Bob Clampett was the first to tackle an adaption of a Dr. Seuss book when Merrie Melodies released Horton Hatches the Egg, on this date.
Peter Lorre was a favorite characterization for the famed Warner Bros. cartoonists, as he tangled several times with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
April 11, 1947 -
Charlie Chaplin's very dark comedy, Monsieur Verdoux, premiered on this date in NYC.
The film was a colossal box-office flop on its 1947 release, despite being ardently championed by writer-critic James Agee, who considered Charles Chaplin's acting performance the greatest male performance he had ever seen in films.
April 11, 1955 -
The Paddy Chayefsky drama, Marty, starring Ernest Borgnine (the man who taught Ethel Merman the lessons of love) and Betsy Blair and directed by Delbert Mann, premiered in New York City on this date.
Film historians have credited this film for demonstrating the viability of low budget films in the United States. It also showed the potential for independently-produced films. This led to the proliferation of such films. Studio executives knew low budget, independent, and realistic films had been successful in Europe for many years. However, most studios remained skeptical about the possibility of such successes in the United States..
April 11, 1973 -
In one of the show's most memorable moments, Stevie Wonder plays a funky, live version of Superstition on Sesame Street, on this date.
The song was originally intended for Jeff Beck, who was brought in to play some guitar parts on the album in exchange for a song. At one of the sessions, Stevie came up with the riff and wrote some lyrics, and they recorded a rough version of the song that day for Beck. It took Beck a while to record the song, and by the time he released it, Wonder's version had been out for a month and was a huge hit.
April 11, 1980 -
ABC's attempt at live late-night sketch comedy, Fridays, premiered on this date.
Michael Richards, Larry David, Bruce Mahler, Maryedith Burrell and Melanie Chartoff would all work on Seinfeld in various capacities.
April 11, 1981 –
One of the songs that aired on MTV's first day of broadcast - Daryl Hall and John Oates' Kiss on My List, reached no. #1 on the Billboard charts on this date.
This is a very misinterpreted song, as many people hear the lyric as "kiss on my lips." According to Daryl Hall, it is what he calls "an anti-love song," and the lyric, "Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life" means that the kiss is simply another item on the guy's list - and certainly not the best thing. Said Hall: "Everyone thinks it's 'I love you and without you I would die.' It's exactly the opposite of that."
April 11, 1983 -
R.E.M. release their debut album, Murmur, on this date.
Radio Free Europe was R.E.M.'s first single, released in 1981 before they signed to a major label. A better-produced version was included on Murmur, the band's first full-length album, in 1983.
April 11, 1997 -
Buena Vista Pictures' surprise hit, Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, and Joan Cusack, premiered in the US on this date.
When Martin first visits Debi's house she says; "You can't come in" in a Jamaican accent. This is a reference to the song which is playing in the background : You're Wondering Now by The Specials, which starts off with a knock at the door followed by one of the band saying the same thing in the same (albeit more authentic) accent.
April 11, 2009 –
Lady Gaga second hit off her debut album The Fame, Poker Face, hit no. #1 on the Billboard charts, on this date.
When this song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Lady Gaga became the first artist to top the chart with his or her first two entries since 1999-2000, when Christina Aguilera achieved the same feat with Genie in a Bottle and What a Girl Wants.
Another unimportant moment in history
Today in History:
April 11, 1034 -
An ancient corollary—lost to the ages—of the phrase "Don't go to bed mad," may very well have been "Don't take a bath mad." After cutting his wife's allowance in an attempt to balance the Byzantine Empire’s budget, Emperor Romanos III Argyros was drowned in his bath on this date — allegedly by the eunuch (and probable lover) of Empress Zoe, a man named Michael.
April 11, 1713 -
Psst... in case it ever comes up in conversation: Spain ceded Gibraltar in perpetuity to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht on this date.
April 11, 1814 -
Able was I ere I saw Elba.br />
He was allowed to retain his title of Emperor and was granted sovereignty over the small Mediterranean island of Elba, along with a modest pension and a personal guard of 400 volunteers. Island life, however, didn’t quite suit the little general. Less than a year later, he returned for his famous Hundred Days campaign (see: March 20), as retirement simply didn’t agree with him.
April 11, 1865 -
President Abraham Lincoln delivered what would be his final public speech on this date. Speaking from a window at the White House, he advocated for limited voting rights for African Americans.
Among the crowd was actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Enraged by Lincoln’s words, Booth reportedly turned to a companion and said, “That means n**** citizenship. That is the last speech he will ever give.” Booth, who had previously plotted to kidnap the president, now resolved to assassinate him.
April 11, 1890 -
Joseph "John" Merrick, better known as The Elephant Man, died at the Royal London Hospital on this date at the age of 27.
Although long believed to have suffered from Elephantiasis, modern experts suggest that Merrick likely had Proteus Syndrome or possibly neurofibromatosis type I (formerly called von Recklinghausen’s disease). Either condition would account for the severe deformities that plagued his short but remarkable life
April 11, 1905 -
Albert Einstein, then a lowly patent clerk in Switzerland, published a groundbreaking paper that would revolutionize physics: the Special Theory of Relativity. Among its propositions was the now-iconic equation: E = mc².
The world was astonished, as previously, “E” had always just been the fifth letter of the alphabet.
April 11, 1935 -
Richard Berry, the composer of Louie Louie, was born on this date.
The song, now a rock 'n' roll legend, has been covered more times than any other in music history—famously misunderstood, censored, and beloved across generations. Not bad for a tune originally written as a B-side.
April 11, 1947 -
Jackie Robinson took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers in an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, becoming the first Black player to compete in Major League Baseball in the modern era.
April 11, 1951 -
The Stone of Scone, the legendary coronation stone of Scottish monarchs, was discovered at the altar of the ruined Arbroath Abbey on this date. Scottish nationalist students had stolen it from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day, 1950, as a symbolic act of defiance.
The stone had been taken by Edward I of England in 1296 and held at Westminster ever since, despite a 1328 treaty promising its return. In 1996, it was finally sent back to Scotland and now rests in Edinburgh Castle — though it was temporarily returned to Westminster Abbey for Charles' coronation ceremonies.
April 11, 1951 -
President Harry S. Truman, in one of the most dramatic moments of his presidency, relieved General Douglas MacArthur of his command, (well this, and droppong two atominc bombs on civilian populations.)
Despite his fame from WWII and the Korean War, MacArthur had repeatedly challenged Truman’s authority and advocated for the use of nuclear weapons in Korea. Truman reminded MacArthur—and the nation—that military leaders serve under civilian authority. The general’s dismissal was controversial, but a key moment in preserving the principle of civilian control of the military.
April 11, 1954 -
According to a team of Cambridge University scientists, this date in history was the most boring day during the entire 20th Century.
Everything goes better with fondue,
And nothing organizes your music collection quite like a K-tel Tape Selector.
April 11, 1979 -
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, fell to Tanzanian forces on this date, officially toppling dictator Idi Amin.
Amin, a brutal and erratic ruler responsible for the deaths of an estimated 300,000 people (and an occasional cannibal, just to keep things interesting), fled to Libya and eventually found asylum in Saudi Arabia. His fatal mistake? Invading Tanzania — a move that, historically, hasn’t worked out well for megalomaniacs with dietary quirks.
And so it goes.
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