[buddyjh]

274th day of 2009 - 91 remaining

Thursday, October 1, 2009
VIRTUOSO VLADIMIR DAY

Destined to become one of the world’s greatest pianists, Vladimir Horowitz was born on this day in 1903 in Kiev, Russia. While most young children were playing games, Vladimir was playing with the ivories. His time was well spent as he was fully capable of performing publicly by the time he was sixteen.

Within four years, the young piano virtuoso was entertaining audiences at recitals throughout Leningrad -- 23 performances in one year, where he played over 200 different works of music, never repeating a composition. After Leningrad, Horowitz played in concerts in Berlin, Hamburg and Paris.

In 1928, the Russian pianist traveled to the United States to play with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Arturo Toscanini chose Horowitz to perform his first solo with the New York Philharmonic. It was there that Horowitz met his bride-to-be, Toscanini’s daughter, Wanda. The two were wed in Milan in 1933. New York became Horowitz’ permanent home in 1940. He became a U.S. citizen a few years later, devoting the rest of his career to benefit performances, and helping young, aspiring artists.

His return to the concert stage in May of 1965 was a triumphant success, as was his television recital, Vladimir Horowitz at Carnegie Hall.

Just three years before his death, Vladimir Horowitz returned to his homeland to perform once again for the Russian people on April 20, 1986. They felt he had been away far too long ... close to sixty years.

Events
October 1
1880 - A new director of the United States Marine Corps Band was named. John Philip Sousa became the band’s 17th leader. In 1888 he composed Semper Fidelis, traditionally known as the official march of the Marine Corps.

1903 - Cy Young played in his (and everyone else’s) first World Series baseball game. The game was held in Boston. Cy and Boston lost the game; the score was Pittsburgh 7, Boston 3; however, Boston came back to win the series, five games to three.

1908 - Imagine paying just $825 for a new car! That’s what it cost to buy the new Model T which was introduced by Henry Ford.

1928 - Duke Ellington recorded The Mooche on the Okeh label.

1928 - Forever, by Ben Pollack and his band, was recorded on Victor Records. In Pollack’s band were two talented young musicians: Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden.

1946 - The first baseball play-off game for a league championship featured the St. Louis Cardinals beating the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4-2.

1957 - U.S. B-52 bombers in the Strategic Air Command went on 24-hour alert status because of the perceived threat of an attack from the Soviet Union.

1962 - “From New York ... heeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!” Ed McMahon introduced the new host of NBC’s Tonight Show for the first time. Johnny Carson entertained late-night America for nearly three decades, give or take 20 years for vacations...

1966 - I Love My Dog was released by Cat Stevens. He was 19 years old. Five years later, he recorded such hits as Wild World, Morning Has Broken, Peace Train and Oh Very Young. By 1979, Cat Stevens [born, Steven Demitri Georgiou], disenchanted with the music business, converted to the Islamic religion and changed his name to Yusef Islam. He may not have liked the music biz anymore but Cat still loves his dog.

1971 - Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida, USA. The opening was planned for October when the crowds were slower. Disney planners wanted everything to move slowly at first, so any problems that sprang up could be fixed with minimal guest inconvenience. The dedication of the park was held on October 25, 1971. Roy O. Disney stood with Mickey Mouse in Town Square and read the dedication plaque: “Walt Disney World is a tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney . . . and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney's dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place . . . a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh, and play, and learn - together.” Walt Disney World eventually became the world’s largest, man-made, tourist attraction.

1977 - 77,691 fans saw world-famous soccer player Pele in the last game of his career -- at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. He played the first half with the New York Cosmos and the second half with his former team, Santos of Brazil.

1983 - Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart began a four-week run as the number one single in the U.S. The song, from her Faster Than the Speed of Night album, ran 5 minutes, 36 seconds and it took a day or two to get out of your head after you listened to it...

1987 - An earthquake in Los Angeles (eleven miles southeast of Pasadena) killed eight people and injured 200. The quake caused $358 millon in property damage and measured 5.9 on the Richter scale.

1993 - The hauntingly beautiful (I Know I Got) Skillz, by Shaquille O’Neal, was released. Just a sample: “...I’m big like Gorilla, 6-7, large, I kick rhymes like moduck-kwong you, I smoke-smoke the mic-mic, I Chech and Chong you, you don’t like Shaq, frankly I don't give a ****, I know I got skills man, I know I got skills man...”

1994 - Eric Clapton’s album From the Cradle was number one in the U.S. The rest of the top five for the week: II (Boyz II Men); Rhythm of Love (Anita Baker); The Lion King (soundtrack); Dookie (Green Day).

1996 - Theodore Kaczynski was charged by a U.S. federal grand jury with mailing a bomb that killed advertising executive Thomas Mosser in 1994. Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, pleaded guilty in January 1998 to mail bombings that killed three people and injured 23. He was sentenced in July 1997 to life without possibility of parole by a federal court in Sacramento, California.

Birthdays
October 1
1903 - Vladimir Horowitz
concert pianist; died Nov 5, 1989; see Virtuoso Vladimir Day [above]

1909 - Everett Sloane
actor: Citizen Kane, Marjorie Morningstar, The Enforcer; died Aug 6, 1965

1920 - Walter Matthau
Academy Award-winning actor: The Fortune Cookie [1966]; The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, Dennis the Menace, Kotch, Pete & Tillie, Plaza Suite, The Sunshine Boys, JFK, Fail-Safe, Earthquake; died July 1, 2000

1921 - James Whitmore
actor: Give ’Em Hell Harry, Kiss Me Kate, Oklahoma!, Planet of the Apes, Tora! Tora! Tora!; died Feb 6, 2009

1924 - Jimmy Carter
39th U.S. President [1977-1981]; married to Rosalynn Smith [three sons, one daughter]; full name: James Earl Carter

1924 - William Rehnquist
U.S. Supreme Court Justice [sworn in Jan 7, 1972], Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court [1986-2005]; died Sep 3, 2005

1925 - Roger Williams (Louis Weertz)
pianist: 18 gold/platinum albums, charted Billboard hits in four different decades: Autumn Leaves, Born Free, The Impossible Dream, Till, Almost Paradise, Two Different Worlds, Near You, Lara’s Theme from Dr. Zhivago, Theme from Somewhere in Time; in October 2000 Williams celebrated his 75th birthday by playing a 12-hour marathon at the opening of Steinway Hall in Phoenix

1926 - Max Morath
musician: piano: wrote, performed on NET: The Ragtime Era, Turn of the Century

1927 - Tom Bosley
actor: Happy Days, Father Dowling Mysteries, Murder, She Wrote, The Dean Martin Show, The Debbie Reynolds Show, Wait Till Your Father Gets Home

1928 - Laurence Harvey (Laruschka Mischa Skikne)
actor: Room at the Top, Butterfield 8, The Manchurian Candidate, Of Human Bondage; died Nov 25, 1973

1928 - George Peppard
actor: The A-Team, Banacek, The Carpetbaggers, The Blue Max, Pork Chop Hill, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, How the West was Won, Night of the Fox, Bang the Drum Slowly, The Executioner; died May 8, 1994

1930 - Philippe Noiret
actor: Il Postino, The Palermo Connection, Cinema Paradiso, The Family, My New Partner, Coup de Torchon, Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?, The Clockmaker, Night Flight from Moscow, Murphy’s War, Topaz, The Day of the Jackal; died Nov 23, 2006

1931 - Frank Gardner
auto racer

1932 - Albert Collins
Grammy Award-winning musician: blues guitarist, songwriter: LP: Showdown! [1985]; LPs: Love Can Be Found Anywhere Even in a Guitar, Ice Pickin’, Frostbite, Frozen Alive!, Don’t Lose Your Cool, Live in Japan, Cold Snap; Blues Hall of Famer [1989]; died Nov 24, 1993

1933 - Richard Harris
actor: Camelot, The Guns of Navarone, Hawaii, A Man Called Horse, Mutiny on the Bounty, Unforgiven; singer: MacArthur Park, Didn’t We; LP: A Tramp Shining

1933 - Richard Harris
actor: Camelot, The Guns of Navarone, Hawaii, A Man Called Horse, Mutiny on the Bounty, Unforgiven, Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; singer: MacArthur Park, Didn’t We; LP: A Tramp Shining; died Oct 25, 2002

1934 - Chuck (Charles Joseph) Hiller
baseball: SF Giants [World Series: 1962], NY Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates; died Oct 20, 2004

1935 - Julie Andrews (Julia Wells)
Academy Award-winning actress: Mary Poppins [1964]; The Sound of Music, Victor/Victoria, 10, Hawaii; Emmy Award-winner: Victoria Regina: Hallmark Hall of Fame [1961-62]; My Fair Lady, The Boyfriend

1936 - Stella Stevens (Eggleston)
actress: The Poseidon Adventure, Li’l Abner, The Nutty Professor, Flamingo Road, Ben Casey

1939 - George Archer
golf: Masters Champion [1969]; died Sep 25, 2005

1942 - Herb Fame (Feemster)
singer: Herb of Peaches & Herb: Reunited

1944 - Scott McKenzie (Phillip Blondheim)
singer: San Francisco [Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair], Like an Old Time Movie; co-writer: Kokomo [Beach Boys]

1945 - Rod (Rodney Cline) Carew
Baseball Hall of Famer: Minnesota Twins [Rookie of the Year: 1967/all-star: 1967-1978/Baseball Writers’ Award: 1977], California Angels [all-star: 1979-1984]

1945 - Donny Hathaway
singer: Where is the Love, You’ve Got a Friend, The Closer I Get to You [w/Roberta Flack]; died Jan 13, 1979

1947 - Stephen Collins
actor: Scarlett, A Woman Named Jackie, The Big Picture, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Brewster’s Millions, Inside the Third Reich, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Promise, All the President’s Men, Nick & Hillary, Tattingers, Tales of the Gold Monkey, Working It Out

1950 - Randy Quaid
actor: The Last Picture Show, Dead Solid Perfect, Days of Thunder, The Paper, Bye Bye Love, Caddyshack 2, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation, Independence Day

1956 - Vance (Aaron) Law
baseball: Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs [all-star: 1988], Oakland Athletics

1963 - Mark McGwire
baseball: Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals: Broke Roger Maris’ major-league single-season home-run record [60] Sep 8, 1998, set single-season record in 1998: 70

1965 - Cindy Margolis
model, actress: The Price is Right, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Chairman of the Board, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth, The Cindy Margolis Show; Most Downloaded Woman [Guiness Book of World Records]

Chart Toppers
October 1
1949You’re Breaking My Heart - Vic Damone
Maybe It’s Because - **** Haymes
Some Enchanted Evening - Perry Como
Slipping Around - Ernest Tubb

1957Wake Up Little Susie - The Everly Brothers
Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers
Chances Are/The Twelfth of Never - Johnny Mathis
My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You - Ray Price

1965Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire
Hang on Sloopy - The McCoys
You Were on My Mind - We Five
Is It Really Over? - Jim Reeves

1973We’re an American Band - Grand Funk
Half-Breed - Cher
Loves Me like a Rock - Paul Simon
Blood Red and Goin’ Down - Tanya Tucker

1981Endless Love - Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around - Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty & The
Heartbreakers
Tight Fittin’ Jeans - Conway Twitty

1989Girl I’m Gonna Miss You - Milli Vanilli
Heaven - Warrant
If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
Let Me Tell You About Love - The Judds

Happy Birthday Scott McKenzie

[Victor Hugo]

Excellent job, Thanks Buddy.

[peggy13]

Wonder what the $805 for the model T in 1908 equates to today's worth in dollars?? I was lucky enough to see Pele play a couple of times in person....simply amazing soccer player!

Thanks Buddy for your daily dedication and the enjoyment you bring.

[tiger-55]

Thanks for the good one today buddy.........

[Crystal Dragon]

Always the Good Stuff Buddy -- Thank You!!!

[marty napier]

wake me up little susie thinks buddy

[dt8350]

Happy Birthday Scott McKenzie!
Always a great post! Thanks Buddy!

[cadood]

ty.

[dal bilkoski]

thanks buddy

[just4ufolks]

Thanks
again my friend
very enlightning and intresting

1962
“From New York ... heeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny!” Ed McMahon introduced the new host of NBC’s Tonight Show for the first time. Johnny Carson entertained late-night America for nearly three decades, give or take 20 years for vacations...

1924 - Jimmy Carter
39th U.S. President [1977-1981]; married to Rosalynn Smith [three sons, one daughter]; full name: James Earl Carter

1924 - William Rehnquist
U.S. Supreme Court Justice [sworn in Jan 7, 1972], Chief Justice of U.S. Supreme Court [1986-2005]; died Sep 3, 2005

[slowboy]

thanks for the great info

[ccelectro]

Thanks Buddy, great read, I look forward to it.