Wednesday, August 16, 2017

This Date in History - August 16

A particularly busy day in history, not to mention Julie "Catwoman" Newmar's birthday!  Meow!

1 BC:  WANG MANG CONSOLIDATES HIS POWER AND IS DECLARED MARSHAL OF STATE.

Love that name.   And dig that year.

1328:  THE HOUSE OF GONZAGA SEIZES POWER IN THE DUCHY OF MANTUA.

Well, that's just Duchy.

1780:  AMERICAN REVOLUTION - BATTLE OF CAMDEN.

Oddly, that's Camden, South Carolina, not New Jersey.

1793:  FRENCH REVOLUTION - A LEVEE EN MASSE IS DECREED.

Not sure what that is, but it sounds delicious.

1812:  WAR OF 1812 - AMERICAN GENERAL WILLIAM HULL SURRENDERS FORT DETROIT WITHOUT A FIGHT TO THE BRITISH ARMY.

Hull of a wimp.

1841:  US PRESIDENT JOHN TYLER VETOES A BILL WHICH CALLED FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SECOND BANK OF THE US.  THIS LEADS TO THE MOST VIOLENT DEMONSTRATION ON WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS IN US HISTORY.

I am surely that will be surpassed very soon.

1858:  US PRESIDENT JAMES BUCHANAN INAUGURATES THE NEW TRANSATLANTIC TELEGRAPH CABLE BY EXCHANGING GREETINGS WITH QUEEN VICTORIA OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

The Queen's response:  ROFLMAO.

1870:  DURING THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR, THE BATTLE OF MARS-LA-TOUR IS FOUGHT.

Prussia won...for those keeping count.

1891:  THE BASILICA OF SAN SEBASTIAN, MANILA, THE FIRST ALL-STEEL CHURCH IN ASIA, IS OFFICIALLY INAUGURATED AND BLESSED.

All steel?  Must be a bitch to kneel on those pews.

1913:  TOHOKU UNIVERSITY BECOMES THE FIRST UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN TO ADMIT FEMALE STUDENTS.

Somebody needed to pour the sake.

1920:  RAY CHAPMAN OF THE CLEVELAND INDIANS IS HIT ON THE HEAD BY A FASTBALL THROWN BY CARL MAYS OF THE NEW YORK YANKEES AND DIES THE FOLLOWING DAY.

Talk about an exit velocity.

1923:  THE UNITED KINGDOM GIVES THE NAME "ROSS DEPENDENCY" TO PART OF ITS CLAIMED ANTARCTIC TERRITORY.

In a way, Rachel on "Friends" also had a Ross Dependency.

1924:  ACTOR FESS PARKER IS BORN.

Davy...Davy Crockett.

1928:  ACTRESS ANN BLYTH IS BORN.

Still with us.  She played the despicable Vida in "Mildred Pierce."

1928:  SINGER EYDIE GORME IS BORN.

Paging Steve Lawrence.

1930:  ACTOR ROBERT CULP IS BORN.

He Spy.

1930:  SPORTSCASTER AND FOOTBALL STAR FRANK GIFFORD IS BORN.

There's an interesting sidelight to this fact that will pay off later on in this blog entry.  Be patient.

1930:  THE FIRST COLOR SOUND CARTOON "FIDDLESTICKS" IS MADE BY UB IWERKS.

Just love that name...Ub Iwerks.

1933:  ACTRESS JULIE NEWMAR IS BORN.

Still with us...and I hear she's nuts.

1945:  AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IS MADE ON JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER KANTARO SUZUKI.

Ichiro's dad?

1946:  ACTRESS LESLEY ANN WARREN IS BORN.

My writing partner once found him seated next to her at a theater.   He stared at her.   She changed her seat at intermission.

1948:  BASEBALL STAR BABE RUTH DIES.

He ate a lot of hot dogs, smoke, and drank.   Yeah, that'll kill ya.

1953:  TV PERSONALITY KATHIE LEE GIFFORD IS BORN.

See how that paid off.   Who knew???

1954:  THE FIRST ISSUE OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS PUBLISHED.

And, in a way, this is also the birth of the bikini.

1956:  ACTOR BELA LUGOSI DIES.

We think.

1960:  JOSEPH KITTINGER PARACHUTES FROM A BALLOON OVER NEW MEXICO, SETTING A RECORD THAT HELD UNTIL 2012 FOR THE HIGHEST FREE FALL AND SPEED BY A HUMAN WITHOUT AN AIRCRAFT.   

The people jumping out of the WTC on 9/11 don't count.

1962:  PETE BEST IS DISCHARGED BY THE BEATLES AND WILL BE REPLACE BY RINGO STARR.

Yeah, John, Paul, George, and Pete didn't have a ring to it.

1966:  THE HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE BEGINS INVESTIGATIONS OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE AIDED THE VIET CONG.

Surprisingly, Trump was not involved in this.

1977:  SINGER ELVIS PRESLEY DIES.

How long will that bathroom be off limits?  I really have to go.

1989:  ACTRESS AMANDA BLAKE DIES.

Miss Kitty succumbed to AIDS transmitted by blood.  Sad.

1998:  ACTOR PHIL LEEDS DIES.

Only a few months ago, I saw him on the "Murphy Brown" set.  You know the face.  He was on every sitcom ever made.
2002:  BASEBALL PLAYER JOHN ROSEBORO DIES.

Not from a bat to the forehead.

2003:  PRESIDENT OF UGANDA IDI AMIN DIES.

Not to be confused with Eydie Gorme who was born on this date.

2008:  THE TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL AND TOWER IS CHICAGO IS TOPPED OFF AT 1,389 FEET, MAKING IT AT THE TIME THE WORLD'S HIGHEST RESIDENCE ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.

Okay, Mr. Kittinger, you can't jump off this.

Dinner last night:  Dodger Dog at the game.






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