On This Day In History: Sports, Music, Movies, And TV Highlights For December 13


On this day in history, regardless of what day of the year it is, there are always an abundance of interesting events that took place in the categories of sports, music, movies, and TV. Let’s take a look at some of the more noteworthy items that occurred on this day in history, December 13.

Sports

1956: Jackie Robinson, who became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball in 1947, was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Dick Littlefield and cash. Robinson did not want to leave the Dodgers to play for the Giants and decided to retire rather than accept the trade. Robinson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

1983: The Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets combined to set an NBA record for points scored in a game (370) on this day in history. The Pistons outlasted the Nuggets 186-184 in three overtimes. Denver forward Kiki Vandeweghe led all scorers with 51 points, while Pistons guard Isiah Thomas led the winning team with 47 points (per NBA).

Kiki Vandeweghe of the Denver Nuggets [Image by Don Emmert/AP Images]

Music

1961: The Beatles officially signed with manager Brian Epstein, who capably attended to the band’s business affairs during their meteoric rise to stardom. Epstein guided the Fab Four to one of the most successful careers in rock music history until his death from a drug overdose in 1967. Epstein was reportedly gay and has been long-rumored to have had an affair with Beatles great John Lennon, according to Slate.

1975: On this day in history, the band Foghat released their most well-known single, “Slow Ride,” which was featured on their most successful album, Fool for the City. The London-based group was never able to duplicate the impact of their signature tune, although they did manage to score another solid hit in 1979 with the song “Third Time Lucky.”


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Movies

1950: James Dean, who had a very short but legendary career in the film industry, got his first job in front of the camera by landing the leading role in a Pepsi commercial. Dean appeared in memorable films such as Rebel Without a Cause, East of Eden and Giant prior to his untimely death in 1955 that was caused by a high-speed automobile crash, as detailed by IMDb.

2001: A Beautiful Mind made its premiere in Los Angeles on this day in history. The film, which starred Russell Crowe as brilliant Nobel Laureate and schizophrenic John Nash, and was directed by Ron Howard, went on to win four Academy Awards in 2002, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jennifer Connelly).

James Dean [Image by Hulton Archive/Getty Images]

Television

1966: The television rights for the newly-created Super Bowl game were sold to both CBS and NBC. The original contract ran through 1970, and this initial national network coverage of the NFL’s championship game was the springboard that made the Super Bowl the TV ratings monster it has become — the Super Bowl accounts for 19 of the 20 highest-rated broadcasts in television history.

1975: On this day in history, comedian Richard Pryor, who was known for his salty language while performing, hosted Saturday Night Live and caused the show to use a time delay for the first time. Salon discusses his appearance on the show, including Pryor’s controversial skit performed with Saturday Night Live cast member Chevy Chase in which a number of swear words and racial slurs were used.

[Featured Image by AP Images]

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