Bio August 6, 1997

History Focus August 6

A short focus on a person or event associated with this day in History.

Lucille Ball

The Lucille Ball, was born August 6th in 1911. She is probably the best known and most favorite of all American comedy actresses. Sheappeard in a number of fluff comedies and women's pictures. She discovered that her career as an actress seemed stalled. At the age of 39 she decided to try TV. The television viewers shall forever be grateful for her decision to enter TV.

I Love Lucy, premiered on October 15, 1951. It was to become, arguably, the most famous and enduring TV show inhistory. The show was an immediate hit. It climbed to number one in the ratings. It remained first in the ratings for four of its five seasons. There were 180 episodes of the origional show. The last show aired on May 6, 1957. During its run, I Love Lucy, won 6 Emmy Awards. The show has remained in nearly continuous syndication around the world since its final episode.
Here are a couple of quotations of Lucille Ball:

I never found a place of my own, never became truly confident until, in the Lucy character, I began to create something that was truly mine

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

CY YOUNG

Denton "Cy" Young pitched his first major-league baseball game on August 6 of 1890. He led the Cleveland Spiders past the Chicago White Sox. Denton Young went on to enjoy an outstanding baseball career. He won a total of 511 games. During his career he averaged more than 23 victories over 22 seasons. He played for Cleveland, St. Louis, and Boston.

The Cy Young Award was established in 1956. The Baseball Writer's Association of America bestowed the honor on the best pitcher in major-league baseball for that year. The award has been presented every year since. Since 1967 two Cy Young awards have been presented annually, one to the best pitcher in both the American and National leagues.

Where did Denton Young get the nickname, Cy? Well, Denton could throw a really fast curve ball. It was like a cyclone spinning through the air. A story told about the Denton Young says, that one time, before a game, he was warming up by throwing balls at a wooden fence. Afterwards, a remark was made that the fence looked like a cyclone had hit it. True - it had been hit by a cyclone - a a six-foot, two-inch, 210-pound "Cy"clone named Denton Young.