On this day in 1975, an Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule in the first international space mission. They celebrated with an orange-flavored toast of Russian vodka mixed with good old American Tang.
On this day in 1955, Disneyland celebrated its grand opening in Anaheim, California (tickets: $1 for adults; 50 cents for children). Walt Disney’s “metropolis of nostalgia, fantasy and futurism” turned out to be a real Mickey Mouse operation.
On this day in 1968, The Beatles' animated film “Yellow Submarine” opened in London. The weather was perfect for the premiere: Sky of blue and sea of green, with celebrities and paparazzi lining the yellow carpet.
Today is National Hot Dog Day, traditionally celebrated by watching a clip from the 1975 Al Pacino bank robbery film, “Hot Dog Day Afternoon.”
Today’s Birthdays
James Cagney (1899-1986): Hollywood tough guy perhaps best known for his 1931 gangster film “The Public Enemy,” in which he smashes a grapefruit into a woman’s face, spits beer into a bartender’s face and robs a gun store proprietor with his own gun.
Donald Sutherland (1935-2024): actor; after playing Hawkeye in “M*A*S*H” went on to star in “Start the Revolution Without Me,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Space Cowboys” and “Start the Invasion of the Body-Snatching Space Cowboys Without Me.”
Angela Merkel, 70: retired chancellor of Germany (served 2005-2021); now dazzling audiences with her figure skating prowess in “Merkel on Ice.” Next up she stars as Santa in the instant Christmas classic “Merkel on 34th Street.”
David Hasselhoff, 72: actor, starred in the hit series “Baywatch” and its controversial Indian sister show “Bombay Watch.” (Don’t miss his YouTube-famous cheeseburger debacle!)