Headlines & Tidbits from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s
World News & the American Experience:
1938 – Crystal Night took place in Jewish neighborhoods in Germany. Thousands of books were burned, windows were smashed, and people were killed all in the hands of the Nazis.
1954 – Ellis Island closed as a facility for immigration purposes.
1965 – A huge blackout affected the entire Northeast. New York and New England were affected. People were trapped in subways and elevators, and riots took place in the streets of NYC. Power was not restored until the next morning.
1982 – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall was dedicated and opened for public viewing.
1989 – The Berlin Wall was opened at its gates, allowing people to freely go between East Germany and West Germany for the first time in 28 years.
Movies & TV:
1940 – Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” was released.
1955 – The first live television show from another country was broadcast from Havana, Cuba by NBC.
1956 – The first Elvis film “Love Me Tender,” premiered in New York City.
1968 – The Beatles’ movie “Yellow Submarine” premiered in the US.
1969 – “Sesame Street” premiered on 170 Public Broadcasting channels.
Music & Radio:
1948 – “This is Your Life” debuted on NBC radio and was hosted by Ralph Edwards.
1967 – The Monkees received a gold record for “Daydream Believer”.
1968 – “Hey Jude” by the Beatles was in its 7th week at #1.
1975 – The Spinners album “They Just Can’t Stop It (The Games People Play)” became a gold record.
1981 – Daryl Hall and John Oates’ song “Private Eyes” was in the #1 spot.
Arts & Entertainment:
1938 – “Jack and Jill,” a children’s magazine was first published.
1967 – The first issue of the magazine “Rolling Stone” was published with John Lennon on the cover.
1977 – “Li’l Abner,” the comic strip by Al Capp, was printed for the last time after 43 years in newspapers.
Sports:
1966 – Muhammad Ali TKOs Cleveland Williams in 3 rounds for the heavyweight title.
1982 – Sugar Ray Leonard retired from boxing.
Technology & Inventions:
1946 – The first “autobank,” a drive-up banking facility, opened at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, Illinois with 10 tellers with slide-out drawers.
1946 – Artificial snow was produced at Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts by Vincent J Schaefer.
Famous Birthdays:
1929 – Grace Kelly
1944 – Booker T. Jones, musician
1945 – Neil Young
1948 – Prince Charles
1948 – James Young, rock guitarist (Styx)
1955 – Whoopi Goldberg
1961 – Nadia Comaneci, Olympic gymnast
