Light the flame...
Last week we had XL, this week it's XX as in "The Opening Ceremony of the XX Olympic Winter Games". Apparently even the Greeks had a thing for roman numerals. By the way shouldn't there be roman letters for "th" to follow XX ? Just asking. The biggest pre-Olympic controversy so far is whether it should be Turin or Torino. I don't know about you but I prefer Torino and so, apparently does the Olympic committee. Torino it is...
For the next 17 days, 418 hours in all, the NBC-TV family, NBC, USA, MSNBC, CNBC and for you HD buffs, NBC HD and Universal HD will carry the games until we all flame out. There are also reports that some residents of Paducah, Kentucky will be able to pick up the Olympics on their fillings in HD. You want Olympic coverage, you've got Olympic coverage. With that in mind we have Olympic moments sprinkled throughout the weekend timeline...
On this date in 1968 Peggy Fleming who was more "ice follies" than traditional figure skater, won the gold medal in women's figure skating at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France. On the same date (1992) Bonnie Blair raced to a gold medal in the 500-meter speed skating event at the Albertville Games in France becoming the first American woman to win gold medals in an event in consecutive Winter Olympics and what's more Olympic than this ? Mark Spitz who won 7 gold medals in swimming at the 1972 games in Munich was born on this date in 1950...
More February 10 Memories...
1870) The YWCA was founded in New York City (how come the Village People didn't do a song about them ?)...
1897) The New York Times begins printing "All the news that's fit to print" on their front page...
1933) The singing telegram is introduced by the Postal Telegram Company of New York City...
1942) The Normandie, the former French liner, capsizes in New York Harbor (after suffering a fire while being fitted for the U.S. Navy the day before)...
1956) Little Richard records "Long Tall Sally"...
1964) Bob Dylan releases the LP "The Times They Are A-Changin'"...
1968) Peggy Fleming wins a gold medal for figure skating at the Olympics (feature story)...
1970) Sly & the Family Stone top the charts with "Thank you (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)/Everybody Is a Star"...
1971) "Tapestry" is released by Carole King...
1980) The Captain & Tennille are #1 with "Do That to Me One More Time"...
1989) Ron Brown becomes the 1st black to head a major U.S. political party as chairman of the Democratic National Committee...
1992) Mike Tyson is convicted in Indianapolis of raping a Miss Black America contestant...
1992) "Roots" author Alex Haley dies at 70...
2005) North Korea publicly announces for the 1st time that it has nuclear arms...
To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...
Happy Birthday To...
1930) Robert Wagner...
1937) Roberta Flack...
1940) Jimmy Merchant of the Teenagers...
1950) Mark Spitz...
1955) Golfer Greg Norman...
1961) Broadcast journalist George Stephanopoulos...
Commentary...
The first Olympiad on record began in 776 B.C. but it probably started even earlier. Coroebus was the 1st victor in the games (which either means he won or he was the first "Victor", Victor Coroebus). In any event, the games had a revival in 1896 in Athens when only 14 nations took part. American James Connolly won the triple jump to become the first Olympic champion in more than 1,500 years (quite a drought). When the games begin tonight 85 nations will be represented and Bob Costas will mention every single nation in the opening ceremony, guaranteed. The most unique story I've seen so far is the transplanted Ethiopian who now lives in Lake Placid who is the Ethiopian team. I hope he wins but he's going back to Lake Placid after his event and won't have to face the wrath of Ethiopia if he loses. Let the games begin...
Today is the 41st day of 2006 with 324 days remaining in the year, 38 days until Spring and only 6 days until pitchers and catchers...
Saturday, February 11, 2006...
February 11 Memories...
1861) President-elect Abraham Lincoln departs Springfield, Illinois for Washington, D.C...
1878) The 1st U.S. bicycle club, the Boston Bicycle Club is formed...
1937) A sit-down strike against GM ends with the company agreeing to recognize the UAW union...
1957) The NHL Players Association is formed in New York City...
1960) Jack Paar walks off "The Tonight Show" over network censorship (censors had cut a joke about a "water closet" claiming it was in poor taste, Paar storms off the set in tears and doesn't return for a month)...
1964) The Beatles play their 1st U.S. concert at Washington D.C.'s Washington Coliseum. The Chiffons and Tommy Roe open with 8,600 screaming fans in attendance...
1965) Ringo Starr and Maureen Cox walk down the aisle (the couple will divorce in 1975)...
1968) The new nearly 20,000 seat Madison Square Garden (the 4th MSG) officially opens...
1979) Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seize power in Iran 9 days after the religious leader returns after 15 years of exile...
1982) ABC-TV's presentation of "The Winds of War" concludes (the 18-hour miniseries cost $40 million to produce and was the most watched TV program in history at the time)...
1990) South African activist Nelson Mandela is freed after 27 years in prison...
1990) James (Buster) Douglas beats the unbeatable Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight crown in a 10th round KO in Tokyo...
1993) President Bill Clinton names Janet Reno the 1st female Attorney General...
2002) The Canadian pairs couple, David Pelletier and Jamie Sale are robbed of a gold medal when a French judge tries to fix the event to favor the Russians at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics...
To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources are used in the timeline...
Happy Birthday To...
1926) Leslie Nielsen...
1934) Tina Louise...
1936) Burt Reynolds...
1940) Bobby (Boris) Pickett ("The Monster Mash")...
1962) Sheryl Crow...
1969) Jennifer Aniston...
Today is the 42nd day of 2006 with 323 days remaining in the year, 37 days until Spring and just 5 days until pitchers and catchers...
Sunday, February 12, 2006...
February 12 Memories...
1892) President Abraham Lincoln's birthday (which would have been his 83rd in 1892) is declared a national holiday...
1909) The NAACP is founded...
1915) The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial is laid in Washington, D.C...
1924) "The Eveready Hour", sponsored by the National Carbon Company becomes the 1st sponsored network radio show. The variety show, broadcast in New York City was also heard in Washington, D.C. and Providence...
1924) President Calvin Coolidge makes the 1st presidential political speech on radio...
1956) Screamin' Jay Hawkins records "I Put a Spell On You" (that's a very scary thought)...
1961) The Miracles' "Shop Around" becomes Motown's 1st million selling record...
1971) James Cash (J.C.) Penney dies at 95 (the company closes for business for a half day as a memorial to the company's founder (they couldn't take the whole day off ?)...
1976) Actor Sal Mineo is found murdered in his drive way...
1983) Ragtime piano great Eubie Blake dies 5 days after his 100th birthday...
1989) Tiny Tim declares himself a New York City mayoral candidate but can't find any tulips to tiptoe through on Park Avenue...
1999) President Bill Clinton is acquitted of impeachment charges...
2000) Charles M. Schulz, creator of "Peanuts" dies in Santa Rosa, CA at 77...
2000) Hall of Fame football coach Tom Landry who led the Dallas Cowboys to 5 Super Bowls, dies at 75...
2004) Mattel announces that "Barbie" and "Ken" are breaking up. The pair met on the set of their 1st TV commercial in 1961 (there has been recent talk of a reconciliation)...
To ensure accuracy, multiple reference sources were used in the timeline...
Happy Birthday To...
1917) Dom DiMaggio...
1926) Joe Garagiola...
1934) Bill Russell...
1939) The Doors' Ray Manzarek...
1952) Michael McDonald...
1955) Arsenio Hall...
1968) Chynna Phillips...
Today is the 43rd day of 2006 with 322 days remaining in the year, 36 days until Spring and just 4, count em, 4 days until pitchers and catchers...
