1927:
Gordon Cooper, one of the original 7 U.S. astronauts, is born in Shawnee,
Oklahoma. In 1963, he flew the longest spaceflight of the Mercury project, was the first American to
sleep in orbit, and the last American to launch alone into Earth orbit and conduct an entire solo orbital
mission! Two years later Cooper flew as command pilot of Gemini 5 on an eight-day, 120-orbit mission. From January 1973 to 1975, he served as Vice President for Research and Development/EPCOT for Walter E. Disney Enterprises, Inc., (the research and development subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions). Cooper was one of 3 astronauts who attended the grand opening of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World in 1975. When Disneyland started working on their version of Space Mountain, they called in Cooper as a creative consultant. Two years later he attended its grand opening with fellow Mercury astronauts. Also an aerospace engineer, test pilot, and United States Air Force pilot, Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.
passed at age 77 in 2004. (Cooper's Mercury astronaut career and appealing personality were depicted in the 1983 film "The Right Stuff," in which he was portrayed by Dennis Quaid. Cooper was later portrayed by Bret Harrison in the 2015 ABC TV series "The Astronaut Wives Club" and Colin O'Donoghue in the short-lived series "The Right Stuff" - streamed on Disney+.)
"To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since - or are likely to in the future."
-Walt Disney
1888:
The City of Marceline, Missouri (the future boyhood home of Walt Disney) is incorporated. Located 6 miles south of US Highway 36 on Missouri Highway 5, the Disneys will arrive in Marceline in 1906 and stay for about 4 years.
1948:
Musical theater lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz is born in New York City.
He collaborated with composer Alan Menken for Disney's Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and
Enchanted. He also wrote music and lyrics for the original television musical, Geppetto, broadcast on The
Wonderful World of Disney in 2000, and the theme song for the Playhouse Disney show Johnny and the Sprites. (Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, and Wicked.)
1957:
The Disneyland television series airs "Man in Flight." Disney takes viewers through the history of aviation and entertains them with an insider's look at the Disneyland attractions that send guests soaring over the park.
Actor Eddie Deezen, the voice of Ned the manager of Bueno Nacho in Disney's Kim Possible, is born in Cumberland, Maryland. He also appeared in the TV remake of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, the 1980 comedy feature Midnight Madness, and voiced characters in Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, Timon & Pumbaa, The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, Lloyd in Space, Recess, and Star vs. the Forces of Evil. (You might not recognize his name, but you've heard his distinct voice as "Pop" in the Kellogg's Rice Krispie's commercials. Deezen has also appeared in such feature films as Grease and 1941 and lent his voice to the animated The Polar Express.)
1959:
The TV series Walt Disney Presents airs "Texas John Slaughter: The Man from Bitter Creek," starring Tom Tryon. It is the 5th of a 17 episode mini-series.
1963:
Various versions of the song "There's A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," written by
Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, are recorded for a Disney attraction that will be
featured in the upcoming New York World's Fair. Disney staff composer Buddy
Baker has arranged the tune in different musical styles to fit the Carousel of Progress (an attraction to be featured
in the General Electric Pavilion).
1968:
Actress Moira Kelly, the voice of Nala in Disney's 1998 The Lion King II: Simba's Pride, is born Queens, New York. (TV fans will recognize her from the series One Tree Hill.)
1980:
CBS-TV airs an hour long program titled,
Disneyland's 25th Anniversary. The special (sponsored by Kraft) features an
all-star line-up including Danny Kaye, Annette Funicello, and Buddy Ebsen.
2001:
The local chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice honors
Walt Disney World President Al Weiss with its highest award. The central Florida
chapter of NCCJ, a New York-based nonprofit group, gives Weiss its 2001 Humanitarian of the Year award
during an evening event at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center. Weiss is honored for his leadership in
promoting diversity and racial tolerance within Disney and the community.
2004:
Today is "Hilary Duff Day" in Houston, Texas (her hometown).
The animated short Lorenzo premieres at the Florida Film Festival.
2006:
Give Kids the World, a non-profit organization dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses (such as visiting Disney World and other
Florida attractions) celebrates their 20th anniversary. A week-long celebration kicks off at Walt
Disney World's Magic Kingdom with actor & Disney fan John Stamos (a longtime friend of GKTW).
25
2007:
Walt Disney's Peter Pan Platinum Edition 2-disc DVD is released.
Tim Onosko, who helped refine Epcot, passes away at his home in Madison,
Wisconsin at age 60. Known as the go-to guy for the future, Onosko accurately forecasted how
technology would alter the entertainment landscape. He helped inspire Imagineers as they wrestled with
technology's ever-evolving effects on society. Before joining Walt Disney Imagineering as a consultant in
1987, Onosko was a journalist who covered technology and pop culture.
In the middle of Disney World's
Tower of Terror (between the
two lift shafts) there is a service
room which staff can have their
breaks in. When the lifts drop,
the walls of the service room
appear to 'breathe' as the
compressed air beneath the
falling lift is blasted out of
the shaft!
2008:
Shareholders of The Walt Disney Company hold their
2008 Annual Meeting in New Mexico.
Celebrity Chef Cat Cora celebrates with Mickey Mouse the debut of her new show on Disney Travel on Demand's Season 2 at an event held at Disney World. Her series
"What's Cooking with Cat Cora" will educate Disney fans about the restaurant choices at the Disney parks.
1982:
Disney's 1979 science fiction feature The Black Hole is
released into U.S. theaters for a second time. First
released in December 1979, the film is directed by Gary Nelson for Walt
Disney Productions and stars Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph
Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine.
MARCH 6
March 6
MARCH 06
THIS SITE MADE IN THE USA
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1987:
The comedy feature Tin Men is released through Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Directed by Barry Levinson, the film stars Danny DeVito and Richard Dreyfuss as door-to-door aluminum siding salesmen in 1963 Baltimore, who will do almost anything — legal or illegal — to close a sale. The 11th film to be released by Touchstone, the cast includes Barbara Hershey, John Mahoney, Jackie Gayle, Seymour Cassel, and Bruno Kirby.
Gordon Cooper born
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SEASON 3 EPISODE 18
2010:
The North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors announce the winners of the Image of the Year Awards and Best Dressed Public Safety Awards during the 2010 NAUMD Convention & Expo in Las Vegas. The Restaurant Fine Dining Award goes to The Walt Disney Company for Sanaa (a restaurant located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas) and the Sports Arena or Facility Award is given to The Walt Disney Company for ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Carole Ann Campbell, a child actor known to fans of the 1950s The Mickey Mouse Club, passes away at age 65 in California. Hand-picked by Walt Disney for the role of Iola Morton in the Hardy Boys serial, she left acting after finishing high school.
1992:
Disney's Hollywood Pictures releases the comedy Blame It on the Bellboy starring
Dudley Moore. A fast-paced farce in which three men with similar names but radically different professions book
into a Venice hotel, the film is distributed by Buena Vista Pictures.
Character actress and voice-over performer Elvia Allman passes away at age 87 in California. She was the voice of Clarabelle Cow, from 1933 to 1990, in such shorts as Mickey's Mellerdrammer, Mickey's Fire Brigade, Mickey's Amateurs, and The Prince and the Pauper. She also supplied various voices for The Old Mill and Donald's Ostrich. (Allman will be best remembered for her semi-regular roles on the sitcoms The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction.)
2011:
Disney holds a Los Angeles premiere of the animated Mars Needs Moms at the
El Capital Theater in Hollywood. The movie, directed by Simon Wells and produced by the team
behind Disney's A Christmas Carol, will open in theaters across the nation on March 11.
1955:
The Los Angeles Examiner runs the story "Giant Disneyland Hotel Gets Under Way."
Slated for completion this July 15, the first phase of the $10,000,000 Disneyland Hotel project designed by the well-known planning architectural and engineering firm of Pereira & Luckman, will get underway immediately.
MAR
MAR
2012:
Disney's newest cruise ship, the Fantasy, sails into its
home port of Port Canaveral, Florida, on this day in
preparation for its maiden voyage to the Eastern
Caribbean on March 31. The sister ship to the Disney Dream,
which launched last year, it features Dumbo the flying elephant
on its stern.
2013:
Disney unveils the first computer rendering of its Shanghai Disney Resort at the
company's annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Disney Chairman and CEO Robert
Iger tells the gathering that the theme park will open at the end of 2015.
The 20th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival begins
in Florida. New topiaries include Phineas & Ferb (behind Spaceship Earth)
and Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. and the upcoming Monsters University.
The festival will run daily through May 19.
This Day in Disney History - THE FIRST - THE ORIGINAL
Traveling in time since 1999!
1967:
Singer & actor Nelson Eddy, who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and
1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs,
passes away at the age of 65 in Palm Beach, Florida. Owner of a home recording studio, where he studied his own performances, it was his fascination with technology that inspired him to record three-part harmonies
(tenor, baritone, & bass) for his role as a multiple-voiced singing whale in the animated Walt Disney feature, "The
Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met", the concluding sequence in the 1946 feature film Make Mine Music.
2000:
Actor Jacob Bertrand is born in California. He is known for playing the titular character in the 2014 Disney XD series Kirby Buckets and for playing the character Jack Malloy in the 2016 Disney Channel Original Movie The Swap. In 2017 he lent his voice to an episode of The Lion Guard.
1981:
Disney releases The Devil and Max Devlin, starring Elliott Gould and Bill Cosby. To save his soul, minor league sinner Max Devlin (Gould) makes a deal with the devil’s right-hand man, Barney (Cosby): within two months he must convince three innocent people to sell their souls to avoid damnation. But only Max can see and hear Satin! In addition to the musical score by Buddy Baker, the film features the songs "Roses and Rainbows" by Marvin Hamlisch & Carole Bayer Sager and "Any Fool Could See" by Marvin Hamlisch & Allee Willis. The cast includes Susan Anspach, Adam Rich, and Julie Budd. (The film will be controversial for a Disney film at the time because of the subject matter and the fact that Cosby is featured as a character of evil, and was one of three motion pictures that influenced Disney to establish Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures.)
2020:
Onward, a computer-animated urban fantasy film produced by Pixar
Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, is generally released to
U.S. theaters. Two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, go on an journey to
discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their
father, who died when they were too young to remember him. The voice cast features Tom
Holland as Ian Lightfoot, Chris Pratt as Barley Lightfoot, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Laurel
Lightfoot, Octavia Spencer as Corey, and Ali Wong as Gore. Directed by Dan Scanlon, it
is Pixar's first film without any involvement from John Lasseter, following his departure.
Walt Disney Records releases Onward: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, featuring
the music of Canadian composers & brothers Jeff and Mychael Danna.
2019:
The 26th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off in Florida. This year’s festival features 17 Outdoor Kitchens and several other locations through the park that will be offering delectable festival bites and libations.
1993:
The single version of "A Whole New World" (which plays over Aladdin's end credits) peaks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. A duet sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, it will sell 600,000 copies domestically.
