Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - There is a total of 1,710 steps in the Eiffel Tower.
Standing 108 stories tall, there are 1,710 steps to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. However, guests are only allowed to climb the stairs until the first platform. From there, they must take a lift to the top.
So now you know.
December 7, 1945 -
Universal Pictures released the horror film House of Dracula, directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Martha O’Driscoll and Lionel Atwill, on this date.
Lon Chaney Jr. completed his contract with Universal, which began in December 1940, with Man Made Monster. Not long after filming the movie, Lon Chaney Jr. was notified by the studio that his contract would not be renewed.
December 7, 1960 -
MGM released the science fiction film Village of the Damned, directed by Wolf Rilla and starring George Sanders on this date.
The eerie effect of the children's glowing eyes was created by matting a negative (reversed) image of their eyes over the pupils when they used their powers. The British print of the film contained no optical effects as the British Board of Film Classification considered them too frighting for an 'A' classification.
December 7, 1963 -
Instant replay was used for the first time in a live sports telecast during Army vs Navy Football Game at Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia on this date.
When CBS re-played a one-yard touchdown run by Army quarterback Rollie Stichweh, the station's switchboard was inundated with calls from confused viewers asking if the player had scored a second time.
December 7, 1968 -
The Rolling Stones released their album Beggar’s Banquet in the US (one day after it was released in the UK,) on this date.
They soon filmed a television extravaganza entitled The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. After reviewing the program, the Stones felt that they were upstaged by the Who’s performance and the film was shelved until 1996, when it was finally released officially.
December 7, 1969 -
Another Rankin/Bass production, Frosty the Snowman, premiered on CBS-TV on this date.
June Foray provided the voices of Karen, the Teacher and the other children. However, starting with the third airing of the special, most of her recordings as Karen and the other children were replaced with the voices of actual young children.
December 7, 1976 -
The Eagles released New Kid in Town on this date, which became the group's third US No.1 in February the following year.
Don Felder, who was the Eagles guitarist at the time, has commented that once the concept of the album Hotel California was established, some other songs fell into place, including this one. Said Felder: "Once you arrive in LA and you have your first couple of hits, you become the New Kid in Town, and then with greater success, you live Life In The Fast Lane, and you start wondering if all that time you've spent in the bars was just Wasted Time. So all of these other song ideas kind of came out of that concept once the foundation was laid for Hotel California."
December 7, 1979 -
Paramount Pictures released the science fiction film Star Trek: The Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise and starring a bunch of TV actors on this date.
William Shatner, who saw the completed movie for the first time at the world premiere, was struck by the overall sluggishness of the movie, and was convinced that the Star Trek franchise died there and then. He reminisced "Well, that's it. We gave it our best shot, it wasn't good, and it will never happen again." But having recalled his reaction fifteen years later, he added "Shows you what I know."
December 7, 1979 -
Kurtis Blow's Christmas Rappin' by becomes the first rap song released on this date, by a major label - Mercury Records.
It sells about 400,000 copies and provides the template for his next single, The Breaks, which becomes the first rap Gold record.
December 7, 2001 –
Steven Soderbergh's remake of Frank Sinatra's 1960 summer vacation movie, Ocean’s Eleven, starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts opened in US theaters on this date.
The cast did gamble during off hours. While there's disagreement between who won the most (George Clooney says Matt Damon, Damon says Brad Pitt), Clooney managed to lose 25 hands of blackjack in a row.
He's Back!
Today in History:
December 7, 43 BC -
Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, famous Roman writer and orator, literally gets his head handed to him on this date, when soldier in Marc Antony's army chopped off his head and right hand then displayed them in the Roman Forum.
December 7, 185 -
Emperor Lo-Yang of China took a stroll on in his imperial garden on this evening and saw a Supernova.
Who knew he was such a Liz Phair fan?
December 7, 1907 -
Christmas Seals first went on sale in the United States went to raise funds to treat tuberculosis, after Emily Bissell, a social worker and activist, read about the program in an article by Jacob Riis.
In 1903, Einar Holbøll, a Danish postal clerk developed the idea of adding an extra charitable stamp on mailed holiday greetings during Christmas. The money raised could be used to help children sick with tuberculosis.
December 7, 1910 -
... and life goes on without me
Louis Prima singer, actor, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on this date.
We'll let him serenade Joan, the birthday girl. (It would be very rude to ask how old she is?)
It was on this day in 1941 that Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack came after the United States had frozen Japanese assets and declared an embargo on shipments of petroleum to Japan.
On the morning of December 7, soldiers at Pearl Harbor were learning how to use a new device called radar, and they detected a large number of planes heading toward them. They telephoned an officer to ask him what to do. The officer said they must be American B-17s on their way to the base, and he told the soldiers not to worry about it.
A sailor named James Jones, who would go on to write the novel From Here to Eternity, was in the mess hall that morning.
There were ultimately 2,390 Americans killed at Pearl Harbor and 1,178 wounded. Two days after the attack, the Navy passed out postcards to the survivors and told them to write to their families, but not to describe what had happened. Some families did not get their postcards until a few years ago.
December 7, 1949 -
It's Tom Waits' birthday today.
Telephone Call From Istanbul -
Jockey Full of Bourbon -
The Black Rider -
Bella Ciao -
And the Acme Corp. is always happy to sponsor that Christmas Classic, Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (One of our loyal bunkies pointed out that there is no Euclid Ave in Minneapolis, but we won't hold it against Mr. Waits.) -
As always, let's stay up all night, get the piano drunk and sing really sad songs in a raspy voice in his honor.
December 7, 1972 -
Apollo 17, the sixth and last Apollo moon mission, was launched from Cape Canaveral on this date.
It will land on the Moon December 11 and Flight Commander Eugene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, will be the last men to step on the Moon for decades to come..
And so it goes
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