This Week In History: August 3 – August 9

Headlines & Tidbits from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s

American Experience:

1945 – An Atom Bomb is  dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

1965 – President Lyndon B Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, guaranteeing voting rights for blacks.

1974 – President Nixon admits he withheld information about the Watergate break-in. Later this week he resigns as President. Vice President Gerald Ford becomes the 38th President.

Movies & TV:

1930 – Betty Boop makes her first appearance in Max Fleischer’s animated cartoon Dizzy Dishes.

1957 – American Bandstand with Dick Clark is picked up by ABC-TV. It would air for 30 years.

1967 – Yvonne Craig joins the Batman cast as Batgirl.

Music & Radio:

1939 – The Dinah Shore Show premieres on NBC-radio.

1957 – “Diana”, by 15-year-old Paul Anka, spends nine weeks at #1.

1956 – Elvis Presley releases “Hound Dog”.

1968 – “Hello I Love You”, by the Rolling Stones, hits #1.

1971 – Wings, Paul McCartney’s new band, is formed with Denny Laine, Denny Seilwell and Linda McCartney.

1971 – The Bee Gees hit #1 with their single “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”.

1974 – The Runaways band is formed by Joan Jett.

1975 – Stevie Wonder signs a $13 million contract with the record label Tamla/Motown. It is the recording industry’s largest contract at the time.

The Arts:

1961 – Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is on the Bestsellers list, along with The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone.

1989 – Oh! Calcutta! closes after 5,959 performances at Edison Theater in New York City.

Celebrity Headlines:

1944 – Smokey the Bear becomes the spokesman for fire prevention.

1957 – Oliver Hardy, comedian of Laurel & Hardy, dies at age 65.

1962 – Marilyn Monroe dies in her Los Angeles home at age 36.

Sports:

1944 – 16-year-old Tommy Brown plays shortstop for Dodgers.

1949 – The Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League combine to form the National Basketball Association.

Technology & Inventions:

1977 – Radio Shack introduces the TRS-80 personal computer, priced at $399.

Famous Birthdays:

1930 – Neil Armstrong, astronaut

1937 – Dustin Hoffman, actor

1941 – Martha Stewart

1947 – Rick Derringer, singer/songwriter

1956 – Maureen McCormick, actress (The Brady Bunch)