The Pointer Sisters first appeared on the Grand Ole Opry October 25, 1974, becoming the first black female group to perform at the venue. They performed Fairytale which went on to win a Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.
Janet Jackson released the second single Rhythm Nation from her monumental, iconic, and historic album Rhythm Nation 1814 October 23, 1989. Jackson wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 but went to #1 on the Dance Club Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the US Urban lists.
It won a Billboard Award for "Top Dance/Club Play Single of the Year". Jackson won MTV Music Video Awards for Best Female Artist, Dance" "Best Female Video Artist" "Directors Award" and the "Music Video Award for Artistic Achievement"
Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock, the first single from the soundtrack of the movie of the same name, reached #1 on Billboard Hot 100, October 21, 1957. The song was written Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and was released in September. It remained at #1 for seven weeks.
Jailhouse Rock has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
David Henesey, born October 20, 1956 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, is best known for his role as David Collins in the classic television series Dark Shadows. While working on the daytime series, he began cooking for his cast members when he was eleven. His last appearance was on an episode of The Waltons.
He left acting and has opened a series of restaurants in New York and Cartagena, Colombia.
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films honored the best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror (sounds intuitive enough) in film, television for 1993 on October 20, 1994.
Jurassic Park had a whopping 11 nominations and took home four awards. It won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director for Steven Spielberg, Best Writing for Michael Crichton and David Koepp, and Best Special Effects. Its nominations were for Best Actress for Laura Dern, Best Supporting Actor for Jeff Goldblum and Wayne Knight, Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards, and Best Music for John Williams.
The Nightmare Before Christmas won Best Fantasy Film and Best Music for Danny Elfman. It was nominated for Best Visual Effects, and Henry Selick was nominated for Best Director.
Russia had established a presence in Alaska during the first half of the 18th century and had skirmishes with the indigenous Tlingit people already there. So I guess that gave them the right to sell it? Czar Alexander II sought to unload the territory for some quick cash and found a buyer in US Secretary of State William Seward. Czar Alex also considered Alaska to be difficult to defend in case the United Kingdom attacked.
A price was agreed upon on March 30, 1867 at a price of $7.2M. The treaty became effective October 18, 1867. Alaska became a state in 1959.
Lara Parker, best known for her role as the vengeful witch Angelique in Dark Shadows, passed away October 12 from cancer. Her death was announced by her friend and ex-co-star Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans).
Born October 27, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennessee, she was cast in Dark Shadows in 1967. She appeared as Bruce Banner's wife in the pilot for The Incredible Hulk. She had a cameo in the Johnny Depp movie version of the series, along with Jonathan Frid, Scott, and David Selby.
She also wrote four novels based on the Angelique character, with the most recent being published in 2016.
