The amateur drinkers (in various states of holiday undress) are once again back in Manhattan this year: they will be in Midtown and Lower Manhattan, stating at 10 AM. I can take comfort that some of them may die, choking on their own (or someone else's) vomit later in the day. (Ask me how I feel about Santacon.)
A Special Word of the Day - Halcyon
According to legend, this two-week period is associated with unusually calm seas; hence the common meanings of halcyon as 'quiet' or 'peaceful' and by extension, 'prosperous.'
December 14, 1919 -
Felix the Cat first appeared in film, Feline Follies (under the name 'Master Tom',) on this date. This was a full nine years before Mickey Mouse’s debut in Disney’s Steamboat Willie.
The legendary cartoon character created in the silent film era by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer in Australia was a whimsical black cat that walked on two legs and often had the moves and childlike nature of Charlie Chaplin (who was an inspiration for Sullivan).
December 14, 1967 -
Richard Brooks' adaptation of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, starring Robert Blake, Scott Wilson and John Forsythe, premiered in New York City on this date.
To get the authenticity he wanted, Richard Brooks filmed in all the actual locations including the Clutter house (where the murders took place) and the actual courtroom (six of the actual jurors were used). Even Nancy Clutter's horse Babe was used in a few scenes. The actual Kansas State Penitentiary facilities and gallows were not used the film.
December 14, 1968 -
Three Motown acts held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, on this date:
1) I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye
2) Love Child by The Supremes
3) For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder
The chart stays the same the next week, and a week later Stevie and The Supremes trade positions.
December 14, 1969 -
Michael Jackson and the rest of The Jackson 5 made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on this date.
The Jackson Five performed Sly and the Family Stone's Stand, Smokey Robinson's Who's Loving You, and their first hit single I Want You Back.
December 14, 1972 -
A very obscure (and not particularly good) Ringo Starr directed concert film, Born To Boogie starring Marc Bolan and T. Rex, Ringo Starr, and Elton John was released on The Beatles Apple Films label in the UK, on this date.
Much of the 8mm footage used in the closing credits was shot by Marc Bolan while on tour.
December 14, 1979 -
The Clash released their third studio album, London Calling, an album mix of punk, reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock, on this date.
London Calling was produced by Guy Stevens, best known at that point for his work with Mott the Hoople and the Faces. The album was ranked #8 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
December 14, 1984 -
The David Lynch version of Frank Herbert's Science Fiction classic, thought to be unfilmable; Dune, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Jose Ferrer, Francesca Annis and Sting, premiered on this date.
David Lynch has said he considers this film the only real failure of his career. To this day, he refuses to talk about the production in great detail, and has refused numerous offers to work on a special edition DVD.
Christmas Trivia
Brenda Lee was just 13 years old when she recorded Rockin around the Christmas Tree back in 1958.
The record mostly flopped upon its initial release, selling just 5,000 copies. The next year, they released the song a second time and it again flopped, selling just over what it did on its initial release. It finally started to gain some traction the next year as Brenda Lee's fame began to skyrocket, managing to rise as high as number 14 on the Hot 100 Pop Singles list. Within five years of that, it went as high as number three on that same list. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Brenda Lee's original version of it had sold over 25 million copies, including about 700,000 digital copies, making it the fourth most digital downloads sold of any Christmas single.
To celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the release of her classic hit, Brenda Lee has release a new music video for the song.
Today in History:
December 14, 1503 -
Nostradamus, famous french huckster (forerunner of Miss Cleo, for those of you who remember Miss Cleo) was born on this date.
If you write vague enough prophecies, they will fool almost anyone.
December 14, 1656 -
Artificial pearls were first manufactured by M. Jacquin in Paris on this date.
December 14, 1702 -
A major part of Japanese history - the 47 Ronin were samurai until their master was ordered to commit suicide after killing an arrogant official. In revenge, the Ronin killed the official, and were then were ordered to commit suicide themselves.
The story of the 47 Ronin remains a popular Japanese legend, and the 47 Ronin are seen as examples of loyalty and faithfulness.
Try getting your staff to turn in reports on time.
December 14, 1807 -
A 'shooting star' fell in Weston, Connecticut at 6:30am on this date, making a hole five feet long and 4.5 feet wide. A young Yale professor, Benjamin Silliman, who rushed to the scene of the phenomenon pronounced it a meteorite.
December 14, 1861 -
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, of tobacco can fame and husband of Queen Victoria, died at Windsor Castle from typhoid fever on this date.
The death of the Prince Consort sent Queen Victoria into a deep depression, which effected the entire Empire and even after her recovery she would remain in mourning for the rest of her life.
December 14, 1900 -
Max Planck published his theory of quantum mechanics, which is often considered one of the most radical scientific discoveries of the 20th Century, on this date. It's even more radical than the belief in the collection of Turkish union dues or statements made by the ex-president.
But five years later, Albert Einstein took Planck's theory of light seriously, and wrote his first major paper exploring the idea of light traveling in packets, which he called photons. Even though he became better known for his theory of relativity, it was Einstein's work expanding on Planck's original ideas about light that won him a Nobel Prize. Einstein later said, "I use up more brain grease on quantum theory than on relativity."
With the discovery of quantum mechanics, physicists found that subatomic particles were by nature unpredictable. If you shot one across the room, you could guess where it might end up, but you could never be sure. This idea made Einstein miserable. He famously said, "I am at all events convinced God does not play dice."
Today quantum mechanics remains one of the most mysterious and difficult scientific theories ever. The Danish physicist Niels Bohr once said that a person who was not shocked by quantum theory did not understand it, and the physicist Richard Feynman once said that while only a modest number of people truly understand the theory of relativity, no one understands quantum mechanics.
Max Planck himself died in 1947 and he never came to fully accept the theory he discovered. But even if few people really understand it, quantum mechanics led to the development of modern electronics, including the transistor, the laser, and the computer.
December 14, 1911 -
Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his expedition successfully reached the South Pole on this date, beating out the rival expedition of British Robert Falcon Scott by almost a month.
Amundsen would later become the first explorer to ever fly over the North Pole in 1926.
December 14, 1934 -
The first streamlined locomotive, nicknamed the Commodore Vanderbilt, was introduced by the New York Central Railroad on this date.
Despite its elite status and opulent accommodations, the Commodore saw a short life in the postwar years. Following a series of cutbacks the Commodore was removed from the timetable in 1960.
December 14, 1944 -
Lupe Velez, Hollywood's Mexican Spitfire of the 1940s, committed suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills on this date.
Contrary to her plans of being found laid out on the bed in a silk nightgown, she is instead discovered in the bathroom with her head in the toilet. (OK bunkies, this is just an urban legend but let it get in back of the list of others, like the death of Cass Elliot or Judy Garland. Don't even get me started about the death of Albert Dekker.)
What a way to go!!!
December 14, 1955 -
The Tappan Zee Bridge (formerly known as Governor Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee toll bridge, now the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge) in New York opened to traffic on this date.
The bridge was decommissioned in 2016 and the first section of the new bridge opened in 2017. The entire bridge was completion in 2018.
December 14, 1963 -
Dinah Washington (nee Ruth Lee Jones,) the "Queen of the Blues", juggled numerous prescription medications, primarily for dieting and insomnia, most of her life.
It's Too Soon To Know -
It Could Happen to You -
September in the Rain -
An unintentional but lethal combination of alcohol and pills forever stilled her magnificent voice on this date. She was only 39 and was thankfully found in bed.
December 14, 2013 -
Chang'e 3 became the first spacecraft to land on the Moon since 1976 on this date.
Chang'e 3 was an unmanned lunar exploration mission operated by the China National Space Administration, incorporating a robotic lander and China's first lunar rover, the Yutu rover.
On this anniversary of the terrible act at Sandy Hook,
Before you go - More useless Christmas trivia -
Snapdragons - Apparently this is the best game ever to play on Christmas Eve. Make sure you have the fire department on speed dial though. Very popular from the 16th to the 19th centuries, Snapdragons (or Flapdragons) has explicably declined in popularity.
Gather everyone around the dining room table, place a large flat dish in the centre. In the dish scatter a good handful of raisins then pour on top a layer of brandy or cognac. Set fire to the brandy and dim the lights. Players take it in turns to pluck a raisin out of the burning liquid and eat it quickly down. For a more competitive edge to the game use larger dried fruit such as apricots, one of which has a lucky sixpence stuffed inside.
Equipment needed: plate, matches, raisins, brandy, address of nearest accident and emergency department
And so it goes
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