Undated --On Jan. 28, 1948, the first Emmy Awards were given for excellence in television. The first Emmy winner was Shirley Dinsdale and her puppet, Judy Splinters, for Most Outstanding Personality.
In 1955, the "Top Ten R&B Show," starring The Clovers and Fats Domino, among others, kicked off in New York.
In 1956, Elvis Presley made his first national TV appearance on "The Dorsey Brothers Stage Show" on CBS. After the appearance, sales of his "Heartbreak Hotel" single skyrocketed.
In 1965, The Who appeared for the first time on the British program "Ready, Steady, Go." The band's performance helped put the single "I Can't Explain" into the British top ten.
In 1980, entertainer Jimmy Durante died at the age of 87.
In 1985, the African famine relief benefit song "We Are The World" was recorded in Los Angeles after the American Music Awards.
In 1991, during the American Music Awards ceremony, Gloria Estefan performed for the first time since breaking her back in a bus accident. She got a standing ovation.
In 1992, Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized to country singer Tammy Wynette, who was angry over comments the future first lady made on "60 Minutes." Mrs. Clinton had said "I'm not sitting here like some little woman standing by her man like Tammy Wynette."
In 1995, 27-year-old Edward Burns won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize for his homemade movie "The Brothers McMullen." He was able to quit his job as a production assistant for "Entertainment Tonight."
In 1996, the original Bert and Ernie Muppets were stolen from an exhibit in Germany. They were later returned.
In 1999, the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine headlined a benefit concert for convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. New Jersey police officers called for a boycott of both the concert and the bands.
In 2005, 45 Fiona Apple fans picketed outside Sony headquarters in New York in what they called Free Fiona Day. They wanted Sony to release Apple's "Extraordinary Machine" album, which had been shelved for two years.
Associated Press