Mel Phillips Remembers

Wednesday, November 4, 2009...

2009-11-04T07:24:00.000-05:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1842] Wedding Bells: Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd rock down the aisle...
1922] King Tut sighting: The entrance to King Tutankhamen's tomb is discovered (by Steve Martin?) in Egypt...
1924] Madam Governor: Nellie T. Ross (Wyoming) is elected the nation's 1st woman Governor, chosen to serve the remaining term of her husband William who died in office...
1979] Hostage Crisis Day 1: Militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran as the Iranian Hostage Crisis begins (52 hostages will be held for the next 14 months)...
1980] Reagan romp: Ronald Reagan wins the White House, defeating Jimmy Carter soundly...
1991] Reagan retirement: Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Bush help Reagan dedicate his Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley (CA)...
1995] Cut down: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by a Jewish extremist after speaking at a peace rally in Tel Aviv...
2007] Record breaker: Antonio Cromartie of the San Diego Chargers breaks the record for the longest play in NFL history with a 109-yard missed field goal return...
2008] 'Happy Trails': Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, The Lost World and The Andromeda Strain, dies from lymphoma at 66...
2008] Barack and roll: Democrat Barack Obama wins the 2008 U.S. presidential election, beating Republican John McCain. Obama becomes the first African American President of these United States...For more on November 4:

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009...

2009-11-03T07:30:00.001-05:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1961] Batday: The Boston Patriots beat the Dallas Texans 28-21 at Braves Field when a fan sneaks onto the field and bats away Dallas QB Cotton Davidson's pass into the end zone as time runs out. The play stands, the Patriots win (we love these endings especially when the home team wins. Remember when that convict on work patrol cleared a spot on the field for a winning field goal ? Then there's the "tuck rule" imposed to favor Tom Brady in a big game against Oakland). We love this stuff...
1971] Premiered on this date: "Play Misty For Me" starring Clint Eastwood. Every disc jockey's worst nightmare...1978] "Different Strokes" begins for 8 successful seasons...
1979] Wedding Bells: James Taylor and Carly Simon tie the knot in Carly's Manhattan apartment. Sadly they separate in 1982 and divorce in 1983...
1986] Breaking the story: A Lebanese magazine breaks the story of U.S. arms sales to Iran, which exposes the Iran-Contra affair...
1988] Breaking the nose: Geraldo Rivera breaks his nose in an on-camera brawl with skinheads. I didn't know who to root for in this fight...
1992] Two big winners on Election Day: Bill Clinton is elected our 42nd President, defeating President George H.W. Bush (and) Illinois Democrat Carol Moseley-Braun becomes the 1st black woman elected to the U.S. Senate...
1994] Guilty as charged: Susan Smith is arrested for drowning her two young sons, 9 days after claiming the children had been kidnapped. She's still serving life without parole in prison...
1999] Guilty as charged II: Aaron McKinney is convicted of murder in the beating of gay Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard. McKinney and Russell Henderson are each serving life in prison for the 1998 murder...
2004] A political first: Hamid Karzai is declared the winner of Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election. Apparently he was just re-elected...
2005] Scooter is busted: VP Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby pleads not guilty to a five-count felony indictment in the CIA leak case. Libby is convicted and sentenced to 30-months in prison but 'W' commutes his sentence...For more on November 3:

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Monday, November 2, 2009...

2009-11-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1947] Taking Off: Howard Hughes pilots his huge wooden airplane, the Spruce Goose, on its only flight, which lasts about a minute over Long Beach Harbor (CA)...
1948] Chicago Tribune street cred is questioned: The front page of the Chicago Tribune screamed 'DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN'. Too bad it was the other way. Truman defeated Dewey...
1959] The birth of payola: "Twenty-One" contestant Charles Van Doren tells a House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight that he was given questions and answers in advance of his appearances. The committee starts radio investigations as part of their probe. Uh-oh...
1964] SOLD: CBS Inc. purchases 80% of the New York Yankees for $11 million. They buy the remaining shares eventually. CBS actually loses money when they sell the team to the George Steinbrenner-led Cleveland group 9 years later...
1976] From peanuts to president: Former Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter defeats Republican incumbent Gerald R. Ford to become the first president from the deep south since the Civil War. Texas is in the southwest so LBJ doesn't qualify...
1983] On the dotted line: President Ronald Reagan signs a bill establishing a federal holiday on the third Monday of January in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr...
1984] Capital punishment: Velma Barfield becomes the first woman executed in the U.S. since 1962...
1988] Wormy: The Morris worm, the first Internet-distributed computer worm to gain significant mainstream media attention is launched from MIT...
2004] Re-upped: President George W. Bush is elected to a second term as Republicans strengthen their hold on Congress...
2006] Hanky spanky: The Rev. Ted Haggard resigns as president of the National Association of Evangelicals after a man says they had had sexual trysts together...For more on November 2:

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(Halloween Weekend Edition) October 30 - November 1, 2009...

2009-10-30T06:39:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1894] Number One with a bullet: Billboard Advertising is published for the first time (11/1). The trade publication will later be known as Billboard Magazine...
1926] Last disappearing act: Harry Houdini dies from complications of a ruptured appendix at 52 on Halloween, no less (10/31)...
1938] War of the Worlds: H.G. Wells' epic is aired on "Mercury Theater on the air presents Orson Welles". Of the 6 million listeners, more than 1.7 million believed the fictional account of Martians invading New Jersey. Maybe they were looking for Jimmy Hoffa (10/30)...
1941] What huge busts: Okay, get your mind off the female anatomy. Mount Rushmore is declared completed after 14 years of work. Sixty-foot busts of Washington, Jefferson, (Theodore) Roosevelt and Lincoln are finished and the landmark would soon open to the public (10/31)...
1946] WNNNNNBC: WEAF changes call letters to WNBC (11/1)...
1971] Runaway: Cornell running back Ed Marinaro runs for 272 yards against Columbia to surpass 4,000 yards and break Steve Owens record at Oklahoma (10/30)...
1974] Are you ready to rumble?: "The Rumble in the Jungle" is fought in Kinshasa, Zaire with Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman on a TKO in the 8th round (10/30)...
1975] DROP DEAD!!!: That was the subtle headline on page one of the New York Daily News after President Gerald R. Ford says he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City. Yep, better to use the money on police body armor in Keokuk, Iowa any day (10/30)...
1988] Questionable seance: Debbie Gibson holds a seance at her Halloween party to contact the spirits of Liberace and Sid Vicous but channels Zazu Pitts instead (10/31)...
1997] Convicted: A Cambridge (MA) jury convicts British au pair Louise Woodward of second degree murder in the death of 8-month old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduces the verdict to manslaughter and sets Woodward free. Who was the judge? Lance Ito??? (10/30)...For more on October 30 - November 1:

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Thursday, October 29, 2009...

2009-10-29T06:53:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1652] The birth of the Bay State: The Massachusetts Bay Colony proclaims itself an independent commonwealth. Knowing this wouldn't work on a T-shirt, the founding fathers rename it Massachusetts...
1929] Cur-rash: "Black Tuesday" ushers in 'The Great Depression' as banks and stocks go belly up...
1940] Brrrrrrr there's a draft in here: The first peacetime military draft begins in the U.S...
1956] Premiered on this date: Chet Huntley (from New York) & David Brinkley (Washington) debut on the "Huntley-Brinkley Report" which begins a 15-year run...1967] "Hair" opens on Broadway...
1964] Natural History heist: Thieves make off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Tom Cruise is arrested immediately...
1966] NOW and then: The National Organization for Women is founded...
1971] "Happy Trails": Duane Allman is killed in a motorcycle crash in Macon (GA) at 24...
1998] Deja Vu all over again: The space shuttle Discovery blasts off with 77-year old John Glenn. In 1962 he was the first American astronaut to orbit...
2004] Osama sighting: Osama bin Laden in a videotaped statement, directly admits for the first time, ordering the September 11 attacks. He tells America "the best way to avoid another Manhattan" is to stop threatening Muslims' security"...
2008] Fightin' Phillies Phantastic Phinish: The Philadelphia Phillies win the World Series 4 games to 1, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in Game 5...For more on October 29:

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009...

2009-10-28T07:24:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1636] Crimson coming: Harvard College is founded in the Bay State. The first school of higher education was originally called "Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony"...
1886] Lady Liberty: The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. The original name of the statue: "Liberty Enlightening The World." On the same date in 1936 the statue was rededicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on its 50th anniversary and in 1986 the centennial was celebrated...
1950] Debuted on this date: "The Jack Benny Show" on CBS-TV. The show will run until August of 1977...
1953] Musical chairs: The "Old Redhead", Red Barber, takes his "catbird seat" from Brooklyn to the Bronx to do play-by-play of Yankees games...1979] Dick Howser replaces Billy Martin as Yankees manager...
1961] Ground breaking: For Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows. Shea will open in 1964 when the World's Fair opens...
1962] Joining the 7 TD club: Giants QB Y.A.Tittle becomes the 3rd QB in the NFL (Sid Luckman and Adrian Burk were 1st & 2nd) to pass for 7 touchdowns in one game. It led the Giants to a 49-34 victory over the Washington Redskins..
1973] Sayonara: Secretariat wins his final race in Canada, then goes to stud after 16 wins in 21 races. "Big Red" will live to the age of 19...
1976] Up the river: Former Nixon presidential aide John Erlichman begins his sentence for Watergate related wrong-doings..
1981] Comeback kids: The Dodgers come back from a 2-0 game deficit to beat the Yankees in 4 straight games to win the World Series. Yankee reliever George Frasier loses 3 games in the series...
2007] Twice as nice: The Boston Red Sox win their 2nd World Series in 4 years as they sweep the Colorado Rockies in 4 games...For more on October 28:

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009...

2009-10-27T06:58:00.001-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1858] But don't tell Gimbel's: Roland Macy opens a department store in Manhattan. It was Macy's 5th business venture - the other 4 failed...
1904] The IRT: The 3rd rapid transit system in the world (London's was 1st, Boston was second) opens in New York City (it's called the IRT)...
1954] 'D-I-V-O-R-C-E': Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio call it quits after marrying on January 14th...
1964] Wedding Bells: Sonny & Cher rock down the aisle. Their marriage will end in divorce in 1975...
1975] On the cover of: Bruce Springsteen appears on the covers of both TIME & Newsweek...
1978] How noble: Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin win the Nobel Peace Prize for progress toward achieving a Middle East accord...
1995] Up the river: Yolanda Saldivar is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Latina singer Selena...
1999] 'Happy Trails': Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat dies of heart failure at 90...
2004] Joining the 700 club: Barry Bonds 700th home run ball fetches $804,129 in an on-line auction. Steve Williams who came up with the ball in the bleachers on Sept. 17th announces he's quitting his job as a brokers assistant (Hello Fiji)...
2004] Worth the wait: The Boston Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918 by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 4 games...For more on October 27:

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Monday, October 26, 2009...

2009-10-26T07:02:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1962] Till Hell Freezes Over: In one of the most dramatic verbal confrontations of the Cold War, U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson asks his Soviet counterpart whether the USSR has placed missiles in Cuba...
1965] Sir Beatles: The Beatles receive MBE (Member of the British Empire) honors at Buckingham Palace...
1972] Peace and love man: National security adviser Henry Kissinger declares "peace is at hand" in Vietnam...
1984] Baboon heart: A newborn with a severe heart defect is given the heart of a baboon in an experimental transplant. She will live 21 more days...
1990] "Happy Trails": William S. Paley, founder of CBS, Inc. dies from kidney failure at 89...1994] One-man band, Wilbert Harrison suffers a fatal stroke at 65...
1994] Passing the peace pipe: Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan PM Abdel Salam Majali sign a peace treaty in a ceremony brokered by President Bill Clinton...
1996] A clear jewell: Federal prosecutors clear Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing in Atlanta...
2001] Patriot Act: President George W. Bush signs the USA Patriot Act, giving authorities unprecedented ability to search, seize, detain or eavesdrop in their pursuit of possible terrorists...
2002] Russian justice: A hostage siege by Chechen rebels at a Moscow theater ends with 129 of the 800 plus captives dead, most from a knockout gas used by Russian special forces who storm the theater...
2005] Fall Classic: The Chicago White Sox win their first World Series since 1917 by defeating Houston 1-0 in game 4...For more on October 26:

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(Weekend Edition) October 23 - 25, 2009...

2009-10-23T07:24:00.002-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1931] Say hello to the George: The George Washington Bridge connecting Manhattan and New Jersey opens to the public (10/24)...
1956] Debuted on this date: NBC-TV broadcasts the first video tape coast-to-coast. It's a tape of Jonathan Winters performing (10/23)...
1964] Turn around, look at me: Viking Jim Marshall, a good player but lacking a good sense of direction, runs 66 yards in the wrong direction after picking up a fumble, costing the Vikes a 2-point safety (10/25)...
1972] 'Happy Trails': Severe heart problems take their toll of Jackie Robinson who passes away at 53 (10/24)...1991] Rock promoter Bill Graham is killed in a helicoper crash at 60 (10/25)...2005] American civil rights activist Rosa Parks dies in her Detroit apartment at 92 (10/24)...
1973] Dead air: President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over the Watergate tapes as the clock ticks (10/23)...
1983] Beirut blast: A suicide truck bombing at Beirut International Airport in Lebanon kills 241 U.S. Marines and sailors. Another attack kills 58 French paratroopers (10/23)...
1986] Fall Classics: Bill Buckner happens as the Mets beat the Red Sox and go on to win the World Series in game 7 (10/25)...2003] The Marlins' Josh Beckett pitches Florida to the World Series title with a 2-0 shutout of the Yankees. Beckett tags (hip, hip) Jorge Posada on the tush for the final out (10/25)...
1996] How do you mend a broken heart?: Joe Torre's brother Frank receives a heart transplant during the 1996 World Series (10/25). Frank is living a healthy life and will be 78 in December...
1998] Sniper attack: Dr. Barnett Slepian, an abortion doctor was killed at his home in suburban Buffalo when a sniper fired through his kitchen window. James Kopp is convicted of the murder and is serving 25-to-life in prison (10/23)...
2002] Snipers snuffed: Army veteran John Allen Muhammad and teenage friend Lee Boyd Malvo are arrested in connection with the Washington (DC) area sniper attacks (10/24). Both are serving prison sentences...For more on October 23 - 25 Plus Commentary on the passing of Soupy Sales:

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Thursday, October 22, 2009...

2009-10-22T07:26:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1746] The Tiger roars: The College of New Jersey receives its charter. The name of the school will change to Princeton...
1883] Meet the Met: The original Metropolitan Opera House in New York holds its grand opening with a performance of Gounod's "Faust"...
1934] Not so pretty: Bank robber Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd is shot to death by federal agents at a farm in Ohio...
1962] JFK tells all: President John F. Kennedy addresses a TV audience about the Russian missile bases in Cuba and the world will hold its collective breath until the missiles are removed and the crisis ends...
1968] Making a big splash: Apollo 7 safely splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean after orbiting the Earth 163 times...
1979] Opening the door: The U.S. government allows the deposed Shah of Iran to travel to New York for medical treatment...
1981] Buh-bye: The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization is decertified for its strike the previous August...
1986] Chopper down: WNBC traffic reporter Jane Dornacker is killed while doing traffic reports. Her chopper goes down in the Hudson River...
2000] The Rocket explodes: Mets catcher Mike Piazza is once again Roger Clemens' target, this time in the World Series when Clemens throws a bat chard in the direction of Piazza, who's running to first base..
2002] The sniper strikes again: A bus driver is shot to death in Aspen Hill (MD) in the 13th and final attack by the Washington area sniper...For more on October 22:

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Wednesday, October 21, 2009...

2009-10-21T07:43:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1879] Lighting the way: Thomas Edison invents a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park (NJ)...
1945] Wedding Bells: Argentine military officer and politician Juan Peron marries actress Evita...
1959] Crazy Guggenheim: The Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright opens to the public...
1973] Lending an ear: John Paul Getty III's ear is cut off by kidnappers and sent to a newspaper in Rome. It doesn't arrive until November 8 with postage due...
1973] Safety first and second: Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the first and last player in the NFL to score two safeties in a 24-7 win over Green Bay...
1975] Waving it fair: Carlton Fisk wins Game 6 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Reds with his dramatic homerun and cool body language...
1988] Guilty as charged: A federal grand jury in New York indicts former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda on charges of fraud, racketeering and owning too many shoes...
1992] Released on this date: Madonna's erotic photo book "Sex" is released with 500,000 copies sold in the first run. A-Rod buys 499,999 copies...
1998] Getting out the broom: Following a 4-game sweep of San Diego in the World Series, the Yankees set a major league record of 125 wins for a regular and post-season combined...
2003] Plugged In: Invoking a hastily-passed law, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush orders a feeding tube reinserted into Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a bitter right-to-die battle...For more on October 21:

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009...

2009-10-20T07:04:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1944] 'I Shall Return': Those were the words uttered by General Douglas MacArthur when he stepped ashore in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he made the famous quote...
1968] Wedding Bells: Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis...
1973] Nixon cans Cox: Special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox is fired by President Richard Nixon. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus resign in protest...
1976] No more house calls in New York: The Nets sell Julius "Dr. J" Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers...
1977] Rock & Roll tragedy: Three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd die in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb (MS)...
1979] JFK remembered: The John F. Kennedy Library opens in Boston...
1992] The World Series in Canada, eh?: In the first WS game to be played outside the U.S., Toronto beats Atlanta 3-2...
2004] Down but never out: The Red Sox come from a 3 game deficit to win 4 straight over the Yankees to win the AL pennant. They go on to win the World Series too...
2004] Chipped: U.S. Army staff sergeant Ivan "Chip" Frederick pleads quilty to helping plan the deadly U.S. embassy bombings in Arfrica in 1998 that killed 224 including 12 Americans...
2005] The defense rests forever: A defense lawyer in Saddam Hussein's mass murder trial is abducted from his office and found murdered hours later...For more on October 20:

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Monday, October 19, 2009...

2009-10-19T07:08:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1873] Football rules: Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules. Rule number one: outscore your opponent...
1960] Cuba banned: The United States imposes an embargo on exports to Cuba. All that stuff is about to go by the wayside - a good thing especially if it means getting Cuban cigars...
1969] Effete feat: VP Spiro T. Agnew calls anti-Vietnam protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs" which is better than a "nattering nabobs of negativism" I think...
1973] Tapes, what tapes?: President Richard Nixon rejects an Appeals Court demand to turn over the Watergate tapes...
1977] Psst, it's the SST: The supersonic Concorde makes its first landing in New York City, shattering windows at Archie Bunker's house...
1987] Stock market crash: The Dow Jones plunges 508 points or 22.6 percent, its second biggest percentage drop...
2002] Washington sniper strikes again: A 37-year old man is seriously wounded outside a steakhouse in Ashland (VA) in the latest attack by the Washington-area sniper...
2004] The bloody sock: Curt Schilling, bloody sock and all, pitches the Red Sox to a 4-2 win over the Yankees, setting up a winner-take-all game 7 for the ALCS showdown. The Sox win the World Series that year...
2004] Baghdad bullies strike: Insurgents in Iraq abduct Margaret Hassan, the local director of CARE Internationsl from her car in Baghdad. Hassan is later murdered by her captors...
2005] Defiant till the end: Saddam Hussein pleads innocent to charges of premeditated murder and torture at his trial in Baghdad...For more on October 19:

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(Weekend Edition) October 16 - 18, 2009...

2009-10-16T07:08:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1954] Bad call-letter move: WNBC Radio changes calls to WRCA but not for long. The call-letters will soon revert back to good ole WNNNNNBC (10/18)...
1962] One picture is worth a thousand words: Reconnaissance photos reveal missile bases in Cuba (10/16)...
1965] That's fair: The 1964-1965 World's Fair closes after two years. More than 51 million people attended, including this WMID jock who did a remote back to Atlantic City for two days with music and commercials from the New York State Pavilion via phone line (10/17)...
1969] Truly Amazin': The New York Mets win their 1st World Series as a harmless fly ball hit by future Mets manager Davey Johnson drops into Cleon Jones' glove: Everyone in the programming dept. at WRKO watched the game in VP/GM Perry S. Ury's office (10/16)...
1977] Reggie-Reggie-Reggie: Reggie Jackson makes World Series history with back-to-back-to-back home runs, each on the first pitch. No one did it before or since (10/18)...
1978] Pinstripe parade: The Yankees beat the Dodgers in 6 games to repeat as World Champs (10/17)...1984] Lou Piniella is named Yankee manager (10/17)...1988] Dallas Green replaces Sweet Lou as Yankee manager (10/17)...
1987] Baby Jessica: Rescuers free 'Baby Jessica' (McClure) from the Midland (TX) well she fell in. Jessica, 18-months old, was trapped for 58 hours yet survived (10/16)...
1989] A whole lotta shaking going on: A funny thing happened on the way to game 3 of the Oakland-San Francisco World Series - an earthquake. The Giants sweep the A's in 4 games when the series resumes a few days later (10/17)...
2002] Something else to worry about: The White House announces that North Korea has disclosed it has a nuclear weapons program (10/16)...
2007] "Happy Trails": Comedian Joey Bishop dies of natural causes at 89 (10/17)...2007] 50s singing sensation Teresa Brewer passes away from neuromuscular disease at 76 (10/17)...2008] Levi Stubbs, lead singer of the Four Tops dies in his sleep at 72 (10/17)...2008] Singer Dee Dee Warwick passes away at 63. Warwick had been in failing health for some time at the time of her death (10/18)...For more on October 16 - 18:

Thursday, October 15, 2009...

2009-10-15T07:28:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1951] Premiered on this date: "I Love Lucy" starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. This all-time classic will run 10 original seasons and in re-run forever...1959] "The Untouchables" starring Robert Stack (let's not forget the narration by Walter Winchell). The original series only runs for 4 seasons...1973] "The Tomorrow Show" with Tom Snyder debuts...
1962] Series Saver: Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson grabs Willie McCovey's line drive for the final out as the Bronx Bombers win their 20th World Series over the SF Giants in 7 games...
1964] Curtains: Nikita Krushchev is removed as Soviet Premier and replaced by Alexei N. Kosygin. To wish the new premier good luck, Krushchev pounds Kosygin in the head with his shoe...
1964] "Happy Trails": Cole Porter dies of kidney failure at 73...
1969] Peace & love, man: Peace demonstrators stage activities across the country, including a candlelight march around the White House to protest the Vietnam War...
1976] Veeps get into it: Walter Mondale and Bob Dole face off in the first VP debate...
1986] Mets marathon: The Mets beat the Houston Astros 7-6 in 16 innings (the longest postseason game in history at the time) to win the NL Pennant and will win the World (Bill) Series (Buckner) over (Bill) the (Buckner) Boston (Bill) Red Sox (Buckner)...
1991] By a hair: The Senate narrowly confirms the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court (52-48)...
2002] Guilty as charged: ImClone Systems founder Sam Waksal pleads guilty in New York in the biotech company's insider trading scandal...
2003] Ferry disaster: A Staten Island Ferry slams into a maintenance pier, killing 11...For more on October 15:

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009...

2009-10-14T07:12:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1926] Published on this date: "Winnie-the-Pooh" written by A.A. Milne...
1947] Breaking barriers: Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the 1st person to break the sound barrier...
1960] Peace be with you: Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy suggests formation of a Peace Corps during a speech at the University of Michigan...
1962] Crisis begins: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins and won't end until November 20th. The world walks a nuclear tightrope...
1964] Peace prize: Martin Luther King Jr. wins the Nobel Peace Prize...
1973] The Hall of Fame awaits: Willie Mays gets his last hit as the Mets beat the Oakland A's in game 2 of the World Series, which Oakland will win...
1977] "Happy Trails": Bing Crosby is the victim of a fatal heart attack at 74...1990] Leonard Bernstein, a heavy smoker, dies at 72 of emphysema...
1979] You say hello and I say goodbye: Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers scores the first of his NHL record 894 goals in a home game against Vancouver...1985] Joe Namath's #12 is retired as the Jets beat Miami 23-7 on Monday Night Football...
1984] Sparking both leagues: Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson becomes the 1st manager to win 100 games and a World Series in both leagues...
2003] Guilty as charged: John Allen Muhammad pleads innocent to murder in the Washington-area sniper case. He is later convicted and sentenced to death...For more on October 14:

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009...

2009-10-13T07:01:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1775] Fleet's in: The Continental Congress orders the construction of a naval fleet for the U.S...
1843] The birth of the B'rith: The B'nai B'rith is founded in New York City...
1903] First World Series: The Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0 to win the first WS five games to three...
1960] Debatable: Richard M. Nixon and JFK hold their 3rd televised presidential debate with Nixon in Hollywood and Kennedy in New York...
1960] The Walk-Off is born: The Pirates' Bill Mazeroski hits the 1st walk-off home run in World Series history as Pittsburgh wins the series over the Yankees...
1970] "Happy Trails": Janis Joplin's ashes are scattered off the coast of California...1974] Ed Sullivan dies from cancer at 73...
1985] Wrap & Roll: Cardinal rookie Vince Coleman is injured prior to the NLCS when he's caught in Busch Stadium's automatic tarp. The Cardinals would go on to win the NL pennant but lose to KC in the World Series...
1996] Here's the kicker: Jet kicker Nick Lowery breaks Jan Stenerud's NFL field goal record with his 374 field goal...
1998] Locked out: The NBA cancels 32 games as a result of a lockout of players...
1999] Not so grand: The JonBenet Ramsey grand jury is dismissed after 13 months when there's not enough evidence to charge anyone in the 6-year old's strangulation death..For more on October 13:

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(Columbus Day) Monday, October 12, 2009...

2009-10-12T06:59:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1492] Lost and Found: Christopher Columbus reaches the New World when he sights a Bahamian Island believing he has reached East Asia. Hey I get lost trying to find aisle 8 in Food Emporium...
1892] Pledging our love: The Pledge of Allegiance written by Francis Bellamy is first recited in unison by students in U.S. public schools...
1960] Put an egg in that shoe and beat it: Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev disrupts a U.N. General Assembly session by pounding the podium with a shoe during a dispute...
1967] Fall Classic: The 'Impossible Dream' ends. Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg makes a valiant attempt to pitch on two days rest but loses game 7 of the Boston-St. Louis World Series. Final score 7-2 Cardinals. I was at that game, played at Fenway Park...
1971] "Happy Trails": Gene Vincent dies from a ruptured stomach ulcer at 36...1997] John Denver is killed in a plane crash when he runs out of fuel. Denver was 53...1999] Basketball Hall Of Famer Wilt Chamberlain dies in his sleep of a heart attack at 72...
1973] Nixon picks a Ford: President Richard Nixon nominates House Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich) to succeed Spiro T. Agnew as VP. Agnew goes on a search for 'nattering naybobs of negativism.'...
1998] Tragic death: Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, dies five days after he was beaten, robbed and left tied to a wooden fence post...
1999] The day of six billion: The proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born...
2000] Death on a destroyer: Two suicide bombers in an explosives-laden boat ram into the destroyer the USS Cole in Yemen. 17 sailors are killed...
2007] Keeping the peace: Former VP Al Gore and the U.N.'s Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change wins the Nobel Peace Prize for sounding the alarm over global warming. This past Friday, President Barack Obama was the surprise winner of the same award...For more on October 12:

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(Weekend Edition) October 9 - 11, 2009...

2009-10-09T07:13:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1872] Mail order is born: Aaron Montgomery Ward starts his mail-order business with the delivery of the first mail order catalog. The firm becomes Montgomery-Ward (10/9)...
1951] Fall Classics: The Casey Stengel-led Yankees beat the New York Giants in 6 games to win their 3rd consecutive WS. That number will grow to 5. Joe DiMaggio in his final year and rookie Mickey Mantle play the outfield -- DiMag in center, the Mick in right until he gets hurt...1957] Lew Burdette's 3rd WS victory gives the Braves the championship over the Yankees in 7 games...1973]
The New York Mets beat the Reds in game 5 of the NLCS to advance to the WS against Oakland (all 3 events are on 10/10)...
1973] Curtains: Elvis Presley and Priscilla D-I-V-O-R-C-E after 6 years of marriage (10/9)...1977] North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith retires as the winningest college basketball coach in history. The team's record under Smith: 879-254 with 2 national titles and 11 final fours (10/9)...
1975] Wedding Bells: Hillary Rodham (R) switches party affiliation when she marries Bill Clinton (D) (10/11)...
1975] Live from New York: George Carlin hosts the first "Saturday Night Live" with musical guests Janis Ian and Billy Preston (10/11)...
1985] Strawberry Fields Forever: The official dedication of Strawberry Fields is held on what would have been John Lennon's 45th birthday. Son Sean was 10 years old. He's now 34. It was Mayor Ed Koch who named the patch of Central Park real estate in the shadows of The Dakota where John Lennon lived and died. As is the custom, there will be fans congregating there today on what would have been John's 69th birthday (10/9)...
1991] Hill v. Thomas: Anita Hill accuses Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment in 'must see TV' for the masses (10/11)...
2004] "Happy Trails": Christopher Reeve passes away from cardiac arrest after slipping into a coma. The former Superman was 52 (10/10)...
2006] Google gobbles YouTube: Google Inc. announces that it's snapped up You Tube Inc. for $1.65 billion (10/10)...
2006] Tragedy on 72nd Street: Yankees relief pitcher Corey Lidle, 34, and his co-pilot/instructor Tyler Stanger die when their small plane crahes into the 40th floor of a 50 floor hi-rise in Manhattan (10/11). Pilot error was ruled...For more on October 9 - 11:

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Thursday, October 8, 2009...

2009-10-08T06:49:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1871] We didn't start the fire: The Great Fire of Chicago kills 250 and leaves 90,000 homeless. Four square miles of the Windy City (named for loud-mouthed politicians not the gusty winds) is destroyed...
1918] This is a hero: Sgt. Alvin C. York almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132 more in the Argonne Forest in France. York is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor...
1938] Turning the tables: The cover of "The Saturday Evening Post" has a portrait of Norman Rockwell...
1944] Premiered on this date: The radio show, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" debuts...
1956] Perfecto: Yankees pitcher Don Larsen becomes the 1st and only pitcher to throw not only a no-hitter but a perfect game in the World Series, over Brooklyn 2-0 at Yankee Stadium. It was never done before or since...
1967] Gotcha: Guerrilla leader Che Guevara of Cuba, and his men are captured in Bolivia...
1973] Basebrawl: A brawl erupts in Game 3 of the National League playoffs between the Mets and Reds as Pete Rose and Bud Harrelson duke it out at second base. The Mets win the game 9-2 to take a 3-2 edge in games. They will win the series and move on to the World Series against Oakland. This they lose...
1991] Hallowed ground: A slave burial site is found by construction workers in lower Manhattan. The 'Negro Burial Ground' had been closed in 1790. Over a dozen skeletons were found...
2003] Wedding Bells: Vivendi Universal and General Electric announce an agreement to merge into NBC Universal. Next up, Comcast? It could happen...
2004] Not a good thing: Martha Stewart begins her 5-month jail sentence for lying about a stock sale...For more on October 8:

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009...

2009-10-07T06:57:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1916] Rambling Wrecks: Georgia Tech beats Cumberland College 222-0. As Warner Wolf would say, "if you took 221 points in this game, you would still lose" and here's the kicker: Georgia Tech gained 978 yards on the ground, never throwing a pass. Now that's running up the score and the clock...
1952] Billy Ball on defense: Second baseman Billy Martin makes a game-saving catch as the Yankees win their 4th straight World Series, beating Brooklyn in Game 7...
1960] Debatable: JFK and Richard Nixon square off in round 2 of their presidential debates. General consensus has JFK wining this one too...
1960] Premiered on this date: "Route 66" starring George Maharis and Martin Milner will run 4 seasons...1982] That horrible screeching coming from the Winter Garden Theater can only be "Cats", opening on Broadway. It will become the longest running show in B'way history...
1967] World Series Update: Game 3 of the World Series between St. Louis and Boston goes to the Cardinals 5-2 as they go one game up with a 2-1 game edge in the series...
1985] Tragedy at sea: Four Palestinian terrorists hijack the Achille Lauro. They surrender after 2 days but push wheelchair bound passenger Leon Klinghofer off the boat...
1988] You're fired: Lou Piniella is fired as Yankee manager by George Steinbrenner for the second time. Don't look now but here comes "Billy V" and all Piniella will do is win the World Series as manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1990...
1988] Turn out the lights: At 5:30 p.m. WNBC goes off the air. The station that started as experimental 2XB in 1919 breathed its last radio breath, signing off forever. WFAN took over the 660 frequency...
2001] Record-breaking: Barry Bonds wraps up his record-breaking season by hitting his 73rd home run while Rickey Henderson becomes the 25th player to record 3,000 hits...
2003] Elected: The Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of Cahl-e-for-knee-uh in the recall election of Gray Davis...For more on October 7:

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009...

2009-10-06T06:32:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1927] Premiered on this date: "The Jazz Singer" becomes the first 'talkie' based on the short story "The Day of Atonement" by Sampson Raphaelson. Al Jolson stars...1959] "Pillow Talk" starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson. This is the first of 3 films starring the box office favorites...
1945] The "Billy Goat Curse": begins in Chicago when a Cub fan is refused admission to a Cubs World Series game because he had a goat with him. William "Billy Goat" Sianis, owner of a local tavern puts a curse on the Cubs. It works. Not only do the Cubs lose that WS but they would never win another one. There must have been a curse on the Cubbies earlier, too. The last WS they won was in 1908...
1956] Wiping out Polio: Dr. Albert Sabin discovers the oral polio vaccine, just about eradicating the disease forever...
1963] Getting out the broom: The Dodgers sweep the Yankees in the 60th World Series as Sandy Koufax wins 2 games and is voted series MVP...
1973] "The Yom Kippur War": erupts in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria attack Israel...
1976] Walk-off home run: The Yankees win the AL Pennant when Chris Chambliss hits a dramatic home run against Kansas City...
1978] Wedding Bells: Benny Andersson and Frida Lyngstad of ABBA rock down the aisle...1991] Larry Fortensky becomes victim #8 for Elizabeth Taylor...1996] Faith Hill and Tim McGraw become a duo...
1981] "Happy Trails": Egyptian President Anwar-el Sadat, 63, is assassinated by Islamic militants at a military rally in Cairo...1983] Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York succumbs to cancer at 62...1989] The legendary Bette Davis dies in France from cancer at 81...
1983] Crossing the Hudson: The New York Jets announce they are leaving Shea Stadium for the Meadowlands where they play their 1st game in NJ in 1984...
1996] That's debatable: Bob Dole and President Bill Clinton meet in their 1st debate in Hartford (CT) as a TV audience of 46.1 million viewers look on...For more on October 6:

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Monday, October 5, 2009...

2009-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1921] A World Series First: The World Series is aired on radio for the first time...
1950] Premiered on this date: "You Bet Your Life", hosted by the 'one, the only' Groucho Marx...
1969] High flying comedy: "Monty Python's Flying Circus" makes its debut on BBC television...
1970] PBS founded: The Public Broadcasting Service is launched...
1983] And the winner is: Solidarity founder Lech Walesa is named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize...
1988] Shooting Quayle: Vice Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen makes his famous "I knew Jack Kennedy" retort to Dan Quayle. Quayle replies, 'at least I know how to spell potatoe'...
1989] Bakker fried: A jury in Charlotte (NC) convicts former PTL evangelist Jim Bakker of using his TV show to defraud followers...
2001] Deadly dose of anthrax: Robert Stevens of Boca Raton (FL) becomes the first victim of the 2001 anthrax attacks...
2001] Record breaker: Barry Bonds of the S.F. Giants sets a new mark for home runs in a season with his 71st and 72nd in a loss to the L.A. Dodgers to break Mark McGwire's record of 70 set in 1998. Bonds will finish the season with 73. Both men have been accused of taking illegal substances...
2005] Whips and chains: Defying the White House, the Senate votes 90-9 to approve an amendment that would prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." against anyone in U.S. government custody. This was a result of what transpired at Abu Ghraib...For more on October 5:

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(Weekend Edition) October 2 - 4, 2009...

2009-10-02T07:03:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1950] Premiered on this date: Charles M. Schulz’ “Peanuts” comic strip is born…1953] Edward R. Murrow’s “Person to Person” begins an 8-year run…1955] “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” debuts and runs on and off until 1986…1959] “The Twilight Zone” starts a 5-year run (all premieres took place 10/2)…
1951] Shot heard round the world: The Giants’ Bobby Thomson hits a 3-run, walk-off home run beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the third and deciding game of their playoffs. Russ Hodges said it best: “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant.” Ralph Branca tossed up the lollipop (10/3)…
1957] The Space Age dawns: The Soviet Union llaunches Sputnik, the first man-made satellite into orbit (10/4)…
1970] Team Tragedy: A plane carrying 30 members of the Wichita State football team crashes. All 30 are killed (10/2)…
1970] “Happy Trails“: The body of Janis Joplin is found in a Hollywood hotel room (10/4). Janis, who had just finished her “Pearl” LP, dies from a heroin overdose at 27…1985] Rock Hudson dies from AIDS at 59 (10/2)…1998] Gene Autry, Hollywood’s ‘Singing Cowboy’ dies from lymphoma at 91 (10/2)…
1978] Bucky “Bleepin’” Dent: Yankee shortstop Bucky Dent’s 7th inning home run at Fenway Park leads the Yankees to a one-game playoff victory over the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees win the AL pennant (10/2)…
1995] O.J. walks: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the 1994 murders of wife Nicole Brown and Ronald L. Goldman (10/3). Thirteen years later in 2008, same date, O.J. is convicted of armed robbery and kidnapping. He’s currently serving a sentence for the crimes…
2002] Sniper rampage begins: A man is shot and killed in a grocery store parking lot in Wheaton (MD), the 1st victim in a series of sniper attacks in the DC area that will leave 10 dead (10/2)…
2006] Amish massacre: A 32-year old milk truck driver kills 5 Amish girls and then turns the gun on himself in Nickel Mines, Bart Township in Lancaster County (PA) (10/2)…
2008] Fossett wreckage found: A search team in California finds the wreckage of the airplane flown by adventurer Steve Fossett when he disappeared on Sept. 3, 2007 (10/2). His remains will be found the next day…For more on October 2 - 4:

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Thursday, October 1, 2009...

2009-10-01T07:11:00.000-04:00

10 Timeline Memories:

1903] World Series #1: The visiting Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Boston Americans 7-3 in the first World Series game...
1908] A-Ford-able?: Henry Ford introduces the Model T to the market for $825...
1952] Premiered on this date: "This Is Your Life", hosted by Ralph Edwards. The biopic series will air in its original format for 9 seasons...1955] "The Honeymooners" kicks off 16 successful seasons...1962] "The Lucy Show", featuring Lucille Ball as Lucy Carmichael, runs for 12 years...1962] Johnny Carson debuts as regular host of NBC's "Tonight Show"...
1961] Roger that: Yankees slugger Roger Maris hits home run #61 at Yankee Stadium, breaking Babe Ruth's season record of 60 in 1927...
1964] It's called the 1st amendment: The Free Speech Movement is launched at the University of California at Berkeley...
1967] The Impossible Dream: Those of us fortunate enough to have witnessed this will never forget it: The Boston Red Sox Impossible Dream comes true as they clinch their 1st AL pennant since 1946 on the last day of the season. With a 3-way tie between Boston, Detroit and Minnesota, Boston beat the Twins and the Tigers lose, giving the pennant to the Red Sox
1971] Eggpot: Walt Disney World opens in Orlando. Ten years later, to the day, EPCOT opens (1981). EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow or by the symbol: $...
1975] The Thrilla in Manilla: Heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali retains his title with a TKO of Joe Frazier in the 15th round...
1993] Every parents' nightmare: 12-year old Polly Klaas is abducted from her California home. Her body is found more than 2 months later...
1996] Gotcha: A federal grand jury indicts Unabomber suspect Theodore Kaczynski for a 1994 mail bomb slaying...For more on October 1:

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