Author Archives: dcaligari

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.

August 12, 1939 – The Bugs Bunny everyone knows takes another step forward when Hare-um Scare-um opened on this date. Bugs cross dresses for the first time in this cartoon when he dresses up as a female dog to distract the hunter’s dog.

August 12, 1939 – Considered one of the highlights of the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Wizard of Oz premiered on this date in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A recent study found that The Wizard of Oz is the most watched movie in film history, largely due to the number of television screenings each year as wellContinue reading “We’re off the see the wizard …”

August 12, 1927 –One of only two silent films – the other being The Artist in 2011 – to win an Oscar for best picture, Wings, opened in NYC on this date. As a former pilot, director William A. Wellman knew how vital it was to have clouds for the dogfights, but the skies overContinue reading “Wings premiered”

Today is National Vinyl Day (and not Record Store Day which was April 20th this year.) National Vinyl Record Day is celebrated every year on August 12 (commemorating the day Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877) to remember the culture, art, the very sound of the vinyl record. Don’t forget, whatever you do today,Continue reading “Vinyl will outlast CDs”

August 11, 1973 –A DJ named Kool Hercat (Clive Campbell) played at a back-to-school party for his sister, Cindy Campbell, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, and Hip Hop was born. Since then, hip-hop has evolved and it has exploded. The influence of artists such Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z among others,Continue reading “Hip Hop got it’s start”

August 11, 1995 –The Hollywood Picture film, Dangerous Minds, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, and Courtney B. Vance, opened in US theaters on this date. The movie’s soundtrack tops the Billboard albums chart thanks to its lead single, Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise. Originally entitled My Posse Don’t Do Homework, the name of the book from which this trueContinue reading “Dangerous Minds premiered”