Vinyl's two sides represent the dualism of human nature

It ain't no joke if you lose your vinyl.

Today is National Vinyl Day (and not Record Store Day which was April 18th this year.) National Vinyl Record Day is celebrated every year on August 12 (commemorating the day Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877) to remember the culture, art, the very sound of the vinyl record.



Don't forget, whatever you do today, remember to whip out your big 10 inch and play it for a friend.


August 12, 1927 -
One of only two silent films - the other being The Artist in 2011 - to win an Oscar for best picture, Wings, opened in NYC on this date.



The film was lost for decades until a copy was discovered languishing in the Cinematheque Francaise film archive in Paris, France.


August 12, 1939 -
The Bugs Bunny everyone knows takes another step forward when Hare-um Scare-um, directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton, was released on this date.



It was during production of this cartoon that Bugs Bunny's name originated. Designer Charles Thorson redesigned the rabbit character and labeled the model sheet "Bug's Bunny," after co-director Ben Hardaway's nickname, Bugs. It's also the first time Bugs cross dresses in a cartoon.


August 12, 1939 -
Considered one of the highlights of the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Wizard of Oz premiered on this date in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.



A recent study found that The Wizard of Oz is the most watched movie in film history, largely due to the number of television screenings each year as well as the various video/DVD/Blu-ray/4K releases, which have enabled children of every and all generations to see it.


August 12, 1941 -
MGM premiered their version of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde, starring Spencer Tracy, in NYC on this date.



The film was a notorious critical failure when released, although it eventually made a profit of $2 million around the world. Spencer Tracy later said it was by far the least favorite of the films he had starred in, and that his performance was "awful". The New York Times famously described it as "not so much evil incarnate as ham rampant ... more ludicrous than dreadful."


August 10, 1950-
The Merrie Melodies short, Hillbilly Hare, directed by Bob McKimson, and starring Bugs Bunny was released on this date.



Bugs and the two hillbilly guys all break the fourth wall.


August 12, 1960- -
Green Eggs and Ham was first published on this date (the letters J, P, Q, V, and Z don’t appear anywhere in the book).



It was the result of a bet between Dr. Seuss and Bennett Cerf, Dr. Seuss's publisher, who challenged him to write a story using no more than 50 different words.


August 12, 1970 -
The romantic comedy, Lovers And Other Strangers, directed by Cy Howard, adapted from the 1968 Broadway play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna, and starring Beatrice Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, Michael Brandon, Richard Castellano, Diane Keaton, Bob Dishy, Harry Guardino, Marian Hailey, Anne Jackson, Cloris Leachman, Anne Meara, and Gig Young, was released on this date.



The Oscar-winning song - For All We Know - from this movie was performed by Petula Clark at the Academy Awards even though the song was a hit for The Carpenters. In fact, a small controversy occurred after the duo was not selected to perform the song, even though they were one of the most popular music acts at the time.


August 12, 1988 -
Universal Pictures released Martin Scorsese's controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ, starting Willem Dafoe, Harvey Keitel, David Bowie, and Barbara Hershey on this date.



Martin Scorsese banned smoking from the set, both because he's a severe asthmatic, and to avoid any photographs being taken of actors and actresses playing Biblical characters, primarily Willem Dafoe, who smoked at the time, with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths.


August 12, 1988 -
The under-rated bio-pix, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and starring Jeff Bridges, Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest and Christian Slater, was released on this date.



Much of the information about Preston Tucker was gathered by Francis Ford Coppola and came from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It took Coppola several years, using the Freedom of Information Act, to finally obtain access to the SEC's detailed files about Tucker.


August 12, 1997 –
MTV debuted the Fleetwood Mac reunion concert The Dance, on this date, marking the first time the five had been on stage together since 1982.



This special MTV concert was recorded at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California on May 23, 1997 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their bestselling album Rumours.


Another episode of ACME's Litle Known Animal Facts.


Today in History:
August 12, 30 BC (Given how the Romans were keeping track of time at this point and were drinking a huge amount of wine from lead cups - this date is fluid at best.) -

O, break! O, break!



Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt, former wife of Julius Caesar and mistress of Marc Anthony, committed suicide by means of the unusual practice of nursing a venomous snake.


August 12, 3 AD -
A planetary conjunction (possibly Venus-Jupiter) was visible from the Earth with the naked eye on this date.



Many astronomers will later speculate that this may have been the mentioned Star of Bethlehem in the New Testament of the Bible.


August 12, 1676 -
Wampanoag chieftain Metacom (or Philip) was killed in a swamp near Mount Hope, PA on this date. Thus ends King Philip's War, the first war between Indians and European settlers.

Unfortunately, the Indians (or Native American, for the PC of you in the crowd) have been on the losing side, for the most part, ever since.


August 12, 1813 -
Austria declared war against Napoleon on this date.

An outraged England rushed to Austria's defense by declaring war against France,

101 years later when England officially declared war on Austria-Hungary on August 12, 1914.


August 12, 1865 -
After studying Louis Pasteur’s germ theory of disease which suggests that infections are caused by bacteria, Dr. Joseph Lister became the first surgeon to use disinfectants during an operation.



Lister also introduced Phenol (carbolic acid) as a form of disinfectant into his surgery. His heightened standards of hygiene will reduce his surgical death rate from 45% to 15%.


August 12, 1869 -
In San Francisco on this date, Emperor Norton I issued a stern edict outlawing both the Republican and Democratic political parties.

Violators face a prison term of five-to-ten years. Oh, for that wise man today!



Not familiar with Norton I ?  Read the amazing tale of Emperor Joshua Norton.  (Also, please check out The Emperor Norton Trust website dedicated to renaming the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge after our beloved majesty, Emperor Norton.)


August 12, 1898 -
The Spanish-American War ended on this date. Spain released Cuba and gave Puerto Rico to the United States. Americans rushed to Puerto Rico in gleeful droves, only to discover that everyone spoke Spanish and there were no luaus or volcanoes.



Their disappointment was profound.



They took Hawaii as a consolation prize (Hawaii was formally annexed by the U.S. - officially stolen) later that same day.


August 12, 1948 -
Russian schoolteacher Oksana Kasenkina was injured when she jumps out the window of the Soviet Consulate in New York City on this date.



Soviet officials claim they had rescued her from "White Russian" kidnappers, but Kosenkina says she was trying to escape from the Soviets. The US later expelled the consul general and the Soviets closed their consulate.


August 12, 1953 -
In Siberia, the Soviet Union successfully tests its first thermonuclear device, based on Andrei Sakharov's fission-fusion "Layer Cake" design: alternating layers of uranium and hydrogen fuel sandwiched together and wrapped around a conventional Atomic Bomb. The fission explosion compresses the hydrogen, causing a fusion reaction.



Hopefully this is no longer a state secret or boy, am I in deep trouble.


August 12, 1981 –
IBM introduced its Personal Computer (PC) also known as the IBM Model 5150 on this date. Developed in less than a year, using existing off-the-shelf components, it proved a runaway success in the small business market, and launched the era of the personal computer.



IBM's first PC ran with a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system.


And on a personal note:

I'd like to wish my Mom a very Happy Birthday.



And so it goes.

A dream of beauty glides away.

The Dog Days of Summer are officially over today.



As the leaves turn orange and fall from the trees, mark your calendar for the upcoming 'Crazy Political Campaign' season of Autumn.


Today is the Feast of St. Clare. St. Clare of Assisi (or Clair or Claire - spelling wasn't a major issue back then - living past 29 years old was considered miraculous,) didn't want to marry the rich young man her parents picked out for her and ran away from home to become the biggest Francis of Assisi groupie in the world. St Clare was too ill to attend Mass, she had reportedly been able to see and hear it on the wall of her room (she had phenomenal reception for the Middle Ages.) This led to her becoming the patron saint of television.

But I'm not sure if you pray to her for quality TV or to deliver you from all the bad TV out there. I've given up hope that if we will all pray that we will never see the ex-president ever on TV again. Like death and taxes, I fear he is here with us forever.

Always about this time of year, management has reminded me that this is not a blog about the lives of the saints, so I'll remember the lives of the saints quietly to myself for awhile. In that vein, I will remind everyone that today is the anniversary of the birth of Robert Green Ingersoll, known as the greatest orator of the 19th century.

He was nicknamed "The Great Agnostic".


August 11, 1937 -
The bio-pix, The Life of Emile Zola, directed by William Dieterle, and starring Paul Muni, Gloria Holden, Gale Sondergaard, and Joseph Schildkraut, was released on this date.



Writers Heinz Herald and Geza Herczeg initially took the project to Ernst Lubitsch at Paramount, who immediately recognized the potential of the film. He also knew that Paul Muni was the best choice for the role of Émile Zola -- but Muni was contracted to Warner Brothers at the time, so Lubitsch sold the project on to Warners.


August 11, 1945 -
The Looney Tunes short, Hare Conditioned, directed by Chuck Jones, and starring Bugs Bunny, was released on this date.



The department store manager (voiced by an uncredited Dick Nelson) is a parody of The Great Gildersleeve, a character played by Harold Peary in the radio program Fibber McGee and Molly.


August 11, 1951 -
The Looney Tunes short, His Hare Raising Tale, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Bugs Bunny, was released on this date.



This is the first cheater short in the series, which are shorts that primarily uses cut footage from previous shorts as clips. This short uses footage from Baseball Bugs, Stage Door Cartoon, Rabbit Punch, Falling Hare, and Haredevil Hare.


August 11, 1956 -
Elvis Presley's double A sided single Don't Be Cruel / Hound Dog was released on this date.





The single went to No.1 on the US chart, where it stayed for 11 weeks - a record that would not be broken until 1992's Boyz II Men hit End of the Road.


August 11, 1962 -
Booker T and the MG's released Green Onions on Stax Records, on this date.



This is an instrumental with a simple but unusual 2/4 time signature. Booker T. & the MG's were the house band for the Memphis soul music label Stax Records. They recorded with many of the Stax artists, including Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and Isaac Hayes, but they also recorded their own material between sessions.


August 11, 1962 -
Tony Bennett released the single Once Upon A Time (the b side being I Left My Heart in San Francisco,) on this date.



When DJs begin flipping over the record and playing the b-side, San Francisco climbs to #19 on the charts and eventually wins Bennett Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Solo Vocal Performance.


August 11, 1972 -
Mott the Hoople's Glam Rock Anthem, All The Young Dudes was released in the UK on this date.



Even though the band was heterosexual, this became a gay anthem, at least in America, thanks to lyrics like "Lucy looks sweet 'cause he dresses like a queen." This was the nature of glam rock, a style that emerged in England in the early '70s where singers performed in makeup and feminine clothes while playing bombastic rock songs. The performers were not necessarily gay, but they definitely blurred gender roles. Bowie may have been the biggest influence on glam rock.


August 11, 1973 -
A DJ named Kool Hercat (Clive Campbell) played at a back-to-school party for his sister, Cindy Campbell, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, and Hip Hop was born.



Since then, hip-hop has evolved and it has exploded. The influence of artists such Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z among others, have made this still-growing genre a global brand, and has proven that it is much more than just the music.


August 11, 1991 -
The first regularly scheduled episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show premiered on The Nickelodeon channel on this date.



Originally, the microphone was planned to go into Stimpy's mouth during the end of part one (Stimpy's Big Day.) However, it seemed to remind Nickelodeon executives of a certain sexual act, so the scene was animated with the microphone going into his nose. The microphone in the mouth was never animated.


August 11, 1995 -
The Hollywood Picture film, Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and Courtney B. Vance, premiered in US theaters on this date. The movie's soundtrack tops the Billboard albums chart thanks to its lead single, Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise.



Originally entitled My Posse Don't Do Homework, the name of the book from which this true story was taken.


August 11, 2008 -
The Canadian singer Feist appears on Sesame Street on this date, where she turns her song 1234 into a lesson in counting.



It became one of the most popular music segments on the show, and far more popular than the original song.


Today's moment of Zen.


Today in History:
August 11, 3114 BC -
The Mayan Long Count Calendar started on this date. A second long cycle of the calendar ended on December 21, 2012.



We are currently operating in the third long cycle, although I think they may have been off by 8 years.


August 11, 1772 -
The summit of Papandayan volcano in West Java suddenly implodes, unleashing a catastrophic debris avalanche which blankets an area of 250 square km. Tumbling boulders flatten 40 villages and their 2,957 inhabitants.

Alright, let's go over this one more time: virgins, island gods, volcano pit.

I don't think I need to say any more on the topic.


August 11, 1919 -
Andrew Carnegie, industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of Carnegie Steel, died on this date. Carnegie became a philanthropist in later life, giving away more than $350 million and building 2,509 public libraries. His value in 1999 dollars totaled $100 billion.

The man who dies rich dies disgraced, was the motto of Andrew Carnegie.



Carnegie‘s last years were spent giving away as much money as possible in an effort to shed his image as one of the era‘s leading “robber barons.” Among other bequests to good causes, he established the Carnegie Institute of Technology and hundreds of Carnegie Free Public Libraries across the U.S.


August 11, 1929 -
Booze hound and notorious whore monger Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run at Cleveland's League Park on this date, becoming the first baseball player to do so.



He ended his career in 1935 with 714 career home runs - still the third best in Major League Baseball history.


August 11, 1934 -
The first group of the most dangerous prisoners in the federal prison system arrived at the newly open prison on Alcatraz island on this date. The prison was designed to be a high-security federal penitentiary especially created to hold those with a penchant for escape attempts.



Alcatraz Island was an uninhabited seabird haven in San Francisco Bay when it was first explored by the Spanish in 1775. It was named Isla de los Alcatraces or Island of the Pelicans. It soon became a haven for those who enjoyed their angry prison sex by the sea.


August 11, 1937 -
On this day, expatriate Edith Wharton died in France, and ex-expatriate Ernest Hemingway didn't, in New York. Edith Wharton died in Paris, in the quiet, Old World style she liked to live and describe.

Also on this day, and in New World, by contrast, ex-expatriate Ernest Hemingway bared his hairy chest to Max Eastman's unhairy one, demanded "What do you mean accusing me of impotence?" and then wrestled Eastman to the floor.

I'm not accusing Hemingway of anything, it's just that he liked to strip to the waist, grease his body and wrestle smaller, slender men to the ground - sweating and grunting, stiffening, then becoming quite still.



That's perfectly normal.


August 11, 1942 -
Actress Hedy Lamarr (that's Hedy not Hedley) and composer George Antheil received a patent for a frequency hopping, spread spectrum communication system that will later became the basis for the technology behind Wi-Fi and wireless telephones.



In 1997, she and George Anthiel were honored with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award. And later in the same year, Lamarr became the first female recipient of the BULBIE™ Gnass Spirit of Achievement Award, a prestigious lifetime accomplishment prize for inventors that is dubbed "The Oscars of Inventing." It's rumored that when told of her being given these awards, Miss Lamarr told her son, "It's about time."


August 11, 1956 -
Jackson Pollock famous abstract artist and public urinator, died in an alcohol-related, single car crash on this date at the age of only 44, also killing one of his passengers, Edith Metzger.



The other passenger, his girlfriend Ruth Kligman, survived.


August 11, 1965 -
California Highway Patrolman, Lee W. Minikus (who was white) pulled over and arrested Marquette Frye (who was black), for suspicion of driving while intoxicated on this date. This event led to the "Watts Riots" in Los Angeles, California. The riots were the worst in the history of Los Angeles until the riots in 1992.



Riots began as spectators watched the arrests; violence spread over a 50-mile area and lasted six days, causing more than $40 million dollars in damage. 34 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured.


August 11, 1984 -
Not realizing that his weekly radio address is already on the air, President Ronald Reagan quipped into his live microphone: "My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."



It wasn't supposed to go out, but it did. The Kremlin was not pleased . Oh that rascally dead President, such a kidder. Uncle Joe would never do this. The other guy, I'm not so sure.


There are 136 days until Christmas



Secure your position on the naughty/ nice list accordingly



And so it goes.

One s’more is never enough.

Happy National S’mores Day. S'mores - the most popular campfire treat is recognized each year on August 10th.

In 1927, Girl Scouts troop leader Loretta Scott Crew wrote a recipe for "Some Mores," and published it in Tramping and Trailing With the Girl Scouts, an official Girl Scouts publication, though the exact origin of S'mores is unknown.



This delicious, gooey treat is loved by millions across the United States.

Speaking of roasting something over an open fire; Today is the feast of St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence was said to have been martyred on an iron outdoor stove on this date in 258 AD. During his torture, Lawrence cried out "I' m already done on this side and it is time to turn me over."

He is, of course, the patron saint of comedians and chefs.



Interesting aside: the Perseid Meteor Shower has been known for years as the Tears of Saint Lawrence because they usually occur every year in mid-August, on or near Saint Lawrence's feast day.



This year the event peaks on the night of August 12th/13th.


August 10, 1940-
The Merrie Melodies short, Ghost Wanted, directed by Chuck Jones, was released on this date.



At one point in the cartoon, the older ghost offers a cigarette to the younger ghost. Some broadcasts of this short had the scene omitted because some found it objectionable that an "adult" would offer cigarettes to a "child" even if the offer was refused.


August 10, 1948 -
Candid Camera, considered by many to be the first reality tv show, debuted on ABC-TV on this date.



The series was previously known on the radio. Its name: Candid Microphone. For a period in 1958, the show appeared as a regular segment of Jack Paar's The Tonight Show, airing on NBC. In 1959 Candid Camera was a weekly feature on The Garry Moore Show, airing on CBS.


August 10, 1950 -
Billy Wilder's caustic, black-hearted masterpiece, Sunset Boulevard premiered in New York City, on this date.



Unlike the character she played, Gloria Swanson had accepted the fact that the movies didn't want her anymore and had moved to New York, where she worked on radio and, later, television. Although she had long before ruled out the possibility of a movie comeback, she was nevertheless highly intrigued when she got the offer to play the lead.


August 10, 1957-
The Merrie Melodies short, Birds Anonymous, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird was released on this date.



This cartoon won the 1958 Academy Award for best animated short subject. Before producer Eddie Selzer, the head of Warner Bros. Cartoons, died, he gave the Oscar to Mel Blanc. The Oscar is now with Mel Blanc's family


August 10, 1960 -
The Rat Pack's summer vacation home movie, Ocean's Eleven, premiered on this date.



Sammy Davis Jr. was forced to stay at a "colored only" hotel during the filming because Las Vegas would not allow blacks to stay at the major hotels despite his appearing with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the others at the Sands Hotel. He was only allowed to stay at the major hotels after Frank Sinatra confronted the casino owners on his behalf, therefore breaking Vegas' unofficial color barrier.


August 10, 1962 -
While not the worst film ever made - it is the sickest. The Brain That Wouldn't Die, premiered on this date. (Watch it now.)



This was the first movie watched by Michael J. Nelson after Joel Hodgson had left in the previous episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.


August 10, 1962 -
Comic book hero Spider-Man made his debut in issue 15 of Marvel Comics’ Amazing Fantasy on this date.



Stan Lee had the original idea for Spider Man but Steve Ditko came up with his 'spider-sense' of danger and created villains including the Green Goblin and Sandman.


August 10, 1963 -
Stevie Wonder's single Fingertips (Part 2) becomes the first live recording to hit #1 in the US on this date.



Wonder's first two albums were The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray, both released in 1962 and intended to frame Stevie as a young Ray Charles. They didn't catch on, but in 1963 Motown released The 12 Year Old Genius (Recorded Live), with two sides of the Fingertips single (from different performances) edited together to make one song. The album hit #1 while the single was still topping the Hot 100, making Stevie Wonder the first artist with a #1 album and single at the same time. The song was also a #1 R&B hit at the time.


August 10, 1970 -
Frank Perry's proto-independent film, Diary of a Mad Housewife, written by Eleanor Perry and starring Carrie Snodgrass, Frank Langella, and Richard Benjamin premiered on this date.



According to Carrie Snodgress, actor Richard Benjamin insisted that he and Carrie not have any interaction off-screen in order to have their onscreen tensions be more believable and authentic.


August 10, 1975 -
The musical group Manhattan Transfer's summer variety show, The Manhattan Transfer, premiered on CBS-TV on this date.



During the month of August, the show aired four episodes on Sunday evenings, and for the most part concentrated on showcasing the talents of the group.


August 10, 1979 -
Michael Jackson's meteoric second career as a solo artist began with the release of his first solo album Off the Wall, on this date.



Quincy Jones, who produced the album, encouraged Jackson to write his own songs, and the young singer quickly developed a talent for composition. Jackson wrote or co-wrote 10  #1 hits in his career, including Don't Stop Til You Get enough an We Are The World.


August 10, 1982 -
Frank and Moon Zappa appear on Late Night with David Letterman and discuss their recent release Valley Girl on this date.



The song makes fun of Valley Girl talk, an early '80s trend that started in California and led to teenage girls around the country saying things like "Gag me with a spoon." It pokes fun at what Zappa believed were spoiled rich girls living in the San Fernando Valley of California. Laraine Newman was doing variations on the Valley Girl character on Saturday Night Live at the time.


August 10, 1984 -
United Artists released John Milius jingoistic war film Red Dawn, starring Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey, on this date. It's was the first film to be released in the US with a Motion Picture Association of America PG-13 rating.



"Red Dawn" was the given code name of the military operation in Iraq that captured Saddam Hussein on December 13, 2003. Writer and director John Milius felt honored by that.


August 10, 1994 -
The cult comedy classic, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Bill Hunter, was released in the US on this date.



According to director Stephan Elliott, he got the idea for the film while seeing a plume of feathers break from a drag queen's headdress during Sydney's Mardi Gras parade and go tumbling down a deserted street like a tumbleweed in a Sergio Leone western.


August 10, 2020 -
Split Enz hit #1 in their native New Zealand with the 40th anniversary reissue of their album True Colours, on this date



The album knocked off Folklore by Taylor Swift the top of the charts. Swift was born nine years after the album was first released.


Word of the Day


Today in History:
August 10, 1628 -
The 228-foot Swedish warship Vasa, built by Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus to assist in his war with Poland, capsized and sank in Stockholm harbor on her maiden voyage because the ballast was insufficient to counterweight the 64 guns. The Vasa was the most expensive and richly ornamented warship of its time in Sweden. Twenty-five men and women drowned when the ship sank.



The ship remains submerged until it is raised in 1961 to become a tourist attraction.



Please note that the ABBA museum is across the street from the Vasa museum in Stockholm. I can think of no finer outing.


August 10, 1792 -
King Louis XVI was taken into custody by mobs during the French Revolution; over 600 members of his Swiss Guards were massacred by the Parisian mob. The term 'the 10th of August' is widely used by historians as a shorthand for the Storming of the Tuileries Palace on this date.



He was put on trial for treason by the National Convention and quickly proclaimed guilty. He was later executed the following January. The Storming of the Tuileries Palace effectively ended the French monarchy until it was restored in 1814.


August 10, 1793 -
The Louvre became a royal palace in the fourteenth century under Charles V and was used from time to time by the kings of France as their main Paris residence. In 1682 Louis XIV abandoned the Louvre, and moved his court to Versailles.



The Louvre was converted into an Art Museum during the French Revolution opening on this date, with an exhibition of 537 paintings and 187 art objects. Most of its exhibits at the time consisted of treasures confiscated from the royal family or the Church.


August 10, 1846 -
In 1826, James Smithson, a British scientist, drew up his last will and testament, naming his nephew as beneficiary. Smithson stipulated that should the nephew die without heirs (as he did in 1835), the estate should go “to the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men.”



The motivation behind Smithson’s bequest remains mysterious. He had never traveled to the U.S. and seems to have had no correspondence with anyone there. An Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk established The Smithsonian Institution, on this date, as a trust to administer the generous bequest of James Smithson in an amount over $500,000.


August 10, 1921 -
Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio at his summer home on the Canadian island of Campobello, New Brunswick on this date. Mrs. Roosevelt acted as her partially paralyzed husband’s eyes and ears by traveling, observing and reporting her observations to him.



As First Lady, an author and newspaper columnist and, later, a delegate to the United Nations, Eleanor Roosevelt labored tirelessly for the poor and disadvantaged. In the words of historian John Kenneth Galbraith, she showed "more than any other person of her time, that an American could truly be a world citizen."


August 10, 1937 -
The world's first electric guitar (US patent #2,089,171) was awarded to Electro String Corporation on this date.

Inventor G.D. Beauchamp, who teamed up with Adolph Rickenbacher from the Electro String Instrument Corporation in Los Angeles, was awarded the patent for his guitar, the Rickenbacker Frying Pan.


August 10, 1966 -
Last words of James French, sent to the Electric Chair by the state of Oklahoma: "How about this for a headline for tomorrow's paper? FRENCH FRIES."

There is nothing quite like a dying man who gives good copy.


August 10, 1968 -
According to the strip below, Snoopy's birthday is August 10.

There had, however, been no reference to this in previous years and it did not become an annual feature of the strip, (in fact, there are some references to Snoopy's birthday being August 28.)


August 10, 1969 -
Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were brutally murdered in their Los Feliz, California home by followers of Charles Manson.



Some of the victims' blood was used to smear the words 'HELTER SKELTER' on the refrigerator door.


August 10, 1977 -
Postal employee and avid dog listener David Berkowitz was arrested in Yonkers, N.Y. on this date, accused of being the "Son of Sam" gunman responsible for six random slayings and seven woundings. Berkowitz is currently serving six consecutive terms of 25 years to life in state prison.



So much for the rantings of the neighbor's dog.


August 10, 1996 -
Heated by the sun, power lines began to sag in Oregon. Somehow this triggered a series of failures which cascaded throughout the Western states. Over seven million people lost electrical service in Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Montana and Texas.

It was probably the worst power outage in US history.



And so it goes.