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June 12
1839 - On this day, according to legend, Abner Doubleday, who later became a major
name in book publishing, created the game we know as baseball. It happened in Cooperstown,
NY which, coincidentally, is the present home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The name,
Doubleday, is also associated with the current ownership of the New York Mets of the
National League.
1912 - Lillian Russell, famed theatrical actress, married for the fourth time on this day
and said that she was retiring from the stage. Marriage will sometimes do that to people.
1923 - Harry Houdini, while in a straitjacket, suspended from 40 feet in the air, amazed a
large and quite disbelieving audience as he freed himself of the constraints. Our writers
were amazed as well. Several of them were suspended at birth from a height of not more
than 12 inches and ended up being constrained in a chair at a computer. They're unable to
get out. Houdini got to do the really cool stuff and he was way up there. Go figure.
1935 - Ella Fitzgerald recorded her first sides for Brunswick Records on this day. The
tunes were "Love and Kisses" and "I'll Chase the Blues Away". She was
featured with Chick Webb and his band. Ella was 17 at the time and conducted the Webb band
for three years following his death in 1939.
1939 - The Baseball Hall of Fame was formally dedicated at Cooperstown, NY. The shrine to
major league baseball still stands in honor of baseball greats of the past.
1942 - Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra recorded "Travelin' Light" on Capitol
Records of Hollywood, California. On the track with Whiteman's orchestra was the vocal
talent of 'Lady Day', Billie Holiday.
1947 - On this day, people gathered around the radio to listen to "Sergeant Preston
of The Yukon" for the first time. The show, along with the Canadian Mountie and his
trusty dog, King, continued on the radio until 1955 (and on TV from 1955-1958). "Sgt.
Preston" was created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, who also came up with
"The Lone Ranger" and "The Green Hornet".
1948 - Ben Hogan won his first U.S. Open golf classic on this day.
1955 - The first network radio show to be produced with no script, "The University of
Chicago Round Table", was heard for the final time on this day -- after 24 years on
NBC Radio. The program was the first network radio program to win the coveted George
Foster Peabody Award.
1956 - "This is 'Monitor', a weekend program service of NBC Radio," was heard
for the first time on this day. Notables such as Bill Cullen, Ed McMahon, Hugh Downs, and
Dave Garroway recited this line. It was a network cue to NBC Radio stations across the
nation who carried the long form news, entertainment and variety broadcast from New York
City. Stations and listeners who were "on the 'Monitor' beacon" were entertained
for six hours or more each Saturday and Sunday night for nearly two decades. NBC's
"Monitor" was one of the last live network radio programs on the air.
1957 - Stan 'The Man' Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals, set a major league baseball
record by appearing in his 823rd consecutive ball game.
1963 - Civil rights leader Medger Evers was fatally shot in front of his home in Jackson,
Mississippi.
1963 - The costliest film ever made premiered this night. Elizabeth Taylor starred in the
$40,000,000 film epic, "Cleopatra". The movie certainly gave ticket buyers their
money's worth. It lasted for four hours, three minutes. "Cleopatra" opened at
the Rivoli Theatre in New York City. Richard Burton starred as Marc Antony, Rex Harrison
played Julius Caesar, Hume Cronyn played Sosigines, Carroll O'Connor was Casa and Roddy
McDowell appeared as Octavian. We were at a loss, however, to find the name of the asp
that bit Cleopatra. We do know where she was bitten -- just not what happened to the
little snake. Sorry.
1965 - The Queen of England announced that The Beatles would receive the coveted MBE Award
on this day. The Order of the British Empire recognition had previously been bestowed only
upon British military heroes, many of whom were so infuriated by the news, they returned
their medals to the Queen. In fact, John Lennon wasn't terribly impressed with receiving
the honor. He returned it (for other reasons) four years later.
1979 - One of America's greatest legends, both as a movie star and as a symbol of
patriotism, died this day. Marion Morrison, known as John Wayne, passed away following a
courageous fight with cancer. 'The Duke' was 72. He had been a Hollywood hero for almost
50 years and with some 200 movies to his credit, including: "The Alamo",
"Island in the Sky", "The Longest Day", "Rio Bravo",
"The Sons of Katie Elder" and "True Grit" (his only Oscar-winning
performance). Wayne was born in 1908 and went to school at North Hollywood High School in
Los Angeles.
1981 - Larry Holmes, 31, defended his heavyweight boxing title by earning a third-round
TKO (technical knockout) over Leon Spinks in Detroit, MI. Spinks, who had lost his two
front teeth in previous bouts, was understandably discouraged at being beaten so early and
was quoted as having said, "Thith ith weely, weely a thame, youth know? Like, I wuth
weddy, weely weddy, but, I got whupped up pwetty badth, I gueth."
1982 - A major political rally attracted the largest crowd ever to such an event in New
York City's Central Park this day. Entertainers Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce
Springsteen and Linda Ronstadt gathered before 750,000 to rally for the cause of nuclear
disarmament.
1985 - The National Hockey League Celebration of Excellence recognized 'The Great One',
hockey star Wayne Gretsky, by awarding him the sixth Hart Trophy. The honor is earned by
the Most Valuable Player in the NHL each year.
Birthday Board: June 12
1897 - Sir Anthony Eden (British official)
1914 - William Lundigan (actor: I'd Climb the Highest Mountain, The Fighting 69th, Pinky,
Love Nest, The White Orchid)
1915 - David Rockefeller (banker)
1916 - Irwin Allen (producer, director: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Towering
Inferno, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure)
1916 - Ivan Tors (producer, director: Zebra in the Kitchen)
1917 - Priscilla Lane (Mullican) (actress: Arsenic and Old Lace)
1919 - Uta Thyra Hagan (actress: Reversal of Fortune, The Boys from Brazil)
1924 - George Bush (41st U.S. President; former Vice President under President Reagan and
a U.S. Congressman from Texas, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.)
1927 - Al Fairweather (jazz musician)
1928 - Vic Damone (Vito Farinola) (singer: On the Street Where You Live, An Affair to
Remember, You Were Only Fooling)
1929 - Anne Frank (diarist and Holocaust victim)
1930 - Innes Ireland (auto racer)
1932 - Rona Jaffe (author: The Last Chance, Class Reunion)
1932 - Jim Nabors (actor: Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C., The Andy Griffith Show, The Jim Nabors
Hour; singer: Back Home Again in Indiana)
1941 - Chick (Armando) Corea (Grammy Award-winning [4] jazz musician, composer)
1942 - Len Barry (Leonard Borisoff) (singer: 1-2-3, Like a Baby; group: The Dovells: The
Bristol Stomp, You Can't Sit Down)
1943 - Marv Albert (TV sportscaster)
1944 - Cornelius Johnson (football: Baltimore Colts guard: Super Bowl III, V)
1944 - Reg Presley (singer: group: Troggs: Wild Thing, Give It to Me, Love is All Around)
1947 - John Clifford (choreographer)
1947 - Steve Kiner (football: Dallas Cowboys linebacker: Super Bowl V)
1950 - Timothy Busfield (actor: Thirtysomething, Byrds of Paradise, Little Big League,
Field of Dreams, Revenge of the Nerds, Sneakers)
1967 - Sherry Stringfield (actress: N.Y.P.D. Blue, ER)
Chart Toppers: June 12
1956
The Wayward Wind - Gogi Grant
Moonglow and Theme from "Picnic" - Morris Stoloff
Standing on the Corner - The Four Lads
The Happy Whistler - Don Robertson
1964
Chapel of Love - The Dixie Cups
Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Walk on By - Dionne Warwick
Memphis - Johnny Rivers
1972
The Candy Man - Sammy Davis, Jr.
Song Sung Blue - Neil Diamond
(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All - The 5th Dimension
The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. - Donna Fargo
1980
Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
Coming Up (Live at Glasgow) - Paul McCartney and Wings
The Rose - Bette Midler
My Heart - Ronnie Milsap
Special thanks to 440 International Inc.
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