I could tell you about the Dragon parade I saw this morning or the 50 pound Grouper dispatched with a rubber mallet. But, as always, that's another story.
February 20, 1932 -
Tod Browning's incredible film, Freaks, about sideshow performers, was released on this date.
I won't even try to describe this masterpiece any further - you must see it.
February 20, 1956 -
The wonderfully evil comedy, The Ladykillers, starring Alec Guinness and Peter Sellars, opened in New York on this date.
This is one of the classic films from the Ealing studios - rent it if you haven't seen it.
February 20, 1967 -
Kurt Cobain, musician and lead guitarist of seminal grunge band Nirvana, was born on this date.
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago.
Today in History:
February 20 is just one many dates on which Francois-Marie Arouet may have been born in 1694.
Francois-Marie was a supremely intelligent, fiercely independent man and was therefore instructed to leave Paris.
Each time he was kicked out, however, he simply came back, said something witty, and was kicked out yet again.
Eventually the French invented reverse psychology. They invited Francois-Marie back from his latest exile and threw a big party for him. The shock of his reception killed him and Paris has mourned his loss ever since.
Except now they call him Voltaire.
February 20, 1947 -
A chemical mistake at the O'Connor Electro-Plating Co. in Los Angeles caused a blast that destroyed/damaged more than 55 structures in a 300-foot radius, 150 people were injured and 15 persons perished.
The incident resulted in the city's first ordinance stipulating regulations for the storage, transportation, production, processing, and use of hazardous chemicals and led to one of the first Hazmat Dictionary's in the U.S.Oops.
February 20, 1962 -
While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn orbits the earth three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes, becoming the first American to orbit the earth.
I bet when he got back, he had to pee like it was nobody's business.
February 20, 1971 -
An erroneous warning is emitted on the Emergency Broadcast System causing a number of stations to go off the air, and others to completely ignore the alert (thus pointing out that many key stations would not react to any emergency broadcast over the system.)
So remember this just a test, unless it's not.
February 20, 1980 -
After some heavy drinking, Bon Scott, vocalist for heavy metal band AC/DC, is found in a friend's automobile - he apparently choked to death on his own vomit.
His family was relieved that he hadn't choked to death on someone else vomit.
February 20, 1984 -
Ballerina Julia Pak married Heung Jin Moon, son of Sun Myung Moon, religious icon. The ceremony was a tasteful affair save one small detail - Heung Jin Moon was prevented from attending the service in person; he had died in an auto accident the previous Decemeber. As adult Moonies are only allowed to enter Heaven once they are married, there was a dire need for this awkward necro-ceremony.
Imagine the honeymoon - yuck!!!And so it goes.
oh! what a wedding!
ReplyDelete:P
That son of Sun Myung Moon's was quite a catch. According to his movement, Jesus Christ now serves Heung Jin in the Spiritworld.
ReplyDeleteExcerpts from a book by Nansook Hong. She was married to Moon's son and lived with the Moon family for 15 years,
"Heung Jin, [Moon's son killed in car accident] Father said, was already teaching those in the spirit world the Divine Principle. Jesus himself was so impressed by Heung Jin that he had stepped down from his position and proclaimed the son of Sun Myung Moon the King of Heaven. Father explained that Heung Jin's status was that of a regent. He would sit on the throne of Heaven until the arrival of the Messiah, Sun Myung Moon." ...
"Almost immediately, videotapes began arriving at East Garden from around the world. Unification Church members in various states of entrancement were pronouncing themselves the medium through which Heung Jin spoke from the spirit world. But all praised True Parents and reinforced Father's revelation that Jesus had bowed down to Heung Jin in Heaven."
"Young Whi Kim, a church theologian, wrote of one such medium. 'They all refer to Heung Jin Nim as the new Christ. They also call him the Youth-King of Heaven. He is the King of Heaven in the spirit world. Jesus is working with him and always accompanies him. Jesus himself says that Heung Jin Nim is the new Christ. He is the center of the spirit world now. This means he is in a higher position than Jesus.'" ...
"Sun Myung Moon actually had matched Jesus to an elderly Korean woman. Because the Unification Church teaches that only married couples can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus himself needed the intervention of the Reverend Moon to move through those gates."