Today in History: Sunday, May 8, 2022

Television
NBC’s “Hour Glass,” the first hour-long entertainment program of any kind, debuted in 1946…The first Little Caesar’s pizzeria opened in Garden City, Michigan in 1959…“Happy Days” concluded its ten-and-one-half season run in 1984…James Bond film, “Dr. No,“ starring Sean Connery, opened is U.S. theaters in 1963…The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 1970. The game featured the return of Willis Reed…Chris Farley introduced the character of Matt Foley (“who lived in a van down by the river”) on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” in 1993…Classic 1939 theatrical “The Wizard of Oz” aired for the final time on CBS in 1998.

Songs
Hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list: “Welcome Back,” the theme song to ABC sitcom Welcome, Back Kotter,” by John Sebastian in 1976…”Chariots of Fire,“ the theme song of the Oscar-winning theatrical of the same name, by Vangelis in 1982…Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” in 1999…50 years ago today: The final studio album featuring The Beatles, “Let it Be,” and “ABC” from The Jackson 5 were released in 1970.

Commerce
The first bottle of Coca-Cola, created by Dr. John Pemberton, was sold in 1886

Celebrity Birthdays:
Singer Toni Tennille is 82; Billy Joel is 73; “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Gilbert is 58; singer Enrique Iglesias is 47;  actress Rosario Dawson (“Sin City”) is 43; professional dancer Sasha Farber (“Dancing with the Stars”) is 38; reality star Audrina Patridge (“The Hills”) is 37.

Did You Know?:
After “The Golden Girls” ended, NBC agreed to 13-episodes of spin-off  “The Golden Palace,” featuring Rose (Betty White), Blanche (Rue McClanahan) and Sophia (Estelle Getty) moving into and running a local hotel. But when CBS offered a full season commitment, “The Golden Place” became the anchor to a two-hour Friday night comedy block on the Eye net. Bea Arthur returned for only two episodes. After “The Golden Girls” was canceled, Estelle Getty joined the cast of the final two seasons of “Empty Nest.”