THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On October 29, 1964, a irreplaceable gem collection that included the 565-carat Star of India star sapphire was stolen from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City by a gang of thieves that included violin prodigy and surfer Murph the Surf. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

October 29 is the birthday of Russian painter ANDREI RYABUSHKIN (1861-1904). To see examples of this extraordinary artist’s work, CLICK HERE.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On October 29, 1787, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the first performance of his opera DON GIOVANNI in Prague.

Provincialnachrichten of Vienna reported, 'Herr Mozart conducted in person and was welcomed joyously and jubilantly by the numerous gathering.'"

Happy Birthday, RALPH BAKSHI!! The American animator, filmmaker and painter is 86 years old today. He made his debut feature film, Fritz the Cat, released in 1972. It was based on the comic strip by Robert Crumb, was the first animated film to receive an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, and is the most successful independent animated feature of all time.

Over the next 11 years, Bakshi directed seven additional animated features. He is well known for such films as Wizards (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978), American Pop (1981), and Fire and Ice (1983).