Back in the Day-Saddles Were Blazing, America’s Most Wanted Caught, Wooden Boys
February 7th, a day of movies, magazine, boxers, baseball players and more!
1882 - The last BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHT for the heavyweight boxing title went down in Mississippi City. JOHN L. SULLIVAN knocked out Paddy Ryan in the ninth round.
1922 - "Reader's Digest" began publication with 5,000 copies. Today they move more than 27 MILLION copies worldwide. They also help me during MY movements. Perfect toilet reading. Perfect.
1940 - WALT DISNEY'S animated film "Pinocchio" was released.
1943 - The U.S. began RATIONING SHOES, limiting consumers to THREE PAIRS PER PERSON for the remainder of the year.
1949 - JOE DIMAGGIO signed with the Yankees for $100,000 . . . the first six-figure contract in the major leagues.
1964 - THE BEATLES arrived at New York's Kennedy Airport for their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". It was also the day that BASKIN-ROBBINS introduced "BEATLE-NUT" ice cream.
1974 - "Blazing Saddles" was released . . . starring MEL BROOKS in four different roles, HARVEY KORMAN in three roles, GENE WILDER as the Waco Kid and CLEAVON LITTLE as Bart, the kick-ass Black Sheriff of Rock Ridge.
1976 - Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" hit #1 on the charts!
1985 - "Sports Illustrated" released their annual SWIMSUIT ISSUE . . . with PAULINA PORIZKOVA on her second cover.
1988 - "America's Most Wanted" debuted on Fox.
1988 - MIKE TYSON entered into holy matrimony with the woman who became his downfall . . . ROBIN GIVENS. They divorced on Valentine's Day the next year.
1994 - BLIND MELON'S lead singer SHANNON HOON was ejected from the American Music Awards for loud and disruptive behavior. He was eventually charged with battery, assault, resisting arrest and destroying a police station phone.
(--Blind Melon's lead singer Shannon Hoon died from an overdose of herion, Blind Melon is making a comeback with a NEW lead singer.)
1994 - HOWARD STERN convinced a man who called into his radio show not to jump off the George Washington Bridge. At one point he told the jumper that he had a movie coming out and that he would miss it if he took the plunge.
1997 - SARAH MCLACHLAN married her extremely lucky drummer Ashwin Sood. Today is their 14th Anniversary.
2000 - With an astonishing comeback at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, TIGER WOODS got his sixth straight PGA Tour victory, becoming the first player . . . interracial or otherwise . . . since Ben Hogan in 1948 to win six in a row.
2000 - Tragedy struck when 698-POUND Latino rapper BIG PUN died of a massive coronary. At the time of his death, Big Pun's heart was FOUR TIMES the normal size.
2001 - DALE EVANS passed away at the age of 88.