Sunday, August 30, 2009

30 August: Cleo Meets Asp; Negro In Space: Ty Cobb Would've Been Pissed; "Kingfish" Born; "Killer" Kowalski Dies; R. Crumb Makes 66; & New World Order

From The Associated Press Sun Aug 30, 12:01 am ET Today is Sunday, Aug. 30, the 242nd day of 2009. There are 123 days left in the year. The UPI Almanac. AP A/V.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Aug. 30, 1983, Guion S. Bluford Jr. became the first black American astronaut to travel in space as he blasted off aboard the Challenger.

On this date:

In 30 B. C. E., Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and lover of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, committed suicide following the defeat of her forces by Octavian, the future first emperor of Rome. In 1780, Gen. Benedict Arnold betrayed the United States when he promised secretly to surrender the fort at West Point to the British army. He fled to England and died in poverty. In 1797, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, author of "Frankenstein," was born in London. In 1861, Union Gen. John C. Fremont instituted martial law in Missouri and declared slaves there to be free. (However, Fremont's order was countermanded days later by President Abraham Lincoln). In 1862, Union forces were defeated by the Confederates at the Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va. In 1893, Huey P. Long, the "Kingfish" of Louisiana politics, was born in Winn Parish, La. In 1905, Ty Cobb made his major-league debut as a player for the Detroit Tigers, hitting a double in his first at-bat in a game against the New York Highlanders. (The Tigers won, 5-3.) In 1918, Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams was born in San Diego. In 1941, Nazi forces began a siege of Leningrad that lasted nearly two and a half years. In 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters. In 1963, the "Hot Line" communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation. In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.In 1989, a federal jury in New York found "hotel queen" Leona Helmsley guilty of income tax evasion, but acquitted her of extortion. (Helmsley ended up serving 18 months behind bars, a month at a halfway house and two months under house arrest.) In 1990, President George H.W. Bush told a news conference that a "new world order" could emerge from the Persian Gulf crisis. In 1991, Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the stampede of republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union. In 1997, Americans received word of the car crash in Paris that claimed the lives of Princess Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul. (Because of the time difference, it was Aug. 31st where the crash occurred.) Ten years ago: Residents of East Timor voted for independence from Indonesia in a U.N.-sponsored ballot. (Afterward, pro-Indonesia militiamen reacted by going on a violent rampage that ended when international forces were sent in.) Five years ago: Republicans opened their national convention in New York, with speakers belittling Democratic Sen. John Kerry as a shift-in-the-wind campaigner unworthy of the White House and lavishing praise on President George W. Bush as a steady, decisive leader in an age of terrorism. President Bush ignited a Democratic inferno of criticism by suggesting on NBC's "Today" show that an all-out victory against terrorism might not be possible. In 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina hit, floodwaters covered 80 percent of New Orleans, looting continued to spread and rescuers in helicopters and boats picked up hundreds of stranded people.One year ago: Hurricane Gustav slammed into Cuba as a monstrous Category 4 storm, damaging 100,000 homes and causing billions of dollars in damage, but no reported fatalities. Pro wrestling pioneer Walter "Killer" Kowalski died in Everett, Mass., at age 81.

Today's Birthdays:

Country singer Kitty Wells is 90. Opera singer Regina Resnik is 87. Actor Bill Daily is 82. Actress Elizabeth Ashley is 70.Actor Ben Jones is 68. Cartoonist R. Crumb is 66. Skier Jean-Claude Killy is 66. Actress Peggy Lipton is 62. Comedian Lewis Black is 61. Actor Timothy Bottoms is 58. Actor David Paymer is 55. Jazz musician Gerald Albright is 52. Actor Michael Chiklis is 46. Music producer Robert Clivilles is 45. Actress Michael Michele is 43. Country musician Geoff Firebaugh is 41. Country singer Sherrie Austin is 38. Rock singer-musician Lars Frederiksen (Rancid) is 38. Actress Cameron Diaz is 37. Rock musician Leon Caffrey (Space) is 36. TV personality Lisa Ling is 36. Rock singer-musician Aaron Barrett (Reel Big Fish) is 35. NFL player Shaun Alexander is 32. Tennis player Andy Roddick is 27.

Today In Entertainment History August 30

In 1965, the album "Highway 61 Revisited" by Bob Dylan was released. Forty years ago, in 1969, the three-day Texas International Pop Festival opened at the Dallas International Motor Speedway. Performers included Chicago Transit Authority, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Santana. In 1973, "Rolling Stone" reported that The Doors had broken up after the death of Jim Morrison and that keyboardist Ray Manzarek was putting together a new band. Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, the last episode of "The Brady Bunch" aired on ABC. Twenty years ago, in 1989, Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin was arrested for making a public disturbance on a USAir flight. He allegedly urinated on the floor, verbally abused a flight attendant and smoked in a non-smoking section. In 1992, "Northern Exposure" and "Murphy Brown" were big winners at the annual Emmy Awards. Bette Midler picked up an Emmy for her appearance on the "Tonight Show" just before Johnny Carson retired. In 1993, "The Late Show with David Letterman" premiered on CBS. In 1995, James Taylor and ex-wife Carly Simon reunited for their first concert together in 16 years, on Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

Thought for Today:

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." — Proverbs 1:10. [Just say no. Keep it in your pants, etc. — Ed.]

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