August 5th

As noted earlier, Maureen McCormick is 55 today. That’s Marcia Brady. The Brady Bunch originally aired on ABC from September 1969 to March 1974 (117 episodes). McCormick was 13-17 while making the show. It’s reported that at least one episode of The Brady Bunch could be seen somewhere in the world every single day from 1975 through 2008. Unfortunately during several of those first years Ms. McCormick was stoned and missed the rest of her career. Her life improved after she married a man 1985 who claimed to have never seen the show. That’s her at a book signing on Maui a year-and-a-half ago.

Twelve individuals have walked on the surface of the moon. The first of them, Neil Armstrong, is 81 today. All you current and former civil servants out there should find Armstrong to be your particular hero. The first man on the moon was a federal employee of NASA, a GS-14.

John Huston, the director, writer and actor, was born on this date in 1906. Huston received five Oscar nominations for direction, eight for writing and one each for acting and best picture. He won for best direction and writing for Treasure of the Sierra Madre in 1949. Among his other films are The Maltese Falcon, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen, Prizzi’s Honor, Moby Dick and Moulin Rouge. Huston cast his father Walter in Treasure of the Sierra Madre and his daughter Anjelica in Prizzi’s Honor. Both won Academy Awards. John Huston played the title role in The Cardinal, his acting Oscar nomination, and the vile father of the Faye Dunaway character in Chinatown.

The first federal income tax was imposed 150 years ago today (1861). It was 3% on all income above $800. The following July a $600 deduction was established and a second bracket was added, taxing income above $10,000 at 5%. The first withholding also began in 1862. This Civil War income tax was abolished in 1872 — and direct taxes were ruled unconstitutional when attempted again in 1894. The 16th amendment (ratified in 1913) made direct taxes on individuals constitutional.

Marilyn Monroe was found dead on this date in 1962. She was 36. According to Joe DiMaggio biographer Richard Ben Cramer, after Monroe’s marriage to Arthur Miller had ended, she and DiMaggio had reconciled. By 1962 they planned to re-marry. The wedding was set for Wednesday, August 8, 1962. Very private, very hush-hush. Five days before the wedding date, on Saturday night, August 3, Marilyn died, a presumed suicide. According to Cramer, no coroner’s inquest was held. Monroe’s funeral was August 8, 1962.

American Bandstand went national on ABC on this date in 1957. Nelson Mandela went to prison on this date in 1962. He was released in 1990. Ronald Reagan fired 11,359 striking air traffic controllers 30 years ago today. The American labor movement failed to stand behind its brothers and unions have been struggling ever since.