On Oct. 30, 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. (The live drama, which employed fake breaking news reports, panicked some listeners who thought the portrayal of a Martian invasion was real.)
On this date:
In 1735, the second president of the United States, John Adams, was born in Braintree, Mass.
In 1817, Simon Bolivar established the independent government of Venezuela.
In 1885, poet Ezra Pound was born in Hailey, Idaho.
In 1941, more than a month before the United States entered World War II, a U.S. destroyer, the Reuben James, was sunk by a German submarine.
In 1944, the Martha Graham ballet "Appalachian Spring," with music by Aaron Copland, premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., with Graham in a leading role.
In 1945, the U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.
In 1953, George C. Marshall, who, as secretary of state following World War II, engineered a massive economic aid program for Europe, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1961, the Soviet Union tested a hydrogen bomb, the "Tsar Bomba," with a force estimated at about 50 megatons. The Soviet Party Congress unanimously approved a resolution ordering the removal of Josef Stalin's body from Lenin's tomb.
Thirty-five years ago, in 1974, Muhammad Ali regained his world heavyweight title by knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, known as the "Rumble in the Jungle."
In 1975, the New York Daily News ran the headline "Ford to City: Drop Dead" a day after President Gerald R. Ford said he would veto any proposed federal bailout of New York City.As dictator Francisco Franco was near death, Prince Juan Carlos assumed power in Spain.
Thirty years ago, in 1979, President Jimmy Carter announced his choice of federal appeals judge Shirley Hufstedler to head the newly created Department of Education.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, police in Poland found the body of kidnapped pro-Solidarity priest Father Jerzy Popieluszko, whose death was blamed on security officers. [Or by the parents of one of the young boys he no doubt molested, being a priest & all. — Ed.]
Twenty years ago, in 1989, Mitsubishi Estate Co. announced it was buying 51 percent of Rockefeller Group Inc. of New York. (However, amid a real estate slump, Mitsubishi ended up walking away from its investment in 1995.) [Some of you may remember that this was seen as the end of the world at the time. Yet it still spins through the emptiness on its axis, does it not? — Ed.]
In 1997, a jury in Cambridge, Mass., convicted British au pair Louise Woodward of second-degree murder in the death of 8-month-old Matthew Eappen. The judge later reduced the verdict to manslaughter and set Woodward free.
In 1998, a mudslide caused by Hurricane Mitch killed at least 2,000 people in Nicaragua.
In 1999, fifty-four people were killed in a fire inside a four-story building crowded with weekend shoppers and diners in Incheon, South Korea.
In 2002, Minnesota Democrats tapped former vice president Walter Mondale to run for the seat of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone less than a week before the election. (Mondale lost to Republican Norm Coleman.)
In 2004, the decapitated body of Japanese backpacker Shosei Koda was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad; the militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi later claimed responsibility. Grateful fans embraced the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, hailing the team as heroes during a jubilant parade.
In 2005, the body of Rosa Parks arrived at the U.S. Capitol, where the civil rights pioneer became the first woman to lie in honor in the Rotunda.
In 2008, a federal jury in Miami convicted the son of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in the first case brought under a 1994 U.S. law allowing prosecution for torture and atrocities committed overseas. (Charles McArthur Emmanuel was later sentenced to 97 years in prison.)
Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Gautier is 72. Movie director Claude Lelouch is 72. Rock singer Grace Slick is 70. Songwriter Eddie Holland is 70. Actor Ed Lauter is 69. R&B singer Otis Williams (The Temptations) is 68. Actor Henry Winkler is 64. Rock musician Chris Slade (Asia) is 63. Country/rock musician Timothy B. Schmit (The Eagles) is 62. Actor Leon Rippy is 60. Actor Harry Hamlin is 58. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 56. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 52. Actor Michael Beach is 46. Rock singer-musician Gavin Rossdale (Bush) is 42. Actor Jack Plotnick is 41. Comedian Ben Bailey is 39. Actress Nia Long is 39. Country singer Kassidy Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 33. Actor Gael Garcia Bernal is 31. Actor Matthew Morrison is 31.
Today In Entertainment History October 30
In 1938, the radio play "The War of the Worlds," starring Orson Welles, aired on CBS. Using fake news bulletins and simulated on-scene reports to portray an invasion by Martians, the broadcast sparked panic among listeners who thought the dramatized events were authentic.
In 1961, Phil Spector's Philles label released its first single. It was a record by the Crystals: "Oh, Yeah, Maybe Baby" backed with "There's No Other (Like My Baby)."
In 1964, Roy Orbison was awarded a gold record for "Oh, Pretty Woman."
In 1967, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones pleaded guilty to drug possession and was sentenced to nine months in jail. He was released pending an appeal.
In 1970, Jim Morrison of The Doors was sentenced to six months in jail and fined $500 for exposing himself in Miami.
In 1972, Elton John did a command performance benefit for Queen Elizabeth.
In 1974, Kathy Silva filed for divorce from Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone after less than six months of marriage.
In 1978, the animated TV movie "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park" aired on NBC.
In 1982, singer Paul Weller announced the breakup of the British band The Jam.
Twenty-five years ago, in 1984, Linda Ronstadt made her operatic debut in a production of "La Boheme" in New York.
In 1997, drummer Bill Berry quit R.E.M.
In 2000, comedian, TV host, author and composer Steve Allen died at age 78.
In 2002, Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot and killed at his recording studio in New York. He was 37.
In 2004, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker married former Miss USA Shanna Moakler in Santa Barbara, Calif. They have since split up. Actress-dancer Peggy Ryan died in Las Vegas at age 80.
Thought for Today: "It almost seems that nobody can hate America as much as native Americans. America needs new immigrants to love and cherish it." — Eric Hoffer, American philosopher (1902-1983). [Damn right, dockworker. Only those marinated from birth in this nation's renderings can fully appreciate the hypocrisy we must wade through each day. — Ed.]
2 comments:
FYI: There is a rebroadcast of War of the Worlds beginning at 8PM EST.
Nostalgia Ed. Thanks You:
That may come in handy. The sound bite The AP provided wasn't even lame, just pathetic.
People on the Coast w/ the Most: That's 1700 PDT for us!
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