Today In History

Singer, Film Star and Animal Lover… Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff was born on April 3rd, 1924. She would later come to be known as Doris Day, a singer and actress who won over the American public, and then the world. As a singer, Day released 29 albums, with many of the songs spending time in the Top 40 (a total for 460 weeks on the charts). Day’s singing career has earned her a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Legend Award from the Society of Singers. Day had a long lasting relationship with Colombia Records from 1947-1967. Although her musical accolades are impressive, Doris Day went on to become a darling of the silver screen with appearances in 39 films, including ‘Pillow Talk’. She is the top-ranking female box office star of all time and ranks sixth out of the top 10 performers when we include men and women. Adding to her list, Day has received a lifetime achievement award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures in 1989. Day demonstrated her commitment to animal rights in 1971 when she co-founded ‘Actors and Others for Animals’. Years later, she started non-profit organizations called ‘The Doris Day Animal Foundation’ and ‘The Doris Day Animal League’. Today, though long retired from music and film, she continues to support animal rights. In 2004, Day was acknowledged by President George W. Bush in recognition of her distinguished service to the country with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Luigina "Gina" Lollobrigida born 4 July 1927 is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptor. She was one of the highest profile European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which she was an international sex symbol. As her film career slowed, she established second careers as a photojournalist and sculptor. In the 1970s, she achieved a scoop by gaining access to Fidel Castro for an exclusive interview. She has continued as an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2008, she received the NIAF Lifetime Achievement Award at the Foundation's Anniversary Gala. In 2013, she sold her jewelry collection, and donated the nearly $5 million from the sale to benefit stem cell therapy research.