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