Today in History: Saturday, January 20, 2024

Television
The first live U.S. coast-to-coast inauguration was in 1953 with President Dwight D. Eisenhower…The Rolling Stones made their first appearance on ABC-TV’s “Shindig!” in 1965…Seven short-lived series premiered: 1) game show “You’re in the Picture” hosted by Jackie Gleason on CBS in 1961 (Gleason would publicly apologize for the show in the following week); 2) comedy “Here We Go Again” starring Larry Hagman and Diane Baker on ABC in 1973; 3) comedy “Popi” starring Hector Elizondo on CBS in 1976; 4) “Salvage 1” starring Andy Griffith (as a TV movie) on ABC in 1979; 5) “Legmen” starring Bruce Greenwood on NBC in 1984; 6) martial arts drama “The Master” starring Lee Van Cleef and Timothy Van Patten on NBC in 1984; and 7) “Fairly Legal” starring Sarah Shahi on USA Network in 2011. “Popi” was adapted from the 1969 film of the same name and was one of the first series on network television to feature a Latino cast and theme…Aaron Spelling police drama “MacGruder and Loud” starring John Getz and Kathryn Harrold launched on ABC in 1985. Its premiere episode aired immediately following “Super Bowl XIX.” Despite the large launch, the series ran for just 14 episodes within a three-month span…Mystery docuseries “Unsolved Mysteries” debuted on NBC in 1987. It was initially hosted by Raymond Burr. When it became a weekly series in the fall of 1988, Robert Stack was its host. Currently, new episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” stream on Netflix…The CNN Airport Network was launched in 1992. The news outlet that informed airline travelers on airport screens for three decades ceased operations on March 31, 2021…Three dramas debuted: “Father Dowling Mysteries” (as a weekly series) on NBC in 1989; “Dawson’s Creek” on The WB in 1998; and “Breaking Bad” on AMC in 2008…TV movie “High School Musical” premiered on Disney Channel in 2006. The film’s success spawned a media franchise and series of sequels, “High School Musical 2” (2007) and “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008), with the latter being a theatrical release.

Movies:
British comedy “Four Weddings and a Funeral” starring Hugh Grant premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1994.

Music:
Buddy Holly recorded single “Blue Days Black Night” in Nashville in 1956…Marvin Gaye single “What’s Going On” was released in 1971… Reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)” by John Fred and His Playboy Band in 1968; “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” by Michael Bolton in 1990.

Sports:
ABC televised its first-ever Super Bowl in 1985 with Super Bowl XIX (19) from Stanford, Calif. between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers with MVP quarterback Joe Montana dominated the Dolphins 38-16, in what would be Hall of Fame Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino‘s sole Super Bowl appearance. ABC reportedly charged $525,000 per 30-second commercial…Fox introduced the FoxTrax glowing puck on its nationally-televised National Hockey League game telecasts in 1996, starting with the 46th NHL All-Star Game in Boston, Mass. Its purpose was to ease viewers’ sight of the fast-moving puck, but the experiment lasted just two years.

News:
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America in 1981…Heavy medal singer Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat on stage in Des Moines, Iowa in 1982…The first federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. was in 1986…George H.W. Bush was inaugurated as the 41st U.S. President in 1989…Bill Clinton was inaugurated as the 41nd U.S. President in 1993…Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th U.S. President in 2009.

Celebrity Birthdays:
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin is 94; director David Lynch (“Twin Peaks”) is 78; KISS guitarist Paul Stanley is 72; comedian-host Bill Maher is 68; actor Lorenzo Lamas (“Falcon Crest”) is 66; actor James Denton (“Desperate Housewives”) is 61; country singer John Michael Montgomery is 59; “The Office” star Rainn Wilson is 58; actress Stacey Dash (“Clueless”) is 58; actor Reno Wilson (“Mike & Molly”) is 56; TV host Melissa Rivers is 55; actor Skeet Ulrich (“Scream”) is 54; singer Edwin McCain is also 54; ESPN NBA studio analyst Jalen Rose is 51; actor Evan Peters (“American Horror Story”) is 37; NFL quarterback and Super Bowl LI MVP Nick Foles is 35.

Did You Know?
The location on “Breaking Bad” was originally Riverside, California. It was moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to take advantage of a tax rebate on production.