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August 20, 1920 –The first commercial radio station begins operating in Detroit, Michigan with call sign 8MK (Now WWJ (Newsradio 950) ). The radio station was started by The Detroit News newspaper and is now owned and run by CBS. To celebrate the event, National Radio Day, UNESCO formally announced the formation of International RadioContinue reading “No static at all”

August 20, 1896 –A patent application was filed (US Patent No. 597,062) by brothers John and Charles J. Erickson & Alexander E. Keith for the rotary dial telephone on this date. The dial telephone made it possible for people to dial phone numbers on their own thereby making the communication process easier and more efficient.Continue reading “Ring-a-ding ding”

August 19, 1964 –The Beatles first US tour began in San Francisco, California with their concert at the Cow Palace. They played ten songs to a crowd of over 17,000. The Beatles returned there for another concert in 1965.

August 19, 1960 –The Soviet Union launched Sputnik V into orbit on this date. On board are two dogs (Belka and Strelka,) along with two unnamed rats and 40 mice. The menagerie was recovered safely the next day from the landing capsule. The two rats were later appointed wardens of gulags in Siberia. Belka enteredContinue reading “Dogs in Space”

August 19, 1977 –I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it. One of the world’s leading commentator on the human condition, Julius Marx gave up the ghost on this date.

Today is National Soft Serve Ice Cream Day. Soft Serve Ice Cream has been around since the 1930s. There are conflicting reports of the origins of the dessert. In 1934, Tom Carvel, the founder of eponymous ice cream brand and franchise, had to sell melting ice cream on a parking lot because his ice creamContinue reading “The best time for ice cream is always.”

August 19, 1969 –David Crosby, Steven Stills, Joni Mitchell, and the Jefferson Airplane appeared on the Dick Cavett Show, giving a first-hand account of the Woodstock festival that took place over the weekend. Jefferson Airplane’s performance of We Can Be Together marked the first time the word “fuck” was uttered on live US television.

August 18, 1868 –French astronomer Pierre Jules César Janssen discovers Helium, while analyzing the chromosphere of the sun during a total solar eclipse in Guntur, India, on this date. Because helium was found in the Sun before it was found on Earth, its name comes from the Greek word for Sun, helios. It marks theContinue reading “Helium discovered”

August 18, 1999 –A giant black rainbow encircled the Earth, sucking all oxygen from the atmosphere. The air returns shortly thereafter, but only after millions die from asphyxiation. On the bright side, the survivors go on to build a Utopian civilization. It all happens precisely as predicted in the 1950s by Criswell, the TV psychicContinue reading “Perhaps you remember?”

August 18, 1956 –Elvis’ double A side single Don’t Be Cruel/ Hound Dog, both hit no. 1 on the Billboard charts on this date. Don’t Be Cruel was written by Otis Blackwell, a songwriter who came up with a lot of hits for Elvis. On Christmas Eve 1955, Otis Blackwell found himself on the streetsContinue reading “Big day for Elvis”