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Today is known as Cat Night. The term Cat Night harks back to a rather obscure old Irish legend concerning witches and the belief that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t regain her human form. This bit of folklore also gives usContinue reading “Remember the dog days are over.”

August 17, 1974 –Eric Clapton’s second studio album 461 Ocean Boulevard, started a four-week run at No.1 on the Billboard charts on this date. The house featured on the album cover is 461 Ocean Boulevard in the town of Golden Beach, Florida near Miami where Clapton lived while making the album. He recorded the albumContinue reading “461 Ocean Boulevard topped the charts”

August 17, 1978 –Three Americans from New Mexico, Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman, completed the first transatlantic balloon flight, landing in a barley field 60 miles from Paris, 138 hours and six minutes after lifting off from Presque Isle, Maine. The helium-filled Double Eagle II covered 3,233 miles in its six-day journey. TheContinue reading “And they did it on a diet of hot dogs”

August 17, 1960 –A great George Pal sci-fi classic, The Time Machine was released on this date. George Pal wanted the disk on the machine to spin clockwise for travel into the future and counter-clockwise for travel into the past. Due to the way the mechanism was built it was deemed too expensive and time-consumingContinue reading “The Time Machine premiered”

August 17, 1979 –Handmade Films released the classic religious satire film, Monty Python’s Life of Brian in the US on this date. When Michael Palin as Pontius Pilate addressed the soldiers daring them to laugh, he was truly daring them. The soldier extras were ordered to stand there and not laugh, but not told whatContinue reading “Monty Python’s Life of Brian premiered”

August 16, 1977 –Elvis Presley died (or not) in his home at the age of 42, while sitting on the toilet. While doing his business, he had been perusing The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus. Presumably, Elvis‘ search was concluded shortly thereafter. Elvis has long left the building Remember, add more bran toContinue reading “The King is Dead!”

August 16, 1960 –Air Force Captain Joe Kittinger parachuted from space after climbing in a balloon from 102,800 feet (31,330 m), on this date. His free-fall lasted 4 minutes and 36 seconds. He experienced temperatures approaching minus-100 degrees Fahrenheit. He set four historical records over New Mexico: highest balloon ascent, fastest speed by a humanContinue reading “It’s a long, long, long way down”

August 16, 1969 –Eric Clapton’s supergroup Blind Faith release their self-titled album, on this date. On the cover is a photo of a naked 11-year-old girl holding a model spacecraft. An alternate cover with a band photo was issued in America and for stores that refused to stock it. Blind Faith was one of theContinue reading “Blind Faith dropped”

August 16, 1930 –Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer their first sound cartoon, Fiddlesticks, on this date. It is about a happy-go-lucky, needy frog, named Flip the Frog. This cartoon was created by Ub Iwerks in 1930. He had drawn a frog and his girlfriend in Night, one of the last Silly Symphonies short films he drew while working forContinue reading “Fiddlesticks premiered”

August 16, 1940 –The first of Alfred Hitchcock’s war-time thrillers, Foreign Correspondent, starring Joel McCrea, Laraine Day and Herbert Marshall, opened on this date. Producer Walter Wanger and Alfred Hitchcock clashed repeatedly during shooting. Wanger kept wanting to have the script re-written with every news story reporting changes in the European situation. Hitchcock, who hatedContinue reading “Foreign Correspondent premiered”