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 10.
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, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized to country singer Tammy Wynette, who was angry over comments Mrs. Clinton 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.
Today’s birthdays: Musician Acker Bilk is 84. Actor Nicholas Pryor (“Risky Business”) is 78. Actor Alan Alda is 77. Actress Susan Howard (“Dallas”) is 71. Marthe (correct) Keller (“Marathon Man”) is 68. Actress Barbi Benton is 63. Guitarist Dave Sharp of The Alarm is 54. Singer Sam Phillips is 51. Guitarist Dan Spitz (Anthrax) is 50. Bassist Greg Cook of Ricochet is 48. Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is 45. Rap artist DJ Muggs with Cypress Hill is 45. Rapper Rakim is 45. Actress Kathryn Morris (“Cold Case”) is 44. Singer Anthony Hamilton is 42. Keyboardist Brandon Bush (Train) is 40. Rapper Rick Ross is 36. Singer Joey Fatone of ‘N Sync is 36. Singer Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys is 33. Actor Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings”) is 32. Rapper J. Cole is 28. Actress Ariel Winter (“Modern Family”) is 15.