Read the ramblings of Dr. Caligari. Hopefully you will find that Time does wound all heels.
You no longer need to be sad that nowadays there is so little useless information.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - The United States Navy has started using Xbox controllers for their periscopes.
The innovation came as the Navy’s response to feedback given by junior officers and sailors who said that the controls for the periscope were clunky and “real heavy.” In addition to being hard to manage, the handgrip and imaging control panel used previously also cost about $38,000, compared to the Xbox 360 controller’s cost of around $20. Because the control stick for periscopes was so complicated, using Xbox controllers reduced the learning time from hours to minutes.
Eat a Cranberry Day is celebrated this date each year. It was created in order to promote the health benefits of cranberries. (I have no idea why.)
Cranberries are ingredients in more than 1,000 food and beverage products. One of those beverages is the Cosmopolitan. Enough said.
For those of you so inclined, today is Fibonacci Day.
Once again, I suggest celebrating by eating Fibonachos!
Today is the birthday of both Boris Karloff (1887)
and Harpo Marx (1888).
And that makes this a good day.
November 23, 1959 - American International Pictures released one of the Classic 'B' movies of the late 50s, The Angry Red Planet, in the US on this date.
The much-touted Cinemagic process which was used for the scenes set on Mars was actually the result of a film-developing mistake. The budget was slashed mid-production so the producers considered turning the film into black and white to keep costs down. However, one reel became accidentally double-exposed which produced a shimmering, vaguely psychedelic glare that director Ib Melchior latched onto, thinking it would suit his purposes for the Mars scenes. (It also helped to camouflage the cheap Martian monsters and scenery.)
November 23, 1963 -
The first episode of Doctor Who, The Unearthly Child, premiered on the BBC, on this date.
The main character's name is not actually Doctor Who. In fact, his real name is never revealed. Other characters who know him only address him as Doctor, and he only ever introduces himself by saying "I'm the Doctor." The title comes from the idea that, after being told someone is a doctor, you would naturally ask, "Doctor Who?"
November 23, 1969 - The Rolling Stones made an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, which aired on this date, singing - Gimme Shelter, Love In Vain, and Honky Tonk Woman. They were promoting their latest album Let It Bleed.
This was their sixth and final appearance on the show.
November 23, 1983 - James L. Brooks adaptation of Larry McMurty's novel, Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger, Danny Devito, Jeff Daniels and John Lithgow, opened in limited release on this date.
James L. Brooks received a special gift at the end of production, to congratulate him for completing his first movie. This was a book of Life in Hell cartoons, drawn by Matt Groening. Brooks was so impressed with the comics that he asked Groening to create cartoon shorts for The Tracey UllmanShow. This gave rise to The Simpsons.
Today in History: November 23, 1499 -
A young man claiming to be the son of Edward IV landed in Cornwall, England, and declared himself King Richard IV. Unfortunately England already a king, the young man wasn't really the son of Edward IV, and his name wasn't Richard.
He was in fact Perkin Warbeck, and was therefore hanged to death on this date (as opposed to having been well hung.)
November 23, 1899 -
The world's first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Hotel in San Francisco on November 23, 1899. At a nickel per play, the machine earned nearly $1000 during the first six months of operation.
Early manufacturers of Jukeboxes never referred to them as "jukeboxes", they called them Automatic Coin-Operated Phonographs. The term "juke" is Southern US slang for dancing.
November 23, 1910 -
English murderer Hawley Crippen an American physician was hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, England, after he was caught aboard the SS Montrose attempting to escape to Britain, on this date.
It was the first use of wireless radio for the apprehension of a criminal.
November 23, 1936 -
The first edition of Life, the picture magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was published on this date.
It was an immediate sellout.
November 23, 1976 - Jerry Lee Lewis had been a bad boy again. On this date, he was arrested in front of Graceland in Memphis for public drunkenness, and carrying a chrome plated .38.
Looking to touch Elvis, I bet.
November 23, 1990 - MTV banned Madonna's video Justify My Love due to its sexually-explicit content on this date.
Oh, do you remember when television was this quaint,
or Madonna was this relevant?
November 23, 2015 – Blue Origin’s New Shepard, (named in honor of the first American in space, Alan Shepard,) space vehicle became the first rocket to successfully fly to space and then return to Earth for a controlled, vertical landing back at the launch site in West Texas, on this date.
Blue Origin developed the New Shepard to launch both commercial science payloads and humans into space. The capsule can seat six astronauts with more than ten times the room Alan Shepard had on board his Mercury capsule, Freedom 7, in 1961.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - A Thanksgiving mix-up inspired the first TV dinners.
In 1953, a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a colossal shipment of Thanksgiving turkeys (260 tons, to be exact). To deal with the excess, salesman Gerry Thomas took inspiration from the prepared foods served on airplanes. He came up with the idea of filling 5,000 aluminum trays with the turkey – along with cornbread dressing, gravy, peas, and sweet potatoes to complete the offering. The 98-cents meals were a hit, especially with kids and increasingly busy households.
Today is the feast day of St. Cecilia. According to legend, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence, Valerian was converted, and was promptly martyred along with his brother, Tiburtius.
The legend about Cecilia’s death first involved an insufficiently heated scalding bath. When that didn't work, Cecilia was struck three times on the neck with a sword (obviously not honed correctly,) she lived for three days, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. St. Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians, singers and music.
Today is Go For A Ride Day. The day is supposed to encourages you to get out into the world – hop on your bike, into your car, or simply get your walking boots out of storage and go on a trip. Don’t worry too much about where you’re going, just enjoy the journey.
If you're planning to have Thanksgiving dinner at your home next week, you should be planning on wearing your mask to take a trip to your local supermarket.
November 22, 1940 - The Letter, starring Bette Davis (at her best) premiered in NYC on this date.
The first scene that William Wyler shot was the famous opening shot in which we see Leslie shoot Geoffrey Hammond. The opening shot, which lasted two minutes on screen, took an entire day to film, and that was before even a single word of dialogue was spoken. The studio expected him to shoot at a rate of 3-4 script pages a day, but the opening shot reflected a mere paragraph on page one.
November 22, 1963 - Phil Spector unfortunately chose this date to release his holiday record, A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector, which he worked on all summer with his best musicians.
Given the timing with the events in Dallas this day, the album suffers dismal sales initial. Later, the album would go on to be ranked No. 142 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time in 2012. And in 2017, it was ranked the 130th greatest album of the 1960s by Pitchfork.
November 22, 1967 - Embassy Pictures' film, The Producers, directed by Mel Brooks (in his directorial debut,) and starring Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Dick Shawn, and Kenneth Mars, premiered in Pittsburgh, PA, on this date.
Mel Brooks cannot read music. Springtime for Hitler and Prisoners of Love (as were all the songs Brooks writes for his films) were hummed into a tape recorder and transcribed by an expert. When Brooks adapted the movie into a stage musical, he wrote the entire score by himself using the same method.
November 22, 1968 - The Beatles released their long-awaited double album, simply called The Beatles, but better known as The White Album.
The album was the first the Beatles undertook following the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, and the first released by their own record label, Apple.
November 22, 1975 – KC and the Sunshine Band song, That’s the Way (I Like It), hit No #1 on the Billboard Charts on this date.
This was the second of an astounding five US #1 hits from KC and The Sunshine Band. Their first #1 was Get Down Tonight, which gave them the template for songs like this. Like all their hits, this was written by their bass player/producer Rick Finch and frontman Harry Wayne Casey.
November 22, 1989 - Universal Pictures releases the science fiction film, Back to the Future Part II, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson, in general release in the U.S. on this date.
According to Michael J. Fox, he found out there was going to be a sequel to Back to the Future when he watched the VHS version and the words "To be continued" were added at the end. He immediately called his agent to make sure he was going to be in the sequel.
November 22, 1991 - Barry Sonnenfeld take on Charles AddamsNew Yorker Cartoons, The Addams Family, starring Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci, premiered on this date.
After the movie premiered, children would frequently recognize Raul Julia as Gomez Addams out in public, which according to him, always brought a smile to his face. Julia stated that Gomez Addams was by far his favorite role, and his family said this recognition was especially meaningful to him in the final months of his life because he loved performing for children and making them happy whenever the opportunity presented itself.
November 22, 1995 - Toy Story was released, as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery, on this date.
Billy Crystal was originally offered the chance to voice Buzz Lightyear, but declined. After seeing the finished film, he said the decision was the biggest mistake of his career. Upon learning this, John Lasseter telephoned Billy's house to offer him the role of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. Billy's wife answered the telephone and said "John Lasseter wants to speak to you." Billy took the telephone from his wife and said "Yes".
Today in History: November 22, 1888 -
According to the Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel,
Tarzan of the Apes (Lord Greystoke) was born on this date.
November 22, 1928 - Maurice Ravel composition Boléro has it's first public performance in Paris on this date.
Boléro became Ravel's most famous composition, much to the surprise of the composer, who had predicted that most orchestras would refuse to play it.
November 22, 1963 -
We, in this country, in this generation, are - by destiny rather than choice - the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. - from the address that President John F. Kennedy never got to deliver in Dallas on this date.
A covert CIA operation privately funded by a plutocratic cabal of multinational industrial interests acting in conjunction with extraterrestrial forces and the Knights Templar succeeded in making it appear that Lee Harvey Oswald had assassinated President Kennedy, on this date.
Or if this is too much for you, you can always believe in the MAGIC BULLET.
November 22, 1963 -
The Steam Ferry Cornelius G. Kolff vanished without a trace, on this date. On its way with nearly 400 hundred people, mostly on their way to work, the disappearance of the Cornelius G. Kolff remains both one of New York’s most horrific maritime tragedies and perhaps its most intriguing mystery.
You probable think that you never heard about this event because it was overshadowed by the assassination of JFK that same day - but you never heard about it because it never happened. Artist Joe Reginella created the elaborate hoax using slick brochures, a web site and even a statue are luring hapless tourists to a far corner of Staten Island in search of a museum devoted to the made-up tragedy.
November 22, 1968 -
Many a KKK member and Daughter of the Civil War were given the vapors on this date in history.
Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) and Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) share the first interracial kiss in TV history on Star Trek on this date.
November 22, 1975 - Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias was proclaimed King of Spain after he confirms with advisers that Francisco Franco planned to be dead for a while.
Juan Carlos is related to both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip (and as you know they are related to each other.) To confuse matters even more, his wife Queen Sofia, is related to all three of them. King Juan Carlos had to abdicate in favor of his son, Felipe VI (who is so related to Prince Charles through all four of the above mentioned people that they are practically first cousins,) proving once again, sometimes it's not good to be the king who spends too much money.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - A lion’s roar can be heard from 5 miles away.
To be more specific, a lion can roar as loud as 114 decibels, which is roughly 25 times louder than a gas-powered lawnmower.
The United Nations General Assembly (back in 1996) proclaimed November 21st as World Television Day. The UN want to recognize that television represented a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.
I remind my children ad nauseum, everything they own is due to TV.
Today is the 47th annual World Hello Day (some sites say it's the 48th.) Anyone can participate in World Hello Day simply by greeting ten people. My suggestion - let's call the day 'Say Hello to Kevin and hand him a fist full of money day.'
This demonstrates the importance of personal communication for preserving peace. World Hello Day was begun in response to the conflict between Egypt and Israel in the Fall of 1973. Since then, World Hello Day has been observed by people in 180 countries.
November 21, 1931 - James Whale classic retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, premiered on this date.
The Monster in this film does not physically resemble the character in Mary Shelley's novel. It was make-up artist Jack P. Pierce who came up with innovations such as the Monster's flat head, the bolts through the neck, the droopy eyelids, and the poorly-fitted suit. Any future Frankenstein film that features any of these physical abnormalities is taking its inspiration from Pierce's make-up work.
November 21, 1942 - Babbit and Catstello, take-offs on Bud Abbott and Lou Costello try to catch Tweety bird (in his first appearance) in A Tale of Two Kitties, premiered on this date.
Early model sheets for this short indicated that Tweety's original name was Orson, but no name is given in the film. After censors complained that the pink bird looked naked because he had no feathers, Tweety's color was changed to yellow.
November 21, 1946 -
One of the greatest films about vets returning home after WWII, The Best Years of Our Lives, premiered in NYC on this date.
William Wyler, who served as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II, incorporated his own wartime experiences into the film. Just as Fred Derry did in the movie, Wyler flew in B-17s in combat over Germany, although rather than being a bombardier, as Derry was, Wyler shot footage for documentary films (his hearing was permanently damaged when an anti-aircraft shell exploded near his plane while on a bombing raid). Additionally, he modeled the reunion of Al and Milly, in which they first see each other at opposite ends of a long hallway, on his own homecoming to his wife, Margaret Tallichet.
November 21, 1976 -
Ok everybody, "...Gonna fly now, flying high now..."
Rocky, premiered in NYC on this date.
Most of the scenes of Rocky jogging through Philadelphia were shot guerrilla-style, with no permits, no equipment, and no extras. The shot where he runs past the moored boat for example, the crew were simply driving by the docks, and John G. Avildsen saw the boat, and thought it would make a good visual, so he had Sylvester Stallone simply get out of the van and run along the quays, while Avildsen himself filmed from the side door.
November 21, 1980 -
In what was one of the most-watched TV cliffhangers in television history, 350 million viewers worldwide tuned into the television series Dallas to find out who had shot J.R. Ewing at the end of the show's previous season.
As it turned out, he was shot by his wife's sister, who also was his former mistress, Kristin Shepard.
November 21, 1980 -
After several years delay and hopelessly over budget, MCA Records released seventh studio album by Steely Dan, Gaucho, on this date.
MCA tried to recoup the cost of producing Gaucho by selling the album at $9.98 retail, rather than the average rate of $8.98 retail. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker couldn't help resent the price increase and feared that their fans would lay the blame on them, given that minimum wage was $3.10 at the time.
November 21, 1981 -
The Queen/David Bowie collaboration Under Pressure went to No. #1 on the charts in the UK, on this date.
Brian May recalled to Mojo magazine October 2008. "It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it's a great song but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that."
Bizarrely, on the same day, Olivia Newton-John song, Physical hits #1 on the charts in the US. Songwriters Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick came up with this song, which was originally titled "Let's Get Physical." Instead of writing about the emotions of love, they decided to write this about the physical side, which many listeners found very refreshing in a pop song.
November 21, 1984 - Warner Bros. released the super hero film Supergirl, starring Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Peter Cook, Marc McClure, and Brenda Vaccaro, in the US on this date.
A film container, simply stating the words "Do Not Use", was discovered at Pinewood Studios in London. The negative inside contained missing footage that was later used to create the director's cut edition of the film. Anchor Bay subsequently released this version on special edition DVD, limited to 50,000 copies. Warner Archive Collection, an offshoot label dedicated to Manufactured-on-Demand releases, would later release it as a bonus disc DVD for the film's Blu-Ray debut in 2018.
November 21, 1991 – Aerosmith was the first rock band to make a guest appearance on The Simpsons when they perform Walk This Way at Moe’s Tavern.
In the original script, Moe tempted Aerosmith to play by offering them free beer, but the band members asked that the joke be changed -- one of the biggest factors in the band's late-80s comeback was that they'd given up drugs and alcohol. The writers changed the line to "free pickled eggs."
November 21, 1992 - Adam Sandler sings The Thanksgiving Song on Saturday Night Live'sWeekend Update, on this date.
Sandler, still two years away from introducing his huge holiday hit The Chanukah Song, celebrates Thanksgiving with a comical ode to the holiday.
Today in History: November 21, 1694 - Jean Francois Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) was born on this date.
Voltaire is best known for having said things. Here are some of the witty things he said:
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”
“It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.”
“Common sense is not so common.”
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it."
“I don’t know where I am going, but I am on my way.”
“Dare to think for yourself.”
“Ice-cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal.”
And most significantly:
"A witty saying proves nothing."
November 21, 1921 - U.S. President Warren G. Harding signed the Willis Campbell Act, which prohibited the medical prescription of beer and liquor on this date.
He was killed - probably by his wife - two years later and nobody seemed to mind (remember, this was the genius who had his bootlegger come around the back of the White House to deliver his booze.)
Enough said.
November 21, 1941 - Juanita Spinnelli became the first woman to be enter the gas chamber (and not come out alive) in California on this date - She was the first woman ever to be officially executed in that state.
A gangster and ex-wrestler, Spinnelli took young delinquent homeless men into her house, where she would train them to be professional criminals.
November 21, 1964 -
The upper deck of The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened to traffic on this date (at the time it was the world's longest suspension bridge).
And it still takes forever to get to Jersey through Staten Island.
November 21, 1973 -
A gap of 18 1/2 minutes was revealed in one of the Watergate tapes, a conversation between Richard M. Nixon and Bob Haldeman. The erasure is blamed on an accident by Nixon's private secretary Rose Mary Woods, but scientific analysis determines the erasures to be deliberate. Later, Chief of Staff Alexander Haig blames the erasure on "some sinister force".
Forensic experts worked on Haldeman's notebook to see if they could find the imprint of any notes he may have taken that day but later destroyed. (The experts had inconclusive results.)
November 21, 1980 -
The third deadliest hotel fire in history occurs at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, caused by faulty wiring; 84 people died. Helicopters were used to rescue stranded guests from the top floors.
No more pu-pu platters with charcoal grills in the suites please.
November 21, 1997 -
Lead singer of INXS Michael Hutchence was found hanged in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Sydney, Australia on this date. Police have denied that his death was due to Autoerotic Asphyxiation.
The fact that his pants were around his ankles and copies of the magazine Hot Chicks in Tubs of Pudding were scattered around the room, did not enter into it.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - People consume up to 229 grams of fat during the Thanksgiving meal.
Get your eating pants before heading to Thanksgiving dinner (much like Joey.) 229 grams of fat is about three to four times the amount of fat one usually eats in a day. And the entire Thanksgiving dinner could total over 3,000 calories.
November 20, 1965 – The Supremes song I Hear A Symphony hit No. #1 (their sixth No. #1 pop hit on Billboard Hot 100 chart,) on this date.
There isn't a full symphony orchestra playing on this song, but there is a prominent string section, arranged by Paul Riser, that implies it. Otherwise, the instrumentation is more typical, with a saxophone section and piano (played by Funk Brother Earl Van Dyke). The song evokes classical music in its structure though, building throughout to a kind of crescendo.
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, 1973 -
The third Peanuts holiday special, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, premiered on CBS-TV on this date.
Lucy has limited role in this special: she has her scene where she torments Charlie Brown by yanking away a football as the beleaguered hero attempts to kick it. But that opening scene is the only time we get to see Lucy.
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, 1981 - Milos Foreman's epic take on E.L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime, premiered on this date.
James Cagney had been advised by his doctors and caregivers that making a film at this point in his life was very important for his health. The actor never flew, so he and his wife took an ocean liner to London, where his scenes were filmed. Despite his numerous infirmities, he stayed on-set during his fellow actors' close-ups to give them line readings.
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.
Twentieth Century Fox invited a group of scientists to preview this movie, to test their reactions to the "science" used in it. None of the scientists were impressed with what they saw, although most conceded that the movie was enjoyable nonsense.
November 20, 1998 -
The wonderful Irish comedy, Waking Ned Devine, starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly, and Fionnula Flanagan, opened in the U.S. on this date.
All the cast and crew worked on reduced rates to help the film get made.
If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and seek it out.
November 20, 2007 -
The debut album from Amy Winehouse, Frank, (the title refers partly to Frank Sinatra, an early influence on Winehouse,) was finally released in the US eight months after her second album (Back to Black,) and three years after its British release. (This will be on the test.)
It received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Winehouse several accolades, including an Ivor Novello Award for the first single Stronger Than Me. Although critically acclaimed and massively influential in her native UK, it fails to set the American charts on fire, reaching its peak of #33 only after the singer's untimely death in 2011.
Today in History : November 20, 1913 -
The National Biscuit Co. sold its first Mallomars to a grocer in West Hoboken on this date.
Mallomars are only "in season" from September through March (it's to maintain tradition) and are manufactured in Toronto, but not sold anywhere in Canada, the home territory of Whippets.
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.
It's the 45th anniversary of Generallismo Francisco Franco heroic fight to remain dead.
While he may still working at it today, he is not doing it in peace. He was recently disinterred from his elaborate mausoleum and reburied in a family plot.
November 20, 1984 - McDonald's made its 50 billionth hamburger at 12:10 P.M. in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in New YorkCity 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. (Steve Ballmer, throw him under the bus - he's only the 11th richest person in the US.)
Hooray for Big Brother!!!
November 20, 1986 -
The one billionth Little Golden Bookwas printed on this date.
The title was The Poky Little Puppy.
Perhaps, unwisely, this was the next book printed.
And so it goes
Hopefully you've visited your favorite liquor store, before the next lockdown.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - Thomas Jefferson thought a Federal holiday for Thanksgiving was “the most ridiculous idea” ever conceived.
Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the official United States bird, and was not happy when the bald eagle was chosen instead. In a letter to his daughter, Franklin referred to the eagle’s “bad moral character” and proclaimed “For my own part I wish the Eagle had not been chosen the representative of our country… For in Truth, the Turk’y is in comparison a much more respectable bird.” An apocryphal story has arisen that Benjamin Franklin named the male turkey “Tom” to spite Jefferson.
Since it's the third Thursday in November, it's that time of the year - Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé !
It's Beaujolais Nouveaux Day (think about the celebrations in France with the possibility of the reversal of the tarriffs on French wine.)
November 19, 1942 -
The second (and last) Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth outing, You Were Never Lovelier, co-starring Adolphe Menjou and Xavier Cugat, premiered in NYC on this date.
Apparently the film features a 15-year-old Fidel Castro as an extra.
November 19, 1946 - Edmund Goulding's adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel, The Razor's Edge, starring Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, John Payne, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, and Herbert Marshall, premiered in NYC on this date.
Anne Baxter had to leave the set for several weeks and when she returned found she felt like an outsider, everyone else having developed working relationships in her absence. She liked this and used it, since her character Sophie is also on the outs and not able to cope with the loss of her husband and child.
November 19, 1959 -
The first episode of Rocky and His Friends aired on this date.
The first episode, Part One of the Jet Fuel Formula story arc, was recorded in February 1958. However, subsequent episodes were not recorded until February 1959, using a different soundtrack stock. This led to some notable changes in the performances of the voice cast - in Part One of Jet Fuel Formula the clarity of the voice cast is noticeably better than in subsequent episodes, particularly the voice performances of June Foray and Paul Frees; a close listen finds that the studio echo of the session bleeds into the soundtrack.
November 18, 1973 - Emerson, Lake, & Palmer release their fourth studio album, Brain Salad Surgery on this date.
Karn Evil 9 became ELP's most popular song from their most popular album. The song is most commonly interpreted as ELP's take on a shortened history of the world into a futuristic tale.
November 19, 1975 -
One of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, opened in the US on this date.
Will Sampson (Chief Bromden) was a Park Ranger in Oregon near where the movie was filmed. He was selected for the part because he was the only Native American the casting department could find who matched the character's incredible size.
November 19, 1980 - It fails so completely that you might suspect Mr. Cimino sold his soul to obtain the success of The Deer Hunter and the Devil has just come around to collect. - Vincent Canby, The New York Times
Michael Cimino's'tainted masterpiece', Heaven's Gate premiered on this date.
33 years later - By all means see it on the big screen if only to appreciate the enormity of Mr. Cimino's efforts. A fascinating artifact and a monument to Mr. Cimino's towering ambitions, as much for himself as for his art. He sought to recreate the Old West in the film, but the greater marvel is how he tried to replicate Old Hollywood and a dream world that once was - a world that these days is often made in computers. – Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
November 19, 1992 -
... is he fully bonded and licensed by the city?
Linda Ronstadt appears on the famous Mr. Plow episode of The Simpsons, where she appears in a commercial for Homer's rival, Plow King (Barney Gumble).
Today in History: November 19, 1581 -
Russian Czar Ivan The Terrible killed his son, Ivan The Merely Petulant on this date, or so history alleges. The younger Ivan interrupted the elder Ivan, who was beating Ivan Jr's pregnant wife because of her inappropriate garb. Still in a fit of rage, dad smote his son with a staff, killing him dead.
This is what passed for family life amongst the Royals in the Middle Ages in Russia.
November 19, 1703 - The Man in the Iron Mask died in the Bastille on this date.
He was a prisoner of Louis XIV, forced to wear a black velvet mask, and his identity has never been revealed.
Seven score and 17 years ago today (November 19, 1863) -
President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address on this date, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg. He gave it at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The speech remains an important part of American history on account of its having been written on the back of an envelope despite stringent postal requirements that addresses be printed clearly on the front. Lincoln at the time thought it was a failure.
November 19, 1954 -
Driving to Los Angeles, Sammy Davis, Jr. was in a serious automobile accident in San Bernardino on this date.
He lost his left eye, but the resultant publicity greatly accelerated his career.
November 19, 1961 - Michael Rockefeller, 23 year old son of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller (later Vice President), was last seen while searching for Asmat wood carvings in the jungles near Atsj, Papua New Guinea on this date.
He was probably eaten by the Asmat. Hence their motto, "Eat the Rich".
November 19, 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.
November 19, 1978 – Philadelphia Eagles’ Herman Edwards returned a fumble for a touchdown with 31 seconds left to give Philadelphia a 19-17 victory over the New York Giants.
The play became know as the Miracle at the Meadowlands and the play vaulted the Eagles into the postseason for the first time in 18 years, while the Giants finished last in the division.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - Only 5% of the ocean has been explored.
According to the National Ocean Service, it’s a shockingly small percentage. Just 5 percent of Earth’s oceans have been explored and charted – especially the ocean below the surface. The rest remains mostly undiscovered and unseen by humans. Sea exploration and mapping didn’t truly start until the 1960s due to the lack of technology beforehand.
American youth wants to know - the 2020 Collins word of the year this year is -
"Lockdown" has been declared the word of the year for 2020 by Collins Dictionary, after a sharp rise in its usage during the pandemic. According to the Collins Dictionary, "Our lexicographers chose ‘lockdown’ as Word of the Year because it is a unifying experience for billions of people across the world, who have had, collectively, to play their part in combating the spread of COVID-19," Collins Dictionary said on its website last week.
November 18, 1928 - Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse (even though this is his third appearance in a cartoon.) I never argue with a corporation that has Darth Vader as a board member.
Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, was released on this date.
November 18, 1931 -
The groundbreaking film, Mädchen in Uniform, premiered in Berlin, on this date.
The Nazi regime tried to burn all the copies of this movie. They couldn't, as prints had been distributed around the world, including the United States and Japan and many other nations, by the time they came to power in 1933.
November 18, 1959 -
The Biblical spectaculars to end all spectaculars, Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston, had its world premiere in New York, on this date.
The chariot race required 15,000 extras on a set constructed on 18 acres of backlot at Cinecitta Studios outside Rome. Tour buses visited the set every hour. Eighteen chariots were built, with half being used for practice. The race took five weeks to film.
November 18, 1972 - Steely Dan's first single Do It Again was released on this date.
The song became a hit in both the US and UK, earning the group a lot of press coverage. The group's sound was very unusual, and when asked to explain it, they sometimes described it as "smart rock."
November 18, 1987 - Bernardo Bertolucci's magnificent take on Pu Yi,The Last Emperor, premiered in NYC on this date.
In real life, when Puyi met Empress Cixi, he screamed in terror. He later described seeing an eerie yellow curtain with an ugly thin face behind it. She was displeased, and had one of her servants offer him candy. When he screamed even louder, she had him taken away. She died the next day.
November 18, 1992 -
The biopic of the influential Black Nationalist leader, Malcolm X, premiered on this date.
To prepare for his role, Denzel Washington avoided eating pork, attended Fruit of Islam classes and learned to Lindy Hop. He was so in character that he even knew which pair of glasses Malcolm X was wearing on a particular day.
November 18, 2005 - 20th Century Fox bio-pix Walk The Line, based on the life of Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, opened in US on this date.
Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon performed all of the songs themselves, without being dubbed. They also learned to play their instruments (guitar and auto-harp, respectively) from scratch.
Today in History: November 18, 1307 -
After refusing to salute the Habsburg badge at Altdorf on Lake Lucerne, local child services authorities in Uri, Switzerland reported that a William Tell shot an apple off his son's head on this date.
- Charges may still be pending. Tell may or may not also have assassinated local tyrannical Austrian ruler Gessler, as well.
November 18, 1421 -
It was a lovely November, but a certain beautiful young woman walked about in a daze, heavy of heart and despairing of hope. She was betrothed to a rich and cruel young man who didn’t love her. Then she met a boyishly handsome young ruffian who loved her for who she really was. His every sentiment seemed to echo those in her own soul, sentiments that had gone too long unanswered; his smile radiated warmth and joy, and quickened her blooming young heart, which had withered too long from neglect; his touch sent shivers down her spine, which had always consisted of numerous vertebrae. They fell in love abruptly and completely.
Sadly, the sea broke through the dikes, and they were drowned along with 100,000 other less interesting people, in Dort, the Netherlands in the St. Elizabeth flood, on this date.
November 18, 1477 - William Caxton published the first book printed in England, on this date. The book was a translation of The Dictes and Sayings of the Philosophers, by Frenchman Guillaume de Tignoville. The translation to English was performed by Anthony Wodville, Earl Rivers, who had devoted a considerable portion of his life to the study of philosophers' dictes.
Wodville first formulated the theory that the length of a philosopher's dicte was less important than its thrust. He has also been credited with originating the theory that a philosopher's dicte was commensurate with his shoe size. Neither theory is given much credence by contemporary philosophers, most of whom appear to be dicteless anyway.
November 18, 1686 - Louis XIV's, King of France, anal fistula was operated on this date, by surgeon Charles Francois Felix, with great success, in front of the horrified yet fascinated court. To prepare for the operation Felix practiced his surgery on anuses of the peasantry, with some fatalities at first but improving his technique in time for the royal bung.
This is what passed for entertainment at the french royal court.
November 18, 1922 - Marcel Proust, a pioneer of the modern novel (A la Recherche du Temps Perdu), died at 51 on this date.
While it is generally agreed upon that he died of pneumonia and a pulmonary abscess, I believe he was crushed by the sheer weight of the unedited proof of his massive novel.
(Please feel pleased as punch with yourself that you've read about Proust twice in one week.)
November 18, 1966 -
After this final "meatless" day of sacrifice, the American Roman Catholic Church would withdraw its edict forbidding meat consumption on Fridays.
No one knows how much the American Jellied Ox Tongue Consortium 'donated' to the church on that day.
November 18, 1970 -
Singer/polygamist Jerry Lee Lewis divorced his third wife Myra Gail, after 12 years of marriage. Not only was she jailbait when they got married (being 13 at the time), but Lewis was married to Jane Mitcham at the time.
It's so hard to keep details like the number of wives you have straight in your mind.
November 18, 1978 -
Congressman Leo Ryan was slain at the People's Temple compound in Guyana, after which over 900 members of the cult led by the Reverend Jim Jones drank cyanide laced Flavor Aid (a Kool Aid knockoff), including over 270 children. It was probably not a pretty sight.
The Kraft Foods Company would like you guys to stop making those damn 'drink the Kool Aid' jokes
- it wasn't them.
November 18, 1985 -
Cartoon strips approached their zenith on this date.
The comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, created by Bill Watterson, was first published on this date. We first learn of Hobbes' love for tuna fish
Before you go - This year the UK food chain, Aldi's, has once again brought back the beloved character, Kevin the Carrot, this time trying to get home in time for Christmas.
Britian first fell in love with Kevin back in 2016 when he premiered as part of Aldi's Christmas campaign and there's been an incredible response to Kevin since.
And so it goes
Begin discussing with your family the Thanksgiving menu and the possibility of not seeing family due to Covid quarantine.
Other things to occupy your mind with other than COVID-19 - Tennis players are not allowed to swear at Wimbledon (or at any match, for that matter.)
Because of this, line judges have to learn curse words in every language so they know when a player has violated the rules.
November 17, 1933 -
...Gentlemen, Chicolini here may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot. I implore you, send him back to his father and brothers, who are waiting for him with open arms in the penitentiary. I suggest that we give him ten years in Leavenworth, or eleven years in Twelveworth. ....
Unbelievable, but, a box office flop (at the time), The Marx Brothers Duck Soupopened on this date. (This film marks the last appearance of Zeppo Marx in a Marx Brothers film.)
Screenwriters Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar were standing on the set one day when an extra standing next to them said, "I don't know who wrote this stuff but they ought to be arrested...they should be in a different business." Kalmer, who was known as a rational and calm man, said to Ruby, "I'm going over to hit him. Who does he think he is? He's just an extra!" But before fisticuffs erupted, Kalmer and Ruby were informed that Chico Marx had paid the extra to rib the screenwriters, just for the hell of it.
November 17, 1942 - Martin Scorsese, Academy Award-winning American film director, writer, producer, actor, film historian, former drug addict and asthmatic was born on this date.
Go watch a movie (any movie) in his honor. He won't mind.
November 17, 1951 -
... Slight pause while I adjust my accoutrements.
Another in the series of Daffy and Porky buddy flicks, Drip-Along Daffy, opened on this date.
November 17, 1978 -
The two-hour Star Wars Holiday Special aired for the first and only time on CBS on this date. (I must strongly warn readers not to attempt to watch the entire special in one seating - stronger men have been driven to drink and drugs for less.)
The Holiday Special is the first time that James Earl Jones was credited with performing the voice of Darth Vader. The next time would be five years later, in 1983, during the end credits of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
November 17, 1980 -
Today is the 40th anniversary of the release of the seventh and final studio album from John Lennon during his lifetime, Double Fantasy.
Double Fantasy was released on David Geffen's record label, DGC. Many labels were competing for the album, but Geffen impressed Lennon when he wrote directly to Yoko and agreed to release it without hearing it first. All of Lennon's previous albums were released on The Beatles' label, Apple.
November 17, 1989 - Jim Jarmusch's fourth feature, Mystery Train, opened on this date.
The radio DJ is voiced by singer and actor Tom Waits. Waits also plays a radio DJ in Down by Law, another film from Jim Jarmusch.
November 17, 1997 -
An all-star rendition of Lou Reed's 1972 song Perfect Day featuring Reed, Elton John, David Bowie, Tammy Wynette, Joan Armatrading and several other stars, is released as a single in the UK, with proceeds going to the BBC'sChildren In Need charity.
The effort was organized by the BBC, which put together a video for the song tagged with a message promoting their diverse music coverage: "Whatever your musical taste, it is catered for by BBC radio and television. This is only possible thanks to the unique way the BBC is paid for by you." Released as a single, it went to #1 in the UK for three weeks and earned over £2,100,000 for the charity. Versions with just the male vocalists and just the female vocalists are included on the single.
November 17, 2006 - Daniel Craig stepped into the role of James Bond for the first time with the third adaptation of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale premiered in the U.S. on this date. This was the 21st Bond film (in the official canon.)
Daniel Craig said he was shopping for groceries when he got the call from producer Barbara Broccoli that he had won the James Bond role. She apparently told him, "Over to you, kiddo." Craig left the groceries behind and celebrated with martinis (shaken, not stirred).
Today in History: Things you probably didn't need to know November 17, 375 - Valentinian I, the Emperor of the West, enraged by the rudeness of barbarian envoys,
died of apoplexy in present day Hungary on this date.
November 17, 1558 -
The re-establishment of Roman Catholicism in England came to an end when Mary I died on this date, at St. James's Palace, during an influenza epidemic, of ovarian cancer. Co-incidentially, the Elizabethan age began when Elizabeth I acceded to the English throne on this date, following the death of her half sister Mary.
Elizabeth was told the news of her accession to the throne whilst sitting under an oak tree in the Hatfield Palace gardens. She reacted by getting on her knees and quoting Psalm 118 “This is the Lord’s day. It is marvelous in our eyes.” She is best known for her imperfect application of the cosmetic sciences, a flaw that is strikingly evident in all her portraits but that courtiers were apparently reluctant to address the issue.
November 17, 1796 - Russia'sCatherine The Great died in St Petersburg of a stroke, straining to overcome constipation, whilst sitting on her night stool in her palace and not while astride her steed (or something like that) on this date.
So dammit, stop making those jokes.
November 17, 1869 -
French engineers started building the Suez Canal in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Seas, on April 25, 1859. It took ten years to build the 100-mile route devised by Ferdinand de Lesseps and more than 1.5 million people were employed. The Suez Canal was inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony, on this date. The 100 mile canal eliminated a 4000-mile trip around Africa.
Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, together with Ferdinand de Lesseps, chief architect of the canal, led the first file of ships from on board the French imperial yacht Aigle.
November 17, 1871 - George Wood Wingate and William Conant Church established the National Rifle Association in New York on this date.
Today, the group has more than 5.5 million members (as of January 2018,) - but the truth of those numbers is a matter of much heated debate.
November 17, 1903 - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin's stubbornness split his Russian Social Democratic Labor Party into two factions: the slim majority who sided with him, and the vast minority who opposed him, on this date.
The Russian terms for majority and minority are Bolshevik and Menshevik, respectively, and so these factions took their names. Later the Mensheviks became the majority party, meaning that the Mensheviks had become Bolsheviks and the Bolsheviks Mensheviks.
This was confusing. If you asked someone what they were and they said "Bolshevik," you'd have no way of knowing whether they meant Bolshevik (Menshevik) or Menshevik (Bolshevik.) This state of affairs quickly became intolerable. All sorts of remedies were suggested placards, ID bracelets, hats, tattoos but it was impossible to arrive at a consensus until Lenin clarified matters by having all the Mensheviks shot.
It was easy after that.
November 17, 1917 -
The world famous 77 year old French Sculptor Auguste Rodin froze to death in an unheated attic in Meudon, France on this date. He had applied to the government for quarters as warm as those wherein his statues were stored, but the government turned him down.
His case was so desperate that he asked to be permitted to have a room in the museum the Hotel Biron, formerly his own studio. The official in charge of the museum refused. Other officials and friends promised coal but never sent it, though his situation at Meudon (ill, and freezing to death,) was apparently well known to all of them.
November 17, 1941 - U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Joseph C. Grew cabled the US State Department that he has heard that Japan has 'planned, in the event of trouble with the United States, to attempt a surprise mass attack at Pearl Harbor.' His warning was ignored by the Office of Naval Intelligence.
His diplomatic relations with Japan were cordial until the late 1930s, when Japanese expansionism became openly aggressive toward Asian neighbors like China. The US increased economic pressures on Japan until, in late 1939, Grew had been predicting that the situation will soon come to a head. He told President Roosevelt in October 1939 that 'if we start sanctions against Japan we must see them through to the end, and the end may conceivably be 'war.'
Oops.
November 17, 1968 - NBC preempted the final 1:05 from a very close Jets-Raiders NFL football game with the TV movie Heidi. Two touchdowns were scored during this missing time.
Sports fans everywhere applaud and understand the network's decision.
November 17, 1970 - Douglas Engelbart receives a patent (US No. 3,541,541) for the first computer mouse on this date.
The patent, titled “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System,” is a simple hollowed-out wooden block, with a single push button on top.
November 17, 1970 - Things that didn't teach you in school: the Lunokhod 1 moonrover was released by the Soviet Union's orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft. It succeeded in landing on the Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains), on this date.
Lunokhod was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another celestial body.
November 17, 1973 - People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook.
President Richard Nixon spoke to more than 400 editors from the Associated Press at a gathering in Orlando, Florida, at Walt Disney World on this date.
I guess that means Disney World isn't the happiest place on Earth for everybody.
Before you go - This year the UK food chain, Tesco, took on the entire Covid issue head on, with a perfect, 'No Naughty List'.
And reading about some of the viewers take on the commercial, our British cousin seem to love the lack of 'the naughty list' this year.
And so it goes
You need to decide by the end of the day today - Fresh or Frozen?
