Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

September 27

1992
Tenor Luciano Pavarotti is caught lip-syncing during a live BBC radio performance.

1964
Warren Commission Report: The report is issued; it concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy.

1954
The Tonight Show debuts on NBC with host Steve Allen.

1937
First Santa Claus training school: Santa Claus School of Albion, New York opens.

1922
First 3-D movie: Power of Love premiers. The viewer wore glasses with one red and one blue lens.

1912
First blues song published in the U.S., Memphis Blues by W.C. Handy.

1785
John Fitch displays a model and drawing of his steamboat to the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia.

1732
First issue of the Rhode Island Gazette, published by James Franklin, Benjamin's brother. It was the first newspaper in Rhode Island.

1540
Jesuits: The Society of Jesus (later called Jesuits) is officially recognized by Pope Paul III. It had been organized by Ignatius of Loyola in 1535.

1958
Shaun Cassidy, American actor, singer. TV: The Hardy Boys Mysteries (Joe Hardy) on which he sang Da Do Ron Ron (1977, #1).

1949
Mike Schmidt, American baseball player, 3rd baseman for Philadelphia, 3-time MVP (1980-81, 86). He hit 548 career home runs and won 10 gold gloves.

1947
Meat Loaf (Marvin Lee Aday), American singer. Film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Eddie).

1943
Randy Bachman, Canadian singer, with Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Music: Takin' Care of Business (1974) and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (1974, #1).

1934
Wilford Brimley, American actor. TV: Our House (Gus Witherspoon).

1934
Greg Morris, American actor. TV: Mission: Impossible (Barney Collier).

1933
Kathleen Nolan (Joycelyn Schrum), American actress. TV: The Real McCoys (Kate McCoy).

1929
Sada Thompson, American Emmy-winning actress. TV: Family (Kate Lawrence).

1922
Arthur Penn, American film director. Film: The Miracle Worker (1962), Bonny and Clyde (1967), and Alice's Restaurant (1969).

1920     d. 1994
William Conrad, American actor. Radio: Gunsmoke (Matt Dillon). TV: The Fugitive (narrator), The Bullwinkle Show (narrator), Cannon (title role), and Jake and the Fatman (the Fatman).

1895     d. 1980
George Raft, American actor. Film: Scarface (1932, Guido Rinaldo). He was reputed to be the world's fastest Charleston dancer.

1840     d. 1902
Thomas Nast, American cartoonist, created the donkey and elephant symbols used by the Democratic and Republican parties.

1792     d. 1878
George Cruikshank, English political cartoonist, illustrator of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist (1838).

1722     d. 1803
Samuel Adams, American patriot, one of the leaders of the Boston Tea Party (1773), signer of the Declaration of Independence, and governor of Massachusetts (1794-97).

1601     d. 1643
Louis XIII, King of France. His death made his 5-year-old son, Louis XIV, king.

2000     b. 1948
Frank Wills, security guard.  He uncovered the Watergate break in when he noticed tape on a door at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. He played himself in the movie All the President's Men.

1993     b. 1896
James Harold Doolittle, American air-force officer, winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor and Presidential Medal of Freedom. He made the first blind airplane flight (1929) and led the first U.S. bombing raid over the Japanese mainland (1942) during World War II.

1956     b. 1914
Babe Didrikson Zaharias, considered America's greatest female athlete. In the 1932 Olympics she won gold for the javelin and hurdles, silver for the high jump, and as a golfer won the British Women's Amateur (1947) and U.S. Open three times (1948, 50, 54).

1921     b. 1854
Engelbert Humperdinck, German composer. Opera: Hänsel and Gretel (1893).

1917     b. 1834
Edgar Degas, French impressionist painter, sculptor. He is noted for his paintings of ballet dancers and racehorses.

1700     b. 1615
Innocent XII, Italian religious leader, 242nd Pope (1691-1700).

1660     b. ????
Saint Vincent de Paul, French ecclesiastic. He founded the Vincentian Congregation and the Sisters of Charity.

1590     b. 1521
Urban VII, Italian religious leader, 228th Pope (Sept. 1590). He died 12 days after being elected pope.

Please send Corrections and Omissions to epicidiot.com