August 8th Today in History ----- More Datebooks This Month ----- 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 30 31

Famous People & Celebrities Born on August 8th:

• Joshua Scott Chasez
  (1976) - Chasez -- also known as "JC" -- is a member of 'N Sync. He was also a member of the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club before joining the group. JC claims his most embarrassing moment on stage was when his pants split.
   
• Drew Lachey
  (1976) - 98 Degrees.
   
• Dino Delaurentiis
  (1918) - Film producer.
   
• Rudi Gernreich
  (1922) - He created the thong bikini and the topless swimsuit. Gernreich's topless bathing suits first appeared in 1964 and were sold in swank department stores in America and Europe. In 1974 Gernreich unveiled the thong bikini. Many of his other designs were considered "Space Age" in that they were futuristic, minimal -- and short lived in popularity. He was the costume designer for the 1975 TV series Space 1999. Gernreich was also a pioneer of Grace Jones-style fiberglass breast plates, unisex fashions and a costume that would make a woman look naked when viewed under flashing disco lights. Gernreich died in 1985.
   
• Woodsy Owl
  (1971) - The cartoon owl first appeared on this day in 1971 with his "Give a Hoot. Don't Pollute" message. His other slogan is, "Help Woodsy spread the word and never be a dirty bird." In 1987 the U.S. Forest Service commissioned a marketing firm to find out what children think about Woodsy Owl. The report said younger kids view Woodsy as a celebrity, but older kids said they're embarrassed to admit they know Woodsy.
   
• Esther Williams
  (1923) - Swimmer and actress. Williams changed the face of women's swimwear during WWII when the Secretary of the Navy asked her to star in a film that would encourage ladies to enlist. She says, at the time, Navy women wore ugly, bunchy cotton swimsuits that looked like old sweaters -- so she convinced the Navy to switch to suits made from a new stretchy latex material that she had specially developed. Although Williams ushered in the era of skintight swimsuits, she's no fan of the modern bikini, which she describes as "Dixie Cups on a string." In her words, "Honey, it's not a thing to swim in."
   
• Mel Tillis
  (1932) - Singer. Father of Pam Tillis. Tillis says his former wife described his 1966 composition "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)" as "the worst song she ever heard." He says the song -- about a paraplegic Vietnam vet whose wife cheats on him -- was written in traffic in about 15 minutes. Tillis says the morbid melody was a hard sell until Kenny Rogers' 1970 version soared to No. 2 in the aftermath of the Kent State shootings. Hits: "Southern Rain" (1981), "Coca Cola Cowboy"(1979).
   
• Dustin Hoffman
  (1937) - People magazine claims the 5-foot, 5-inch Hoffman actually kept all the dresses he wore while making the movie Tootsie. Word has it, his favorite is a brown silk number. Hoffman and former roommate Gene Hackman were voted "Least Likely to Succeed" by their classmates at the Pasadena Playhouse. Both men thought they were terrible actors until they faked a fight scene. It seems Hoffman was trying to impress a woman much taller than himself and he was afraid she'd think he was a wimp. So he convinced Hackman -- who was about 100 pounds heavier -- to pick a pretend fight in front of the lady and lose. The woman thought it was real and was hysterical until Hackman and Hoffman confessed they faked it. She was so angry she never spoke to Hoffman again. Other flicks: J.M. Barrie's Neverland (2004), The Runaway Jury (2003), Confidence (2002), Moonlight Mile (2002).
   
• Connie Stevens
  (1938) - The actress and singer played Cricket Blake on the Hawaiian Eye TV series.
   
• John Holmes
  (1944) - Holmes started his career at the age of 25 and starred in hundreds of X-rated skin flicks before his AIDS-related death in 1988. Holmes -- whose real name was John Curtis Estes -- was a Bible student who became interested in the adult film industry after a female neighbor advised him he could make good money appearing in X-rated flicks. His claim to fame was his large endowment, which reportedly was 12 and 5/8 inch long. Holmes once estimated that he had sex with more than 10,000 women. Some claim the 1997 film Boogie Nights is based on Holmes' life, but X-rated film historians say that's not the case. Classic films starring Holmes include Nudes at Eleven (1987), The Good, the Bad and the Horny (1985), Pizza Girls (We Deliver) (1978), The Jade Pussycat (1977) and Confessions of a Teenage Peanut Butter Freak (1974).
   
• Larry Wilcox
  (1947) - Played Officer Jon Baker on CHiPS. Wilcox now owns an L.A.-based pharmaceutical company. The former CHiPs star says he's amazed at fans who are obsessed over the show's disco soundtrack. Even the 1999 TV-movie reunion featured the familiar wah-wah guitar and swirling disco string section.
   
• Keith Carradine
  (1949) - The actor and musician won a Best Song Oscar for "I'm Easy," from the movie Nashville. Mr. Carradine states he was born in 1949 not 1950 or 1951 as reported by some sources.
   
• Robin Quivers
  (1952) - Howard Stern's co-host.
   
• Donny Most
  (1953) - Played Ralph Malph on Happy Days.
   
• Rikki Rockett
  (1961) - The Poison drummer is also involved in a comic book venture with Charlie Sheen. The superheroes of "No Mercy Comics" include two buxom women named "The Sisters of Mercy." The sexy dynamic duo battle for animal rights.
   
• The Edge
  (1961) - Guitarist with U2. His real name is David Evans. The lead singer of U2, Bono, came up with Evans' nickname, "The Edge," after Evans was quoted as saying, "The edge is the border between something and nothing."
   
• Odie
  (1978) - Garfield's side kick. Odie first appeared in the "Garfield" comic strip on August 8, 1978
   
• Princess Beatrice
  (1988) - Princess of York, Daughter of Prince Andrew and Fergie.