>>Today In History On this day: In 1819, the first Odd Fellows lodge in U.S. established in Baltimore. Odd Fellows maintain homes for the aged, the poor, widows and orphans and provides members with financial aid in sickness or death. In 1865, Abraham Lincolns assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was killed in a shoot out with federal troops near Bowling Green, Virginia. In 1921, weather broadcasts aired for first time on radio at W-E-W in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1932, The Texaco Fire Chief Ed Wynn was heard on radio for first time. The legendary vaudeville performer demanded a live audience to react to his humor in order to make the switch to radio. He became radios first true superstar. In 1948, Hall-of-Fame golf architect Donald Ross died at the age of 74. In 1961, New York Yankees slugger Roger Maris hit the first of a record 61 home runs in a single season. In 1964, the Boston Celtics won their sixth consecutive NBA championship. The Celtics would go on to win two more titles before streak came to an end. In 1964, Tanzania was formed when the African nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged. In 1970, actress, stripper Gypsy Rose Lee died at the age of 56. In 1973, actress Irene Ryan died at the age of 71. She is best remembered for her role as Granny on The Beverly Hillbillies. In 1984, legendary bandleader William Count Basie died at the age of 79. In 1986, Russias Chernobyl atomic power station exploded, killing 31 people and exposing thousands to radioactivity. The explosion forced a 300-square mile evacuation. In 1986, actor, bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger married Maria Shriver. In 1987, Chris Evert beat Martina Navratilova to win her 150th career tennis tournament. In 1989, legendary actress, comedienne Lucille Ball died at the age of 77. The redheaded Queen of Comedy created and starred on one of the most popular comedy shows in history, I Love Lucy. In 1993, Conan OBrien was named to succeed David Letterman as host of NBCs Late Night. In 1995, Americans observed a minute of silence in honor of the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing which had occurred one week earlier. In 1996, gymnasts Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci were married. In 1997, Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux closed out his Hall-of-Fame career with a goal in his final game, a five-to-two loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 2004, Scotland Yards most senior policeman began retracing the the final moments of the life of Princess Diana in Paris. Sir John Stevens was asked by Royal Coroner Michael Burgess to investigate the circumstances of Dianas 1997 car crash death. In 2004, actress Halle Berry filed for divorce from her second husband, singer Eric Benet, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple were married for three years. Berry was previously married to baseball star David Justice. In 2004, hip-hop mogul Sean P. Diddy Combs made his Broadway debut in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun. Combs played Walter Lee Younger, the role made famous by actor Sidney Poitier both on stage and in film. In 2006, President Bush announced Fox News Radio host Tony Snow as the replacement for his outgoing White House press secretary Scott McClellan. In 2007, former Motion Picture Association of America president Jack Valenti died at the age of 85. Valenti, who championed the movie industry for 38 years had suffered a stroke a month earlier. His contributions to the movie industry include the creation of the ratings system and fighting for copyright enforcement. Valenti headed the MPAA from 1966 to 2004.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 11:14:35 +0000
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