On this day in 2013, one of America’s best-known and most influential movie critics, Roger Ebert, who reviewed movies for The Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years, dies at age 70 after a battling cancer. In 1975, Ebert started co-hosting a movie review program on TV with fellow critic Gene […]
Continue ReadingPauline Phillips, The Original Dear Abby, Dies At 94
On this day in 2013, Pauline Phillips, who for more than 40 years wrote the “Dear Abby” newspaper advice column, dies at age 94 in Minneapolis after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Using the pen name Abigail Van Buren, Phillips made her “Dear Abby” debut in 1956, and over the ensuing decades dispensed witty advice on a […]
Continue Reading12 People Killed, 70 Wounded In Colorado Movie Theater Shooting
On this day in 2012, a 24-year-old gunman goes on a rampage at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora, killing 12 people—the youngest a 6-year-old girl—and injuring at least 70 others. The shooting took place shortly after the start of a crowded midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises,” which opened across […]
Continue ReadingTV Legend Andy Griffith Dies
On this day in 2012, Andy Griffith, famous for his role as the good-hearted, small-town sheriff of fictional Mayberry, North Carolina, on the iconic 1960s TV sitcom “The Andy Griffith Show,” dies at age 86 at his North Carolina home. The actor also was known for his starring role in the 1980s-1990s TV drama “Matlock,” […]
Continue ReadingNora Ephron, Director Of “When Harry Met Sally,” Dies
On this day in 2012, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Nora Ephron, whose credits include “Silkwood,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and “You’ve Got Mail,” dies at age 71 of complications from leukemia in New York City. Known for her sharp, witty writing style, Ephron was an accomplished writer, director and producer as well as a journalist, essayist, […]
Continue ReadingRay Bradbury, Bestselling Science Fiction Author, Dies At 91
On this day in 2012, one of the preeminent science fiction authors of the 20th century, Ray Bradbury, whose books include “The Martian Chronicles,” “Fahrenheit 451” and “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” dies at age 91 in Los Angeles. During his 70-year career, Bradbury, who also wrote works of horror, fantasy and mystery, published nearly […]
Continue ReadingLongtime Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak Sentenced To Life In Prison
On this day in 2012, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is found guilty of failing to stop the killings of hundreds of anti-government demonstrators during the 2011 popular uprising that forced an end to his nearly 30 years in power. The 84-yer-old Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison. Born in Egypt in 1928, Mubarak […]
Continue ReadingFacebook Raises $16 Billion In Largest Tech IPO In U.S. History
On this day in history, Facebook, the world’s largest social network, holds its initial public offering (IPO) and raises $16 billion. It was the largest technology IPO in American history to that date, and the third-largest IPO ever in the United States, after those of Visa and General Motors. At the time it went public, […]
Continue ReadingDonna Summer, Queen Of Disco, Dies
On this day in 2012, singer and songwriter Donna Summer, who rose to fame during the 1970s with such disco anthems as “Love to Love You Baby” and “Hot Stuff,” dies at age 63 in Naples, Florida, after battling cancer. Also known for such 1980s hits as “She Works Hard for the Money,” the five-time […]
Continue ReadingDick Clark, Host Of “American Bandstand” And “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” Dies
On this day in 2012, Dick Clark, the TV personality and producer best known for hosting “American Bandstand,” an influential music-and-dance show that aired nationally from 1957 to 1989 and helped bring rock `n’ roll into the mainstream in the late 1950s, dies of a heart attack at age 82 in Santa Monica, California. The […]
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