This Week In History: October 19 – October 25

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

World News & the American Experience:

1940 – The 40-hour workweek went into effect due to the Fair Labor Standards of 1938.

1944 – The Navy began accepting Black women into the WAVES. “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.”

1945 – The United Nations charter took effect, establishing the United Nations.

1962 – President John F. Kennedy announced that Cuba was building secret missiles. He ordered a naval blockade of Cuba.

1973 – President Nixon was under scrutiny for the Watergate scandal, and was asked to turn over some tape recordings of conversations. Instead, he fired Special Watergate Prosecutor Archibald Cox, and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus, and U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson quit. The day became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

1983 – The Senate established a Martin Luther King Jr federal holiday.

1987 – Dow Jones Index drops a record 508.32 points on “Black Monday.”

Movies & TV:

1957 – “Jailhouse Rock”, with Elvis Presley, opened in U.S. theatres.

1964 – The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Music & Radio:

1930 – “The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes” premiered on NBC Radio.

1960 – Brenda Lee hit #1 for the second time in the year with “I Want to Be Wanted”.

1962 – “The Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Picket and the Crypt Kickers reached the top of the charts this week.

1965 – The Beatles received a gold record for the single, “Yesterday”.

1966 – The Supremes hit the top of the charts, and were the first all-female vocal group to do so.

1978 – The Police had their first US concert at New York’s famous CBGB.

1986 – Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” album went to #1 and stayed there for 8 weeks.

Media & The Arts:

1937 – The magazine “Woman’s Day” was first published for the A&P store chain.

1944 – Marlon Brando first appeared on Broadway in “I Remember Mama.”

1955 – “No Time for Sergeants” opened on Broadway, starring Andy Griffith.

1959 – Patty Duke first appeared on Broadway in “The Miracle Worker.” She was 12 years old.

1962 – Author John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

1972 – “Pippin” opened at Imperial Theater in New York for 1944 performances.

1975 – “Chorus Line” opened at Shubert Theater in New York City for 6137 performances.

Celebrity Headlines:

1931 – Gangster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years for tax evasion.

1964 – A riot broke out at a Rolling Stones Show in Paris during their concert. 150 were arrested.

Sports:

1933 – Basketball was introduced to the 1936 Olympic Games by the Berlin Organization Committee.

1939 – The first televised pro football game was telecast from Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York. Brooklyn beat Philadelphia, 23-14.

1960 – Cassius Clay wins his first fight as a professional boxer.

1965 – Sugar Ray Robinson enjoyed winning his final victory fight against Rudolph Bent.

Technology & Inventions:

1939 – Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time.

1955 – The Tappan Stove Company was given the rights by Raytheon to introduce the wall-mounted microwave oven to homeowners. It was priced at $1,295. It did not sell well until Amana took over and began selling Radarange countertop units in 1967 for a price of $495.

1960 – The world’s first electronic wristwatch by the Bulova Watch Company went on sale for $200 in jewelry stores 10 years after the astronauts first wore them.

1983 – IBM-PC DOS Version 2.1 released.

Famous Birthdays:

1925 – Johnny Carson

1930 – Big Bopper, (JP Richardson)

1931 – Mickey (Charles) Mantle

1932 – Robert Reed, actor (The Brady Bunch)

1934 – Martin Landau, actor

1939 – Tony Roberts, actor

1941 – Helen Reddy, singer

1942 – Annette Funicello

1946 – Connie Chung, news reporter

1950 – Tom Petty

1956 – Carrie Fisher, actress

1962 – Evander Holyfield

1969 – Jack Kerouac, author