Author Archives: dcaligari

November 19, 1992 –… is he fully bonded and licensed by the city? Linda Ronstadt appeared on the famous Mr. Plow episode of The Simpsons, where she appears in a commercial for Homer’s rival, Plow King (Barney Gumble).

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 performancesContinue reading “Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat”

November 19, 1994 –Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played You Don’t Know How It Feels and Honeybee on Saturday Night Live with Dave Grohl on drums (on this date,) who considers joining the band full time. The Heartbreakers lost their drummer on October 2 when Stan Lynch was fired after a gig. The SNL appearanceContinue reading “Let me run with you tonight”

November 19, 1995 – The Beatles Anthology documentary series first aired in US on ABC-TV on this date. The entire series was shown over three nights that week. The idea for this retrospective first came up in 1970. Apple Corps collected as much archive footage of the band as they could from around the world.Continue reading “The Beatles Anthology premiered”

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.

November 18, 1972 –Steely Dan’s first single Do It Again was released on this date. This was the breakout hit from Steely Dan’s first album. Like many of their songs, it’s hard to make sense of the lyrics, which seem to be about some combination of addiction, second chances and the inevitability of fate. It’sContinue reading “We’re going back Jack”

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, 1983 – The small film that has become a holiday classic, A Christmas Story, directed by Bob Clark, (based on the writings of Jean Sheppard,) and starring Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin, and Peter Billingsley, premiered on this date Darren McGavin ad-libbed the profane rants while fighting with the furnace. He said he speaksContinue reading “A new Christmas classic”

November 18, 1992 –The Seinfeld episode, The Contest premiered on this date. It was a controversial episode which later won an Emmy and was named the number one episode of all time by TV Guide magazine. This episode was based on a real-life “contest” that Larry David had with friends of his which lasted severalContinue reading “Are you still Master of your domain?”

While not as famous as the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), The Collins Dictionary has been naming their word of the year since 2013. This year they have chosen Vibe coding as the 2025 Word of the Year. ‘Vibe coding’, as defined by defined Collins Dictionary is ‘characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude’. IContinue reading “Find me someone who’s used this word”