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

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1760] Fight fire with fire: Boston's "Great Fire of 1760" destroys 349 shops and homes along King and Congress Streets. As a result of this fire and several others, Boston will become the first town in the nation to have professional fire fighters (3/20)...
2. 1852] Debuted on this date: Harriet Beecher Stowe's book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (subtitled 'Life Among The Lowly') is published. It's also made into a silent movie (3/20)...
3. 1952] Cleveland rocks: A riot breaks out at the "Moondog Coronation Ball" in Cleveland as Alan Freed aka 'King of The Moondogs' hosts what many consider the spark that ignited Rock 'n' Roll (3/21)...
4. 1954] The Real Hoosiers: Milan beats Muncie Central for the Indiana state high school title in the game that the movie "Hoosiers" was based on. The final score of the game was 32-30. Obviously there was no clock in use yet (3/20)...
5. 1958] "Happy Trails": Movie producer and third husband of Elizabeth Taylor, Mike Todd dies in a plane crash (aboard "Lucky Liz") (3/22). The couple had been married for just one year. Todd was 51...1978] Karl Wallenda, 73-year old patriarch of The Flying Wallendas, falls to his death while attempting to walk a cable extended between two hotels in San Juan (PR) (3/22)...1987] Dean Martin Jr. dies in a plane crash during a blizzard. Martin was serving in the Air National Guard at the time (3/21). The former member of Dino, Desi and Billy was just 35...
6. 1963] Wedding Bells: Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould walk down the aisle (3/21). The marriage will last for 8 years...1969] John Lennon and Yoko Ono rock down the aisle in Gibraltar (3/20). To commemorate what would have been their 30th anniversary in 1999, a set of postage stamps was issued in Gibraltar. Only John's death separates the two...
7. 1973] Going to Hall: Eleven weeks after he's killed on a mercy mission, Roberto Clemente is voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in a special election (3/20). The Puerto Rican star's last hit is number 3,000, a double off of the Mets' Jon Matlack on September 30, 1972. Clemente was only 38 at the time of his death...
8. 1976] Guilty as charged: Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is convicted of armed robbery for her part in a San Francisco bank holdup (3/20)...1981] Jean Harris is sentenced to 15-to-life for the murder of lover Dr. Hyman Tarnower (3/20). Harris is released, her sentence commuted by New York Governor Mario Cuomo after 12 years served in 1992...1995] Colin Ferguson is sentenced to life for the LIRR massacre in which he killed 6 people in 1993 (3/22). He serves his sentence at Attica Prison...1996] Erik and Lyle Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of their parents. Both are serving a life term in prison (3/20)...
9. 1991] City tragedies: Eric Clapton's 4-year old son Conor dies when he falls out the window of a 53rd floor apartment in Manhattan (3/20). Clapton will win a Grammy for his song written about Conor, "Tears in Heaven."...1995] Twelve are killed, more than 5,500 sickened when the nerve gas Sarin is released in the Tokyo subway system. Terrorists belonging to a doomsday cult in Japan are responsible for the attack (3/20)...
10. 2004] Gotcha: The U.S. military charges 6 soldiers with abusing inmates at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (3/20)...For more on March 20 -22:

C L I C K:

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Thursday, March 19, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1629] Welcome to the Bay State: The Massachusetts colony is founded by Englishmen. The Massachusetts state song is: "All Hail To Massachusetts" which should be replaced by the Bee Gee's "Massachusetts"...1822] The city of Boston is incorporated, something noted by Dave Loggins...
2. 1953] Oscars bring Hope: Bob Hope emcees the first televised Academy Awards Show on the network. 174 stations give viewers a look at Gary Cooper winning for "Best Actor" in "High Noon" and Shirley Booth accepting the "Best Actress" award for "Come Back Little Sheba". "The Best Picture" is "The Greatest Show On Earth"...
3. 1957] Gracing Memphis: Elvis Presley buys the mansion he names "Graceland"...
4. 1966] Glory Road: Number three ranked Texas Western upsets #1 Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament's final game to win the championship of college basketball. The Miners, composed mostly of blacks beats the Wildcats 72-65. The story was made into the movie, "Glory Road"...
5. 1976] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Buckingham Palace announces the separation of Princess Margaret and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon after 16 years of marriage. They divorce two years later...
6. 1979] CSPANing the globe: The U.S. House of Representatives begins broadcasting its day-to-day business on C-SPAN...
7. 1984] Debuted on this date: "Kate & Allie" starring Susan Saint James (Kate) and Jane Curtin (Allie). The show will run 5 seasons, ending in 1989...
8. 1987] Get the Kleenex out: TV evangelist Jim Bakker resigns as chairman of his PTL ministry amid a sex-and-money scandal involving former church secretary Jessica Hahn...
9. 2003] Shock and Awe: An American-led coalition launches a war against Iraq, beginning with the launch of U.S. Cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs aimed at Saddam Hussein near Baghdad...
10. 2007] "Happy Trails": Calvert DeForest a.k.a. Larry "Bud" Melman dies at 85 after years of poor health...For more on March 19th:

C L I C K:

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Wednesday, March 18, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1850] The stage is set: Henry Wells and William Fargo found Wells-Fargo. 159 years later they're still in business...
2. 1909] Can you hear me now?: Einar Dessau of Denmark uses a shortwave transmitter to talk to a government radio post about 6 miles away. It is believed to be the first broadcast by a 'ham' operator...
3. 1922] Slammed: Mohandas K. Gandhi is sentenced to prison in India for civil disobedience. Gandhi will serve two years of a six-year sentence...2005] Former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland is sentenced to a year in prison and four months under house arrest for corruption...
4. 1931] Premiered on this date: Schick Inc. markets the first electric razor...1961] The Poppin' Fresh "Pillsbury Dough Boy" is introduced...1968] Mel Brooks' film "The Producers" premieres, starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel. The movie wins an Oscar for "Best Screenplay"...
5. 1953] The Braves leave Beantown: Boston loses the Braves as NL President Warren Giles and all the NL team owners approve the team's decision to move to Milwaukee. They eventually wind up in Atlanta where they are now...
6. 1959] Aloha: President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Hawaii statehood bill, giving us "Hawaii Five-O"...
7. 1986] Happy Together: Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson...
8. 1990] Reunited and it feels so good: Baseball owners and players agree to a new labor agreement, ending a 32-day pre-season strike...1997] Joni Mitchell reunites with the daughter she gave up for adoption many years earlier...
9. 1992] Guilty as charged: Leona ("Queen of Mean") Helmsley is sentenced to four years in prison for tax evasion...
10. 2005] Pulling the plug: Doctors in Florida, acting on orders of a state judge, remove Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. The brain-damaged Schiavo will die 13 days later...For more on March 18th:

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 461] 'Happy Trails': St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland dies from unknown causes...1993] Legendary actress Helen Hayes dies of congestive heart failure at 92...
2. 1756] Happy Times: New York City's first St. Patrick's Day celebration is held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern...
3. 1776] Redcoats don't wear green: British forces evacuate the city of Boston during the Revolutionary War. On St. Patrick's Day? Now they're really asking for it...
4. 1897] Falling: Bob Fitzsimmons, a 167-pound middleweight KOs Gentleman Jim Corbett in the 14th round to claim the world title. After the fight, Fitzsimmons says of the 183-pound Corbett: "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."...
5. 1905] Wedding Bells: Franklin D. Roosevelt marries his distant cousin, Eleanor Roosevelt in New York City. President Theodore Roosevelt, FDR's 5th cousin, gives his niece away. Quite conveniently Eleanor doesn't have to change her last name but how distant a cousin was she???
6. 1910] Happy campers: The 'Camp Fire Girls Organization' is founded by Luther and Charlotte Gulick. Two years later they begin operation...
7. 1959] Get out of town: The Dalai Lama a.k.a. Lhama Dhondrub Tenzin Gyatso flees Tibet for India. The Chinese took over Tibet in 1950 and opposition to their regime by Tibet's Monks is causing all hell to break loose in Tibet now...2003] President George W. Bush gives Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave Iraq. He rejects the ultimatum. Tick...tick...tick...
8. 1969] This I swear: Golda Meir is sworn in as the 4th Premier of Israel...
9. 2005] I smell a rat: Rafael Palmeiro, who rats out teammate Miguel Tejada, and Sammy Sosa (who forgets how to speak English) testify before Congress saying they never used steroids. Mark McGwire, also testifying, turns into a sphinx...
10. 2008] Client 9 replaced: David Paterson is sworn in as the new Governor of New York after the Eliot Spitzer (aka 'Client 9') prostitution scandal...For more on March 17th:

C L I C K:

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Monday, March 16, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1802] The long gray line: Congress authorizes the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (NY)...
2. 1881] The Circus is in town: The Barnum and Bailey Circus debuts...
3. 1912] Cherry pie: Mrs. William Howard Taft plants the first cherry tree in Washington (DC). Skip and Flip sing the National Anthem followed by "Cherry Pie"...
4. 1968] My-Lai, My-God: U.S. troops under the direction of Lt. William L. Calley Jr. destroy a Vietnam village consisting mostly of women and children, killing hundreds. The event is know as the 'My-Lai Massacre."...
5. 1970] "Happy Trails": Tammi Terrell dies from a malignant brain tumor just a month and a half away from her 25th birthday. She had collapsed on stage in October of 1967 while singing with Marvin Gaye...
6. 1978] Kidnapped: Italian politician Aldo Moro is kidnapped by left-wing guerillas. Moro is later found murdered by the group...
7. 1988] Guilty as charged: Former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter, former White House aide Oliver L. North and two others are indicted on charges relating to the Iran-Contra affair. The convictions of Poindexter and North are thrown out...1994] Tonya Harding pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for covering up the attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan and is fined $100,000...
8. 1991] Country tragedy: Seven members of Reba McEntire's band and her road manager are killed when their private plane goes down near the California border with Mexico. Luckily Reba was on another plane...
9. 2002] Wedding Bells: Liza Minelli makes her fourth trip down the aisle when she marries her producer and boyfriend David Gest. It took more than five years to work out a settlement...
10. 2002] Fan tragedy: Thirteen-year old hockey fan Brittanie Cecil is hit by a puck during an NHL game between her hometown Columbus Blue Jackets and the Calgary Flames. She dies 2 days later from her injuries...For more on March 16th:

C L I C K:

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

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 44BC] Beware the Ides of March: Roman dictator Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of nobles that include Brutus and Cassius (3/15)...


2. 1954] Debuted on this date: CBS-TV debuts its "Morning Show" and any day now viewers will discover it (3/15)...


3. 1964] Guilty as charged: A Dallas jury finds Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvard Oswald (3/14). The shooting was seen live by about 50 million people on November 24, 1963...


4. 1964] Wedding Bells: Richard Burton becomes victim number five for Elizabeth Taylor (3/15). These two lovebirds are married for 10 years from 1964 to 1974 and then for an additional year in 1975 before finally calling it quits...


5. 1964] Screams? What screams?: Thirty-eight neighbors ignore the screams of 28-year old Kitty Genovese being stabbed to death in a Queens neighborhood (3/13)...


6. 1967] WRKO is born: WNAC changes call letters and formats to WRKO. Boston's new top 40 giant replaces the Yankee Network Flagship personality/talk/news station (3/13)...Click on: http://melphillipsnowandthen.com to read about the launch of WRKO


7. 1975] "Happy Trails": Aristotle Onasis, husband of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, dies of bronchial pneumonia at 69 (3/15)...1998] Child care expert Dr. Benjamin Spock dies at 94 from natural causes (3/15)...


8. 1991] Pretty slick: Exxon pays $1 billion in fines for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill they caused (3/13)...


9. 2000] Curtains: Dan Marino, the NFLs most prolific passer gives his farewell speech after 17 years with the Miami Dolphins (3/13). In 2005, Marino is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton (OH)...


10. 2002] Celebrity boxing: Tonya Harding finds a new calling in the ring where she beats up Paula Jones. On the same card, Barry Williams loses to Danny Bonaduce and Todd Bridges defeats Vanilla Ice on 'Celebrity Boxing'. TV hits an all-time low (3/13)...

Thursday, March 12, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1664] The Redcoats are on the turnpike: New Jersey becomes a British colony as King Charles II grants land in the new world to his brother James, the Duke of York after conferring with Tony Soprano who gets the 'vig'...
2. 1894] Things go better with Coke, like bottles: Coca Cola is sold in bottles for the first time...
3. 1912] Order your cookies: Juliette Gordon Low founds the "Girl Guides" which will become the 'Girl Scouts of America'...
4. 1923] In 4, 3, 2: Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrates phonofilm, a technique that adds sound to motion picture film...
5. 1951] Debuted on this date: "Dennis the Menace" created by Hank Ketcham, makes its syndicated debut in 16 newspapers...
6. 1966] What the Hull?: Chicago's Bobby Hull becomes the first NHL player to score 51 points in a single season on a goal in a game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden...
7. 1969] Wedding Bells: Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman rock down the aisle. They will be married until Linda's untimely death in 1998...
8. 1980] Guilty as charged: A jury finds John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of murdering 33 men and boys. Gacy will be executed in May of 1994...1997] LAPD arrest Mikail Markhasev in the shooting death of 27-year old Ennis Cosby, Bill Cosby's son. Markhasev is serving life with no parole...
9. 2002] In living color: Homeland security chief Tom Ridge unveils a color-coded system for terror warnings. If you're color-blind, you're out of luck...
10. 2003] Getting Smart: Elizabeth Smart is reunited with her family 9 months after being abducted from her home. She was kidnapped in June of 2002 by a drifter who had previously done work at her family's home...For more on March 12th:

C L I C K:

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1888] The Blizzard of '88: Referred to as 'The Great White Hurricane", the blizzard shuts down communication and transportation along the Atlantic Seaboard and more than 400 will die...
2. 1901] Man of Steel: U.S. Steel is forged when industrialist J.P. Morgan purchases the Carnegie Steel Corporation. The sale makes Andrew Carnegie the world's richest man...
3. 1927] Debuted on this date: Samuel Roxy Rothafel opens the world-famous Roxy Theatre in Manhattan...1930] President William Howard Taft becomes our first president to be buried in Arlington's National Cemetery...1969] Levi-Strauss begins selling bell-bottom jeans...1989] The reality-based "Cops" debuts on Fox where it still resides on Saturday nights...
4. 1942] Big Mac: With Japanese forces advancing in the Pacific during WWII, General Douglas MacArthur leaves the Philippines for Australia vowing "I Shall Return". He does...
5. 1986] Stick it: Popsickle announces its plan to end the traditional twin-stick Popsicle for a one-stick model. How do you split one stick?...
6. 1993] Confirmation day: Janet Reno is confirmed by the Senate to be the nation's first female attorney general...
7. 1995] Picabo, I see you: Picabo Street becomes the first U.S. woman to win a gold medal in downhill at the world championships in Spain...
8. 1996] Cleveland sits Shiva: The city of Cleveland mourns the decision made by NFL owners to allow Art Modell to move the Browns to Baltimore where they become the Ravens. Cleveland gets revenge by keeping the Browns name, a new team to replace the original one and a lifetime supply of gift-certificates to Modell's...
9. 2002] Lighting up the night: Two columns of light reach to the heavens from ground zero in Manhattan as a temporary memorial to the victims of 911. The search lights could be seen in all 5 boroughs. What a sight!...
10. 2004] Terror in Spain: Bombs explode in quick succession across the commuter rail system in Madrid killing 191 and wounding more than 2,000 as terrorists linked to al-Qaida strike...For more on March 11th:

C L I C K:

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Tuesday, March 10, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1876] Can you hear me now?: The first successful voice transmission over Alexander Graham Bell's telephone takes place in Boston when his assistant hears, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want you." Mr. Watson replies, "how exactly do you mean that?"...
2. 1949] Guilty as charged: Nazi wartime broadcaster Mildred E. Gillars a.k.a. "Axis Sally" is convicted of treason and will serve 12 years in prison...1969] James Earl Ray pleads 'guilty' to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. but will later repudiate his plea and maintain his innocence until his death in 1998...2004] Teenage Washington (D.C.) sniper Lee Boyd Malvo is sentenced to life in prison in Virginia...
3. 1965] The Odd Couple: The play opens on Broadway with Walter Matthau and Art Carney as Oscar and Felix. Jack Klugman will replace Matthau and Tony Randall replaces Carney when the TV series starts...
4. 1966] 'Happy Trails': Five-time 'Horse of the Year', the mighty Kelso retires. The gelding lives a long life, passing away in October, 1983...1980] Scarsdale Diet guru, Dr. Hyman Tarnower is murdered by his lover, Jean Harris who will be pardoned in 1992 by Governor Mario Cuomo after serving time in a penitentiary...1988] Andy Gibb dies suddenly of heart inflammation at the age of 30...
5. 1971] Vote for me: The Senate lowers the voting age to 18...
6. 1980] Debuted on this date: Willard Scott debuts as weather man on "The Today Show"...
7. 1983] Going to Hall: Walter Alston who began his career as manager of the Dodgers in Brooklyn is elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame...
8. 1993] Gunned down: Dr. David Gunn is shot to death outside a Pensacola (FL) abortion clinic...
9. 2002] Yasser pinned: Israeli helicopters destroy Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office in Gaza City, hours after 11 Israelis are killed in a suicide bombing in a cafe across the street from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's residence in Jerusalem...
10. 2005] Wacko Jacko: Wearing pajamas and twirling an umbrella, Michael Jackson shows up one hour late to his trial. A back injury is given as MJ's excuse, however there's no excuse offered for his bizarre behavior...For more on March 10th:

C L I C K:

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Monday, March 9, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1822] Something to sink your teeth into: Charles M. Graham receives the first patent for false teeth...
2. 1862] What's the tie-breaker?: During the Civil War, the ironclad Monitor and Virginia (formerly the Merrimac) fight to a draw in a 5-hour battle at Hampton Roads (VA)...
3. 1954] TVs finest hour: On "See It Now" Edward R. Murrow takes a stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy and his communist witch hunt with a hard hitting interview of the Wisconsin Senator...
4. 1954] Not TVs finest hour: WNBT (now WNBC) New York runs the first local color TV commercial for Castro Convertible as Bernadette Castro makes the couch into a bed for the first time...
5. 1955] Debuted on this date: James Dean debuts in "East of Eden". Dean will make two more movies: "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Giant" before his short life ends in an auto crash in September of '55...1959] Happy Birthday to the Barbie Doll, 50 years young today...1964] The first Ford Mustang rolls off the assembly line...
6. 1976] Cadettes join the Cadets: The first female cadets are accepted at the West Point Military Academy...
7. 1981] Rather: Dan Rather makes his debut as principal anchorman on The CBS Evening News replacing Walter Cronkite...2005] Not: Rather signs off for the last time as principal anchorman of The CBS Evening News...
8. 1985] Blowin' in the wind: "Gone With The Wind" goes on sale in video stores for the first time...
9. 1992] "Happy Trails": Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin who had a history of heart trouble, dies at 78 from natural causes...1996] Legendary comedian George Burns joins Gracie at age 100...2007] Boston lead singer Brad Delp is found dead in his New Hampshire home. Delp, 55, died from the smoke of two charcoal grills he lit inside his sealed bathroom. Found by his girlfriend, he had a suicide note pinned to his shirt...
10. 2004] Guilty as charged: Convicted Washington, D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad is sentenced to death in Virginia. He remains on death row in Maryland...For more on March 9th:

C L I C K:

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(Weekend Edition) March 6 - 8, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1876] Can you hear me now?: Alexander Graham Bell receives U.S. Patent no. 174,465 for something called the telephone (3/7). 1926] Fifty years later the first successful trans-Atlantic radio-telephone conversation takes place between New York City and London (3/7)...
2. 1930] TV to follow: Clarence Birdseye develops a method for quick-freezing food. It will be known as the TV dinner (3/6)...
3. 1964] Wedding Bells: Elizabeth Taylor steals Eddie Fisher away from wife Debbie Reynolds. They will eventually marry and their relationship will last 5 years... (3/6)...
4. 1971] A Sports trilogy begins: Muhammad Ali loses a decision to undefeated heavyweight champ Joe Frazier (3/8). This is the first of 3 fights between two of the best heavyweights ever...
5. 1978] Gunned down: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt is shot and paralyzed permanently by a sniper in Georgia who objected to an interracial couple appearing in the magazine (3/6)...
6. 1981] 'And that's the way it is': The words of Walter Cronkite who does his final "CBS Evening News" report which started on April 16, 1962 (3/6)...
7. 1983] The Evil Empire: It's neither the Yankees or Red Sox, it's the Soviet Union. President Ronald Reagan calls the USSR an "Evil Empire" (3/8)...
8. 1993] Neighborhood crime: A woman is gang-raped on a pool table in a New Bedford (MA) tavern. Four men are later convicted in a case that rocks the nation (3/6)...2000] Three white NYPD officers are convicted of a cover-up in a police station attack on Haitian immigrant Abner Louima (3/6)...
9. 1999] "Happy Trails": Baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio, the 'Yankee Clipper' dies at 84 after never fully recovering from lung cancer surgery in the fall of 1998 (3/8)...
10. 2006] Patent no longer pending: Apple Inc. is granted the patent to the iPod (3/7)...For more on March 6 - 8:

C L I C K:

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Thursday, March 5, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1770] Boston Massacre: It started with a crowd of colonists taunting British soldiers and escalated into the infamous 'Boston Massacre' with 5 Americans killed. Two Brits will later be convicted of manslaughter...
2. 1963] 'Happy Trails': Legendary Country artist Patsy Cline dies in a small plane crash in Camden (TN) returning from a Kansas City benefit for the widow of a local disc jockey. Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Patsy's pilot/manager were also killed...1982] John Belushi dies of a drug overdose in a Hollywood hotel room. Belushi was just 33...
3. 1966] Man of Steel: Steel union official Marvin Miller is selected as executive director of the MLBPA, the baseball players union. Major League players should kiss the ground Miller walks on for their inflated salaries...
4. 1969] Creem rises: Creem Magazine is published for the first time, aimed at competing with Rolling Stone Magazine. They fail to do so...
5. 1973] Wife swap: Yankees pitchers Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich arrive at spring training and announce that they have swapped wives, children and dogs. Within two years both players are gone from baseball. Had Fox been around, this would have been the first reality series...
6. 1993] He'll be back: Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs retires after winning 3 Super Bowls in 12 years. Gibbs becomes a successful racing car team owner in NASCAR but will return to the NFL as coach of the Redskins several years later...
7. 1993] Myopic vision: Cuban President Fidel Castro says that Hillary Clinton "is a beautiful woman." When asked how many fingers a reporter is holding up, Castro replies, "what reporter?" ...
8. 2001] Keeps on tickin': VP Dick Cheney undergoes angioplasty for a partially blocked artery...
9. 2002] This Ozzy is not a Nelson: MTV begins airing "The Osbournes." TV goes downhill from there...
10. 2004] Not a good thing: Martha Stewart is convicted of obstructing justice and lying to the government about why she unloaded Imclone stocks just before the price dropped. Bernie Madoff takes notes...For more on March 5th:

C L I C K:

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1789] Congress takes a bite out of the Apple: The Constitution goes into effect as the first Congress convenes in New York...
2. 1826] All aboard: The Granite Railway in Quincy (MA) becomes the first chartered railroad in America...
3. 1861] This I swear: Sworn in on this date: Abraham Lincoln...1913] Our 28th President, Woodrow Wilson...1933] Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
4. 1902] Triple A: The American Automobile Association is founded in Chicago...
5. 1950] Premiered on this date: Walt Disney's 'Cinderella'...
6. 1952] Wedding Bells: Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis tie the knot...1989] Time Inc. and Warner Communications announce a planned merger...
7. 1954] Transplanted: The first successful kidney transplant is achieved at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston. Unfortunately it was supposed to be a lung transplant. Kidding...
8. 1968] Smokin' Joe: Joe Frazier wins the vacated (by Muhammad Ali) heavyweight championship with an 11th round KO of Buster Mathis at Madison Square Garden...
9. 1990] 'Happy Trails': One of the leading scorers in NCAA history, Hank Gathers of Loyola Marymount suddenly collapses and dies during a game against Portland at 23. Gathers who was projected as a 1st round pick suffered from a heart muscle disorder...1996] Grand Ole Opry fixture, Minnie Pearl dies from complications of a stroke at 83...
10. 2005] A good thing: Martha Stewart imprisoned for 5 months for her role in a stock scandal, leaves prison to start 5 months of home confinement, wearing a stylish ankle bracelet...For more on March 4th:

C L I C K:

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1887] Signing In: Anne Sullivan arrives at the Alabama home of Capt. and Mrs. Arthur H. Keller to become the teacher of Helen, their blind and deaf 6-year-old daughter...
2. 1931] Star spangled: President Herbert Hoover signs into law our first national anthem, Francis Scott Key's "Defense of Fort McHenry" a.k.a. "The Star Spangled Banner"...
3. 1959] 'Happy Trails': Lou Costello of the legendary Abbott and Costello comedy duo, suffers a fatal heart attack 3 days shy of his 53rd birthday...
4. 1969] This is test: Apollo 9 is launched on a mission to test the lunar module that will be used in the moon landings...
5. 1984] The new commish: Peter Ueberroth, president of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee is elected as the 6th commissioner of baseball effective October 1. Well, he looked good, anyway...
6. 1985] Premiered on this date: "Moonlighting" starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis on ABC-TV. This terrific series ran until May of 1989...
7. 1991] Hell breaks loose in L.A.: Motorist Rodney King is severely beaten by LAPD officers in a scene captured on amateur video tape...
8. 1992] Hang him high: Islanders' great Mike Bossy becomes the second Islander to have his uniform (#22) hoisted to the rafters at Nassau Coliseum. Dennis Potvin's #5 was the first one...
9. 1995] Stalking slowly: A stalker is arrested while trying to break into Roberta Flack's Manhattan apartment but the singer starts playing "Killing Me Softly" on the piano and the stalker falls into a coma...
10. 2005] Up, up and away: Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, touching down in central Kansas after a 67-hour, 23,000 mile journey. In September, 2007 Fossett vanished while flying. He was legally declared dead in 2008...For more on March 3rd:

C L I C K:

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Monday, March 2, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1776] Musket rumble: Americans begin shelling British troops in Boston. Hand me my musket...
2. 1877] Heads it's Hayes, tails it's Tilden: Rutherford B. Hayes is declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election by Congress despite Samuel Tilden winning the popular vote...
3. 1903] Martha Washington slept here: The Martha Washington Hotel opens for business in New York City becoming the first hotel exclusively for women...
4. 1917] Viva Puerto Rico: Citizens of Puerto Rico are granted U.S. citizenship with the enactment of the Jones Act...
5. 1923] Time after time: TIME hits the newsstands for the first time...
6. 1933] Fay Wray sighting: The original "King Kong" world premieres at the Roxy and Radio City Music Hall theaters in Manhattan...
7. 1939] Take your time Bay State: The Massachusetts legislature votes to ratify the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. These 10 amendments had gone into effect 147 years earlier but why rush???
8. 1951] B-ball All-Stars: The first NBA All-Star game is played at Boston Garden as Easy Ed McCauley of the Celtics leads the East to a 111-94 victory over the West. A crowd of 10,094 were on hand to witness the game created by league publicity man Haskell Cohen and Celtic founder Walter Brown...1962] Wilt Chamberlain drops 100 points on (who else?) the Knicks...
9. 1969] Espo '69: Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito becomes the first NHL player to score 100 or more points in a season...
10. 2005] The toll rises: The number of U.S. military deaths in Iraq reach 1,500. Sad to say that today that toll is over 4,200...For more on March 2nd:

C L I C K:

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(Weekend Edition) February 27 - March 1, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1854] Having a grand old time: The Republican Party is organized in Ripon (WI) when fifty opponents of slavery start the new political party (2/28)...
2. 1932] Kidnapped: The 22-month old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh is kidnapped from the family house near Hopewell (NJ) (3/1). The baby's lifeless body will be found in May...
3. 1949] L'chaim: Chaim Weizmann becomes the first Israeli President. Break out the Manischewitz and challah (2/27)...
4. 1949] Curtains: The legendary Joe Louis who held the heavyweight title longer than any fighter in history, retires with a record of 63-3 with 49 KOs and 25 successful title defenses (3/1)...1969] Mickey Mantle tells the Yankees: "I can't hit anymore" and with that, retires (3/1). Number 7 will return in June for "Mickey Mantle Day" at Yankee Stadium. The Mick will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 with 88% of the votes...
5. 1953] What should we call it?: WJZ-AM becomes WABC in New York City (3/1)...1962] WMGM in New York changes calls to WHN (2/28)...
6. 1962] "Happy Trails": Frankie Lymon, lead singer of the Teenagers overdoses on heroin at 25 (2/28)...1974] Bobby ("Montego Bay") Bloom dies from a self-inflicted gun shot wound at 28 (2/28)...2008] Mike Smith, lead singer of the Dave Clark Five dies at 64 from pneumonia (2/28), a complication from an earlier fall...2008] "Voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers" Myron Cope passes away from respiratory failure at 79 (2/27)...2008] Conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. is found slumped at his desk. His death at 82 is attributed to the results of emphysema and diabetes (2/27)...
7. 1982] Guilty as charged: Wayne B. Williams is found guilty of murdering 2 of the 28 bodies found in the Atlanta area in a two-year period (2/27)...1990] The Exxon Corp. and Exxon Shipping are indicted on 5 criminal counts in reference to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (2/27)...
8. 1983] M*A*S*Hing the competition: The final episode of "M*A*S*H" draws a household rating of 60.2%. Seen in over 50 million homes it's still the highest rated show of all-time (2/28). The series started in September, 1972...
9. 1992] Miniature golfer: 16-year old amateur golfer Tiger Woods becomes the youngest player to compete in a PGA Tour event (The Nissan L.A. Open) and posts a one-over-par 72, just barely missing the cut (2/27)...
10. 1993] Wacko in Waco: U.S. Federal agents raid the compound of the Branch Davidians, lead by David Koresh in Waco (TX). The fifty-one day standoff will result in the killing of 4 agents and 6 Davidians, including Koresh (2/28)...For more on February 27 - March 1st:

C L I C K:

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Thursday, February 26, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1919] The original Big Dig: Congress establishes Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. You really can't enjoy the magnificence of this world wonder until you visit it...
2. 1930] Go at the green - not in between: New York City installs traffic lights. Prior to that New Yorkers start what's commonly known as 'flipping the bird'...
3. 1951] After two, you're through: The 22nd amendment to the Constitution is ratified, limiting U.S. Presidents to two terms in office...
4. 1955] The '45' rules: Billboard Magazine reports that the 45 rpm single is outselling 78's for the first time...
5. 1987] Slapping the wrist: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for failing to control his national security staff in the Iran-Contra hearing...
6. 1990] In cold blood: Cornell Gunter of the Coasters is murdered in Las Vegas while sitting in his car. Gunter was just 53...
7. 1991] Saddam backs down: Iraq's President Saddam Hussein orders his troops to withdraw from Kuwait...
8. 1993] The first WTC bombing: Six are killed and more than one thousand injured when a van explodes in the World Trade Center parking garage. An act of terrorism by Islamic extremists and a precursor to something far worse in 2001...
9. 1998] O no, you don't: A Texas jury rejects an $11 million lawsuit by cattlemen who blamed Oprah Winfrey for a price drop after her on-air comments about mad-cow disease. To show her appreciation Miss O buys everyone in her audience a year's supply of steak and steak knives...
10. 2007] Shaq attack: Shaquille O'Neal passes the 25,000 point mark for his career in the Heat's losing effort to the Knicks, 99-93. Shaq becomes the 7th player to reach 25,000 points and 10,000 rebounds...For more on February 26th:

C L I C K:

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1836] Run and gun: Inventor Samuel Colt receives a patent for the Colt .45 - the gun not the malt liquor...
2. 1940] Dropping the puck: The Rangers and Montreal play the first televised NHL game on W2XBS in New York, using just one camera in a fixed position. The Rangers beat the Canadiens 6-2 at Madison Square Garden...
3. 1950] Debuted on this date: "Your Show of Shows" debuts on NBC-TV. Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris become household names. Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Neil Simon were writers on the show...
4. 1964] Eat your words: That's what Cassius Clay told Sonny Liston after upsetting Liston to win the heavyweight crown. Liston couldn't answer the bell for round 7...
5. 1983] 'Happy Trails': Playwright Tennessee Williams is found in his New York hotel suite after choking on a bottle cap. Williams was 71...
6. 1989] This Cowboy gets roped: After 29 seasons and 2 Super Bowl Championships as Dallas coach, Tom Landry is dumped by new Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson replaces Landry...
7. 1994] Holy Cow: That was the reaction by Phil Rizzuto when told he was finally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame at age 76...
8. 1994] Lucy faced: Bad girl Tonya Harding puts the 'Peanuts' Lucy face on when a last-minute loose skate lace turns her from lutzing contender to klutzy pretender in the Olympics...
9. 1997] Guilty as charged: A jury in Media (PA) convicts multimillionaire John E. DuPont of third-degree murder but decides he was mentally ill when killing world-class wrestler and neighbor, David Schultz...2005] Municipal employee and church leader Dennis Rader is arrested for the BTK serial killings that terrorized Wichita, Kansas. Rader is now serving 10 years to life...
10. 2000] Acquitted: A jury in Albany (NY) acquits four NYPD officers of second-degree murder and lesser charges in the February, 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo...For more on February 25th:

C L I C K:

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1868] Phat Tuesday: The first parade to use floats? The New Orleans Mardi Gras on this date...
2. 1903] Guantanamo-ra: An area in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased to the U.S. for use as a naval base. The clock is ticking on GB under the Obama administration...
3. 1980] Winter Gold: The U.S. hockey team wins a gold medal after beating Finland 4-2 at the Lake Placid Winter Games...1994] Figure skater Oksana Baiul of the Ukraine injures her back in practice but two days later beats Nancy Kerrigan to win a gold medal at Lillehammer, Norway
4. 1981] Murder she wrote: Jean Harris is convicted of murdering Scarsdale Diet Doctor (Tarnower). HBO makes a movie out of it in 2006...
5. 1987] The King and I: Larry King suffers a heart attack requiring quintuple bypass surgery...
6. 1989] Is that plant moving?: Stalker Margaret Ray is found in David Letterman's home in Connecticut claiming to be his wife. Letterman is not amused...
7. 1992] Wayne's World: The movie starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey opens in U.S. theaters. Schhhwiiiing!!!
8. 1994] Saturday Night Alive: Garrett Morris is shot during a robbery but eventually recovers from his wounds...
9. 1998] "Happy Trails": Legendary comedian Henny Youngman dies from pneumonia at 91...
10. 2008] Oscar gold: "No Country For Old Men" wins the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 80th awards show...For more on February 24th:

C L I C K:

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Monday, February 23, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1822] Please come to Boston: The city of Boston is incorporated...
2. 1836] Remember the Alamo: The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio (TX)...
3. 1896] Rockin' the Tootsie Roll: The Tootsie Roll is introduced by transplanted European Leo Hirshfield. The Tootsie Pop came along in 1931. Tell me there's anything better than cherry TPs...
4. 1927] Let the fun begin: President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill creating the Federal Radio Commission. On July 1, 1934 the name will be changed to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...
5. 1954] Salkin' it to ya: The first mass inoculation of children against polio using the Salk vaccine begins in Pittsburgh...
6. 1965] "Happy Trails": Stan Laurel (Laurel & Hardy) dies in his sleep following a heart attack at 74...1995] Melvin Franklin, bass singer of the Temptations dies from heart failure at 52...
7. 1983] Big Bucks for a Bulldog: Junior running back Herschel Walker of Georgia becomes the highest paid player in football history when he signs a $1.5 million a year contract with Donald Trump's New Jersey Generals of the USFL...
8. 1997] Madman goes berserk: A Palestinian madman opens fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building, killing one person and wounding six before taking his own life. A classmate of my son Robert, Matt Gross was shot in the head and suffered permanent brain damage. Matt's brother Daniel started a successful anti-violence group...
9. 1997] Hello Dolly: Scientists in Scotland confirm the successful cloning of the lamb named Dolly...
10. 1999] Guilty as charged: A jury in Jasper (TX) convicts white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of a black man - James Byrd Jr...For more on February 23rd:

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

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1792] Going postal: George Washington signs the Postal Service Act, creating the U.S. Post Office (2/20). NRA membership is given to each new employee..
2. 1879] Five and dime: Frank W. Woolworth opens his first '5 and 10 cent' store (2/22) in Utica (NY)...
3. 1925] Debuted on this date: The New Yorker Magazine is published (2/21)...1931] Alka Seltzer is introduced with a "plop, plop, fizz, fizz" (2/21)...1947] Edwin Land demonstrates the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City (2/21). It's the first camera to take, develop and print a black and white print in 60 seconds. The camera will go on sale in 1948...
4. 1958] Peace and love, man: The Peace symbol is designed by Gerald Holtom in protest against the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (2/21)...
5. 1962] Going in circles: John Glenn makes space history, orbiting the earth 3 times to become the first American to orbit the earth aboard 'Friendship 7' (2/20)...
6. 1965] In cold blood: Malcolm X is assassinated at the Audobon Ballroom in Manhattan at the age of 39 (2/21). Three Black Muslims are charged and jailed for the murder...2002] The State Department declares Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl dead, one month after he had been abducted by Islamic extremists in Pakistan (2/21)...
7. 1976] "Happy Trails": Original Supreme, Florence Ballard is the victim of a fatal heart attack (2/22). At 32, she was living on welfare after being fired from the Supremes 9 years earlier. Ballard leaves 3 children...1982] Murray the K (Kaufman) is a victim of cancer at 60 (2/21)...1987] Pop Art guru Andy Warhol dies from a heart attack in his sleep following gall bladder surgery. Warhol was 58 (2/22)...1999] Movie critic Gene Siskel dies from complications following brain surgery at 53 (2/20)...2006] Curt Gowdy loses his long battle with leukemia at 86 (2/20). Curt's funeral procession circles Fenway Park before he's interred...
8. 1980] Olympic Gold: Al Michaels makes the call: "Do you believe in miracles?" as the U.S. Hockey team beats the Russians in a semi-final game (2/22). Two nights later they beat Finland for the gold...1998] American Tara Lipinski, 15, is the youngest gold medalist in Winter Olympic history when she wins the Ladies figure skating title in Nagano (2/20)...2002] 16-year old Great Neck North student Sarah Hughes shocks the world by winning the women's figure skating gold medal at the Salt Lake City games (2/21)...
9. 1988] I cried a tear: TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart tearfully confesses to his congregation in Baton Rouge (LA) that he was guilty of an "unspecified sin" and temporarily leaves the pulpit (2/21). Reports that he had taken up with a prostitute are later confirmed by him...
10. 2003] Death by fire: Fire breaks out in a West Warwick (RI) club killing 100 including Great White guitarist Ty Longley. Two hundred are injured (2/20). Law suits are still being settled 6 years later...For more on February 20 -22: C L I C K:

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Thursday, February 19, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1878] Something to play your records on: Thomas Alva Edison patents a music player - the phonograph is born...
2. 1942] Internment: Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an executive order giving the military authority to relocate and intern Japanese-Americans...
3. 1953] Splendid indeed: Ted Williams, a Marine pilot since 1951, escapes after crash-landing his F-9 Panther after being hit in Korea. He climbs down from the cockpit just before the plane explodes...
4. 1966] The Joe Pa era begins: Joe Paterno moves from assistant head coach of Penn State, where he began at the school in 1950, to head coach replacing Rip Engle. Forty-three years later he's still head coach...
5. 1977] I beg your pardon: President Gerald Ford pardons Iva Toguri D'Aquino aka "Tokyo Rose"...
6. 1984] Winter gold: Twin brothers Phil and Steve Mahre finish 1-2 in the men's slalom on the final day of the Sarajevo Winter Olympics...
7. 1985] This is a new drink?: Cherry Coke is introduced by Coca-Cola. This is a drink that was discovered a lot earlier than that in every neighborhood of New York City along with the Egg-Cream - apparently not in Atlanta...
8. 1987] The smoking light goes out: A controversial anti-smoking commercial airs for the first time on network TV. It features Yul Brynner who would soon die from lung cancer resulting from his heavy smoking...
9. 1995] Wedding Bells: Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson rock down the aisle. This relationship has had more ups and downs than the light switch on your wall...
10. 2008] Adios Fidel: Fidel Castro announces that he will resign as President of Cuba. Brother Raul succeeds him...For more on February 19th: C L I C K:

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1885] Never the Twain until today: Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is published in the U.S. for the first time...
2. 1930] The dwarf planet: Clyde Tombaugh was spinning in his grave when Pluto was designated a "dwarf" planet. Clyde discovered the former planet on this date...
3. 1951] Close shave: The biggest point-shaving scandal in college basketball history begins when three players from defending-champion CCNY, are charged with accepting bribes to throw games. They eventually admit their crimes along with 29 others from 6 schools, including powerhouse Kentucky...
4. 1953] Get those 3-D glasses out: "Bwana Devil", the first 3-D movie opens in New York City...
5. 1953] Signed, sealed, delivered: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz sign a contract worth $8 million to continue "I Love Lucy" through 1955...
6. 1970] Guilty as charged: Five of the "Chicago 7" are found guilty of intent to incite a riot at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The convictions are later overturned...
7. 1979] Not petty at all: Richard Petty wins his 6th Daytona 500...
8. 1998] "Happy Trails": Cubs play-by-play man Harry Carey dies of a heart attack at 83...2001] Dale Earnhardt dies from injuries suffered in a crash at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt was 49...
9. 1999] Trading places: The Yankees and Toronto make a blockbuster deal: 5-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens goes from the Blue Jays to the Yankees for David Wells...
10. 2004] Not going quietly: Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean abandons his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination after going bonkers at that infamous press conference...For more on February 18th:

C L I C K:

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1801] Heads it's Jefferson, tails, it's Burr: The U.S. House of Representatives breaks an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr by picking Jefferson as President and Burr as his VP...
2. 1913] Art replaces war: The Armory Show opens at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan with paintings and sculpture on display. This show continues to be held yearly at the same Armory...
3. 1933] TIME is not on their side: Newsweek is published for the 1st time...
4. 1933] Wedding Bells: Blondie and Dagwood walk down the cartoon aisle, 3 years after they met in the papers. They celebrate their 76th wedding anniversary today...
5. 1947] VOA is born: The Voice of America begins its broadcasts to the Soviet Union...
6. 1965] Facelift #1: Joan Rivers makes her first guest appearance substituting for Johnny Carson...
7. 1968] Hooping it up: The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens to the public for the first time in Springfield (MA)...
8. 1986] Oh Howard: Howard Stern takes over the morning show at K-Rock in New York...
9. 1992] Murder Inc: In Milwaukee, mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced to life in prison. In November of 1994 he is beaten to death in prison...1995] LIRR killer Colin Ferguson is convicted on six counts of murder in the December, 1993 shootings. Ferguson will later be sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison. No tears are shed on either of these two sentences...
10. 1996] Deeply blue: World chess champion Garry Kasparov beats Deep Blue, the IBM supercomputer in Philadelphia on what would have been IBM founder Thomas Watson's 122nd birthday. Deep Blue gets revenge when it beats Kasparov in 1997...For more on February 17th:

C L I C K:

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(Presidents Day Edition) February 16, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1868] Benevolent and Protective: 'The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks' is formed in New York City (what the devil does the BPOE do besides being benevolent and protective???)...
2. 1883] Ladies Day: The Ladies Home Journal begins publication. Their first issue is a shocker: 'Are hems on bathing suits being raised to above the ankles?' Say it isn't so...
3. 1946] Whirlybird heaven: The first commercially designed helicopter is unveiled and tested in Bridgeport (CT)...
4. 1948] A new career for Ed Herlihy: NBC-TV begins airing its first nightly newscast featuring Fox and Movietone newsreels...
5. 1959] Have a cigar: Fidel Castro seizes power in Cuba after the overthrow of President Fulgencio Batista...
6. 1968] My old stomping grounds gets famous: The first 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville (AL) where I started my radio career at WJBB at 18...
7. 1970] The winner and new champ: Joe Frazier begins his reign as undefeated heavyweight champ by knocking out Jimmy Ellis in 5 rounds. Frazier keeps his title until losing it to George Foreman in January, 1973. It will be Frazier's first professional defeat...
8. 1982] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Lee Majors and Farrah Fawcett say "I don't", divorcing after separating in 1979. The marriage lasted almost 9 years...1989] Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden split up after 16 years of marriage...
9. 1984] Winter gold: 23-year old Bill Johnson becomes the first American to win Olympic downhill skiing gold at Sarajevo...
10. 1990] Busted: Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison on cocaine charges...For more on February 16th:

C L I C K:

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

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1635] School bells ring and children sing: Boston Latin is founded. It is our nation's first public school. The school will open on April 23, 1635 (2/13)...
2. 1903] Oh won't you be my teddy bear: Russian immigrants Morris and Rose Michtom introduce the first teddy bear to America (2/15)...
3. 1914] Hello - Royalties: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers aka ASCAP is formed in New York City (2/13)...
4. 1929] Happy Valentine's Day: The 'St. Valentine's Day Massacre' in Chicago takes 7 lives. All of the mobsters killed were rivals of Al Capone (2/14)...2007] The 'Valentine's Day Blizzard', a nor-easter, starts on February 12th and won't end until February 20th. It peaks on Valentine's Day, killing 37 and dumping 48" of snow in Stowe (VT). The storm affects the east coast from Philadelphia to New England and midwest from Nebraska to Ohio (2/12 - 2/20)...
5. 1954] Century mark: Eight years before Wilt Chamberlain drops 100 points on the Knicks, Furman's Frank Selvy scores 100 against Newberry College in a 149-95 victory (2/13). Both schools are in South Carolina. If you had the under 244 points - you lose...
6. 1962] Hi, I'm Jackie your tour guide: First lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives us a televised tour of the White House (2/14)...
7. 1965] "Happy Trails": Nat "King" Cole passes away from lung cancer at 46 (2/15). Cole was a heavy smoker...1984] Ethel Merman dies from an inoperable brain tumor at 76 (2/15)...2002] Country outlaw singer Waylon Jennings dies in his sleep, a victim of diabetes at 64 (2/13)...2008] Legendary Boston radio and television personality Jess Cain dies from prostate cancer at 81 (2/14)...2008] American businessman, aviator and adventurer Steve Fossett is declared legally dead after missing since September 3, 2007 (2/15). Fossett was 63...
8. 1976] Gold Standard: Dorothy Hamill wins a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and captures the hearts of Americans with her youthful innocence, good looks and flawless style (2/13)...
9. 1989] No green bananas for you: Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, author of "The Satanic Verses". Rushdie continues to live despite the death warrant (2/14)...
10. 2005] YouTube sees the light: YouTube is launched in the U.S. (2/15)...For more on February 13 - 15:

C L I C K:

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Thursday, February 12, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1809] Honest: If my math is correct, Abraham Lincoln would have been 200 today. I'll have to check with Williard Scott on that. Honest Abe's birthday became a national holiday in 1892 when he would have been 83. Of course that celebration was taken away from Lincoln and Washington in lieu of 'President's Day', Feb. 16th this year...1915] The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial is laid in Washington, D.C...
2. 1909] Advancing the cause: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is organized...
3. 1924] First in the nation: Calvin Coolidge makes his first presidential political speech on radio...
4. 1971] 'Happy Trails': James Cash (J.C.) Penney dies from natural causes at 95. Penney's closes its stores for half a day. They couldn't close for a full day??? 1983] Ragtime pianist, the great Eubie Blake passes away peacefully, 5 days after his 100th birthday...2000] Charles M. Schulz, creator of 'Peanuts' dies from cancer at 77...2000] Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry, who led the Dallas Cowboys to 5 Super Bowls, winning 3, passes away from leukemia at 75...
5. 1976] Murder in Hollywood: 37-year old actor Sal Mineo is found murdered in his driveway, the victim of a botched robbery attempt...
6. 1989] Vote for me: Tiny Tim declares himself a New York City mayoral candidate but changes his mind...
7. 1999] Free at last: Bill Clinton is acquitted of impeachment charges by the Senate...
8. 2004] The best part of breaking up: Mattel announces the breakup of 'Barbie' and 'Ken'. The pair met on the set of their first TV commercial in 1961. America's favorite couple has since reconciled...
9. 2006] Nor'easter: A powerful Nor'easter blankets the Northeast dumping 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington, D.C. to New England. We got an exaggerated 26.9" of snow, an all-time record in New York...
10. 2007] Trolley Square shooting: A beserk gunman opens fire at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City killing 6, including himself...For more on February 12th:

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1960] I kid you not: Jack Paar walks off "The Tonight Show" over network censorship when they cut a joke about a 'water closet' claiming it was in poor taste. Paar storms off the set in tears and won't return for a month...
2. 1965] Wedding Bells: Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox rock down the aisle. The Beatle and Beatle-ette will divorce in 1975...
3. 1968] Adding MSG: The new Madison Square Garden officially opens. The 4th Garden holds nearly 20,000 and celebrates its 41st anniversary today...
4. 1979] Ayatollyahso: Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seize power in Iran 9 days after the religious leader returns after 15 years of exile...
5. 1982] It's blowin' in the Winds: ABC-TVs presentation of "The Winds of War" concludes. The 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce but is the most watched TV program in history at the time...
6. 1990] Free at last: South African activist Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison...
7. 1990] Busted: James "Buster" Douglas beats the unbeatable Mike Tyson by a KO to win the heavyweight crown in a shocker in Tokyo...
8. 2002] Not Nyet: Canadian pairs couple, David Pelletier and Jamie Sale are robbed of a gold medal when a French judge tries to fix the event in favor of the Russian team at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The judge is overturned and gold is awarded to the now married Canadians...
9. 2006] Did you forget to duck?: VP Dick Cheney accidentally shoots and wounds a companion during a weekend quail-hunting trip to Texas...
10. 2007] Grammy Gold: The Dixie Chicks dominate the 2007 Grammy's by winning 5 awards including 'Record' and 'Song' of the year. Mary J. Blige and Carrie Underwood are also winners...For more on February 11th:

C L I C K:

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1870] Not celebrated in song: The YWCA is founded in New York City. I always thought there should've been an answer hit to the Village People's "YMCA" by a group called the Village Girls, titled "YWCA"...
2. 1897] The Gray Lady: The New York Times begins printing the slogan, "All the News That's Fit to Print", upper-left, front page. 112-years later it's still there...
3. 1933] Hmmmmmm: The singing telegram is introduced by the Postal Telegram Company of New York City. Roughly 53 trillion butcherings of "Happy Birthday" follow...
4. 1942] That sinking feeling: The Normandie, the former French liner capsizes in New York Harbor after catching fire while being fitted for the U.S. Navy the day before...
5. 1968] Ice queens: Peggy Fleming wins a gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France...1992] Bonnie Blair wins gold in 500-meter speed skating at Albertville, France becoming the first woman to win gold medals in consecutive Winter Olympics...
6. 1981] Death in the casino: Fire breaks out at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino, killing 8 and injuring 198...
7. 1992] "Happy Trails": "Roots" author Alex Haley dies of a heart attack at 70...2005] Playwright Arthur Miller succumbs to heart failure at 89...2008] Veteran actor Roy ("Jaws") Scheider dies at 75 from a staph infection after being treated for multiple myeloma...
8. 1992] Guilty as charged: Mike Tyson is convicted in Indianapolis of raping a Miss Black America contestant...
9. 2005] The arms race: North Korea publicly announces for the first time that it has nuclear arms...
10. 2007] Vote for me: Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill) announces his bid for president...For more on February 10th: C L I C K:

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Monday, February 9, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1825] Flip a coin: The U.S. House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams president after no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes...
2. 1870] Undulating patterns and circular swirls arrive: The U.S. Weather Bureau is authorized by Congress. It's officially known as the National Weather Service...
3. 1895] Bikinis to follow: The game of volley ball is invented by W.G. Morgan...
4. 1942] Time has come today: Daylight-savings 'War Time' goes into effect. This year DST begins Sunday, March 8, 2009 when we turn clocks ahead one hour...
5. 1950] Better dead than red: Senator Joseph McCarthy charges that the State Department is filled with Communists as we usher in that fun era - McCarthyism...
6. 1971] Third time is the charm: Apollo 14 returns to earth after man's 3rd landing on the moon...
7. 1971] Don't look back, someone might be gaining on you: Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player elected to Baseball's Hall of Fame...
8. 1973] "Happy Trails": Max Yasgur who owned the farm where the original Woodstock took place, dies of a heart attack at 53...1981] Bill Haley suffers a fatal heart attack at his home in Harlingen, Texas. Haley was 56...2002] Britain's Princess Margaret suffers a fatal massive stroke at 71...
9. 1997] Homer the Hero: "The Simpsons" passes "The Flintstones" as the longest running prime-time animated series...
10. 2006] Kidnap video: Kidnapped-American journalist Jill Carroll appears in a video aired on a Kuwaiti TV station, appealing for her supporters to do whatever it took to win her release "as quickly as possible." Jill is freed the following month...For more on February 9th: C L I C K:

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(Weekend Edition) February 6 - 8, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1915] Giving birth: Director D.W. Griffith's civil war epic, "Birth Of A Nation" premieres at Clune's Auditorium in Los Angeles. The three-hour silent movie cost $100,000, a fortune in 1915 (2/8)...
2. 1935] Pass 'Go' and collect $200: The board game of 'Monopoly' goes on sale for the first time (2/6)...
3. 1940] Premiered on this date: Walt Disney's "Pinocchio" has its world premiere at the Center Theater in Manhattan (2/7)...1974] "Blazing Saddles" debuts in movie theaters (2/7)...
4. 1959] "Happy Trails": Thousands attend Buddy Holly's funeral in Lubbock, Texas (2/7)...1960] 27-year old singer Jesse Belvin, his wife and driver, are all killed in an automobile accident in Los Angeles. Jesse's wife survived the crash but died several days later (2/6)...1990] Singer Del Shannon dies from a self-inflicted gun shot wound at 50 (2/8)...1993] Tennis Hall of Famer and human rights advocate Arthur Ashe dies of complications of AIDS, contracted during a blood tranfusion. I used to live across the street from Arthur who was just 49 at the time of his death (2/6)...1998] 51-year old Carl Wilson one of the founding members of the Beach Boys dies from complications of lung cancer with his family at his side (2/6)...2005] Former Epic Records head of promotion, Al Gurewitz passes away from bladder cancer at 73 (2/8)...2007] Legendary singer Frankie Laine dies of heart failure at 93 (2/8)...2007] Anna Nicole Smith dies from 'combined drug intoxication' at 39 (2/8)...
5. 1965] The Name Game: Cassius Clay becomes a Muslim and adopts the name, Muhammad Ali (2/7)...
6. 1985] Swimsuit edition: Sports Illustrated releases its annual 'Swimsuit Edition' which somehow manages to be not only the largest regular edition but the 'most read' edition (2/7)...
7. 1985] Start spreading the news: "New York, New York" becomes the official anthem of New York City. When the Yankees win they play Frank Sinatra's version and when they lose, it's Liza Minelli's version, which should make her feel real good (2/7)...
8. 1987] Vote for me: Sonny Bono declares his candidacy for mayor of Palm Springs and will get elected to that office (2/6)...2000] First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton launches her successful candidacy for the U.S. Senate from New York (2/6)...
9. 2003] Eye opening 20/20 interview: ABC-TV's '20/20' airs a British documentary on Michael Jackson in which the singer reveals he sometimes lets children sleep in his bed (2/6)...
10. 2005] Super Bowl Sunday: The New England Patriots win their second consecutive SB and 3rd in 4 years with a 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Ah the good old days (2/6)...For more on February 6 -8: C L I C K:

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Thursday, February 5, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1921] It's read all over: Reader's Digest hits the newsstands for the first time...
2. 1921] The house that Ruth built: The Yankees purchase 20 acres in the Bronx to build Yankee Stadium. The stadium goes up 2 years later in 1923. Eighty-six years later, the new stadium is about to open in April...
3. 1967] Smothered: "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" premieres on CBS-TV. It will switch to NBC and finally ABC before ending in May of 1975...
4. 1990] The color of money: Notre Dame becomes the first major college football team to sell its home games to a major TV network - NBC, where it still resides...
5. 1994] Guilty as charged: White separatist Byron De La Beckwith is convicted in Jackson (MS) of murdering civil rights leader Medgar Evers in 1963. De La Beckwith is sentenced to life in prison...1999] Mike Tyson is sentenced to one year in prison for assaulting two people after a car accident in 1998. He's also fined $5,000 and serves two years of probation and community service upon release...2002] A federal grand jury indicts John Walker Lindh on 10 charges, alleging he was trained by Osama bin Laden's network and conspired with the Taliban to kill Americans...
6. 1997] Wedding Bells: Investment banker Morgan Stanley announces a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter...
7. 2001] Regis gets ripped: Kelly Ripa is announced as Regis Philbin's new co-host. The show is renamed "Live! with Regis and Kelly". Ripa replaces Kathie Lee Gifford...
8. 2001] This cruise is over: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman announce their separation...
9. 2003] WMD alert: Secretary of State Colin Powell urges the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists, claims that later turned out to be false...
10. 2006] Super Bowl Sunday: The Pittsburgh Steelers win a record-tying 5th Super Bowl (they tie San Francisco) with a 21-10 win over Seattle and now they're known as the 'Sixburgh Steelers'...For more on February 5th: CLICK: http://melphillipsnowandthen.com

Wednesday, February 4, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1789] And the winner is: Electors unanimously choose George Washington as the first President of the United States, making his election official...
2. 1932] Let the games begin: The first Winter Olympics takes place at Lake Placid (NY)...
3. 1941] Bob Hope books a flight: The United Service Organization (USO) is created...
4. 1957] The Right Type: Smith-Corona rolls out the first electric typewriter weighing a hefty 19 pounds...
5. 1969] Meet the new Commish: Bowie Kuhn replaces the fired William Eckert as Baseball Commissioner...
6. 1983] 'Happy Trails': Karen Carpenter passes away from heart failure probably caused by years of suffering from anorexia nervosa. Karen was just 32...1987] Liberace falls victim to AIDS related complications at 67...
7. 1987] Signed, sealed, delivered: Having failed to get Bill Parcells from New England as coach, the Jets hire Bill Belichick as H.C. How'd that work out Jets fans???
8. 1997] Guilty as charged: A civil jury in California finds O.J. Simpson liable in the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Goldman's parents are awarded $8.5 million in damages...
9. 1999] Amadou disaster: An unarmed Amadou Diallo is cut down in a hail of bullets when four New York City plainclothes police officers thought he was armed. He wasn't...
10. 2007] Super win: The Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17 to win Super Bowl XLI...For more on February 4th: C L I C K:

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009...

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1690] "Money, money, money, monnnnney": The 1st paper money in the U.S. is issued by the Massachusetts colony. The currency is used to pay soldiers fighting in the war against Quebec (was this over hockey, eh?)...
2. 1815] Cheesy: The world's 1st commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland (no mention of who was used to cut the cheese)...
3. 1913] The Taxman is coming: The 16th amendment to the Constitution is ratified authorizing the power to impose and collect income tax (how about a vote to repeal it?)...
4. 1959] The day the music died: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson aka 'The Big Bopper' perish when their small plane goes down in Iowa...
5. 1961] Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow: Over 17" of snow blankets New York City. It's the 6th largest snowfall in the city...
6. 1998] Lights out: Texas executes Karla Faye Tucker who becomes the first women executed since 1984. All Karla did was hack two people to death with a pickax...
7. 1998] Plunging to death: A U.S. Marine jet slices a cable in Italy causing the death of 20 skiers on a lift. They will fall 370 feet to their deaths...
8. 2002] I get a kick out of you: Britney Spears sings the national anthem and then Adam Vinatieri kicks a 48-yard field goal and the underdog Patriots win their first Super Bowl over the St. Louis Rams 20-17 in Super Bowl XXXVI. Tom Brady wins the first of two SB MVPs...2008] Super Bowl XLII goes to the Giants who beat the Patriots 17-14...
9. 2003] Murder at the mansion: Record producer Phil Spector is arrested in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in California...
10. 2007] Baghdad bomber: A suicide truck bomber strikes a Baghdad market, killing more than 130...For more on February 3rd: C L I C K:

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Monday, February 2, 2009

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1653] Start spreading the news: New Amsterdam, now known as New York City is incorporated...
2. 1790] Supes on: The U.S. Supreme Court convenes for the first time...
3. 1876] Senor circuit: Baseball's National League is formed in New York with these original franchises: New York, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, Philadelphia and St. Louis...
4. 1887] They say we're young and we don't know: The first 'Groundhog Day' is celebrated in Punxsutawney (PA). The 1993 movie starring Bill Murray immortalizes the day and Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe" wakes Murray up 33 times...
5. 1946] Debuted on this date: Mutual Broadcasting airs "Twenty Questions" for the first time on radio. The show moves to TV three years later...
6. 1967] Jump it up: The American Basketball Association is formed...
7. 1972] Bloody Sunday aftermath: The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed in protest over Bloody Sunday...
8. 1979] "Happy Trails": Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols dies from a drug overdose at 21, less than 4 months after fatally stabbing girlfriend Nancy Spungen at the Chelsea Hotel...1996] The legendary Gene Kelly passes away after suffering two strokes...
9. 1990] Free Mandela: F.W. de Klerk, allows the African National Congress to legally function and promises to release Nelson Mandela...
10. 2004] Super Bowl Sunday: In my first Super Bowl, my Patriots thanks to Adam Vinatieri's field goal, beat the Carolina Panthers with 4 seconds remaining, 32-29. This is the SB that Janet Jackson suffered (?) a wardrobe malfunction at halftime...For more on February 2nd: C L I C K:

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