On this day in film and TV history - January 3rd

I don't know if I will be able to keep up with this every day, but I thought it would be fun to do daily posts about important events in cinema or television history that happened on this date. Here's what I found for today. All images included below are royalty-free and sourced via the Wikimedia Commons.

On January 3rd...

In 1892, Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien was born.

In 1910, John Sturges (director of The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape) is born.

In 1929, director Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) is born. 

In 1930, actor Robert Loggia (Jagged Edge, Big, Scarface, Independence Day, The Sopranos) is born.

In 1947, the proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.

In 1952, Dragnet with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV.

In 1956, American-Australian actor/producer/writer/director Mel Gibson is born.

In 1973, Dan Harmon--American voice actor, producer and writer (Rick and Morty, Community) is born.

Also in 1973, George Steinbrenner III buys the Yankees from CBS for $12 million.

In 1997, Bryant Gumbel co-hosted his final Today show on NBC-TV.