Tuesday, March 22

This Day In History

• 1630   The first legislation to prohibited gambling was enacted -- in Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1765   The Stamp Act was enacted on the American colonies by Britain.
• 1882   Congress outlawed polygamy
• 1933   During Prohibition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal.
• 1945   The Arab League was formed in Cairo, by Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
• 1946   The British mandate in Transjordan came to an end.
• 1948   "The Voice of Firestone" was the first commercial radio program to be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations.
• 1956   Perry Como became the first major TV variety-show host to book a rock and roll act on his program: Carl Perkins sang "Blue Suede Shoes".
• 1962   The play, "I Can Get It For You Wholesale", opened on Broadway. It featured a 19-year-old named Barbra Streisand.
• 1972   Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to be ratified by the states. The amendment would fail to get the required 38 states to ratify it.
• 1977   Comedienne Lily Tomlin made her debut on Broadway as "Appearing Nightly" opened in New York.
• 1981   U.S. Postage rates rose from 15-cents to 18-cents an ounce.
• 1997   Comet Hale-Bopp made its closest approach to Earth in the skies over the northern hemisphere. The comet’s next pass is predicted for the year 4397.

Happy Birthday To

• 1887   Chico (Leonard) Marx (comedian; the Marx Brother who wore the hat: Animal Crackers, A Day at the Races, Duck Soup; died Oct 11, 1961)
• 1912   Karl Malden (Mladen Sekulovich) (actor: Streets of San Francisco, Streetcar Named Desire, The Sting, How the West was Won, On the Waterfront; spokesperson: American Express commercials)
• 1920   Ross Martin (Martin Rosenblatt) (actor: The Wild Wild West, Dying Room Only; died July 3, 1981)
• 1920   Werner Klemperer (Emmy Award-winning actor: Hogan’s Heroes [1967-1968]; Ship of Fools; died Dec 6, 2000)
• 1923   Marcel Marceau (Mangel) (mime: famous quote from Marceau “!”; he spoke in Silent Movie - the only speaking part in the film)
• 1930   Pat Robertson (Marion Gordon Robinson) (TV evangelist)
• 1930   Stephen Sondheim (composer: Send in the Clowns, A Little Night Music; scores for West Side Story, Reds, Gypsy, Dick Tracy)
• 1931   William Shatner (actor: Star Trek, Rescue 9-1-1, T.J. Hooker)
• 1952   Bob Costas (Robert Quinlan) (sportscaster: WSYR radio/TV [Syracuse NY], KMOX radio [voice of ABA Spirits of St. Louis MO], CBS Sports, NBC Sports: Contributor: Dateline NBC, Anchor: MSNBC’s InterNight)