Today in History: Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Television
In 1948, professional wresting premiered in primetime on the long-defunct DuMont Network. Eventual game show host Dennis James (“The Price is Right,” “Name the Tune”) was DuMont’s sports announcer for boxing and wrestling. His phrase “Okay Mother” became so identified with him that is was later used for the title of one of his numerous daytime game shows…The NBC daytime drama “Santa Barbara” debuted in 1984 and remained on the air through January 15, 1993…“The Jim Henson Hour,” which was modeled after the “Walt Disney Presents” specials, concluded its one season run on NBC in 1989.

“The Profit”, the docuseries about entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis investing in select small businesses, debuted on CNBC in 2013…In 2014, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” debuted on The CW…Also in 2014 was the final episode of syndicated daytime talk show “Katie”, hosted by Katie Couric. It aired for two seasons.

Movies
Walt Disney’s animated “Flowers and Trees” premiered in 1932. It was the first Academy Award winning cartoon and first cartoon short to use Technicolor.

“Deliverance” starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight and Ned Beatty, opened in 1972. In 2008, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Ron Howard made his feature film directorial debut with “Night Shift” which opened in 1982. It starred Howard’s “Happy Days” co-star Henry Winkler as well as Michael Keaton and Shelley Long…Science fiction family film “Flight of the Navigator” opened in 1986. It starred Joey Cramer, Paul Reubens, Sarah Jessica Parker and Howard Hesseman…”Pretty Woman” stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts and its director Garry Marshall all reunited for the romantic comedy “Runaway Bride” released in 1999…“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” starring Kal Penn and John Cho, was released in 2004.

Music:
Duke Ellington’s “Golden Brown & the Green Apple” was released in 1965…George Harrison released “Bangladesh” in 1971… Reaching No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart: “Wild Thing” by The Troggs in 1966; “I Just Want to Be Your Everything” by Andy Gibb in 1977; “Roll With It” by Steve Winwood in 1988…Heavy metal band Metallica released their single “Enter Sandman” in 1991. It later became the official entrance song for Hall of Fame New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

News
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Social Security Act of 1965 which established Medicare and Medicaid. The signing took place at the Harry S. Truman Library auditorium in Independence, Missouri with former President Truman present alongside Johnson.

Sports
England won its first (and, to-date, only) FIFA World Cup soccer title in 1966 when it defeated West Germany 4-2 in extra time at Wembley Stadium in London…American track & field star Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn Jenner) won the gold medal and set a then-world record in the decathlon at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada in 1976…Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn officially enter the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in 1995.

Celebrity Birthdays
Singer Paul Anka is 83; Arnold Schwarzenegger is 77; singer-actor Frank Stallone is 74; actor-director Ken Olin (“thirtysomething”) is 70; actress Delta Burke (“Designing Women”) is 68; attorney Anita Hill is also 68; director Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) is 64; actor Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix”, “black-ish”) is 63; actress-producer Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) is 61; actress Vivica A. Fox (“Independence Day”) is 60; Terry Crews (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 56; actor Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”) is 55; director Christopher Nolan is 54; actor-comedian Tom Green is 53;  actress Christine Taylor (“The Brady Bunch Movie”) is 52; Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank is 50; actress Jaime Pressly (“My Name Is Earl”, “Mom”) is 47; American soccer player Hope Solo is 43; actress Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”, “Chuck”) is 42; actress Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”) is 40.

Did You Know?
Hilary Swank got her first break in a recurring role on Fox drama “Beverly Hills, 90210” in the 1997-98 season.