Tuesday, November 30, 2010

It's another ACME PSA

This has nothing to do with the court ordered community service we received last year - Major Gridlock Alert - Avoid, like the plague or swine flu, midtown today!

Thousands will gather at Rockefeller Center in New York City for the 78th Annual Christmas tree lighting ceremonies tonight. Do you really want to be stuck in the middle of Jersey Shore wannabees and bratty little girls who dragged Grandma to the American Girl Store? So once again, I'm giving native New Yorkers a gentle reminder - watch last year's lighting here.




Today's theme: People who feel their electric company doesn't make enough money - Christmas Light Shows:








November 30, 1971 -
The TV movie Brian's Song, debuted on ABC-TV on this date.



The interior of what was supposed to be Gale Sayers' house was actually the interior set of Darrin and Samantha's house from Bewitched.


November 30, 1990 -
Rob Reiner's adaptation of Stephen King's thriller, Misery, premiered on this date.



Stephen King had originally planned to release the novel under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. While writing it, however, it was discovered that King was Bachman. King subsequently published the novel under his real name, and announced that Bachman had died from "cancer of the pseudonym."


Gentle readers, we here at 'Today in History' hope that you will find today's posting a useful tool to help you count the blessing in your lives. Those who remain cynical and ungrateful might find cause for gratitude for at least one of the following historical events.

On November 30, 1935, the German government proclaimed a failure to accept the tenets of Nazism as grounds for divorce.



Be grateful you never married a Nazi.


Jonathan Swift was born on November 30, 1667,



and Mark Twain was born exactly 170 years later, in 1835.



Be grateful that not everyone is taking everything so goddamn seriously.


Winston Churchill (one of my favorite American who became British Prime Minister) was also born on November 30, in 1874, in a coat closet of his family home (really).

Be grateful that not everyone was so grateful for Peace In Our Time.


Otherwise, here are some other events that occurred on this date

November 30, 1900 -
Celebrated Irish author and noted sodomite Oscar Wilde, died in Paris of meningitis on this date. Wilde had been charged three times with indecency, specifically "the seduction and corruption of young men." Evidence admitted against him included testimony about fecal stains on his sheets.



Be thankful that we obviously have better cleaning detergents than the French did in 1900.

And remember, "I don't think that Wilde was a homosexual or bisexual, I think he just got carried away at those orgies".


November 30, 1929 -
Dick Clark, the American Bandstander, was born on this date. We heard a rumor about extensive facial plasticizing treatments in the early 1970's. While this rumor remains unverified, we must note that before his unfortunate stroke, the man seemed to no longer age and may not even be human.



Be thankful the few of us are faced with bargaining with Satan for our careers.


November 30, 1936 -
The Crystal Palace, originally built by Sir Joseph Paxton in London's Hyde Park for the 1851 Great Exhibition, burns to the ground on this date.



It was said that over 75,000 people came to watch the blaze, among them Winston Churchill, who said, "This is the end of an age". The glow was visible across eight counties.

Be thankful that you weren't down wind from this one.


November 30, 1954 -
At 1 pm, an 8.5 pound stone meteorite falls from the sky and strikes Ann Elizabeth Hodges from Sylacauga, Alabama. The housewife was seriously bruised but survived, although the meteorite destroyed her radio.

Oh the humanity!



Tomorrow is Hanukkah and there are 25 more shopping days until Christmas, (Festivus is just around the corner.)

Get your potato graters ready..


And so it goes

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