Today In History

September 28, 2023

1928: Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, fundamentally changing medicine and leading to the development of antibiotics.

1951: CBS made the first color televisions available to the public, ushering in a new era in home entertainment.

1962: This week in 1962 shows a new report by the department of Labor Statistics that the average weekly take home pay of a factory worker with three dependents is now $94.87.

1968: The Beatles’ single “Hey Jude” started its record nine-week stint at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the longest for any Beatles song. At seven minutes and 11 seconds, it also became the longest song to top the chart. Paul McCartney penned this classic for John’s son, Julian Lennon, The song’s first release on Apple Records, also reached #1 in several other countries and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.

1987: “Star Trek: The Next Generation” premiered, marking the beginning of a new era for the Star Trek franchise and remains one of the most-important days ever in Star Trek history. It was that evening that the two-hour pilot “Encounter at Farpoint” kicked off Star Trek: The Next Generation.

2003: Italy blackout was a serious power outage that affected all of the Italian Peninsula for 12 hours and part of Switzerland near Geneva for 3 hours. It was the largest blackout in the series of blackouts in 2003, involving about 56 million people.

Celebrity Birthdays

• Ed Sullivan (1901–1974) – Renowned television personality who hosted “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
• William S. Paley (1901–1990) – Founder of CBS.
• Brigitte Bardot (1934) – Iconic French actress and singer.
• Ben E. King (1938–2015) – Soul and R&B singer, known for “Stand by Me.”
• Naomi Watts (1968) – Award-winning actress known for roles in films like “Mulholland Drive” and “21 Grams.”
• Hilary Duff (1987) – Actress and singer, known for playing the titular character in “Lizzie McGuire.”
• Frankie Jonas (2000) – Youngest of the Jonas Brothers, actor.
• Janeane Garofalo (1964) – Comedian, actress, and writer.
• Carre Otis (1968) – Model and actress. Was married to Mickey Roarke.
• Moon Zappa (1967) – Actress, author, and the daughter of musician Frank Zappa.

Hitting The Charts

Here Are The Top 10 Songs On The Charts 5, 25, And 50 Years Ago, Today

5 Years Ago Today

1. Girls Like You – Maroon 5 Featuring Cardi B
2. In My Feelings – Drake
3. Killshot – Eminem
4. Lucid Dreams – Juice WRLD
5. Better Now – Post Malone
6. I Like It – Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
7. I Love It – Kanye West & Lil Pump
8. FEFE – 6ix9ine Featuring Nicki Minaj & Murda Beatz
9. Sicko Mode – Travis Scott
10. Youngblood – 5 Seconds Of Summer

25 Years Ago Today

1. The First Night – Monica
2. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
3. One Week – Barenaked Ladies
4. Crush – Jennifer Paige
5. I’ll Be – Edwin McCain
6. My Way – Usher
7. Time After Time – Inoj
8. The Boy Is Mine – Brandy & Monica
9. Daydreamin’ – Tatyana Ali
10. When The Lights Go Out – Five

50 Years Ago Today

1. We’re An American Band Grand Funk
2. Let’s Get It On Marvin Gaye
3. Half-Breed Cher
4. Loves Me Like A Rock Paul Simon (with The Dixie Hummingbirds)
5. Delta Dawn Helen Reddy
6. Higher Ground Stevie Wonder
7. Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando
8. That Lady (Part 1) The Isley Brothers
9. My Maria B.W. Stevenson
10. Ramblin Man The Allman Brothers Band