Author Archives: dcaligari

August 28, 1845 –Scientific American, founded by Rufus M. Porter, was published for the first time as a four-page weekly newspaper, on this date. It is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States.

August 28, 1837 –Pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins began commercially manufacturing Worcestershire Sauce on this date, based on an Indian recipe brought to them by Lord Marcus Sandys — an ex-governor of Bengal. If they told you the recipe (it contains anchovies), they’d have to kill you. Demand Euphoria!

August 28, 2001 –Weezer released Island in the Sun, the second single from Weezer (aka The Green Album) on this date. Two different videos were made for this song. One shows the band playing at a Mexican wedding, and the other, more popular version shows the band cavorting with different wild animals. This version wasContinue reading “Island in the Sun released”

August 28, 1930 –… I’m sick of these conventional marriages. One woman and one man was good enough for your grandmother, but who wants to marry your grandmother? Nobody, not even your grandfather. Think! Think of the honeymoon! Strictly private. I wouldn’t let another woman in on this. Well, maybe one or two. But, noContinue reading “Animal Crackers premiered”

August 27, 1967 –Brian Epstein, the man who discovered the Beatles and guided them to mega-stardom, died at his London residence, from an overdose of sleeping pills, on this date. Many critics believe this traumatic event ultimately lead to the Beatles breakup. And so it goes

August 27, 1966 –The Beach Boys’ single, God Only Knows peaked at No.2 on the UK singles chart. Surprisingly, it only managed to scrape the Top 40 in the United States. That’s because it was released as a B-side, partly because of fear that radio stations would refuse to play a song with “God” inContinue reading “God Only Knows”

During the past two years, most American have learned to wear their mask while venturing outdoors and properly washing their hands when they return home, but how many of them really know how to protect themselves against political assassination? Not many. And yet, each year, millions of people are killed by assassins. It’s tragic becauseContinue reading “Stay tuned for this important PSA from ACME:”

August 27, 1953 –William Wyler’s romantic comedy, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Arnold, premiered in NYC on this date. Paramount originally wanted to shoot this movie in Hollywood. William Wyler refused, insisting it must be shot on location. They finally agreed, but with a much lower budget. This meant the movieContinue reading “Roman Holiday premiered”

August 26, 1743 –Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on this date. Dr. Lavoisier discovered Oxygen (Joseph Priestley may beg to differ) but not on this date; he was usually too busy celebrating his birthday. The discovery was a great boon to science, as it enabled Breathing, without which many subsequent scientific advances would have beenContinue reading “Hooray for Oxygen”

August 26, 1972 –Looking Glass‘ single Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) hit No. 1 on this date. This was not typical of the band’s sound, which caused a problem at concerts. While audiences expected pop songs like this one, the Looking Glass played rock, which left the crowds disappointed. The band broke up less thanContinue reading “Brandy goes to No. 1”