Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Word of the year for 2013

The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is a word or expression that has attracted a great deal of interest during the year to date.



This year, Oxford Dictionaries announced SELFIE as their international Word of the Year 2013. Another reason the world as we know it is coming to an end.


November 20, 1981 -
Miles Foreman's epic take on E.L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime, premiered on this date.



Because the movie was too long a twenty-minute sequence that told the story of Emma Goldman was taken out. Although Forman defended the scene the film’s producer let the author of the novel E. L. Doctorow decide whether they should put it back it. After Doctorow watched the shortened version of the film, he said that he hadn´t missed anything, and so the sequence was omitted.


November 20, 1983 -
An estimated 100 million people watched on this date, the controversial ABC-TV movie The Day After, which depicted the outbreak of nuclear holocaust in the United States.



The Department of Defense would only co-operate with the film's production on condition that it be made clear in the story that the Soviets, and not the United States, launched their missiles first.


Today in History :
November 20, 1917
-
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was held prisoner, whipped, and repeatedly raped by Turkish Army officers on this date. He apparently thoroughly enjoyed the experience.



50 Shade of Grey, indeed.


November 20, 1923 -
American inventor Garrett Morgan was awarded Patent No. 1475074 for the stoplight that included a third option in addition to "stop" and "go."



His invention was a major step forward in traffic safety. Besides the traffic light, Morgan is best known for his work on gas masks.


November 20, 1947 -
Princess Elizabeth married a ne'er-do-well Greek distant cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, in a ceremony broadcast worldwide from Westminster Abbey on this date.



She was so happy that day that it seems to escape her attention that she related to everyone at the church, include the groom's mother.



45 years later, on this date, Liz and Phil (and all the Mountbatten-Windsors) were in the middle of their Annus Horribilis when Windsor Castle caught on fire, causing extensive damage.


It's the 38th anniversary of Generallismo Francisco Franco heroic fight to remain dead.



He is still working at it today.


November 20, 1976-
Former-Beatle George Harrison appeared on Saturday Night Live on this date.



George Harrison seemed to have misunderstood Lorne Michaels offer of the $3,000 payment for his appearance; Michaels explained to George that the $3,000 was for all four of the Beatles - making the payment only $750 for him.


November 20, 1984 -
McDonald's
made its 50 billionth hamburger at 12:10 P.M. in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in New York City on this date.

It was eaten by Richard J. McDonald, one of the founders, who cooked burger No. 1 in San Bernardino, California, 36 years previously. That first burger and the 50 billionth are still lodged undigested in the colon of the corpse of Mr. McDonald.


November 20, 1985 -
Windows 1.0
, a 16-bit graphical operating environment was released on this date. It was Microsoft's first attempt to implement a multi-tasking graphical user interface-based operating environment on the PC platform. Windows 1.0 was the very first version of Windows launched.

If you think I'm going to make fun of Bill Gates, you're mistaken.

Hooray for Big Brother!!!


Before you go, the people at the AV Club got They Might Be Giants to cover the song Tubthumping



They have the greatest fans (TMBG that is)



And so it goes.

There are 9 days until Thanksgiving and the start of Hanukkah.
There are 35 days until Christmas.

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