Tag Archives: Today in History

Day In History ► It’s My Birthday

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Today is the very best day in all of history because today is the day commemorating my birth 60 years ago. Here are just some of the other people I have allowed to share my birthday:

1502 Pope Gregory XIII introduced Gregorian calendar in 1582
1770 Earl of Liverpool (C) British PM (1812-27)
1778 George Bryan “Beau” Brummel, London England, English dandy
1811 Sir James Young Simpson, Scotland, obsterician (used chloroform)
1843 Susan Elizabeth Blow, US, pioneered kindergarten education
1848 Paul Gaugin [Eugene Henri], French post-impressionist painter
1896 Robert Mulliken, US, chemist/physicist (Nobel 1966)
1897 George Szell, Budapest Hungary, conductor (Metropolitan 1942-45)
1909 Congressman Peter Rodino (D-NJ); chaired Watergate hearings
1909 Jessica Tandy, London, actress (Birds, Cocoon, Batteries Not Included)
1917 Dean Martin, singer/comedian (partner for Jerry Lewis)
1917 Gwendolyn Brooks, US poet (The Bean Eaters)
1922 Rocky Graziano, boxer/entertainer (Pantomime Quiz, Martha Raye Show)
1924 Dolores Gray Chic Ill, singer/actress (Designing Woman, Kismet)
1926 Dick Williams, Wall Lake Iowa, choral director (Andy Williams Show)
1929 John Turner, Richmond England, (L) 17th Canadian PM (1984)
1931 Lang Jeffries, Ontario Canada, actor (Skip-Rescue 8)
1937 Neeme J„rvi Tallinn, Estonia, conductor (Estonia Opera 1971)
1940 Tom Jones, Pontypridd Wales, singer (What’s New Pussycat)
1941 Jaime Laredo, Bolivia, violinist (Qn Elisabeth of Belgium prize 1959)
1943 Ken Osmond, actor (Eddie Haskel-Leave it To Beaver)
1943 Nikki Giovanni, poet (LHJ Woman of the Year 1973)
1944 Bill Rafferty, Queens NY, comedian (Laugh-In, Real People)
1944 Clarence White, guitarist (The Byrds-Turn! Turn! turn!)
1946 Bill Kreutzman, drummer (Grateful Dead-Uncle John’s Band)
1947 Thurman Munson, NY Yankee (captain/catcher)
1954 Lui Passaglia, Vancouver BC, CFL place kicker (B.C. Lions)
1955 Joey Scarbury, Ontario Calif, singer (Greatest American Hero)
1958 Christopher Marcantel, Smithtown NY, actor (Chip-Nurse, Loving)
1958 Prince [Rodgers Nelson], rocker/actor (1999, Purple Rain)
1962 Paddy McAloon, rocker (Prefab Sprout-2 Wheels Good)
1971 Mark Wahlberg, Mass, rapper

Here are some of the events I allowed to happen on my birthday:

555 Vigilius ends his reign as Catholic Pope
1614 2nd parliment of King James I, disolves passing no legislation
1654 Louis XIV crowned king of France
1692 Porte Royale Jamaica slides into harbor after earthquake
1769 Daniel Boone begins exploring the Bluegrass State of Kentucky
1775 United Colonies change name to United States
1776 Richard Lee (VA) moves Decl of Independence in Continental Congress
1839 Hawaiian Declaration of Rights is signed
1860 Workmen start laying track for Market Street Railroad, SF
           1st US “dime novel” published: “Malaseka, The Indian Wife
           of the White Hunter,” by Mrs Ann Stevens
1863 Mexico City captured by French troops
1864 Abe Lincoln renominated for Pres by Republican Party
1866 Irish Fenians raid Pigeon Hill, Qu‚bec
1887 Monotype type-casting machine patented by Tolbert Lanston, Wash DC
1892 John J Doyle of Clev Spiders is 1st to pinch hit in a baseball game
1896 G Harpo & F Samuelson leave NY to row the Atlantic (takes 54 days)
1898 Social Democracy of America party holds 1st national convention, Chic
1901 M Wolf discovers asteroid #471 Papagena
1905 Norway dissolves union with Sweden (in effect since 1814)
1909 Cleveland Industrial Exposition opens
1912 St Pius X encyclical “On the Indians of South America”
1912 US army tests 1st machine gun mounted on a plane
1924 George Leigh-Mallory disappears 775′ from Everest’s summit
1929 Vatican City becomes a soverign state

1936 Yanks beat Indians 5-4 in 16; longest game without a strikeout
1938 1st play telecast with original Broadway cast, “Susan & God”
1938 Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat 1st flown (Eddie Allen)
1939 1st king & queen of England to visit US, George VI & Elizabeth
1939 Cleve Indians sets AL record of 16 inning game without
           striking out, however lose the game 5-4 to NY Yankees
1941 Whirlaway wins the Belmont Stakes & the triple crown
1942 USS Yorktown sinks near Midway Island
1953 1st color network telecast in compatible color, Boston, Mass
1954 1st microbiology laboratory dedicated (New Brunswick NJ)
1955 “The $64,000 Question” premiers on CBS TV
1955 1st President to appear on color TV (Eisenhower)
1959 KLX-AM in Oakland Calif changes call letters to KEWB (now KNEW)
1962 NASA civilian test pilot Joseph A Walker takes X-15 to 31,580 m
1963 1st Rolling Stones TV appearance (Thank Your Lucky Stars)
           & release 1st single, “Come on”
1965 Gemini 4 completes 62 orbits
1967 2 Moby Grape members arrested for contributing to deliquency of minors
1967 Israel captures Wailing Wall in East Jerusalem
1968 Sirhan Sirhan indicted for Bobby Kennedy assassination
1969 Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash combine on a Grand Ole Opry TV special
1969 Tommy James & the Shondells release “Crystal Blue Persuasion”
1970 Jockey Willie Shoemaker passes Johnny Longden with his 6,033 win
1970 The Who’s Tommy is performed at NY’s Lincoln Center
1971 Soviet Soyuz 11 crew completes 1st transfer to orbiting Salyut
1972 German Chancellor Willy Brandt visits Israel
1975 Spain’s Manuel Orantes wins US Open, beating Jimmy Connors in 3 sets
1977 Anita Bryant leads successful crusade against Miami gay rights law
1978 Bullets beat Supersonics for NBA championship, 4 games to 3
1979 Bhaskara 1, Indian Earth resources/meteorology satellite, launched
1979 Rocker Chuck Berry is charged with tax evasion
1980 John McEnroe beats Bj”rn B”rg for US Open
1980 Temperance Hill wins Belmont Stakes (50:1 long shot)
1980 Tommy John wins his 200th, 3-0 on a 2-hitter
1981 Bjorn Borg wins his 6th French Open singles (defeats Ivan Lendl)
1981 Israel destroys alleged Iraqi plutonium production facility
1982 NY Mets draft Dwight Gooden, Roger McDowell & Randy Myers
1982 Pres Reagan meets Pope John Paul II & Queen Elizabeth
1983 A Gilmore & P Kilmartin discovers asteroid #3152
1983 Steve Carlton temporarily passes Nolan Ryan with his 3,552 strike out
1986 Madonna’s “Live to Tell,” single goes #1
1989 23 year old olympic barefoot South African runner Zola Budd retires
1989 Atlanta Fulton County Comm approves $210M stadium for the Falcons
1989 Wayne Gretzky wins his 9th NHL Hart (MVP) Trophy in 10 years
           1st Baseball game to start outdoors and end indoors, as Toronto Blue
           Jays stadium closes roof during game at 8:48, & beat Brewers 4-2
1990 Michael Jackson hospitalized for chest pains
1991 Singer Jimmy Osmond weds Michelle Larson

h/t Scope Systems; ANYDAY Today In History

Day In History ► The British Army Sends ‘Merkin Army Packing

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To all my Hamilton and Canadian friends: On this day 199 years ago the British Army made a night raid upon the ‘Merkin army. The Brits had overestimated the ‘Merkin presence, so had more than enough numbers in this War of 1812 battle to send those MoFos back to where they came from. The Battle of Stoney Creek was over in less than an hour and it preserved Upper Canada for the British. This was the turning point in the war and the Brits went on to set the White House ablaze the following year. Nyah nyah!!!

BTW: When I was growing up in Detroit, we were taught in history class that the U.S. never lost a war. Wrong. Nyah, nyah!!!

Read more:

The Battle of Stoney Creek, Canadian Encyclopedia
Battlefield House Museum
BOOK: Strange Fatality by James E. Elliott.

Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be ► Mr. Bojangles ► May 25

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Dateline May 25, 1878 – Bill “Mr. Bojangles” Robinson was born. It hardly matters that the Jerry Jeff Walker song was written about a White guy in jail in New Orleans. It will always be associated with the renowned star of stage and movies who managed to break thru’ the colour barriers of his time. In the day Black musical performances in movies were filmed in such a way so that they could be cut later when the movie played in the south. Bill Robinson’s dance with Shirley Temple in
The Little Colonel

was the first time audiences saw a Black man dancing with a White girl, with Robinson reprising his famous stair dance.

It hardly seems radical today, but it was groundbreaking in 1935. Yet, he will always be known more for his for his dancing than being the first this or that…which is the way it should be. Here’s his sand dance from “Stormy Weather.”

He just makes it look so easy:

Bill Robinson’s last public appearance was on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour in 1949, just weeks before he died:

As for the song itself? Here’s Jerry Jeff Walker performing it live:

The person who popularized the song, and made it synonymous with Bill Robinson — more than anyone else — was Sammy Davis, Jr., who made it a signature part of act for years.

However, in montage, here’s Sammy describing why emotionally it was such a difficult song for him to perform:

However, this post wouldn’t be complete without Harry Nilsson’s version of Mr. Bojangles. Enjoy:

Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra ► Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

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Dateline: May 12, 1960 – Elvis Presley, newly returned from the U.S. Army, serving Uncle Sam, makes his first network tee vee appearance with Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra:

 

And here is Elvis in his prime, in 1956, with one of his earliest hits:

 

Elvis loved Gospel Music. Listen to his sensitive treatment of the classic “It Is No Secret.”

 

Fifty-two years ago today!!!

Day In History ► May 2 ► Adolf Hitler Bans Trade Unions

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DATELINE – 1933: One of the important events in Adolph Hitler’s inexorable march to dictatorship and WWII was the banning of trade unions. Wisconsin? Are you listening? ‘Merka? Are you listening?

“Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist…”

Day In History ► May 1 ► Citizen Kane Premiers

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DATELINE 1941 – After a fight between William Randolph Hearst and RKO Radio Pictures, Citizen Kane is finally released to the public. This film both created and cemented the reputation of Orson Welles, who never had final control of a movie again.
Welles had been a hot commodity after his Mercury Theatre (it’s an ironic insult that Glenn Beck’s company name pays tribute to Welles) scared the crap out of ‘Merka with his radio drama of H.G. Wells “War of the Worlds.” Soon afterwards RKO signed him to an unprecedented picture deal with full artistic control and the rest is history and allegory.
Orson Welles arriving at the premier
Over the years the reputation of Citizen Kane has grown and many, including myself, think it’s the greatest film ever made. Much of the film’s language was adapted by directors over the years. Therefore Citizen Kane hardly looks as revolutionary as it was back in the day. Welles went on to make many movies over the years, but none were as TERRIFIC as Citizen Kane. 
As always the nonconformist, here’s Welles’ trailer for Citizen Kane, which includes many scenes not in the final movie, some which appear to have been created for this advert and some back-stage tomfoolery. Enjoy:

Rosebud!

Today In History – April 29

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There are two events of import on this day in history: President Richard Nixon released transcripts of the so-called Watergate Tapes; the Rodney King verdict was announced.and Los Angeles explodes in indignation.

Video created by author from still photographs
DATELINE 1972 – President Richard Nixon announced he would release transcripts of the secretly recorded conversations in the Oval Office.  This marked the real beginning of the end for Nixon.  The words “expletive deleted” became a national joke, made Nixon look petty and ugly, and the transcripts didn’t satisfy the subpoenas.  The tapes would eventually be released, leading to the infamous 18 and a half minute gap and the smoking fun tape.  Nixon resigned the presidency on August 8, 1974. 

DATELINE 1992 – A jury in Simi Valley, California acquitted police officers of using excessive force in the beating of Rodney King, caught on tape and played in the media multiple times.  Despite that mostly White jurors voted “Not Guilty” and Los Angeles exploded in an orgy of anger, which turned to 3 days of looting and hooliganism.