The term "Cyber Monday" was dreamt up in 2005 by by a young public relations executive named Ellen Davis at Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation. Monday is the day of the week when most people do their online shopping. I’d hazard a guess to say that’s a lot of unproductive, demotivated, bored employees shopping online at work, unless they are working from home. Then they are probably playing with their pet.
As the years slip by more swiftly, I can remember some things clearly, others only dimly; As an old friend from elementary school can testify, I don't remember them telling us about this back at St. John's.
November 27 is the Feast of St. Josaphat, a Middle Age prince who renounced his wealth to do charitable work.
Well, St. Josephat, turns out to be a Christianized version of a legend about Buddha (yeah Siddhartha Gautama.)
Oh, that wacky Catholic Church!
November 27, 1920 -
United Artists released the silent film The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks on this date. The film will go on to be extremely influential in the world of comics.
In the Golden Age of Comic Books, this was the film to which Thomas and Martha Wayne took their young son Bruce on the night that they were murdered in front of him in Gotham City in 1920, the experience which led him to become Batman.
November 27, 1948 -
You see what some ducks will do for money!
Another (less familiar) Daffy and Porky pairing, Riff Raffy Daffy, premiered on this date.
November 27, 1967 -
The Beatles released Magical Mystery Tour album the US on this date.
Unfortunately, Charles Manson used to refer to life as A Magical Mystery Tour after hearing the title song. He later warped other Beatles songs (Helter Skelter, Piggies, Blackbird) to explain a race war named Helter Skelter. He used to say that the Beatles were telling it like it is.
November 27, 1970 -
George Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles, All Things Must Pass, a three album set, was released on this date. The album includes the hit singles My Sweet Lord, What Is Life, Isn’t It a Pity, and All Things Must Pass.
Harrison was joined by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and others, and featured Harrison’s signature slide guitar sound and his deeply spiritual themes, The chart-topping music was certified six times platinum and became the most successful album ever released by an ex-Beatle.
November 27, 1977 –
The Rankin/Bass animated special, The Hobbit, first aired on NBC TV, on this date.
In the book, Bilbo is knocked unconscious by a falling rock during the Battle of Five Armies immediately after seeing the eagles arrive to help. In the movie, perhaps due to an anti-war bias at the time of filming, Bilbo states that he "simply doesn't understand war" and then hides behind a stone, using the ring to become invisible and watching the entire battle. When asked about his whereabouts Bilbo lies and says that he had "a bump to the head" and was "out for hours".
November 27, 1979 -
For those so inclined, you could start spending time in the boys locker room of Carver High School when The White Shadow premiered on this date.
Ken Howard was nicknamed "The White Shadow" while he played for Manhasset High School 's basketball team. He was the only white starter on his team. Howard based his performance on his high school basketball coach, Fritz Mueller. Carver's team colors, orange and blue, were based on the the colors of Howard's school.
November 27, 1980 -
The sitcom Bosom Buddies, staring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari premiered on ABC-TV on this date.
(Yes, I know, this is not the original theme song - the production company lost the rights to the song.)
The producers pitched the series to ABC as a relatively straightforward buddy comedy in the spirit of Billy Wilder's comedy films. When they used the film Some Like It Hot as an example, the network agreed to the series, but only if the main characters were disguised as women. Although the producers had to change the series quickly, they were able to produce it with little network creative interference.
November 27, 2013 –
The Walt Disney's film, Frozen, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, starring Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, went into general release in the US on this date.
In a magazine interview, Idina Menzel told the story about her young son boasting to his classmates that his mom sings the songs in Frozen. To this, another child replied, "So does everyone else's."
Word of the Day
Today in History:
November 27, 1835 -
On this date, a crowd gathered outside Newgate Prison in London to witness a macabre, notorious and historic event – the hanging of the last two men in England to be executed for the ‘abominable crime of buggery’ - sodomy.
November 27, 1852 -
Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, was bled to death to cure her uterine cancer on this date. (In a strange coincidence, her father was also bled to death to cure a fever.)
She is often thought of as the world's first computer programmer, due to her interest in mathematics and her work on Charles Babbage's analytical engine.
Alfred Nobel signed his last will, which established the Nobel Prize on this date in 1895. (Yes, this is the second reference to Alfred in the same week.)
Sadly, in recent years the foundation appears to have forgotten its roots and has begun awarding prizes to men and women whose work for peace has resulted in things blowing up.
I encourage you all to write the Nobel Committee to take immediate corrective action, lest they continue to mislead people into thinking that Peace can be achieved by anything other than the blowing up of Evil Bastards.
November 27, 1910 -
Although the Pennsylvania Station had already begun service for the Long Island Rail Road several months earlier (September 8th); it was on this date that trains from the Pennsylvania Railroad entered Manhattan for the first time by way of tunnels under the Hudson River.
The famed station was demolished in 1963, which sparked the creation of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has preserved thousands of historic buildings in New York City and across the country.
November 27, 1924 -
Macy's sponsored its first Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (called Macy's Christmas Parade) in New York City on this date. The three-hour parade is held annually and is the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade along with Detroit's "America's Thanksgiving Parade," which began on the same day.
Three floats (pulled by horses), four bands and zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo - camels, donkeys, elephants and goats - starred in the parade (balloons didn't show up until 1927.)
November 27, 1934 -
Notorious US murderer and bank robber Baby Face Nelson was killed in a gun battle with the FBI on this date. Known as the Battle of Barrington, the shootout occurred in Barrington, Illinois. Two FBI officers also were killed.
During his criminal career, Nelson, whose real name was Lester Joseph Gillis, killed more FBI agents than any other US citizen in history.
November 27, 1978 -
City Supervisor Dan White entered San Francisco City Hall through an open basement window (avoiding metal detectors), walked into the office of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and shot him dead. Then White went on to kill Supervisor Harvey Milk on this date.
Apparently, Mr. White consumed too many Twinkies. (Given there has been no noticeable increases in incidents of Twinkie induced rages, the Hostess Company may have changed the formula since their resuscitation.)
Don't forget:
And so it goes
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