Archive for January, 2009

On this day in 1922, actress Betty White was born.

Betty Marion White (born January 17, 1922) is a film and television actress with a career spanning 60 years. White is perhaps best known for her close association with the show The Golden Girls and the game show Password, her affiliation with animal charities (Actors and Others for Animals), and her roles in the television sitcoms The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Mama’s Family, as well as being a regular panelist on the popular 1970s game show Match Game.

Happy Birthday, Betty!

On this day in 1972, David Seville died.

Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian (January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972) was an American pianist, singer, songwriter, actor and record producer. In his professional life, he was better known by the stage name David Seville, which he used on his recordings featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks.

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Bagdasarian, not yet 53, died of a heart attack suddenly on January 16, 1972, and was cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, California. His ashes were removed many years ago by his son. All Chipmunk activity ceased until 1980, when his son began to release Chipmunks recordings. Ross Jr. also assumed the voice for David Seville and the Chipmunk characters, except for those performed by Ross Jr.’s wife, Janice Karman, such as Theodore and all of The Chipettes.

On this day in 1972, Sanford and Son debuted on NBC.

On this day in 1957, Elvis Presley recorded ‘All Shook Up’.

On this day in 1928, Bing Crosby, with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, recorded Ol’ Man River.

You can find out more about this day in history at the History Channel, Those Were The Days, and InfoPlease.

On this day in 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, which would become one of the deciding catalysts of the American Revolution.

Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. Paine wrote and reasoned in a style that common people understood; forgoing the philosophy and Latin references used by Enlightenment era writers, Paine structured Common Sense like a sermon and relied on Biblical references to make his case to the people. Historian Gordon S. Wood described Common Sense as, “the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era.”

Ahh yes, the American Revolution. Back in the time when common sense was something you used to make the right decisions about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These days it’s all about the Xbox, the iPhone, and weight loss pills.

On this day in 1815, the last battle of the War of 1812 was fought.

The War of 1812 was fought from 1812 to 1815 between the United States of America and the British Empire.

The immediate stated causes for the U.S. declaration of war were several. First, a series of trade restrictions introduced by Britain to impede American trade with France, a country with which Britain was at war. The U.S. contested these restrictions as illegal under international law.[4] Second, the impressment (forced recruitment) of U.S. citizens into the Royal Navy. Third, the alleged British military support for American Indians who were offering armed resistance to the United States.[5]

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In January 1815 after the Treaty of Ghent was signed but before word crossed the Atlantic, the Americans succeeded in inflicted 2000 casualties in defeating a British invasion army at New Orleans. The British captured Fort Bowyer.

The war had the effect of uniting the populations within each country. Canadians celebrated the war as a victory because they avoided conquest. Americans celebrated victory personified in Andrew Jackson. He was the hero of the defense of New Orleans and in 1828 was elected the 7th President of the United States.

And to think they did it all without automatic weapons, high powered binoculars, or industrial clamps. Times sure have changed.

On this day in 1926, George Burns and Gracie Allen were married.

On this day in 1972, President Nixon ordered the development of the space shuttle.

On this day in 1965, President Johnson outlined his “Great Society” programs.

The Great Society was a set of domestic programs proposed or enacted in the United States on the initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two main goals of the Great Society social reforms were the elimination of poverty and of racial injustice. New major spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation were launched during this period. The Great Society in scope and sweep resembled the New Deal domestic agenda of Franklin D. Roosevelt, but differed sharply in types of programs enacted.

Some Great Society proposals were stalled initiatives from John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier. Johnson’s success depended on his persuasive skills, coupled with the Democratic landslide in the 1964 election that brought in many new liberals to Congress. Anti-war Democrats complained that spending on the Vietnam War choked off the Great Society. While some of the programs have been eliminated or had their funding reduced, many of them, including Medicare, Medicaid, and federal education funding, continue to the present. The Great Society’s programs expanded under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

The Great Society was much more than just silk ties and handkerchiefs. It was about substance, and getting the job done.