Author Archives: dcaligari

August 14, 1995 –The Foo Fighters made their network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman when they performed their single This Is A Call, on this date. The single peaked at Number Two on the Modern Rock Track chart, though they wouldn’t have a crossover hit until Big Me in early 1996.

August 14, 1945 –First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me. Steve Martin, actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer and banjo player was born on this date.

August 14, 2003 –A widespread blackout (lasting almost two days for some), affecting approximately 45 million people in the eastern United States and ten million in Ontario, Canada, occurred on this date. The final conclusion of the investigation into the incident revealed that the blackout began when a generating plant in Eastlake, Ohio went offlineContinue reading “Where were you when the lights went out?”

August 13, 1966 –Napoleon XIV’s goofy breakup song They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa peaks at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 on this date. It quickly drops to the bottom of the Top 40, however, as several radio stations ban the tune, fearing its lyrics might be interpreted as being insensitive to the mentallyContinue reading “They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa briefly rose on the charts”

August 13, 1899 –Luck is everything… My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I’m fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn’t make a good suspense film. Arguably, the most famous film director in the 20th Century, Alfred Hitchcock was born onContinue reading “Alfred Joseph Hitchcock”

August 13, 1967 –One of the defining movies of the 1960s, Bonnie and Clyde, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, had its US opening on this date. A screening for Jack L. Warner went very badly for Warren Beatty and Arthur Penn, Warner got up three times to pee. Warner initially dumped the film intoContinue reading “Bonnie and Clyde premiered”

August 13, 1942 – Walt Disney’s Bambi premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York on this date. Unusual for the time, Walt Disney insisted on children providing the voices for the animals when they were young, instead of using adults mimicking youngsters.

August 13, 1961 –The city of Berlin split itself right down the middle on this date. The Cold War was running pretty hot back then. The Russians were just nasty. They were so evil they convinced East Germany to shut West Germany out. East Germany locked the Brandenburg gate and threw away the key. Then,Continue reading “Karma does appear to bite one in the ass.”

August 13, 1969 –The Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil A. Armstrong, Lt. Col. Michael Collins, and Col. Buzz Aldrin, were released from their three-week quarantine and are given a ticker-tape parade in New York. It would be a hectic day for the astronauts. After the three and a half hour ticker-tape parade in NYC, the trioContinue reading “The conquering heroes hailed”

August 12, 1997 –MTV debuted the Fleetwood Mac reunion concert The Dance, on this date, marking the first time the five had been on stage together since 1982. This special MTV concert was recorded at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California on May 23, 1997 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their bestselling album Rumours.