On this day in 1927, actress Mae West was sentenced to 10 days in jail, for “corrupting the morals of youth” by portraying a prostitute in her Broadway play “Sex” – an incident that skyrocketed her popularity and notoriety.
On this day in 1933, the U.S went off the gold standard and moved to a fool’s gold-based economy.
On this day in 1991, Evander Holyfield beat George Foreman to retain his title, but Foreman established a new record for cheeseburgers consumed (12) during a sanctioned heavyweight bout.
On this day in 1775, the Revolutionary War began in Lexington and Concord, Mass. Despite some confusion about who fired first – the evil British Redcoats or the valiant American Patriots – the incident is remembered as “the shot heard ‘round the world.” (Video: a musical mini-lesson from “Schoolhouse Rock”)
Today’s Birthdays:
Dudley Moore (1935-2002): actor, played a cuddly alcoholic trying to quit the booze in “AArthur.”
Tim Curry, 78: actor, starred as a transvestite boxing champion in “The Rocky Balboa Picture Show.”
Ashley Judd, 56: actress, won Emmy for short-lived 2012 series called “Missing,” which debuted in March 2012 but went missing by mid-May.
James Franco, 46: actor; won Golden Globe in 2017 (“The Disaster Artist”) for making a film about a cult film “disasterpiece” described as “The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.”
Kate Hudson, 45: actress, daughter of Goldie Hawn; was not famous until she received an Oscar nomination for “Almost Famous” (2000).
BONUS: On this day in 1897, the first Boston Marathon was held. See my “Boston Marathon madness” humor piece here. (Excerpt: When the starter’s gun went off, I was instantly trampled by a pack of Cub Scouts and a couple stringbeans from the Kenyan junior varsity. … At the five-mile mark in Ashland, I swung my hand out to grab some water, but missed and accidentally punched myself in the face.)