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July 30th Today in History
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Famous People & Celebrities Born on July 30th:
- Emily Bronte
(1818) - She's best known for Wuthering Heights. Bronte died in 1848.
- Henry Ford
(1863) - In 1896 Ford took his first car for a nighttime test spin in Detroit. The test was delayed for 60 minutes after it was discovered the car was too wide to fit through the door of the shed in which it had been assembled. His assembly line production methods allowed him to crank out Tin Lizzies at the rate of 1.6 cars a minute. The one millionth Model T rolled off Ford's Detroit assembly line in 1915. The first Model Ts cost $825. It's hard to imagine the back seat of a car as a contraceptive, but that's what Ford had in mind when he developed the Model T. Researchers say Ford tried to discourage back-seat lovemaking, but was foiled because his cars had too much headroom. Ford was superstitious and performed many bizarre rituals such as refusing to change socks he accidentally put on his feet inside out. Ford created the first commercial charcoal barbecue briquets in the 1920's by using old scraps of wood from his Model T plant. Ford died in 1947.
- Dick Wilson
(1916) - He's Mr. Whipple, the spokesman for Charmin toilet paper since 1964. A 1996 CNBC survey labeled Mr. Whipple as the "Least Sexy Corporate Icon." Wilson's wife, Meg, says living with a TV icon is a blast because everyone recognizes him -- although one question always pops up. Everyone asks Dick if they can "squeeze his Charmin" -- so he points to Meg and says "There she is."
- Christine Taylor
(1971) - Played Marcia in the 1995 Brady Bunch movie and its 1996 sequel.
- Tom Green
(1971) - The MTV comic says he found something positive about his battle with testicular cancer in 2000: It allowed him the chance to say the word "testicle" on national TV. Green says he was shocked after he made a donation to a sperm bank prior to undergoing testicular cancer surgery. He told Maxim magazine that he was surprised by the XXX nature of the videos used to "inspire" patients and by the fact that sperm banks use clear bottles for deposits. Says Tom: "You'd think they wouldn't make it a clear bottle so they don't have to see it." Green's comedy Freddy Got Fingered earned him seven nominations for the Stinker Awards which is sponsored by the L.A.-based Hastings Bad Cinema Society. Flicks: Stealing Harvard (2002), Freddy Got Fingered (2001), Road Trip (2000).
- Edd "Kokie" Byrnes
(1933) - The actor's real name is Edward Breitenberger. He played "Kookie" on 77 Sunset Strip. Kookie used all sorts of hip slang including "piling up some Z's" (sleeping); "the ginchiest" (the best) and "keep the eyeballs rolling (on the lookout). Byrnes and Connie Francis teamed up in 1959 for the novelty tune, "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" which became a Top 10 hit. In October of 1960 he appeared simultaneously on the covers of 20 magazines. Edd blew his acting future at the height of his popularity after he publicly criticized Warner Brothers studio head Jack Warner. Warner reportedly stormed through the executive offices, jerked Edd's pictures off the walls and shouted, "Get these pictures out of here and don't mention that boy to me again."
- Peter Bogdanovich
(1939) - The film director dated blonde Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered at the age of 20 by her jealous husband. Bogdanovich admits that a lot of great directors learned how to make movies by watching bad films and avoiding the mistakes -- but he's not one of them. Bogdanovich -- who has directed films including Mask and Paper Moon -- says he can't stand watching bad movies and admits he has seen too many cheesy movies by accident. Flicks: The Thing Called Love (1993) (River Phoenix's last film before he died.) Last Picture Show (1971).
- Paul Anka
(1941) - His relationship with former Mouseketeer and Beach Party girl Annette Funicello was his inspiration for the hits "Puppy Love" and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder." Anka wrote Johnny Carson's Tonight Show theme. Other Anka hits: "You're Having My Baby" (1974), "Lonely Boy" (1959), "Diana" (1957).
- David Sanborn
(1945) - The saxophonist contracted polio as a child.
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
(1947) - Elected governor of the great state of California in the 2003 recall election, unseating Gray Davis and beating out a menagerie of gubernatorial hopefuls including Arianna Huffington, Gary Coleman, porn-star Mary Carey, comedian Gallagher, Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, Republican Senator Tom McClintock and many others. The former Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia is famous for his thick Austrian accent, but his dialect coach remembers when Arnold's accent was so thick that he once ordered a "CRAP cocktail" instead of a "crab cocktail." Arnold's first film was the 1970 flop Hercules in New York in which he was billed as "Arnold Strong." The film was also released under the name Hercules Goes Bananas. Arnold once told a reporter, "Contrary to what some people may think, bodybuilders' penises are the same size as everyone else's. It isn't a muscle, so it doesn't grow." He proposed to wife, Maria Shriver, on a rowboat in Austria. That way, Arnold jokingly says, he could toss her into the river if she refused. George Bush once referred to the conservative Arnold as "Conan the Republican." Schwarzenegger flicks: Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines 2003, True Lies 2 (2002), Collateral Damage (2002), The 6th Day (2000), True Lies (1994), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Total Recall (1990), Twins (1988), The Running Man (1987), Conan the Barbarian (1982).
- Ken Olin
(1954) - Director and actor. TV series Thirtysomething (1987-91)
- Delta Burke
(1956) - Played Suzanne Sugarbaker on TV's Designing Women. Wife of actor Gerald McRaney. Delta once said, "I'm famous for having a big mouth, but my husband's the one who speaks for our family." She now spends most of her time designing clothing and managing her New York company, Delta Burke Design. Flicks and TV shows: "DAG", What Women Want (2000), Sordid Lives (2000).
- Anita Hill
(1956) - Hill, a former employee of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, claimed she was sexually harassed by Thomas and that he reportedly placed a pubic hair on a can of Coca-Cola she was drinking. In 1992 Hollywood psychic Judy Hevenly predicted Hill and Thomas would kiss and make up and star in a remake of the old movie, "All's Fair in Love and War."
- Kate Bush
(1958) - Singer. "Don't Give Up" (1986), "Babooshka" (1980)
- Neal McCoy
(1958) - The country singer is half-Filipino, but admits the only words he can speak in his mother's native language are curse words. Texas Monthly magazine reports that Lee Ann Rimes once described McCoy's butt as "...the eighth wonder of the world." McCoy's jeans cost $15 a pair -- but their upkeep costs a whole lot more. Neal has his denim pants washed and starched repeatedly -- sometimes as much as 15 times -- before he even lets them touch his skin. McCoy hits: "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (1996), "Wink" (1994). McCoy states he was born in 1958 not 1961 as incorrectly reported by other sources.
- Laurence Fishburne
(1961) - The actor played Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee's Playhouse. Fishburne flicks: Matrix Reloaded (2002), Osmosis Jones (2001), The Matrix (1999), Othello (1995), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Boyz N the Hood (1991), The Color Purple (1985), The Cotton Club (1984), Apocalypse Now (1979).
- Lisa Kudrow
(1963) - Phoebe on Friends. Before Lisa hit the big time she had a brief fling with talk show host Conan O'Brien -- but the relationship ended when Conan moved to New York to replace David Letterman as host of Late Night. Lisa admits it turned out to be a blessing because she met her current hubby two months later. Conan occasionally double dates with Lisa and her husband. As for her diet, Lisa admits she loves chocolate chip cookies, but doesn't care much for fruits or vegetables. She also confesses she likes to melt a big slab of butter over a thick, juicy steak and wolf it down. Kudrow flicks: Happy Endings (2004), Wonderland (2003), Marci X (2003), Analyze That (2002), Bark (2002), All Over the Guy (2001), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Romy And Michelle's High School Reunion (1997).
- Vivica A. Fox
(1964) - Played Robyn Buckley on Getting Personal. Flicks: Kill Bill (2003), Ride Or Die (2002), Boat Trip (2002), Juwanna Mann (2002).
- Irene Ng
(1974) - Actress. The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo.
- Hilary Swank
(1974) - She won a best actress oscar for her gender bending roll in Boys Don't Cry (1999). Other flicks: 11:14 (2003), The Core (2003), Insomnia (2002), The Chambermaid (2001), The Affair of the Necklace (2001).
- Jaime Pressly
(1977) - Actress. Death to the Supermodels (2004), Torque (2003), The Karate Dog (2003), Unleashed (2001), Not Another Teen Movie (2001), Ticker (2001), Joe Dirt (2001), Tomcats (2001).
- Diva Zappa
(1979) - Youngest daughter of Frank Zappa. Sister of Moon Unit Zappa, Dweezil Zappa and Ahmet Zappa.
Famous and Noteworthy Events on July 30th:
(1733) - The first Masonic lodge in the United States opened on this day in Boston.
(1956) - The words "In God We Trust " became the official national motto of the United States. It was established by an Act of Congress and was signed by President Eisenhower.
(1975) - Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa was seen alive for the last time outside the Manchu Red Fox restaurant near Detroit. One rumor circulating at the time was that the Mafia had ground up Hoffa's body into little pieces, shipped them to Florida and tossed them into a swamp. Another rumor claims he's buried next to a goalpost in Giants Stadium. Either way, he was officially declared dead in 1982.
MORE HISTORIC BIRTHS & EVENTS IN JULY :
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