12 June 2017
Interesting tidbits:
1838 - Hopkins Observatory, dedicated in Williamstown, MA.
1840 - Meteorite hits Uden, Netherlands.
1849 - The Gas mask was patented by Lewis Haslett of Louisville, Ky.
1897 - What was possibly the most severe earthquake in history struk Assam India. Shock waves were felt over an area the size of Europe.
1923 - Harry Houdini freeed himself from a straight jacket while suspended upside down, 40 feet / 12 m above the ground in NYC.
1939 – Shooting began on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor. Synchronized sound and good quality color became available to the movie industry at about the same time in the late 1920s. Sound became a necessity to movie companies, but the use of the first real tri-color process proved to be too expensive during the Great Depression and then during World War II. As early as 1924, Technicolor envisioned a full-color process, and by 1929, the company was actively developing such a process. Hollywood made so much use of Technicolor in 1929 and 1930, that many believed the feature film industry would soon be turning out color films exclusively. By 1931, the Great Depression took its toll on the movie industry, which began to cut back on expenses. The production of color films had decreased dramatically by 1932. With a few notable exceptions, color did not become the norm until after WWII, although black and white continued to be used for B films well into the 50s.
1967 – The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional.
1967 – Venera program: Venera 4 is launched (it will become the first space probe to enter another planet's atmosphere and successfully return data).
1979 – Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross.
1996 – In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a panel of federal judges blocks a law against indecency on the internet.
1997 – Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London.
Today's birthday crew:
1806 – John A. Roebling, German-American engineer, famous for his wire rope suspension bridge designs, in particular, the design of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1867 Roebling started design work on what is now called the Brooklyn Bridge, spanning the East River in New York. One day in 1869 he was standing at the edge of a dock, working on fixing the location where the bridge would be built, when his foot was crushed by an arriving ferry. His injured toes were amputated. He refused further medical treatment and wanted to cure his foot by "water therapy" (continuous pouring of water over the wound). His condition deteriorated. He succumbed to tetanus 24 days after the accident. Roebling's son Washington Roebling and his daughter-in-law Emily Warren Roebling continued his work on the Brooklyn Bridge. At the time of its completion, the Brooklyn Bridge was the world's longest suspension bridge.
1864 – Frank Chapman, American ornithologist who came up with the original idea for the Christmas Bird Count. He also wrote many ornithological books such as, Bird Life, Birds of Eastern North America, Bird Studies With a Camera, and Life in an Air Castle. For his work, Distribution of Bird-life in Colombia, he was awarded the Daniel Giraud Elliot Medal from the National Academy of Sciences.
1916 – Irwin Allen, American director and producer of schlock science fiction movies and television programs.
1918 – Samuel Z. Arkoff, American film producer well known for Amityville Horror, the movie based on what is now generally considered a hoax.
1920 – Dave Berg, American cartoonist most noted for his five decades of work in Mad. Beginning in the mid-1940s, he worked for several years with Stan Lee on comic books at Timely Comics (now known as Marvel Comics), ranging from Combat Kelly and The Ringo Kid to Tessie the Typist. He also freelanced for a half-dozen other companies, including EC Comics.
1970 – Gordon Michael Woolvett, Canadian actor best known for his work as Seamus Zelazny Harper on Andromeda.
1974 – Jason Mewes, American actor best known as Jay of Jay and Silent Bob.
Happy birthday guys!