World News & the American Experience:

1937 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to be inaugurated on January 20th. The “20th Amendment” of the “U.S. Constitution” set the date, officially.

1943 – A ban stopped U.S. bakers from selling sliced bread. Until the end of World War II, only whole loaves were sold. This was to reduce demand for metal parts.

1968 – The Apollo 5 launched to Moon; it was the first unmanned flight of the Apollo Lunar Module, which would later bring astronauts to the moon.

1973 – The Supreme Court’s decision was made in Roe v Wade.

Movies & TV:

1948 – The Original Amateur Hour debuted on the DuMont network, hosted by Ted Mack.  It lasted on television for 22 years.

1953 – 68% of all TV sets in the U.S. were tuned to CBS-TV, as Lucy Ricardo of “I Love Lucy” gave birth to a baby boy.

1959 – Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” was the #1 daytime TV show in the U.S.

1968 – “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, debuted on NBC-TV. It became the highest-rated comedy show in history.

1970 – “The Johnny Cash Show” was broadcast for the first time in prime time on ABC-TV.

1972 – “Emergency” with Robert Fuller premiered on NBC TV.

1974 – “$6 Million Man” starring Lee Majors premiered on ABC TV.

1975 – “The Jeffersons” premiered on CBS-TV.

1983 – “The A-Team was first broadcast on NBC.

Music & Radio:

1930 – “Lone Ranger” was broadcast for the first time on WXYZ-Detroit.

1944 – The first jazz concert was held at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, starring Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.

1946 – “The Fat Man” debuted on ABC radio, starring J. Scott Smart.

1954 – The National Negro Network was formed on this date.

1964 – Beatles first appeared on the Billboard Chart with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

1964 – The first album by The Beatles was released, called “Meet the Beatles.”

1978 – The soundtrack of “Saturday Night Fever” reached #1 on the album charts, and stayed there for 6 months.

1980 – Pink Floyd’s “Wall” hit #1.

1986 – AIDS charity record “That’s What Friends are For,” reached #1.

Arts & Entertainment:

1955 – The board game “Scrabble” debuted.

Celebrity Headlines:

1958 – Elvis Presley got a letter from the draft board in Memphis, TN ordering him to report for duty; but allowed a 60-day deferment for him to finish the film, “King Creole”.

1969 – Judy Garland died at 48 of an overdose.

Sports:

1967 – US female Figure Skating championship won by Peggy Fleming.

1973 – George Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier in 2 for heavyweight boxing title.

1983 – Hulk Hogan pins Iron Sheik for World Wrestling Federation title.

1984 – US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton.

1989 – Wayne Gretzky passed Marcel Dionne to become NHL’s 2nd all time scorer.

Technology & Inventions:

1955 – The first atomic-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton, Connecticut.

1984 – Apple Computer Inc unveiled its Macintosh personal computer.

Automobile News:

1954 – The gas turbine automobile was introduced in New York City.

Famous Birthdays:

1928 – Martin Landau, actor

1930 – Buzz (Edwin) Aldrin Jr, astronaut

1931 – Tippi (Natalie) Hedren, actress

1931 – Sam Cooke, singer

1934 – Bill (Wilfred Bailey) Bixby

1939 – Wolfman Jack, disc jockey

1939 – Phil Everly, singer

1940 – Jack Nicklaus, professional golfer

1941 – Neil Diamond

1941 – Aaron Neville

1941 – Ron Townson, singer

1943 – Janis Joplin

1946 – Dolly Parton

1949 – Robert Palmer, singer

1950 – Billy Ocean, singer

1953 – Desi Arnaz Jr.

1959 – Linda Blair, actress

1965 – John Michael Montgomery, country singer

1968 – Mary Lou Retton

World News & the American Experience:

1943 – The Casablanca Conference took place in Morocco, where the leaders of the Allies put together a strategy that would call for surrender of the Axis powers.

1943 – The world’s largest office building, the Pentagon, was completed.

1948 – Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi began his final fast.

1979 – Los Angeles’ Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, arrested.

Movies & TV:

1949 – “Arthur Godfrey and His Friends” premiered on CBS-TV.

1949 – “Kukla, Fran and Ollie”, made its national debut on NBC-TV.

1952 – The very first “Today” show was broadcast on NBC-TV with Dave Garroway and Jack Lescoulie.

1966 – “Batman” with Adam West and Burt Ward debuted on ABC-TV.

1971 – “All In the Family” debuted on CBS-TV.

1972 – The first showing of “Sanford and Son” was broadcast on NBC-TV.

1973 – Elvis Presley’s “Aloha From Hawaii” broke the record for the largest audience for one television show, with one billion viewers in 40 countries.

1973 – NBC broadcasted the 440th and final showing of “Bonanza.”

1976 – The “Donny & Marie” musical variety show premiered on ABC TV.

1980 – “Blues Brothers” movie with Dan Akroyd and John Belushi opened.

1981 – “Dynasty” premiered on ABC-TV.

Music & Radio:

1945 – CBS radio debuted “House Party” with Art Linkletter. The show lasted for 22 years, between its radio and television shows.

1962 – Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” went to #1 for the second time in two years.

1965 – The Who released their first album “I Can’t Explain.”

1966 – David Bowie released “Can’t Help Thinking About Me,” his first record.

1967 – Sonny & Cher released “Beat Goes On.”

1969 – “Lady Samantha,” one of the very first recordings by Elton John, was released by Philips records.

1974 – “Happy Days” premiered on ABC and lasted for 11 years.

1984 – Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” became the all-time best- selling LP with ten million copies sold. It was at #1 on the Billboard charts for a record breaking 37 weeks, and produced 7 top-10 singles.

1985 – Prince’s “Purple Rain” spent 24 weeks at the # 1 spot.

1988 – George Michael’s “Faith” climbed to #1 and stayed there for 16 weeks.

Arts & Entertainment:

1963 – The Whisky-A-Go-Go opened on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.

1964 – “Hello Dolly!” opened at the St. James Theatre in New York City.  It ran for 2,844 performances.

Celebrity Headlines:

1954 – Marilyn Monroe married Joe DiMaggio.

1957 – Humphrey Bogart died from cancer at 57 years of age.

1985 – Leonard Nimoy, Dr. Spock from “Star Trek,” got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1986 – Donna Reed died of cancer at 64 years of age.

Sports:

1960 – Lamar Clark set professional boxing record of 44 consecutive knockouts.

1966 – Red Auerbach won his 1,000th game as coach of NBA Boston Celtics.

Technology & Inventions:

1957 – The Wham-O Company introduced America to the Frisbee.  Originally it was called the “Pluto Platter,” invented by Walter “Fred” Morrison.

Automobile News:

1942 – Henry Ford patented the plastic automobile.

Famous Birthdays:

1929 – Martin Luther King Jr.

1931 – James Earl Jones

1933 – Shari Lewis (Hurwitz), puppeteer

1936 – Ron Harper, actor

1939 – Maury Povich

1941 – (Dorothy) Faye Dunaway, actress

1942 – Muhammad Ali

1944 – Joe Frazier, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, 1970 – 1973

1948 – Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd

1951 – Rush Limbaugh

1954 – Howard Stern

1960 – Oliver Platt, actor

World News & the American Experience:

1942 – Pan American World Airways completed the first commercial around-the-world airline flight.

1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson gave his “Great Society” State of the Union Address.

1968 – The first U.S. heart transplant was performed at Stanford University by Dr. Norman E. Shumway.

1974 – Nixon refused to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee.

Movies & TV:

1948 – The first color newsreel was shown by Warner Pathe in movie theaters.

1957 – The sitcom “Blondie” premiered on NBC TV.

1957 – Elvis Presley appeared for a final time on the “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

1959 – “Bozo the Clown” premiered on TV.

1961 – “Mr. Ed” debuted on television.

1966 – The Who and The Kinks performed on the last “Shindig” TV show on ABC.

1967 – “Milton Berle Show” last aired on ABC-TV.

1967 – “Newlywed Game” debuted on ABC-TV.

1970 – The Soap Opera “All My Children” premiered.

1973 – “Schoolhouse Rock,” premiered on ABC-TV.

1975 – “Wheel Of Fortune,” debuted on NBC-TV.

1982 – “Fame” premiered on NBC-TV.

1984 – “TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes” debuted on NBC-TV.

Music & Radio:

1936 – “Billboard Magazine” published its first chart based on pop music’s national sales.

1940 – Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch” debuted on CBS radio.

1954 – Elvis Presley recorded “Casual Love Affair” and “I’ll Never Stand In Your Way” for his demo record.

1956 – “Don’t Be Cruel/Hound Dog,” by Elvis Presley broke records by going to #1 and staying there for 11 weeks.

1964 – Rolling Stones’ went on their first tour as a headline act.

1966 – The Beatles album “Rubber Soul”, went to #1 and stayed there for 6 weeks.

1968 – The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour,” album went #1 and stayed #1 for 8 weeks.

1973 – Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” earned her a gold record.

1979 – “Barbra Streisand’s Greatest Hits, Volume 2″ was the #1 album in the U.S. for 3 weeks.

Arts & Entertainment:

1934 – “Flash Gordon,” comic strip by Alex Raymond, debuted.

1937 – The first issue of the periodical “LOOK” went on sale.

1944 – The London “Daily Mail” was published.  It was the first transoceanic newspaper.

1952 – The comic strip “Peanuts” debuted in Sunday newspapers.

1957 – “Collier’s” magazine hit the newsstands for the last time after 69 years of publication.

1958 – Bobby Fischer won the United States Chess Championship for the first time.  He was 14 years old.

Celebrity Headlines:

1971 – Sonny Liston, heavyweight World Champ boxer (1962-64), found dead at 36.

Sports:

1942 – Joe Louis knocked out Buddy Baer, defending his world heavyweight boxing title for the 20th time.

1957 – Jackie Robinson announced his retirement from baseball.

Technology & Inventions:

1940 – Major E.H. Armstrong developed FM radio, free from interference and static.  He demonstrated it to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

1954 – The Duoscopic TV receiver by DuMont Laboratories was shown to the public.  It allowed split-screen TV viewing, or picture in picture.

1958 – The Flying V guitar was patented by the Gibson Guitar Company.

Automobile News:

1930 – The first diesel-engine automobile trip was completed.  It drove 792 miles from Indianapolis, IN to New York City.

Famous Birthdays:

1935 – Elvis (Aron) Presley

1938 – Bob Eubanks, TV game show host

1941 – Joan Baez, singer

1942 – Charlie Rose, newscaster

1944 – Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin

1946 – Diane Keaton, actress

1947 – David Bowie

1948 – Kenny Loggins, singer

1949 – George ‘Funky’ Brown, musician, Kool and The Gang

1953 – Malcolm Young, musician, AC/DC

1957 – Nancy Lopez, golf champion

1957 – Katie Couric

1964 – Nicolas Cage, actor

World News & the American Experience:

1934 – Alcatraz officially became a federal prison.

1938 – The March of Dimes was established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to fight polio.

1945 – Congress officially recognized the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

1946 – President Truman officially proclaimed the end of World War II.

1977 – Ted Bundy escaped from jail in Colorado.

Movies & TV:

1963 – “Let’s Make A Deal,” debuted on NBC-TV.

1971 – Tobacco ads representing $20 million dollars in advertising were banned from broadcast.

1980 – “The Wonderful World of Disney” was broadcast for the last time.  It was the longest-running series in prime-time history.

1981 – CNN Headline News premiered.

Music & Radio:

1942 – “Mr. and Mrs. North” debuted on NBC radio, with Joseph Curtin and Alice Frost.

1943 – Bing Crosby recorded “San Fernando Valley.”  It was a huge hit.

1955 – Barbra Streisand recorded her first song, “You’ll Never Know.” She was 13 years old.

1957 – “At the Hop”, by Danny and The Juniors, hit #1 on the music charts and stayed there for 7 weeks.

1961 – The first performance by The Beach Boys with their new name took place.

1962 – “Match Game” debuted on NBC with host Gene Rayburn.

1963 – The “Dear Abby” show premiered on CBS radio and ran for 11 years.

1966 – Monkee’s “I’m a Believer” hit #1 and stayed there for 7 weeks.

1966 – Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sounds of Silence” reached #1.

1968 – The Beatles “White Album” was #1 and stayed there for 9 weeks.

1969 – Peter, Paul and Mary earned a gold record for the single, “Leaving On a Jet Plane”.

1971 – George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” was #1 on U.S. album charts. Harrison was the first ex-Beatle to hit #1 with a solo album.

1972 – Don McLean received a gold record for his hit, “American Pie”.

1974 – Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac.

1975 – Elvis Presley performed at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI.  He earned $800,000, which was a world record for a single concert by a solo artist.

1976 – The Cars played their 1st gig.

Arts & Entertainment:

1935 – Charles Darrow patented Monopoly.

1944 – Leonard Bernstein’s first big success, “On the Town,” opened in New York featuring the hit song, “New York, New York.”

1948 – “Kiss Me, Kate” opened at New Century Theater New York City for 1077 performances.

1972 – The last weekly issue of “Life” hit the newsstands.

1983 – The musical, “Annie”, closed on Broadway at the Uris Theatre after 2,377 performances.

Celebrity Headlines:

1936 – A famous feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen began, lasting for 10 weeks, between each other’s radio shows.

1942 – Frank Sinatra opened at New York’s Paramount Theatre, and thousands of teenage girls thronged the streets.  It took 400 policemen to calm the crowds.  From there after, he was known as “The Voice.”

1947 – Roy Rogers, ‘the King of the Cowboys’, and Dale Evans were married.

1953 – Hank Williams died at the age of 29.

1957 – Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were married.

1960 – Johnny Cash played the first of many free concerts from jail.

1970 – Paul McCartney sued his bandmates to dissolve the Beatles.

1979 – Sid Vicious’ trial for murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen began.

1983 – The Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson drowned while diving in Marina Del Ray, California.

1984 – Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car crash.

1985 – Ricky Nelson, his fiancee, Helen Blair, and five members of the Stone Canyon Band were killed in an airplane crash.

Sports:

1937 – Babe Ruth became the manager for the Class D  De Land Reds of the Florida State League.

1953 – Willie Shoemaker broke his own record as he won his 485th race of the year.

1986 – Pat Davis, ranked 412th among world tennis competitors, won the Davis Cup.

Technology & Inventions:

1952 – Sonotone Corporation began selling the first transistorized hearing aid.

1957 – The Hamilton Watch Company was the first to introduce an electric watch.

1985 – IBM-PC DOS Version 3.2 released.

Famous Birthdays:

1937 – Mary Tyler Moore

1937 – (Noel) Paul Stookey, Peter Paul and Mary

1938 – Jon Voight

1943 – John Denver

1943 – Pete Quaife, The Kinks

1945 – Davy Jones, The Monkees

1947 – Jeff Lynne, Electric Light Orchestra

1948 – Donna Summer

World News & the American Experience:

1968 – The Apollo 8 crew orbited the moon 10 times.  On Christmas Eve, they transmitted a message to all mankind calling for “peace on earth.”

Movies & TV:

1932 – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were in their first movie together, “Flying Down To Rio.”

1937 – Walt Disney released “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”  It was the first full-length animated movie with color and sound.

1946 – “It’s A Wonderful Life” by Frank Capra premiered.

1947 – “Howdy Doody” premiered on NBC-TV.

1953 – “Dragnet”, starring Jack Webb as Detective Joe Friday, became the first network program to be sponsored.

1954 – “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was released.

1955 – The Lennon Sisters debuted on “The Lawrence Welk Show” on ABC-TV.  They became regular guests, staying with the show until 1968.

1964 – Shooting begins on the pilot for Star Trek called “The Cage.”

1965 – “Dr Zhivago,” premiered, directed by David Lean.

1969 – Diana Ross made her final TV appearance as a Supreme on the Ed Sullivan Show.

1973 – “Exorcist,” starring Linda Blair premiered.

Music & Radio:

1954 – “The Shadow,” one of radio’s most popular programs, was broadcast for the last time.

1958 – Alvin and the Chipmunks had the top album with “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”

1963 – “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, and “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles was released by Columbia Records.

1966 – “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys reached gold record status.

1968 – Led Zeppelin began their first concert tour in the US.

1968 – “The Breakfast Club” was broadcast for the last time on ABC radio, after 35 years on the air.

1980 – “Just Like Starting Over,” by John Lennon, stayed at #1 for five weeks on the pop charts.  The song rose to the top spot after Lennon was murdered on December 8.

1981 – “For Those About to Rock We Salute You,” AC/DC’s album, went #1 in the U.S. for 3 weeks.

1984 – Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” single stayed at #1 spot for 6 weeks.

1985 – “Born In The USA” by Bruce Springsteen became the second longest lasting record in the top 10 at 79 weeks.  It passed Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and was second to “The Sound of Music.”

Arts & Entertainment:

1932 – Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City.

1950 – Cole Porter’s musical “Out of this World,” premiered in New York City.

Celebrity Headlines:

1933 – Shirley Temple signed a studio contract with Fox.  She was 5 years old.

Sports:

1943 – Baseball officials approved the motion that baseballs should be made of a synthetic rubber core.

1951 – Joe DiMaggio announced his retirement.

1951 – The first coast-to-coast televised football game took place.  The LA Rams beat the Cleveland Browns 24-17.

Technology & Inventions:

1947 – John Bardeen, Walter H. Brattain and William Shockley invented the transistor.  They won the 1956 Nobel Prize in physics for their work.

Automobile News:

1951 – An automobile, made by Crosley, was built with the steering wheel on the right side of the car.  It would be used for mail delivery in Cincinnati, OH.

Famous Birthdays:

1937 – Jane Fonda, actress

1943 – Billie Jean King, tennis champion

1945 – Diane Sawyer

1946 – Susan Lucci, actress

1946 – Jimmy Buffett

1948 – Barbara Mandrell, singer

1949 – Sissy (Mary) Spacek, actress

1949 – Twins Maurice and Robin Gibb – Bee Gees

1954 – Chris Evert, tennis champion

World News & the American Experience:

1941 – Hitler took complete command of the German Army.

1941 – US Office of Censorship created to control information pertaining to World War II.

1958 – The first radio broadcast from space happened. It was President Eisenhower’s voice, “To all mankind, America’s wish for Peace on Earth and Good Will to Men Everywhere.”

1963 – The Berlin Wall was opened for the first time, with 4,000 people crossing over to visit relatives during the holidays. It closed again on January 6, 1964.

Movies & TV:

1939 – “Gone With the Wind”, premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

1944 – “National Velvet” with Elizabeth Taylor premiered.

1951 – “Dragnet” premiered on TV during “Chesterfield Sound Off Time”.

1954 – Walt Disney’s TV series showed “Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter” for the first time.

1961 – “Judgment At Nuremberg” opened in New York City.

1964 – “The Pink Panther” cartoon series premiered.

1966 – Dr Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” aired for first time on CBS.

1967 – “The Graduate,” starring Dustin Hoffman & Anne Bancroft premiered.

1969 – The Jackson Five appeared on the “Ed Sullivan Show” for the first time.

1971 – “Diamonds are Forever” premiered in US.

1971 – Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” premiered.

1976 – “Wonder Woman” debuted on ABC.

1976 – “A Star is Born,” with Barbra Striesand, premiered.

1977 – “Saturday Night Fever,” with John Travolta, premiered in New York.

1989 – “I Love Lucy” Christmas episode was broadcast for first time in over 30 years.

Music & Radio:

1949 – “Captain Midnight” was broadcast for the last time.

1952 – Jimmy Boyd reached the #1 spot on the record charts with the Christmas song of the year, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”.

1955 – “Blue Suede Shoes” by Carl Perkins hit the top of the rock, country, and rhythm & blues charts.

1960 – “Calendar Girl” by Neil Sedaka was released on RCA Victor Records.

1960 – Frank Sinatra recorded “Ring-A-Ding-Ding” and “Let’s Fall in Love” with his very own record company, Reprise Records.

1962 – The Osmond brothers debuted on the Andy Williams Show.

1967 – Ian Anderson & Glenn Cornick formed the rock group Jethro Tull.

1968 – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye was at the top of the charts.

1969 – “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul & Mary reached #1.

1971 – One of the longest songs ever, Don McLean’s “American Pie” was released, with a play time of over 8 minutes.

1975 – Ron Wood joined the Rolling Stones.

1977 – Elvis Costello & The Attractions made their first US TV appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

Arts & Entertainment:

1957 – “Music Man” opened at Majestic Theater in New York City for 1375 performances.

1981 – “Dreamgirls” opened at Imperial Theater New York City, playing for 1522 performances.

1985 – “Jerry’s Girls” opened at St James Theater in New York City.

Celebrity Headlines:

1957 – Elvis Presley was given draft notice to join the US Army for National Service.

1966 – Walt (Walter Elias) Disney died in Burbank, California at the age of 65.

1973 – Singer Bobby Darin died following open-heart surgery at the age of 37.

1985 – Sylvester Stallone married Brigitte Nielson.

Sports:

1953 – The Brooklyn Dodgers signed Sandy Koufax, age 19. He had only played 20 games in his life!

1973 – Sandy Hawley won 500 races in a single year, the first jockey in history to do this.

1985 – Howard Cosell retired from television sports after 20 years with ABC.

1989 – Larry Bird (Celtics) began NBA free throw streak of 71 games.

Technology & Inventions:

1934 – New York Central Railroad introduced the first streamlined locomotive, nicknamed the Commodore Vanderbilt.

Automobile News:

1942 – Massachusetts issues the first US vehicular license plate tabs.

Famous Birthdays:

1943 – Keith Richards

1946 – Patty (Anna Marie) Duke

1946 – Steven (Allan) Spielberg

1949 – Bill (William Joseph) Buckner, baseball player

1949 – Don Johnson, actor

1957 – Kevin McHale (Basketball Hall of Famer: Boston Celtics)

1963 – Brad Pitt

1966 – Kiefer Sutherland

World News & the American Experience:

1941 – Dec 7 – “A date which will live in infamy,” Pearl Harbor Day.  1100 men were lost that fateful day as America’s Pacific Fleet was attacked.  The catastrophic event led the US to declare war and enter into World War II.

1962 – The International Typographical Union went on strike for 114 days, closing nine New York City newspapers.

1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr. became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize at 35 years old.  He donated his winnings to the Civil Rights Movement.

1980 – John Lennon was shot and killed on December 8 as he stood outside of his New York City apartment house by Mark David Chapman.

Movies & TV:

1937 – NBC Radio got into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission for broadcasting a racy skit with Mae West.  As a consequence, Ms West was banned from its airwaves for 15 years.

1948 – The “Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program” was broadcast for the first time on NBC TV.

1952 – The first TV acknowledgement of pregnancy happened on “I Love Lucy.”

1965 – “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” premiered.

Music & Radio:

1926 – Benny Goodman’s first recording session took place.  He played clarinet with the Ben Pollack and his Californians.  He was 17 years old!

1944 – “The Chesterfield Supper Club” premiered on NBC radio.

1949 – Fats Domino recorded his first songs for Imperial Records, starting with “The Fat Man.”

1961 – “Surfin’”, The Beach Boys first record, was released on Candix Records.  It didn’t hit the Top 40 for another year.

1963 – “John Fitzgerald Kennedy – A Memorial Album” sold 4 million copies in 6 days, becoming the fastest-selling record of all time.

1979 – “Babe” by Styx hit #1 in the U.S. and stayed there for 2 weeks.

1984 – Band Aid, a group of musicians from Great Britain recorded “Do They Know It’s Christmas” to raise money and gather food for starving Ethiopians.

Arts & Entertainment:

1939 – Betty Grable was featured on the cover of “LIFE” magazine.

1949 – The Broadway play “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” starring Carol Channing opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City.

1953 – Hugh Hefner published the first issue “Playboy” with Marilyn Monroe as the centerfold.

1972 – The rock opera “Tommy” opened in London with Keith Moon, Rod Stewart and Roger Daltrey.

Celebrity Headlines:

1957 – Jerry Lee Lewis wed his cousin Myra Gale Brown, 13, while still married to his 1st wife Jane Mitcham.

1961 – Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) died at the age of 101.

1963 – Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  His father paid a large ransom and the boy was returned.  Three men were convicted of the crime and sent to prison.

1967 – Otis Redding and four members of his back-up group, the Bar-Kays, were killed in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin.

1988 – Roy Orbison, rocker (Pretty Woman), died of a heart attack at 52.

Sports:

1937 – Red Sox acquired the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams.

1939 – Lou Gehrig, 36, was elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

1951 – Joe DiMaggio retired from Major League Baseball.

1959 – Bruce McLaren became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix race. He was 22 years old.

1963 – Instant replay was used for the first time during the Army-Navy game by CBS-TV.

1981 – Muhammad Ali fought his last fight.  He lost to Trevor Berbick in the 61st fight of his career.

1985 – Chicago Bears Shufflin’ Crew, released their “Superbowl Shuffle.”

Technology & Inventions:

1926 – The household refrigerator, operating on gas, was patented by Electrolux Servel Corporation.

1931 – Coaxial cable was patented.

1945 – Microwave oven was patented by Dr. Percy Spencer of Raytheon Corp.

1960 – The Univac 1107, a new computer using thin-film memory, was introduced by the Sperry Rand Corporation.

Famous Birthdays:

1916 – Kirk Douglas, actor

1922 – Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford), comedian, actor

1925 – Sammy Davis Jr.

1928 – Dick Van Patten, actor

1931 – Rita Moreno, actress

1934 – Curtis Williams, singer

1940 – Dionne Warwick

1941 – Beau (Lloyd III) Bridges, actor

1943 – Jim (James Douglas) Morrison

1947 – Gregg Allman

1948 – Ted Nugent, singer, musician

1952 – Sam Kinison, comedian

1956 – Larry Bird, Boston Celtics

1957 – Donny Osmond

World News & the American Experience:

1930 – Ruth Nichols beat Charles Lindbergh’s record time for a cross-country flight, completing the trip in 13 hours, 21 minutes.

1955 – Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus. This event started the Montgomery Bus boycott, and fueled the Civil Rights Movement.

1967 – The world’s first successful heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa.

1982 – Barney B. Clark became the first recipient of an artificial heart. He survived for 3 months after the operation.

Movies & TV:

1948 – “Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts” debuted on CBS-TV.

1951 – “Dragnet” premiered on television.

1957 – Sam Cooke and Buddy Holly and Crickets debuted on Ed Sullivan Show.

1959 – AromaRama, a method of pumping smells into a movie theater during a film was tried for the first time during a showing of “Behind The Great Wall” at the Mayfair Theatre in New York City.

1964 – “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” first aired on TV.

Music & Radio:

1956 – Diana Ross and the Supremes hit #1 on the charts with “Love Child.”

1972 – The Temptations reached the #1 spot on the top 40 charts with “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”.

1977 – “Rumours” by Fleetwood Mac stayed at the #1 position for 29 weeks!

1978 – Neil Diamond & Barbra Striesand’s “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” hit #1.

1982 – Michael Jackson released “Thriller.”

Arts & Entertainment:

1933 – Jack Kirkland’s “Tobacco Road” premiered at the Masque Theatre in New York City, and ran for eight years and 3,182 shows.

1947 – Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” premiered in New York City.

1960 – “Camelot” opened at the Majestic Theatre in New York City, playing for 873 performances.

1968 – “Promises, Promises” opened on Broadway, lasting for 1,281 performances.

Celebrity Headlines:

1940 – Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz were married.

1979 – Zeppo Marx, from the Marx Brothers, died at 78 years old.

1980 – Led Zeppelin breaks up two months after the death of drummer John Bonham.

1986 – Cary Grant passed away.

1986 – Desi Arnaz died of lung cancer at 69 years old.

Sports:

1952 – Jackie Robinson charged NY Yankees with racism.

1956 – Floyd Patterson became the youngest boxer to win the Heavyweight Champion at 21 years old.

1968 – Major League Baseball announced the pitcher’s mound would be dropped from 15″ to 10″ and the strike zone would be reduced from knees to shoulders to top of knees to armpits, to help hitters.

Technology & Inventions:

1929 – Game of Bingo invented by Edwin S Lowe.

1956 – First use of videotape on TV during “Douglas Edwards and the News.”

1959 – The first color photograph of Earth was taken from outer space.

1983 – Radio Shack announced the arrival of the Tandy Model 2000 computer.

Famous Birthdays:

1932 – Little Richard (Wayne Penniman)

1932 – Don King, boxing promoter

1935 – Woody Allen

1937 – Ridley Scott, director

1939 – (Dianne) ‘Dee Dee’ Lennon, singer, The Lennon Sisters

1939 – Lee Trevino, golfer

1940 – Richard Pryor

1943 – Leo Lyons, musician, Jaybirds

1945 – Roger Glover, musician, Deep Purple

1945 – Bette Midler

1948 – Ozzy (John) Osbourne

1954 – June Pointer, The Pointer Sisters

1954 – Stone Phillips, news anchor

1955 – Billy Idol

World News & the American Experience:

1930 – Ruth Nichols became the first woman pilot on a transcontinental flight from New York to California.  It took 7 days.

1942 – A tragic fire at the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Boston, MA killed nearly 500 people.

1953 – A strike of photoengravers left New York City without newspapers for 11 days.

1971 – D.B. Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727.  He demanded and received $200,000, and then parachuted out over the Cascade Mountains in Washington, never to be seen or heard from again.  In 1980, $5,880 was discovered on the banks of the Columbia River, but that is one of the only clues ever found.

1986 – The Iran-Contra affair came to light. Members of Reagan’s administration, chiefly Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, were accused of dealing arms for hostages.

Movies & TV:

1940 – Woody Woodpecker was seen for the first time in the theatrical short “Knock Knock.”

1942 – “Casablanca” premiered at Hollywood Theatre, New York City.

1948 – “Hopalong Cassidy” premiered on TV.

1956 – “The Price Is Right” debuted on NBC.

1977 – “Saturday Night Fever” set box office records and made a megastar out of John Travolta.  The soundtrack sold more than 11 million copies.

Music & Radio:

1932 – Groucho Marx performed on radio for the first time.

1944 – “The FBI in Peace and War” was broadcast by CBS radio for the first time.

1949 – “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry became the musical hit of the Christmas season.

1956 – Bandleader Tommy Dorsey died at the age of 51. His records sold more than 110,000,000 copies.

1958 – Richie Valens released “Donna” and La Bamba.”

1958 – Harold Jenkins changed his name to Conway Twitty and hit #1 with “It’s Only Make Believe.”

1960 – “Amos ‘n’ Andy” made its last broadcast on CBS radio.

1962 – The Beatles had their first recording session under their new name The Beatles.

1966 – Jimi Hendrix Experience debuted in London at Bag O’ Nails Club.

1969 – Cream had their final concert at Royal Albert Hall in London.

1976 – Sex Pistols release their debut single “Anarchy In The UK.”

1979 – “The Wall” by Pink Floyd was released, selling 6 million copies in 2 weeks.

Arts & Entertainment:

1936 – The first issue of “Life” magazine, created by Henry R Luce, debuted.

1950 – The musical “Guys and “Dolls opened at the 46th Street Theatre in New York City.  It ran for 1200 performances.

1958 – The GE Theatre production of “A Turkey for the President” starred both Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

Celebrity Headlines:

1981 – Natalie Wood actress (West Side Story), drowned at 43 years old.

1986 – Actor Cary Grant passed away at the age of 82.

Sports:

1984 – Doug Flutie threw a 48-yard pass to get a touchdown in the final play of the game that led Boston College to beat Miami in the Orange Bowl.  The play became known as “The Pass” or a “Hail Mary Pass.”

Technology & Inventions:

1944 – Johns Hopkins Hospital performs 1st open heart surgery.

1948 – The Zoomar Lens was patented by Dr. Frank G. Back of New York City.  It a popular lens most often used in television production.

1948 – The first Polaroid camera was sold.

Famous Birthdays:

1935 – Marian Mercer, singer, actress

1939 – Tina Turner

1940 – Percy Sledge, singer

1940 – Bruce Lee

1942 – Jimi (James Marshall) Hendrix

1947 – Linda Laflamme, rocker

1957 – Caroline (Bouvier) Kennedy

1959 – Judd Nelson, actor

1960 – John F. Kennedy Jr.

World News & the American Experience:

1935 – The China Clipper (flying boat) took off from Alameda, California, carrying 100,000 pieces of mail on its first trans-Pacific airmail flight.

1963 – President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22 in Dallas, Texas.

1964 – The Verrazano Narrows Bridge opened, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn.  At the time, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge.

1974 – The Privacy Act of 1974, amendments to the Freedom of Information Act, was passed by Congress, following the abuse of privacy during the Richard Nixon presidency.

1977 – Scheduled service of the Concorde to fly from Paris and London to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport began.

Movies & TV:

1928 – Walt Disney’s “Steamboat Willie,” the first cartoon with synchronized sound, debuted at the Colony Theatre in New York.  The cartoon introduced Mickey Mouse to the world.  (Originally named Mortimer.)

1947 – “Meet The Press” aired on NBC-TV for the first time.  It has become one of the longest-running shows on network television.

1975 – “Dr. Zhivago” appeared on TV for the first time.

1980 – The largest TV audience ever, 82 million viewers, watched Dallas to see “Who Shot J.R?”

Music & Radio:

1934 – “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” was first heard on Eddie Cantor’s show.

1944 – “The Roy Rogers Show” was first heard on the Mutual Broadcasting System.

1955 – Tennessee Ford had the #1 song with “Sixteen Tons.”  It stayed at #1 for 8 weeks.

1955 – “Cry Cry Cry” was Johnny Cash’s first song on the charts.

1955 – RCA paid around $25,000 to producer Sam Phillips for the rights to Elvis Presley’s music.

1959 – Alan Freed, the DJ who coined the term “Rock and Roll” was fired for accepting bribes in the payola scandal.

1962 – The 4 Seasons with Frankie Valli go to the top of the charts with “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”

1967 – Lulu’s “To Sir with Love” stayed at the top of the “Billboard Top 100” chart for 5 weeks.

1967 – BBC unofficially banned “I Am the Walrus” by Beatles.

1971 – The “Theme From Shaft” by Isaac Hayes stayed at #1 for 2 weeks.

1974 – John Lennon’s “Whatever Gets You Through the Night,” was his only solo #1 song.

1981 – “Physical” by Olivia Newton John raced to the #1 chart position and stayed there for 10 weeks.

Arts & Entertainment:

1928 – The first issue of Time magazine was published with Japanese Emperor Hirohito on the cover.

1930 – The musical “Smiles” with Bob Hope and Fred Astaire premiered in New York City.

1932 – The most famous vaudeville theatre in America, The Palace in New York City, closed its doors.  It opened as a movie theatre later on with live performances shown before the film.

1932 – Wallace Beery and Fredric March tied for the Best Actor Academy Award.

1959 – “Sound of Music” opens at Lunt Fontanne Theater in New York City for 1443 performances.

1966 – “Cabaret” opened on Broadway. 1,165 performances followed.

1966 – “Don’t Drink the Water”, Woody Allen’s first play, opened on Broadway.

Celebrity Headlines:

1939 – Al Capone was released from jail after serving his sentence.  He died a few years later from complications of third-stage neurosyphilis.

1960 – Clark Gable died of a heart attack at 59.

1984 – Michael Jackson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Sports:

1956 – Don Newcombe won National League MVP and first-ever Cy Young Award.

1958 – Mel Ott, NY Giant baseball star (1926-1947), died at 49.

1970 – Joe Frazier knocked out Bob Foster in 2 for heavyweight boxing title.

1986 – Mike Tyson KOs Trevor Berbick in 2 for heavyweight WBC boxing title.

Technology & Inventions:

1931 – American Telephone and Telegraph Company introduced the first commercial teletype service.

1947 – The world’s largest one-piece mirror at 200 inches arrived at Mt Palomar to be part of the Hale Telescope, the world’s largest telescope at the time.

1963 – The first touch-tone telephone was introduced.  The Western Electric Model featured 10 push buttons that replaced the rotary.  The first commercial service was available in Pennsylvania for an extra charge.

1965 – Kellogg’s Pop Tarts pastries were created.

Famous Birthdays:

1932 – Richard Dawson, actor

1933 – Larry King

1936 – Hank Ballard, singer (Chubby Checker)

1936 – Dick Cavett, TV show host

1938 – Ted Turner

1939 – Dick Smothers, comedian

1942 – Calvin Klein

1942 – Martin Scorsese, director

1942 – Linda Evans, actress

1943 – Billie Jean King

1944 – Danny DeVito, actor

1944 – Lorne Michaels, comedy writer, producer

1953 – John McFee, rock guitarist (Doobie Brothers, Clover)