Good News in History September 13

77 years ago today, T-Bone Walker recorded his great hit, which after dozens of renditions by famous bluesmen and musicians from Eric Clapton to the Allman Brothers, is known simply as “Stormy Monday.” When Walker first recorded the blues standard in Hollywood, California, its full track name was “Call it Stormy Monday (but Tuesday Is Just as Bad).” READ more… (1947)nnnn

nnCredited with inventing the guitar solo as we know it today, T-Bone approached the song as a long, slow, 12-bar blues standard full of plaintive vocals and a section of single-string guitar improvisation, which, among others, inspired B.B. King to take up the guitar.nnThe song is included in the Grammy, Rock and Roll, and Blues Foundation halls of fame as well as the US Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.nnMORE Good News on this Day:n

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1. Lawyer Francis Scott Key wrote the poem, The Star-Spangled Banner, while watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry and negotiating the release of US prisoners during the War of 1812 aboard a British ship (1814)

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2. The Federal Communications Act in the USA was amended to outlaw payola– the practice of cash payments or gifts given in exchange for airplay of records (1960)

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3. Nintendo released its smash-hit video game Super Mario Bros. (1985)

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4. The largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa was led by Desmond Tutu (1989)

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5. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly  (2007)

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nAnd on this day, in 1916, the Welsh-born author, fighter pilot, and medical pioneer Roald Dahl was born.nnRenown for such children’s classics as Matilda, his popular stories, including The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, have each been made into feature films. Beyond his more than 30 books, Dahl played a pivotal role in several medical advancements by finding solutions that he developed after health issues arose in his family.nnAnd on this day in 1857, Milton S. Hershey was born, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company and the company town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.nnBorn on a farm and with no schooling after 4th grade, the boy was sent by his mother to learn the trade of candy-making as an apprentice. His first product, a bag of caramels made with fresh milk, was a great success. He and his wife had no children, so they gave all their money to charity, built a school for orphans (still operating today), and supported and nurtured their workers.nn440 years ago today, the building of the royal palace at San Lorenzo de El Escorial was completed. The historic residence of the King of Spain, El Escorial is the world’s largest Renaissance building. Over its long life, the building nestled 28 miles in the countryside outside of Madrid, has served as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital, many functions which it still carries on today.nn

nnPhilip II engaged the Spanish architect Juan Bautista de Toledo to be his collaborator in the building of the complex at El Escorial. Toledo had spent the greater part of his career in Rome, where he had worked on St. Peter’s Basilica, and they supposedly designed the building together.nnThe floor plan of El Escorial could have come from one of several different sources. Looking like a gridiron, it’s thought the layout was to honor St. Lawrence, who was roasted to death on a grill. Another idea is that it was made based on the truest descriptions then available of the Temple of Solomon. Further still, its characteristics are believed to be influenced by Spain’s famous blending with the Arab world.nnThe floor plan is strikingly similar to Alcázar of Seville and the design of the Alhambra at Granada, where, as at El Escorial, two courtyards in succession separate the main portal of the complex from a fully enclosed place of worship.nnOne of its most important functions over the years has been as a pantheon, or necropolis of the kings and queens of Spain, but also of Bourbons, Hapsburgs, and others. (1584)nnHappy Birthday to producer, playwright, filmmaker, director, and actor Tyler Perry who turns 53 years old today. The man known for playing Madea, a tough and sassy elderly black woman, was named by Forbes magazine as the highest-paid man in entertainment eight years ago.nn

nnPerry has written and produced many stage plays and developed several series for television—most notably Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, which ran for eight seasons on TBS. More recently he portrayed Colin Powell in the Oscar-nominated film Vice. He lives and works in Atlanta where he operates the Tyler Perry film and TV studios. Last Christmas, Perry became a Secret Santa at two Walmarts, paying off $430,000 in layaway purchases for every customer who owed money. He has also been using his plane this week to bring supplies and health care to hurricane victims in the Bahamas. (1969)nnHappy 72nd Birthday to the ‘Designing Women’ star Jean Smart. She was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, winning three times, including twice for Frasier. On Broadway last year, Smart was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in The Man Who Came to Dinner opposite Nathan Lane.nnnnIn 2021 USA Today declared her, at 69, “The Queen of HBO”, after she was cast in three shows: Watchmen and Mare of Easttown—the crime drama that stars Kate Winslet as a grizzled detective—and now the dark comedy series Hacks in which Smart is the star. She plays a legendary Las Vegas standup comedian who needs to appeal to a younger audience. On the stand-up stage, she has a ‘naturalistic flair as if she was born to it’—and the show has earned a whopping 15 Emmy nominations. WATCH a trailer… (1951)nn[raw][/raw]nnSHARE the Milestones, Memories, and Movies…