Today in History: Saturday, August 26, 2023

Television
The first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS in 1939: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field…The sci-fi drama “M.A.N.T.I.S.” starring Carl Lumbly as a paralytic scientist who invented a costume that enabled to him perform superhuman feats debuted on Fox in 1994. It only lasted one season…“7th Heaven,” the longest running series from producer Aaron Spelling, debuted in 1996. It aired for 11 seasons beginning on The WB and moved to The CW for its final season in 2006-07…Arguably, the biggest move in “Big Brother” history, dubbed as “Dan’s Funeral“, took place in 2012, during its 14th season. Despite being the main target, Dan Gheesling held a public eulogy for his game (he was nominated for eviction) in the living room and told his partner/fellow nominee Danielle Murphree “you are dead to me“. The spectacle caught the attention of then-Head of Household Frank Eudy, which led to the striking of a new deal between him and Dan and it influenced Frank’s ally Jenn Arroyo to use her power of veto to save Dan from the block. Britney Haynes, put up as the replacement nominee in blindsided fashion, was evicted later that week.

Movies:
Musical “An American in Paris,“ directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron premiered in London in 1951. It won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, in 1952.

Music:
Reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100: “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass in 1972; “Grease” (from the blockbuster film musical of the same title) by Frankie Valli in 1978; “Kiss From A Rose” (from the film “Batman Forever”) by Seal in 1995; “Doesn’t Really Matter” (from the film “The Nutty Professor II”) by Janet Jackson in 2000.

News:
The Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was formally adopted into the United States Constitution in 1920…TV Guide infamously superimposed Oprah Winfrey‘s head into the body of actress Ann-Margret for its magazine cover in 1989…Fast food chain Burger King purchased Canadian donut chain Tim Hortons for $11.4 billion in 2014.

Sports:
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneels on one knee during the U.S. National Anthem prior to an NFL game for the first time in 2016. It was a symbol of protest over the shootings and deaths of unarmed Blacks by police officers in America; today, the gesture of kneeling is used in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Celebrity Birthdays
Singer Vic Dana is 81; singer Valerie Simpson (Ashford & Simpson) is 77; “60 Minutes” commentator Bill Whitaker is 72; former “Tonight Show” bandleader Branford Marsalis is 63; “Life Goes On” star Chris Burke is 58; Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson is 57; Oscar nominee Melissa McCarthy is 53; Mexican singer Thalia is 52; “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin is 43; actor Chris Pine (“Star Trek” films) is also 43; comedian John Mulaney is 41; Houston Rockets guard James Harden is 34; actress Keke Palmer (“True Jackson VP”) is 30.

Did You Know?
Once “7th Heaven” began season 10, it became the longest running family drama in the history of television (ahead of former leaders “The Waltons” and “Little House on the Prairie,“ which aired for nine seasons each).