A plaque commemorating former baseball player Mark Fidrych (1954-2009) stands at Memorial Field at 61 East Main Street in Northborough, Massachusetts. Fidrych grew up in the town and played on the baseball field as a youth in the sixties. The plaque was dedicated by the Northborough Historical Society in 2017. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A view of the baseball diamond of Memorial Field in Northborough, Massachusetts, shows the Mark Fidrych plaque at the far right. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A plaque marking Mark Fidrych Field is embedded in the granite base of the flagpole at the varsity baseball field at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts. Fidrych was an alumnus of the school and played on the field during his high school years. The field was dedicated for Fidrych in 2012. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A view of Mark Fidrych Field at Algonquin High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, shows the plaque at the base of the flagpole that commemorates the former Detroit Tigers pitcher. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

50 years ago today, April 20, 1976:

Pitcher Mark Fidrych made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers. By year's end, "The Bird" had become a national sensation with his eccentric behavior and refreshing child-like personality. He led baseball with a 2.34 ERA and was A.L. Rookie of the Year.

A plaque commemorating former baseball player Mark Fidrych (1954-2009) stands at Memorial Field at 61 East Main Street in Northborough, Massachusetts. Fidrych grew up in the town and played on the baseball field as a youth in the sixties. The plaque was dedicated by the Northborough Historical Society in 2017. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A view of the baseball diamond of Memorial Field in Northborough, Massachusetts, shows the Mark Fidrych plaque at the far right. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A plaque marking Mark Fidrych Field is embedded in the granite base of the flagpole at the varsity baseball field at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts. Fidrych was an alumnus of the school and played on the field during his high school years. The field was dedicated for Fidrych in 2012. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A view of Mark Fidrych Field at Algonquin High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, shows the plaque at the base of the flagpole that commemorates the former Detroit Tigers pitcher. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

50 years ago today, April 20, 1976:

Pitcher Mark Fidrych made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers. By year's end, "The Bird" had become a national sensation with his eccentric behavior and refreshing child-like personality. He led baseball with a 2.34 ERA and was A.L. Rookie of the Year.

Donna McKechnie as Cassie Ferguson in A CHORUS LINE on the cover of the August 1975 issue of After Dark magazine. (Andy Bass collection)

Kelly Bishop as Sheila Bryant in the original 1975 Broadway production of A CHORUS LINE. (Andy Bass collection)

50 years ago today, April 18, 1976:

At the 30th Annual Tony Awards in New York City, A CHORUS LINE won 9 awards. It is tied for the 4th highest number of Tony wins for a musical in Broadway history. Donna McKechnie (Best Actress) and Kelly Bishop (Best Featured Actress) were among the winners.

Harris Wofford as United States Senator from Pennsylvania, circa 1992. (Andy Bass Collection)

Harris Wofford (1926-2019) was born 100 years ago today in New York City. He was a special assistant to JFK and a legal advisor to MLK who helped start the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. He later served as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, 1991-1995. He was a 1944 graduate of Scarsdale High School in NY.

The Berklee Performance Center stands at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A close-up view shows the front entrance and blade sign of the Berklee Performance Center at 136 Massachusetts Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

The original stage door of the Berklee Performance Center is displayed outside the Office of the President of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It bears the signatures of many of the notable entertainers who performed at the venue during its first few decades of operation. Among the individuals who signed the door are Byron Allen, Tim Allen, Tony Bennett, David Brenner, Carol Channing, Eddie Gomez, Bob James, Al Jarreau, Billy Joel, Chaka Khan, Brenda Lee, Rita Lee, Marian McPartland, Roy Orbison, Smokey Robinson, Joe Sample, David Sanborn, and Tony Williams. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

50 years ago today, April 5, 1976:

The Berklee College of Music opened its Berklee Performance Center in the former Fenway Theatre in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The 1915 neoclassical building was designed by notable theater architect Thomas Lamb. It seats just over 1,200.

Anita Roddick photographed by Steve Perry, circa 1991. (Andy Bass collection)

50 years ago today, March 26, 1976:

Entrepreneur Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, opened the company's first store in Brighton, England. The business revolutionized the cosmetics industry by focusing on cruelty-free products, natural ingredients, and Community Fair Trade.

Suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) was born 200 years ago today in Cicero, New York. She was president of the National Women's Suffrage Association (1875–1886), co-author of HISTORY OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE (1881), and author of WOMAN, CHURCH AND STATE (1893).

100 years ago today, March 22, 1926:

The Larchmont Gardens Station opened on the Port Chester Branch of the New York, Westchester & Boston Railway. The railroad shut down 11 years later. Since 1938, the building has been home to the Girl Scouts of Larchmont-Mamaroneck. A marker was erected in 2024.

100 years ago today, March 16, 1926:

Robert H. Goddard launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket on his cousin's farm in Auburn, Massachusetts. It proved the feasibility of liquid propellant. Today, the launch site is a National Historic Landmark that lies within Pakachoag Golf Course.

100 years ago today, March 12, 1926:

The Savoy Ballroom opened in New York City's Harlem. The fully integrated jazz nightclub was a hub of the Swing Era and the birthplace of the Lindy Hop dance. It was demolished in 1958. A monument commemorating the venue was dedicated at the site in 2002.

A bronze bas relief of Ralph Abernathy comprises part of the 1996 Ralph David Abernathy Memorial: We Will Not Forget in Atlanta, Georgia. The sculpture was created by artist Bright Bimpong on a bronze lectern. It’s part of a larger public art installation designed by Emma Amos. The project was sponsored by the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta. It is located at Ralph David Abernathy Square at the southwest corner of Formwalt Street SW and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

A Ralph Abernathy quote in raised bronze letters comprises part of the 1996 Ralph David Abernathy Memorial: We Will Not Forget in Atlanta, Georgia. The public art installation was designed by Emma Amos and was sponsored by the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta. It is located at Ralph David Abernathy Square at the southwest corner of Formwalt Street SW and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

A wide-angle view shows the 1996 Ralph David Abernathy Memorial: We Will Not Forget in Atlanta, Georgia. The public art installation was designed by Emma Amos and was sponsored by the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta. It is located at Ralph David Abernathy Square at the southwest corner of Formwalt Street SW and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW in the Mechanicsville neighborhood. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

A granite wall marks the site of Ralph David Abernathy Square in the Mechanicsville neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The square is located at the southwest corner of Formwalt Street SW and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard SW. The 1996 Ralph David Abernathy Memorial: We Will Not Forget can be seen in the background to the right. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

Civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990) was born 100 years ago today in Linden, Alabama. A close friend and advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the two Baptist ministers partnered in many seminal civil rights campaigns beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

Talk show pioneer Joe Franklin (1926-2015) was born 100 years ago today in the Bronx, New York. His program, which aired in New York from 1951 to 1993, was one of TV’s first and longest-running talk shows. It was known for its diverse guests, with the famous seated alongside the obscure.

Ohio was the state that clinched the nomination for Carter in '76.

A Jimmy Carter campaign button for the 1976 New Hampshire presidential primary is displayed at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andy Bass photo, 2017)

50 years ago today, February 24, 1976:

Jimmy Carter won the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, receiving 28.6% of the vote in a field of six. His retail politics and "Peanut Brigade" volunteers were key to his success. The win helped propel him to the nomination.

1991 Impel U.S. Olympic Cards Hall of Fame #14 (Andy Bass collection)

1996 Collect-A-Card Centennial Olympic Games #63 (Andy Bass collection)

American pole vaulter Bob Richards (1926-2023) was born 100 years ago today in Champaign, Illinois. He medaled in three consecutive Olympic Games, winning bronze in 1948 and gold in 1952 and 1956. In 1958, he became the first athlete to appear on the front of a Wheaties cereal box.

A flyer publicizing an unveiling ceremony for the Toni Morrison historical marker is taped to the covered marker in front of 513 North Albany Street in Ithaca, New York, on February, 18, 2026. The marker was a project of Cornell University’s Toni Morrison Collective. The group is comprised of Cornell faculty, librarians, and scholars dedicated to celebrating the legacy of the 1955 alumna of Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences. The marker was sponsored by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation through its New York State Historical Marker Grant Program. The unveiling ceremony was moved indoors due to rain. (Andy Bass photo, 2026)

Organizers of the Toni Morrison historical marker project and community members stand on the sidewalk between Morrison’s former home and the newly unveiled roadside historical marker on February 18, 2026. Left to right are three members of Cornell University’s Toni Morrison Collective—Kofi Acree, Director for the John Henrik Clarke Africana Library; Margaret Washington, Professor Emerita in the Department of History; and Anne Adams, Professor Emerita in Africana Studies and Comparative Literature. Beside them are Anastasia Sopchak, Research Historian and Engagement Associate at the William G. Pomeroy Foundation; Elizabeth Bittel, Civil Rights Education and Training Specialist at the Cornell Office of Civil Rights; Kaleb Hunkele, artist and lecturer at the Ithaca College School of Humanities and Sciences; and Cally Arthur, retired staff member in the Department of Global Development. Bittel and Hunkele are current residents of Morrison’s former home. (Andy Bass photo, 2026)

A street view shows the newly unveiled Toni Morrison historical marker (left) in front of the duplex at 511-513 North Albany Street in Ithaca, New York, on February 18, 2026. Morrison lived in an upstairs apartment on the left side of the duplex (#513) from 1953 to 1954 while a graduate student at Cornell University. She received a Master of Arts in American Literature from the school in 1955. (Andy Bass photo, 2026)

A close-up view shows the north side of the newly unveiled Toni Morrison historical marker at 513 North Albany Street in Ithaca, New York, on February 18, 2026. The cast aluminum marker was sponsored by the Syracuse-based William G. Pomeroy Foundation through its New York State Historical Marker Grant Program. (Andy Bass photo, 2026)

A historical marker commemorating literary icon Toni Morrison was unveiled in Ithaca, New York, on what would have been her 95th birthday, February 18, 2026. It stands in front of the house where she lived while a graduate student in American Literature at Cornell University in the 1950s.

50 years ago today, February 13, 1976:

American Dorothy Hamill won the Olympic gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The 19-year-old's signature wedge haircut inspired a nationwide fashion trend among women and girls in the late 1970s.⛸️💇‍♀️

Baseball's Dale Long (1926-1991) was born 100 years ago today in Springfield, Missouri. The first baseman set a Major League record with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1956 by hitting home runs in 8 consecutive games. He won a World Series ring with the New York Yankees in 1962, batting .298 in 41 games.

1983 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Yearbook (Andy Bass Collection)

1983 National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Yearbook (Andy Bass Collection)

50 years ago today, January 22, 1975:

Former pitchers Robin Roberts and Bob Lemon were each elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. With 75% required for election, Roberts was selected on 86.9% of ballots cast and Lemon on 78.6% of those cast.

Patricia Neal as Jean Bowen in the 1951 comedy-romance film WEEK-END WITH FATHER. (Andy Bass Collection)

Patricia Neal in a promotional photo for her guest appearance on NBC’s GOODYEAR TELEVISION PLAYHOUSE. She appeared in the episode “Spring Reunion.” It aired April 11, 1954. (Andy Bass Collection)

Acclaimed actress Patricia Neal (1926-2010) was born 100 years ago today in Packard, Kentucky. Her many awards included an Oscar for HUD (1963). Her resilience through family tragedies and her arduous rehabilitation from debilitating and near-fatal strokes in 1965 inspired many throughout the world.

Fritz Weaver circa 1956. (Andy Bass Collection)

Fritz Weaver with Burgess Meredith (left) in the 1961 Twilight Zone episode “The Obsolete Man.” 1999 Rittenhouse Twilight Zone Premiere Edition #46. (Andy Bass Collection)

Fritz Weaver. (Andy Bass Collection)

Fritz Weaver as Father Tom Farrow in the 1981 horror film THE JAWS OF SATAN (Andy Bass Collection)

Prolific character actor Fritz Weaver (1926-2016) was born 100 years ago today in Pittsburgh, PA. He began his career on the stage and won a Tony for CHILD'S PLAY (1970). His television work includes two episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and an Emmy-nominated role as Dr. Josef Weiss in HOLOCAUST (1978).

A southerly view shows Shea’s Buffalo Theatre at 646 Main Street in Downtown Buffalo, New York. It was built by local theater magnate Michael Shea (1859-1934) and designed by prolific theater architects Rapp and Rapp. The cream terra-cotta façade is designed in the Baroque Revival style. The 65-foot-tall, green-and-gold blade sign is a replica installed in 2004. The original blade was removed in the 1940s due to cost and safety concerns. Also in 2004, a missing pediment recreated from photographs was replaced atop the building’s facade. Today, Shea's Buffalo Theatre is owned by the City of Buffalo and is operated by the non-profit Shea's O'Connell Preservation Guild Ltd. The historic landmark is part of a three-theater campus that comprises Shea's Performing Arts Center. It primarily hosts travelling Broadway shows. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A northerly view up Main Street shows Shea’s Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A sign bearing the nickname, “THE WONDER THEATRE,” is displayed above the main entrance doors of Shea’s Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York. The nickname was a promotional moniker at the time of the theater’s opening to hype its immense scale and opulence. The sign, a replica of the original, was installed in 2004. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

A hexagonal ticket booth with Baroque ornamentation stands in the foyer of Shea’s Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York. The black marble portion of the booth is original, but the upper wooden and glass section is a reproduction. (Andy Bass photo, 2025)

100 years ago today, January 16, 1926:

Shea's Buffalo Theatre, nicknamed "The Wonder Theatre," opened as a movie palace in Buffalo, New York. It was saved from demolition by concerned citizens in the 1970s and became a non-profit. Today, the historic landmark anchors the Buffalo Theatre District.

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Luke Spencer on GENERAL HOSPITAL (1978-2015).

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