Video: 'Judy Garland - Smile'
(Sunday, April 14, 1963, 8 p.m. EST) — Judy Garland performed “Smile (Though Your Heart Is Breaking)” and “I Could Go on Singing” on tonight’s edition of the CBS-TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show, taped in London. Continue reading Judy Garland performs on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ 50 years ago this hour (1963)
Video: 'Paul McCartney - Birmingham, 14 April 2003 (Driving USA Tour)'
(Monday, April 14, 2003) — Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney performed tonight at National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, England, the sixth stop and tenth performance of his Back in the World tour. Continue reading Paul McCartney performs in Birmingham 10 years ago tonight (2003)
Video: 'Bill Cosby - Ursulena'
(Saturday, April 14, 1973, 1:00 a.m. EST) — Billy Preston and Steely Dan were among the performers on tonight’s episode of the late-night musical variety NBC-TV series The Midnight Special as hosted tonight by Bill Cosby. Continue reading Bill Cosby, Billy Preston, Steely Dan perform on ‘Midnight Special’ 40 years ago this hour (1973)
Video: 'Paul McCartney news conference Las Vegas April 1993 part 1'
(Tuesday, April 13, 1993) — Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney held a news conference today at Sam Boyd Silver Bowl in Whitney, Nevada, to promote the North America leg of his The New World Tour, which would begin the next day. Continue reading McCartney holds news conference ahead of North American leg of tour 20 years ago today (1993)
Video: 'Katyn Massacre - Russia and Poland Investigate' (Apr. 13, 1943 at 6:46)
(Tuesday, April 13, 1943; during World War II) — Radio Berlin announced today the discovery of thousands of graves of massacred Polish officers in Russia’s Katyn Forest. The Nazis blamed the estimated 22,000 killings on the Soviets, who in turn blamed the Nazis. Post-Soviet Russia has acknowledged the massacre was carried out by Josef Stalin’s much feared secret police.
(Friday, April 12, 1963, Good Friday; during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–68)) — Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested and jailed today in Birmingham, Alabama, charged with contempt of court and parading without a permit for his part in the Birmingham campaign, a planned non-violent protest against racial segregation by Birmingham’s city government and downtown retailers.
During his time behind bars, King wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail”; he was released on bond on April 20.
Video: '1982 Oscar Winners'
(Monday, April 11, 1983, 9:00 p.m. EST) — Gandhi won eight Oscars tonight at the 55th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Richard Attenborough for Best Director and Ben Kingsley for Best Actor. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for Sophie’s Choice. Continue reading ‘Gandhi’ wins Best Picture at 55th Academy Awards 30 years ago this hour (1983)
(Saturday, April 11, 1953) — Oveta Culp Hobby today became the first secretary (and second female to serve in the Cabinet) of the new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which later became the Department of Health and Human Services.
Video: 'Dag Hammarskjöld sworn in as UN Secretary-General (1953)'
(Friday, April 10, 1953, 3:13 p.m. EST) — Dag Hammarskjold of Sweden today became the second Secretary General in the seven-and-a-half-year history of the United Nations. A few minutes later he gave his concept of the work of the United Nations: “Reconciliation and realistic construction.” Continue reading Hammarskjold takes over top UN post 60 years ago this hour (1953)
Video: 'House Of Wax' trailer
(Friday, April 10, 1953) — House Of Wax, a horror film about a vengeful sculptor who rebuilds his fire-destroyed showplace by using human victims as wax figures, premiered today at the Paramount in New York City. It was the first 3-D color feature from a major American studio.
Directed by André de Toth, the film starred Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Charles Bronson, Carolyn Jones and Phyllis Kirk.
