August 5














1921 -- Harold Arlin becomes the first sportscaster in
history as Pittsburgh's KDKA radio airs the Pirates' 8 - 5
victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Later that same
year, Harold also calls the first football game as Pitt
defeats West Virginia University 21 -13.
(By the way, read more about Harold's life here.)














1935 -- 'Backstage Wife' debuts on the Mutual
Broadcasting System. The show airs until 1959.

              
1957 -- 'American Bandstand' makes its network debut
on ABC.  
            
















1962 -- Marilyn Monroe dies from a drug overdose in
Los Angeles at the age of 36. While the reasons behind
her death remain in speculation, read The Last Days of
Marilyn Monroe by Donald H. Wolfe (or listen to William
Atherton's outstanding job narrating the audio book.) Last
days is absolutely phenomanal.


1976 -- NBC airs The Beach Boys' TV special 'It's OK.'











1984 -- Richard Burton dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in
Geneva, Switzerland. Born Richard Walter Jenkins in
Wales, Richard's life on and off-screen took on
legendary proportions, so we'll leave you with his two ties
to television: He and twice-ex-wife Elizabeth Taylor
starred in a landmark telefilm 'Divorce His - Divorce
Hers' in 1973, and Richard's last filmed appearance, that
of Senator Phipps Ogden in the tv mini-series 'Ellis
Island,' and for which he received his lone Emmy
nomination, aired three months after his death.
At the time of his death, Richard was 58 years old.
On August 30, 1972,
nearly 50 years since  
he broadcast the first
baseball game, Harold
Arlin (at the
microphone) returned
to the KDKA booth to
broadcast a few innings
of the Pittsburgh/San
Diego game. The
reason? The Padres'
starting pitcher was his
grandson, Steve Arlin.
Photo courtesy of the National Baseball Hall
of Fame Library, Cooperstown, NY. Thanks!