This Week in Disney History (Aug 17-23)
1786: Congressman and explorer Davy Crockett is born in Greene County, Tennessee.
1905: Animator Robert W. Youngquist (Fantasia, Bambi, Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone) is born in Illinois.
1907: Radio actor Alan Reed (Boris in The Lady and the Tramp) is born Edward Bergman in New York City.
1922: Actress Shelley Winters (Lena Gogan in Pete’s Dragon) is born in East St. Louis, Missouri.
1928: Imagineer and Disney Legend Harriett Burns (worked on Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, New Orleans Square, The Haunted Mansion, etc) is born in San Antonio, TX.
1956: Actress Kim Cattrall (Ice Princess) is born in Liverpool, England.
1957: Actor Denis Leary (Francis in A Bug’s Life) is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1974: Actress Amy Lou Adams (Giselle in Enchanted) in born in Vicenza, Italy to American parents.
1981: A WEDWay PeopleMover opens at the Houston International Airport. It is the first use of a Disney system outside of the theme parks.
1984: The Walt Disney Company Board informs Ron Miller, the CEO, that they want his resignation (Michael Eisner will catapult the Studios to the top).
1989: Actress Hayden Panettiere (Ice Princess, Suri in Dinosaur, and Dot in A Bug’s Life) is born in Palisades, NY.
1992: Actress Demi Lovato (Mitchie in Camp Rock, Charlotte in As the Bell Rings) is born in Dallas, TX.
1995: The PeopleMover at Disneyland is replaced by the Rocket Rods.
1997: The Disney Channel Original Movie Northern Lights debuts. It is the first film to be called a DCOM (all prior films were labeled Disney Channel Premiere Films).
2006: Meg Crofton becomes the newest President of Walt Disney World. She is the first female and fourth executive to hold the position.
2007: The Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical 2 debuts, raking in 17.2 million viewers.
