John Oates, born April 7, 1948 in New York City, is half of one of the most successful duo acts in history, Hall & Oates. He met Daryl Hall while they were attending Temple University in Philadelphia and formed the iconic duo. He co-wrote many of their songs and was the main guitarist for the group.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, as a member of Hall & Oates.
Oates still records music as a solo artist. His latest album Reunion was released last year.
Miracle on 34th Street won two Golden Globe awards at the fifth annual ceremony held March 10, 1948. Edmund Gwenn won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his performance as Kris Kringle. George Seaton won for Best Screenplay.
Bambi, released in 1942, was given a Special Achievement Award. It was the first time Walt Disney was honored with a Golden Globe.
Max Steiner won Best Music, Original Score - Motion Picture for his composition for Life With Father.
John Earl Rudder, born October 4, 1924 in Paducah, Kentucky, became the first African American to be commissioned into the regular United States Marine Corps. Frederick C. Branch became an officer in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1946.
He enlisted into the Marines and served during WWII. After the war, he graduated from the Naval Reserve Officer's Training Corps. He received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the USMC, May 28, 1948. He entered the Marine Corps' Basic School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia in August, but resigned in 1949.
The FBI put him under long-term surveillance, suspecting him as being a communist. Rudder moved to Washington DC and became activists, protesting war and discrimination.
I had a lot of trouble finding any images or videos of Rudder, so I couldn't find any more information after 1967. He passed away in 2006 in Paducah, Kentucky.
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, a song from Disney's Song of the South, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 20th annual ceremony, held March 20, 1948. The song was written by Allie Wrubel (music) and Ray Gilbert (lyrics). James Baskett, who performed the song on screen, won an Honorary Academy Award for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus. That makes him the first African American man to win an Academy Award for acting.
Song of the South was also nominated for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, but lost to Mother Wore Tights.
Super-sexy, handsome Carl Weathers, born January 14, 1948 in New Orleans, Louisiana, passed away peacefully in his sleep February 1, 2024. He was an award winning actor whose career spanned fifty years. He played football in college at Long Beach City College, and later transferred to San Diego State University. He helped the Aztecs win the 1969 Pasadena Bowl.
However, his first love was acting and received a master in theatre arts from SDSU. He signed with the Oakland Raiders in 1970, helping them win the AFC West Division title, which took them to their first ever AFC Championship Game. After one season, he signed with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League until 1973.
While still playing football, he began working as an extra, which included an uncredited role in Magnum Force in 1973. His first significant roles came in blaxploitation films, Bucktown and Friday Foster. His breakout role was his performance as Apollo Creed with Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. He played Creed in the next three Rocky films.
In 2019, Weathers appeared as Greef Karga in The Mandalorian of the Star Wars cinematic universe, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor.
I am so sad right now. I've just learned that Anita Pointer passed just before the new year at age 74. I haven't been able to find a cause of death yet. She was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters, whom I adore and worship. She was surrounded by her family when she passed. She follows sisters June and Bonnie to the Grand Stage in the Sky. Ruth is the last surviving member of the original Pointer Sisters.
Sexy and talented actor Samuel L. Jackson, born December 21, 1948 in Washington, DC is one of my favorite actors. He has won numerous awards for his acting and has been nominated for an Oscar. He's appeared in many of my favorite movies, too. He has played Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mace Windu in the Star Wars movies, and he is the voice of Frozone in the Incredibles movies.
Other movies that I enjoy watching him in are Deep Blue Sea, Jurassic Park, and 1408.
I just found out one of my all-time favorite super-heroines, Joanna Cameron, who played Isis on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s passed away October 15, 2021. Born in Greeley, Colorado, she started her show business career in the comedy How to Commit Marriage with Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason, Tina Louise, Leslie Nielsen and Tim Matheson. But she is probably best known for her role as the superheroine Egyptian goddess Isis on The Secrets of Isis, which aired for two seasons. Despite its popularity, it was cancelled during the second season.
Joanna was once listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having appeared in the most television commercials. She was living in Honolulu, Hawaii when she passed away from complications following a stroke.
Robert Cenker, born November 5, 1948 in Menallen Township, Pennsylvania, went into space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-61-C) as payload specialist in January 1986. It was the last flight before the Challenger tragedy later that month.
Jean-Pierre Haignere, born May 19, 1948 in Paris, France, has been in space twice as an astronaut for France's National Centre for Space Studies.
His first flight was aboard Soyuz TM-17 to the space station Mir, launched July 1, 1993. He returned to Earth July 22 aboard Soyuz TM-16.
His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz TM-29 to Mir in February 1999. He participated in Mir EO-27 and stayed aboard for almost 189 days before returning to Earth in August 1999.
Guy Gardner, born January 6, 1948 in Altavista, Virginia, is a veteran of two space flights. He has been a test pilot and pilot instructor for the US Air Force and attained the rank of colonel.
His first trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-27) as pilot in December 1988. It was a mission for the Department of Defense.
His second and final trip was aboard Columbia (STS-35) as pilot in December 1990. The mission was dedicated to astronomical observations with ASTRO-1.
Dale Gardner, born November 8, 1948 in Fairmont, Minnesota, was a veteran of two space shuttle flights.
His first mission was aboard Challenger (STS-8) as mission specialist in August-September 1983. The primary mission was the deployment of an Indian communications and weather observation satellite.
His second trip was aboard Discovery (STS-51-A) as mission specialist in November 1984. He performed two EVAs during the mission with fellow astronaut Joseph Allen, for almost 12 hours.
Gardner passed away in February 2014 after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.
Carel Struycken, born July 30, 1948 in the Hague, Netherlands, has appeared as Lurch in the Addams Family movies and, most notably, Mr. Homn, valet to Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He appeared five episodes.
He also appeared in an episode of Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Voyager. He stands 7 feet tall!
Alexander (Aleksandr) Volkov, born May 27, 1948 in present-day Ukraine, is a veteran of three space flights, and is the father of cosmonaut Sergey Volkov.
His first mission was aboard Soyuz T-14 launched in September 1985 to Salyut 7. It was the ninth mission to the space station. He returned to Earth in November 1985.
His second mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-7 to Mir in November 1988. He was part of expedition Mir EO-4 and conducted an EVA with French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien. He returned to Earth in April 1989.
His third and final mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-13 to Mir in October 1991 as part of expedition Mir EO-10. He and fellow cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev were dubbed as "the last citizens of the USSR" because when they landed in March 1992, the Soviet Union had dissolved.
Alice Coachman, born November 8, 1923 in Albany, Georgia, is the first African-American to win an Olympic gold medal. She represented the US at the 1948 Olympics in London, in the women's high jump, defeating England's Dorothy Tyler. King George VI presented her medal.
She was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1979. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, she was honored as one of the 100 Greatest Olympians. She has also been inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame (1975) and the US Olympic Hall of Fame (2004).
She passed away from cardiac arrest in Albany, Georgia in July 2014.
Byron Lichtenberg, born February 19, 1948 in Pennsylvania, is a payload specialist on two Space Shuttle flights.
His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-9) as payload specialist in November-December 1983. The mission carried the first Spacelab module into orbit.
His second and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as payload specialist in March-April 1992. The mission carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) into orbit.
Anatoly Solovyev, born January 16, 1948 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of five space flights and holds the world record for number of spacewalks performed, sixteen.
His first mission was aboard Soyuz TM-5 to he space station Mir as part of expedition Mir EP-2 in June 1988. He spent about 10 days before returning to Earth Soyuz TM-4.
His second flight was aboard Soyuz TM-9 in February 1990 as part of Expedition Mir EO-6. He remained aboard until August 1990. He conducted two EVAs to effect repairs.
His third flight was aboard Soyuz TM-15 to Mir in July 1992 as part of expedition Mir EO-12. Solovyev conducted four EVAs. He returned to Earth in February 1993.
Solovyev's fourth flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist to Mir in June 1995. He was part of expedition Mir EO-19. During the mission, he conducted three EVAs. He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-21 in September 1995.
His fifth and final fligh was aboard Soyuz TM-26 to Mir in August 1997 as part of expedition Mir EO-24. He conducted seven EVAs to set the record at sixteen. He returned to Earth in February 1998.
Fraternal twins, Chuck and John Panozzo, born September 20, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois, are best known as being founding members of the awesome band Styx. Chuck and John were born 90 minutes apart. John played drums until his death in July 1996.
Chuck has continued to perform with Styx. He came out as gay in 2001 and has written a bookThe Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life With Styx.
Charles Walker, born August 29, 1948 in Bedford, Indiana, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.
His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-41-D) as payload specialist in August-September 1984. He was an employee of McDonnell Douglas and was the first commercially sponsored payload specialist.
His second flight was back aboard Discovery (STS-51-D) as payload specialist in April 1985. He spent almost 7 days in space.
Walker's third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-61-B) as payload specialist in November-December 1985. A checkered flag was carried on board and is now on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Marvin the Martian, every Earthling's favorite alien, first appeared with Bugs Bunny in Haredevil Hare, July 24, 1948! Marvin hails from the Red Planet, sporting a Roman outfit with basketball sneakers.
His (miniature) image is on the Spirit rover on Mars, just in case Martians find it so they'll know we're friendly.
