Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

March 25

1993
Dave Thomas gets his GED: The 60-year-old founder of the Wendy's hamburger chain - and high school dropout - passes his General Educational Development exam. He was then awarded an honorary diploma by a Florida high school who voted him most likely to succeed.

1990
Arson fire in the "Happy Land Social Club" kills 87 people.

1982
Cagney and Lacey debuts on CBS.

1958
Sugar Ray Robinson wins the boxing middleweight championship for a record 5th time.

1949
First British film to win the Best Picture Oscar, Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, winning a total of five.

1934
First Masters golf tournament is won by Horton Smith.

1863
First U.S. Medal of Honor is awarded.

1807
Slavery: British Parliament abolishes slave trade.

1965
Sarah Jessica Parker, American actress. Film: Hocus Pocus (1993). TV: Square Pegs (Patty Greene).

1948
Bonnie Bedelia, American actress. Film: the Die Hard movies (rescued by Bruce Willis). TV: Love of Life (Sandy Porter).

1947
Elton John (Reginald Dwight), British singer, songwriter. He was the first Western rock star to play Moscow. Music: Crocodile Rock (1973, #1) and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973). Film: Tommy (1975, playing the Pinball Wizard).

1942
Aretha Franklin, American Grammy-winning soul singer. Music: Respect (1967, #1). She has more million-selling singles than any other female artist.

1940
Anita Bryant, American singer, "It's not just for breakfast anymore."

1934
Gloria Steinem, American feminist, founder of Ms. magazine (1971).

1920     d. 1995
Howard Cosell (Howard Cohen), American Emmy-winning sports commentator.

1919
Jeanne Cagney, American actress, James Cagney's sister, and co-host of Queen for a Day.

1918     d. 1977
Jackie Condon (John Condon), American child actor, one of the original Little Rascals. He appeared in 78 Our Gang films.

1916
Jean Rogers (Eleanor Lovegreen), American actress, Dale Arden of the Flash Gordon movie serials (1936-38).

1908     d. 1991
Sir David Lean, British director, whose films have won 28 Oscars. Film: Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and Dr. Zhivago (1965).

1901     d. 1970
Ed Begley, American Oscar-winning actor. Film: Sweet Bird of Youth (1962, Oscar).

1892     d. 1967
Andy Clyde, Scottish-born actor. Film: Hopalong Cassidy movies (Gabby Hayes). TV: Lassie (Cully Wilson).

2006     b. 1916
Richard Fleischer, American film director. Film: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Dr. Dolittle (1967), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Soylent Green (1973), and Red Sonja (1985).

2006     b. 1929
Buck Owens (Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr.), American country-western singer.  He helped create the "Bakersfield Sound" and was a regular on Hee Haw (Co-host).  He had 15 #1 hits in a row.

1992     b. 1922
Nancy Walker (Anna Myrtle Swoyer), American actress. TV: Rhoda (Rhoda's mom), McMillan and Wife (Mildred the maid), and in commercials as Rosie - the quicker picker upper.

1918     b. 1862
Claude Debussy, French musician, composer, known for his impressionist "tone poems."

1860     b. circa 1795
James Braid, Scottish surgeon. He coined the term "hypnotism," of which he was a practitioner.

1857     b. 1783
William Colgate, English-born American soap and toiletries maker, philanthropist. He helped found the American Bible Society (1816).

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