Click here to see which albums are being released exclusively for Record Store Day.
Bunkies, if you or your kid cut school or work today, once again, lock up the snacks. They may come home with a case of the munchies.
Be thankful though, they're not out celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Klara Hitler's bouncing baby little evil bastard named Adolf on this date in 1889, (smack them hard across the back of the head if they were thinking about it though.)
Or that you should be concerned if they were celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Columbine attack.
Perhaps you'll probably spent the better part of the day,if you're over 65 or have a compromised immune system, thinking about the FDA's recommendation to get another booster shot for COVID or RSV and contemplating the life of St. Agnes of Montepulciano on her feast day.
April 20, 1939 -
During the 1939 World's Fair, David Sarnoff, president of RCA, unveiled the first commercial publicly accessible television broadcast, on this date. In Flushing NY, Sarnoff proclaimed "Now we add sight to sound" and during the opening ceremonies of the fair on April 30th, FDR became the first president to ever be televised.
The speech is broadcast by RCA subsidiary NBC to two hundred televisions across the state of New York. It might have had a larger audience had more TV sets been available - at this time, there were only a few hundreds TV set in America. By the end of the year, a thousand receivers woull be sold in the U.S. Screens are initially only about five inches across.
April 20, 1976 -
George Harrison, who is good friends with Eric Idle, joined Monty Python on stage at the comedy troupe's show at New York's City Center, on this date. Dressed as a Canadian Mountie, Harrison joins the chorus for The Lumberjack Song. No mention is made of Harrison's appearance, and few in the audience recognize him.
The next night, Harry Nilsson shows up to perform the same feat, but with disastrous results, as he fell into the audience and broke his arm.
April 20, 1977 -
Annie Hall, at 93 minutes, the shortest color film to ever win the Best Picture Oscar, premiered on this date (Marty, in glorious B & W was 91 minutes.)
The house under the rollercoaster where Alvy grew up is actually the Kensington Hotel in Coney Island, Brooklyn which was located underneath the Thunderbolt rollercoaster. Allen discovered it while searching locations during filming. The hotel and rollercoaster were demolished in 2000.
April 20, 1981 -
ABC unceremoniously aired the final episode of Soap, leaving many of the plotlines unresolved.
Susan Harris, the creator of the series, went on to create The Golden Girls and Empty Nest, using many of the same actors who first appeared on Soap.
April 20, 1992 -
The life and music of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who died five months earlier following complications from AIDS, was celebrated in a star-studded concert, A Concert For Life, at London’s Wembley Stadium, on this date.
Organized by Mercury’s bandmates, the event not only featured an array of luminaries (including Elton John, David Bowie, Phil Collins, George Michael, and Metallica) but also raised funds for AIDS research, launching the Mercury Phoenix Trust.
April 20, 1993 -
Aerosmith releases their 11th studio album Get a Grip, on this date.
Get a Grip went on to sell more than seven million copies in the U.S. and 20 million copies worldwide, ensuring the album's place as Aerosmith's most successful studio album in terms of global sales.
April 20, 2002 -
An English dubbed version of the Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi,) premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, on this date.
It was the first anime film to be nominated for (and win) an Academy Award. At 125 minutes, it also has the longest runtime of any other film nominated or winning in that category.
Don't forget to tune in to The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour today
Today in History:
April 20, 1233 -
Pope Gregory IX placed the Inquisition, in existence since 1227, under the aegis of the Dominican Order on this date.
Torture is apparently sometimes necessary to save souls, and the office continues to exist today as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
And the congregation was once headed by ex-Pope (and ex- Nazi Youth), Prefect Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
April 20, 1841 -
Edgar Allen Poe’s story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, first appears in Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine, on this date. The tale is generally considered to be the first detective story.
The story describes the extraordinary “analytical power” used by Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin to solve a series of murders in Paris. Like the later Sherlock Holmes stories, the tale is narrated by the detective’s roommate.
April 20, 1916 -
The Chicago Cubs played their first game at their new home at Weeghman Park (renamed Wrigley Field in 1926 after William Wrigley bought controlling interest in the Cubs), between themselves and the Cincinnati Reds, on this date.
The Cubs besting the Reds 7–6 in eleven innings. This proved to be the highlight of an otherwise unremarkable season. (And you are saying to yourself, "What's new about that!"
April 20, 1940 -
Vladimir Zworykin, better known as a co-inventor of television, demonstrates the first electron microscope for RCA on this date.
April 20, 1964 -
The first transcontinental picturephone call is made between the Bell System exhibit at the World’s Fair in New York City and Disneyland in Anaheim, California. The device consists of a telephone handset and a small monitor. The system allows users to see each other as a fuzzy video image as they talk.
A three-minute call between the special booths AT&T set up in Chicago, New York, and Washington cost between $16 and $27. The system will be offered commercially in Chicago, but it will never become popular.
April 20, 1979 -
President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a Killer Swamp Rabbit, while on vacation in Plains GA on this date. The rabbit swam menacingly towards him, and he had to repel the ferocious creature with a paddle. There were no injuries.
Press Secretary Jody Powell leaked the story to the press, and the White House had a lot of explaining to do.
April 20, 1992 -
Alone in his apartment watching TV, British comedic legend Benny Hill suffered a fatal heart attack on this date.
His bloated toupee-less body with his underwear around his ankles was found days later.
Sorry but I guess there's nothing funny about that.
April 20, 2010 -
While drilling at the Macondo Prospect, there was an explosion on the rig, Deepwater Horizon, caused by a blowout which killed 11 crewmen and ignited a fireball visible from 35 miles away. The resulting fire could not be extinguished, and, on this date, Deepwater Horizon sank, leaving the well gushing at the sea floor and causing the largest offshore oil spill in United States history.
BP announced on April 18, 2012 that it has reached a class-action settlement with attorneys representing thousands of businesses and individuals who made claims after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. As late as January of 2014, BP was still attempting not to pay claims made against them in the suit. The court has rejected BP attempts.
BP originally projected that its settlement costs would be $7.8 billion. A federal judge approved a $20 billion settlement to end years of litigation. The settlement will be paid over 16 years.
April 20, 2008 -
26-year-old Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Montegi in Montegi, Japan, making her the first female winner in IndyCar racing history.
She finished the 200-lap race 5.8594 seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves, then a two-time Indy 500 champ. At the 2009 Indy 500, Patrick came in third behind winner Castroneves and second-place finisher Dan Wheldon. Patrick retired from IndyCar after the 2011 season and fully retired from racing in 2018.
And so it goes.
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"Don't put on any airs when you're down on Rue Morgue Avenue. They've got some hungry women there and they'll really make a mess out of you." -- Bob Dylan
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