Heroes & Celebrities
July 19, 1869
Ulysses S. Grant Makes First Long Branch Visit as U.S. President
On July 19th, 1869, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, after just months in office, visited Long Branch with his family for the first time, and found it to his liking. He and his family left Washington, D.C., on July 15th,...
August 3, 1871
U.S. President Grant Invests in Jersey Shore Real Estate
On August 3, 1871, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant purchased a cottage in the Elberon section of Long Branch, where he would spend his summers during his presidency and beyond. In 1867, General Ulysses S. Grant had visited Long Branch...
September 19, 1881
U.S. President James A. Garfield Dies in Elberon
On September 19, 1881, U.S. President James A. Garfield died in Long Branch, exactly two months before his 50th birthday. He had asked to be brought to Long Branch in the hope that the fresh air and quiet might aid his...
September 20, 1881
Chester A. Arthur Visits James Garfield’s Widow in Elberon After Presidential Swearing-In Ceremony
On Tuesday, September 20, 1881, U.S. Vice President Chester A. Arthur was sworn in as the 21st President of the U.S. Arthur succeeded James A. Garfield, who was shot by an assassin in Washington, D.C., in July, and was eventually...
February 13, 1891
Medal of Honor: Thomas Timothy Fallon
On February 13, 1891, Thomas Timothy Fallon of Freehold received the Medal of Honor, the United States' highest award for bravery during combat. Fallon was born in County Galway, Ireland, on August 17, 1837, and immigrated to the United States...
June 17, 1892
“Gentleman Jim” Corbett’s Asbury Park Training Leads to Championship Win in The Fight of the Century
On June 17, 1892, James J. “Gentleman Jim” Corbett arrived in Asbury Park to begin training for “The Fight of the Century” against world heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan. William Brady, Corbett's manager, chose a cottage in Loch Arbour...
August 21, 1892
Stephen Crane’s Writing Ends his Brother’s Jersey Shore Journalism Career, and Possibly Affects the Outcome of a Presidential Election
On August 21, 1892, a story appeared in the Sunday edition of the New-York (sic) Tribune that launched the meteoric career of one writer, and ended the career of another － his brother. Jonathan Townley Crane, Jr., known as “Townley,” the...
August 22, 1893
Dorothy Parker – The Accidental Monmouthite
Editor’s note: On August 22, 1992, 300 people showed up at West End Park in Long Branch to see celebrities such as New York Daily News gossip columnist Liz Smith, famed biographer Margaret Meade, a former New York City Council...
June 6, 1896
Two Men from Atlantic Highlands are First to Row Across the Atlantic Ocean
On June 6, 1896, George E. Harbo and Frank Samuelson departed New York City in a specially made rowboat and headed for Le Havre, France, on an ocean journey that would last 55 days and cover 3200 miles. Harbo, 27,...
October 2, 1897
Bud Abbott, Straight Man Extraordinaire
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, best known for his film comedy double act, as straight man to Lou Costello. Born on October 2, 1897, in Asbury Park, he was born into a show business family. Abbott worked...
August 25, 1899
President William McKinley Talks About What the American Flag Means in Speech at Ocean Grove
On Friday, August 25, 1899, William McKinley, 25th president of the U.S., gave a speech at the Ocean Grove auditorium, following a presidential parade through the streets of Asbury Park. In his speech, about matters concerning the end of the...
September 30, 1899
Guglielmo Marconi Demonstrates Wireless Telegraph in the U.S.
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian physicist and inventor of wireless telegraph. In 1909 he received the Nobel Prize for physics, shared with Ferdinand Braun. On September 30, 1899, Marconi first utilized his wireless telegraph technology in the U.S., following successful...
May 4, 1902
Booker T. Washington Comes To Red Bank For Historic Meeting with T. Thomas Fortune
On May 4, 1902, Booker T. Washington, described at the time by the Red Bank Register as “probably the foremost negro statesman in the United States,” was hosted by T. Thomas Fortune, the noted African American journalist and advocate, at...
November 4, 1902
Laura Biggar, Fugitive Gold-Digger, Finally Turns Herself In
By John R. Barrows On November 4, 1902, nationally famous vaudeville stage actress Laura Biggar surrendered herself to Monmouth County authorities in Freehold, where she was placed under arrest, arraigned, and confined to the county jail there. She had arrived...
December 13, 1903
Sonny Greer, Duke Ellington’s Drummer Extraordinaire
On December 13, 1903, William Alexander “Sonny” Greer was born in Long Branch. Considered one of the greatest jazz percussionists in history, he is most famous for being the immortal bandleader Duke Ellington’s drummer for 30 years. Sonny Greer first...
August 21, 1904
The Legendary William “Count” Basie
William James "Count" Basie was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank. A pianist, he played vaudeville before eventually forming his own big band and helping to define the era of swing with hits like "One O'Clock Jump" and...
August 10, 1910
The Wright Brothers Bring Aviation to Monmouth County
On August 10, 1910, the Wright Brothers came to Monmouth County to stage “America’s Greatest Aviation Meet.” It was designed to be a grand exhibition of manned heavier-than-air flight using the aviation system the Wrights created. The aircraft, called the...
August 15, 1911
President Taft Speaks About the Horrors of war at Ocean Grove Auditorium
On Tuesday, August 15, 1911, U.S. President William Howard Taft gave a speech at the Ocean Grove auditorium. According to the Monmouth Democrat, "The president went into details on the horrors of war and the past policy of the United...
March 14, 1914
Leon Hess of Asbury Park
Leon Hess (March 14, 1914 – May 7, 1999) was the founder of the Hess Corporation and the owner of the New York Jets. He was born to a Jewish family in Asbury Park and attended Asbury Park High School,...
August 7, 1916
Kermit Love, Creator of Muppets
On August 7, 1916, Kermit Ernest Hollingshead Love was born in Spring Lake. Love was an American puppet maker, puppeteer, costume designer, and actor in children’s television and on Broadway. He was best known as a designer and builder with...
March 26, 1917
Maury Jones of the Lafayette Flying Corps
By Mark A. Wallinger On March 26, 1917, a young man from Red Bank prominent in Monmouth County social circles left the United States and volunteered to join the French in their war against Germany, well before the U.S. entered...
July 21, 1917
Harry Houdini Brings a Crowd of Magicians to Keansburg – But He Does Not Perform
On Saturday, July 21, 1917, legendary escape artist and entertainer Harry Houdini returned to Monmouth County, accompanied by his wife, Bess, his brother Theodore “Hardeen” Weiss, and a group of fellow magicians from New York City, to visit a colleague...
June 7, 1921
James Bradley, Founder of Asbury Park and Bradley Beach, Dies at 91
On June 7, 1921, James A. Bradley, founder of the Monmouth County communities of Asbury Park and Bradley Beach, died at age 91, just three weeks before he could see a statue of him erected near Convention Hall to commemorate...
January 31, 1923
Norman Mailer
On January 31, 1923, Norman Kingsley Mailer, novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor, and liberal political activist, was born at Monmouth Memorial Hospital in Long Branch. His grandfather, Chaim Yehudah Schneider, was known as the town’s “unofficial rabbi.” Mailer’s family...
August 11, 1924
New Monmouth Timeline Mystery: Did Harry Houdini Perform Here or Not?
On Monday, August 11, 1924, the legendary escape artist and entertainer Harry Houdini gave what may have been his one and only performance in Monmouth County. Unless it never happened. It’s entirely possible that, despite our region being home to...
October 13, 1927
Babe Ruth Versus Lou Gehrig: The Bronx Bombers Come to Asbury Park
Editor’s note: In 1926, legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth brought a barnstorming team to Monmouth County for a pair of exhibition games, one on October 11 in Bradley Beach, and the second on October 23 in Highlands. Both...
May 4, 1933
Karl G. Jansky, the Father of Radio Astronomy
On May 4, 1933, Bell Labs announced that one of their scientists working in the Holmdel facility had succeeded in detecting radio waves from the Milky Way galaxy, a breakthrough that signaled the birth of a new field of science...
October 24, 1936
Albert Einstein Visits the Utopian Community He Helped Create
Timeline story by Yvette Florio Lane On October 24, 1936, Albert Einstein, arguably the world’s best-known scientist, was among a small group of public intellectuals and social influencers who attended the opening of an experiment in planned communal living in...
April 22, 1937
Jack Nicholson
Legendary film actor John Joseph (Jack) Nicholson was born on April 22, 1937, in Neptune City. He lived there, then in Spring Lake, and attended Manasquan High School, where he was voted "Class Clown" by the Class of 1954. He...
June 10, 1939
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Visit Red Bank
On June 10, 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom visited Monmouth County as part of a visit to Canada and the U.S. The royal couple, known colloquially by the U.S. press as "Bert and Betty...
December 7, 1941
Two Men with Monmouth County Connections Detected the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor – But Nobody Believed Them
Editor’s note: This article was first published in 2020; it has been updated as of December 2, 2022, with new information and images, including that provided us by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Historical Office, today’s keepers of the...
November 17, 1944
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael "Danny" DeVito Jr. , an American actor and filmmaker, was born November 17, 1944 in Neptune City. He was raised in Asbury Park, and has been quoted as saying "Jersey is always with me. I was one of...
December 21, 1944
Medal of Honor: Horace Marvin “Buddy” Thorne
On December 21, 1944, Horace Marvin “Buddy” Thorne died from wounds he received while displaying incredible courage during the Ardennes Counteroffensive, better known as “the Battle of the Bulge,” in Belgium, during World War II. Thorne would later be posthumously...
September 2, 1945
Dr. Walter McAfee: Camp Evans Mathematician, Scholar, and Scientist
Editor’s note: On September 2, 1945, documents were signed finalizing the surrender of the Empire of Japan to the United States and Allied Forces, ending World War II. Within days, with victory assured, scientists at leading research centers such as...
April 26, 1946
George Ashby, The Last New Jersey Civil War Veteran
Editor’s Note: On April 26,1946, George Ashby died; he was the last surviving New Jersey Civil War veteran. This story, by noted New Jersey historian and author Joseph G. Bilby, is excerpted with the author’s permission from his book “Freedom...
June 25, 1946
Russell S. Ohl, Inventor of the Silicon Solar Cell
On June 25, 1946, the U.S. patent office approved an application from Bell Labs for a silicon solar cell invented by Russell S. Ohl, which became U.S. Patent No. US2,402,662A, “Light sensitive device.” It was one of more than 130...
September 23, 1949
Bruce Springsteen
On September 23, 1949, Bruce Springsteen was born in Long Branch; he would grow up in nearby Freehold. Bruce played the bar circuit in and around Asbury Park while assembling his famous E Street Band. His breakout 1975 record, Born...
November 29, 1950
Hall of Fame Pitcher Whitey Ford of the U.S. Signal Corps (and others…)
By Mark A. Wallinger On November 29, 1950, Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford, fresh off a World Series victory with the New York Yankees, was drafted into the army during the Korean War, and assigned to the U.S. Signal Corps at...
June 2, 1953
Servais LeRoy, Keansburg’s Monarch of Magic
Between the 1850s and the 1930s, the world was transfixed by a proliferation of staged illusions purporting to be supernatural wonders, mystifying tricks, or death-defying escapades. In a word: magic! Theaters specializing in magic acts flourished during these years, and...
August 18, 1958
The Cry Baby Killer: Jack Nicholson’s First Movie Role
By John R. Barrows On August 18*, 1958, the Hollywood film studio Allied Artists Pictures released a new motion picture called The Cry Baby Killer, starring 20-year-old Jack Nicholson in the lead role, his first film credit in what would become...
February 5, 1959
Helen C. Phillips: Preserving the History of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and Fort Monmouth
Editor’s Note: On February 5, 1959, a story in the Asbury Park Press related how sharp-eyed staff working for Helen C. Phillips at the U.S. Army Signal Corps Museum prevented some priceless historical artifacts from being sold at the thrift...
May 4, 1959
Count Basie Wins Two of the First-Ever Grammy Awards
By John R. Barrows On May 4, 1959, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), commonly called the Recording Academy, staged simultaneous award ceremonies in New York City and Beverly Hills, Calif., where 28 prizes were awarded to...
June 3, 1959
Sam Mills, the Greatest Football Player in Monmouth County History
By John R. Barrows They all said Sam Mills was too small. His entire life, at every step, too small. Too small even for small college football. MUCH too small to be a pro football player, especially a linebacker. At...
October 8, 1966
Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1966 Speech at Monmouth College
Editor’s note: A complete transcript of Dr. King's address to Monmouth College is available online here: https://www.monmouth.edu/about/wp-content/uploads/sites/128/2019/01/MLKJrSpeechatMonmouth.pdf And an audio recording is available here: https://www.monmouth.edu/about/dr-martin-luther-king-jr/. On October 6, 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., described by a local newspaper at...
June 8, 1968
Dr. Emily M. Frisby, Fort Monmouth Climatologist: “Weather can be made to work for the world, if it is interpreted properly.”
By Melissa Ziobro Editor’s note: On June 8, 1968, the U.S. Army began a two-day conference on tropical meteorology at the Marine Sciences Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Noteworthy among the moderators and presenters was Dr. Emily M. Frisby (pictured...
August 16, 1970
Danny DeVito’s First Movie Role
On August 16, 1970, Universal Pictures released a new motion picture entitled Dreams of Glass, which was written, directed, and produced by Robert Clouse (1928–1997), most famous for directing some of Bruce Lee’s greatest films, including Entering the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978)....
January 5, 1973
Bruce Springsteen Releases a Historic Debut Album
On January 5, 1973, Columbia Records released Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., the first album from Bruce Springsteen. As an unknown newcomer, his debut record enjoyed only modest sales, but received acclaim from leading rock critics such as Robert Christgau...
October 27, 1975
Bruce Springsteen Appears on Covers of Time & Newsweek on the Same Week
On October 27, 1975, Freehold native Bruce Springsteen appears simultaneously on the covers of Time (“Rock’s New Sensation") and Newsweek (“Making of a Rock Star”) magazines, in a publicity coup engineered by producer Mike Appel. Springsteen tells Time, “I don't...
March 29, 1976
Jack Nicholson Wins His First Oscar for Best Actor
On March 29, 1976, Jack Nicholson was awarded the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his stunning portrayal of Randle McMurphy in the 1975 movie,...
May 30, 1976
The Greatest Show in the History of The Stone Pony
Before May 30, 1976, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes were local legends, but still relatively obscure on the national music scene. But on that date, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes released their new album, “I Don't Want to...
October 17, 1978
Bell Labs’ Arno Penzias & Robert Wilson Are Nobel Prize Laureates
On October 17, 1978, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, researchers at Bell Labs in Holmdel, were recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation. Using the powerful “Holmdel horn antenna” (pictured), Penzias and...
September 13, 1981
Danny DeVito Wins The Emmy For Best Supporting Actor
On September 13, 1981, Danny DeVito received the prime time Emmy award for best supporting actor in a comedy for his role as the irascible taxi dispatcher Louis De Palma on the television series Taxi (1978–1983). Born November 17, 1944...
July 2, 1985
Ashley Michelle Tisdale
Ashley Michelle Tisdale is an American actress, singer, and producer. She was born on July 2, 1985, in Wanamassa, an unincorporated community within the West Deal area of Ocean Township. During her childhood, she appeared in more than 100 TV...
May 2, 1989
Clint Black, Country Music Superstar from Texas by Way of Long Branch
On May 2, 1989, Clint Black released his debut album, Killin’ Time, which became a smash success. The album is currently certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. That year , the Academy of Country Music (ACM) recognized Clint...
March 21, 1994
Bruce Springsteen Wins the Oscar for Best Original Song
On March 21, 1994, Freehold native Bruce Springsteen was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Original Song for his soundtrack composition, "The Streets of Philadelphia." The song was featured in the movie Philadelphia, a...
April 22, 1997
Hunter S. Thompson Helps Jack Nicholson Celebrate His 60th Birthday in Gonzo Style
On April 22, 1997, legendary film actor Jack Nicholson, a native of Neptune and graduate of Manasquan High School, celebrated his 60th birthday. Famed “gonzo journalist” and author Hunter S. Thompson decided that it would be fun to pay a...
April 28, 2022
Will Ocean Township’s Kenny Pickett Make History as the NFL’s Next Star Quarterback?
On April 28, 2022, Kenny Pickett of Ocean Township made history when he became the highest-drafted quarterback in the National Football League Draft ever to come out of Monmouth County. Taken with the 20th pick in the first round by...