as my children knew as their first spoken phrase - a bone dry Bombay Sapphire Martini, straight up, olives !
Today is National Name Your Poison Day. As described on many websites, "... National Name Your Poison Day is observed each year on June 8. Over the years, bartenders have been known to use the phrase, “name your poison,” when asking patrons what they would like to drink. This observation celebrates that phrase and is a day to commemorates making a choice or a decision."
I do not wished to be embalmed. I hope they just douse me with a strong drink or two before they cremate me. Drink enough and you'll agree with me. Apparently you will become quite artistic and see lots of things once you drink enough Bombay Sapphire.
June 8, 1935 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Into Your Dance, directed by Friz Freleng, debuted on this date.
Many networks airing this short, remove the scene of a blackface minstrel group performing Go Into Your Dance as the crowd enters the show.
June 8, 1940 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Tom Thumb in Trouble, directed by Chuck Jones, debuted on this date.
This is the final cartoon in which Shepperd Strudwick provided a voice. All cartoons Strudwick worked on were directed by Chuck Jones.
June 8, 1946 -
The Looney Tunes short, Kitty Kornered, directed by Bob Clampett and featuring the first pairing of Porky Pig and Sylvester, was released on this date.
The goldfish couple are shown sleeping in the same bed. At the time, such a portrayal was pushing the censorship envelope. The Hayes Code required twin beds for spouses, even in a cartoon.
June 8, 1950 -
The Asphalt Jungle, the superb film noir directed by John Huston, was released on this date.
During the production, Walter Huston came to Hollywood for his son John Huston's 44th birthday party. Two days later, with John at his side, the legendary actor of stage and screen died of heart failure at age 66.
June 8, 1957 -
The Looney Tunes short, Steal Wool, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog, was released on this date.
This is the fourth animated short film by Warner Bros. Cartoons to feature Ralph Wolf and Sam Sheepdog as the main characters. This is also their last appearance in the 1950s, as they would make their next appearance in 1960.
June 8, 1963 -
The Crystals' Da Doo Ron Ron peaked at No.3 on the US singles chart. Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich wrote this song.
Phil Spector produced this song, marking his first real "Wall of Sound" production. He had a massive hit a few years earlier with To Know Him Is To Love Him by The Teddy Bears, but Da Doo Ron Ron provided the template for his unique studio sound that he would replicate on classic songs like Be My Baby.
June 8, 1963 -
The Looney Tunes short, Hare-Breadth Hurry, directed by Chuck Jones and starring Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote, was released on this date.
This is the final pairing between Bugs and Wile E. Coyote in the classic era.
June 8, 1968 -
The Rolling Stones released Jumpin' Jack Flash on this date.
This was intended for Beggar's Banquet, but they left it off the album and released it as a single because The Stones were very pleased with the results. One year later on this date, founding member Brian Jones quit (some say 'pushed out') The Rolling Stones.
He died a month later, at age 27.
June 8, 1974 -
Dolly Parton's single I Will Always Love You went to No.1 on the US country charts on this date.
Elvis Presley let it be known that he wanted to cover the song. Parton was interested until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded. Parton refused.
I Will Always Love You later became a worldwide No.1 hit for Whitney Houston in 1992 when featured in The Bodyguard.
June 8, 1983 -
John Landis' mega-hit comedy Trading Places, starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm Elliott, and Jamie Lee Curtis premiered in the US on this date.
In 2010, as part of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act, which was to regulate financial markets, a rule was included which barred anyone from using secret inside information to corner markets, similar to what the Duke brothers tried to do in the movie. Since the movie inspired this rule, it has since become known as the Eddie Murphy Rule.
June 8, 1984 -
Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!
Ivan Reitman's comedy - horror film, Ghostbusters, premiered on this date.
In the middle of the film's initial release, to keep interest going, Ivan Reitman ran a trailer that was basically the commercial the Ghostbusters used in the movie, but the 555 number was replaced with a 1-800 number, allowing people to actually call in. Callers got a recorded message of Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd saying something to the effect of "Hi. We're out catching ghosts right now." They got 1,000 calls per hour, 24 hours a day, for six weeks.
June 8, 1985 –
The Tears for Fears song Everybody Wants to Rule the World became the group's highest-charting single when it reached No. #1 on the Billboard Charts on this date.
This song is about the quest for power, and how it can have unfortunate consequences. In an interview with Mix magazine, the band's producer Chris Hughes explained that they spent months working on Shout, and near the end of the sessions, Roland Orzabal came into the studio and played two simple chords on his acoustic guitar, which became the basis for the song. Said Hughes: "'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' was so simple and went down so quickly, it was effortless, really. In fact, as a piece of recording history, it's bland as hell." The song has been covered by a diverse group of people - Patti Smith, Lorde and the jazz group, The Bad Plus are among the artists to cover this song. Weezer included it on their 2019 covers collection known as The Teal Album.
And amazingly, they have performed the song again nearly 40 years later.
June 8, 1996 -
The Fugees' reworking of Killing Me Softly, featuring lead vocals by Lauryn Hill, goes to #1 in the UK, on this date, where it becomes the top-selling single of 1996.
The Fugees wanted to change the lyrics and make it a song about poverty and drug abuse in the inner city with the title Killing Him Softly, but the songwriting team of Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel refused.
Word of the Day.
Today in History:
June 8, 632 -
According to tradition, the prophet Mohammed died on this date. He was the founder of Islam, and his death was the first in a long chain of events that ultimately resulted in the Treaty of Tordesillas. Whether he is at this very moment reclining on a soft couch somewhere in Paradise, being serviced by a high-bosomed virgin with dark eyes or consuming a handful of raisins is debatable.
And if you think I'm going to post a picture of the Prophet, you've got another thing coming.
June 8, 1810 -
Robert Schumann, the great composer during the Romantic period, was born on this date. Schumann was able to create a large amount of work while battling the twin demons of bi-polar disease and dementia brought on by mercury poisoning related to the treatment of syphilis, contracted in his teens.
For the last two years of his life, after an attempted suicide, Robert Schumann was confined to a mental institution at his own request.
You may now impress your friends with this info.
June 8 1869 -
Ives W. McGaffey of Chicago patented his sweeping machine (patent # 91,145,) the first suction vacuum cleaner, on this date.
This suggests that Chicago was famous for sucking long before the emergence of the Cubs.
June 8, 1906 -
Pres. Theodore Roosevelt signed the American Antiquities Act, first proposed in 1882. It was used to set aside American resources by executive order.
Roosevelt had urged the passage of the Antiquities Act to allow the president to designate areas of scientific, historic or archeological significance as national monuments without the approval of Congress.
June 8, 1928 -
On May 31, 1928, Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harry Lyon and James Warner left Oakland California in a Fokker VIIb-3m, called the Southern Cross, to attempt the first flight across the Pacific.
Flying via Hawaii and Fiji, they reach Brisbane, Australia 7,389 miles away, nine days later, on this date.
June 8, 1933 -
Certain key structural areas of the late, great Joan Alexandra Molinsky, comic and actress, were born on this date.
Unfortunately, some of her 'newer' parts have outlived her.
Nancy Sinatra was born on this date - it would be impolite to say how old she is.
Her boots must be made for endurance walking
June 8, 1978 -
Naomi James broke the solo round-the-world sailing record by two days with her 53 ft yacht Express Crusader when she crossed the finish line in Dartmouth taking 272 days to complete the record. She also became the first woman to sail solo around the globe via Cape Horn - the classic "Clipper Route".
In 1979 Naomi was given the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her achievement. Naomi gave up sailing in 1982 after winning the Round Britain Race with her husband Rob James. In 1983 Rob fell overboard whilst sailing to Salcombe from Plymouth and drowned, their daughter was born ten days after the tragedy.
June 8, 1982 -
President Ronald Reagan became the first US chief executive to address the two houses of British Parliament on this day.
His assistants became slightly concerned about the President's faculties when Reagan mentioned to them, that he believed that scene went well but he could be more convincing in the next take. He also mentioned to them that he'd be having dinner with Hedy Lamarr at the Trocadero.
And so it goes.


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