September 8, 1971: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opens

September 8, 1971: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opens on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Oddly enough, it was built next-door to the Watergate office and hotel complex. Of course, at the time, no one realized that the building next-door to the national capital's official memorial to President Kennedy would become an unofficial representation for the man who was President at this time, Richard Nixon.

In 1933, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt came up with an idea for a national cultural center, but nothing came of it in that era. The idea returned to Congress in 1950, when a bill to build one was introduced. It would take until 1958 for such a bill to be signed into law, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. And it took until 1964 for construction to begin, and, with JFK having been assassinated the year before, naming it for America's most culturally-astute President ever was an easy choice.

The building, whose main hall has 2,442 seats, was designed by Edward Durell Stone, and is administers by the Smithsonian Institution. The first performance was on September 5, 1971, the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass. Three days later came the official opening, with a formal gala, and a repeat performance of Mass.

Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually by the center's Board of Trustees. Each year, 5 artists or groups are honored for their lifetime contributions to American culture and the performing arts, including dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television. The center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor since 1998.

The 1995 film Mr. Holland's Opus begins in 1964, and the high school where Mr. Holland teaches, in Portland, is shown having its sign changed from being named for Ulysses S. Grant to being named for Kennedy. In real life, there is still a high school in Portland named for Grant; and, while there is one in Oregon named for Kennedy, it is not in Portland.

There are high schools named for Kennedy in 17 States, including in the major cities of New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, New Orleans, San Antonio, Denver, Los Angeles, Sacramento; and in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. The one in New York is in The Bronx, and there are also 2 on Long Island, in Bellmore and Plainview. There were 3 in New Jersey: The ones in Paterson (formerly Central High) and Woodbridge remain open, while the one in Willingboro has been closed.)

JFK has appeared on the half-dollar, America's 50-cent coin, since 1964. His Presidential Library is on Columbia Point in his hometown of Boston. The USS John F. Kennedy was an aircraft carrier, CV-67, in service from 1968 to 2007. A replacement, a nuclear-powered carrier, CVN-79, entered service in 2019. Like its predecessor, it is nicknamed the Big John.

Boston, his hometown, did not rename its airport for him. New York City did, renaming New York International Airport, a.k.a. Idlewild Field, after him on December 24, 1963. The Maryland section of Interstate 95, which JFK had dedicated in one of his last public appearances, was renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. On November 29, the Chicago City Council renamed Interstate 190, the Northwest Expressway, carrying people between The Loop and O'Hare International Airport, the John F. Kennedy Expressway.

Comedian Vaughn Meader became famous for impersonating JFK, including on the record The First Family. In 1974, ABC broadcast the TV-movie The Missiles of October, with William Devane as JFK, and Martin Sheen as Robert F. Kennedy. In 1983, NBC broadcast the miniseries Kennedy, with Sheen as JFK, and John Shea as Bobby. As far as I know, Sheen is the only actor ever to play both JFK and RFK.

Brett Stimely has played JFK 4 times: In Watchmen in 2009, in Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011, and in Kill the Dictator and in Parkland, both in 2013.

His wife, Jacqueline, has been the focus of several films. "Jack" and "Jackie" have been played in Jackie-centric films by James Franciscus and Jaclyn Smith in Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in 1981, Stephen Collins and Roma Downey in A Woman Named Jackie in 1991, Tim Matheson and Joanne Whalley in Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis in 2000, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Jill Hennessey in Jackie, Ethel, Joan: The Women of Camelot in 2001, 

Other actors who have played JFK include Cliff Robertson in PT 109 in 1963 (while JFK was still alive), Sam Groom in Blood Feud in 1983, Andrew Robinson in the revived Twilight Zone in 1986, Steven Weber in The Kennedys of Massachusetts in 1990, Michael Shannon on Red Dwarf in 1997, Bruce Greenwood in Thirteen Days in 2000, Martin Donovan in RFK in 2002, Greg Kinnear in The Kennedys in 2011, Stephen Culp in Perception in 2012, James Marsden in The Butler and Rob Lowe in Killing Kennedy in 2013, Michael C. Hall in The Crown and Jefferson Donovan in LBJ in 2017, Caspar Phillipson in Project Blue Book in 2020, and Aaron Craven on DC's Legends of Tomorrow in 2021.

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September 8, 1971 was a Wednesday. Actor David Arquette was born.

These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 2-1 at Yankee Stadium. John Ellis won the game with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 11th inning, making a winning pitcher out of Roger Hambright, in relief of Mel Stottlemyre. Ron Swoboda, better known as a Met, hit a home run for the Yankees. Thurman Munson went 3-for-5. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3, but did draw 2 walks.

* The New York Mets lost to the Montreal Expos, 10-2 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Relief pitcher Tug McGraw hit a home run for the Mets. Future Met Rusty Staub hit a home run for the Expos.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Nationals, 5-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. Al Kaline did not play.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 10-1 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Al Oliver hit a home run. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Willie Stargell went 2-for-4. Ernie Banks, in his last month as an active player, did not play for the Cubs in this game.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Harmon Killebrew went 2-for-4. Rod Carew did not play.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-6 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 4-1 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Pete Rose went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Johnny Bench went 2-for-3 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 3-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Willie Mays went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the California Angels, 1-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Jim "Catfish" Hunter pitched a 4-hit shutout, to outpitch Rudy May. They would eventually be teammates on the Yankees. Reggie Jackson went 0-for-3, although he did draw a walk.

* The Atlanta Braves, the Baltimore Orioles, the Cleveland Indians, the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals were not scheduled.