And now - our moment of culture.

Robert Schumann was born 200 years ago on this date. His muse and inspiration was one of the 19th century's great pianists -- his wife, Clara.



For the last two years of his life, after an attempted suicide, Robert Schumann was confined to a mental institution at his own request.


June 8, 1968 -
Rolling Stones release Jumpin' Jack Flash on this date.



It's still a gas, gas, gas.


June 8, 1933 -
Joan Alexandra Molinsky, comic and actress, was born on this date.



And if you look closely, the skin near her elbow is the original.


Nancy Sinatra was born on this date (it would be impolite to say how old she is.)



Those boots must be made for endurance walking


Today in History
June 8, 632 -
The prophet Mohammed died on this date. He was the founder of Islam, and his death was the first in a long chain of events that ultimately resulted in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Whether he is at this very moment reclining on a soft couch somewhere in Paradise, being serviced by a high-bosomed virgin with dark eyes or consuming a handful of raisins is debatable.

And if you think I'm going to post a picture of the Prophet, you've got another thing coming.


June 8 1869 -
Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patented his sweeping machine, the first suction vacuum cleaner, on this date.

This suggests that Chicago was famous for sucking long before the emergence of the Cubs.


June 8, 1986 -
Former UN Secretary General and Nazi war criminal Kurt Waldheim is elected president of Austria. One year later, the U.S. Justice Department places him on a watch list of undesirable aliens, making Waldheim the first foreign head of state legally forbidden from visiting America.



I believe this was the beginning of the "I have no recollection of being a Nazi" defense.


June 8, 1949 -
The very funny Looney Tunes cartoon, Kitty Kornered, is released on this date. It have a number of firsts going for it:
1.) It's the first appearance of Sylvester the Cat (as this point unnamed) in a Warner Bros. cartoon.
2.) It's the first pairing of Porky and Sylvester.


Milkman keeps those bottles quiet!


June 8, 1950 -
The Asphalt Jungle, the superb film noir directed by John Huston,was released on this date.



Marilyn Monroe has a minor but memorable role in the film.


And so it goes.