[Rors]

August 15, 1939

Entertainment:The Wizard of Oz premieres

MGM's The Wizard of Oz opens at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Crowds thronged the theater to catch glimpses of Hedy Lamarr, Orson Welles, and other stars who attended the show.

The 101-minute-long film has remained a classic since its release. In 1956, an estimated 45 million people tuned in to watch the movie's debut on television as part of the Ford Star Jubilee. The movie spawned two sequels, including Journey Back to Oz (1974), an animated film featuring the voice of Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, and Return to Oz (1985). A remake with an African American cast, The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, was released in 1978 with music arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones.

The movie is still one of America's top-selling videocassettes and was one of the first 25 films to be put on the National Film Registry, which is reserved for culturally or historically significant movies.


August 15, 1945

Lead Story: Hirohito announces unconditional surrender

On this day in 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces the news of his country's unconditional surrender in World War II over a radio broadcast to the Japanese people.
On the afternoon of August 14, a Japanese radio broadcaster told the public that Emperor Hirohito would soon make an Imperial Proclamation announcing the defeat. The following day at noon, Hirohito went on the radio himself, blaming Japan’s surrender on the enemies' use of "a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which is incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives." The emperor was not only a political leader in Japan; he was also revered as a near-god, and many Japanese did not fully accept the news of defeat until they heard him speak those unthinkable words.



Quote of the Day
There is nothing like a good dose of another woman to make a man appreciate his wife.
- Clare Boothe Luce

Song Quote
We'll put out to sea and we'll perfect our chemistry
By and by we'll defy a little bit of gravity
- Beach Boys, Kokomo

Quote About Music
Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.
- Johann S. Bach, composer and organist