Author Archives: dcaligari

July 11, 1533 –This story of its origins is shrouded in sex and therefore important. Henry VIII assumed the English throne in 1509, an energetic young man of seventeen. He immediately decided to have a male heir. This became the enduring theme of his reign and he consequently came to be known as The SonContinue reading “The Church of England came into being on this date.”

ACME would like to issue this public service announcement concerning Brain Freeze (also known as sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia) – Now to the point at hand – Why bring this up? The date today is 7/11 (at least in this country. Foreigners and other degenerates refer to the day as 11/7 but that’s another story…) The convenienceContinue reading “The Brain you save may be your own”

It was great foresight on the part of our beloved city forefathers to lay out the city in such a way that this happens every year just around my birthday. Once again, the sun will be perfectly lined up with the east-west streets of New York. So get outside to catch the ‘Full Sun onContinue reading “Today’s Manhattanhenge news –”

July 11, 1942 – A classic 40s Merrie Melodies cartoon, Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid was released on this date. Bugs asks Beaky “Why don’t we do this more often?” and Beaky replies, “You mean just what we’re doing tonight?” This refers to the 1941 Kay Kyser song Why Don’t We Do This More Often?

Tomorrow the sun will be perfectly lined up with the east-west streets of New York. (If you miss it on the 11th, you get another shot the next day on the 12th.) Demand Euphoria!

July 10, 1958 –The first parking meter was installed in London, England on this date in 1958, along with the second through 625th. It took nearly two dozen years for the parking meter to travel across the Atlantic: the first American parking meter had been installed in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935. It wasContinue reading “Times ticking away on this old parking meter”

July 10, 1976 –Starland Vocal Band’s song about afternoon nooky – Afternoon Delights topping the Billboard Pop charts on this date. Despite having only this one hit, the Starland Vocal Band were given their own summer replacement TV series on CBS called The Starland Vocal Band in 1977. An unknown comic named David Letterman appearedContinue reading “Afternoon Delights went to No. 1 on the charts”

July 10, 1972 –Harry Nilsson’s eighth album, Son of Schmilsson was released on this date. It featured George Harrison under the name George Harrysong and Ringo Starr, listed as Richie Snare, on some of the tracks. Peter Frampton also played guitar on most of the album.

July 10, 1942 –RKO Pictures released Orson Welles‘ butchered masterpiece, The Magnificent Ambersons, on this date. (Like El Dorado or Shangri-La, a work print of Welles’ version supposedly exists in a vault somewhere in Brazil, tantalizingly, just out of reach. I have just read the TCM is currently sponsoring an exhaustive search through a majorContinue reading “The Magnificent Ambersons premiered”

July 10, 1856 –Inventor and electromechanical genius Nikola Tesla, the man who invented the 20th Century, was born to Serbian parents in what is now Croatia on this date. Remember, if we could only harness the free floating electricity, we could do away with the electric companies. And so it goes