I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.

Not withstanding Bogart’s quote, as you know, I’m an inveterate Gin man, through and through but I would have a difficult time deciding whether or not to celebrate International Whisk(e)y Day today or World Whisky Day which is celebrated on May 18th this year. International Whisk(e)y Day uses the parenthesis to indicate support of Scottish,Continue reading “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.”

Turn up the TV. No one listening will suspect …

March 26, 1977 –Less Than Zero, the debut single from Elvis Costello, was released by the newly formed Stiff Records in London, England on this date. According to Dave Marsh’s The Heart of Rock and Soul, The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever, the song is about a young couple making out in one of their parents’Continue reading “Turn up the TV. No one listening will suspect …”

So much for pardons

March 26, 1199 –All seemed right with the Medieval world. Richard the Lionheart was taking an evening stroll around the castle perimeter without his chain mail, investigating the progress of soldiers trying to destroy the fortress in which he was seeking refuge. Arrows were occasionally fired from the castle walls, but these were given littleContinue reading “So much for pardons”

This time, the revolution is televised

March 26, 1987 –Nike begins airing a commercial using the Beatles song Revolution, marking the first time an original version of a Beatles song is used in an ad. The commercials caused a huge backlash from Beatles fans who felt that Nike was disrespecting the legacy of John Lennon, who likely would have objected toContinue reading “This time, the revolution is televised”

Yet another Doctor Who reboot premiered

March 26, 2005 – The BBC revived the Dr. Who series on this date, which hadn’t aired since the end of the 26th season in 1989, with the episode Rose, starring Christopher Eccleston as the new incarnation of the doctor and Billie Piper as Rose his new traveling companion. Executive Producer Russell T. Davies statedContinue reading “Yet another Doctor Who reboot premiered”

The fire that changed everything

March 25, 1911 –It’s the 113th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, the largest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York, causing the death of 148 garment workers who either died from the fire or jumped to their deaths. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York City untilContinue reading “The fire that changed everything”

The Monkees series came to an end

March 25, 1968 – The 58th and final episode of The Monkees, Mijacogeo (also known as The Frodis Caper,) aired on this date. The four Monkees were each paid $450 per episode, raised to $750 for the second season. They received standard royalty rates for their recordings (and publishing, when they wrote the songs), butContinue reading “The Monkees series came to an end”