Today's Puzzle
What is the correct way to write in numerals the sum of fourteen thousand, fourteen hundred, and fourteen?
+ 1,400
+ 14
-------
15,414
What Happened On
Michael Jackson - Thriller
December 2, 1983
Michael Jackson's Thriller video premieres on MTV. It was MTV's first world-premiere video and is considered the most influential pop video of all time. Jackson's costar in the video was former Playboy Playmate Ola Ray.
Major Nelson Marries Jeannie
December 2, 1969
Major Nelson and Jeannie get married, on the TV show I Dream of Jeannie. Only one problem, NASA wants photos of the wedding, but genies don't photograph.
However, the writers seem to have forgotten that she was shown photographed in other episodes, including an episode where she was shown photographed in a newspaper and one where she was filmed for a car commercial.
Castro a Marxist-Leninist
December 2, 1961
Cuban leader Fidel Castro announces that he is a Marxist-Leninist and had hidden this fact in order to seize power. Castro in a televised statement declared, "I am a Marxist-Leninist and shall be one until the end of my life."
Casablanca
December 2, 1941
Date of the opening scene of the 1942 film classic Casablanca. It starred Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
Bogart's character Rick never says the famous line. "Play it again, Sam." There is the following exchange though:
Rick: You know what I want to hear.
Sam: No, I don't.
Rick: You played it for her, you can play it for me!
Sam: Well, I don't think I can remember…
Rick: If she can stand it, I can! Play it!
Ford Model A
December 2, 1927
Henry Ford introduces the Model A. It had a 200.5 cubic inch motor that delivered 40 hp and came in nine body styles, with a starting price of about $400.
The introduction had been hyped the previous weeks with over $2,000,000 in advertising in newspapers across the country. The promotion was effective, as Ford News claimed that over 10 million people visited Ford dealerships to see the new model.
$4,250,000 a Day
December 2, 1992
John Haggin files for divorce from Roxanne Pulitzer. Their October 16 wedding caused his mother to cut him off from a $200,000,000 fortune; that's about $4,250,000 a day.
First Successful Implantation of a Permanent Artificial Heart
December 2, 1982
It was designed and implanted by Dr. Robert Jarvik into patient Barney Clark (age 61). Clark died 112 days later.
Environmental Protection Agency
December 2, 1970
Environmental Protection Agency is established.
Muhammad Ali Musical Buck White
December 2, 1969
The Broadway musical Buck White opens, starring heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali as Buck. It closed four days later.
Boeing 747
December 2, 1969
The 350-500 passenger jet makes its first public flight; it flew from Seattle, Washington to New York City.
McCarthyism Condemned
December 2, 1954
Sen. Joseph McCarthy is condemned by a vote of the U.S. Senate (67-22) for his actions during his investigations into Communist activity.
First Controlled Nuclear Chain Reaction
December 2, 1942
Produced by a team headed by Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago.
First Around-the-World Commercial Flight
December 2, 1941
The first around-the-world commercial flight takes off from San Francisco. This Pan American Airways flight arrived in New York City January 6 after covering 31,500 miles.
Birthdays
Inventor of the 33⅓ LP Record
Peter Carl Goldmark
Born December 2, 1906 d. 1977
Hungarian-born American engineer. He invented the 33⅓ LP (Long Play) record (1948). One side played for 23 minutes as compared to about 4 minutes for the current 78 records. His 33⅓ LP records are still an industry standard for vinyl records. There were originally 10-inch and 12-inch versions, but the 10-inch version was soon phased out.
Why is it called a "Record Album"?
Prior to the 33⅓ Long Play, records had a thicker groove and ran at 78 rpms and therefore were only about 3-5 minutes per side. Because of this, music was sold on multiple records gathered together in a book called an "album." The new 33⅓ LP could play about 23 minutes per side, therefore, all the records from a typical "album" could by stored on a single 33⅓ LP, but the name "album" stuck.
He also invented the first commercial color television (1940). His television used a spinning color wheel that alternated transmission in red, green, and blue. CBS broadcast using his system in 1950-51, but it was not compatible with the existing black and white sets and was dropped in favor of a competing technology developed for RCA and NBC. He also developed the "Highway Hi-Fi," which could play 7-inch LP records in automobiles.
Photo Credit: madmarlin
Photo Credit: madmarlin
Monica Seles
Born December 2, 1973
Yugoslavian tennis player, winner of eight Grand Slam titles. In 1993 she was stabbed during a tournament by a man who didn't want her to compete against Steffi Graf.
Halcion Murder Defense
Nila Wacaser
Born December 2, 1948 d. 1992
American murderess. She killed her two sons in 1987, claiming the sleeping drug Halcion had caused her to do it. She killed her 8 and 11 year-old sons shortly after a judge granted legal custody of them to her ex-husband. She committed suicide after being convicted of first-degree murder earlier in the day.
Cathy Lee Crosby
Born December 2, 1944
American actress. TV: That's Incredible! (host). While host of That's Incredible!, she was the subject of the "Nipple Memo" in which ABC executives suggested she go braless on the show. She declined.
Edwin Meese III
Born December 2, 1931
American politician, former U.S. Attorney General.
Julie Harris
Born December 2, 1925 d. 2013
American Tony-Emmy-Grammy-winning actress. TV: Knots Landing (Lilimae Clements).
Alexander M. Haig Jr.
Born December 2, 1924 d. 2010
American general, NATO Supreme Commander (1974-79), and U.S. Secretary of State (1981-82). He once suggested that a nuclear warning shot in Europe might be effective in deterring the Soviet Union.
For his military service he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Purple Heart.
Charles Ringling
Born December 2, 1863 d. 1926
American circus operator, with Ringling Brothers Circus.
Deaths
Desi with wife Lucille Ball
Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Arnaz III)
Died December 2, 1986 b. 1917
Cuban-born band leader, actor. TV: I Love Lucy (1951-57, Ricky Ricardo).
Arnaz and wife Lucille Ball created Desilu Productions, whose productions included I Love Lucy, Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables, and Star Trek. Desilu Productions also pioneered a number TV production methods, such as filming before a live studio audience with multiple cameras and distinct sets adjacent to each other.
The standard at the time was to broadcast live in New York, and use a lower-quality kinescopes for the rest of the country. Arnaz wanted to film the shows live so that all audiences received a high-quality image. Network executives considered the use of film too expensive, so Arnaz agreed to cover the costs in exchange for the rights to the prints. As a result, Desilu made a fortune from the reruns in what is considered one of the shrewdest deals in television history.
Marty Feldman (Martin Alan Feldman)
Died December 2, 1982 b. 1934
English pop-eyed comic. Feldman suffered from thyroid disease and developed Graves' ophthalmopathy, causing his eyes to protrude and become misaligned. He died of a heart attack at the age of 48 while filming Yellowbeard.
Film: Young Frankenstein (1974, Igor "EYE-gore"), The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975, Sgt. Orville Stanley Sacker), and Yellowbeard (1983, Gilbert).
For Whom "Sadism" is Named
Marquis de Sade (Count Donatien Alphonse Francois Sade)
Died December 2, 1814 b. 1740
French obscene author, from whom the words "sadism" and "sadist" are derived. Sade is known for his erotic works, combining philosophical discourse, pornography, and violent sexual fantasies. In 1801, Napoleon Bonaparte had Sade arrested for his novels Justine and Juliette. He was imprisoned without a trial and eventually committed to the Charenton lunatic asylum, where he remained until his death.
Bob Cummings
Died December 2, 1990 b. 1910
American Emmy-winning actor. Film: Dial M for Murder (1954). TV: The Bob Cummings Show (1955-59), and 12 Angry Men (1954, Emmy).
Aaron Copland
Died December 2, 1990 b. 1900
American composer. Music: Billy the Kid and Appalachian Spring.
Sabu (right) in Jungle Book
Sabu (right) in Jungle Book
Sabu (Sabu Dastagir)
Died December 2, 1963 b. 1924
Indian-born American actor. Film: Elephant Boy (1937, Toomai) and Jungle Book (1942, Mowgli). Two days before his death, during a routine medical check, his doctor told him: "If all my patients were as healthy as you, I would be out of a job". He died of a heart attack a month before his 40th birthday.
John Ringling
Died December 2, 1936 b. 1866
American circus operator, with Ringling Brothers Circus.
Edmond Rostand
Died December 2, 1918 b. 1868
French poet, playwright. Plays: Cyrano de Bergarac (1897).
John Brown
Died December 2, 1859 b. 1800
American abolitionist. The Pottawatomie Massacre was committed by his men, and he led the attack on Harper's Ferry (1859), for which he was hanged.
Saint Silverius
Died December 2, 538 b. ????
religious leader, 58th Pope (536-537). He was violently deposed and abdicated in 538. He is the patron saint of the island of Ponza, Italy.