1994: ‘Forrest Gump’ Opens in Theaters

The hugely successful movie, Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks opened in U.S. theaters on this day in 1994. It was based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom, who like Gump, grew up in Alabama and served in the Army during the Vietnam war, but the similarities probably ended there. In Gump, Forrest waxes eloquently that “life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” He outruns his use for crutches, becomes a ping-pong champ, mixes with key iconic figures like Elvis and Nixon and even helped create the smiley face by cleaning mud off his face. The movie received 13 Academy Award nominations and took home six Oscars. The win was Hanks’ second in the Best Actor category.