Today's Birthdays:

Del Gray

1968

Little Texas (Age: 40)

Melissa Gilbert

1964

Actress (T-V's Little House on the Prairie)/former Screen Actors Guild president (Age: 44)

Bill Cowher

1957

He restored the Pittsburgh Steelers' winning tradition after taking over for the legendary Chuck Noll. In his 15 seasons as coach, the Steelers earned 10 postseason berths, captured eight division titles, advanced to six AFC Championship games and made two Super Bowl appearances -- winning in 2006 over Seattle. 11 months later, he retired to spend more time with his family. He's one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least eight division titles. (Age: 51)

Stephen Furst

1955

Actor (Animal House, Up the Creek; T-V's St. Elsewhere and Babylon 5) (Age: 53)

Billy Burnette

1953

The son of rockabilly pioneer Dorsey Burnette straddled rock and country throughout a career that began when he went on the road with Brenda Lee at 13. He was a member of Fleetwood Mac in the '80s and made country records as a solo artist in the '90s.  (Age: 55)

Angel Cordero Junior

1943

Hall of Fame thoroughbred jockey (Age: 65)

Peter Benchley

1940 -
2006

Author (Jaws)

Sonny Liston

1932 -
1970

The heavyweight boxer lost his crown to C****ius Clay (Muhammad Ali) in February, 1964.

Don Rickles

1926

The insult comedian is known ironically as "Mr. Warmth." (Age: 82)

Harry S. Truman

1884 -
1972

33rd president of the U-S

This Day In History:

2006

Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang is certified gold, platinum and double-platinum.

2005

Mindy McCready is treated and released at a Nashville-area hospital after being beaten by ex-boyfriend William McKnight.

2001

Clint and Lisa Hartman Black become first-time parents with the birth of daughter Lily Pearl, who weighs in at seven-pounds, 14-ounces.

1999

Actress Dana Plato kills herself at 34.

1999

Tim McGraw's "Please Remember Me" tops Billboard's country chart.

1999

The Citadel military academy of South Carolina graduates its first woman cadet, 21-year-old Nancy Mace.

1998

Randy Travis' "Out of My Bone****s the top of the Radio & Records country chart.

1997

David Duchovny of The X-files marries actress Tea Leoni.

1996

Pitching for the New York Yankees, Dwight Gooden wins his first American League game, topping Detroit 10-3.

1994

The Colorado Silver Bullets, a female semi-pro baseball team, plays its first game.

1993

Lennox Lewis retains the W-B-C heavyweight boxing crown with a 12-round decision over Tony Tucker.

1992

Will Smith marries songwriter Sheree Zampino. They later divorced.

1984

"Joanie" (Erin Moran) and "Chachi" (Scott Baio) get married on A-B-C T-V's Happy Days.

1982

Willie Nelson tops Billboard's country chart with "Always on My Mind."

1978

New York's "Son of Sam," David Berkowitz, pleads guilty to six murder charges.

1976

Reba McEntire makes her Billboard country chart debut with "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand," which goes on to peak at number-88. Reba wouldn't crack the Top 40 for another three-and-a-half years. It would be 1980 before she hit the Top 10 for the first time with "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven."

1963

The first "James Bond" movie, Doctor No, is released in the U-S.

1961

Faron Young's "Hello Walls" (written by Willie Nelson) goes to number-one on Billboard's country chart.

1945

Germany unconditionally surrenders to Allied troops. The war in Europe ends and V-E day is proclaimed.

Vaune Dillmann grew up in South Milwaukee, but long ago went off in search of weed. Make that Weed, as in the city in northern California. In 2004, Dillmann opened the Mount Shasta Brewing Company and started producing Weed ales and lagers from mountain spring water. He topped each beer bottle with a cap that reads, "Try legal Weed." He says it's a play on words. Same with the brewery T-shirt that says: "100 percent pure Weed." The feds, not known for liking fun, recently ordered him to stop using the caps. Art Resnick, the spokesman for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau in Washington, says, "We interpret it as a drug reference. It's misleading as to the possibility of what's in the beverage and possible effects of the beverage." In that case, there would be a lot of confused people walking around Dillmann's town, which has a population of three thousand. Says Dillmann, "We have a Weed college here. We have a Weed High. We have a Weed Elementary. We have a Weed Police. We have a Weed City Council, a Weed Cemetery. Everything is Weed here." --Originally reported by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

She sang backup for Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne; was engaged to Eagles singer-songwriter Don Henley, was devastated by a brother's death in Vietnam. All are part of the colorful past described by Carrollton, Texas Mayor Becky Miller, acquaintances say. But spokesmen for the famous singers said the three don't know her. And the mayor's father said she never had a brother who died in the war. Miller's challenger in Saturday's mayoral election, Ron Branson, first expressed doubts that her brother had died in Vietnam, and checks by the Dallas Morning News also raised questions about her singing career. The mayor, who is seeking a second term, said that the singers are wrong and that she went by another name when she ****ociated with them during the 1970s. She initially declined to give that name but said Monday that most people at the time called her Pinky Her father, Edward Sampson, said his son is alive in Maryland, and was never in the service. --Originally reported by The Dallas Morning News.

An adage says the suspect always returns to the scene of the crime. But the funeral? Several mourners at services for 22-year-old Deandre Flake in Cleveland yesterday spotted a suspect in his slaying in attendance at the funeral home. Some of them pounced on the man, Terrance D. Williams, 20, while others called police. When officers arrived at Gaines Funeral Home, they found Williams in the center of a crowd. Lieutenant Thom****tacho said Williams was arrested on an aggravated murder warrant and taken to MetroHealth Medical Center to be treated for injuries. A gunman killed Flake April 28th. He w****hot in the face in a hallway at a three-story house, where he had been visiting friends. --Originally reported by The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Texas Judge Sherman Ross tried to ****emble a jury of peers for a woman accused of possession of a marijuana on trial Tuesday. But authorities say prospective juror Cornelia Mayo might have taken that concept a bit too far after she was caught smoking a joint outside the courthouse during a break. The 49-year-old Houston woman was one of 20 people in a jury pool in Criminal Court. Ross said he realized something was wrong when juror number-two, Mayo, didn't return from a 45-minute break. Before the judge could file a bench warrant for the missing juror, his bailiff got a call from police notifying him that Mayo was being booked on a charge of smoking marijuana outside the criminal courthouse. The judge said, "I've had prospective jurors get lost before, but it never occurred to me that they might be getting ready for a marijuana trial by, allegedly, smoking marijuana." --Originally reported by The Houston Chronicle.