Headlines & Tidbits from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s
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
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