September 16

Scott Winters September 16, 2023 2 Comments

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1620 – The Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England with 102 passengers on board. The ship arrived at Provincetown, MA, on November 21st and then at Plymouth, MA, on December 26th.

1630 – The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston.

1782 – The Great Seal of the United States was used for the first time when it was impressed on document to negotiate a prisoner of war agreement with the British.

1840 – The term “O.K.” was created when “The O.K. Club” was organized as a new Democratic political group. The initials stood for the birthplace of president Martin Van Buren, Old Kinderhook, New York.

1908 – The General Motors Company was founded by William Crapo “Billy” Durant in New Jersey. The company was formed by merging the Buick and Oldsmobile car companies.

1919 – The American Legion was incorporated.

1920 – A bomb in a horse wagon exploded in front of the J.P. Morgan building in New York, NY, killing 38 and injuring 400.

1924 – Grand Rapids, MI’s first radio station signed on the air. It was WEBK, which would later become WOOD Radio.

1940 – President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Selective Training and Service Act, which set up the first peacetime military draft in U.S. history.

1955 – Play-Doh was introduced.

1959 – The first successful photocopier, the Xerox 914, was introduced in a demonstration on live television from New York, NY.

1960 – The U.S. and Canada began construction of the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge.

1963 – The TV show “The Outer Limits” premiered on ABC.

1965 – The TV show “The Dean Martin Show” premiered on NBC.

1968 – The final episode of TV show “The Andy Griffith Show” aired on CBS.

1972 – The TV show “The Bob Newhart Show” premiered on CBS. It would run for 6 seasons.

1974 – President Gerald Ford announced a conditional amnesty program for draft-evaders and deserters during the Vietnam War.

1976 – The Episcopal Church formally approved women to be ordained as priests and bishops.

1984 – The TV show “Miami Vice” premiered.

1988 – Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” became the first a cappella record to reach #1 on U.S. rock music charts.

1993 – The first episode of “Frasier” aired on TV. The series would run for 11 seasons and pick up a total of 37 Prime-time Emmy awards.

1994 – Exxon Corporation was ordered by federal jury to pay $5 billion in punitive damages to the people harmed by the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.

1994 – The movie “Timecop” premiered in theaters.

1994 – Two astronauts from the Space Shuttle “Discovery” go on the first unthethered spacewalk in 10 years.

1996 – “Judge Judy” debuted on TV.

1998 – Universal paid $9 million for the rights to the Dr. Seuss classics “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Oh, the Places You’ll Go.”

1998 – Meryl Streep received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2004 – Hurricane Ivan made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL as a Category 3 hurricane.

2005 – Johnny Depp placed his handprint and footprints in cement at Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theater, in Hollywood, CA.

2007 – O.J. Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas, NV, for his involvement in the alleged armed robbery of sports memorabilia from a hotel room at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino.

BIRTHDAYS:

George Chakiris – 89 years old (1934) – Actor (“West Side Story”)

Joe Butler – 82 years old (1941) – Drummer, vocalist (The Lovin’ Spoonful)

Bernie Calvert – 81 years old (1942) – Guitarist, keyboardist (The Hollies)

Linda Henning – 79 years old (1944) – Actress (Played Betty Jo Bradley on TV’s “Petticoat Junction”)

Ron Blair – 75 years old (1948) – Bassist (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)

Kenney Jones – 75 years old (1948) – Drummer (Faces, The Who)

Susan Ruttan – 75 years old (1948) – Actress (TV’s “L.A. Law”)

Ed Begley Jr. – 74 years old (1949) – Actor, comedian (TV’s “St. Elsewhere”, movies “Best in Show”, “A Mighty Wind”)

Mickey Rourke – 71 years old (1952) – Actor (“The Wrestler”, “Sin City”, “Angel Heart”, “Barfly”, “9-1/2 Weeks”, “Rumble Fish”, “Diner”)

Mark McEwen – 69 years old (1954) – Radio host, TV personality (TV’s “CBS This Morning”)

David Copperfield – 67 years old (1956) – Magician

Jennifer Tilly – 65 years old (1958) – Actress (“Bullets Over Broadway”, “The Fabulous Baker Boys”, “Liar Liar”, “Bound”, “Bride of Chucky”)

Richard Marx – 60 years old (1963) – Singer

Molly Shannon – 59 years old (1964) – Comedian, actress (TV’s “Saturday Night Live”, movies “Superstar”, “Year of the Dog”)

Marc Anthony – 55 years old (1968) – Singer, actor

Amy Poehler – 52 years old (1971) – Comedian, Actress (TV’s “Parks and Recreation”, “Saturday Night Live”, movies “Baby Mama”, “Mr. Woodcock”, “Blades of Glory”, “Mean Girls”)

Alexis Bledel – 42 years old (1981) – Actress (TV’s “Gilmore Girls”)

Madeline Zima – 38 years old (1985) – Actress (TV’s “The Nanny”)

Ian Harding – 37 years old (1986) – Actor (TV’s “Pretty Little Liars”)

Nick Jonas – 31 years old (1992) – Singer, actor (The Jonas Brothers)