Author Archives: dcaligari

August 24, 2006 –The planet Pluto was reclassified as a “dwarf planet” by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on this date. Pluto’s status was changed due to the IAU’s new rules for an object qualifying as a planet. The other planets have been picking on Pluto ever since. (Damn you, Neil deGrasse Tyson!)

August 24, 1814 –The White House and other public buildings in the District of Columbia were torched by the invading British army on this date. The President’s wife, Dolley Madison and Paul Jennings, her husband’s enslaved manservant, are torn away from Mrs. Madison’s ice cream and candy making duties to save a couple of chairs,Continue reading “It was a hot time in D.C.”

August 24, 1869 – Today is National Waffle Day. It the anniversary of Cornelius Swarthout (of Troy, New York) receiving the first U.S. patent for a stovetop Waffle Iron (U.S. patent No. 94,043).

August 23, 1969 –The Rolling Stones hit, Honky Tonk Women reached number one on the pop-singles charts on this date. The single was given away to all the fans who helped clean up after The Stones free concert in Hyde Park on July 5, 1969. This was the first concert Mick Taylor played with theContinue reading “Honky Tonk Women topped the charts”

August 23, 1959 –Charlie Brown’s sister Sally was born on May 26, 1959, with Charlie Brown receiving a telephone call from the hospital and dashing out of the house yelling that he had a new baby sister. Although much talked about, and the cause for a celebration that included Charlie Brown passing out chocolate cigars,Continue reading “Sally takes a bow”

August 23, 1985 –The Toho Studio and New World Pictures released the heavily re-edited American version of The Return of Godzilla (a sequel of the original Gojira movie), Godzilla 1985 (a sequel of the American Godzilla, King of the Monsters) starring the great Raymond Burr, Ken Tanaka, and Yasuko Sawaguchi, on this date. Contrary toContinue reading “It’s Raymond Burr redux”

August 23, 1996 –One of the most bizarre films ever made (starring Marlon Brando) The Island of Dr. Moreau, was released on this date. Val Kilmer described the shoot as “crazy“. Marlon Brando was still recovering from his daughter’s suicide. The day production started, the French government set off an underwater atomic bomb near Tahiti,Continue reading “The Island of Dr. Moreau premiered”

August 22, 1981 – Duran Duran had their breakthrough hit in Britain when their single Girls On Film, hits #5 in the UK, on this date. It does not chart on its US release, but surges in popularity after its music video goes into heavy rotation on MTV. (Kids, ask your folks if you’re allowedContinue reading “Two minutes later”

August 22, 1893 –If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to. Dorothy Parker was born in New York City, to Henry and Eliza Rothschild (… My God, no, dear! We’d never even heard of those Rothschilds ….) on this date. Her birth was twoContinue reading “Dorothy Rothschild”

August 22, 1929 –Walt Disney released the animated short film The Skeleton Dance (The first of Disney’s Silly Symphony series,) animated by Ub Iwerks, on this date. At the time, Walt Disney distributed his films through a company run by Pat Powers. But Powers couldn’t sell it to distributors (who found the dancing skeletons oddContinue reading “Dem Bones”