A Brief History On August 8, 2017, country and pop music superstar Glen Campbell passed away. Campbell had a Gold and Platinum singing career and a successful acting career as well, and the first song that put him in the public eye was “Universal Soldier,” reaching #45 on the charts. Digging Deeper Written by singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, an indigenous Canadian woman, her original rendition did not rock the airwaves, but when Scottish singer Donovan and American Glen Campbell covered the song in 1965 the tune became an anti-war icon. Other famous anti-war tunes such as Edwin Starr’s “War,” PF Sloan’s…
Browsing: August 8
A Brief History On August 8, 2000, the remains of Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley were raised to the surface 136 years after this pioneering vessel was sunk, probably by itself during the US Civil War. The Hunley joins the roster of famous or infamous vessels that have been discovered on the sea floor and either raised or with major parts of the vessel recovered. Today we list 10 of the most famous or interesting such shipwrecks (though 5 of them are from one incident!). Digging Deeper 1. HL Hunley, Confederate Submarine, sunk 1864, recovered 2000. We have previously discussed the…
A Brief History On August 8, 2017, we reflect on our screening of the upcoming (August 11, 2017) horror flick, Annabelle: Creation, a prequel to the Annabelle and Conjuring movie franchise. The quick and dirty on the movie is, the audience cheered and clapped at the end! We consider this reaction a sure sign of success. Digging Deeper An active audience participating in the film, laughing, gasping, and commenting, reminds us why we see movies in theaters instead of just on television at home. The attention of the audience was obviously held for the duration of the medium length 109 minute film. The movie builds the background of…
A Brief History On August 8, 1998, Pamela Johnson of Irving, Texas, founded the Secret Society of Happy People, an organization committed to the expression of happiness and for its members to remember and think about their happy times. “Happiness Happens” is their motto, with “Don’t Even Think of Raining on My Parade” as an alternate. Every August 8 is International Happiness Happens Day. Digging Deeper The SSHP is determined to express their happiness and encourages others to do the same, in spite of the unhappy campers that do not want to hear about other people’s happiness. Too bad! You’re…
A Brief History On August 8, 1946, the Convair B-36 Peacemaker nuclear bomber made its first flight. Later referred to as the “Billion Dollar Boondoggle” by the program’s opponents, the B-36 competed with the US Navy’s super carrier program for limited tax dollars. Digging Deeper The first bomber in the world able to carry a nuclear payload right from the start, the massive bomber also had the widest wingspan (230 feet) of any bomber in history and the most (10) engines of any mass produced airplane. When the 6 mighty 3800 horsepower (apiece!) piston powered radial engines proved inadequate for…
