Ant Farmer's Almanac

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1452: Johann Guttenberg's Bible is first book ever published; many wait the 500-plus years for the on-tape version.

1885: Bechuanaland becomes a British protectorate; and not a moment too soon.

1960: The Flintstones premieres.

 

 

 

Today's Birthdays!

1921 Deborah Kerr; 1924 Truman Capote; 1928 Elie Wiesel; 1931 Angie Dickinson; 1939 Len Cariou; 1942 Frankie Lymon; 1947 Marc Bolan

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1969: Love, American Style premieres.


1979: Pope John Paul II is first pope to visit Ireland; briefly replaces sacramental wine with Guinness.

Illustration by Yvonne Buchanan

Today's Birthdays!

1758 Horatio Nelson; 1901 Enrico Fermi; 1907 Gene Autry; 1908 Greer Garson; 1912 Michelangelo Antonioni; 1913 Stanley Kramer; 1929 Bob Newhart, Silvio Berlusconi; 1931 Anita Ekberg; 1932 Robert Benton; 1942 Madeline Kahn, Jean-Luc Ponty; 1943 Lech Walesa; 1948 Bryant Gumbel; 1970 Emily Lloyd.

DRAWING BY RANDY JONES

Today in Yesteryear. . .

551 BC: Confucius’ birthday. Wise man say, “You don't look a day over 29!”


1850: Flogging on U.S. Navy vessels abolished; sailors must make do with rum and sodomy.


1988: Bronx Museum for the Arts opens; Whadda you lookin' at?

Today's Birthdays!

1573 Caravaggio; 1901 William S. Paley; 1902 Ed Sullivan; 1905 Max Schmeling; 1909 Al Capp; 1916 Peter Finch; 1924 Marcello Mastroianni; 1934 Brigitte Bardot; 1948 Phil Hartman; 1964 Janeane Garofalo.

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1937: First Santa Claus school opens; incoming freshman receive frosty reception.


1954: Steve Allen's The Tonight Show premieres.

Today's Birthdays!

1722 Samuel Adams
1792 George Cruikshank
1840 Thomas Nast
1895 George Raft
1896 Sam Ervin
1920 William Conrad
1922 Arthur Penn
1926 Jayne Meadows
1934 Wilford Brimley,
Greg Morris,
Dick Schaap
1947 Meatloaf,
Cheryl Tiegs

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1964: Ringo Starr forms Brikley Building Company Ltd.; you know, just in case the whole Beatles thing doesn't pan out.


1968: 60 Minutes premieres; viewers complain that Mike Wallace is "Kind of old and grouchy."


1991: In its specialest episode ever, Doogie Howser loses his virginity.

Today's Birthdays!

1896 F. Scott Fitzgerald; 1921 Jim McKay; 1934 John Brunner; 1936 Jim Henson; 1946 "Mean" Joe Greene

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1806: Lewis & Clark Expedition returns to St Louis after two years to find out the neighbor kid they'd hired to hadn't been taking in the mail, picking up the newspaper or feeding the dog.


1952: Richard Nixon makes his "Checkers" speech; career doesn't actually go to the dogs for another 22 years.


1977: Oh, the humanity! Cheryl Ladd replaces Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels.

Today's Birthdays!

1869 Edgar Lee Masters; 1889 Walter Lippmann; 1900 Louise Nevelson; 1920 Mickey Rooney; 1926 John Coltrane; 1930 Ray Charles; 1938 Romy Schneider; 1943 Julio Iglesias; 1945 Paul Petersen; 1947 Mary Kay Place; 1949 Bruce Springsteen; 1967 Harry Connick Jr.

It's . . .

 National Chimney Safety Week!

It's . . .

Elephant Appreciation Day!

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1964: Fiddler on the Roof opens on Broadway.


1964: The Man from U.N.C.L.E. premieres.


1970: President Nixon requests 1,000 new FBI agents be assigned to work on college campuses; before going undercover, each is issued a disguise of snappy bell-bottom trousers and a paisely shirt from JCPenney.

Today's Birthdays!

1791 Michael Faraday
1885 Erich von Stroheim
1895 Paul Muni
1927 Tom Lasorda
1928 Eugene Roche
1932 Ingemar Johansson
1956 Debby Boone
1960 Scott Baio,
Joan Jett
1961 Catherine Oxenberg

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1780: Benedict Arnold gives British Major Andre plans to West Point; later claims he thought Andre was a feng shui master brought in to help with the flow of West Point's "chi".


1897: New York Sun newspaper runs the famous "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus," editorial.
Christmas season advertising revenues go up 300% that year.

1937: J.R.R. Tolkien, publishes The Hobbit.


1942: B-29 Superfortress makes its debut; bombs.


1957: Isn't it true that the long-running courtroom drama Perry Mason premiered on this date of the aforementioned year? Isn't it? Isn't it?!

Today's Birthdays!

1912 Chuck Jones; 1931 Larry Hagman; 1932 Melvin Van Peebles; 1934 Leonard Cohen; 
1935 Henry Gibson; 1944 Hamilton Jordan; 1947 Stephen King; 1950 Bill Murray; 1968 Ricki Lake.

Today in Yesteryear. . .

1519: Ferdinand Magellan sets off on the first successful circumnavigation of the globe; if by "successful" you mean Magellan getting killed along the way, losing four of his five ships and only 22 of his 270 men making it back alive.


1968: Mickey Mantle hits final career homer, #536; celebratory round of drinks lasts until spring training 1971.


1972: Police find cannabis growing on Paul & Linda McCartney's farm; "Oh, we thought it was just, you know, weeds back there," says McCartney, just barely able to keep a straight face.


1973: Billy Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in battle-of-the-sexes contest to determine which one of the two tennis players is the biggest attention whore.


1985: Walt Disney World's 200-millionth guest overpays for parking, guest passes, popcorn...


1990: East and West Germany ratify reunification; mapmakers rejoice.

Today's Birthdays!

1878 Upton Sinclair
1917 "Red" Auerbach
1928 Dr. Joyce Brothers
1929 Anne Meara
1934 Sophia Loren
1938 Pia Lindstom
1941 Dale Chihuly
1951 Guy LaFleur
1957 Fran Drescher