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March 22nd
1599 - Born this day, Sir Anthony Van Dyke, artist. Died in 1641. 1622 - Indians killed nearly 350 settlers in the James River area of Virginia. 1630 - The first legislation to prohibited gambling was enacted - in Boston, Massachusetts. 1765 - Hoping to scrounge up funds to maintain a military presence in the colonies, the British government passed the notorious Stamp Act on this day in 1765. The legislation levied a direct tax on all materials printed for commercial and legal use in the colonies, including everything from insurance policies to playing cards and dice. Though the Stamp Act was a common fundraising vehicle in England, it stirred a storm of protest in the colonies. The colonists' anger was partially grounded in fears that the Stamp Act would open the gates to a flood of taxes. They also felt that, as English citizens, their consent, as meted out through representative assemblies, was mandatory for the passage of tax legislation. In response, the colonists rioted, staged demonstrations, and refused to comply with the tax. Under pressure from British business interests, Parliament eventually repealed the legislation. However, the fracas over the Stamp Act had helped plant seeds for a far larger movement against the British government - the struggle for independence. 1774 - Baa Baa Black Sheep was published for the first time. 1791 - US Congress enacted legislation forbidding slave trading with foreign nations. 1824 - Parliament voted to buy 38 pictures at a cost of £57,000, from John Julius, to establish the national collection which is now housed in the National Gallery. The National Gallery opened in Trafalgar Square in 1838. 1832 - Died this day, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer. 1841 - Englishman Orlando Jones patented that fabulous miracle food known as corn starch. Today it can be found in most deodorants, helps to heal nappy rash, and it thickens gravy. 1848 - After an insurrection, the Venetian Republic declared its independence from Austria. 1859 - The first political party dedicated to the working class, the Political Labour League of Victoria, was founded in Melbourne. 1873 - Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, president of the Republic of Cuba in rebellion against Spain, asked the United States to support Columbia's plan. The US government withheld its support and did not offer its cooperation when the plan was revitalised the following year. 1887 - Born this day, Chico Marx (Leonard Marx), in New York City, NY, USA. Died 11 October 1961 of heart disease. Comedian, piano player (He did, Johnny Doughboy Found A Rose in Ireland and I-Eat-A). Was one of The Marx Brothers - Worked with Desi Arnaz. 1888 - The first meeting took place at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet Street, aimed at setting up the English Football League. 1895 - The first celluloid film was presented publicly on a screen by Auguste and Louis Lumiere in Paris. 1899 - Born this day, Ruth Page, dancer, choreographer. Died in 1991. 1903 - Following a lengthy drought, Niagara Falls ran dry on the American side on this day. 1907 - The first taxi cabs with on-board meters began operating in London. 1911 - Herman Jadlowker became the first opera singer to perform two major roles in the same day at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. 1912 - Born this day, Wilfrid Brambell, actor, in Dublin, Ireland, attended schools in Dublin. Married Molly (divorced 1955). Stage debut as a child, entertaining troops during World War I (WWI) 1914; began professional acting career as an adult at the Gate Theatre, Dublin; toured with ENSA during World War II (WWII); first appearance on London stage in 1950; single appearance on Broadway, 1965, became nationally famous late in his career as Albert Steptoe in the BBC's most popular and successful sitcom, Steptoe and Son. He was never one for starring roles, usually supplying reliable support. Television appearances included a variety of parts in adaptations of classic texts, including The Government Inspector (1958), Bleak House (1959) and Our Mutual Friend (1959), all for the BBC. Wilfrid Brambell played Harold Steptoe as a grumpy old curmudgeon, capable of resorting to the most pathetic pleading to get his own way. The role of the scruffy old man could not have been further from the rather suave and cultured person Brambell was in real life. Steptoe and Son ran for four series between 1962 and 1965. It regularly attracted audiences of over 20 million, from all walks of life, and in 1963 a Steptoe and Son sketch was performed by Brambell and Corbett as part of that year's Royal Variety Performance. Brambell also played Paul McCartney's grandfather in the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night and the White Rabbit in Jonathan Miller's 1966 television version of Alice in Wonderland. Steptoe and Son was revived, in colour, by the BBC in 1970 and ran for another four series between then and 1974. There were also two spin-off feature films. The characters and situations had not changed - nor had the quality of writing and performance or the popularity of the show. Wilfrid Brambell in London, 18 January 1985. Television series 1962-65, 1964-73 Steptoe and Son. Films The 39 Steps (1935), Odd Man Out (1946), Another Shore (1948), Dry Rot (1956), The Story of Esther Costello (1957), The Salvage Gang (1958), The Long Hot Summer (1958), Serious Charge (1959), Urge to Kill (1960), The Sinister Man (1961), Jack's Horrible Luck (1961), Flame in the Streets (1961), What a Whopper! (1961), The Grand Junction Case (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), The Boys (1962), The Fast Lady (1962), The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), Crooks in Cloisters (1963), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963), Go Kart Go! (1963), A Hard Day's Night (1964), San Ferry Ann (1965), Alice in Wonderland (1966), Where the Bullets Fly (1966), Mano di Velluto (1966), Witchfinder-General (1968), Lionheart (1968), Cry Wolf (1968), The Undertakers (1969), Carry On Again Doctor (1969), Some Will, Some Won't (1970), Steptoe and Son (1972), Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973), Holiday on the Buses (1973), The Adventures of Picasso (1978), High Rise Donkey (1980), Island of Adventure (1981), Death and Transfiguration (1983), Sword of the Valiant (1983), The Terence Davies Trilogy (1984. Radio Steptoe and Son. Stage Blind Man's Buff, Stop It, Whoever You Are, The Canterbury Tales, The Ghost Train, Kelly, A Christmas Carol. NB this is but a selection of stage appearences. 1912 - Born this day, Karl Malden [Mladen Sekulovich], actor. 1915 - The Russians captured the Austrian fortress of Przemysl, Poland. 1917 - Born this day, Virginia Grey, actress. 1917 - The US became the first country to recognise the provisional government of Russia, following the collapse of the monarchy. 1919 - Born this day, Werner Klemperer, Emmy Award-winning actor (Hogan's Heroes). Died in 2000. 1920 - Born this day, Ross Martin [Martin Rosenblatt], actor. Died in 1981. 1919 - The first international airline service was instituted between Paris and Brussels on a weekly schedule. 
1923 - Born this day, Marcel Marceau [Mangel], mime artist. 1924 - Born this day, Bill Wendell [William Joseph Wenzel, Jr.], announcer. Died in 1999. 1924 - Born this day, Allen Newharth, USA Today founder. 1928 - Born this day, Easy Ed [Edward] Macauley, basketball. 1930 - Born this day, Stephen Sondheim, composer. 1930 - Born this day, [Marion Gordon] Pat Robertson, televangelist. 1931 - Born this day, William Shatner, in Montreal, Canada, actor. (Captain Kirk in Star Trek). 1931 - Born this day, Leslie Thomas, writer, novelist. 1933 - Malcolm Campbell set a new land-speed record of 272mph in his car Bluebrid at Daytona Beach, Florida. 1933 - Dachau concentration camp was opened on the site of an old munitions factory near Munich to detain Communists and other 'political undesirables'. 1934 - Born this day, Orrin Grant Hatch, US Senator. 1935 - Born this day, [Eugene George] Gene Oliver, baseball. 1935 - The first High Definition Television service was officially inaugurated by the director-general of German broadcasting in Berlin. 1935 - Born this day, M. Emmett Walsh, actor. 1935 - Persia was renamed Iran. 1936 - Born this day, Roger Whittaker, singer, songwriter, 1969 UK No.12 single Durham Town (The Leavin'), 1970 UK No.8 single I Don't Believe In If Anymore, 1970 UK No.17 single New World In The Morning, 1975 UK No.8 single The Last Farewell, 1986 UK No.10 single The Skye Boat Song. 1936 - Born this day, May Britt [Maybritt Wilkens], actress, future wife of Sammy Davis, Jr., was born in Sweden. 1936 - Born this day, Glen Campbell, singer, TV show host, actor. 1937 - Born this day, Johnny Ferguson, singer. 1940 - Born this day, [Richard Clark] Dick Ellsworth, baseball. 1940 - Born this day, Dave Keon, Hockey Hall of Famer. 1941 - Born this day, Bruno Ganz, actor. 1941 - Born this day, Bob Leiter, hockey. 1941 - The Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River began producing electric power for the Pacific Northwest. 1943 - Born this day, Keith Relf, vocals, The Yardbirds, 1965 UK No.3 and US No.6 single For Your Love. Died 14 November 1976. 1944 - Born this day, Jeremy Clyde, of Chad & Jeremy (Yesterday's Gone). 1944 - Born this day, Tony Mcphee, Groundhogs, 1971 UK No.5 album Split. 1944 - Germany announced its occupation of Hungary and the formation of a new government under Dome Sztojay. 1945 - The Arab League was formed by seven Middle East countries. Representatives from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen met in Cairo to establish the Arab League, a regional organisation of Arab states. Formed to foster economic growth in the region, resolve disputes between its members, and co-ordinate political aims, members of the Arab League formed a council, with each state receiving one vote. When the State of Israel was created in 1948, the league countries jointly attacked but were repulsed by the Israelis. Two years later, Arab League nations signed a mutual defense treaty. Fifteen more Arab nations eventually joined the organisation, which established a common market in 1965. 1946 - Britain recognised the independence of the protectorate of Transjordan. 1946 - Born this day, Don Chaney, basketball. 1947 - Born this day, Harry Vanda, musician, guitarist, The Easybeats, 1966 UK No.6 and US No.16 single Friday On My Mind. 1947 - Born this day, Patrick Olive, Hot Chocolate, 1975 US No.3 single You Sexy Thing, 1977 UK No.1 single So You Win Again, plus over 25 other top 40 hits. 1948 - Born this day, Randy Hobbs, , musician, bassist, Johnny Winter group, McCoys, 1965 US No.1 and UK No.5 single Hang On Sloopy. Died 5 August 1993 from a drug overdose aged 45. 1948 - The Voice of Firestone became the first commercial radio program to be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations in the US. 1948 - Born this day, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer, songwriter, producer with Tim Rice, 1977 UK No.1 single by Julie Covington, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, biggest selling UK single by a female artist, until 1985, taken from musical Evita. Cats, Phantom of the Opera. 1950 - Born this day, Jocky Wilson, darts player. 1952 - Born this day, [Robert Quinlan] Bob Costas, sportscaster. 1955 - Born this day, Lena Olin, actress. 1956 - Sammy Davis Jr. starred in the play Mr. Wonderful in New York City. The critics were unkind, saying that they didn't care for the production. Audiences, however, gave it 'thumbs up' and the show went on to be one of Broadway's more popular musicals, catapulting Davis into the actor's limelight. His father had already launched him into the vaudeville spotlight when Sammy was just three years old. By the time he was 'Mr. Wonderful', Sammy Davis Jr. had played vaudeville and the nightclub circuit singing and dancing his way to the top over a twenty-eight-year period. He entertained us for sixty-two years! 1956 - Perry Como became the first major TV variety-show host to book a rock and roll act on his program. Como booked Carl Perkins for the show and Perkins sang Blue Suede Shoes. (Another source says - Carl Perkins is injured in a Dover, Delaware car accident on the way to perform on NBC-TV's "Perry Como Show" (his brother later dies of the injuries he sustains in the crash), 1956) So did he ever perform on the show????? 1957 - Born this day, Stephanie Mills, actress. 1958 - Born this day, Pete Wylie, singer, Wah!, 1982 UK No.3 single Story Of The Blues. 1958 - Died this day, Mike Todd, movie producer Mike Todd and three other passengers were killed when the Lockheed Lodestar aircraft they were in exploded while in midair over New Mexico. Mike Todd was Elizabeth Taylor's third husband, and she took his untimely death very hard. It was reported that Taylor had planned to be on board as well, but her husband discouraged her from the trip due to an illness she was getting over. Todd produced the Oscar-winning movie from two years earlier, Around the World in 80 Days, and introduced innovative methods of filming to the industry. 1959 - Born this day, Matthew Modine, actor. 1960 - Arthur Leonard Schawlow & Charles Hard Townes received the first patent for a laser. 1962 - The play, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, opened on Broadway. It featured a 19-year-old named Barbra Streisand. She stopped the show at the famed Shubert Theatre in New York City. Streisand starred as Miss Marmelstein. Audiences kept coming back for more of Barbra - for 300 performances. 1962 - Born this day, Perry Bags, drums, US band Jason And The Scorchers. 1963 - Born this day, Susanne Sulley, singer, The Human League, 1981 UK No.1 and 1982 US No.1 single Don't You Want Me, plus over 15 other UK top 40 singles. 1963 - War minister John Profumo told the House of Commons there was no impropriety whatever in his relationship with Christine Keeler, 21. He had not seen Miss Keeler, a missing witness in an Old Bailey trial, since December 1961, he told MPs. Prime Minister Harold Macmillan regarded the matter closed, but Westminster was rife with rumour. Christine Keeler was also seeing a Russian naval attache at the same time. 1963 - The album Please Please Me was released in the UK by the Beatles and became a runaway hit. Once it hit No.1, it remained there for 29 weeks. It enjoyed a 70 week chart run on the UK chart. The Beatles took Britain by storm and successive singles all hit No.1: From Me To You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand. The album is released in America in July with the title, Introducing the Beatles, and initially flopped. 1964 - Ron Clarke, of Australia shattered the world 3 mile (4.8km) indoor record with a time of 13 minutes 18.4 seconds at an athletic meet in New York. From 1963-1970, Clarke set 17 world records in races from 2 to 12 miles; however he never won an Olympic gold medal. 1964 - for the first time ever in British recording history, the entire Top 10 singles in this week’s chart were by UK acts. 1965 - Bob Dylan's first electric album, Bring It All Back Home, was released. 1966 - Masculine-Feminine with Brigitte Bardot was released in France. 1968 - President Johnson recalled General William Westmoreland as commander of US troops in Vietnam and made him Army chief of staff. General Creighton Abrams took over in Saigon. 1969 - UCLA defeated Purdue 92-72 to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball championship. The Bruins were the first team to win three consecutive championships - all under legendary head coach John Wooden. UCLA went on to dominate the college basketball title through the 1973 season. 1969 - Soccer hooligans ran riot on the London Underground, causing thousands of pounds damage. 1971 - US police arrested all the members from The Allman Brothers Band for heroin and marijuan possession. 1972 - Born this day, Samantha Robson, actress (The Bill). 1972 - Born this day, Beverley Knight, singer. 1972 - Born this day, Elvis Stojko, Canadian skater. 1973 - Appearing at Manchester’s Hard Rock, were Traffic supported by Spooky Tooth. 1974 - The US Senate passed and sent to the states for ratification the 27th Amendment to the US Constitution, a measure popularly known as the Equal Rights Amendment. However, the required number of states, 38, failed to ratify it before the deadline. 1975 - Appearing at Friars, Aylesbury, were Ronnie Lanes Slim Chance plus Bees Make Honey. 1975 - Frankie Valli went to No.1 on the US singles chart with My Eyes Adored You, his first solo No.1. 1975 - Led Zeppelin started a six week run at No.1 on the US album chart with Physical Graffiti, the groups fourth US No.1. 1975 - The tartan teen sensations Bay City Rollers scored their first UK No.1 single with Bye Bye Baby, it stayed at the top for six weeks. 1975 - Tom Jones started a four week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with his 20 Greatest Hits collection. 1976 - Born this day, Reese Witherspoon, actress. 1977 - Born this day, Sara Houcke, circus performer. 1977 - The John Denver TV special, Thank God, I'm A Country Boy aired on ABC. 1977 - Comedienne Lily Tomlin made her debut on Broadway, as Lily Tomlin on Stage opened in New York. 1978 - The BBC aired their Beatles parody, The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. 1978 - Died this day, Karl Wallenda, the 73-year-old patriarch of the famous Flying Wallendas high-wire act, fell to his death while attempting to walk a cable in Puerto Rico. 1978 - The Police signed to A&M Records. The band scored over 15 UK top 40 hits with the label including the worldwide No.1 Every Breath You Take. 1979 - Born this day, Cristen Powell, race car driver. 1979 - Born this day, Chaka Khan gave birth to her son Damien. 1979 - Sir Richard Sykes, Britain's Ambassador to the Netherlands, was shot dead by Irish terrorists in the Hague. 1980 - Johnny Mathis went to No.1 on the UK album chart with Tears And Laughter. 1980 - Pink Floyd's Another Brick In The Wall, started a four week run at No.1 on the US singles chart. It was also No.1 in the UK. 1980 - The Jam had their first No.1 with Going Underground, which was the first UK single of the 80s to debut at No.1. 1980 - Pink Floyd started a 4-week run in the No.1 slot on the US pop charts with their smash, Another Brick in the Wall. When the boys popped open their gold record and threw it on the stereo, they heard Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers. 1981 - US postage rates went from 15-cents to 18-cents an ounce. 1981 - RCA put its Selectra Vision laser disc players on the market. Soon, the product was called 'the Edsel of the entertainment field'. The units cost $500 and the videodisks about $15 each. The combination failed to catch the consumer's fancy. 1983 - Chaim Herzog, Labor's candidate, was elected president of Israel. 1984 - The Israeli government was defeated in a parliamentary vote, forcing it into early general elections. 1985 - The first night of a sold out tour by Paul Young at The Pavilion, in Shepton Mallet. 1986 - Heart went to No.1 on the US singles chart with These Dreams. It made No.8 in the UK in 1988. 1986 - Died this day, Mark Dinning, singer (Teen Angel), of a heart attack. 1987 - Chad troops drove Libyan forces from a key airstrip in northern Chad, apparently ending Moammar Gadhafi's seven-year occupation. The Libyans abandoned $500 million worth of Soviet-made tanks and airplanes. 1987 - A 3,100-ton pile of rotting garbage left Islip, New York looking for a landfill willing to take all of its stinking contents. It was later submerged at sea. 1991 - Millions of people faced starvation and civil war in Ethiopia. 1991 - Died this day, Dave Guard, of the Kingston Trio (Tom Dooley), of lymphoma. 1992 - Polygram Records officially announced that Tears For Fears had split up, Roland Orzabal continued using the name Tears For Fears. During their career they scored 15 UK top 40 singles and two US No.1's. 1992 - 27 people were killed when a US Air plane bound for Cleveland skidded off a runway at New York's LaGuardia Airport during a snowstorm and landed in the bay. 1993 - A US nuclear submarine collided with a Russian nuclear sub in a Russian training area in the Barents Sea. There were no casualties. 1994 - South Africa's Ciskei black homeland collapsed as Brigadier Oupa Gqozo resigned after hundreds of police rebelled. 1994 - Died this day, Dan Hartman, singer, producer. He had worked with Edgar Winter. 1978 UK No.8 and US No.29 single Instant Replay. 1995 - Brian 'Kato' Kaelin, a houseguest at O. J. Simpson's estate, testified at the former athlete's double murder trial in Los Angeles. 1996 - The war crimes tribunal in The Hague made its first indictment of three Muslims and a Croat for the torture, rape and murder of Serb prisoners. 1996 - Gunmen massacred 11 people in a political attack in South Africa's Zulu heartland, hours after President Nelson Mandela visited the province. 1997 - The spectacular Hale-Bopp Comet made its closest approach to Earth (about 122 million miles) and could be seen from most parts of Britain. 1997 - Puff Daddy featuring Mase started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, his first US No.1. It made No.19 in the UK. 1999 - Actor David Strickland, age 28, spent time with a prostitute and acted oddly in the hours before he apparently hung himself with bedsheets in a Las Vegas motel room, the motel's owner said. Peter Napoli, owner of the Oasis Motel, said Strickland, who played rock music critic Todd on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, also drank several beers into the early hours apparently committing suicide later that morning. 2000 - UK Trade secretary Stephen Byres travelled to Germany to meet BMW bosses, as fresh fears surfaced of job losses due to the shock sale of Rover. 
2000 - Pope John Paul II visited a Palestinian refugee camp and declared the conditions there to be 'degrading'. 2000 - Yusuf Islam, the former singer Cat Stevens, joined the campaign to save the Section 28 ban on the promotion of homosexuality in UK schools. He praised peers for fighting the government’s plans to scrap Section 28. 2001 - Five people were wounded when a teenager opened fire at a school in El Cajon, California. The alleged gunman was then shot and seriously wounded by police. 2002 - Died this day, Ben Hollioake, England Test cricketer, died in an horrific car crash while visiting his parents in Australia. The 24-year-old all-rounder was driving with his girlfriend when his Porsche coupe spun out of control. It smashed into a brick wall just after midnight local time in Perth, Western Australia. 2002 - A fire-bomber attacked the home of actress Lynda Bellingham in the early hours of this morning. The 53-year-old 'OXO Mum' was woken at 2am by one of her sons who found the unexploded missile when he came back home. 2002 - For decades her voice rang out across the stage. Strident and grating though it could often sound, her opinions demanded to be listened to. But yesterday her doctors finally did what her critics never could - and silenced Margaret Thatcher. The former Prime Minister has effectively been told to retire from public life after a series of strokes. 2002 - A patient known only as Miss B, won the right to have the life support machine that was keeping her alive, switched off so that she may die with dignity. Aftermore than a year of legal wrangling and a landmark court decision she won the right to die, something that will take only minutes without the life support machine. In the ruling, Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss said the hospital treating Miss B acted unawfully in refusing to switch off the ventilator keeping her alive. The decision threw a spotlight on the conflict between the rights of the patient and the ethics of the medical profession. 2002 - One of the most poignant cases ever to be heard at the High Court came to an end when Diane Pretty - a woman paralysed from the neck down - won the legal right to die. 2003 - An estimated 200,000 people thronged the streets of London to protest against the war in Iraq. |
Trivia
Trivia - petty details or considerations, matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
Trivial - of very little importance or value; insignificant: "Don't bother me with trivial matters." Trivially - unimportant, nugatory, slight, immaterial, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling.