Health & Fitness
“Willie O’Ree,” and “Manilow” - This Day in History – Jan 18th
"Willie O'Ree," and "Manilow" - This Day in History – Jan 18th
Willie O’Ree becomes the first Black NHL player
Back in 1958, the Boston Bruins and the National Hockey League (NHL) helped to break integration of black hockey players with the hiring of hockey player, 23 year old, Willie O’Ree.
Mr. O’Ree is a Canadian born in Fredericton, New Brunswick in one of only two black families that lived in this region. Mr. O’Ree began playing hockey at the age of three and joined a neighborhood league when he was five. Mr. O’Ree played hockey with his older brother but was a more talented player of the game. He would become one of the nest players in New Brunswick and later would join the Junior "A" Hockey League’s Kitchener Canucks of the Ontario Hockey Association.
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Mr. O’Ree would hide a secret throughout his hockey career; he had kept quiet that he had suffered an injury from a puck to his right eye, back in his 1955-56 season, losing 95% of vision in this eye. Before this injury he had reached his career high of making 30 goals during this hockey season. Mr. O’Ree would play a total of 19 season and 10 teams until his retirement at the age of 43.
According to history.com, “Fifty years after his historic steps onto the NHL ice, O’Ree’s legacy as "the Jackie Robinson of hockey" is rightfully being celebrated. After 1958, it would be 16 years before another black player, Ontario’s Mike Marson, played in the NHL. As of 2007, there have been 40 black players in the history of the league; 14 of them were active during the 2006-07 season, making up about 2 percent of the league. O’Ree now works as the Director of Youth Development for the NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force.”
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Manilow Makes Magic with Mandy
Back in 1975, singer/songwriter barry Manilow scored his first #1 pop hit with the popular ballad, “Mandy.”
According to history.com, “At the height of Barry Manilow's popularity, none other than Frank Sinatra himself said of Manilow, "He's next." Yet even in his heyday, the more youthful arbiters of "cool" were not kind to him. While working as a commercial jingle writer/performer and pursuing a recording career with limited success, Manilow met a kindred spirit named Bette Midler. He first became her piano player then graduated to musical director, lending his arranging and orchestration talents to her Divine Miss M album and tour (think "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy") on the condition that he be allowed to perform a short set of his own songs during her intermission. It was this experience that landed Manilow a gig as Dionne Warwick's opening act, which in turn led Clive Davis to take him under his wing at the newly formed Arista Records. Then came "Mandy," "It's a Miracle," "I Write the Songs," "Looks Like We Made It" and a string of 21 more top-40 hits between 1975 and 1983—hits that helped earn Barry Manilow recognition by Billboard and Radio & Records as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time.”
Mr. Manilow is in the 39th year of his very successful music career. He has sold more than 75 millions records.
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All History facts provided from the link below:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/coen-brothers-release-debut-film-blood-simple?catId=12
