April 11, 1942 -
Bob Clampett was the first to tackle an adaption of a Dr. Seuss book when Merrie Melodies released Horton Hatches the Egg, on this date.
Peter Lorre was a favorite characterization for the famed Warner Bros. cartoonists, as he tangled several times with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
April 11, 1947 -
Charlie Chaplin's very dark comedy, Monsieur Verdoux, premiered on this date in NYC.
The film was a colossal box-office flop on its 1947 release, despite being ardently championed by writer-critic James Agee, who considered Charles Chaplin's acting performance the greatest male performance he had ever seen in films.
April 11, 1955 -
The Paddy Chayefsky drama, Marty, starring Ernest Borgnine (the man who taught Ethel Merman the lessons of love) and Betsy Blair and directed by Delbert Mann, premiered in New York City on this date.
Film historians have credited this film with demonstrating the viability of low budget, independently-produced films in the United States and with the proliferation of such films. Studio executives were well aware that low budget, independent, and realistic films had been successful in Europe for many years, but most studios were skeptical that such successes would occur in the United States.
April 11, 1973 -
In one of the show's most memorable moments, Stevie Wonder plays a funky, live version of Superstition on Sesame Street, on this date.
The song was originally intended for Jeff Beck, who was brought in to play some guitar parts on the album in exchange for a song. At one of the sessions, Stevie came up with the riff and wrote some lyrics, and they recorded a rough version of the song that day for Beck. It took Beck a while to record the song, and by the time he released it, Wonder's version had been out for a month and was a huge hit.
April 11, 1981 –
One of the songs that aired on MTV's first day of broadcast - Daryl Hall and John Oates' Kiss on My List, reached no. #1 on the Billboard charts on this date.
This is a very misinterpreted song, as many people hear the lyric as "kiss on my lips." According to Daryl Hall, it is what he calls "an anti-love song," and the lyric, "Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life" means that the kiss is simply another item on the guy's list - and certainly not the best thing. Said Hall: "Everyone thinks it's 'I love you and without you I would die.' It's exactly the opposite of that."
April 11, 1983 -
R.E.M. release their debut album, Murmur, on this date.
Radio Free Europe was R.E.M.'s first single, released in 1981 before they signed to a major label. A better-produced version was included on Murmur, the band's first full-length album, in 1983.
April 11, 1997 -
Buena Vista Pictures' surprise hit, Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, and Joan Cusack, premiered in the US on this date.
When Martin first visits Debi's house she says; "You can't come in" in a Jamaican accent. This is a reference to the song which is playing in the background : You're Wondering Now by The Specials, which starts off with a knock at the door followed by one of the band saying the same thing in the same (albeit more authentic) accent.
April 11, 2009 –
Lady Gaga second hit off her debut album The Fame, Poker Face, hit no. #1 on the Billboard charts, on this date.
When this song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Lady Gaga became the first artist to top the chart with his or her first two entries since 1999-2000, when Christina Aguilera achieved the same feat with Genie in a Bottle and What a Girl Wants.
Word of the Day
(On the road, on the way home. Still abbreviated unfortunately.) Today in History:
April 11, 1034 -
An ancient corollary (lost to the ages) of the phrase 'don't go to bed mad' is 'don't take a bath mad'. After cutting his wife's allowance, in order to balance the Byzantine Empire's budget, Emperor Romanos III Argyros was drowned by the Empress Zoe's eunuch (and lover?) Michael, in his bath on this date.
April 11, 1713 -
Psst (in case it comes up in conversation), Spain ceded Gibraltar in perpetuity to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht on this date.
April 11, 1814 -
Able was I ere I saw Elba.
He retaining the title of emperor and 400 volunteers to act as his guard. He was granted sovereignty over Elba and a pension from the French government. Retirement on a small island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy, didn't suit him and he comes back for his metric Hundred Day campaign (see March 20).
April 11, 1865 -
President Abraham Lincoln made his last public speech on this date. His speech centered on promoting the rights of African-Americans.
The speech apparently didn't come off as planned. After hearing it, John Wilkes Booth, who had originally been planning to kidnap Lincoln, become so incensed that he decided to assassinate him instead.
April 11, 1890 -
Joseph "John" Merrick, the Elephant Man died at the Royal London Hospital at the age of 27 on this date.
It is mistakenly thought that John Merrick's condition was Elephantiasis; in recent years it is believed that he either suffered from von Recklinghausen’s disease or Proteus syndrome, a condition which had only been identified in 1979.
April 11, 1905 -
A simple patent clerk, Albert Einstein, known mostly for looking at the town clock or passing trains, produces a not so simple paper discussing the Theory of Relativity which among other things postulates that E=MC².
This astonished the world because previously E had always equated the fifth letter of the alphabet.
April 11, 1935 -
Richard Berry, the composer of Louie Louie was born on this date.
The song has been recorded more times than any other rock song in history.
April 11, 1951 -
President Harry S. Truman roused himself from the fourth boiler maker of the day and relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his command on this date. Though MacArthur was a major force in the army in both World War II and Korea, he repeatedly ignored or stretched Truman's orders, suggesting the nuclear option on the peninsula.
MacArthur forgot the most important issue, several military men have forgotten when dealing with Washington D.C. - he was not actually president. The conflict between the two became very public, and Truman eventually replaced him.
April 11, 1954 –
According to a team of Cambridge University scientists, this date in history was the most boring day during the entire 20th Century.
Everything goes better with fondue,
and a K-tel Tape Selector.
April 11, 1979 -
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, fell to the Tanzanians and dictator Idi Amin was overthrown on this date (yes, this is on the exam.) Amin escaped to Libya and settled into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Amin, an occasional cannibal who killed perhaps 300,000 during his reign, had made the mistake of invading Tanzania - the rookie mistake most occasional cannibals make.
And so it goes.
3 comments:
Napoleon refurbished a theater in Portoferraio, Elba, and sold fancy box seats to rich patrons. He used the money to help finance his escape from Elba. There's a nice restaurant next to the theater with a lovely patio. The restaurant is run by - no kidding - a family named Medici.
the most boring day during the entire 20th Century, indeed
Jim, I swear, sometimes I think, you should be writing this blog.
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