81 years ago- In 1937, Dr. Wallace H. Carothers, a research chemist for Du Pont, received a patent for the process that would lead to his style-changing invention . . . Nylon. He took his own life two months later. He suffered from depression.
50 years ago- In 1968, Aretha Franklin Day was declared in Detroit.
50 years ago- In 1968, George Harrison and John Lennon flew to India with their wives (Pattie Boyd and Cynthia Lennon) for two months of Transcendental Meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Ringo & Maureen Starr, Paul McCartney, Jane Asher, Mia Farrow and Donovan joined the fun three days later. The Beatles eventually bailed on the Maharishi after realizing that he was a scam artist only interested in female bed companions.
49 years ago- In 1969, George Jones and Tammy Wynette were married. She didn't stand by her man. They split up in 1975. (If you'd like to climb up my colon, there's room for you.)
44 years ago- In 1974, Elton John released his "Bennie and the Jets". It would eventually reach #1.
28 years ago- In 1990, Ike Turner was sentenced to four years in prison on cocaine charges.
26 years ago- In 1992, the Los Angeles Lakersofficially retired Magic Johnson's #32 jersey. Magic became the fifth Laker to receive this honor, joining Jerry West (#44), Elgin Baylor (#22), Wilt Chamberlain (#13) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (#33).
Since then, they've also retired #25 for Gail Goodrich, #34 for Shaquille O'Neal, #42 for James Worthy, and #52 for Jamaal Wilkes.
24 years ago- In 1994, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan gave each other cold icy stares at the Winter Olympic Games in Norway before posing for the U.S. team photograph a month after Kerrigan was attacked.
21 years ago- In 1997, Jeff Gordon became the youngest winner of the Daytona 500. He was 25 years old. Trevor Bayneclaimed that title seven years ago . . . he was only 20.
13 years ago- In 2005, Kid Rock was arrested for punching the DJ at a Nashville strip club. He pleaded no contest and the guy sued him for $575,000.
11 years ago- In 2007, Britney Spears walked into Esther's Haircutting Studio (in Tarzana, California) with a couple bodyguards, and asked to have her head shaved. When the salon owner refused, Britney shaved it herself.
Britney then went to a tattoo parlor where she got two new tats: a small pair of red and pink lips on her wrist, and a black, white and pink cross on her lower hip.
Birthdays
The Weeknd is 28 and worth $30 million.
Elizabeth Olsen is 29 and worth $5 million. She's Scarlet Witch in "Avengers: Age of Ultron", "Captain America: Civil War", and the upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War" (Opening May 4, 2018).
Elizabeth is the younger sister of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen . . . who are worth $400 million.
Jerome Bettis is 46 and worth $14 million. The Bus! Retired Pittsburgh Steelers running back.
Christopher Eccleston is 54 and worth $6 million. He's Malekith in "Thor: The Dark World", Destro in the "G.I. Joe" movie, and Matt Jamison on HBO's "The Leftovers".
Andy Taylor is 57 and worth $20 million. The Duran Duran guitarist, NOT the sheriff of Mayberry. He split with the rest of the band in 2006, and then published his autobiography "Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran" two years later.
Duran Duran's biggest albums include . . .
1981 self-titled debut with "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth".
1982's "Rio" with "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Save a Prayer" and"Rio".
1983's "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" with "Union of the Snake", "The Reflex" and "New Moon on Monday".
John McEnroe is 59 and worth $60 million. Tennis anger ball. He's married to Patty Smyth, the lead singer of Scandal. One of the few times I've ever seen him smile was when the Lonely Island tapped him for the hilarious (uncensored) SNL digital short "I Just Had Sex".
Lisa Loring is 60 and worth $500 thousand. She is Wednesday, the little girl from the original "Addams Family". From 1987 to 1992, she was married to pornographic legend Jerry Butler . . . star of "The Adventures of Buttgirl and Wonder Wench".
Ice-T is 60 and worth $40 million. Original gangsta rapper who sold out so long ago, he makes O.J. Simpson look like a proud black man. Remember "Cop Killer"? Now he plays a cop on "Law and Order: STFU".
Levar Burton is 61 and worth $6 million. Lieutenant Geordi La Forge on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" . . . the host of PBS's "Reading Rainbow" . . . and young Kunta Kinte on "Roots".
William Katt is 67 and worth $500,000. "The Greatest American Hero". He was also in two classic horror movies: "Carrie" in 1976 and "House" in 1986. Hannah Simone from "New Girl" will star in ABC's upcoming remake of "The Greatest American Hero". She'll be the hero who gets the suit.)
Kim Jong-Il (1941 - 2011) His crazy fat son, Kim Jong-un, is worth $5 BILLION . . . and spends $30 million a year on alcohol alone.
Sonny Bono would've been 83 today. But he skied into a tree and died.
Hugh Beaumont (1909 - 1982) Ward Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver".
Margaux Hemingway (1954 - 1996) She OD'd on sedatives, becoming the fifth person in her family to kill herself . . . though her sister Mariel still denies it, saying the original coroner's report called it an epileptic seizure.
Margaux was found dead in her apartment one day before the 35th anniversary of her grandfather, Ernest Hemingway's, suicide. His father, brother and sister had also killed themselves.
Credit: Wise Brothers Media