Today's Birthdays:

Breckin Meyer

1974

Actor (Herbie: Fully Loaded, Clueless, Rat Race, Road Trip) (Age: 34)

Traci Lords (Nora Louise Kuzma)

1968

Actress (Cry Baby, Serial Mom), singer and former underaged porno star (Age: 40)

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Robert Hegyes

1951

Actor ("Epstein" of Welcome Back, Kotter) (Age: 57)

Tim Russert

1950

NBC newsman (Meet the Press host) (Age: 58)

Johnny Unitas

1933 -
2002

Football Hall of Famer. Died of a heart attack at age 69 on September 11th, 2002.

Darren McGavin

1922 -
2006

The actor starred in Kolchak: The Night Stalker, among many T-V and film roles. He died of natural causes February 25th, 2006 at 83.

Eva Duarte Peron

1919 -
1952

The actress-turned-wife of Argentine strongman Juan Peron was the inspiration for the musical Evita. She died of cancer July 26th, 1952 at age 33.

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Gary Cooper

1901 -
1961

He won Best Actor Oscars for Sergeant York and High Noon and was nominated three other times -- for Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Pride of the Yankees. The academy also gave him an Honorary Award in 1961, just months before his death from lung cancer on May 13th of that year, six days after he turned 60.

This Day In History:

2006

Glen Campbell and the members of Alabama receive medallions honoring them as 2005 inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

2006

Adam Sandler and wife Jackie have their first child, a girl named Sadie Madison.

2006

Tori Spelling marries actor Dean McDermott in Fiji.

2005

Billy Dean ties the knot with Stephanie Paisley.

2002

Kellie Coffey's debut album, When You Lie Next to Me, is released.

2002

The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack album is certified six-times platinum.

2001

Reba McEntire, nearing the end of her Broadway run in Annie Get Your Gun, announces the nominees for the Tony Awards in New York.

1999

Martina McBride appears as a singer in danger on the CBS series Early Edition.

1999

The Dixie Chicks' Wide Open Spaces album is certified five-times platinum, while George Strait's Always Never the Same CD goes platinum.

1999

NATO bombs accidentally hit the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.

1999

A jury finds The Jenny Jones Show liable in the shooting death of Scott Amedure by a guest he outed on the show. The jury awards his estate $25 million.

1999

Faith Hill's crossover hit "This Kiss" helps her secure three trophies at May 7th's Academy of Country Music Awards, while Shania Twain takes home a Special Achievement Award for extraordinary sales over the previous year.

1998

Leeza Gibbons receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998

Daimler/Benz buys the Chrysler Corporation for nearly $40 billion.

1998

Friends star Lisa Kudrow gives birth to a son, Julian Murray Stern.

1998

Singer Eddie Rabbitt dies of lung cancer in Nashville at 56.

1997

Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass, is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

1996

Naomi Judd appears on the NBC sitcom, Third Rock From the Sun.

1996

Sammy Kershaw releases his Politics, Religion and Her album.

1995

Jacques Chirac is elected President of France.

1994

Clint Black's "A Good Run of Bad Luck" hits the top of Billboard's country chart.

1987

Shelley Long makes her last regular appearance as "Diane Chambers" on Cheers.

1984

The Soviet Union withdraws from the summer Olympics in the U-S.

1983

Shelly West's "Jose Cuervo" reaches number-one on Billboard's country chart.

1975

President Gerald Ford formally declares an end to "The Vietnam era."

1960

The U-S-S-R announces that downed U-2 pilot Gary Powers has confessed to being a spy.

1959

The Los Angeles Dodgers hold "Roy Campanella Night" at the L-A Coliseum in front of 93,103, the largest crowd to ever attend a baseball game.

1949

Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" spends the first of 16 weeks at number-one on Billboard's country chart.

1945

Adolf Hitler commits suicide in his Berlin bunker.

1940

Winston Churchill becomes the British Prime Minister.

1928

England lowers the voting age for women from 30 to 21.

1915

The British passenger ship Luisitania sinks after being torpedoed by a German submarine, killing more than 11-hundred passengers and crew.

1914

President Woodrow Wilson issues a proclamation making Mother's Day a national holiday on the second Sunday of May.

WEIRD BUT TRUE NEWS:

12-year-old David Witthoft wore a red Nike shirt to school in Connecticut on April 24th. It's significant because on each of the previous 15-hundred-and-81 days, Witthoft wore the Brett Favre jersey he received as a gift for Christmas 2003 when he was just seven. Chuck Witthoft, David's father, says, "His last day wearing the jersey was April 23rd, which was his 12th birthday. It was tough for him for awhile but now that he's 12, he is a little more concerned about his appearance. And the jersey barely came down to his beltline." David Witthoft gained national attention in 2005 when it was disclosed that he wore his Favre jersey every day since it was given to him at Christmas 2003. He gave radio, newspaper and television interviews about the streak. He also received a card from the now-former Green Bay Packers quarterback. His father says, "Dave was pretty upset when Favre retired. But we knew we had to figure out an end game. He finally decided it was time."--Originally reported by The Green Bay Press-Gazette.

This candy man just can't. Not anymore. No matter the outcome of the police investigation into a batch of green Saint Patrick's Day cotton candy allegedly tainted with ant poison, Ned Greeson said he's out of this sticky business for good. Greeson, of Latham, New York, a retired restaurant equipment repairman turned hobby confectioner, says, "Cotton candy man is closed. There is no longer any fun in it. The enjoyment's out." Greeson's declaration came three days after police searched his home after a preliminary test revealed a high probability that a sample Greeson hand-delivered to town offices in March contained ant poison. Police have not accused Greeson of any wrongdoing. Authorities are awaiting the results of additional testing by State Police, which they hope will reveal the toxin's concentration.--Originally reported by The Albany Times Union.

Vallejo, California police arrested a Santa Rosa man who allegedly assaulted a camel Sunday at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and fled from park security personnel. Christopher Allen, 24, was dared by a friend to enter the restricted area where the animal was kept and punch it. He accepted the dare and was detained afterward by security personnel, but he soon escaped and tried to run from the park with his fiends. Vallejo police were called and located the suspects' car on Highway 37. They arrested Allen and the driver, identified as 22-year-old Chrissy Thatcher of San Rafael.--Originally reported by The Vallejo Times-Herald.

When the Andersons walked into their Redlands, California house after a neighborhood barbecue, they never expected to find 200 birds inside. On April 19th, the Andersons were enjoying the evening with friends when they saw a large flock of birds fly overhead. Shortly after seeing the birds fly by, Allison Anderson said she walked up to the front door of her home. Looking through a glass pane in the door, she saw three birds sitting on a dining room mirror. Wanting to get the birds out of her house, Allison brought her husband, Scott, from the barbecue. When Scott entered his home, he found many more than three birds -- more like 200. Scott Anderson started trying to shoo the birds out of open doors and windows using a garden rake, but he wasn't having much luck. He donned a pair of gardening gloves and started picking up the birds and throwing them outside. He says, "After I'd throw them, they'd just start flying again and they'd boomerang right back and come into the house." According to Allison, the birds, being frightened, left behind droppings, covering all surfaces in the house. The Andersons' online research led them to believe the birds were a flock of migrating chimney swifts.--Originally reported by The Redlands Daily Facts.