Singer-songwriter Barry White is born

Year
1944
Month Day
September 12

Born in Galveston, Texas, on September 12, 1944, Barry White—or “the Maestro”—went on to stunningly successful career as a pop singer that spanned five decades, and made him a star of the disco era.

Having written several new songs and recorded his vocals for demo purposes only, White was surprised and reluctant when 20th Century Records pushed him to release the songs under his own name. When he finally did so in 1973, he quickly established himself as a star. From 1973 to 1977, sometimes under his own name and sometimes under the name Love Unlimited Orchestra, White recorded a string of steamy soul classics that featured his rumbling bass voice speaking and singing over lush orchestral arrangements of subject matter clearly expressed in his song titles alone: “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”; “Your Sweetness Is My Weakness”; “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me”; and “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby.”

White died in 2003. 

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Poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elope

Year
1846
Month Day
September 12

Elizabeth Barrett elopes with Robert Browing on September 12, 1846.

Barrett was already a respected poet who had published literary criticism and Greek translations in addition to poetry. Her first volume of poetry, The Seraphim and Other Poems, appeared in 1838, followed by Poems by Elizabeth Barrett Barrett (1844). Born in 1806 near Durham, England, at her father’s 20-bedroom mansion, she enjoyed wealth and position, but suffered from weak lungs and tended to be reclusive in her youth. She became even more so after the death of her beloved brother in 1840. However, her poetry was well received, and she met with Wordsworth and other renowned poets.

Meanwhile, Robert Browning, the son of a bank clerk, had studied at the University of London and continued his education at his parents’ home, reading extensively and writing poetry. His early work was harshly criticized. While trying his hand at drama, he discovered the dramatic monologue, which he adapted to his own poetry in Dramatic Lyrics (1842). While most critics rejected the work, Elizabeth Barrett defended it. Browning wrote to thank her for her praise and asked to meet her.

She hesitated at first but finally relented, and the couple quickly fell in love. Barrett’s strict father disliked Browning, whom he viewed as an unreliable fortune hunter, so most of the courtship was conducted in secret. On September 12, 1846, while her family was away, Barrett sneaked out of the house and met Browning at St. Marylebone Parish Church, where they were married. She returned home for a week, keeping the marriage a secret, then fled with Browning to Italy. She never saw her father again.

The Brownings lived happily in Italy for 15 years. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s weak health improved dramatically, and the couple had a son in 1849. She published her best-known work, Sonnets from the Portuguese, in 1850. The sonnets chronicled the couple’s courtship and marriage. In 1857, her blank-verse novel Aurora Leigh became a bestseller, despite being rejected by critics. During her lifetime, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s reputation as a poet overshadowed that of her spouse, who was sometimes referred to as “Mrs. Browning’s husband,” but his work later gained recognition by critics. Elizabeth died in her husband’s arms in 1861. He returned to England with their son, where he became an avid socialite. In 1868, he published The Ring and the Book, a 12-volume poem about a real 17th-century murder trial in Rome. Browning died in 1889.

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First season of “Entourage”—a TV show about life in Hollywood—comes to an end

Year
2004
Month Day
September 12

On September 12, 2004, the first season of the television comedy series Entourage, about a hot young actor in Hollywood and the posse of people surrounding him, comes to an end on HBO. Entourage, which debuted on July 18, 2004, starred Adrian Grenier as the up-and-coming movie heartthrob Vincent Chase, who is navigating his way through the pitfalls and excesses of Hollywood. Vince’s entourage includes Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), his manager and childhood friend from Queens, New York; his half-brother, the C-list actor Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon, the real-life brother of the actor Matt Dillon); Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), another childhood friend from Queens who is content to ride Vince’s coattails; and Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), Vince’s aggressive, high-strung agent. Other recurring characters on the show included Vince’s sharp-tongued publicist Shauna (played by Debi Mazar) and Ari’s long-suffering assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee). The actor Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, Three Kings, The Departed) served as one of the executive producers of Entourage and the idea for the show was reportedly based on some of his experiences as a rising star in Hollywood.

Prior to Entourage, Adrian Grenier, who was born on July 10, 1976, appeared in such movies as The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998), Woody Allen’s Celebrity (1998), Drive Me Crazy (1999) and Harvard Man (2001). In 2006, he was featured in the box-office hit The Devil Wears Prada, starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep. Grenier is also the director and producer of Shot in the Dark, a documentary about his search for his biological father that aired on HBO in 2007.

The most seasoned main cast member of Entourage was Jeremy Piven, who was born on July 26, 1965, to parents who founded Chicago’s Piven Theater Workshop in the 1970s. Piven began his professional acting career in the late 1980s and has appeared in a long list of TV shows and movies, including several (Say Anything, Grosse Pointe Blank, Serendipity) with his childhood friend John Cusack. 

Since its debut, Entourage featured numerous cameo appearances from celebrities, including Titanic director James Cameron, Seth Green, Mandy Moore, Brooke Shields (whose husband Chris Henchy has written for Entourage) and the actor-director Edward Burns (whose brother Brian is a writer and producer for the show). Its eighth and final season premiered in 2011. A follow-up movie of the same name was released June 3, 2015. 

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Hurricane Gilbert slams Jamaica

Year
1988
Month Day
September 12

Hurricane Gilbert slams into Jamaica, killing hundreds of people, on September 12, 1988. The storm went on to cause death and destruction in Mexico and spur a batch of tornadoes in Texas.

On September 10, Gilbert attained hurricane status west of the Dominican Republic. Barometer readings fell precipitously there the following day, eventually reaching 26.13, the lowest ever recorded to that date. Gaining strength, Gilbert slid past Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, heading straight for Jamaica.

READ MORE: 5 Times Hurricanes Changed History

On September 12, with winds reaching 175 miles per hour, the now Category 5 hurricane devastated Jamaica. With a 40-mile-wide eye, the hurricane covered the entire island. The tin roofs that covered most homes were no match for the winds–about 80 percent of the island’s homes were seriously damaged and approximately 500,000 of the country’s 2 million people were left homeless. Nearly every home on the island lost electricity. Worst of all, more than 200 people lost their lives.

Two days later, Gilbert was still going strong when it crossed the Gulf of Mexico and hit the Yucatán Peninsula. The resort town of Cancun lost half of its hotels and nearby Cozumel was also severely damaged. Thirty thousand people in the area lost their homes. As the storm moved toward the peninsula’s west side, tens of thousands were forced to flee. In all, almost 200,000 Mexicans were left homeless by Gilbert.

In the Gulf of Mexico, a 300-foot Cuban freighter caught in the storm was thrown into a shrimp boat, killing 28 people. More people were killed when the hurricane moved to the northeast coast of Mexico near Monterrey. Police evacuated the area, but sent people on a detour along the Santa Cantina River. A flash flood of the river caught four buses and several cars unprepared and 200 people were washed away. Finally, a spate of tornadoes on the edge of Gilbert killed 3 people in Texas.

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