We take a look at some of the events that occurred on March 18th.

Today In …

1766 - The Stamp Act was repealed by the British Parliament.

1850 - American Express was established.

Sharing A Birthday Today…

Richard Biggs who starred as Marcus Hunter on daytime TV’s “Days of Our Lives” and as Dr. Stephen Franklin on “Babylon 5” was born in 1960.

Bonnie Blair the Olympic winning speed skater was born in 1964.

Smiley Burnette who starred on TV’s “Petticoat Junction” was born in 1911.

John C. Calhoun politician and former Vice President of the United States was born in 1782.

Jerry Cantrell guitarist for the rock band Alice In Chains was born in 1966.

Irene Cara the singer/actress was born in 1959. Cara is the voice behind the song “Flashdance (What a Feelin’)” and also starred on TV’s “Electric Company” and in the movie “Fame”.

Grover Cleveland the 22nd and 24th President of the United States was born in 1837.

Ben Cohen one half of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream team was born in 1951.

Dane Cook the actor/comedian who starred in “Waiting” and “Employee of the Month” was born in 1972.

Kevin Dobson who starred on TV’s “Knots Landing” was born in 1943.

Brad Dourif the actor who appeared in “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and is the voice of Chucky in the “Child’s Play” movies was born in 1950.

Ernest Gallo the infamous winemaker was born in 1909.

Peter Graves the star of “Airplane!”, TV’s “Mission: Impossible” and the voice behind the “Biography” series was born in 1926.

Thomas Ian Griffith who starred in the horror flick “Vampires” was born in 1962.

Edward Everett Horton who starred in “Holiday” and “Arsenic and Old Lace” was born in 1886.

Queen Latifah the hip hop artist behind the song “U.N.I.T.Y.” and the Oscar nominated actress of “Chicago” as well as “The Bone Collector” and “Last Holiday” was born in 1970.

Rick Martel best known as “The Model” to wrestling fans was born in 1956.

Wilson Pickett the R&B singer behind the hit songs “In the Midnight Hour”, “Land of 1000 Dances” and “Midnight Sally” was born in 1941.

George Plimpton who wrote “Paper Lion” and “Truman Capote” and appeared in such movies as “Good Will Hunting”, “Reds” and “Volunteers” was born in 1927.

Charley Pride the country singer who had hits with the songs “Mountain of Love” and “Roll On Mississippi” was born in 1938.

Mary Tudor daughter of England’s King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York was born in 1496.

John Updike the author of “The Witches of Eastwick” was born in 1932.

Vanessa Williams the singer/actress and former Miss America was born in 1963. Williams is the voice behind the hit song “Save the Best For Last” and has also starred in “Eraser”, “Shaft” and TV’s “Ugly Betty”.

We Said Goodbye To…

William C. Durant the pioneer of the auto industry and founder of General Motors passed away in 1947 at the age of 85.

Robin Harris the actor/comedian who starred in “House Party” passed away in 1990 at the age of 46.

Tsar Ivan IV a.k.a. Ivan the Terrible the Russian ruler passed away in 1583 at the age of 53.

John Phillips who was part of music’s Mamas and the Papas passed away in 2001 at the age of 65.

Peggy Wood who starred in “The Sound of Music” passed away in 1978 at the age of 86.

Top Of The Charts On This Day In…

1967 - “Penny Lane” by the Beatles
1972 - “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young
1978 - “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees
2000 - On The Country Charts – “How Do You Like Me Now” by Toby Keith
2006 - On The Country Charts – “Living In Fast Forward” by Kenny Chesney

Movie Moments In...

1924 - “The Thief of Bagdad” starring Douglas Fairbanks premiered.

1968 - The Mel Brooks comedy “The Producers” starring Gene Wilder premiered.

Don’t forget about the Today In History Newsletter!

Visit my site for movie mistakes on Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers my Chicago review.