Don't Rain On My Parade...
Our headline is the title of the song that Diana Ross should have been singing on the night of July 21st, 1983 when the heavens opened up on Central Park. There stood Diana, soaking wet but still managing to perform some of her classic Motown hits during the torrential summer rains that drenched her and those brave enough to weather her free concert. After 40 minutes the show was cancelled as over a quarter of a million fans rushed for the park exits while soaked to the bone. By dawn some 6 inches of rain had fallen. The weather cleared for the make-up date but what followed was ugly, real ugly...
In the closing minutes of the diva's appearance, gangs of unruly kids snatched chains, grabbed pocketbooks and romped on a rampage that spilled from Central Park to as far south as Times Square, over a mile away. Hundreds were beaten, some were stabbed and there were over 100 arrests made by New York's Finest in what was decidely not New York's finest hour.
| Mayor Ed ("Hey, how'm I doin' "?) Koch and the New York City Council considered ending all free concerts in the aftermath but perhaps sensing this and in a spirit of good will, Diana Ross would make her atonement by donating a generous amount of t-shirt and merchandise sales money from the concert to the city. The city used the money for "The Diana Ross Playground", located at West 81st Street and Central Park West... Ten Timeline Memories... 1861] The 1st Battle of Bull Run is fought at Manassas (VA). The Confederates draw 1st blood in this one... 1925] The "Monkey Trial" ends in Dayton (TN) with John T. Scopes convicted of violating the state law for teaching "Darwin's theory of evolution". The conviction was later overturned (Scopes was heard muttering "that judge is an ape" as he leaves the courtroom)... 1957] Althea Gibson becomes the 1st black woman to win a major U.S. tennis title when she wins the Women's National Clay-Court singles competition... 1961] Gus Grissom becomes the 2nd American to rocket into a sub-orbital pattern around the Earth on the Liberty Bell 7 (Alan Shepard was the 1st)... 1969] Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin blast off from the moon aboard the lunar module... 1975] Here's something Joe Torre never talks about: As a member of the Mets, Torre hits into 4 doubleplays, each time he follows a hit by Felix Millan (who was heard muttering, "you better do something else man, like become a manager or somethin")... 1976] The 1st outbreak of "Legionnaire's Disease" is reported in the city of Philadelphia... 1987] Mary Hart of "Entertainment Tonight" has her legs insured by Lloyd's of London for $2 million (her liver for $500,000, her kidneys for $250,000 and her earrings for $100,000)... 1998] Our 3rd timeline headline about astronauts but a sad one: 74 year-old Alan Shepard dies from leukemia... 1999] Navy divers find the bodies of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn and sister-in-law, Lauren Bessette in the wreckage of Kennedy's plane in the Atlantic Ocean off the shore of Martha's Vineyard... #1's on this date... 1970] "(They Long To Be) Close To You" - Carpenters, 1975] "The Hustle" - Van McCoy, 1985] "Everytime You Go Away" - Paul Young... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]... "E-mails, we get e-mails. We get lots and lots of e-mails"... Frank Kingston Smith a.k.a. Bobby Mitchell at WRKO comments on the moonwalk: "and who was on the air when they launched ? I was on for the touchdown. Do you remember that when they lifted off I played "Everyone's Gone To The Moon" ? And guess who got home in time to watch Neil Armstrong climb down the ladder a couple of hours later ? I got to meet Armstrong and Aldrin not that long ago. Armstrong detests all the publicity and Mike Collins became a curator at the Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian. My dad became close friends with Collins"... Harvey Mednick remembers that Armstrong's "That's one small step for man", etc. line was garbled and some people thought that Neil may have said "for a man", referring to himself. I could have sworn that he said "Paul is dead" but hey, I might be wrong... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday"... U.S. Soccer star (who took her shirt off after the U.S. won gold) Brandi Chastain (38), Robin Williams (55), Cat Stevens a.k.a. Yusuf Islam (58), Jon Lovitz (59), Edward Herrmann (63), Janet Reno (68) and 50's favorite Kay Starr (84)... Timeline Countdown: 46 days until Labor Day, 50 days until NFL kickoff, 75 days until MLB playoffs and 163 days remaining in 2006... ... Saturday, July 22, 2006... Ten Timeline Memories... 1916] A bomb goes off during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco, killing 10 (who apparently were not prepared)... 1963] Sonny Liston defends his heavyweight title by KOing Floyd Patterson (for the second time) in one round. The fight in Las Vegas was a rematch of the 1st fight in 1960... 1967] The rock group Vanilla Fudge make their concert debut in New York City... 1977] Tony Orlando surprises everyone (including Dawn) when he announces on stage in Cohasset (MA) they he was retiring from performing... 1979] The Reverend Richard Penniman a.k.a. Little Richard, warns his North Richmond (CA) congregation against the evils of rock and roll music... 1991] Police arrest Jeffrey Dahmer after finding the remains of 11 victims in his apartment in Milwaukee. Dahmer confesses to 17 murders and is sentenced to life in prison... 1994] O.J. Simpson pleads innocent to the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman... 1995] Susan Smith is convicted by a jury in Union (SC) of first-degree murder for drowning her 2 sons... 2003] Months after her P.O.W. ordeal, Pvt. 1st Class Jessica Lynch returns home to a hero's welcome in Elizabeth (WV)... 2003] Saddam Hussein's sons Odai and Qusai are killed when U.S. forces storm their villa in Mosul, Iraq... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday"... David Spade (42), Albert Brooks (59), Don Henley (59), Danny Glover (59), Estelle (Ronettes) Bennett (62), Bobby Sherman (63), Secretariat jockey Ron Turcotte (65), Alex Trebek (66), Louise Fletcher (72), Oscar de la Renta (74), Orson Bean (78), Margaret Whiting (82) and Bob Dole (83)... Timeline Countdown: 45 days until Labor Day, 49 days until NFL kickoff, 74 days until MLB playoffs and 162 days left in 2006... ... Sunday, July 23, 2006... Ten Timeline Memories... 1715] The 1st lighthouse in America is authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island (MA)... 1827] The 1st swimming school in the U.S. opens in Boston... 1886] Saloonkeeper Steve Brodie must have been sampling his brew. He jumps from the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River and survives... 1904] The ice cream cone is invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis (MO)... 1950] "The Gene Autry Show" premieres on CBS-TV and runs for 6 years. If you guessed that the "Singin' Cowboy" used "Back in the Saddle Again" as his theme song, you would be right... 1986] Britain's Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson walk down the aisle at Westminster Abbey in London (they will divorce in 1996)... 1997] Police find the body of Andrew Cunanan, the suspected killer of designer Gianni Versace, on a houseboat in Miami Beach (FL). Cunanan is believed to be a suicide... 2000] Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to complete a career Grand Slam when he wins the British Open at 24... 2000] Lance Armstrong wins his second Tour de France... 2003] The Massachusett's attorney general issues a report citing that members of the clergy and others in the Boston Archdiocese probably sexually abused more than 1,000 people over a period of 6 decades... [To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline]... "Happy Birthday...happy birthday"... Omar ("Dr. Foreman" of "House") Epps (33), Philip Seymour Hoffman (39), Slash (Guns 'n' Roses) (41), Woody Harrelson (45), David Essex (59), Tony Joe White (63), Don Imus (66), Calvert ("Larry 'Bud' Melman) DeForest (78) and Gloria DeHaven (81)... Timeline Countdown: 44 days until Labor Day, 48 days until NFL countdown, 73 days until MLB playoffs and 161 days remaining in 2006 ... |
