Today in History: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Television
Special “Barbra Streisand…and Other Musical Instruments” aired on CBS in 1971…Dramedy “Murphy’s Law” premiered on ABC in 1988. The series, which starred George Segal who portrayed a recovering alcoholic who worked as an insurance-fraud investigator, aired for only 12 episodes…The classic “Seinfeld” episode titled “The Soup Nazi“, based on New York soup vendor Al Yageneh, debuted on NBC in 1995…The Ted Danson sitcom “Becker” debuted on CBS out of “Everybody Loves Raymond” in 1998. The series, which centered on a cantankerous doctor from The Bronx, ran for six seasons…Fox sitcom “Arrested Development” starring Jason Bateman, Porta de Rossi, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Tambor, and Jessica Walter, among others, opened in 2003. After three critically acclaimed (but moderately rated) seasons on Fox, it was revived by Netflix for the first of three additional seasons in 2013.

Movies:
“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth premiered in Berlin in 2015.

Music:
Single “Thriller” was released worldwide by Michael Jackson in 1983…Jermaine Jackson released “Word to the Badd!!” single in 1991.

News:
In one of the greatest upsets in presidential election history, Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeated his Republican challenger, Governor Thomas E. Dewey, by just over two million popular votes in 1948.

Sports:
The Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year world championship drought — the longest in American professional sports history — by winning the World Series in 2016 with a thrilling ten-inning 8-7 Game 7 victory over the Cleveland Indians. By drawing an average of 40 million viewers for Fox that evening, it was the most-watched MLB telecast since the Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves in Gams 7 of the 1991 World Series on CBS.
 
Celebrity Birthdays:
Actress Stefanie Powers (“Hart to Hart”) is 82; singer-actor J.D. Souther (“Nashville”) is 79; Boxer Larry Holmes is 75; four-time MLB All-Star outfielder Willie McGee is 66; singer k.d. lang is 63; actress Lauren Velez (“Dexter”) is 60; “Friends” star David Schwimmer is 58; actress Marisol Nichols (“Riverdale”) is 53; rapper Nelly is 50; actor Danny Cooksey (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 49; TV personality Karamo Brown (“Queer Eye”) is 44.

Did You Know?
“Becker” on CBS replaced sitcom “The Brian Benben Show,” which aired only 5 of the 9 episodes produced.