On this day in 2012, Newsies seized the day on opening night at the Nederlander Theater!

Ms. McEntire, the third in a family of four children, grew up on a cattle ranch in the small, rural town of Chockie, Oklahoma. Her father expected all the children to work on the ranch and Ms. McEntire began riding horses at the age of three. By the time she was seven, she was gathering cattle from before daylight until after dark. In what little spare time she had, McEntire also competed in rodeos as a barrel racera sport she continued until she was 21. As a child, Ms. McEntire's mother taught her and her three siblings how to sing and harmonize as they traveled to and from their father's rodeo performances. While in high school, Ms. McEntire and her siblings formed their own group, The Singing McEntires, and performed frequently at rodeos, clubs, and dance halls. Ms. McEntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University, graduating with a major in elementary education and a minor in music. She continued to work on her father's ranch to help pay her tuition. While the more predictable career paths for Ms. McEntire would have been to become a teacher or barrel racer, she was determined to pursue her dream of becoming a country music artist. Ms. McEntire got her first break singing the national anthem at a rodeo in 1974, which resulted in an invitation to move to Nashville and ultimately a deal with Polygram Mercury Records. Although her first recordings were not an immediate success, Ms. McEntire worked diligently, releasing a series of increasingly popular albums and winning the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award four years in a row, from 1984 to 1987. As the only country female solo act to have a No. 1 hit in four straight decades, Reba has achieved a rare pinnacle with 35 No. 1 singles and over 56 million albums sold worldwide often prompting her to be called the 'queen of country music.' The Country Music Hall of Fame and Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame member has won 15 American Music Awards, 13 ACM Awards, nine People's Choice Awards, seven CMA Awards, two GRAMMY Awards, an ACM Career Achievement Honor and the National Artistic Achievement Award from the U.S. Congress, in addition to other leadership and philanthropic accolades. With SING IT NOW: SONGS OF FAITH AND HOPE(Nash Icon Records / Capitol Christian Music Group), which topped both theBillboard Country and Christian/Gospel charts for multiple weeks and marked her thirteenth summit, Ms. McEntire won her first GMA Dove Awards forBluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year as well as a GRAMMY Awards nomination for Best Roots Gospel Album to be broadcast live on January 28, 2018 on CBS. Her creative and entrepreneurial endeavors have established her as a household name across music, television, film, theater and retail. Proving her business acumen, Ms. McEntire has expanded her brand to include lines with Dillard's and Justin Boots. She wrote her autobiography, Reba: My Story, in 1994, and a second book, Comfort from a Country Quilt, in 1999. Ms. McEntire is also an acclaimed actress with 11 movie credits, a lead role on Broadway and starred in her own six-season television sitcom 'Reba,' for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 2004. 'The Horatio Alger Association stands for integrity, honesty and resilience qualities that Reba certainly exemplifies,' said Matthew Rose, president, Horatio Alger Association and 2013 Horatio Alger Award recipient. 'She has faced numerous challenges in both her early career and personal tragedies, with admirable strength and grace. Reba inspires us all with her tenacity and always upbeat attitude. Her positive outlook is contagious and she will serve as an excellent role model for our Scholars. For these reasons and more, we are proud to recognize her as a 2018 Horatio Alger Member.'< Ms. McEntire is also well-known for her charitable efforts, working with organizations such as The Salvation Army, Texoma Medical Center, Children's Medical Research, Habitat for Humanity, Outnumber Hunger and more. The Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas, is home to the Reba McEntire Rehabilitation Center, Reba's Ranch House, and the TMC Reba Mobile Mammography Unit. In recognition of her philanthropic efforts, Ms. McEntire has received the Salvation Army Award, the Home Depot Humanitarian Award and Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award.

On this day in 2008, Patti LuPone opened as the greatest stage mother in history, 'Mama' Rose Hovick, in Arthur Laurents' Broadway revival of Gypsy!

On this day, Elton John and Tim Rice's musical adaptation of the classic opera Aida landed on Broadway. 

On this day in 2013, the new American musical Hands on a Hardbody opened at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

On this day in 1998, Roundabout's sumptuous revival of Kander and Ebb's Cabaret opened on Broadway starring Alan Cumming and Natasha Richardson.

On this day in 1956, Broadway audiences fell in love with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison as they opened in My Fair Lady at the Mark Hellinger Theater.

On this day in 2013, Christopher Durang's Tony Award-winning Best Play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike opened on Broadway.

Put up your dukes today as we take step into the ring to celebrate the musical theatre take on the 1976 Best Picture, Rocky, which opened on Broadway on this day in 2014.

Today we salute the great Liza Minnelli, who celebrates her 72nd birthday today!

On this day in 2008, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony Award-winning Latinx love letter, In the Heights, opened on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater!

On this day in 2016, the Broadway production of Seth Rudetsky's hilarious disco dilemma, DISASTER, opened at the Nederlander Theater.

On this day, we celebrate the birthday of Broadway legend and Tony Award-winner, Donna Murphy.

Today we celebrate the birthday of gravity-defying composer, Stephen Schwartz! 

On this day in 2013, Dame Helen Mirren arrived on Broadway for the first time, portraying Queen Elizabeth in Peter Morgan's THE AUDIENCE. 

Smokey's Joe's Cafe celebrates the pop hits written by the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller during the 1950s and 60s.

On this day in 1979, the murderous barber, Sweeney Todd slashed his way into Broadway's Uris Theater (now the Gershwin).

On this day in 2008, the psychedelic rock musical, Passing Strange, opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theater.

On this day in 2013, a star-studded Broadway cast and the New York Philharmonic presented a staged concert of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic, Carousel.

On this day in 1989, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, an anthology comprising musical numbers celebrating shows featuring direction or choreography by Jerome Robbins, opened on Broadway.

Today we're celebrating the birthday ot Tony Award winner, Lea Salonga!

On this day we celebrate the birthday of Broadway favorite, Jessie Mueller!

On this day we celebrate the birthday of Tony Award-nominee, John Tartaglia!

On this day in 1984, Ethel Merman, a Broadway institution known as the 'undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage, passed away at the age of 76. 

On this day in 2016, the coming of age story of A Bronx Tale made its world premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey.