Friday, November 20, 2015

I can't believe that I missed this

It was exactly a century ago Monday that the U.S. Patent Office granted design patent No. 48,160 to the Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Ind. for the Coca-Cola bottle.

It could be the most recognizable bottle in the world.


November 20, 1921 -
The Famous Players-Lasky Company put the film, The Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino and Adolphe Menjou, and directed by George Melford into general release in the US on this date.



The film helped established Valentino as the top male movie star and sex symbol of the day.


November 20, 1981 -
Miles Foreman's epic take on E.L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime, premiered on this date.



Though James Cagney was 81 years old when he filmed this movie, the real Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo was only 32 at the time in which the movie was set.


November 20, 1983 -
An estimated 100 million people watched on this date, the controversial ABC-TV movie The Day After, which depicted the outbreak of nuclear holocaust in the United States.



Nicholas Meyer claims he suffered severe flu-like symptoms throughout the making of this film. When doctors could find no reason for his illness, they eventually determined that Meyer was actually suffering from severe clinical depression, which the director attributes to having to face the horrors of nuclear war in such depth.


Today in History :
November 20, 1917
-
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was held prisoner, whipped, and repeatedly raped by Turkish Army officers on this date. He apparently thoroughly enjoyed the experience.



50 Shade of Grey, indeed.


November 20, 1923 -
American inventor Garrett Morgan was awarded Patent No. 1475074 for the stoplight that included a third option in addition to "stop" and "go."



His invention was a major step forward in traffic safety. Besides the traffic light, Morgan is best known for his work on gas masks.


November 20, 1947 -
Princess Elizabeth married a ne'er-do-well Greek distant cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, in a ceremony broadcast worldwide from Westminster Abbey on this date.



She was so happy that day that it seems to escape her attention that she related to everyone at the church, include the groom's mother.



45 years later, on this date, Liz and Phil (and all the Mountbatten-Windsors) were in the middle of their Annus Horribilis when Windsor Castle caught on fire, causing extensive damage.


November 20, 1969 -
Please feel free to use this piece of information at your Thanksgiving dinner should you run out of conversation:



Apollo 12 astronauts, Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean, landed at the Oceanus Procellarum (“Ocean of Storms”) and become the third and fourth humans to walk on the Moon on this date.


It's the 40th anniversary of Generallismo Francisco Franco heroic fight to remain dead.



He is still working at it today.


November 20, 1976 -
Former-Beatle George Harrison appeared on Saturday Night Live on this date.



George Harrison seemed to have misunderstood Lorne Michaels offer of the $3,000 payment for his appearance; Michaels explained to George that the $3,000 was for all four of the Beatles - making the payment only $750 for him.


November 20, 1984 -
McDonald's made its 50 billionth hamburger at 12:10 P.M. in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in New York City on this date.

It was eaten by Richard J. McDonald, one of the founders, who cooked burger No. 1 in San Bernardino, California, 36 years previously. That first burger and the 50 billionth are still lodged undigested in the colon of the corpse of Mr. McDonald.


November 20, 1985 -
Windows 1.0,
a 16-bit graphical operating environment was released on this date. It was Microsoft's first attempt to implement a multi-tasking graphical user interface-based operating environment on the PC platform. Windows 1.0 was the very first version of Windows launched.

If you think I'm going to make fun of Bill Gates, you're mistaken.

Hooray for Big Brother!!!


November 20, 1986
-
The one billionth Little Golden Book was printed on this date.

The title was The Poky Little Puppy.

Perhaps, unwisely, this was the next book printed.



And so it goes.


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