Author Archives: dcaligari

August 9, 1975 –The Bee Gees single, Jive Talkin‘, reached No. #1 on the Billboard charts on this date. This was the first big disco hit for The Bee Gees. They became icons of the era, singing in falsetto harmonies over dance beats. They had seven more #1 hits in the disco era, but theContinue reading “Jive Talkin’ topped the charts”

August 9, 1930 –A forerunner of the cartoon character Betty Boop made her debut in Max Fleischer’s animated short Dizzy Dishes on this date. In later films she loses the dog ears and becomes the familiar human character we know today.

August 8, 1989 –The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on a secret, five-day military mission to deploy a new Pentagon spy satellite. But you didn’t hear that from me. And so it goes

August 8, 2017 –Glen Campbell died at 81 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Campbell released more than 70 studio albums and sold 45 million records worldwide. His hits include: By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, Galveston and Rhinestone Cowboy. His guitar playing can be heard on Strangers in the NightContinue reading “Glen Campbell”

August 8, 1988 –Wrigley Field in Chicago was the last Major League Baseball venue to begin holding night games when they turned on its lights for the first time on this date. The first major league night game happened in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously switched on the lights. DemandContinue reading “The night the lights went on in Chicago”

August 8, 1968 – Someone should have said “beware the 8th of August” to Richard Nixon! Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president at the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach. Later that day, Nixon chose Maryland Gov. Spiro T. Agnew to be his running mate. August 8, 1973 –VP Spiro T Agnew branded asContinue reading “The Tragedy of Dick Nixon (in Three Acts)”

August 8, 1969 – At a ‘zebra crossing’ in London, four bitterly fractious friends are forced to take a picture on this date. Photographer Iain Macmillan took one of the most famous photographs of all time – the cover of the Beatles album, Abbey Road. And so it goes

August 8, 1963 –John Sturges’ adventure film, The Great Escape, starring Steve McQueen, premiered on this date. In the film, several Americans were amongst the escapees. In real-life, American officers assisted with the construction of the escape tunnel, but weren’t amongst the escapees, because the Germans moved them to a remote compound just before theContinue reading “The Great Escape premiered”

August 7 is annually recognizes a famous sea serpent sighting. This sighting was made by the men and officers of HMS Daedalus in August 1848 during a voyage to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. The 60 foot long creature that they saw held a peculiar maned head above the ocean water. I, for one,Continue reading “Happy Sea Serpent Day”

Bunkies, as we tell you every summer – avoid mosquitoes at all cost, they’re not good! Though not as front of mind as Monkeypox (MPXV), mosquito-borne diseases, like Dengue Fever or West Nile Virus cases have been been once again on the rise in New York City, as it has been in the past. BeyondContinue reading “Mosquitoes Suck”