Thursday, December 31, 2009

(New Year's Edition) Dec. 31 - January 3, 2010...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1863] Mine eyes have seen the glory: Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation declaring that slaves in rebel states are free (1/1)…
2.1892] Debuted on this date: The Ellis Island Immigrant Station opens in New York Harbor (1/1)…
3.1898] I’ll take Manhattan: Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island are consolidated into New York City (1/1)…
4.1929] Inherit the network: 27-year old William S. Paley becomes CBS President, inheriting the Tiffany network from his father (1/3)…
5.1943] Old Blue Eyes takes Manhattan: Times Square greets Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater. His career explodes after this appearance (12/31)….
6.1966] Curtains: The final episode of “The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet” is filmed (1/1)...
7. 1967] Equal but separate: The FCC starts requiring AM/FM combo stations to be at least 50 percent separate in programming (1/1). Lots of great stations will be born, including WRKO (in March)…
8.1985] ‘Happy Trails’: Teen Idol Rick Nelson dies in a plane crash on his way to a New Year’s Eve concert in Dallas (12/31). Rick was one of the nicest people I had the pleasure of knowing…1997] Michael Kennedy, 39-year old son of the late Robert Kennedy is killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain (12/31)…
9.1973] The worst sale of a sports franchise: This award goes to CBS which sells the Yankees to a Cleveland group headed by George Steinbrenner for $10 million (1/3). CBS bought the team for $13.2 million…
10.1990] It was the loud rock music: Ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrenders to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Panama City (1/3)…Happy New Year...For more on Dec. 31 - January 3, 2010:


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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1940] Freeway of love: California opens its first freeway, the Arroyo Seco Parkway… 2.1948] Kiss me I’m Kate: The Cole Porter musical, “Kiss Me Kate” opens at the New Century Theatre on Broadway and becomes the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award...
3.1953] Color TV arrives: The first color (RCA) TV sets go on sale for $1,175. How many would you like???
4.1954] Beat the clock: The 24-second clock is used for the first time in the NBA in the Celtics-Rochester game…
5.1972] Bombing halt: The U.S. halts its heavy bombing of North Vietnam…
6.1978] Canned Buckeye: Ohio State University fires Woody Hayes as its football coach, one day after Hayes punched a Clemson player during a bowl game…
7.1993] How do you do: Israel and the Vatican agree to recognize one another…
8.1999] Beatle power: Former Beatle George Harrison fights off a knife-wielding intruder who breaks into his mansion west of London and stabs him in the chest…
9.2003] Banned in the U.S.A.: The federal government announces a ban on ephedra, linked to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes…
10.2006] Hung out to dry: Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging…For more on December 30:




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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Tuesday, December 29, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1851] “Why-Em-Cee-A“: The first YMCA is organized in Boston. The Village People kvell…
2.1890] Massacre Monday: The U.S. Seventh Cavalry massacres over 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek (SD). This is the last major conflict between Indians and U.S. troops…
3.1934] Double dip: The first college basketball doubleheader is played at Madison Square Garden. The Garden was rented for a measly $4 thousand as 16,000 fans watch NYU defeat Notre Dame and Westminster (PA) beat St. John’s…
4.1957] Wedding Bells: Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme swing down the aisle. Eydie blames it on the bossa nova while Steve says go away little girl…
5.1975] Blasting Off: Terrorists explode a bomb in the main terminal of LaGuardia Airport killing 11 and injuring 75 (this is believed to be an act by a Croatian terrorist group that was never captured)…
6.1975] “D-I-V-O-R-C-E“: Grace Slick and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane/Starship, who were together since 1969, are divorced. Grace is an artist today…
7.1978] Berserk Buckeye: Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes goes berserk during the Gator Bowl game punching Clemson’s Charlie Bauman for his interception of a Buckeye pass. Woody will not like what happens to him the following day…
8.1980] “Happy Trails“: Singer/songwriter Tim (If I Were A Carpenter) Hardin overdoses on heroin at 40…2007] A suicide gunman shoots former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, killing her and then blows himself up killing at least 22 others at an election rally in Pakistan…
9.1989] Curtains: Jane Pauley leaves the “Today Show”…
10.2007] Record breaking: The New England Patriots are the first team in NFL history to ever finish the regular season with a record of 16-0, the first perfect regular season in the league since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Tom Brady sets the NFL record for Most Touchdown Passes in a season with 50 and Randy Moss sets the NFL record for the Most Touchdown Receptions in a season with 23…For more on December 29:




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Monday, December 28, 2009

Monday, December 28, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1944] Rocket takes off: Maurice Richard becomes the first NHL player to score 8 points in one game…
2.1945] Pledging our love: Congress officially recognizes the “Pledge of Allegiance“…
3.1956] Curtains: After 5 years on TV, the final “Ding Dong School” hosted by Miss Francis (Horwich) airs on NBC-TV…
4.1958] Frozen in sports history: The Baltimore Colts beat the Giants 23-17 at 8:15 into overtime on a frozen Yankee Stadium field to win the NFL Championship in a thriller. Many call this the greatest NFL game of all-time. Here’s the radio call…
5.1973] Soviet slam: Alexander Solzhenitsyn publishes ‘Gulag Archipelago’, an expose of the Soviet prison system…
6.1981] Going tubular: Elizabeth Jordan Carr becomes the first American test-tube baby. Carr is now a quite healthy 28…

7.1983]Happy Trails“: Dennis Wilson, the only real surfer in the Beach Boys, drowns while swimming near his boat at Marina del Rey (CA). Dennis was 39…
8.2000] Down for the count: U.S. retail giant Montgomery Ward announces it’s going out of business after 128 years…
9.2004] Law & Order death: Actor Jerry Orbach passes away at 69. Little known J.O. trivia, Jerry was Crazy Joey Gallo’s best man…
10.2005] Enron over: Former top Enron Corp. accountant Richard Causey pleads guilty to securities fraud and agrees to help pursue convictions against Enron founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling…For more on December 28:


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Thursday, December 24, 2009

(Christmas Edition) December 24 - 27, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1818] Shhhhhh: “Silent Night”, written by Josef Mohr with music by Franz Gruber of Germany is composed. This clip contains the song in German, the way it was written (12/24)…
2.1906] The first disc jockey: No, it wasn’t Bruce Morrow. It was Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden who becomes the 1st person to broadcast a music program over the radio from Brant Rock (MA) (12/24)…
3.1932] Debuted on this date: Radio City Music Hall opens to the public (12/27)…
4.1948] Massing together: A Midnight Mass is broadcast on TV for the first time from St. Patrick’s Cathedral (12/24)…
5.1968] Curtains: “The Breakfast Club” with Don McNeill signs off for the last time on ABC Radio after a run of 35 years (12/27)…
6.1968] “Twas the night before Christmas“: The Apollo 8 astronauts orbiting the moon read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve TV broadcast (12/24)…
7.1989] “Happy Trails“: Former Yankees manager Billy Martin is killed in a pickup truck crash in Fenton (NY) at 61 (12/25)…1996] 6-year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder (CO) (12/26)…2008] Eartha Kitt dies from colon cancer at 81 (12/25)…
8.2001] Talibanned: U.S. officials announce that Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners will be held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay (12/27)…
9.2004] Deadly storm: A tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean leaves more than 216,000 dead or missing in Southeastern Asia (12/26)…
10.2007] Hold that tiger: In the San Francisco Zoo, a tiger escapes from its enclosure and attacks three visitors, killing one of the men and mauling two others (12/25)…For more on December 24 -27:


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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wednesday, December 23, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1823] Debuted on this date: The poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (‘Twas the night before Christmas’) by Clement C. Moore is published in the Troy (NY) Sentinel…1942] Bob Hope does his first Christmas show to entertain U.S. airmen in Alaska. A Christmas tradition is born…
2.1834] TAXiiiiiiiii: English architect Joseph Hansom patents his “safety cab” a.k.a. the horse-drawn ‘Hansom Cab’, still clippety, cloppin’ in Central Park for the price of a king’s ransom…
3.1888] Can you ear me now?: Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh cuts off part of his own earlobe. My question is a simple one: Why didn’t he cut off Gauguin’s ear???
4.1959] Busted: Chuck Berry is arrested for “transporting a minor across a state line for an immoral purpose”…
5.1968] Released on this date: 82 crew members of the U.S. intelligence gathering ship, Pueblo, are released by North Korea after being captured 11 months earlier…
6.1969] Wedding Bells: Elton John and Bernie Taupin begin their songwriting marriage…1997] Woody Allen, 62, marries the adopted daughter of wife Mia Farrow, 27-year old Soon-Yi Previn. This is still distasteful 12 years later…
7.1972] Immaculate reception: That’s what they called the catch made by the Steelers Franco Harris on a last-second play that won a playoff game for Pittsburgh over Oakland, 13-7...


8.1997] Guilty as charged: A jury in Denver convicts Terry Nichols for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. Nichols is serving a lifetime term without parole…2004] Former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland pleads guilty to a corruption charge. He later serves a year and a day…
9.2003] I beg your pardon: New York Governor George Pataki pardons the late comedian Lenny Bruce for his 1964 obscenity conviction…
10.2003] Holy Cow: The U.S. government announces the first suspected case of mad cow disease in the U.S. It is later confirmed…For more on December 23:




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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Tuesday, December 22, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1864] Merry Christmas: During the Civil War, Union General William T. Sherman sends a message to President Abraham Lincoln from Georgia, saying “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah”…
2.1882] Lighting by Edison: The first string of Christmas tree lights is created by Thomas Edison…
3.1937] It will really be great when it’s finished: The Lincoln Tunnel, connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to traffic...
4.1965] Premiered on this date: “Dr. Zhivago” starring Omar Sharif and Julie Christie
5.1968] Wedding Bells: Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower exchange wedding vows…2000] Madonna is no longer a virgin when she and Brit movie director Guy Richie bed, uh wed. You know the rest of the story…
6.1976] Curtains: The last “Let’s Make A Deal” airs. Several attempts to resurrect the show have failed…


7.1984] Subway vigilante: New York City resident Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 youths on a Manhattan subway, claiming they were about the rob him. Much to popular belief, the youths armed with screw drivers did not wish the “subway vigilante” Merry Christmas when he went berserk screaming “I’m a Chanukah boy, I’m a Chanukah boy. Take that”…
8.1995] “Happy Trails“: Lawrence Berk, founder of Berklee College of Music dies of natural causes at 87 in Boston...2002] Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash dies suddenly of a congenital heart defect at 50…
9.2001] Hot foot: Richard C. Reid, a passenger of an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tries to ignite explosives in his shoes, but is subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers who point to the flashing “no smoking” sign…
10.2005] Strikeout: New York transit workers go on strike but end a three-day strike without a new contract. The union head who forced the strike is fired…For more on December 22:




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Monday, December 21, 2009

Monday, December 21, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1.1620] The Pilgrims are coming, the Pilgrims are coming: The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower go ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth…
2.1898] Glowing in the dark: Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover the radioactive element radium…
3.1913] A nine-letter word for a new puzzle: Crossword — published for the first time in the New York World…
4.1945] “Happy Trails“: General George S. Patton dies in Germany from injuries suffered in a car accident. Patton was 60…
5.1948] I’ll drink to that: Ireland becomes an independent republic…
6.1968] To the moon Alice: Apollo 8 is launched on a mission to orbit the moon…
7.1970] Elvis the drug czar: Richard M. Nixon has a meeting in the Oval Office about fighting drugs with Elvis Presley, who will die from an overdose of drugs…
8.1978] Guilty as charged: Police in Des Plaines (IL) arrest John Wayne Gacy Jr. and begin unearthing the remains of 33 men and boys that Gacy will be convicted of murdering. Gacy is executed by lethal injection in May, 1994…1996] After two years of denials, House Speaker Newt Gingrich admits violating House ethic rules. He is soon replaced as House Speaker…
9.1988] Terrorism in the sky: 270 are killed when a Pan Am Boeing 747 explodes over Lockerbie, Scotland. A terrorist attack is responsible for one of the worst air tragedies ever…
10.2006] Marine murderers: Four Marines are charged with murder in the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians and four Marine officers are accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths…For more on December 21:


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Friday, December 18, 2009

(Weekend Edition) December 18 -20, 2009...

(Weekend Edition)

10 Timeline Memories:

  1. 1865] Set me free why don’t you babe: Slavery is abolished in the United States when the 13th Amendment is declared in effect (12/18)…
  2. 1880] Premiered on this date: Broadway officially becomes “The Great White Way” when the lights go on for the first time (12/20)…1946] Frank Capra’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” starring James Stewart and Donna Reed is previewed for charity at the Globe Theatre in Times Square (12/20). The next day is the official world premiere. The movie won’t become a hit until it reaches TV…
  3. 1956] Debuted on this date: “To Tell The Truth” on CBS-TV (12/18). The first edition of the classic game show runs until 1968 when it goes into syndication from ‘69 to ‘78 and then off and on through 2002. In 1966 the Supremes opened this show singing “Baby Love” before Berry Gordy Jr. and 2 imposter’s were introduced...1966] Dr. Seuss’ “How The Grinch Stole Christmas“, a special on CBS-TV (12/18)…
  4. 1969] ‘Nay’ on capital punishment: Britain’s Parliament abolishes the death penalty, something New Jersey did two years ago (12/18)…
  5. 1973] ‘Happy Trails’: Bobby Darin passes away following surgery to repair a faulty heart valve. Darin was just 37 (12/20)…1997] SNL comedian Chris Farley becomes the shows’ latest tragedy when he overdoses on morphine and cocaine in Chicago at 33. One of Farley’s best characters was Matt Foley, the inspiration speaker (12/18)…
  6. 1980] Silent Night: No announcers are allowed in a Don Ohlmeyer experiment during the Jets-Dolphins game on NBC-TV, won by the Jets 24-17 (12/20). I remember how refreshing it was and they kept the parabolic crowd mics open so you felt like you were at the game. It’s time for this experiment to return…
  7. 1987] All Paul Simon all the time: Presidential candidate Paul Simon introduces singer Paul Simon on ‘Saturday Night Live’ (12/19). Will the real Paul Simon please stand up…
  8. 1990] Bo knows: Bo Jackson becomes the first athlete to be chosen for All-Star games in both baseball and football when he’s selected to the NFL Pro Bowl (12/19). Had he not gotten hurt he would of been one of the all-time greats in both sports…
  9. 2002] This is justice?: Citing new DNA evidence, a judge throws out the convictions of 5 young men for the 1989 attack on the ‘Central Park Jogger’ who was raped and left for dead (12/19). Miraculously she survives…
  10. 2006] Rumsfeld ‘resigns’: Donald Rumsfeld spends his last day in office as Secretary of Defense. Robert Gates is nominated by George W. Bush as his replacement. Gates keeps his job in the Obama administration (12/18)…For more on December 18 -20:

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Thursday, December 17, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1903] The Wright Stuff: Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first successful flight in history at 10:35 a.m. at Kitty Hawk (NC). The biplane stays airborne for 12 seconds and covers 120 feet on its maiden flight…
  2. 1959] Blasted beach: “On The Beach” which shows life after a nuclear holocaust, premieres in New York City and becomes the first movie to debut simultaneously in major cities worldwide, 18 cities in all, including Moscow…
  3. 1964] How about that?: Just six weeks after CBS buys controlling interest in the New York Yankees, the ‘Voice of the Yankees’, Mel Allen is fired. Allen was play-by-play man since 1940...
  4. 1969] UF what?: The U.S. Air Force closes its ‘Project: Blue Book’ by concluding there’s no evidence of UFOs, as a mysterious flying disc hovers overhead...
  5. 1969] TV History: Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki (Budinger) are married on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”. An estimated 50 million viewers see the couple tip toe through the tulips...
  6. 1975] Beware of people named ‘Squeaky’: Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme is sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford. She was released this past summer after serving 34 years...
  7. 1976] Super!: WTCG-TV in Atlanta becomes WTBS, uplinking with a satellite to become the first TV Super Station, blanketing the United States…
  8. 1989] “D’oh!” Debut: “The Simpsons” debuts in its own time slot on Sunday nights (Fox). The animated classic was first introduced on “The Tracey Ullman Show” on April 19, 1987…
  9. 1994] Wedding Bells: Richie Sambora and Heather Locklear rock down the aisle (to Bon Jovi music, of course). Heather files for divorce in February of 2006…
  10. 2006] ‘Happy Trails’: Former major league pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers) Larry Sherry, dies after a long battle with cancer, at 71…For more on December 17:

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Wednesday, December 16, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1773] Tea it up: The Boston Tea Party takes place as American colonists board a British ship and dump more than 300 chests of tea in Boston Harbor to protest tea taxes. This might explain why the water in Boston Harbor is described as “orange pekoe with specks of green tea and chamomile” in color…
  2. 1905] Published on this date: Variety Magazine hits the newsstands to ‘Boffo’! reviews. Not so 'Boffo' now, Variety was recently sold...
  3. 1960] Staten Island Supercrash: A United Air Lines DC-8 and a TWA Super Constellation collide over Staten Island, killing 134…
  4. 1972] Unbeaten and Untied: The Miami Dolphins become the 1st NFL team to go unbeaten and untied in a 14-game regular season. The 2007 Patriots beat that record, going 18-0. Miami’s season streak reaches 17 after they win the Super Bowl…
  5. 1973] Slice and dice: Buffalo’s O.J. Simpson knifes his way through the NFL to become the 1st runner in history to gain over 2,000 yards in a season when he runs for 200 yards against the Jets. Jet coach Weeb Ewbank loses his lunch and then announces his retirement…
  6. 1982] Reborn: Tom Seaver becomes a Met again after a trade with Cincinnati. The ‘Franchise’ throws the last pitch at Shea Stadium to Mike Piazza1983] Yogi Berra is named Yankee manager for the second time...
  7. 1985] The steak was cold, too: Organized crime chief Paul Castellano is gunned down outside Sparks Steakhouse on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan as he’s set up by the mob…
  8. 1997] “Happy Trails“: Singer Nicolette Larson dies from brain swelling at 45…2007] Singer Dan Fogelberg passes away at 56 from complications caused by prostate cancer…
  9. 1998] Desert Fox: The U.S. and Britain begin a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets, in response to Iraq’s continued failure to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions as well as their interference with U.N. Special Commission inspectors…
  10. 2000] Breaking the color barrier: President-elect George W. Bush selects Colin Powell to be the 1st African-American secretary of state…For more on December 16:

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Tuesday, December 15, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1791] Right on: The Bill of Rights, the 1st 10 amendments to the U.S. constitution, takes effect following ratification by Virginia (the state)…
  2. 1890] “Happy Trails“: Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members are killed by the Native American police in Grand River (SD). Sitting Bull was 59…1944] Bandleader Glenn Miller, 40, disappears over the English Channel in a thick fog. Miller was in a U.S. Army plane…1966] Walt Disney dies from cardiac arrest at 65. Contrary to popular belief, Disney’s body was not frozen…2001] Veteran R&B singer and disc jockey Rufus Thomas passes away from a heart attack at 84…
  3. 1939] Premiered on this date: “Gone With The Wind“, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh has its world premiere at Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta…
  4. 1961] Guilty as charged: Former Nazi official Adolf Eichmann is sentenced to death by an Israeli court. Eichmann is hanged in 1962…1988] James Brown is sentenced to a 6-year jail term for leading police on a late-night chase. He will be released on February 27, 1991...
  5. 1982] Curtains: Paul “Bear” Bryant announces his retirement as coach of the University of Alabama football team. Bryant was the winningest college football coach in history at the time. The Bear will suffer a fatal heart attack at 69, one month later…1993] John Williams conducts the Boston Pops for the final time. No date is given for this performance…
  6. 1982] Signed, sealed, delivered: Bill Parcells becomes the Giants 12th head coach and press conferences will never be the same…
  7. 1985] Wedding Bells: Sylvester Stallone and Brigitte Nielson shadow box down the aisle. This marriage ends in a KO in the 18th month…1990] Rod Stewart asks Rachel Hunter, do ya think I’m sexy? Apparently she does. She marries him. Not believing in quickie divorces, the couple’s divorce becomes official in November of 2006…2004] Sprint and Nextel tie the $35 billion knot…
  8. 2003] Proof is in the DNA pudding: The late Senator Strom Thurmond’s family acknowledges Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ claim that she was Thurmond’s illegitimate mixed-race daughter…
  9. 2005] Election Day: Millions of Iraqis turn out to choose a parliament in a mostly peaceful election…
  10. 2007] HGH to the rescue: Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte admits using human growth hormone to recover from an elbow injury, two days after the release of the Mitchell Report. People become suspicious when they see Pettitte with two left elbows…For more on December 15:

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Monday, December 14, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1799] “Happy Trails“: George Washington dies from a throat infection at his home in Mount Vernon (VA) at 67…
  2. 1911] Polarized: Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen become the first man to reach the South Pole…
  3. 1946] Welcome, now move: The United Nations General Assembly votes to establish the U.N. headquarters in Manhattan. In celebration of this day, can we now get them to move???
  4. 1947] Y’all start your engines: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is founded in Daytona Beach…
  5. 1955] Debuted on this date: The Tappan Zee Bridge opens to traffic…1977] “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta has its world premiere…
  6. 1972] Mooned: Eugene Cernan is the last person to walk on the moon, after he and Harrison Schmitt complete the third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA) of Apollo 17…
  7. 1981] Grabbing the Golan: Israel annexes the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967…
  8. 1999] Peanuts stripped: Charles M. Schulz announces he is retiring the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip…
  9. 2000] Wedding Bells: The FTC unanimously approves the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner, the latter’s worst decision…
  10. 2008] Shoe business: President George W. Bush dodges shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi journalist who apparently didn’t want the U.S. in his country…For more on December 14:

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Friday, December 11, 2009

(Weekend Edition) December 11 - 13, 2009...

(Weekend Edition)

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1843] Scrooge sighting: Charles Dickens publishes the classic, “A Christmas Carol” (12/13)…
  2. 1896] The roots of Radio: Guglielmo Marconi gives the public the first demonstration of radio at London’s Toynbee Hall. The following year he establishes the Wireless Telegraph and Signal Company Ltd. in Chelmsford, England (12/12)…
  3. 1957] Wedding Bells: Jerry Lee Lewis secretly marries his 13-year old, third-cousin Myra Gale Brown. It’s ‘The Killer’s’ third marriage, the first for Myra Gale (12/11)…
  4. 1964] “Happy Trails“: Sam Cooke is fatally shot at the Hacienda Motel in LA under mysterious circumstances. The legendary singer would have been 34 in one month (12/11)…
  5. 1981] Curtains: Muhammad Ali fights his last fight, losing to Trevor Berbick. Ali retires with a 56-5 record with 37 KO’s (12/11)…
  6. 1982] Battle of the Behemoths: Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing put on a show as Sampson leads Virginia to a 68-63 victory over Georgetown. Sampson knocks down 23 with 16 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Ewing’s stats: 16, 8 and 5. Sampson is drafted #1 by Houston in 1983, Ewing #1 with that famous and controversial lottery pick by the Knicks in 1985 (12/11)…
  7. 1982] John Deere to the rescue: Mark Henderson uses a John Deere tractor to clear a spot in the snow for John Smith’s 33-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 3-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough. This game became known as the “Snow Plow Game” (12/12)…
  8. 2000] Dubya wins: George W. Bush claims the presidency 36 days after Election Day when Al Gore concedes defeat (12/13)…
  9. 2003] Gotcha: Saddam Hussein is found hiding in a hole (12/13)…
  10. 2008] Bernie Busted: Billionaire shyster Bernard ‘Bernie’ Madoff is arrested and charged with all kinds of fraud regarding investments made by others (12/11). In June, 2009 he is sentenced. Let’s see, with good behavior behind bars, Bernie should be getting out in, oh, about 150 years…For more on December 11 - 13:

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Thursday, December 10, 2009

Thursday, December 10, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1896] His honor: Swedish chemist Alfred Bernhard Nobel, who invented dynamite, dies in Italy. The Nobel Prize was instituted in his honor…
  2. 1939] Hitting the million mark: The NFL’s attendance exceeds 1 million in a season for the first time…
  3. 1953] Published on this date: Hugh Hefner publishes the first Playboy (featuring a photo of Marilyn Monroe) with an initial investment of $7,600…
  4. 1958] The first commercial jet: 111 passengers fly from New York to Miami on a National Airlines Boeing 707…
  5. 1962] Cover boy: Frank Gifford of the New York Giants is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated…
  6. 1967] “Happy Trails“: 26-year old Otis Redding is killed along with most of the Bar-Kays in a small plane crash in Wisconsin…1996] Country music star Faron Young dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 64…1999] Rick Danko of The Band dies in his sleep at 56…2005] Richard Pryor dies from cardiac arrest at 65…2005] Former Senator Eugene McCarthy passes away from natural causes at 89…
  7. 1971] Worst baseball trade: That’s what Joseph (N.Y.Times) Durso calls it. The Mets send Nolan Ryan to the Angels for Jim Fregosi. Ryan pitches his way into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 7 no-hitters and the strikeout record while Fregosi hits .232 in his brief career with Mets…
  8. 1983] Jetting away: The Steelers beat the Jets 34-7 in the last NFL game played at Shea Stadium. The final baseball game was played by the Mets at the end of the 2008 season. The Mets will open the 2009 season at Citi Field…
  9. 1991] The end of a radio era: WNEW-AM signs off at 1130 on the dial, becoming Bloomberg business radio WBBR. Knowing this is coming, WQXR earlier adapts a similar WNEW style format as WQEW on December 2, 1991…
  10. 1998] Up, Up and Away: Six astronauts open the doors to the new international space station 250 miles above the Earth’s surface…For more on
    December 10:

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1793] Stop the presses: ‘The American Minerva’ becomes New York’s first daily newspaper. It’s founded by Noah Webster who gives us our first dictionary. Webster also loved the bible, which he didn’t write…
  2. 1907] Sealing the deal: Christmas Seals go on sale for the first time...
  3. 1940] The first FM radio timebuy: The Longines Watch Company signs the first FM radio advertising contract with experimental W2XOR in New York City. Longines is located in Switzerland…
  4. 1958] Birchers rejoice: The ‘John Birch Society’ is formed in Indianapolis (IN) by Robert H.W. Welch Jr. and 11 others, as an anti-communist society…
  5. 1967] Wedding Bells: Lyndon Johnson’s daughter Lynda (Bird) marries Marine, Charles Robb in the White House. Robb will become Governor of Virginia. They celebrate their 42nd anniversary today...
  6. 1975] Drop Dead New York: President Gerald Ford signs a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent New York City from defaulting despite his “Drop Dead” message to New York...
  7. 1977] Face-off: The Lakers Kermit Washington punches Rudy Tomjanovich in the face during a game. Tomjanovich would need facial reconstruction and collects $2 million from the Lakers in a settlement. Washington is fined $10,000 and suspended for 60 days. Rudy T. eventually forgives Kermit…
  8. 1979] ‘Happy Trails’: Religious broadcaster Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen dies from natural causes at 84…1981] Orioles lead singer Sonny Til dies from a heart attack at 51…
  9. 1990] Vote for me: Lech Walesa wins Poland’s 1st direct presidential election in the country’s history…
  10. 2008] Blago busted: The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arrested on federal corruption charges. He will be removed from office in January, 2009…For more on December 9:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1776] What did Delaware?: General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with retreating American Revolutionary Army troops, from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, apparently in only one boat. Washington will again cross the Delaware on December 26th for the battle of Trenton…
  2. 1863] Reconstruction: President Abraham Lincoln announces plans for Reconstruction of the South…
  3. 1940] Scalped: The Chicago Bears annihilate the Washington Redskins 73-0. It’s not only the biggest one-sided score in NFL history but the Bears were forced by officials to run for their final extra point because there was only one football left…
  4. 1941] U.S. enters WWII: The U.S. enters World War II as Congress declares war against Japan one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor…
  5. 1952] TV history is made: For the first time a pregnancy is used on TV’s “I Love Lucy”…
  6. 1964] “Happy Trails“: Actor William Bendix dies of lobar pneumonia at 58…1978] Former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir passes away from cancer in Jerusalem at 80…1982] Singer Marty Robbins dies from heart failure at 57…
  7. 1980] Rock & Roll Tragedy: John Lennon is fatally shot by Mark David Chapman
  8. 1987] Nuking the nukes: President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev sign a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles…
  9. 1993] Thanks Bubba: President Bill Clinton signs into law the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)…
  10. 2000] Counting hands: The Florida Supreme Court orders an immediate hand count of about 45,000 disputed presidential ballots…For more on December 8:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/

Monday, December 7, 2009

Monday, December 7, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

  1. 1842] Lifting the baton: The New York Philharmonic gives its first concert...
  2. 1941] The Day of Infamy: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, putting us into WWII. Some 2,400 Americans are killed, 200 wounded. Much of our Pacific Fleet is destroyed along with more than 200 planes. FDR calls it “a day of infamy”…
  3. 1963] Let’s go to the videotape: Instant replay is used for the first time in a live sports telecast during the Army-Navy game on CBS. The BBC was experimenting with video tape in the 50’s…
  4. 1982] Death in vein: Convicted murderer Charlie Brooks becomes the first U.S. prisoner to be executed by injection at a Texas prison…
  5. 1988] The earth crumbles: An earthquake in northern Armenia claims an estimated 25,000 lives…
  6. 1993] The 5:33 from Hell: Colin Ferguson murders 6 and injures 19 others on the 5:33 p.m. Hicksville local of the LIRR. Ferguson is currently drawing on his Attica jail cell wall with crayons, something he will continue to do for the next 200 years…
  7. 1999] Napster snoozes: The Recording Industry Assoc. of America (RIAA) files a lawsuit against Napster which shuts down in 2001, pays $26 million in settlement money, goes back online and liquidates their assets in 2002…
  8. 2002] What WMD’s?: Iraq denies it has weapons of mass destruction in a declaration to the U.N...
  9. 2004] This I swear: Hamid Karzai is sworn in as Afghanistan’s first popularly elected president. He was recently re-elected…
  10. 2007] This I swear too: Baseball home run king Barry Bonds pleads not guilty to charges he lied to federal investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs...For more on December 7:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/

Friday, December 4, 2009

(Weekend Edition) Dec. 4 - 6, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1783] Say goodnight Gracie: General George Washington bids farewell to his officers by raising a tankard or two at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The tavern is still there and open for business (12/4)…
  2. 1908] Numb3rs: The University of Pittsburgh Panthers are the first college football team to put numbers on their jerseys (12/5). When I was program director at KQV, I could see the Pittsburgh U. tower through my apartment window. The school is located in a section called Oakland…
  3. 1978] Her Mayoress: Diane Feinstein becomes San Francisco’s first woman mayor when she’s named to replace George Moscone who was murdered (12/4)…
  4. 1980] Guardsmen from hell: The bodies of four American nuns slain in El Salvador just days before, are found. Five national guardsmen are later convicted of murder (12/4)…
  5. 1987] D-I-V-O-R-C-E eventually: Madonna files for divorce from Sean Penn but changes her mind. She files for good in January, 1988, ending their love-hate marriage. These two sat in front of me at a movie. They were ushered in when the theater went dark. Madonna was wearing Sean all night. I was tempted to whisper “get a room” (12/4)…
  6. 1988] “Happy Trails”: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer Roy Orbison dies from a heart attack while visiting his mother near Nashville. Orbison was 52 (12/6)…
  7. 1990] The Good Old Days: Due to the Persian Gulf crisis, gas prices sky-rocket to: $1.60 a gallon in New York City. Outrageous!!! (12/4)…
  8. 1996] Greenspanning the globe: Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan sends everyone scratching their heads after his famous “irriational exuberance” speech about the stock market and whether or not it was overvalued (12/5). Greenspan turns out to be overvalued…
  9. 2002] Sticky fingers: Actress Winona Ryder is sentenced to community service for stealing more than $5,500 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills (12/6). And then she steals from a drugstore…
  10. 2006] Trans fixed: New York becomes the first city in the nation to ban artery clogging trans fats at restaurants (12/5)…For more on Dec. 4 - 6:

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Thursday, December 3, 2009

Thursday, December 3, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1833] Boys and girls together: Oberlin College (OH) opens as the first co-educational school of higher education in the U.S…
  2. 1931] Debuted on this date: Plop-plop, fizz-fizz: Alka Seltzer makes its debut. Enter ‘Speedy‘…1950] Paul Harvey begins his national radio broadcast…
  3. 1949] Lucky and good: Notre Dame stretches its unbeaten streak to 4 seasons and 38 games by beating the Kyle Rote SMU Mustangs 27-20. The Irish win their 7th national title…
  4. 1961] How do you do: The Beatles meet Brian Epstein for the first time in his record shop in Liverpool…
  5. 1967] Have a heart: Dr. Christiaan Barnard performs the first human heart transplant. Patient Louis Washkansky lives for 18 days with his new heart…
  6. 1967] Curtains: The famed 20th Century Limited luxury train, completes its final run from New York City to Chicago…
  7. 1968] How low can you go?: The major league pitching mound is lowered from 15 inches to 10 to get more offense in the game. It works…
  8. 1979] Concert catastrophe: 11 fans are crushed to death at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who. Laws will change to prevent “first-come, first-served” seating in the future…
  9. 1994] “Happy Trails“: AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser, wife of actor Paul Michael Glaser, dies at 47 after she and her two children were infected after a blood transfusion. Daughter Ariel will also succumb to the disease but son Jake survives…
  10. 2002] You can run but you can’t hide: Thousands of files show that the Archdiocese of Boston protected clergy after sex and drug charges are released…For more on December 3:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1901] Patent no longer pending: Gillette patents the first disposable razor…
  2. 1927] Debuted on this date: Ford rolls out their Model A, the successor to the Model T. It sold for $385…1969] Boeing shows off its 747 jumbo jet for the media…
  3. 1956] Next stop Boston: San Francisco University’s Bill Russell stars as the USA picks up a gold medal in basketball with an 89-55 trouncing of Russia at the Melbourne (Australia) Olympics (and we all know where he will star next)...
  4. 1961] I’m your leader: Fidel Castro declares himself a Marxist-Leninist who will lead Cuba to Communism. He will also lead them to ruin...
  5. 1967] “Happy Trails“: New York City’s Francis Joseph Cardinal Spellman dies from natural causes at 78…
  6. 1982] The beat goes on: Retired dentist Barney Clark receives the first artificial heart. Clark will live for 112 days…
  7. 1992] Musical call letters: WQEW replaces WQXR on 1560 in New York. WQEW adapts a nostalgia music WNEW-AM type format that won’t be successful…
  8. 1994] Guilty as charged: “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss is convicted in Los Angeles on 3 counts of “pandering”. Charlie Sheen loses Heidi’s phone number…
  9. 1998] It’s only money: Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates donates $100 million to immunize children in developing countries, something that Gates continues to do…
  10. 2001] Chapter 11: Enron Corp. files for chapter 11 after Dynergy walks away from a $8.4 billion buyout. It’s the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history…For more on December 2:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Tuesday, December 1, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1824] Flip a coin: With no candidate receiving a majority of the vote in the Electoral College, the House of Representatives decides that John Quincy Adams is chosen over Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay
  2. 1914] First in service: The first service station opens in Pittsburgh…
  3. 1917] Boy’s Town: Father Edward Flanagan opens “Boy’s Town” in Nebraska, a farm village designed for wayward boys. In 1979 it became co-ed. The Hollies‘ hit “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” was written as a tribute to Boys Town…
  4. 1924] Hockey, eh?: The 1st pro hockey game in the U.S. is played at the Boston Arena with the Bruins beating the Montreal Maroons (not Morons) 2-1. Both teams had just joined the 7-year old NHL. Boston became the 1st U.S. team…
  5. 1955] No more ‘back of the bus’: Rosa Parks refuses to give her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (AL), marking a milestone in the civil rights movement…
  6. 1969] There’s a draft in here: Charles Rangel will be happy to note that the U.S. government held its 1st draft lottery since WWII…
  7. 1973] “Happy Trails“: David Ben-Gurion, founding father of Israel and its first prime minister dies from natural causes at 87…
  8. 1992] Guilty as charged: In Mineola (LI) Amy Fisher is sentenced to 5 to 15 years for the shooting and serious wounding of Mary Jo Buttafuoco. The ‘Long Island Lolita’ was having an affair with Mary Jo’s husband Joey. Amy is now out and frankly we don’t care where Joey is...
  9. 1997] No choke: Golden State’s Latrell Sprewell chokes in practice…chokes his coach (P.J. Carlesimo) that is. He’s suspended for one year and the remainder of his 4-year, $23 million contract was terminated. Sprewell’s career ended in 2004. Carlesimo is still coaching…
  10. 1997] The name game: Westinghouse formally changes its name to CBS…For more on December 1:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com/



Monday, November 30, 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1939] Happy Landings: New York’s LaGuardia Airport begins operations as a plane from Chicago lands at 12:01 a.m…
  2. 1940] Wedding Bells: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz conga down the aisle to a latin beat…
  3. 1972] No news is good news: White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler tells the press that there will be no more public announcements concerning troup withdrawals from Vietnam after they had reached a level of 27,000…
  4. 1993] Brady Law: President Bill Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (Brady Bill) into law…
  5. 1993] Klaas murder solved: Richard Allen Davis is arrested after confessing to abducting and killing 12-year old Polly Klaas
  6. 1994] Jaguar sighting: The NFL announces that the Jacksonville Jaguars will become the league’s 30th franchise…
  7. 1996] Happy Trails: After performing on stage, Tiny Tim collapses and dies from congestive heart failure at 71…2007] Daredevil motorcycle rider Evel Knievel passes away from a terminal lung disease at 69…
  8. 2001] Artificial heart victim: Robert Tools, the first person to receive a fully self-contained artificial heart, dies after living with the device for 151 days…
  9. 2004] Jeopardy champ falls: Ken Jennings finally loses but takes home $2.5 million, TV’s all-time biggest game show haul…
  10. 2007] Clinton crisis: Hillary Clinton’s Rochester (NH) campaign office experiences a hostage crisis when Leeland Eisenberg enters and holds three people hostage for 5 hoursFor more on November 30:

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

(Thanksgiving Edition) Nov. 25 - Nov. 29, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1789] 1st Thanksgiving: A day of Thanksgiving is set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the U.S. Constitution (11/26)…
  2. 1925] Debuted on this date: The longest running live music show debuts on WSM Nashville when host George Dewey Hay invites an 83-year old Civil War veteran to play fiddle for an hour. The ‘WSM Barn Dance’ begins (11/28). In 1927 its name is changed to the “Grand Ole Opry“. Willie Nelson will make his debut 39 years to the date that the ‘Barn Dance’ debuted (1964)…
  3. 1934] A Thanksgiving Day tradition begins: The Detroit Lions begin an annual NFL tradition, dropping a 19-16 decision to da Bearsss. It was the first NFL game aired on national radio. Brent Mus-sorry, Graham McNamee did the play-by-play (11/29)…
  4. 1942] Play it again Sam: “Casablanca” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman debuts at the Hollywood Theater in Manhattan (11/26)…
  5. 1942] Down in flames: A devastating and deadly fire destroys the Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston, taking nearly 500 lives (11/28)…
  6. 1963] Laid to rest: The body of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery (11/25)…
  7. 1978] City Hall massacre: San Francisco mayor George Moscone and City Hall Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, are shot to death inside City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White (11/27)…
  8. 1980] No mas, no mas: Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Roberto Duran for the welterweight crown after Duran pleads “no mas, no mas” in the 8th round, ending the fight (11/25)…
  9. 1999] Elian gets his 15 minutes: 6-year old Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez is rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida. The saga of Elian begins (11/25)…
  10. 2001] “Happy Trails“: Beatle George Harrison loses his battle with cancer at 58 (11/29)For more on November 25 - 29:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com

Tuesday, November 24, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1859] The Grandfather of “Cavemen”: British naturalist Charles Darwin publishes “On the Origin of Species” which explains his theory of evolution…
  2. 1871] The Grandfather of the NRA: The National Rifle Association is incorporated and its first president is Major General Ambrose E. Burnside
  3. 1953] One by one: New Brooklyn Dodger manager Walter Alston signs the 1st of 23-one year contracts…
  4. 1963] Live from Dallas: Jack Ruby shoots and mortally wounds Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy. This happened live on television - still hard to believe. Here’s the video clip…
  5. 1963] The games must go on ?: The NBA, NHL and AFL cancel their scheduled games, the NFL does not. Pete Rozelle considered this his worst decision as NFL commissioner…
  6. 1969] Guilty as charged: Lt. William Calley is charged with the massacre of over 100 civilians in My Lai, Vietnam in March, 1968…
  7. 1971] AWOL with ransom: Hijacker D.B. Cooper parachutes from a Northwest flight over Washington State with $200,000 in ransom. His fate is still unknown…
  8. 1985] “Happy Trails”: Big Joe Turner dies of a heart attack at 74…1991] Freddie Mercury of Queen dies of AIDS at 45…
  9. 1998] Wedding Bells: AOL confirms that its buying Netscape for $10 billion…
  10. 2003] Death sentence: A jury in Virginia Beach, VA, sentences John Allen Muhammad to death for the Washington-area sniper shootings…For more on November 24:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com

Monday, November 23, 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1876] Politics as usual: Corrupt Tammany Hall leader William Marcy (Boss) Tweed is captured in Spain and returned to authorities in New York…
  2. 1889] Jukebox Saturday Night every night: The first jukebox goes into service at the Palais Royal Saloon in San Francisco. Owned by developer Louis T. Glass, the box contains an Edison tinfoil phonograph with 4 listening tubes. A nickel bought a few minutes of music. The jukebox took in a whopping $1,000 in 6 months…
  3. 1936] A Life is born: The first edition of Life is published…
  4. 1971] Chinese imports: Representatives of the People’s Republic of China are seated at the U.N…
  5. 1980] Earthshaking: A series of earthquakes in Southern Italy takes 3,000 lives…
  6. 1981] A secret no longer: Ronald Reagan secretly signs off on Iran-Contra…
  7. 1984] Hail Mary: Doug Flutie connects with roomie Gerard Phelan and Boston College defeats Miami 47-45 in one of the greatest college football games of all-time. Bernie Kosar was the Miami QB…
  8. 1985] Hijacking: Gunman hijack an Egyptian plane, 60 are killed…
  9. 2006] Spy snuffing: Former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko dies in London from radiation poisoning after making a deathbed statement blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin
  10. 2000] Drawing a blank: The Florida Supreme Court refuses to order Miami-Dade County to resume counting ballots by hand in the presidential race…For more on November 23:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com

Friday, November 20, 2009

(Weekend Edition) November 20 - 22, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1877] Talking Machine: Thomas A. Edison announces the invention of the phonograph or as he calls it, his “talking machine.” (11/21)…
  2. 1928] Debuted on this date: The Boston Bruins lose to Montreal 1-0 as the Boston Garden makes its debut (11/20)…
  3. 1960] Knocked into Monday: Frank Gifford is leveled by the Eagles Chuck Bednarik in a blind-sided hit that will wind up ending the career of the Giants star running back. The Eagles clinch the Eastern Conference title. As a reward Gifford will wind up with Kathie Lee (11/20)…
  4. 1962] MVP…MVP…MVP: Mickey Mantle wins his 3rd American League MVP award. The Mick and Roger Maris starred in the movie “Safe At Home” the same year (11/20)…
  5. 1963] A day we’d all like to forget but never will: John Fitzgerald Kennedy is gunned down in Dallas. A day we always remember what we were doing at the time. I was recording a Canada Dry spot at WMID, Atlantic City. LBJ is sworn in as our next president (11/22)...
  6. 1980] “Happy Trails“: Aging blonde bombshell Mae West suffers a fatal stroke at 87 (11/22)…1997] INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence, 37, is found hanging in his Sydney, Australia hotel suite (11/22)…
  7. 1982] Youngest SNL host: That would be 7-year old Drew Barrymore who also made an appearance that year on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show…
  8. 1987] Wedding Bells: Demi Moore and Bruce Willis rock down the aisle. They divorce in 2000 when Demi discovers where Ashton Kutcher lives. She robs his cradle in 2005 (11/21)…
  9. 1994] Rock and Roll transplant: David Crosby receives a liver transplant (11/20)…
  10. 1998] Dr. Death: “60 Minutes” airs videotape of Dr. Jack Kevorkian unethically administering lethal drugs to a terminally ill patient (11/22)...For more on November 20 - 22:

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thursday, November 19, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1863] Four Score, for sure: President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address as he dedicates a national cemetery at the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania…
  2. 1954] What a wreck: Sammy Davis, Jr. losses an eye in a serious auto crash in San Bernardino (CA)...
  3. 1954] Two tolls, no waiting: Two automatic toll machines are installed on the Garden State Parkway. Now there’s just one big toll when you get off the Parkway…
  4. 1959] Rama Lama Ding Dong: The Ford Motor Company halts production of the Edsel…
  5. 1966] Hanging them up: Future Hall of Fame pitcher, Sandy Koufax announces his retirement from baseball, one month shy of his 32nd birthday, due to arm problems. Koufax simply dominated his era…
  6. 1969] Fly me to the Moon: Apollo XII astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean make man’s second lunar landing…
  7. 1985] A Geneva treat: Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev meet for the first time as they begin their summit in Geneva…
  8. 1998] A Starr is born: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr lays out his evidence against President Bill Clinton during a daylong appearance before the House Judiciary Committee…
  9. 2001] MVP…MVP…MVP…MVP: Barry Bonds wins his 4th MVP award (he’ll win 3 more). Wasn’t this the year they said Bonds started using the ‘clear cream’???
  10. 2004] Fight Night: In one of sports ugliest scenes, a fight breaks out on the floor, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson of the Pacers charge into the stands and fight with fans during an NBA game in Detroit. Officials end the Pacers’ 97-82 win with 45.9 ticks left. Fines and suspensions follow. Fan John Green who tossed his drink at Artest, was banned for life in Detroit and hefty fines are levied at Artest, Jackson and others…For more on November 19:

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Wednesday, November 18, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

  1. 1928] Mickey debuts: The 1st successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon premiers in New York City. It's Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse...
  2. 1959] Also Premiering on this date: William Wyler's "Ben Hur" at a Loew's Theater in Times Square...2005] "Walk The Line", the story of Johnny Cash opens...
  3. 1969] 'Happy Trails': Kennedy patriarch, Joseph P. Kennedy dies in Hyannis Port (MA) at 81. Kennedy had suffered a massive stroke 8 years earlier. 1994] Cab Calloway dies in a Delaware nursing home of a stroke at 86...
  4. 1978] The horror of Jonestown: People's Temple leader Jim Jones forces his followers to commit mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana by drinking a cyanide-laced fruit-flavored concoction. Only about a dozen escape. The final death toll: 913, including 276 children. Jones is fatally shot in the head...
  5. 1987] Pink slips are on the way: CBS Inc. agrees to sell its record division to SONY Corporation for about $2 billion...
  6. 1990] Wedding Bells: Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall tie the knot in Bali. They will have 2 children during their 9 year marriage which breaks up after allegations that Mick fathered a child with Brazilian model Luciana Morad. 2006] Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are married in Italy. That's amore...
  7. 1991] Free at last: Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon free Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and educator Thomas Sutherland...
  8. 1999] Guilty as charged: A jury in Jasper (TX) convicts Shawn Allen Berry of murder for his role in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr., but spare him the death penalty...
  9. 2002] A new call for arms inspection: U.N. arms inspectors return to Iraq after a four-year hiatus. They call on Saddam Hussein's government to cooperate with their search for weapons of mass destruction. You know the rest of this story...
  10. 2003] Right to marry: The Massachusetts Supreme Court Judicial Court rules 4-3 that the state constitution guarantees gay couples the right to marry...For more on Nov. 18:

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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1934] Wedding Bells: Lyndon B. Johnson marries Claudia Alta Taylor, but you know her as "Lady Bird"...
  2. 1956] A Hollywood ending: Jim Brown finishes his college career at Syracuse by running for 6 touchdowns and kicking 7 extra points in a 61-7 massacre of Colgate...
  3. 1968] Heidi Ho: NBC-TV switches from an exciting Jets-Oakland game to "Heidi". Here's what we didn't see: The Raiders score 2 TD's in 9 seconds to hold on to a 43-32 win over the Jets. The final score is shown in a crawl over, what else ? "Heidi"...
  4. 1973] I'm not a crook: President Richard Nixon tells an AP managing editors meeting in Orlando (FL) that "people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook." In front of a news organization's meeting ? Nice timing Mr. President...
  5. 1985] Debuted on this date: Howard Stern on K-Rock (WXRK)...
  6. 1997] The Joe Gibbs Academy: To graduate, you get elected to the Hall of Fame and then come back. NHL great Mario Lemieux gets inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame and then returns to play and eventually get into ownership of the Pittsburgh Penguins...
  7. 2003] Guilty as charged: John Allen Muhammad is convicted of two counts of capital murder in the Washington (D.C.)-area sniper shootings. He was executed by injection last week...
  8. 2003] This I swear: Action actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as the 38th Governor of California. Just call him 'The Governator'...
  9. 2006] Kramer goes off: Former 'Seinfeld' star Michael Richards unleashes a barrage of racial slurs during a stand-up routine at the Laugh Factory...
  10. 2006] 'Happy Trails': Hall of Fame college football coach Bo Schembechler dies at 77...For more on November 17:

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1957] The streak ends: Dick Lynch scampers around right end for a touchdown, ending Oklahoma's streak of 47 consecutive wins. Notre Dame beats the #1 ranked Sooners 7-0 in Norman (OK)...
  2. 1959] The birth of The Pats: William "Billy" Sullivan Jr. and a group of Boston businessmen is awarded the 8th and final franchise in the American Football League (AFL). The Boston Patriots are born...
  3. 1960] "Happy Trails": Clark Gable dies of a heart attack at 59...1961] House speaker Sam Rayburn is the victim of cancer at 79...
  4. 1966] Dr. Sam is free: Dr. Samuel H. Sheppard is acquitted in his second trial on charges of murdering his pregnant wife in 1954...
  5. 1973] Put this in your pipe and smoke it: President Richard M. Nixon signs the Alaska Pipeline measure into law...
  6. 1981] Wedding Bells: Luke marries Laura on "General Hospital" before a TV audience of 16 million viewers...1987] Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet rock down the aisle. They separate in 1990 and divorce in 1993...
  7. 1982] Over and out: An agreement is announced in the 57th day of a strike by the NFL players...
  8. 1995] Diseased: Attorney General Janet Reno discloses that she has Parkinson's disease...
  9. 2001] A federal case: Congress passes an aviation security bill mandating that airport screeners be federal employees...
  10. 2004] Rice is nice: National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice is picked as the new secretary of state. She succeeds Colin Powell...For more on November 16:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com



Friday, November 13, 2009

(Weekend Edition) November 13 - 15, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1789] Death and Taxes: Benjamin Franklin writes in a letter to a friend, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes" (11/13)...
  2. 1926] NNNNNBC: The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) debuts with a radio network of 24 stations. The first network broadcast is a 4-hour special featuring live big band music from the Waldorf Astoria (11/15)...
  3. 1967] Triple Crown MVP: The Red Sox' Carl Yastrzemski wins the AL MVP in a year that made him a Hall of Famer. All Yaz does is win the Triple Crown (highest batting average, most home runs (tie) and runs batted in). It was the best individual performance by any player (including Mantle & Maris) I've ever witnessed. To this day, there hasn't been another Triple Crown winner yet (11/15)...
  4. 1968] Premiered on this date: "Yellow Submarine", the animated movie (11/13)...1997] The Disney musical "The Lion King" opens on Broadway (11/13)...
  5. 1974] "Happy Trails": Karen Silkwood, 28, a technician and union activist from Oklahoma who inspired a movie of her life, is killed in a suspicious car crash (11/13)...
  6. 1979] Vote for the "Gipper": Former California Governor Ronald Reagan announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination while visiting New York (11/13)...
  7. 1979] 'Chocolate Thunder': 76er Darryl Dawkins shatters a fiberglass backboard doing a monster dunk in Kansas City and starts a new fad that provides ESPN with about a million 'Sports Update' show opens (11/13)...
  8. 1986] It's a family affair: Doubleday Publishing agrees to sell the Mets to Nelson Doubleday & Fred Wilpon for $80.7 million (11/14). The publishing company bought the team for a then-record $21.1 million in 1980...
  9. 1996] Wedding Bells: Michael Jackson and mother-for-hire Deborah Rowe make it official (11/14)...1998] Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman marry but there's some debate over who wore the bridal gown (11/14). The marriage ends in 9 days. So what took so long???
  10. 2004] McGrieved: New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey leaves office 3 months after resigning due to a gay extra-marital affair. State Senator Richard Codey takes over as interim Governor (11/15)...For more on November 13 - 15:

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Thursday, November 12, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1920] Here come de judge: Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis is elected baseball's first commissioner which brings a smile to Shorty Long's face wherever he is...
  2. 1931] A 'Nessie' sighting: The first known photo of the 'Loch Ness Monster' is taken...
  3. 1940] Premiered on this date: "Fantasia", not the singer, the Walt Disney masterpiece...
  4. 1948] Guilty as charged: Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and several other WWII Japanese leaders are sentenced to death by a war crimes tribunal...1996] Jonathan Schmitz, 26, is convicted of second-degree murder for shooting Scott Amedure, a gay man who'd revealed a crush on Schmitz on a "Jenny Jones" TV show. Schmitz is serving a 20-25 year prison term...1997] Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Yousef is serving a sentence of life without parole...2004] Scott Peterson is sentenced to death for murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay. Peterson remains on death row...
  5. 1954] Closed for renovations: Ellis Island closes after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892...
  6. 1987] AIDS ban banned: The AMA issues a policy statement saying it was unethical for a doctor to refuse to treat someone solely because that person has AIDS or is HIV-positive...
  7. 1993] "Happy Trails": H.R. Haldeman, a former Nixon White House chief of staff, dies of undisclosed causes at 67...
  8. 1998] Wedding Bells: Daimler-Benz, Chrysler and baby Daimler-Chrysler unite...
  9. 2001] Belle Harbor hell: American Airlines flight 587 crashes in Belle Harbor, Queens shortly after taking off in perfect weather, from JFK, taking more than 260 lives...
  10. 2006] Breaking a record: Gerald R. Ford surpasses Ronald Reagan as the longest-lived U.S. president at 93 years and 121 days. Ford will pass away the following month...For more on November 12:

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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

(Veterans Day) Wednesday, November 11, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1918] Armistice Day: World War I ends when the Allies and Germany sign an armistice a.k.a. "Armistice Day". Many countries refer to Veterans Day as Remembrance Day...
  2. 1921] Dedication Day: The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated at Arlington Cemetery by U.S. President Warren Harding...
  3. 1938] The Philadelphia Flyers take note: Kate Smith sings Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" for the 1st time on network radio...
  4. 1940] Debuted on this date: The Jeep, manufactured for the war effort...
  5. 1972] 'Happy Trails': Berry Oakley (Allman Brothers) is killed in a motorcycle accident one year and 13 days after Duane Allman met the same fate - and just 3 blocks away. Oakley was 24...2004] Palestinian leader, controversial Yasser Arafat dies in Paris at 75. Israel does not sing 'Happy Trails'...
  6. 1984] The gift that keeps on giving: President Ronald Reagan accepts the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as a gift to the nation from the Vietnam Memorial Fund...
  7. 1986] Wedding Bells: Sperry Rand and Burroughs walk down the aisle with their baby "Unisys" becoming the second largest computer company...
  8. 1993] Dedication Day II: A bronze statue is dedicated in Washington (D.C.) to honor more than 11,000 American women who served in the Vietnam War...
  9. 1996] The Wall that heals: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund unveils "The Wall that Heals", a half-scale replica of the memorial that will tour communities throughout the U.S...
  10. 2002] MVP x 5: Barry Bonds wins the MVP award for an unprecedented fifth time...For more on November 11:

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1775] Semper Fi: The U.S. Marines are organized under authority of the Continental Congress...
  2. 1871] Dr. Livingstone, I presume?: Journalist-explorer Henry M. Stanley finds missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone in central Africa and delivers his famous greeting: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" to which Livingstone replies: "And you arrrrrre?"...
  3. 1954] Dedicated to the ones we love: The Iwo Jima Memorial is dedicated in Arlington (VA)...
  4. 1969] Debuted on this date: 'Sesame Street' on PBS...
  5. 1975] Down with the ship: The ore-hauling ship Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm in Lake Superior with all 29 crew members on board (leading to the hit by Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" or as one CBS-FM caller asked: "Can you play the 'Wreck of Ella Fitzgerald?")...
  6. 1980] Cabnapping: CBS-TV network anchor Dan Rather claims he was kidnapped in a cab but it turns out that Rather refused to pay the driver for the ride (leading to the R.E.M. hit: "What's the cab fare Kenneth?")...
  7. 1982] Memorialized: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is opened in Washington (D.C.)...
  8. 1984] Comeback Terps: Backup Maryland QB Frank Reich stages one of the greatest comebacks in college football history, throwing 6 TD passes in the 2nd half and overcoming a 31-0 deficit as the Terps beat Miami 42-40...
  9. 1993] With malice toward none: John Wayne Bobbitt is acquitted on the charge of marital sexual assault against his wife Lorena Bobbitt (aka "The Blade") who is later acquitted of malicious wounding of her husband. Apparently cutting off one's genitals is not malicious enough in Virginia...
  10. 1997] Wedding Bells: WorldCom Inc. and MCI Communications Corp. walk down the $37 billion dollar aisle, link by link and chip by chip...For more on November 10:

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Monday, November 9, 2009

Monday, November 9, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1872] Beantown's ablaze: The Great Boston Fire kills 20, causing millions of dollars in damage...
  2. 1888] The Ripper rests: Jack the Ripper kills Mary Jane Kelly, his last known victim...
  3. 1913] Great Lakes storm: More than 250 die in the most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the Great Lakes -- 19 ships are destroyed...
  4. 1938] Kristallnacht: Nazi troops and sympathizers destroy and loot Jewish buinesses, burn synagogues and kill 91 Jews. They also round up 25,000 in an event known as 'Kristallnacht' or 'Night of Broken Glass'...
  5. 1953] Supes Rule: Somehow the Supreme Court upholds a 1922 ruling that major league baseball does not come within the scope of federal antitrust laws. Were there 9 justices named Ito???
  6. 1965] Lights out: The great northeast blackout turns the lights out in 9 states and two provinces of Canada. It affects 25 million people for more than 13 hours...
  7. 1967] On the cover of Rolling Stone: The first issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is published with John Lennon gracing the cover...
  8. 1979] False alarm: NORAD computers and a military command center in Maryland detect a massive Soviet nuclear missile attack. After reviewing the raw data, guess what? No attack. Oops...
  9. 1989] Wall? What wall?: Happy Germans dance on top of the Berlin Wall as Communist East Germany opens its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the west...
  10. 2005] Suicide kills: Three suicide bombers carry out nearly simultaneous attacks on three U.S. based hotels in Amman, Jordan, killing 60 and wounding hundreds...For more on November 9:

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