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March 7th Today in History
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Famous People & Celebrities Born on March 7th:
- Luther Burbank
(1849) - Burbank once said, "Men should stop fighting among themselves and start fighting insects." Burbank died in 1926.
- Willard Scott
(1934) - Former Today Show weatherman. In the 1950s he was one of the original Bozo the Clowns and in 1963 he became the first Ronald McDonald.
- Janet Guthrie
(1938) - In 1977 Guthrie became the first woman to race in the Indy 500. Unfortunately, mechanical troubles forced her to drop out after just 27 laps, finishing 29 out of 33 entries.
- Daniel J. Travanti
(1940) - Played Capt. Frank Furillo on Hill Street Blues.
- Tammy Faye Bakker Messner
(1942) - The former wife of televangelist Jim Bakker claims a friend coaxed her ex-husband into having the well publicized extramarital flings with his secretary, Jessica Hahn. Tammy Faye claims Jim was so troubled by the secret affair that he "almost couldn't perform" in bed with Hahn. During the 2000 presidential election, Messner's make-up advice to the future first lady was, "Less is more" -- a little lipstick and a little eye liner -- but "...don't overdo it." Tammy Faye claims the gay community was nicer to her than Christians during the PTL scandal in the late 1980s. Gays were the only ones who sent her Christmas presents when her then-hubby Jim Bakker was in prison for swindling his flock. Tammy Faye says her gay fans gave her beautiful monogrammed bathrobes as well as leopard-print hangers and shoe bags.
- Michael Eisner
(1942) - CEO of Disney Corporation.
- Peter Wolf
(1946) - J. Geils Band. Before he joined J. Geils in the late '60s, Peter studied painting at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts where he roomed with film director David Lynch. Wolf also worked as a DJ on Boston's WBCN-FM where he called himself "Woofuh Goofuh." Wolf married actress Faye Dunaway in 1974. They divorced in 1979. J. Geils Band hits: "Freeze Frame" (1982), "Centerfold" (1981), "Must've Got Lost" (1974)
- Lynn Swann
(1952) - TV sportscaster.
- Ivan Lendl
(1960) - The tennis player won three consecutive U.S. Open titles (1985-1987).
- Taylor Dayne
(1962) - The singer was born Leslie Wunderman. Hits: "Tell It To My Heart," "Love Will Lead You Back" (1990), "With Every Beat Of My Heart" (1989)
- Rachel Weisz
(1971) - The last name of the actress is pronounced "Vice." Weisz flicks: About a Boy (2002), The Mummy Returns (2001), The Mummy (1999), Bent (1997), Going All the Way (1997).
- Laura Prepon
(1980) - Donna Pinciotti on That '70s Show. Prepon claims she would consider having sex with a strange man for $1 million -- but only if she were single and nobody would ever find out. Her family calls her "Lo-Egg" because, when she was a kid, she would sleep curled up like an egg. Prepon's favorite hobby is going to the firing range and shooting off a few rounds. Laura says the worst part about working on That '70s Show is that her insurance doesn't cover accidents related to platform shoes. Films: Slackers (2002).
Famous and Noteworthy Events on March 7th:
(1876) - Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone. He made his famous first phone call three days later. Some historians believe the real inventor of the telephone was an Italian-American by the name of Antonio Meucci (may-OOH-chee). In 1871 Meucci filed a notice of intention to patent a device that transmitted speech using electricity -- but he lacked the money to pursue the project further. Five years later, Bell applied for his own patent. Some think Bell actually stole the invention from Meucci and that the Italian-American should be named the "Father of the Telephone."
(1908) - Mark Breith, the mayor of Cincinnati, declared at a city council meeting that "women are not physically fit to operate automobiles."
(1933) - The game of "Monopoly" was invented.
(1976) - Elton John was immortalized in wax when a life-sized figure of the singer was unveiled at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London. Elton was the first rock celebrity since the Beatles to be represented in the wax museum.
(1983) - TNN -- The Nashville Network -- began its first day of broadcasting..
(1988) - The 300-pound female impersonator known as Divine was found dead after suffering a heart attack caused by his obesity. Divine was really 42-year-old Harris Glenn Milstead who starred in cult movies including 1972's Pink Flamingos and 1988's Hairspray. Director John Waters called Divine "...the girl next door -- almost."
MORE HISTORIC BIRTHS & EVENTS IN MARCH :
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