It's also known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter or singultus.
Now you know.
Tonight is the start of Purim
The name of the festival comes from the Persian word for ‘lot’, as Haman drew lots to see who he’d kill first out of the Jewish elders in the country. It's an odd name for a holiday but hey, I didn't create it.
(More about it tomorrow)
March 16 -
But in reality a bunch of very drunk people made this up in 1956.
Please remember we should still keep socially distant and celebrate responsibly.
March 16, 1934 -
An (almost) all singing Popeye cartoon, The Man on the Flying Trapeze, premiered on this date.
The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trapeze is based on a real person: Jules Leotard. He was a former law student who ran away from home and joined a circus as an adolescent. Young Jules was the first performer to wear the skin-tight suit of clothes that would later be named after him; he died of tuberculosis aged only twenty-eight.
March 16, 1954 -
Max Ophüls' beautifully acted film, La Ronde, premiered in the US on this date. (Psst kids, the films about the transmission of syphilis - really.)
The film was shot entirely in the studio.
This is a must-see film - find time to watch it today.
March 16, 1955 -
Elia Kazan's powerful family drama, East of Eden, premiered in Los Angeles on this date (this is the only one of the "big three" James Dean films to be released before his death.)
Elia Kazan has said that James Dean's tension and shyness always manifested itself physically, so he allowed the actor to use contorted, awkward postures to convey the character: "It was almost psychotic. He was exactly like the people you see in insane asylums."
March 16, 1960 -
One of the iconic films of the French New Wave, À Bout de Souffle (Breathless), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg was released in France on this date.
Jean-Paul Belmondo was very surprised by the warm reception the film received. Immediately after production he was convinced it was so bad that he thought the film would never be released.
March 16, 1963 -
The musical group of Peter Paul and Mary released their hit single Puff the Magic Dragon, on this date. This song was rumored to be about drugs, particularly marijuana.
Some of the alleged drug references in this song include the "autumn mist," which was marijuana smoke, and the "land of Hanah Lee," which was the Hawaiian town of Hanalei, famous for its marijuana plants. Peter Yarrow insists that not only did the song have nothing to do with drugs, but that he didn't even know about pot in 1958, which kills any theories that he put drug references in subconsciously.
March 16, 1967 -
The Star Trek episode Errand of Mercy premiered on this date. In it, Kirk and Spock attempt to protect the planet Organia from the Klingon and sway them to the side of the Federation, but they aren’t welcome.
The episode marks the first appearance of Klingons on the series. Popularly known as The Vietnam Story, for its obvious allusions to Vietnam and its abuse by the colonial powers.
March 16, 1979 -
The Columbia Pictures thriller The China Syndrome, starring Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, and Wilford Brimley premiered in the US on this date. The film opened less than two weeks before the Three Mile Island Nuclear meltdown.
The first script for the film was written in the mid-1970s. Michael Douglas initially wanted to produce this film immediately after One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Jack Lemmon agreed to play his role as early as 1976. Douglas was enormously grateful to Lemmon, as he remained ready to start work at very short notice for over a year before production started, in the process passing up other work. To return the favor, Douglas amended the shooting schedule to allow Lemmon to attend rehearsals for the Broadway play Tribute, the film version of which would later star Lemmon.
March 16, 2019 -
Lil Nas X's song Old Town Road makes the Country chart, but is removed the following week when Billboard declares it ineligible for the tally.
Originally released on December 2, 2018, the track blew up as a result of memes on the social media platform TikTok, where users have uploaded clips using snippets of the song, plus the hashtag #oldtownroad. Lil Nas uploaded the song to TikTok himself, masterfully using the platform to launch the track.
Another job posting from The ACME Employment Agency
Today in History:
March 16 1190 -
More than 150 and perhaps as many as 500 Jews, secured in Clifford's Tower at York, died from suicide and massacre after they were sieged by townspeople under Richard Malebys on this date. Malebys was a nobleman who owed money to the Jews; after their siege all records relating to moneylending were destroyed.
March 16 1792 -
At a masquerade ball, a disgruntled Captain Jacob Johan Ankarstroem shot Swedish King Gustav III near the heart with a bullet composed of lead and carpet tacks, on this date. It took the King almost two weeks to die.
As punishment, the Captain was decapitated, drawn, and quartered.
Ouch!!!
March 16, 1912 -
If I had a choice, I'd rather be admired less and have my husband tormented less. I'd prefer that people concentrate on a fair assessment of him and his Presidency.
March 16, 1916 –
Tsutomu Yamaguchi, born on this date, was one of the only individuals who witnessed and survived both atom bombs in Japan, Hiroshima on August 6th, and Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.
Mr. Yamaguchi slowly recovered and went on to live a relatively normal life. He died from radiation related stomach cancer at 93, on January 4, 2010.
March 16, 1926 -
Postwar America was a very buttoned-up nation. Radio shows were run by censors, Presidents wore hats, ladies wore girdles. We came straight out of the blue - nobody was expecting anything like Martin and Lewis. A sexy guy and a monkey is how some people saw us.
Joseph Levitch, comedian, actor, producer, writer, director, singer, Légion d'honneur recipient and the dollar sign in Dean Martin eyes, was born on this date.
March 16, 1926 -
Robert H. Goddard, fueled the first hopes of space travel when he successfully launched the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts on this date.
The rocket traveled for 2.5 seconds at a speed of about 60 mph, reaching an altitude of 41 feet. The rocket was 10 feet tall, constructed out of thin pipes, and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline.
(This will be on the test.)
March 16 1949 - It's Erik Estrada's birthday today.
Reason enough to live another day.
March 16, 1966 -
NASA launches the Gemini 8 on this date. It is the twelfth manned American space mission. Shortly after its launch, it will take part in the first physical docking of two spacecraft in orbit when it rendezvous with the Gemini Agena to conduct extravehicular activities six hours and thirty-three minutes after launch.
However, about twenty-seven minutes after docking, a malfunction in the capsule’s control thrusters occurs, and it is forced to abort the mission and return to Earth, only 6.5 orbits after launch. The mission is crewed by command pilot Astronaut Neil A. Armstrong and pilot Astronaut David R. Scott.
March 16 1978 -
Italian Red Brigades kidnapped former Italian Premier Aldo Moro on this date, in order to obtain the release of imprisoned comrades.
Moro was murdered and his body was later found on May 9, 1978.
And so it goes.
1 comment:
the first performer to wear the skin-tight suit of clothes, indeed
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