ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ April 5

ON THIS DAY IN RECENT HISTORY ~ April 5

1887 - Anne Sullivan succeeds in teaching deaf-blind Helen Keller that every object has a name. Keller later refers to this day as "[her] soul's birthday."
1895 - Oscar Wilde loses libel case against Marquess of Queensberry, who accused him of homosexual practices.
1896 - 1st modern Olympic Games officially opens in Athens.
1900 - Spencer Tracy, Milwaukee, actor (Father's Little Dividend, Adam's Rib) is born.

1900 - Attempted assassination of Edward, British Prince of Wales in Brussels, fails.
1901 - Melvyn Douglas, [Hesselberg], Macon Ga, actor (Hud, Ghost Story) is born.
1905 - James Barrie's "Alice-sit-by-the-fire," premieres in London.
1905 - Bill Raisch, one armed actor (Fred Johnson-Fugitive) is born.
1906 - Lord Buckley, American monologist (d. 1960) is born.
1908 - Bette Davis, Lowell Mass, actress(Of Human Bondage, Jezebel) is born.

1909 - Alberto Romero "Cubby" Broccoli, NYC, film producer (James Bond) is born.
1911 - Waldorf W Aster acquires Daily Observer.
1916 - Gregory Peck, La Jolla California, actor (To Kill a Mockingbird, MacArthur) is born.

1917 - Robert [Albert] Bloch, US, sci-fi author (Hugo, Psycho) is born.
1922 - Gale Storm, Bloomington Tx, actr (My Little Margie, Gale Storm Show) is born.

1923 - Firestone Co put their inflatable tires into production.
1925 - Yankees whip Dodgers in exhibition 16-9 but Babe Ruth collapses in NC due to an ulcer.
1927 - Johnny Weissmuller set records in 100 & 200 m free style.
1930 - Mary Costa, Disney legend and the voices of Princess Aurora/Briar Rose in Disney's 1959 animated feature, Sleeping Beauty, is born in Knoxville, Tennessee.

1932 - Billy Bland, American singer and songwriter, is born.
1936 - Tupelo Mississippi virtually annihilated by a tornado, 216 die.
1937 - Colin Powell, Bronx NY, general/asst to president (Nat Sec Affairs) is born.
1938 - Anti-Jewish riots break out in Dabrowa Poland.
1939 - Membership in Hitler Youth becomes obligatory.
1939 - David Winters, London England, choreographer (West Side Story /Steve Allen Comedy Hour) is born.

1941 - In SF, Castro & Fillmore streetcars replaced by buses.
1942 - Allan Clarke, rock vocalist (Hollies-Air That I Breathe) is born.
1943 - Poon Lim, a Chinese sailor, is found after being adrift 133 days.
1943 - Max Gail, Detroit, (Barney Miller, Whiz Kids, DC Cab, Normal People) is born.

1944 - World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.
1946 - Jane Asher, Paul McCartney's girlfriend/actress (Deep End) is born.
1949 - Fireside Theater debuts on television.
1950 - Agnetha Fältskog [Anna Ulvaeus], Swedish singer (ABBA) is born.

1951 - Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, atomic spies, sentenced to death.
1954 - Elvis Presley records his debut single, "That's All Right".
1955 - Winston Churchill resigns as British PM, Anthony Eden succeeds him.
1957 - Vince Gill, Norman Oklahoma, country singer (When I Call Your Name) is born.

1961 - Barbra Streisand appears on "Jack Paar Show".
1962 - Herb Gardner's "Thousand Clowns," premieres in NYC.
1963 - Beatles receive their 1st silver disc (Please Please Me).
1964 - Douglas MacArthur, US general (Pacific theater-WW II), dies at 84.
1964 - The Searchers appear on "The Ed Sullivan Show." They are the first British Invasion group to appear on the show after the Beatles.  It is the Searchers' U.S. debut.
1965 - 37th Academy Awards - "Mary Poppins” Julie Andrews win.

1967 - '76er Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record of 41 rebounds.
1968 - Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego opens.
1969 - Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.
1972 - Baseball season is delayed due to a strike.
1972 - Brian Donlevy, actor (Steve-Dangerous Assignment), dies at 73.
1973 - NFL adopts jersey numbering system (ie QBs, 1-19).
1974 - Then tallest building, World Trade Center opens in NYC (110 stories).
1976 - Howard Hughes, reclusive billionaire, dies at 72.

1976 - Led Zeppelin release their seventh studio album, "Presence."
1977 - David Bowie appears on Dinah Shore's TV special.
1978 - Duran Duran make their live debut at The Lecture Theatre at Birmingham Polytechnic.
1980 - The Genesis album "Duke" hits #1 in the U.K.
1980 - In Athen, GA, R.E.M. play their first show when they appear at St. Mary's Episcopal Church.
1980 - The final episode of "Hawaii Five-O" airs.

1984 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar breaks Wilt Chamberlain's all-time career scoring record of 31,419 points (31,421).
1985 - An estimated 5,000 radio stations around the world simultaneously play the song "We Are the World".
1987 - FOX launches "Married....With Children" and "The Tracey Ullman Show".  The two shows are the beginning of the FOX lineup.

1987 - Wayne Gretzky wins 7th straight NHL scoring title.
1990 - Paul Newman wins a court victory over Julius Gold, to keep giving all profits from Newman foods to charity.

1991 - Kitty Kelly publishes a book knocking Nancy Reagan.
1992 - Sam Walton, Billionaire CEO (Wal-Mart), dies of cancer at 74.
1993 - Colorado Rockies 1st game - lose to NY Mets 3-0.
1993 - Construction begins on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
1993 - Florida Marlins 1st game - beat LA Dodgers 6-3.
1994 - Kurt Cobain, grunge rocker (Nirvana), commits suicide by gun at 27 in Seattle, Washington.

1996 - Marlon Brando makes anti-semetic remarks about hollywood on Larry King.
1997 - Allen Ginsberg, beat poet, dies at 80.
1998 - In Glasgow, Scotland, the Spice Girls peform their first show in the U.K.
1999 - Three of Tammy Wynette's daughters file a $50 million lawsuit that blames Wynette's death on negligence by her husband and her doctor.
2000 - Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914) dies.

2005 - Debralee Scott, American actress (Welcome Back Kotter)(b. 1953) dies.
2006 - Gene Pitney, American singer/songwriter (Hello Mary Lou) (b. 1941) dies.
2008 - Charlton Heston, American Actor, dies at 84.