BIRTHDAYS . . .

May 15th:
—1856  Author L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz) (d. 5-6-1919)
—1860  Former First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson (d. 8-6-1914)
—1905  Actor Joseph Cotton (d. 2-6-1994)
—1909  Actor James Mason (Heaven Can Wait)
—1910  Actress Constance Cummings (d. 11-23-2005)
—1918  Singer Eddy Arnold (“Make The World Go Away”)
—1923  Photographer Richard Avedon
—1936  Actress Anna Maria Alberghetti (Carnival)
—1937  Actor/singer Trini Lopez (“Lemon Tree”)
—1937  US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright
⎯1938  Singer Lenny Welch (“Since I Fell For You”)
—1942  Actress Lainie Kazan (Beaches)
—1944  Ian Amey (Tich) - guitarist for Dave Dee, Dozey, Beaky, Mick and Tich ("Legend Of Xanadu")
⎯1947  Musician Graham Goble (The Little River Band) (“Lonesome Loser”)
—1948  Musician Brian Eno (Roxy Music)
—1953  Baseball's George Brett
—1953  Musician Mike Oldfield
—1955  Actor Lee Horsley (Matt Houston)
—1960  Football’s Joey Browner
⎯1961  TV Host Giselle Fernandez
—1969  Football’s Emmitt Smith (Dancing with Stars champ 2006)
⎯1981  Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos)

May 16th:
—1824  22nd Vice-President Levi Parsons Morton (d. 5-16-1920)
—1905  Actor Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond) (d. 8-12-1982)
—1919  Pianist Liberace (d. 2-4-1987)
—1928  Baseball's Billy Martin (d. 12-25-1989)
—1932  Drummer Red Holt (Ramsey Lewis Trio)
—1947  Actor Bill Smitrovich (Crime Story)
⎯1947  Singer Barbara Lee (The Chiffons) (“He’s So Fine”)
⎯1947  Musician Darrell Sweet (Nazareth) (“Love Hurts”)
—1952  Actor Pierce Brosnan (James Bond)
—1955  Actress Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment)
—1955  Olympic Gold medal gymnast Olga Korbut
—1955  Baseball’s Jack Morris
—1955  Singer Hazel O'Connor
—1957  Olympic Gold Medal runner Joan Samuelson
—1958  Singer Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17)
—1959  Actress Mare Winningham (The Thornbirds)
—1964  Basketball’s John Thomas Salley
—1966  Singer/Actress Janet Jackson (“All For You”)
—1969  Actress Tracey Gold (Growing Pains)
⎯1969  Actor David Boreanaz (Bones)
—1970  Tennis player Gabriela Sabatini
—1973  Actress Tori Spelling (Beverly Hills 90210)
⎯1986  Actress Megan Fox (Transformers)

May 17th:
—1903  Baseball’s Cool Papa Bell (d. 3-7-1991)
—1911  Actress Maureen O'Sullivan (Hannah & Her Sisters) (d. 6-23-1998)
—1918  Opera Singer Birgitt Nilsson (d. 12-25-2005)
—1936  Actor Dennis Hopper (Speed)
⎯1938  Singer Pervis Jackson (The Spinners) (“Then Came You”)
—1944  Musician Jesse Winchester
—1948  Musician Bill Bruford (Yes)
—1950  Couterier Christian Lacroix
—1955  Actor Bill Paxton (Twister)
—1956  Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard
—1956  Actor Bob Saget (“Danny” Full House)
⎯1962  Comedian/TV Host Craig Ferguson (Late Night with Craig Ferguson)
—1965  Singer Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails)
—1966  Basketball’s Danny Manning
—1972  US National Team Soccer Player Mia Hamm


THIS DAY IN HISTORY . . .

May 15th:
Today is PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL DAY and NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK DAY
—1602  Cape Cod was discovered by English navigator Bartholomew Gosnold.
—1862  Congress established the Dept. Of Agriculture.
—1905  The city of Las Vegas, Nevada was founded.
—1930  Ellen Church, believed to be the world's first stewardess, made her first flight for United Airlines.
—1940  The first nylon stockings went on sale in NY. 72,000 pair - limit 2 per customer - were sold out within eight hours.
—1941  Joe DiMaggio began his famous streak in which he hit safely in each of 56 consecutive games.
—1942  War-time gas rationing went into effect - limit three gallons per customer per week.
—1969  Abe Fortas resigned from the Supreme Court, brought down by a controversy involving old legal fees.
—1970  Colonels Elizabeth Hoisington and Anna Mae Hays were promoted by President Nixon to become the first female US Generals.
—1970  Pink Floyd perform a show at the Palace Garden, UK that is so loud it reportedly kills fish in a nearby lake.
—1972  While campaigning for the presidency in Laurel, Maryland, Alabama Governor George Wallace was shot and paralyzed from the waist down. Arthur Bremer was later convicted of the attempted assassination.
—1972  Disaster befalls Rolling Stones fans as a computer glitch limits concert ticket sales to one order every 12 minutes.
—1973  The Pointer Sisters make their live debut in an LA club.
—1984  The Hon. Jeanne Sauve was sworn in as Canada's first female Governor General.
—1984  Nils Lofgren joins the E St. Band, replacing Little Steven.
—1986  The Cure release the "Standing On A Beach" compilation album.
—1986  Belinda Carlisle of the Go-Go's makes her first appearance as a solo artist at the Roxy in LA. Prince & The Bangles stop by to wish her luck.
—1986  A freak snowstorm trapped and killed 9 climbers on Mt. Hood, Oregon.
—1987  David Crosby marries Jan Dee Dance in Los Angeles.
—1988  Michael Jackson's biography "Moonwalker" hits #1 on the NY Times list.
—1996  Pepsi Co secures the rights to the re-release of the Star Wars Trilogy for 2 billion dollars, beating out McDonald’s.
—1996  Actress Melanie Griffith and actor Antonio Banderas marry.
⎯2003  Actress Brooke Shields (husband Chris Henchy) gave birth to her first child, daughter Rowan Francis.  Rowan was born in NY.

May 16th:
Today is BIOGRAPHERS DAY
—1783  The first shipload of United Empire Loyalists (American colonists who remained loyal to the crown) arrived in New Brunswick, Canada, to found the city of St. John.
—1866  Congress authorized the mint to strike 5c pieces composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel - the same formula used today. Those coins were called "half-dimes"
—1868  By a single vote, the Senate impeachment hearings failed to convict Andrew Johnson.
—1871  British Columbia became a province of Canada.
—1929  History's first Academy Awards went to Janet Gaynor (for "Seventh Heaven") and Emil Jennings (for "The Way of All Flesh"). "Wings," which was a silent movie, like all the others nominated, won the gold statue for Best Production.  The Awards were held at the old Roosevelt Hotel and attended by about 200 filmmakers.
—1966  The Beach Boys release "Pet Sounds."
—1969  In NY, a man rushes up to take the microphone away from Pete Townshend. Pete kicks him off the stage and ends up in jail for assaulting a plainclothes cop warning the audience about a nearby fire.
—1970  Randy Bachman leaves the Guess Who.
—1970  Police bust Marty Balin, lead singer of the Jefferson Airplane, while he and friends, including underage girls, party in his hotel room. He is busted for possession and contributing.
—1980  Dr. George Nichopoulos is indicted on charges of over prescribing drugs to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and other patients.
—1980  Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes replace Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman in a new Yes line-up.
—1983  Elton John's "Too Low For Zero" LP is released.
—1985  Release of Robert Plant's "Shaken 'N Stirred" album.
—1986  Robert Fripp marries Toyah Wilcox. Elvis Costello marries Cait O'Riordan.
—1987  The Bangles "Walk Like An Egyptian" is featured in the comic strip "Hagar The Horrible."
—1988  The Supreme Court ruled that police can look through garbage bags for evidence.
—1988  Citing first amendment rights, Van Halen announces it will sue Foxboro, MA because the city's selectmen voted to bar the "Monsters Of Rock" tour.
—1988  ABC Radio announces that Shadoe Stevens will replace Casey Kasem as host of American Top 40.
—1989  10,000 Maniacs release the "Blind Man's Zoo" album, while Public Image Limited's "9" and k.d. Lang's "Absolute Torch And Twang" is released.
—1990  Entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. (b. 12-8-1925) died in Los Angeles, CA.
—1990  Death of puppeteer James Henson in New York City.

May 17th:
MOON PHASE: LAST QUARTER (3:26am EDT).  This is ARMED FORCES DAY
—1642  Montreal was founded by French missionaries and colonists - conveniently located right on top of the Indian village of Hochelaga.
—1666  Newark, New Jersey was founded by a group of Congregationalists from Connecticut.
—1792  Twenty-four brokers met under a buttonwillow tree and formed what would become known as the New York Stock Exchange.
—1875  In the first running of the Kentucky Derby, the winning horse, Aristedes, claimed a purse of $2850. Jockey was Oliver Lewis. At a winning time of 2:37.
—1883  The first "Wild West Show" presented by "Buffalo Bill" Cody opened in Omaha.
—1899  The Edison Company copyrighted the first Western movie, "Cripple Creek Bar Room."
—1954  The Supreme Court ruled that in education, separate facilities were "inherently unequal," and ordered the nation's schools to desegregate.
—1964  Bob Dylan plays his first major UK gig at the Royal Albert Hall.
—1973  Yes received gold records for "Yes Songs" and "The Yes Album."
—1973  "The Streak" by Ray Stevens hits #1 CHR.
—1973  The televised Watergate hearings began, with Senator Sam Erving as chairman of the investigating committee.
—1975  Elton John was awarded a Platinum Record for sales of a million copies of his album "Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy." It was the first album to sell a million copies on the day of its release.
—1975  In NY, Mick Jagger trips. While trying to break his fall, his hand goes through a window, requiring 20 stitches.
—1980  Paul & Linda McCartney premiere their "Coming Up" video on Saturday Night Live. In the video, McCartney, in various disguises, plays all the instruments.
—1980  Peter Criss announces he is leaving Kiss.
—1982  The Clash release "Combat Rock."  Gang of Four releases "Song of the Free."
—1984  Tones On Tail make their first concert appearance, in Folkstone, England.
—1987  An arson fire breaks out in Tom Petty's California home while Petty and family are having breakfast. Property damage estimated at $800,000.             
—1987  The USS Stark was struck by two Iraqi missiles in the Persian Gulf. 37 sailors were killed and the president of Iraq apologized, saying it was a mistake.
—1988  Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercials air on Soviet television.