Today in History: Wednesday, August 3, 2023

Television:
Newsmagazine “Primetime Live” hosted by Diane Sawyer and Sam Donaldson premiered on ABC in 1989. The program was also hosted by several other ABC News anchors throughout its run. It concluded May 2012…CNN en Espanol premiered in 1995…One of the most epic and longest fights in “Big Brother” history occurred during the 11th season in 2009 (on Showtime Too’s “Big Brother After Dark“) that involved houseguest Chima Simone throwing a drink in Russell Kairouz‘s face while Kevin Campbell and Ronnie Talbott got into a shouting match that resulted in a tossing of sheets and pillows at each other.

Movies
Football comedy “North Dallas Forty“ starring Nick Nolte and Mac Davis premiered in 1979…“Unforgiven,“ directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman opened in Los Angeles in 1992. It was the recipient of four Oscars, including Best Picture, Eastwood for Best Director, and Hackman for Best Actor in a Supporting Role…”Clear and Present Danger” starring Harrison Ford as the famous Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan was released in 1994…Two hit films opened in 2001: the action-comedy “Rush Hour 2” starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker; and, “The Princess Diaries,“ starring Anne Hathaway in her film debut, and Julie Andrews.

Music:
The Billboard Hot 100 was founded in 1958…Allan Sherman released “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” in 1963. Sherman based the lyrics on letters of complaint which he received from his son Robert who was attending Camp Champlain, a summer camp in Westport, New York…Paul McCartney announced the formation of his group Wings in 1971…Irish band Boyzone release their best-selling single “No Matter What” composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman… “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” by Spanish Latin pop duo Los del Rio, the song that sparked a global dance craze of the same name, began its 14-week stint at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1996.

News:
In 1977, the Tandy Corporation introduced the TRS-80, one of the world’s first mass-produced personal computers…In 2004, the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor reopened to the public for the first time since the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City.

Sports:
In 1984, Mary Lou Retton became the first American female to win an individual gold medal in Olympic gymnastics.

Celebrity Birthdays
Actor Martin Sheen (“Grace and Frankie”) is 83; Martha Stewart is 82; director John Landis is 73; actress Jo Marie Payton (“Family Matters”) is also 73; former child star Jay North (“Dennis the Menace”) is 71; actor John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”) is 64; Metallica lead singer James Hetfield is 60; actor Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and actress Lisa Ann Walter (“Bruce Almighty”) are also 60; musician Diedre Roper aka Spinderella from Salt-N-Pepa is 52; actor Michael Ealy (“Stumptown”) is 50; NFL great Tom Brady is 46; actress Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”) is 44; actress Mamie Gummer (“The Good Wife”, “Mr. Robot”; daughter of Meryl Streep) is 40.

Did You Know?
Robert Reed is remembered, of course, as everyone’s favorite TV Dad, Mike Brady, on “The Brady Bunch” and the countless spinoffs. But also in contention for the role was young Gene Hackman, who was nixed by the network and advised by his agent not to take the role. Needless to say, he made the right career move!