Friday, June 26, 2009

(Weekend Edition) June 26 - 28, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1916] Numbers: In a game against the White Sox, the Cleveland Indians appear on the field with numbers on their sleeves. It marked the 1st time players were identified by numbers corresponding to the scorecard (6/26)…
  2. 1919] Debuted on this date: The New York Daily News publishes for the first time and it’s still here (6/26)…1981] “For Your Eyes Only” premieres starring Roger Moore as James Bond. Sheena Easton has a hit with the theme (6/26)…1987] “Dragnet” premieres starring Dan Aykroyd as Sgt. Joe Friday. Christopher Plummer, Dabney Coleman, Henry Morgan and Tom Hanks also star (6/26)…
  3. 1959] And the winner and new champ: Ingemar Johansson of Sweden knocks down heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson 7 times in the 3rd round to win the title on a TKO. One year later, Patterson becomes the 1st heavyweight to regain the title when he beats Johansson (6/26)…
  4. 1959] Curtains: The legendary Edward R. Murrow interviews Lee Remick on “Person to Person“. It’s his 500th and final guest on the CBS-TV show (6/26)…1977] Elvis Presley plays his final concert at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis (6/26). 51-days later, Elvis would be dead…
  5. 1962] Oh-no: Earl Wilson of the Red Sox pitches a 2-0 no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Wilson helps his own cause by hitting a home run in the game (6/26)…
  6. 1963] JFK goes to the Wall: The President visits the Berlin Wall and gives his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech (6/26)…
  7. 1974] “D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Richard Burton becomes divorce victim #5 for Elizabeth Taylor. He was also victim #4 after their 1st marriage (6/26)…1975] Cher divorces Sonny Bono after the pair had been together since meeting in 1962 (6/26)…
  8. 1975] 'Happy Trails': Rod Serling dies after open-heart surgery at 50 (6/28). I met Serling at LAX in the early 70s and he told me about selling his rights to "The Twilight Zone" for $1 million. He was taping "Night Gallery" and we got into a conversation about radio, his training grounds. Several months later there was a NG episode about a disc jockey (Mickey Rooney) who sells his soul to the devil. I always wondered if our talk may have inspired Serling to write that episode...2001] Legendary actor Jack Lemmon dies from cancer at 76 (6/27)...2002] The Who's John Entwistle dies from a cocaine-induced heart attack at 57 (6/27)...
  9. 1988] A time for joy, a time for tears: Proving it's never too late to get your diploma, Cyndi Lauper (Richmond Hills High) and Debbie Gibson (Merrick High) receive their high school diplomas (6/27)...
  10. 1997] A bite to the finish: Mike Tyson takes a bite out of Evander Holyfield's ear and is disqualified during their heavyweight championship rematch (6/28)...For more on June 26 - 28:

http://melphillipsnowandthen.com