Irish Voters End Ban on Divorce - November 1995

By a narrow margin, November 24, voters in Ireland ended the country's constitutional ban on divorce. The margin in the referendum was just 50.3% to 49.7%---only about 9,100 votes out of 1.6M cast. The issue had been intensely debated for years in the largely Roman Catholic country. The government of Prime Min. John Bruton had called for an end to the divorce ban, while the Church had urged its retention. Under Irish law, a couple could now obtain a divorce after living apart for 4 years and showing that there was no chance for a reconciliation.

Chicago TV Flashback - June 28-29, 1974

WMAQ channel 5 TV schedule for Friday, June 28, 1974

Morning

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6a - Knowledge

6:30a - Town and Farm

6:35a - Today in Chicago

7a - Today (2 hours)

9a - Dinah's Place

9:30a - Jeopardy! (Last show in this time slot)

10a - Wizard of Odds (Finale)

10:30a-  Hollywood Squares

11a - Jackpot!

11:30a - Celebrity Sweepstakes

11:55a - NBC News Update with Edwin Newman

Afternoon

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Noon - Noon Report

12:30p - Three on a Match (Finale)

1p - Days of Our Lives

1:30p - The Doctors

2p - Another World

2:30p - How to Survive a Marriage

3p - Somerset

3:30p - Mike Douglas Show (1 hr, 30 min)

5p - NewsFive at 5 (1 hour)

Evening

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6p - NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor

6:30p - Hollywood Squares

7p - Sanford and Son

7:30p - Brian Keith Show

8p - Triple Play (2 hours)

10p - NewsFive at 10

10:30p - Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (1 hr, 30 min)

Midnight - Midnight Special (1 hr, 30 min)

Early Saturday, June 29, 1974

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1:30a - Speakeasy (1 hour)

Wizard of Odds, the first show Alex Trebek hosted on American soil after a successful career in his home country of Canada, ends its 1-year run. The highlights of the finale were three clue rounds were played along with the mid-show rounds where prizes waiting to be won if they're below the target number of 25. In the final round of play, clues in that game paid tribute to The Huntley-Brinkley Report that ran from October 29, 1956 to July 31, 1970 and it also been three months since Chet Huntley passed away on March 20th at age 62. To find out who's going to the last grand prize finale round of the series, all the players who took part in the show had their respective names on the wheel by way of defeating the current "Wizard's Champ" unless the champion stays on dethroning the players chosen from the audience gets to play the finale round by default.

The Wizard's wheel of fortune was spun for the last time, and a contestant named Dick gets to play for prizes worth $4,891 by trying to keep the target number below 55 picking out the four out of the possible seven listed. He won the washer/dryer, trip to Hawaii and the car by choosing a female horse becomes a filly at 4 years, Ginger Rogers won an Oscar for best actress, then he chose the number of movies made by the Andrews Sisters which is 22 and it's been 25 years since Rev. Billy Graham held his first ever tent revival. The others he didn't choose were the 100th running of the Kentucky Derby, the then-46-year-old famed hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, the maker of hairstyling products that bears his name, and 36 calories in a single pat of butter. He won over $5,000 in prizes after winning just one prize in the mid-show bonus game in the beginning.

Alex Trebek reminded viewers that High Rollers making its on-camera debut Monday, July 1st where contestants win prizes, cash, and trips with a roll of the dice along with a chance to play the Big Numbers round for $10,000 cash. High Rollers takes over Wizard of Odds' 10a time slot followed by Hollywood Squares.

Three on a Match, a show where players try to make matches to win prizes with a single match, earns its 3-year reward. Since there was no more time to keep playing since about 1 or 2 players came awfully close to making an instant match in the hands of the stop card being revealed, players will earn $100 for each match made where Adrienne gets $200, returning champion Eric and Carl each get $100. Not only Three on a Match ending its run, but Jeopardy! seen at its new 12:30 time slot Monday, July 1st. Also, Winning Streak will also be hosted by Bill Cullen making its on-camera debut where players can keep on doubling their money with every single word and the right letters can win them cash prizes up to $100,000. Winning Streak takes over Jeopardy! 9:30a morning time slot hereafter.

Chicago TV Flashback - July 9, 1976

WLS channel 7 TV schedule for Friday, July 9, 1976

Morning

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6:30a - Perspectives

6:55a - Earl Nightingale

7a - Good Morning America (2 hours)

9a - Steve Edwards' AM Chicago (1 hr, 30 min)

10:30a - Happy Days

11a - Let's Make a Deal (Finale)

11:30a - All My Children

Afternoon

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Noon - Ryan's Hope

12:30p - Rhyme and Reason (Finale)

1p - The $20,000 Pyramid

1:30p - Break the Bank

2p - General Hospital

2:30p - One Life to Live

3p - Edge of Night

3:30p - The 3:30 Movie: The Lively Set (1 hr, 30 min)

5p - Eyewitness News at 5

5:30p - ABC Evening News with Harry Reasoner

Evening

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6p - Eyewitness News at 6p (1 hour)

7p - Donny and Marie Show (1 hour)

8p - ABC Friday Night Movie: Waterloo (2 hours)

10p - Eyewitness News at 10

10:30p - The Rookies (1 hr, 10 min)

11:40p - Graffiti with John Coleman (50 min)

12:30a - Late Night Movie: Flame of the Barbary Coast (1 hr, 50 min)

The daytime version of Let's Make a Deal called the last traders to make a deal with Monty Hall on whether they can keep or trade the bankroll, the wallet, or the Velveeta process cheese spread for something greater, the two ladies fought it out to win a 1976 Chevrolet Monza worth $4,624 in the final pricing deal where the goal is to reach $700 to win it. The show's usual format was slightly amended, because the final Big Deal of the daytime series had to be played earlier than usual, because an announcement has to be made. Door #2 had the $4,649 big deal included the $25 supply of Sue Bee Honey and the same '76 Chevy Monza was won earlier. The first player won some paneling, washer/dryer and the floor model TV with stereo totalling $2,054 and the other chosen the $25 supply of ice cream bars where there's an additional $2,444 cash comes to a total of $2,469.

Monty Hall's announcement was the daytime edition of Let's Make a Deal is ending its successful 13-year run as the top-rated show on both NBC and ABC all together after some 3,784 uninterrupted shows on both networks despite some pre-emptions and special news bulletins. He said that the nighttime version continues where the show will be in Las Vegas until the syndicated finale on Saturday, May 28, 1977. He also said that he'll be doing specials, including one would be airing Saturday, August 7th. Since the traditional end-of-show fast deals on the trading floor ended the day before, they decided to show a clip of the Let's Make a Deal pilot from April of 1963 where it resurfaced and aired it full on Game Show Network in celebration of its 40th anniversary in 2003. That being said, the end-of-show deals for the finale did not take place. The following Monday, July 12th, Hot Seat with Jim Peck takes over the 11a time slot hereafter.

Rhyme and Reason ends its run after one year and it ended on a high note where Brian Biro (sic) became the last champion and won a total of $5,500 thanks to Terry Carter who had to guess all three words that rhymed with the word "Gipper" by completing the rhyming phrase. His opponent, June Penrod left with $4,250 after 3 matches. In the first 23 years ABC became a network, something so bizarre that has NEVER been done on any television show and that was to destroy the entire Rhyme and Reason set. At the tail end of Bob Eubanks' farewell speech, the celebrity poets and members of the show's staff began knocking down the host's podium, then they busted the neon lights, tearing up the carpet, and destroying the props as the credits rolled. The following Monday, July 12th, a new but popular Goodson-Todman game Family Feud with regular Match Game panelist Richard Dawson takes over Rhyme and Reason's time slot.

Braves Win Their First World Series - October 1995

The Atlanta Braves won the National League pennant, October 14, by completing a 4-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, 6-0, in Atlanta. Right fielder Mike Devereaux hit a 3-run homer, and pitcher Steve Avery gave up only 2 hits in the 6 innings he pitched to earn the victory. The Cleveland Indians also qualified for the series by defeating the Seattle Mariners, 4-0, October 17, in Seattle, to take the American League championship series, 4 games to 2. Dennis Martinez pitched 7 innings for the victory. In a dramatic World Series between the Braves and Indians, 5 of the 6 games were decided by one run. Atlanta wrapped up the title, 4 games to 2, October 28, with a 1-0 victory, as Tom Glavine and his 9th-inning reliever, Mark Wohlers, gave up just one hit. Right fielder Dave Justice accounted for the game's only run with a home run in the 6th inning off reliever Jim Poole.