Category Archives: Uncategorized

It was on this day in 1614 that Pocahontas married John Rolfe (and not John Smith) in the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The story of Pocahontas has become an American legend; it’s been retold countless times, in history books, novels, poems, TV shows, and movies. Many versions distort the facts by focusing on Pocahontas‘Continue reading “File under: More Lies My Teacher Told Me”

April 5, 1902 –Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, (Pavane for a Dead Princess) premiered in Paris, France on this date. You may now feel morally superior to the person in the next cubicle for knowing this.

April 5, 1978 – Marvel Comics’ first live-action Spider-Man based TV series, The Amazing Spider-Man debuted on CBS TV on this date. Stan Lee, Spider-Man’s co-creator, disliked the show and was vocal about his dissatisfaction with it; he had stated in interviews that he felt the series was “too juvenile” and that the Spider-Man characterContinue reading “The Amazing Spider-Man TV Series premiered”

April 5, 1987 –The first prime time television series to air on Fox, Married… with Children, premiered on this date. One of the show’s creators said the reason Ed O’Neill was cast was that when he was auditioning for the pilot, he was required to simply walk through the front door into the Bundy home.Continue reading “A Big night for Fox TV”

April 5, 1965 –Happy Lava Lamp Day. The first motion lamp was designed in 1963 by an engineer, Edward Craven Walker, who sold it under the name Astro Lamp. In 1965, two American entrepreneurs, Adolph Wertheimer and William M. Rubinstein, saw the lamp displayed at a German trade show and were in awe at itsContinue reading “Fun to look at but not too much light”

April 4, 1841 – William Henry Harrison was an American military leader, politician, and the ninth President of the United States. He took the oath of office on March 4, 1841, an extremely cold and windy day. People told him, “Think what your mother would say – Take a coat, it’s cold.” Nevertheless, he facedContinue reading “Remember, your mother is always right”

April 4, 1964 –The Beatles set an all-time record on the Top 100 chart of Billboard magazine this day, holding an unprecedented twelve positions on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on this date. The Beatles accounted for 60 percent of the entire singles record business during the first three months of 1964. Those singles byContinue reading “The Beatles dominated the charts”

April 4, 1953 –While not quite in the same league as Plan 9 from Outer Space, and shot in just four days, the Ed Wood Jr. ‘classic‘, Glen or Glenda, opened on this date (or maybe it didn’t, but does it really matter.) While the film had no sequel, Edward D. Wood Jr. used theContinue reading “Glen or Glenda premiered”

April 4, 1975A television pilot, Black Bart, based on Andrew Bergman’s original story for Blazing Saddles, starring Lou Gossett, Jr. as Bart and Steve Landesberg as his drunkard sidekick, aired on CBS TV on this date. Many more episodes were filmed after this pilot, apparently four seasons worth, but never aired because, while the studioContinue reading “The TV pilot Black Bart premiered”

April 4, 1972 –(This will blow your mind – or maybe it won’t. My degree is not in Psychology or Metaphysics.) Neil Armstrong walked on the moon before the creation of wheeled luggage. It just seems so strange given how obvious the idea of wheeled suitcases is now, but while the US spent billions onContinue reading “Travel made easier”