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July 21st Today in History
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Famous People & Celebrities Born on July 21st:
- Lance Guest
(1960) - Played Steve Brewer on Knots Landing.
- Ernest Hemingway
(1899) - His mother once forced him to dress like a girl in a wild scheme to make him a "twin" of his sister. Later, when Hemingway became a celebrated writer, she said she couldn't make sense of his writing and disliked what she called the "...vulgar people and messy subjects" he wrote about. Writer E.B. White once said "Ernest Hemingway's writing reminds me of the farting of an old horse." Despite his detractors, Hemingway received the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature for The Old Man and the Sea. In 1961 Hemingway committed suicide by shooting himself with a 12-gauge shotgun. Weeks earlier he had undergone electroshock therapy for depression after he tried to walk into an airplane propeller.
- Don Knotts
(1924) - Mel Gibson claims his all-time favorite flick is Knotts' 1975 Disney comedy, The Apple Dumpling Gang. Knotts on TV: Matlock. Mr. Furley on Three's Company; Barney Fife on Andy Griffith Show.
- Norman Jewison
(1926) - Film producer and director. Rollerball (2001), Moonstruck (1987), Agnes of God (1985), Rollerball (1975), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), In the Heat of the Night (1967), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966).
- Janet Reno
(1938) - In 1993 Reno became the first female attorney general in U.S. history. Domino's pizza claims "Janet Reno" was one of the most popular fake names used for pizza orders during the Clinton years. Reno's niece is fashion model Hunter Reno, a self-professed lesbian.
- Cat Stevens
(1948) - The musician's real name is Stephen Demitri Georgiou, but he has called himself Yusuf Islam since 1979. (His Islamic name is spelled "Yusuf" not "Yusef" or "Yussuf" as reported in some sources.) In 1989 many radio stations boycotted Stevens after the singer-turned-Muslim declared that novelist Salmon Rushdie deserved to die after making blasphemous comments about the Moslem religion. Stevens hits: "Another Saturday Night" (1974), "Morning Has Broken" (1972). Mr. Yusuf states he was born in 1948 not 1947 as reported by some sources.
- Garry Trudeau
(1948) - Cartoonist. "Doonesbury." Trudeau is married to Jane Pauley of NBC news.
- Robin Williams
(1952) - Williams has become a bona fide internet junkie and confesses the Web is as addicting as cocaine. Williams and Christopher Reeve were roommates before they both hit it big. He once worked as a professional mime in New York City, but says he hated the job because kids would kick him and rich old ladies would smack him in the face with their Louis Vuitton bags. Williams is a collector of Swatch watches. One of the most embarrassing moments in William's life occurred as a teenager. He was on a date and trying to impress his girlfriend when he drove into a field of irrigated soybeans and wrecked his father's truck. Williams flicks: Insomnia (2002), Bicentennial Man (1999), Patch Adams (1998), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Dead Poet's Society (1989), Good Morning Vietnam (1987).
- Taco
(1955) - One hit in 1983: Puttin' On The Ritz. Entertainment Weekly selected the novelty tune as one of the "Top 10 Worst Summer Songs." His full name is Taco Ockerse and he was born in Jakarta, Indonesia.
- Jon Lovitz
(1957) - Max on Newsradio. Voice of The Critic. Lovitz made popular the catchphrase "Yeah, that's the ticket," while appearing on Saturday Night Live. Flicks: The Stepford Wives (2004), A League of Their Own.
- Ali Landry
(1973) - Model and TV host. Landry was Miss Louisiana 1996 and Miss USA 1996. Was briefly married to actor Mario Lopez on April 24, 2004, but broke up two weeks after the wedding ceremony citing irreconcilable differences. According to Us Weekly news director Marc Malkin, "Friends have been telling Ali for a very long time that Mario has a wandering eye and sources tell me that she was given some really hard evidence with allegations of infidelity.," Jon Lovitz The Stepford Wives (2004) July 22 William Dafoe Spider Man 2 (2004), James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (2004), The Reckoning (2004) Danny Glover Saw (2004) Albert Brooks Finding Nemo (2003) voice of "Marlin" Louise Fletcher Clipping Adam (2004) Orson Bean Myron's Movie (2004) July 23 Marlon Wayans White Chicks (2004), The Ladykillers (2004) Phillip Seymour Hoffman Along Came Polly (2004) Woody Harrelson She Hate Me (2004) July 24 Jennifer Lopez Married Marc Anthony on June 6, 2004, making it her third wedding. She is now reportedly pregnant. Karl Malone Is a free agent at the present time, which means he is free to sign with any team of his choosing. Has been considering retirement though since the season ended in June. Lynda Carter The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park (2004) Gilroy Garlic Festival July 23-25 Texas Mosquito Festival July 29-31.
- Josh Hartnett
(1978) - Actor. Obsessed (2004), Hollywood Homicide (2003), 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), Peal Harbor (2001).
- Hatty Jones
(1988) - Played Madeline in the 1998 film Madeline.
Famous and Noteworthy Events on July 21st:
(1925) - In the famous "Monkey Trial" of 1925, Tennessee biology teacher John Scopes was found guilty of teaching the theory of evolution. The conviction was later overturned.
(1969) - The first men to walk on the moon started their return to Earth. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin spent more than 21 hours on the lunar surface. They left behind a plaque which reads Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon, July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.
(1976) - A seemingly innocent American Legion Convention got underway in Philadelphia. Over the next few days hundreds of Legionnaires were exposed to airborne bacteria which was spread through a filthy air conditioning system. More than 200 of them developed what is now called "Legionnaires Disease" and 29 died.
(1989) - President Reagan was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
(1992) - Country singer Mark Chesnutt and his wife, Tracie, were married.
MORE HISTORIC BIRTHS & EVENTS IN JULY :
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