Monday, October 18, 2010

What's the Palin family doing today?

October 18 is Alaska Day in the U.S. state of Alaska, observed on this date. Previously, they tried celebrating Alaska Day in Iowa on this date. A general feeling of confusion ensued.

It is the anniversary of the formal transfer of the Territory of Alaska from Russia to the United States which took place at a flag-raising ceremony at Fort Sitka on October 18, 1867.


October 18, 1961 -
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins' film version of Broadway musical, West Side Story, premiered in New York City on this date.



With its win of 10 Academy Awards, this became the biggest Oscar-winning musical of all time, beating the record Gigi set three years before with its nine Oscars.


October 18, 1967 -
The 19th animated feature and the first film Disney Studios released after Walt Disney's death, Jungle Book, premiered on this date.



Walt Disney died during production of this film. Many people wondered at what the studio's fate would be, particularly the animation division. The film performed extremely well at the box office, ensuring that the animators would not be put out of work. Had the film failed, it is likely that animation would have been closed down at the Disney studio.

October 18, 1988 -
Poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, sex, menstruation, birth control, teenage pregnancy, masturbation, obesity, abortion, race, social class, domestic violence, and homosexuality - some of the topics dealt with on the series, Roseanne (which premiered on this date.)



Not only did two actresses play Becky (Alicia Goranson and Sarah Chalke) but there were also two D.Js (Sal Barone and Michael Fishman), two actresses playing Dan's mother Audrey Conner (Ann Wedgeworth and Debbie Reynolds), three actors playing Crystal's son Lonnie (Josh C. Williams, Luke Edward and Kristopher Kent Hill) and two actors playing DJ's best friend Todd (Troy Davidson and Adam Hendershott.) All three of Roseanne's husbands (Bill Pentland, Tom Arnold and Ben Thomas) made at least one guest appearance on the show.


Today in History:
October 18, 1767 -
The border between Maryland and Pennsylvania was settled. Dubbed the Mason-Dixon line, it became the unofficial boundary between North and South.



Bad confederates, bad.


October 18,1898 -
The United States took control of Puerto Rico one year after Spain had granted self-rule to the Caribbean nation. Since1917, people born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens.

So class, that makes all Puerto Ricans - U.S. citizens.



I promised I'd get off my soap box last year so I won't rant about the fact that my grandparents didn't need green cards and didn't need to register.


October 18, 1931 -
Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most prolific inventors (and evil businessmen) in history, forgot to file a patent on avoiding death so he died in West Orange, N.J., at the age of 84.



Bad Grim Reaper, bad.

October 18, 1945 -
The USSR's nuclear program receives plans for America's plutonium bomb, courtesy of secret agent Klaus Fuchs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Bad spy, bad spy.


October 18, 1959 -
The Soviet Union announced an unmanned space vehicle had taken the first pictures of the far side of the moon.



Remember kids, there is no dark side of the moon - it's all dark.


October 18, 1968 -
A police with the help of two sniffer dogs, named Yogi and Boo-Boo, raid the apartment of John Lennon and Yoko Ono and finds a very small amount of pot. The couple is fined £150 .



Bad Beatle, bad Beatle.


October 18, 1974 -
The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, based loosely on Ed Gein's story opens in theatres. At the time of release, the film was so strongly criticized for its content that it was eventually banned in various countries around the world, including Australia and the United Kingdom.



Bad psycho killer, bad psycho killer.


October 18, 1974 -
The jury in the Watergate cover-up trial heard a tape recording in which U.S. President Richard Nixon told aide John Dean to try to stop the Watergate burglary investigation before it implicated White House personnel.

Bad Dick, bad.

October 18, 1984 -
U.S. President Ronald Reagan ordered an investigation of a CIA handbook for Nicaraguan rebels that suggested assassination as a political tactic.

Bad - oh forget it, he's dead.



And so it goes

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