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August 15, 1979 –The very long delayed epic, Apocalypse Now, premiered in NYC on this date. (Order some Banh xeo and a couple of bottles of Tiger Beer, and watch the Redux version, in honor of the anniversary.) An early scene where Captain Willard is alone in his hotel room was completely unscripted. Martin SheenContinue reading “First time we realized we loved the smell of Napalm in the morning”

August 15, 1979 –Neal Israel’s futuristic comedy film, Americathon, starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin, premiered in the US on this date. Dorothy Stratten appears in an uncredited role wearing a Playboy Bunny style costume in the scene where Roy Budnitz donates blood.

August 15, 1918 –The Sinking of the Lusitania, written and directed by Winsor McCay, went into general release in the U.S. on this date. It is the first full-length feature cartoon documentary, featuring over twenty five thousand individual drawings which took twenty-two months to produce. The twelve minute silent film is a an educational explanationContinue reading “The Sinking of the Lusitania premiered”

August 14, 2003 –A widespread blackout (lasting almost two days for some), affecting approximately 45 million people in the eastern United States and ten million in Ontario, Canada, occurred on this date. The final conclusion of the investigation into the incident revealed that the blackout began when a generating plant in Eastlake, Ohio went offlineContinue reading “The 2003 Blackout”

August 14, 1995 –The Foo Fighters made their network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman when they performed their single This Is A Call, on this date. The single peaked at Number Two on the Modern Rock Track chart, though they wouldn’t have a crossover hit until Big Me in early 1996.

August 14, 1978 –The Police released their third single, from their debut album Outlandos d’Amour, Can’t Stand Losing You on this date. For publicity purposes, The Police claimed that this song and Roxanne were banned by the BBC. They weren’t, but the story got out and helped boost their credibility with the punk crowd.

August 14, 1975 –Time is Fleeting! The science fiction comedy horror musical, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, directed by Jim Sharman, and starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and many of cast members from the original stage productions, opened in the UK, on this date. The set had no heat and no bathrooms. WhenContinue reading “The first time you did the Time Warp”

Today is International Lefthanders Day. The U.S. has had eight left-handed presidents; James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

August 13, 2012 –Taylor Swift released the first single, from her fourth studio album, Red, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, on this date. The song was written by the singer with the Swedish hitmaking duo of Shellback and Max Martin. Taylor told fans worldwide in a webchat on August 13, 2012 that theContinue reading “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was dropped”

August 13, 1969 –The Apollo 11 astronauts, Neil A. Armstrong, Lt. Col. Michael Collins, and Col. Buzz Aldrin, were released from their three-week quarantine and were given a ticker-tape parade in New York, on this date. It would be a hectic day for the astronauts. After the three and a half hour ticker-tape parade inContinue reading “A very busy day for the Apollo 11 crew”