ED DANAHUE

     
 On this day in 1964.

It was on this day in 1996.

     
 “Locomotion No. 1”

      
      
     
George Stephenson operated the first locomotive that hauled a passenger
train on this day in 1825.  

George Stephenson
(June 9, 1781 – August 12, 1848)

The "Tonight!" show made its debut on NBC-TV with Steve Allen as host
on this day in 1954.    

A clip from the first show.

Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen
(December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000)

George Robert Newhart

Actor/comedian Bob Newhart starred in The Bob Newhart Show on CBS
(1972-1978) as well as the sitcoms Newhart and Bob. He made several
appearances on various variety shows, such as The Dean Martin Show,
The Ed Sullivan Show, and guest hosted The Tonight Show 87 times. He
studied at Loyola Law School but never completed his degree and worked
as an accountant.

CAMILLE BOHANNON

On this day in 1961, America was asked by U.S. President Kennedy
to work toward putting a man on the moon before the end of the
decade.

President John F. Kennedy delivering his “Space Race” challenge,
one of the most memorable speeches of the 20th century.

Mann’s Chinese Theater when "Star Wars" opened on this day 
in 1977.

In Houston on this day in 2006, former Enron Corp. chiefs Kenneth
Lay and Jeffrey Skillinng were convicted of conspiracy and fraud
for the downfall of Enron.

Pictured from left: Billy Crystal and Jay Leno.

It was on this day in 1992, Jay Leno debuted as the new permanent host of
NBC’s "Tonight Show." It was three days after Johnny Carson‘s retirement
as host of the program. Jay’s first guest was Billy Crystal.

”The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was nominated for an Emmy Award
in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series category ten
times between 1993 and 2005. It won the award in 1995.
 

SANDY KOZEL

It was on this day in 1945

Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini
(July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) 

On this day in 1967, heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali 
(Cassius Clay) refused to be inducted into the Army claiming he
was a conscientious objector.

.

On this day in 2001, the first civilian to have ventured into space
was American Dennis Tito. pictured above giving a thumb up. 

California businessman Dennis Tito and two cosmonauts were aboard 
a Russian rocket launched from Central Asia. The destination was the
international space station.  

James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is 68 years old today.

Jay Leno graduated from Emerson College with a Speech Therapy
degree and founded his own comedy club.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno was a late-night talk show hosted
by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and
resumed production on March 1, 2010 until its ending on February
6, 2014.

Original run on NBC: December 1, 1976 – April 28, 1978.

Donald Jay "Don" Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017)

(FoxNews)-According to his publicist, comedy legend and actor Don Rickles
died of kidney failure today at his Los Angeles home.

Rickles was known for his stand-up comedy work and his frequent longtime
appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and “Late
Show with David Letterman.”

His most recent film work included voice-over roles as the grumpy Mr. Potato
Head in the “Toy Story” films and shorts.