BIG BUCKS, NO WHAMMY

November 30 in history:

The two largest oil companies in the world, Exxon and Mobil, merged on November 30th, 1999.  The roughly 80 billion dollar deal reunited two companies that had been formed in the break-up of Standard Oil almost a century earlier.

Ken Jennings set a record for the most money won by a U.S. game show contestant while appearing on “Jeopardy” during 2004, taking home over two-and-a-half million dollars.  His 75 games in a row on “Jeopardy” were broadcast over a span of six months, ending on November 30th of ’04.  On that episode, Jennings was defeated when he gave “What is Fed Ex?” as a response to a Final Jeopardy clue about a company with many seasonal employees.  (Correct response: H & R Block.)

Dick Clark had a long career giving away big money on game shows, mainly on the “Pyramid” series.  He also hosted “American Bandstand” for more than 30 years, and appeared on “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” for an even longer time.  Clark was born November 30th, 1929.

Clark was still the host of “Bandstand” when Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” became the biggest-selling record album of all time.  “Thriller” was released November 30th, 1982.

Jackson’s first #1 hit as a solo artist was the theme song to the horror movie “Ben,” made by Bing Crosby’s production company.  The last of Bing’s popular TV Christmas specials aired on November 30th, 1977, a month after he died.  “Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas” is best remembered for the “Little Drummer Boy” duet between Crosby and David Bowie.

Advertisements

LIONS AND TURKEYS AND BEARS, OH MY!

November 29 in history:

The Army and the Navy met each other on the football field for the first time on November 29th, 1890, at West Point. The Army Cadets had the home field advantage, but they were shut out by the Navy 24-0.  Now, the contest is usually played at a neutral site, Philadelphia.

The tradition of playing pro football on Thanksgiving began on this date in 1934, when the holiday was still celebrated on the last Thursday of November, instead of the fourth Thursday.  The Lions had just moved to Detroit, and as a publicity stunt, the club’s new owner arranged to have the team play a Thanksgiving Day ball game.  Detroit has hosted an NFL game on Thanksgiving ever since.

The Lions lost that first Thanksgiving game to the Chicago Bears.  Rahm Emanuel, the former White House Chief of Staff elected mayor of Chicago in 2011, was born on November 29th, 1959.  Another famous Illinois politician born on November 29th was U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Paul Simon (1928).

MOVIE FAMILIES

November 28 in history:

A newspaper story called it “the worst disaster in Boston’s history.”  On November 28th, 1942, a fast-moving fire swept through the Cocoanut Grove nightclub of Boston, killing nearly 500 of the estimated 1000 people in the building.  Flammable decorations apparently ignited when a busboy lit a match to find a light socket.  Jammed and locked exits were blamed for some of the loss of life.

One of the most powerful men in the history of Hollywood started his career modestly in Massachusetts on this day in 1907, when Louis B. Mayer opened his first movie theater in Haverhill.  Mayer started making movies before long, and in less than 20 years, became the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.  Both of his daughters married movie producers, with David O. Selznick becoming a son-in-law of Mayer.

A Hollywood family named Newman has written movie music for decades.  Famous family members include Alfred Newman, Lionel Newman…and Randy Newman, born November 28th, 1943.  Randy has won Oscars for songs from the animated movies “Toy Story 3” and “Monsters, Inc.,” and has written the popular hits “Mama Told Me Not to Come” and “Short People.”

November 28th is also the birthday of two-time Oscar host Jon Stewart (1962), best known as the former host/anchor of “The Daily Show.”

FACES IN THE CROWD

November 27 in history:

The mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and city supervisor Harvey Milk were shot to death at San Francisco City Hall on November 27th, 1978.  Former supervisor Dan White was convicted of the shootings.  White had resigned from the Board of Supervisors, but changed his mind and asked Moscone to reappoint him.  The mayor refused to do so, after objections from Milk and others.  Milk was the first openly gay man to win election to a public office in California.

U.S. government agents shot and killed several notorious bank robbers in 1934, including John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and “Baby Face” Nelson.  On this date in ’34, Baby Face — real name, Lester Gillis — was shot during a gunfight with federal agents and died a short time later.

A 38-year-old woman got part of a new face in an operation performed in France on November 27th, 2005.  It was the world’s first partial face transplant.  The patient received a new nose and mouth from a deceased donor, to replace the portion of her face that was attacked by a dog.

Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman ever to receive an Oscar for Best Director, for making the Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker.”  Bigelow also is known for directing the heist movie “Point Break.”  Bigelow was born November 27th, 1951.

HONEY, I’M HOME

November 26 in history:

Captain James Cook became the first European tourist to visit the Hawaiian island of Maui (sort of) on November 26th, 1778.  Cook apparently did not find a good place to land on the island, so he only sailed around Maui.  It took another eight years for a different European visitor to set foot on land.

A bird called the po’o-uli, or the black-faced honeycreeper, was discovered on Maui in 1973.  But some animal experts believe the po’o-uli doesn’t live anywhere anymore.  No more than 200 of the birds were thought to exist in the ’70s.  Only three were found in the late 1990s, and they didn’t live close enough to each other to mate naturally.  The only black-faced honeycreeper kept in captivity died of malaria on Maui, on this date in 2004.

The Honeydrippers was a 1980s band with a short life.  Headed by Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, the group only released one EP, featuring the single “Sea of Love,” which was climbing the Billboard Top 40 chart on November 26th, 1984.  It peaked at number 3 in early 1985.

And the Jackie Gleason series “The Honeymooners” featured a new episode called “Brother Ralph” on November 26th, 1955.  The “Honeymooners” began as short comedy sketches starring Gleason as bus driver Ralph Kramden and Art Carney as sewer worker Ed Norton.  It lasted just one season as a half-hour sitcom, in 1955-56.

THE PRESIDENT’S KIDS

November 25 in history:

The British occupation of New York City, which began in 1776, ended on November 25th, 1783.  That was several weeks after the Treaty of Paris was signed to end the American Revolution.  New York became the capital of the U.S. for several years, through the inauguration of George Washington as president in 1789.

President Dwight Eisenhower had a stroke on this date in 1957.  Although it was a minor stroke, the health scare was serious enough for the president to write a letter authorizing Vice President Richard Nixon to assume power, if Eisenhower was unable to carry out his duties.  The crisis was one factor leading to the creation of the 25th Amendment, which also permits the appointment of a vice president if that office becomes vacant.

An amendment dealing with presidential succession was discussed again after the John F. Kennedy assassination.  President Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on November 25th of 1963 — the day his son John Junior turned three years old.  Film footage shows young John saluting at his father’s funeral procession.

Two other presidential children — twins Jenna and Barbara Bush, the daughters of George W. Bush — were born on this date in 1981.  Their grandfather George Herbert Walker Bush was in his first year as vice president at the time.

CRIMINAL / RECORDS

November 24 in history:

A one-of-a-kind crime in the sky happened on this date in 1971, aboard a Northwest Orient jet.  A passenger who bought a ticket under the name “Dan Cooper” hijacked a flight between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, suggesting that he had a bomb inside a briefcase.  Cooper was given parachutes and $200,000 in cash after the plane landed.  He then jumped out of the plane after it took off again.  Investigators have never figured out what happened to the hijacker, who became known as “D.B. Cooper,” but some of the ransom money did turn up in the woods years later.

Millions of Americans witnessed a real-life crime on live TV when tavern owner Jack Ruby shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald in front of reporters and television cameras at the Dallas jail on November 24th, 1963.  It was just two days after Oswald was arrested for the assassination of President Kennedy.

The three major networks suspended all regular programming for four days after Kennedy’s death.  One of the cancelled programs that was scheduled for the night of November 24th was a special recapping the 1963 Grammy Awards, at which the Album of the Year award went to the Vaughn Meader satire of Kennedy, “The First Family.”

Marvin Hamlisch won four Grammys for 1974, including Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his recording of “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin, from the movie “The Sting.”  The film’s ragtime score led to a revival of Joplin’s songs.  Many musicians celebrate November 24th of 1868 as Joplin’s birthday, but now it is believed he was born sometime in 1867.