December 12

Singer and actor Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915. He first became popular in the 1940s swing era, recording his first album in 1946. After winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “From Here to Eternity” (1953), he signed with Capitol Records and his career took off with a series of highly praised albums: In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960). He founded Reprise Records in 1961 and scored massive hits with his albums September of My Years (1965), Strangers in the Night (1966) and My Way (1969). He also starred in “On the Town” (1949), “Guys and Dolls” (1955), “High Society” (1956), “Pal Joey” (1957) and “The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Pictured: Sinatra intensely disliked this album cover, saying it looked like an ad for TWA.