235 years ago – In 1790, Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia. He was 84. Check out Ben’s Wise Words of the Day: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”
96 years ago – In 1929, Babe Ruth married Claire Hodgeson, a former member of the Ziegfeld Follies, at 5:45 a.m. to avoid fans who were expecting to crash the event at 6:30 a.m.
When asked where they were going on their honeymoon, Ruth said, “To the ballpark.” He hit a home run for her that day.
88 years ago – In 1937, Daffy Duck made his debut in “Porky’s Duck Hunt“.
65 years ago – In 1960, rockabilly pioneer Eddie Cochran (“Summertime Blues“) died in England, from severe brain injuries sustained in a car crash. Gene Vincent (“Be Bop A Lula“) was also seriously injured in the accident.
64 years ago – In 1961, the CIA launched one of its biggest disasters . . . the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, where the CIA trained Cuban exiles to overthrow the Communist government of Fidel Castro.
One-hundred attackers were killed, 200 escaped, and the remaining 1,200 were captured and held for ransom.
61 years ago – In 1964, Ford unveiled its newest model . . . The Mustang.
56 years ago – In 1969, Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy. He was given the death penalty a week later, but ended up serving life in prison after California abolished the death penalty in 1972.
52 years ago – In 1973, The Eagles released their second album, “Desperado”, featuring the title track and “Tequila Sunrise”.
32 years ago – In 1993, a federal jury in L.A. convicted two former police officers, Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell, for violating the civil rights of Rodney King. Two other officers were acquitted.
32 years ago – In 1993, hundreds of angry rap fans went on a rampage at California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain, vandalizing and looting shops when they couldn’t get into a sold-out show by TLC and Paperboy.
Forty people were injured in the ensuing chaos, so the park announced there’d be No More Rap Concerts.
32 years ago – In 1993, Bangles beauty Susanna Hoffs married the director of “Austin Powers” and “Meet the Parents”. . . one Jay Roach. Today is their 32nd Anniversary.
29 years ago – In 1996, Lyle & Erik Menendez were spared the death penalty by an L.A. jury. Menendez Brothers Fun-Fact: Erik claims that he never knew Lyle wore a toupee . . . so when their mom pulled off Lyle’s rug in an argument, Erik thought she’d SCALPED him. (True.)
27 years ago – In 1998, Linda McCartney died in Tucson, Arizona after a long battle against breast cancer.
20 years ago – In 2005, Chris Tucker was arrested (at gunpoint) for leading Georgia state troopers on a brief high-speed chase after he was caught doing 109 miles per hour on Interstate 20.
Tucker later pleaded guilty to speeding and trying to elude police, and paid a $7,000 fine. You can see his mugshot at the Smoking Gun.
19 years ago – In 2006, Melissa Etheridge announced that she and her partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, were expecting twins.
Tammy gave birth to the twins in October of 2006. Melissa already had two kids with her previous girlfriend, Julie Cypher, who were conceived thanks to the donated spermatozoa of David Crosby.
16 years ago – In 2009, committed vegetarian Morrissey walked off the stage at Coachella because he smelled “burning flesh” from nearby barbecues.
14 years ago – In 2011, “Game of Thrones” premiered on HBO. It ran for eight seasons, beat George R.R. Martin to the story’s end, and inspired two prequels: “House of the Dragon” and the upcoming “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”.https://www.youtube.com/embed/s7L2PVdrb_8?si=GsRhdk_JP5TGE2ft
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