251st batter of the season. ‘Doc’ Gooden led the Mets to a 2-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Pirates this day.

1994 - This was a big day for a young company named Mosaic Communications. It announced its first products: a network browser called Mosaic Netscape, and a server line called Mosaic Netsite.

1996 - Barbra Streisand, the Eagles, Chicago and the Neville Brothers performed at a Los Angeles fundraiser for U.S. President Bill Clinton. How much for tickets? $2,500 -- to Bill’s reelection campaign.

1998 - Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs became the fourth player in major-league baseball history to reach 60 homers in a single season.



Birthdays
September 12
1818 - Richard Gatling
inventor: the Gatling gun; died Feb 26, 1903
1880 - H.L. (Henry Louis) Mencken
newspaper journalist, critic: Baltimore Sun; author: The Smart Set, American Mercury, The American Language; son of cigarmaker, August Mencken; died January 29, 1956

1888 - Maurice (Auguste) Chevalier
actor, singer: Gigi, Fanny, Can-Can; died Jan 1, 1972

1901 - Ben Blue (Benjamin Bernstein)
actor, comedian: Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?, Broadway Rhythm, The Big Broadcast of 1938; died Mar 7, 1975

1913 - Jessie (James Cleveland) Owens
National Track & Field Hall of Famer, Olympic Hall of Famer: Olympic Gold Medalist (4): 1936 Berlin Games: 100-meter, 200-meter, long jump, 4x100-meter relay, breaking or tying Olympic records nine times; Big Ten meet <1935>: broke 4 world records and tied another in one afternoon; died Mar 31, 1980

1916 - Tony (Melvin) Bettenhausen
International Motorsports Hall of Famer; killed while test driving a racecar at Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 12, 1961

1918 - Chaim Herzog
President of Israel; died Apr 17, 1997

1920 - Irene Dailey
actress: Another World

1924 - Ella Mae Morse
singer: Cow Cow Boogie, Shoo Shoo Baby, House of Blue Lights, The Blacksmith Blues; 1st artist to record for Capitol Records; died Oct 16, 1999

1925 - Stan (Stanley Edward) ‘Stash’ Lopata
baseball: catcher: Philadelphia Phillies , Milwaukee Braves

1925 - Dickie (John) Moore
actor: Miss Annie Rooney, Our Gang series

1931 - George Jones
‘The Possum’: singer: Why Baby Why, White Lightning, The Race is On, He Stopped Loving Her Today, Tender Years, She Thinks I Still Care, Near You

1934 - Glenn Davis
National Track & Field & Olympic Hall of Famer: Olympic Gold Medalist <3>: 400-meter hurdles <1956, 1960>, 4x400-meter relay <1960>; football: Detroit Lions wide receiver

1937 - George Chuvalo
boxing: heavyweight: 97 bouts: 68 wins by knockout, 9 by decision, 2 draws, 1 disqualification, 2 TKOs

1940 - Mickey (Michael Stephen) Lolich
baseball: pitcher: Detroit Tigers , NY Mets, SD Padres

1942 - Linda Gray
actress: Dallas, Models, Inc., Melrose Place

1943 - Maria Muldaur (d’Amato)
singer: Midnight At The Oasis, I’m a Woman

1943 - Ralph Neely
football: Dallas Cowboys tackle: Super Bowl V, X, XI

1944 - Barry White
singer: I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby, Never, Never Gonna Give You Up, Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe, Love’s Theme ; played piano on Jesse Belvin’s Goodnight My Love <1955>; died July 4, 2003

1946 - John ‘Frenchy’ Fuqua
football: Pittsburgh Steelers running back: Super Bowl X

1947 - John (Evans) Montague
baseball: pitcher: Montreal Expos, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, California Angels

1948 - Phil Hartman
actor, comedian: Saturday Night Live, NewsRadio, The Pee-wee Herman Show, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Dennis the Menace, Amazon Women on the Moon, Loaded Weapon 1, Coneheads, Stuart Saves His Family, Jingle All the Way; shot to death by his wife Brynn May 28, 1998

1948 - Dave Washington
football: SF 49ers

1952 - Gerry Beckley
singer: Grammy Award-winning <1972> group: America: A Horse with No Name, Sister Golden Hair, Tin Man, Ventura Highway, Lonely People, You Can Do Magic

1952 - Neil Peart
musician: drums: group: Rush: Rivendell, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, The Fountain of Lamneth, Distant Early Warning

1954 - Joe Pantoliano
actor: Orphans, Bound, The Immortals, The Spy Within, The Fugitive, Nightbreaker, Midnight Run, La Bamba, Empire of the Sun, The Goonies, Risky Business, Eddie and the Cruisers, Idolmaker, From Here to Eternity, The Fanelli Boys

1954 - Peter Scolari
actor: Bosom Buddies, Newhart, The Mommies, Goodtime Girls, Family Album, Camp Nowhere, Corporate Affairs

1956 - Barry Andrews
musician: keyboards: groups: League of Gentlemen, XTC

1956 - Brian Robertson
musician: guitar: groups: Wild Horses, Thin Lizzy: Still in Love with You

1957 - Michael Hegstrand
pro wrestler/actor: WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Wrestlemania VII, VIII, XIII, XIV, Summerslam, Royal Rumble, WWF Judgement Day, Beyond the Mat; died Oct 19, 2003

1957 - Rachel (Claire) Ward
actress: The Thorn Birds, Night School, Sharky’s Machine, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, Against All Odds, How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Double Jeopardy

1957 - Hans Zimmer
Academy Award-winning composer: The Lion King <1994>; Moonlighting, Wild Horses, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Bird on a Wire, Days of Thunder, Thelma & Louise, Backdraft, A League of Their Own, Drop Zone, Crimson Tide, Broken Arrow, The Rock, Scream 2, The Prince of Egypt, Gladiator, Mission: Impossible II, Hannibal, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down

1966 - Darren E. Burrows
actor: Northern Exposure, Cry-Baby, Class of 1999

Chart Toppers
September 12
1946To Each His Own - Eddy Howard
They Say It’s Wonderful - Frank Sinatra
Surrender - Perry Como
Wine, Women and Song - Al Dexter

1954Sh-Boom - The Crew-Cuts
Hey There - Rosemary Clooney
The High and the Mighty - Victor Young
I Don’t Hurt Anymore - Hank Snow

1962Sheila - Tommy Roe
You Don’t Know Me - Ray Charles
Ramblin’ Rose - Nat King Cole
Devil Woman - Marty Robbins

1970War - Edwin Starr
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross
In the Summertime - Mungo Jerry
All for the Love of Sunshine - Hank Williams, Jr.

1978Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
Three Times a Lady - Commodores
Hot Blooded - Foreigner
I’ve Always Been Crazy - Waylon Jennings

1986Venus - Bananarama
Take My Breath Away - Berlin
Dancing on the Ceiling - Lionel Richie
Desperado Love - Conway Twitty