America's "Dream Car" rolls out...
When Chevy told us to "see the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet" they didn't have this car in mind. In January of 1953 the prototype of the Chevrolet Corvette "Dream Car" went on display at the "Motorama" show at the Waldorf-Astoria. In May, the first Corvette advertisement appeared. In June, production of the Corvette began at a tiny assembly line in Flint, Michigan and then the big day came: on Tuesday, June 30th as the first Corvette rolls off the assembly line at Chevrolet Plant Number 35 near Flint, Michigan. Sticker price: $3,000. Assembly line worker Tony Kleiber has the honor of driving the first Corvette off the assembly line and a lifelong love affair with the Corvette begins...
Several songs have been written about Chevy's Corvette including Jan and Dean's top 10 hit, "Dead Man's Curve". Prince doesn't have a top 10 hit with "Little Red Corvette" in 1983 if not for the sports car. Ditto for Stevie Nicks who hears the song, calls Prince and then writes "Stand Back", getting the idea for writing it from the Prince hit. Prince will play keyboard on the single for Stevie...
The oldest surviving Corvette is the one-time GM "test mule", the third 1953 Corvette to roll off the Flint assembly line, known as "double-o-three". It was sold at auction in January of 2006 for a cool million. Now if this is TV, we cue Prince before fading to black and dissolving: "But it was saturday night I guess that makes it all right and you say what have I got to lose ? And honey I say...Little red corvette"...
More June 30 Memories...
1908] Cy Young pitches his 3rd no-hitter and at 41 becomes the oldest pitcher to do so. The New York Yankees are the victims in a 8-0 Red Sox win...
1921] The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is formed...
1936] "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell is published...
1952] The radio soap "The Guiding Light" moves over to TV...
1953] The 1st Corvette rolls off the assembly line (feature story)...
1962] The Dodgers' Sandy Koufax no-hits the Mets 5-0 in Los Angeles (it's the future Hall of Famer's 4th no-hitter, one of which was a perfect game)...
1971] The 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowers the minimum voting age to 18...
1974] "Rock the Boat" is #1 for the Hues Corporation...
1975] Have gown, will marry...Cher & Greg Allman rock down the aisle 4 days after she and Sonny Bono are divorced. Cher & Greg will be wedded in bliss for, oh, about 10 days...
1982] New Jersey Fans pick the name "Devils" (by ballot) for their new NHL franchise team (runner-up names ? How about Meadowlanders and Americans ? Okay, it's Devils, pitchforks down)...
1994] The U.S. Figure Skating Association strips Tonya Harding of the national championship and bans her from the organization for life for an attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan (is everyone aware that George Steinbrenner donated money to Harding for the Olympics ? It's true)...
2001] Legendary Nashville musician Chet Atkins dies at 77...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...
Fantasia Barrino (22), Mike Tyson (40), Vincent ("Law & Order") D'Onofrio (47), Stanley Clarke (55) and Lena Horne (89)...
[Today is the 181st day of 2006 with 184 days remaining in the year and just 4 days until July 4th]
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Saturday, July 1, 2006...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1863] The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins...
1934] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) replaces the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) as the regulator of broadcasting in the U.S...
1941] The Bulova Watch Company sponsors the 1st TV commercial in New York City...
1956] Elvis Presley sings "Hound Dog" to what else ? a hound dog, sitting on a pedestal on the Steve Allen TV Show...
1963] The U.S. Post Office introduces 5-digit ZIP codes. Now for the big question. What does ZIP stand for ? You ready ? It's the Zoning Improvement Plan. Yeah, like you knew...
1979] SONY introduces the Walkman (something that today is obsolete)...
1979] The Susan B. Athony Dollar coin is introduced (and whose great idea was this ?)...
1987] WFAN becomes the 1st All-Sports station in the country. The Country format moves to WYNY...
1997] Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony (get that union jack off that island)...
2004] Derek Jeter dives headfirst into the Yankee Stadium stands to catch a foul ball and inspires the Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Red Sox (does anyone know that Derek's full name is Derek Sanderson Jeter and he is named after the legendary Boston Bruin Derek Sanderson ? Well now you do. When I left Boston I was given a going away party at "Zelda's" which was owned by Derek and he was there)...
[In order to ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]...
"Happy Birthday, happy birthday"...
Liv Tyler (29), Pamela Anderson (39), Dan Aykroyd (54), Deborah Harry (61), Jamie Farr (72), Farley Granger (81) and Olivia DeHavilland (90)...
People we lost...
1995] Wolfman Jack (57), 1996] Margaux Hemingway (41), 1997] Robert Mitchum (79), 2000] Walter Matthau (79) and 2004] Marlon Brando (80)
[Today is the 182nd day of 2006 with 183 days remaining in the year and 3 days until July 4th]
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Sunday, July 2, 2006...
Ten Timeline Memories...
1776] The Continental Congress passes a resolution that "these United Colonies are, and of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States" (damn right !)...
1881] President James A. Garfield is fatally shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Washington railroad station (he never fully recovers and dies on September 19th)...
1937] Aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator disappear over the Pacific Ocean while attempting the 1st round-the-world flight at the equator...
1955] "The Lawrence Welk Show" premieres on ABC-TV. It will run for 16 years and then forever in rerun for all of eternity (when we take our last breath, if we turned on the TV we would find Lawrence Welk)...
1961] Author Ernest Hemingway (62) shoots himself to death (the same thing granddaughter Margaux did 7/1/96 but she od'ed) in his home in Ketchum, Idaho...
1964] President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law, a sweeping civil rights bill...
1981] Bruce Springsteen plays the 1st show ever at 21,000 seat Brendan Byrne Meadowlands Arena...
1994] Colombian soccer star Andres Escobar is shot to death in Medellin 10 days after accidentally scoring a goal against his own team in World Cup competition (they take their games seriously in Colombia)...
| 1997] Legendary actor James Stewart dies at 89... 2002] American Steve Fossett becomes the 1st person to fly a balloon solo around the world... [In order to ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]... "Happy Birthday, happy birthday"... Lindsay Lohan (20), Jerry Hall (50), Luci Baines Johnson (59), Larry David (59), Polly ("Alice") Holliday (69), Jazz great Ahmad Jamal (76), Imelda ("Shoes") Marcos (77)... [Today is the 183rd day of 2006 with 182 days remaining in the year and just 2 days until July 4th] ... |
