On July 24, 1998, the director Steven Spielberg’s World War
II epic, Saving Private Ryan, was released in theaters across
the United States. The film, which starred Tom Hanks and
Matt Damon, was praised for its authentic portrayal of war
and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. It took home
five Oscars, for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best
Sound, Best Film Editing and Best Sound Effects Editing.

The film’s lengthy opening scene was a bloody re-enactment
of American troops landing at Omaha Beach in Normandy,
France, on June 6, 1944, D-Day. 

Manis the Orangutan and Clint Eastwood behind the
scenes of the film, "Every Which Way But Loose,"
1978.

Eastwood’s appearance in the film, after his string
of Spaghetti Western and Dirty Harry roles, startled
the film industry and he was reportedly advised
against making it. Although it was poorly reviewed
by critics, the film went on to become an enormous
success and became, along with its 1980 sequel Any
Which Way You Can, two of the highest grossing
Eastwood films. When adjusted for inflation, it ranks
as one of the top 250 highest-grossing films of all time.

Clint Eastwood turned 93 in May.

GINGER ROGERS AND FRED ASTAIRE

Ginger Rogers (Virginia Katherine McMath)
(July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995)

On this day in history, July 16, 1911, American star Ginger
Rogers was born in Independence, Missouri.

Ginger Rogers was an American actress and dancer who
was best known for work with the legendary Fred Astaire
during that time period and much of the 20th century. 

Rogers won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her
starring role in Kitty Foyle (1940).

On July 15, 1988, Die Hard, an action film starring Bruce
Willis as wisecracking New York City cop John McClane,
opened in theaters across the country. A huge box-office
hit, the film established Willis as a movie star and spawned
three sequels. Die Hard also became Hollywood shorthand
for describing the plot of other actions films, as in “Speed
is Die Hard on a bus.”

DeLorean died at Overlook Hospital in Summit, New Jersey, from
a stroke, on March 19, 2005, at the age of 80. His ashes are
interred at the White Chapel Cemetery, in Troy, Michigan.

The film Back to the Future was released in 1985, featuring
DeLorean’s namesake car, and DeLorean wrote to writer and
producer Bob Gale thanking him for immortalizing the car.