Browsing: November 23

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on November 23rd.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On November 23, 1876, a public cry for justice was answered when W. M. “Boss” Tweed was turned over to legal authorities in New York city after having been captured in Spain. On November 23, 1889, the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco became the home of the first public jukebox, a coin operated contraption that played records on demand. On November…

A Brief History On November 23, 1921, Warren Harding signed a law to prohibit doctors from prescribing alcoholic beverages to patients, closing a loophole in the 18th Amendment, which since 1920 had outlawed alcoholic beverages in the US.  Not only did Harding disappoint thousands of doctors and millions of patients, but he was also a blatant hypocrite, keeping a full bar at the White House and serving spirits during his frequent poker games. Digging Deeper Harding also had the nerve to die while in office, leaving the country to Calvin Coolidge.  Harding had won the 1920 presidential election over Ohio…

A Brief History On November 23, 2022, American audiences will have the opportunity to see a new motion picture we got to pre-screen the other day, a Korean War era historical/biographical film about the first African American Naval aviator, a man named Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), touching on the struggles with racism in the recently integrated US military as well as his loving family and devoted White friend, fellow pilot Tom Hudner. Digging Deeper Devotion features thrilling flight scenes of US Navy fighter aircraft in peacetime and in combat, which for me was portrayed in brilliant cinematic fashion, though not…

A Brief History On November 23, 2009, the Philippines were the scene of a travesty of failed democracy when in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao province on Mindanao, 58 people were slaughtered while on their way to formally file for a candidate for governor, including the wife and two sisters of the candidate.  In late October of 2020, as this article is being written, the United States Presidential and General elections looming for November 3, 2020, seem to hold an almost certain level of distrust, dissatisfaction, and even potential violence in an election predicted to be plagued by accusations…

A Brief History On November 23, 1889, the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco became the home of the first public jukebox, a coin operated contraption that played records on demand.  Once found in malt shops, bars, restaurants and even strip joints, the big chrome and glass machines were a great part of Americana and were celebrated in song and prominently featured in many a movie or television show.  A big manufacturer of juke boxes, Rock-Ola, even made M-1 carbines for the US military during World War II.  With the passing of the vinyl record, jukeboxes turned to playing CD’s,…