Great moments in history and popular culture happen every day, and ON THIS DAY will share a few of them with you. We’ll also point you to related resources in our collection, helping you to discover classic films, musical favorites, and historical tidbits. The primary focus will be on our e-material – e-books, e-audio, and downloadable and streamable music and film – but physical books and DVDs will also be part of the fun.

	On this date in 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece. The Games were the largest international sporting event to that date; the International Olympic Committee's records indicate that 14 countries took part, though it is not entirely clear which ones. Forty-three events were held; the United States won the most gold medals, and Greece won the most overall medals. John Goodbody's A History of the Olympics carries the story forward from 1896 through the 2012 Beijing Games; it's available as an e-audio from Hoopla.
	On this day in 1937, Billy Dee Williams was born. Williams had been playing small roles in movies and television for several years when he had his breakthrough role in the 1971 TV movie Brian's Song. The tear-jerking movie was so popular that it was briefly released in movie theaters, and Williams went on to a string of successful movies. His signature role is Lando Calrissian, who he played in two Star Wars movies in the 1980s. In The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, Williams stars with James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor in a story about baseball players during the era of the Negro Leagues; the movie is available for streaming at Hoopla.
	And on this day in 1974, Abba won the 19th Eurovision Song Contest with "Waterloo," which would become their first international hit record. For the next decade, Abba would be one of the most successful bands in the world; their peak in the United States would be the #1 hit "Dancing Queen." "Waterloo," "Dancing Queen," and all the other hits can be heard on The Essential Collection, which is available for streaming at Hoopla.