Author Archives: dcaligari

April 17, 1964 –The New York Mets played their first game at Shea Stadium on this date, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3. The five tiered stadium seated 55,601 fans. For previous two years, the Mets had played their home games at the Polo Grounds, previously the home of the New York Giants.Continue reading “Meet the Mets (at Shea)”

April 16, 1963 –Martin Luther King wrote his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, on this date. He composed it over the course of day, writing on a legal pad provided by his lawyers, margins of a newspaper, and, after running out of both of the above, toilet paper. King’s response to the wrong-time, wrong-place accusationContinue reading “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

A mid-1950s construction worker involved in the demolition of the J. C. Wilber Building finds a box inside a cornerstone. He opens it to reveal a singing, dancing frog (that came to be called Michigan J. Frog,) complete with top hat and cane. According to the cartoon, One Froggy Night (1955), the box also containsContinue reading “J. C. Wilber Building’s cornerstone was laid”

April 16, 1943 –LSD was first synthesized on April 7, 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland, as part of a large research program searching for medically useful ergot alkaloid derivatives. Its psychedelic properties were unknown until five years later, when Hofmann, acting on what he has calledContinue reading “Oh wow, the colors, the lights, man.”

April 16, 1973 –In order to fulfill a contractual obligation with Lew Grade, Paul McCartney appeared in his first TV special (since the disastrous Magical Mystery Tour,) James Paul McCartney, on this date. Although it was very highly anticipated – McCartney received a cover story on TV Guide – the reviews were dreadful. The NewContinue reading “James Paul McCartney premiered”

(Sorry for this ear worm) April 16, 1977 –David Soul one half of TV cop show Starsky & Hutch, went to No.1 on the US singles chart (as well as the UK charts,) with Don’t Give Up On Us, his only US hit, on this date. This was written by Tony Macaulay, who co-wrote fourContinue reading “Don’t Give Up On Us topped the charts”

April 16, 1178 BC –… The sun has been obliterated from the sky, and an unlucky darkness invades the world. – Theoclymenus A solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca and one of the most recurrent characters in Western literature, to his kingdom after the Trojan War on thisContinue reading “Odysseus reaches Ithaca”

April 16, 1956 –The I Love Lucy Episode, Lucy’s Italian Movie (the grape stomping episode) first aired on CBS TV on this date. This is considered on of the funniest episodes of the series The grape stompers were actual Italian women who didn’t speak English. In a 1974 interview with Dick Cavett, Lucille Ball wentContinue reading “Lucy makes wine”

April 16, 1178 BC – Two of King Odysseus’ old friends recognize him, his aged nurse, Eurycleia, and Argos, the only dog to whom Homer have a name. …But the moment he sensed Odysseus standing by he thumped his tail, nuzzling low, and his ears dropped, though he had no strength to drag himself anContinue reading “Home is the sailor, home from sea”

April 14, 1912 – 11:40 pm.Mr and Mrs Sturges are arguing about whether or not Mrs Sturges will return to Europe with her husband after the boat docks in New York. In the heat of the moment, Julia Sturges reveals to her husband Richard, that Norman, their son is not his but but rather theContinue reading “The ‘Unsinkable’ sank”