Today In History

September 7, 2023

1907: The RMS Lusitania sets sail on her maiden voyage from Liverpool, England and arrived in New York City, New York just over five days later, setting a transatlantic record.

1940: Germany starts it’s Blitz on London with 300 German bombers in the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing. The Blitz caused the deaths of over 40,000 men women and children and left a million homes destroyed in the city.

1978: Following the continued speculation on who was responsible for the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22nd 1963, the house assassinations committee has promised to all, the evidence about speculations and rumors surrounding the assassination of President Kennedy 15 years ago.

1996: Tupac Shakur, an American rapper, who had been involved with gang violence between rival gangs and had spent time in prison was fatally shot on September 7, 1996, in a drive-by shooting in the Las Vegas Valley. (Identity of Gunmen Unknown) He died six days later at age 25.

2008: “True Blood,” a TV series created by Alan Ball, premieres on HBO.

2011: A private chartered Yak-42 jet carrying the KHL Russian professional hockey team to its first game of the season crashed shortly after takeoff killing 43 people including many international stars including Two former Chicago Blackhawks, Alexander Karpovtsev and Igor Korolev, Former New Jersey Devils forward Alexander Vasyunov and Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins. On the anniversary of the tragedy, NHL.com honors the 44 people who lost their lives.

Celebrity Birthdays

Gloria Gaynor (1949) – American singer, best known for her hit “I Will Survive”.

Susan Blakely (1948) – Actress known for her role in the miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man”.

Buddy Holly (1936-1959) – Born Charles Hardin Holley, Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter of the mid-1950s rock and roll. Sadly, Holly was just 22 when he met an untimely death along with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. His death was memorialized in Don McLean’s iconic song “American Pie” as “The day the music died.”

Peter Lawford (1923-1984) – Actor and a member of a group of performers, a.k.a.”The Rat Pack,” that included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Joey Bishop, Their Old Hollywood charm, scandalous behavior, and partying lifestyle made them the “bad boys” of the late ’50s and ’60s.

Toby Jones (1966) – English actor known for roles in “Infamous” and the “Harry Potter” series.

Leslie Jones (1967) – American comedian and actress known for “Saturday Night Live”.

Oliver Hudson (1976) – Actor known for his roles on TV shows like “Nashville”. Sibling to Kate Hudson.

Corbin Bernsen (1954) – Actor known for roles in “L.A. Law” and “Psych”.

Sonny Rollins (1930) – Theodore Walter Rollins, (Sonny Rollins) was an American jazz musician, a tenor saxophonist and became particularly influential with avant-garde saxophonists of the 60’s and 70’s.

Julie Kavner (1950) – Actress known for voicing Marge Simpson on “The Simpsons”.

Shannon Elizabeth (1973) – Actress known for movies like “American Pie”.

Chrissie Hynde (1951) – Lead vocalist for the rock band The Pretenders who sang “Back on the chain gang” and “Brass in pocket.”

Evan Rachel Wood (1987) – American actress known for movies and the TV show “Westworld”.