Archive for July 17th, 2025

A SINGING LEGEND HAS PASSED AT 87

Lipstick on Your Collar

Connie Francis, 'Pretty Little Baby' singer, dead at 87
Connie Francis (Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero)
(December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025)

(Hollywood Reporter) -  Pop singer Connie Francis died
Wednesday.  A cause of death has not been revealed,
but Francis had been hospitalized earlier this month
after experiencing what she
described as "extreme pain."

She underwent a series of tests and examinations while
in
intensive care and was later transferred to a private
room.


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Francis on the January 31, 1959, cover of
Cashbox
magazine.

posted by Bob Karm in Album,CURRENT EVENTS,DEATH,HISTORY,MUSIC and have No Comments

ENVISIONED THEME PARK OPENED IN 1955

Opening Day at Disneyland: Photos From 1955 - The Atlantic

Disneyland Pre-Opening Newspaper Supplement (1955) | DISNEY COLLECTOR  ARCHIVES

Disneyland, Walt Disney’s metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy and
futurism, opened on July 17, 1955. The $17 million theme park
was built on 160 acres of former orange groves in Anaheim,
California, and soon brought in staggering profits.

The opening day was a televised event, with a special broadcast
hosted by Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan.

Today, Disneyland hosts more than 18 million visitors a year,
who spend close to $3 billion.

Stream episode WALT DISNEY - Disneyland Opening Day Speech -
Walt Disney giving his opening day speech.

Telling History: Disneyland

Vintage photos of Disneyland's opening day in 1955 that will make you wish  you were there

Today in History, July 17, 1955: Disneyland opened with live TV special

Disneyland 1955 opening day hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy

posted by Bob Karm in ANNIVERSARY,Disneyland,HISTORY,Theme Park and have No Comments

A TRAGIC EXPLOTION ON THIS DSAY IN 1944

Remembering the Port Chicago disaster and trial - Local News Matters

On July 17, 1944, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine near San
Francisco experienced a catastrophic explosion when two
ammunition ships, the SS E.A. Bryan and the SS Quinault
Victory, detonated while loading munitions for Pacific troops.

The explosion killed 320 sailors and civilians, making it the
worst home-front disaster of World War II. The incident also
highlighted issues of racial inequality in the military, as a
large percentage of the victims were African American
sailors working under unsafe conditions.

Port Chicago Revisited | Naval History Magazine - August 2021 Volume 35,  Number 4

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)
War, 'mutiny' and civil rights: Remembering Port Chicago - Berkeley News

Photos: Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial - Los Angeles Times

posted by Bob Karm in African American,ANNIVERSARY,Explosion,HISTORY,Navy ships,NEWSPAPER and have No Comments