J.G. Taylor received one of the earliest patents (US patent #128,674) for an inclined railway in 1872. In 1878, Richard Knudsen received a patent (US #198,888) for an inclined-plane railway. For years, history has believed the first roller coaster in America designed by LaMarcus Thompson, opened at Coney Island on June 16, 1884.
An article was discovered reporting the anticipated excitement of J.G. Taylor’s elevated railway in 1872 at Rocky Point, Rhode Island. According to the Providence Evening Press from June 18, 1872, the reporter describes a ride of 400 feet where nine passengers are given a shove and gravity does the rest.
August 16, 1930 -
Fiddlesticks, was Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's first sound cartoon. It is about a happy-go-lucky, needy frog, named Flip the Frog.
This cartoon was created by Ub Iwerks in 1930. He had drawn a frog and his girlfriend in Night, one of the last Silly Symphonies short films he drew while working for Walt Disney.
August 16, 1940 -
The first of Alfred Hitchcock's war-time thrillers, Foreign Correspondent, starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day and Herbert Marshall, premiered on this date.
Shooting was completed on May 29, 1940, after which director Alfred Hitchcock made a visit to England. He returned on July 3 with the word that the Germans were expected to start bombing at any time. Ben Hecht was hurriedly called in and wrote the tacked-on final scene set at a London radio station. It was filmed on July 5, and the real-life bombing started on July 10, 1940.
August 16, 1969 -
Eric Clapton's supergroup Blind Faith release their self-titled album, on this date. On the cover is a photo of a naked 11-year-old girl holding a model spacecraft. An alternate cover with a band photo was issued in America for stores that refused to stock it.
Blind Faith was one of the first rock supergroups. Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker had been in Cream, Steve Winwood was in Traffic and The Spencer Davis Group, and Ric Grech was in a group called Family.
August 16, 1974 -
The Ramones played their first show in a local New York club, CBGB, on this date.
The Ramones, along with other NYC acts such as Television, The Heartbreakers, Blondie, and Patti Smith quickly gained a following and helped Punk rock develop in New York City in the mid-1970s.
August 16, 1976 -
ABBA release Dancing Queen, the most popular single of the 70s, in Sweden on this date.
ABBA recorded this about a year before it was released. It was written and recorded around the same time as Fernando, which was chosen as the single. They knew Dancing Queen would also be a hit, so they held it until the album was released before issuing it as a single.
August 16, 1985 -
CBS-TV's adaptation of the Arthur Miller classic Death of A Salesman, directed by Volker Schlöndorff and starring Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich premiered on this date.
Author Arthur Miller always pictured Willy Loman as a short, weak man with a booming voice. After nearly forty years, Miller finally got his wish after casting Dustin Hoffman.
August 16, 1986 -
Madonna got a birthday gift on this date when her single, Papa Don’t Preach hit No. #1 of the Billboard Charts.
A producer named Brian Elliot wrote this song for a new artist he was working with named Christina Dent, who was on the same label as Madonna. When a record company executive heard it, he convinced Elliot to give it to Madonna instead, because she was an established star. This was one of the most controversial Madonna songs. Many articles were written about it in the context of abortion. The media attention helped make it a hit and keep it on the charts.
Another unimportant moment in history.
Today in History: August 16, 1819 -
Sixty cavalrymen charge into a crowd of approximately 70,000 protesters at St. Peter's Field in Manchester, England on this date.
The soldiers began to hack away at the people with their sabers and trample them under hoof. Eleven died and 400 were wounded in the Manchester Massacre, also called the Battle of Peterloo.
August 16, 1858 -
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
However, once again America was ill advised by the request for Prince Albert in a can: Victoria was not amused. The cable stretched from Valentia, Ireland to Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, Canada but failed after only five days and was discontinued being used by September of that year. The first permanent telegraph line across the Atlantic Ocean was laid in 1866.
August 16, 1938 -
Blues musician Robert Johnson, who presumably sold his soul to the devil (the story was referred to in the movie Crossroads), was poisoned by a jealous husband in Three Forks, Mississippi and died on this date.
Besides being a seminal figure in the history of the Blues, Johnson is often cites as an early influence in the development of Rock and Roll.
August 16, 1948 -
Famed booze hound, skirt chaser and home-run slugger George Herman "Babe" Ruth died at age 53 in New York City.
He is credited with turning baseball from a game of speed and skill to one of power.
August 16, 1954 -
Sports Illustrated was first published by Time Inc. on this date. It was claimed that 250,000 subscriptions had been sold before the first issue came off of the presses (and all without a bikini model on the cover.)
August 16, 1956 -
Bela Lugosi, Broadway and Hollywood star, portrayer of the undead in countless films and formaldehyde connoisseur, died of a heart attack on this day while lying in bed in his Los Angeles home. He was 73.
Bela Lugosi was buried wearing one of the many capes from the Dracula stage play, in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. Contrary to popular belief, Lugosi never requested to be buried in his cloak; Bela Lugosi, Jr. has confirmed on numerous occasions that he and his mother, Lillian, made the decision.
I wouldn't have turned out the way I was if I didn't have all those old-fashioned values to rebel against.
Happy Birthday to the Material Girl.
August 16, 1960 -
Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger parachuted from space after climbing in a balloon from 102,800 feet (31,330 m), on this date. His free-fall lasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds. He experienced temperatures approaching minus-100 degrees Fahrenheit.
He set four historical records over New Mexico: highest balloon ascent, fastest speed by a human without an aircraft and to this day, and incredibly, he still holds records for highest parachute jump and longest-ever free-fall.
August 16, 1962 -
The Beatles fired their original drummer Pete Best in favor of Ringo Starr on this date.
Afterwards, Best formed a new band and released the album: Best of the Beatles, a play on his own name. This led to disappointment from fans who bought the album without reading the track listing.
August 16, 1977 -
The King is Dead! Elvis Presley died (or not) in his home at the age of 42, while sitting on the toilet. While doing his business, he had been perusing The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus. Presumably, Elvis' search was concluded shortly thereafter.
Elvis has long left the building
Remember, add more bran to your diet.
August 16, 1987 -
Mercury, Venus and Mars all get bunched up near the Sun in what some call the Harmonic Convergence on this date.
Thousands of nutballs clustered at sacred locations like Mount Shasta, California begin meditating their asses off for some damn reason.
August 16, 1989 -
A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto’s stock market, on this date.
Since then, power companies in North America, the UK, Northern Europe, and elsewhere have taken more care to evaluate the risks of geomagnetically induced currents and to develop mitigation strategies.
August 16, 1991 -
Shamu the Whale died at 16, from respiratory failure, on this date.
August 16, 2018 -
Hey Nineteen, that's Retha Franklin!
In 1987, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In 2008, she was voted Greatest Singer Of All Time by the musicians and journalists selected by Rolling Stone magazine to name their favorite singers of the Rock era. Following Aretha were Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and John Lennon. Franklin is the most charted female artist in history, with 20 #1 R&B singles, 17 Top 10 pop singles, and over 110 songs that appeared on the Billboard chart. She also won more awards than almost anyone else, racking up 18 Grammys, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Arts, besides being honored as the first female inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
And so it goes.
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