Oh, he knew he was money, baby.

It was tonight in 1977 when Reggie Jackson became Mr. October. Three home runs on three pitches at Yankee Stadium to wrap up the World Series title against the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games. After homering off of Bert Hooton and Elias Sosa, Jackson sauntered to the plate in the 8th to face Charlie Hough to the thunderous cries of “Reg-gie, Reg-gie.” Jackson golfed Hough’s first knuckleball 475 feet to cap off the most memorable performance in World Series history.

“Swingers” hit the big screen today in 1996. The movie was a huge hit and launched Vince Vaughn right past the Hollywood C and B lists and gave writer Jon Favreau a career making movies. The lines from the movie were ad nauseum for the next six months and then any utterance of them after that signaled you as a complete tool.

“West Side Story,” the most decorated movie musical of all-time, opened today in 1961. The modern take on Romeo and Juliet set in the world of NYC gangs won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The lead male role, Tony, was offered to Elvis Presley, but he famously turned it down, his management thought the material was too rough for Elvis’ image. Some said Elvis turned the part down because he’d already had an off-screen romance with the female lead, Natalie Wood.

Walt Disney pictures released “The Jungle Book” today in 1967. It was the last of the Disney cartoon to be produced by Disney himself, as he died just before the movie’s release.

In other animal news, “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville was first published in England today in 1851.

ESPN and it’s Game Day crew might have simply exploded on this day in 1924. Memorial Stadium in Illinois had its grand opening that day and Illinois star Red Grange took advantage of the spotlight against Michigan. Grange took the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and added touchdown runs of 66, 55 and 40 yards— all in the first quarter. Grange added another TD in the second half and threw in an interception to boot to lead the Illini to a rousing 39-14 win.

The same afternoon at the Polo Grounds in New York, Notre Dame upset top-ranked Army 24-7 on their way to an undefeated National Championship season. Grantland Rice wrote perhaps the most famous sports lede ever the next day in the New York Herald Tribune: “Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again.” None of Notre Dame’s four backs weighed over 162 pounds.

The Rolling Stones released their last record before Ron Wood joined the group today in 1974, “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll.”

The Bangles capped off a dominant five year run, releasing their third album, “Everything,” today in 1988. Dominant? How so, you might ask. Dominant over the GoGo’s. But the GoGo’s sold so many more records, the fake person I’m having this conversation with would chime in. Hipster cred, man, hipster cred. Wait, so the Bangles were hip? Ok, no…. but god, was Susanna Hoffs cute. “Eternal Flame” hit number one and “In Your Room” made it to number five on the charts. Friction drove the group apart as the other three were mad that Hoffs not only got to be the pretty one, but the talented one too. I would imagine the breakup went something like this.

The second episode of “Saturday Night Live” aired today in 1975 and the highlight was the icy reunion of Simon and Garfunkel. Though the two kind of hated each other at the time, they still crushed it, in one of the most iconic SNL musical performances ever.

— Bill Hubbell

Was today in 1989. With the media world gathered for game three of the World Series in San Francisco between the Giants and the A’s, the Loma Prieta earthquake put a sudden stop to the Series. With all the media there, it was the first earthquake to be on live television. The quake hit 31 minutes before the game was to start. They resumed play 10 days later and the A’s swept the Giants in four games.

It wasn’t quite an earthquake, but is was something in 1968 when Bob Beamon flew 29 feet and 2 and a half inches in the long jump at the Mexico City Olympics. Beamon broke the previous world record by over 21 inches and he held the record for almost 23 years.

It was today in 1931 that Al Capone was convicted of tax evasion.

Just five years after working at the very same movie theatre in Memphis, Elvis Presley’s third movie, “Jailhouse Rock” premiered tonight at the Loews Cinema.

Two of the best actors of all time paired up for a movie that was released today in 1986. Paul Newman was nearing the end of his brilliant career and Tom Cruise was still in his early days when they made, “The Color of Money,” the sequel to Newman’s earlier film, “The Hustler.”

Double albums were released today in both 1979 and 1980.

It’s almost impossible to follow up a landmark album like “Rumours,” but Fleetwood Mac tried with the very tricky, “Tusk” which hit shelves today in ’79. Famous for being the most expensive album ever made at that point in time, the double album was considered a bust after doing just $4 million in sales. (“Rumours” has done over $40 million to date.) You probably know every song on “Rumours” but do you know any off of “Tusk”? “Sara” about does it for me.

A year to the day Bruce Springsteen released his fifth album, “The River,” a two record set that further cemented his status as rock ‘n roll royalty. Take your pick, “Hungry Heart,” “The River,” “The Ties That Bind,” my personal fave is this one.

Happy 40th birthday to Marshall Mathers.

— Bill Hubbell

Marie Antoinette was beheaded today in 1793. It was the height of the French Revolution and since their was no television and thereby no, “Keeping Up With the Antionette’s” they simply sent her to the guillotine for treason.

Three days after Antoinette was killed Gordie Howe… 

As the world’s currently most famous Mormon gets set to take the stage tonight to debate the President, it’s worth noting that BYU was founded today in 1875, by a guy named Brigham Young. Talk about your 3 percenter.

A little known fact is that Brigham Young played Pee-Wee hockey with Gordie Howe…

The Walt Disney Company was founded today in 1923 by Walt and his brother Roy as the, “Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio.” That show is now called, “First Take.” As the brothers were locking up that first night they probably couldn’t have guessed that their little studio would have total assets of over $72 billion in under 90 years.

He looks like the bad guy in a… um… Walt Disney movie

It was tonight in 1946 that Gordie Howe made his debut with the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL. He would retire 34 years later at the age of 51. Believe it or not, he played in all 80 games in 1980, and helped the Whalers make the playoffs, picking up 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points. He is a man’s man’s man.

It was today in 1968 that Tommie Smith and John Carlos held up black-gloved fists during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner in a Black Power salute at the Olympic Games in Mexico City. Both athletes were expelled from the games by IOC president Avery Brundage, an American citizen and Nazi sympathiser. Smith insists that the protest was not for “black power,” but for “human rights power.”

Today in 1969 the Amazin’ Mets capped off their improbable run to the World Series title, beating the Orioles for the fourth straight time to win the series 4-1.

John Mayer turns 35 today. He had a birthday lunch with Katy Perry in NYC. Lord knows what they’ll do tonight, but will he still love her tomorrow?

Top Five John Mayer songs:

1. Say

2. The Age of Worry (and still rising… he must feel like Phillip Phillips ripped him off…. karma?)

3. Waiting on the World To Change

4. Your Body Is a Wonderland

5. Assasin

Six years ago today, the famed NYC rock ‘n roll joint, CBGB closed its doors for good. Patti Smith played the last show there.

And finally, because we don’t like being booed and we aim to please, it was today in 1988 that many Catholics had big smiles on their faces at church following the Catholics vs. Convicts football game the day before that saw 4th ranked Notre Dame knock off top-ranked Miami 31-30. The Irish would run the table and finish 12-0, winning their last National Championship.

What’s fallen further, Miami football or acid wash?

— Bill Hubbell

No offense to the always affable Hugh Jackman, who turns 44 today, but October 12 has some pretty grim history.

Maybe it’s because the first insane asylum in the U.S. opened today in 1773 in Virginia. Or that the Salem Witch Trials ended today in 1692. Or that a guy making $29 million dollars a year doesn’t start in his team’s biggest game of the year in 2012.

Today in 1960 Nikita Khrushchev infamously pounded his shoe on the table in front of him while berating people at a United Nations General Assembly. The Cold War wasn’t getting any warmer. How many movie bad guys were any scarier than Khrushchev? The shoe below is doctored in, as no pictures exist of the actual event.

Last night’s VP debate was certainly a more heated affair then last week’s Presidential one, but you’ll have to excuse Japanese viewers for yawning.

The very same night as Khrushchev’s meltdown at the U.N., a debate in Japan kind of went off the rails. Inejiro Asanuma, the leader of Japan’s Socialist Party,  was in the middle of a debate when a 17-year old right wing extremist  charged the stage and ran a samurai sword right through his abdomen, killing him in front of millions on live television.

“Forget social security, what’s your take on debate security?”

As long as we’re talking about samurai swords, The Big Dipper (oh yes he was), Wilt Chamberlain died today in 1999 at 63 years old. Wilt died two years to the day after John Denver, died at 53 years old, crashing his small airplane.

As tragic as those deaths were, the senseless death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 was much worse. Sheppard was a 21-year old at the University of Wyoming who was beaten by two men and hung to die because he was a homosexual. Found by a cyclist 18 hours after the beating, the unconscious Shepard was brought to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, but never came to.

It was today in 1969 when the “Paul is Dead” urban legend grew legs when a caller to Detroit radio station WKNR told the disc jockey about the rumor and all it’s clues.

“Lady Sings the Blues” was released today in 1972. The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Diana Ross for best actress. It told the sad tale of Billie Holiday, whose rise to fame as a jazz singer was riddled with drugs and alcohol until her death at just 44 years old.

Ross lost the Oscar to Liza Minelli

It was today in 1978 that Sid Vicious was arrested for killing his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Vicious died of a heroin overdose at a party thrown by friends after he made bail. Supposedly clean at the time, Vicious took heroin obtained by his mother at the party. He was just 21.

Today in 1989 the Minnesota Vikings traded five players, three 1st round picks, 3 second round picks, a third round pick and a few more picks to the Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker. Among the players drafted with those picks were Emmitt Smith, Alvin Harper, Darren Woodsen and Russell Maryland. The Cowboys would win three Super Bowls in the years after the trade.

Today in 2006 country superstar Sara Evans quit “Dancing With the Stars” for personal reasons. She had filed for divorce earlier in the day. Nothing more than a reason to post a picture of Sara Evans.

— Bill Hubbell

“See this system here? This is Hi-Fi… high fidelity. What that means is that it’s the highest quality fidelity.”

It was that kind of tongue-in-cheek writing that got “Boogie Nights” an Academy Award nomination for best screenplay. Paul Thomas Anderson’s breakthrough movie that catapulted Mark Wahlberg to the top of the A list came out fifteen years ago today. The exchanges between Wahlberg’s “Dirk Diggler” and John C. Rielly’s “Reed Rothchild” were just as inane and genius as anything in “Dumb and Dumber” and the movie captured the spirit of the late 70’s and early 80’s perfectly.

“What do you bench?”

It was today in 1924 that the Washington Senators won their only World Series title, beating the New York Giants 4 games to 3. The Senators decided not to shelve their best pitcher that season.

Today in 1957, Ayn Rand’s polarizing novel, “Atlas Shrugged” was published. The book was crushed by most critics initially, but that didn’t slow down it’s sales. Rand described the theme of the book as, “the role of man’s mind in existence.” So, apparently it was a little more high brow than “Boogie Nights.” Or was it? Suffice to say Dirk Diggler never read it.

It was today in 1964 that Mickey Mantle had his last great highlight, hitting a walk-off home run in the 9th inning of game three of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the Mick’s 16th World Series home run, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for most all time.

Journey turned their careers around by hiring Steve Perry to be their new singer on October 10, 1977. Journey’s first three albums had struggled in sales, but hiring Perry proved to be the trick as the band became a radio staple through 1986 with hits like, “Don’t Stop Believing,” “Lovin, Touchin’, Squeezin,” “Any Way You Want It,” “Open Arms,” “Faithfully,” and “Open Arms.”

Another band turned it around on their third album, No Doubt released, “Tragic Kingdom” today in 1995. The SoCal alt/ska band struggled getting heard in the grunge era and even had the program director of the band’s favorite station, KROQ say, “It would take an act of God for this band to get played on the radio.” After two failed attempts, band creator Eric Stefani left the band to go write for The Simpsons and his little sister broke up with bandmate Tony Kanal. Then “Tragic Kingdom” came out and the rest is history. Seven singles were released off the album that sold 16 million copies, including “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” and “Don’t Speak.”

 Stardom turned that into this 

— Bill Hubbell