Author Archives: dcaligari

August 30, 1984 –Originally scheduled to lift off in June, Discovery (STS-41-D), the twelfth space shuttle mission, launched on this date. The Discovery carried six crew members to space: Commander Henry Hartsfield, Pilot Michael Coats, Mission Specialists Judith Resnick, Steven Hawley, Richard Mullane and Payload Specialist Charles Walker. During the mission, three communications satellites wereContinue reading “The Discovery’s first launch”

August 30, 1975 –KC & The Sunshine Band’s single Get Down Tonight reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts (the first of five chart-toppers for the group,) on this date. Written and produced by Harry Wayne (KC) Casey and his writing partner (and bass player) Richard Finch. Casey and Finch would sneak into nightclubs inContinue reading “Get Down Tonight topped the charts”

August 30, 1993 –Moving himself and his gang of cohorts from NBC-TV, The Late Show with David Letterman premiered on CBS-TV, on this date. David Letterman originally wanted to call Paul Shaffer’s musical ensemble “The NBC Orchestra,” but that name was already taken by Doc Severinsen and company on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.Continue reading “Letterman moved to CBS”

August 30, 1967 –John Boorman’s crime drama thriller, Point Blank, opened on this date. Lee Marvin didn’t think John Vernon was good for the role, as the actor “wasn’t strong enough to contend with him.” It came to a head during filming when Marvin punched Vernon in the stomach during a fight scene, causing VernonContinue reading “Point Blank premiered”

August 29, 1986 –BBC1-TV aired a Paul McCartney special, McCartney for the first time, on this date. Originally conceived as a long-form promotional piece for the Wings album, Press to Play, the BBC staffer (Richard Skinner) persuades Paul McCartney to talk about much more, including one of the more in-depth interviews about Wings.

August 29, 1964 –Roy Orbison’s single, (Oh,) Pretty Woman, was released on this date. Orbison and his wife Claudette had recently reconciled after some tough times, but as this song was climbing the charts, Roy found out she had been cheating on him and filed for divorce. In 1966, they remarried, but two months laterContinue reading “Pretty Woman dropped”

August 29, 1967 – ABC’s television ratings soared through the roof as David Janssen and Barry Morse starred in the final episode of The Fugitive on this date. Some sources incorrectly state that an alternate ending for the series was planned in which Kimble would be seen removing a false arm, revealing him as theContinue reading “The finale of The Fugitive”

August 29, 1964 – Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins opened in general release on this date. This is first movie I ever saw (but not on this date.) Author P.L. Travers was adamant that in this movie there should be no suggestions of any kind of romance between Mary Poppins and Bert. This is explicitly referencedContinue reading “Mary Poppins opened”

August 29, 1953 – Warner Brothers introduced Speedy Gonzalez in the cartoon Cat-Tails for Two on this date. While this is the first cartoon featuring the character Speedy Gonzales, his depiction here is vastly different from the character he would later become. It wasn’t until his second appearance, Speedy Gonzales (two years later,) that heContinue reading “Speedy Gonzalez’ first appearance”

August 28, 1963 –During a 200,000-person civil rights rally in at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech,” 57 years ago today. The speech, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining momentContinue reading “60th anniversary of The March on Washington”