Author Archives: dcaligari

August 20, 1920 –The first commercial radio station begins operating in Detroit, Michigan with call sign 8MK (Now WWJ (Newsradio 950) ). (8MK went on the air without a license on this date. I understand that KDKA went on the air in Pittsburgh as the world’s first commercially licensed station on November 2, 1920.) TheContinue reading “The listener absorbs everything”

August 20, 1896 –A patent application was filed (US Patent No. 597,062) by brothers John and Charles J. Erickson & Alexander E. Keith for the rotary dial telephone on this date. The dial telephone made it possible for people to dial phone numbers on their own thereby making the communication process easier and more efficient.Continue reading “We are old Bunkies”

August 19, 1964 – The Beatles first US tour began in San Francisco, California with their concert at the Cow Palace. They played ten songs to a crowd of over 17,000. The Beatles returned there for another concert in 1965.

August 19, 1972 –One of Al Green’s most popular releases, I’m Still in Love with You, spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Charts, starting on this date. It would eventually go on to sell over one million copies. Rev. Al Green remembered the I’m Still in Love with You album cover inContinue reading “I’m Still It Love With You topped the charts”

August 19, 1932 – The Marx Brothers‘ fourth movie, Horse Feathers, went into general release on this date. Thelma Todd’s character “Connie” is referred to in the film as being a “college widow“. This was a somewhat derogatory term at the time that referred to a young woman who remains near a college year afterContinue reading “Why, I’d horsewhip you if I had a horse!”

August 19, 1969 –David Crosby, Steven Stills, Joni Mitchell, and the Jefferson Airplane appeared on the Dick Cavett Show, giving a first-hand account of the Woodstock festival that took place over the weekend. Jefferson Airplane’s performance of We Can Be Together marked the first time the word “fuck” was uttered on live US television.

August 19, 1972 –NBC-TV presented The Midnight Special for the first time on this date. John Denver hosted the first episode of the show with guests including: Mama Cass, The Everly Brothers, The Isley Brothers, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt and Argent. Helen Reddy was also a musical guest on the show, but did not hostContinue reading “You got to ask ‘Who the hell is Burt Sugarman’ for the first time”

August 19, 1977 –Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know. One of the world’sContinue reading “Groucho”

Today is National Soft Serve Ice Cream Day. Soft Serve Ice Cream has been around since the 1930s. There are conflicting reports of the origins of the dessert. In 1934, Tom Carvel, the founder of eponymous ice cream brand and franchise, had to sell melting ice cream on a parking lot because his ice creamContinue reading “Ice cream is a smile in a cone.”

August 18, 2001 –Alicia Keys’ single, Fallin’ reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts on this date. This was the first single from Keys, who was 20 years old when it was released, but had started writing the song three years earlier. A prodigy who signed with Columbia records when she was 16, Keys wroteContinue reading “Fallin’ topped the charts”