History Schmistory: October 2. Fifth Dimensional TV!
Sunday, October 2, 2022
1959: Televisions legendary sci-fi anthology series, The Twilight Zone, premiers on CBS. It receives numerous rave reviews, but ratings land in the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge… …
History Schmistory: September 30. Too soon?
Friday, September 30, 2022
1955: After starring in only 3 movies, legendary actor James Dean dies in an auto collision, forever distinguishing him as the rebel without a seatbelt.
A Name You Should Know: Bill Lear
Friday, September 30, 2022
Most people who do know the name, credit him as the developer of the luxury aircraft, the Learjet, but there are plenty of even better reasons to sing the praises of Bill Lear. Anyone who listens to music in their vehicles must give him credit for inventing the first car radio and then the eight-track tape player. Not enough for you? OK, then, he also basically invented radio navigation AND autopilot technology. On top of that he even had a great sense of humor. He named his daughter Shanda… Shanda Lear…Â brilliant!!
History Schmistory: September 29. Stool ka-Boom!
Thursday, September 29, 2022
1911: Italy declares war on the Ottomans. All they ever wanted was to be comfortable.
History Schmistory: September 28. Perhaps we should have waited…
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
1951: CBS makes the first color television available to the public, only to see it discontinued a few weeks later.
Cryptozoology Break! The Bunyip
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Australia’s native Aborigines have plenty of tales involving a ferocious freshwater creature called the Bunyip, who comes out of the water at nightfall to hunt for their children. Descriptions vary greatly, from dog-faced to reptilian to starfish shaped. Since “Bunyip” actually translates to “evil spirit”, shape-shifting is probably not out of the question. But, it is more likely the Aborigines could never accurately describe it because they were busy running for their lives in the other direction. A solid survival technique in this case.
Art by Allen Douglas
History Schmistory: September 27. A good old-fashioned Polish whuppin!
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
1605: The Polish-Swedish War: The Swedish army, in a matter of minutes, is utterly defeated by the Polish-Lithuanian calvary in the Battle of Kircholm, while in the kitchen the Swedish meatball miraculously holds ground against the Polish sausage. All was not lost.
A Name You Should Know: George Owen Squier
Monday, September 26, 2022
As an executive officer of the US Signal Corps, George Owen Squier helped the Wright brothers with their first airplane, and was even its first passenger. From there, he secured the first purchase of US military planes, launching a new ‘Aeronautical Division’ for which he was Major General during WWI. But that’s not even the coolest thing he’s done. George was also a wizard with electricity and radio technology, holding over 60 patents to his name. He invented multiplexing, which allows multiple signals to be transferred at once through a single wire, paving the way for new possibilities in telecommunication. He invented wired radio, or as he called it, “wired wireless”, as a replacement for the unreliable home radios of the era. Though it never became a household commodity in his time, (any of us with cable TV certainly owe him a tip o’ the hat) George wasn’t deterred by this minor setback. Instead he convinced businesses that piping music through their establishments would increase sales and productivity. He was right. Soon businesses across the US were playing music not through a single radio in the corner, but in several locations throughout their sotres and workshops, thanks to wired radio. His name for this new technology?
Muzak! That’s right, George Owen Squier is responsible for that cheesified version of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road you can never seem to get out of your head… Well he was still pretty awesome.
History Schmistory: September 26. I’m a Rocket Maaaaaan!
Monday, September 26, 2022
2008: Swiss Pilot and inventor Yves Rossy becomes the first person to fly across the English Channel in a winged jetpack of his own invention. Soon after, he flies over the Swiss Alps. Lucky he didn’t burn out his fuse up there alone…
His next mission? “To infinity and beyond!”