Tony Danza, 73: Tony-named actor who played “Tony” in one great show (“Taxi”) and a bunch of lame ones. (Video: a hilarious exchange between Tony and Andy Kaufman’s Latka)
Andie MacDowell, 66: actress, starred opposite Bill Murray in that comedy classic where a bunch of gophers try to pull off a bank robbery, “Groundhog Day Afternoon.”
Iggy Pop, 77: Rock Hall of Fame singer, punk music pioneer; real name: James Newell Osterberg; chose his iconic stage name after rejecting his other two possible choices: Biggy Pop and Iggy Smalls.
Queen Elizabeth II, (1926-2022): Born Princess Elizabeth, she achieved her career goal of “making queen” by age 25 when her father King George VI died from a coronary thrombosis in 1952. (Video: The Queen gets egged. Long live the Queen!)
Today’s History:
On this day in 753 B.C., Rome was founded after its sprawling site plan was approved by the Planning Board. Developers wanted to build Rome in just one day; however they could, and the project took many years to complete.
On this day in 1789, John Adams took the oath as the first vice president, swearing on a stack of Constitutions to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Nobody try to mess with the Constitution that day.
On this day in 1962, the 605-foot Space Needle made its debut at the World’s Fair in Seattle, with a grand ceremony unveiling the Needle from a massive 1,200-foot-tall haystack.
On this day in 1918, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the German World War I flying ace known as the “Red Baron,” was killed in a dogfight with Snoopy.
On this day in 1980, Rosie Ruiz was crowned winner of the Boston Marathon, even though she faked her way onto the course about a mile from the Finish Line.
Check out my Boston Marathon humor piece.