Today in History: Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Television
Series premieres: “Perry Mason” on CBS in 1957, “Adam-12” on NBC in 1968, “Hotel” on ABC in 1983; “Evening Shade” on CBS in 1990; “N.Y.P.D. Blue” on ABC in 1993; NBC’s “Profiler” in 1996; NBC’s “Will & Grace” and CBS’ “The King of Queens” both in 1998…Also debuting was “Monday Night Football” on ABC in 1970 with Keith Jackson, Don Meredith and Howard Cosell providing play-by-play commentary…Remember the fuss when then Vice President Dan Quayle criticized Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown for being a single parent? “Murphy Brown” the sitcom responded to his comments in the fifth season-opener in 1992 in the episode titled “You Say Potatoe, I Say Potato.”…Notable cast additions on NBC series: George Clooney on “The Facts of Life” in 1985; Sandy Duncan on “Valerie’s Family” (formerly called “Valerie” and later “The Hogan Family”) in 1987; Sam Waterston on “Law & Order” in 1994… in 2001, Alex Trebek appeared as host of game show “Jeopardy!” for the first time without his mustache.

Movies:
“Glitter“, featuring Mariah Carey‘s first (and only) lead role in a film, opened in 2001… “Into the Wild” starring Emile Hirsch is released in 2007.

Music:
Green Day released their album “American Idiot” in the U.S. in 2004.

News:
In 1983, Motorola‘s DynaTAC 8000X, the world’s first commercial portable cellular phone, first received approval from the Federal Communications Commission.Sports:
In the final heavyweight bout of his undefeated boxing career, Rocky Marciano knocked out Archie Moore in the 9th round in 1955 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY… the New York Yankees’ final home game is played at the original site of Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY in 2008. They played opposite the Baltimore Orioles.

Celebrity Birthdays
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is 78; actress and frequent “Match Game” panelist Fannie Flagg is 77; horror novelist Stephen King is 73; Oscar nominee Bill Murray is 70; “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman is 65; writer-director Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers is 64; “Full House” star Dave Coulier is 62; actor David James Elliott (“JAG”) 61; actress Nancy Travis (“Last Man Standing”) is 60; actor Rob Morrow (“Northern Exposure”) is 59; former New York Yankees infielder and 1996 World Champion Cecil Fielder is 58; actress Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusaism”) is 56; country singer Faith Hill is 53; actress-former daytime TV talk show host Ricki Lake is also 53; Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter (“Pose”) is 52; actor James Lesure (“Las Vegas”) is 51; “America’s Funniest Home Videos” host Alfonso Ribeiro is 50; actor Luke Wilson is also 50; actor Paulo Costanzo (“Royal Pains”) is 43; actress Autumn Reeser (“The O.C.”) is 41; TV personality Nicole Richie (“The Simple Life”) is 40; “Lost” star Maggie Grace is 38; rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin aka Wale is 37; R&B singer Jason Derulo is 32.

Did You Know?
“Will & Grace” is only one of four sitcoms historically where all of the lead actors won Emmy Awards. The other three are “All in the Family”, “The Golden Girls” and “Schitt’s Creek”…An estimated 70 million viewers tuned into to hear what Candice Bergen as “Murphy Brown” had to say to Dan Quayle, which at the time was the highest-rated series episode since the one-hour “Cheers” 200^thanniversary special on NBC on Nov. 8, 1990.