July 10
1917 -- 'Mr. Wizard,' Donald Jeffrey Herbert, is born in
Waconia, Minnesota. Don graduated from LaCrosse
State Teacher's College in Wisconsin in 1940 with
degrees in both General Science and English. In WWII,
he completed 56 bombing missions over Northern Italy,
Germany and Yugoslavia, earning the Distinguished
Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf
clusters. As Mr. Wizard on NBC, he was the first to
demonstrate the interesting aspects of science to a
nationwide television audience. Don died of bone cancer
June 12, 2007, a month before his 90th birthday.
Note: Don's career before 'Mr. Wizard' was less than
successful, but according to imdb.com, in 1940 Don
acted on stage at the Coach House Summer Theater
opposite future First Lady Nancy (Davis) Reagan.

1931 -- Nicholas Aloysius Adamschock is born in
Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. Shortening his name to 'Nick
Adams,' he quickly shot to fame and just as quickly fell to
earth. In 1955 alone, he had roles in such big-screen fare
as 'Picnic,' 'Mister Roberts' and, of course, 'Rebel
Without a Cause' with his good friend James Dean. It
was Dean's death that same year, though, that is pointed
to as the tragedy that Nick couldn't overcome. In the
subsequent year he was cited for speeding nine times
and that, along with other off-screen drama, apparently
led studio heads to view him as a melodrama waiting to
happen and, basically, shunned him.
      










His career had just two more highlights left: His run as
Johnny Yuma in 'The Rebels' on television and his Oscar
nomination as Best Supporting Actor for the 1963 film
'Twilight of Honor.'
With those two exceptions, Nick's career was relegated
to guest appearances and low-budget films. Nick was,
indeed, a tragedy waiting to him when he died February
7, 1968, of an overdose of a prescribed drug. While
some controversy remains, Nick's death appeared to be
accidental. He was just 36 years old.



              















1949 -- the first practical rectangular television picture
tube was made available to the public. It measured 12 by
16 inches and sold for $12.


1950 -- long-time radio hit 'Your Hit Parade'' appeared on
television for the first time. Gisele MacKenzie was
among the singers who performed the week's Top 7
songs. The series lasted for eight seasons N-B-C, then
moved to CBS for its final season.
              

1962 -- the Telstar communications satellite was
launched from Cape Canaveral, FL. Telstar enabled
voice and picture transmission from Europe to America
and back. The event was (sort of) immortalized by the
now-dated, but then spiffy, Tornadoes instrumental
'Telstar,' which was Number One for three weeks that
same year.
            

1967 -- Bobbie Gentry records her haunting 'Ode to Billie
Joe.'













1975 -- 'Gladys Knight & the Pips' summer series debuts  
on NBC.


1990 -- Andrew Dice Clay cries on 'The Arsenio Hall
Show.'
Nick Adams and Joey Heatherton
in 1963's 'Twilight of Honor.' Nick
lost out to Melvyn Douglas in
'Hud' as Best Supporting Actor.
Sadly, Nick's return to the
spotlight was brief; in 1965 he
starred in both  'Die, Monster,
Die' (with Boris Karloff) and in
'Frankenstein Conquers the
World.'
As best as we can determine,
this is Bobbie Gentry
actually on the infamous
Choctaw Ridge, where Billie
Joe McAllister jumped off the
Tallahachee Bridge.
   The 'Ode' version that hit
#1 was 4 minutes and 15
seconds. Reportedly, the
original was 7:30.
   If you know where I can
hear a copy, please email us.
1940 -- veteran character
actor Mills Watson is born
in Oakland, California. The
Shakespearian-trained
Watson is best-known for
malevolent bad guys
('Papillion,' many TV
westerns) or buffoonish
bad guys -- most-notably
as Deputy Perkins on 'B.J.
and the Bear' and the
spin-off, 'The
Misadventures of Sheriff
Lobo,' both opposite
Claude Akins. (Mills,
right/center, is caricatured
with Akins, front, and Brian
Kerwin, top, on the cover of
TV Guide.