Today's Puzzle
When is a door not a door?
What Happened On
Twinkie Murders
November 10, 1978
Dan White kills Harvey Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. At his trial, he claimed diminished capacity due to depression caused by a diet of junk food and sugary drinks. This has become known as the "Twinkie Defense". Even though he avoided metal detectors, which would have detected his gun and 10 rounds of ammunition, by entering the building through a side window and later stated he intended to kill two other people as well, he was only convicted of voluntary manslaughter rather than first-degree murder and sentenced to seven years in prison. He served five years in prison before being paroled, but committed suicide less than two years later.
White had resigned from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, but then applied for reappointment. White was angry because Moscone and Milk had opposed his reappointment.
Faces of Death
November 10, 1978
The movie Faces of Death is released. Billed as "Banned in 40+ Countries", it purported to show graphic scenes of various ways to die and violent acts. Produced on a budget of $450,000, it is estimated to have grossed over $35 million in theaters and continued to earn money as a rental.
While some of the footage is real, the makeup artist for the movie claims that about 40% of it is fake, including the scene with the monkey being killed.
First Test-Tube Baby
November 10, 1977
Louise Joy Brown is conceived. The process, known as in vitro fertilization (IVF), actually took place in a Petri dish, not a test tube. Her sister was also conceived through IVF four years later.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
November 10, 1975
The ore carrier sinks during a storm on Lake Superior. None of the 29 crew members survived. Gordon Lightfoot's song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (1976, #2 hit) was based on this tragedy. When the ship was christened in 1958 it took three attempts to break the champagne bottle. This is considered a bad omen in shipping lore. Also, during the ceremony a spectator had a heart attack and later died.
When launched, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and remains the largest to have sunk there.
Photo Credit: Sesame Street
Photo Credit: Sesame Street
Sesame Street
November 10, 1969
The long-running children's educational program Sesame Street debuts on public television stations with Jim Henson's Muppets. Based on two years of research, it was the first preschool educational television program to base its content on laboratory and formative research.
In 1970, Mississippi banned Sesame Street from its state educational TV programming due to its depiction of an integrated neighborhood and black and white children playing together. Due to public outcry, the ban only lasted 22 days.
Guinness Book of Records
November 10, 1951
Sir Hugh Beaver becomes involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse. Realizing that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was indeed Europe's fastest game bird, he figured there must be many other questions debated nightly in pubs, but there was no book in the world with which to settle these arguments. He then hired the twins Norris McWhirter and Ross McWhirter to compile such a book. It became the Guinness Book of Records and was an instant success.
George Gipp
George Gipp
Win One for the Gipper
November 10, 1928
Knute Rockne uses his famous speech to inspire Notre Dame to upset undefeated Army 12-6. According to Rockne, while George Gipp was on his deathbed with pneumonia, he said the following:
"I've got to go, Rock. It's all right. I'm not afraid. Some time, Rock, when the team is up against it, when things are wrong and the breaks are beating the boys, ask them to go in there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper. I don't know where I'll be then, Rock. But I'll know about it, and I'll be happy."
Rockne used Gipp's words in a halftime speech to inspire Notre Dame to victory against undefeated Army.
U.S. President Ronald Reagan used the phrase "Win one for the Gipper" as a political slogan in 1988, telling Vice President George H. W. Bush, "George, go out there and win one for the Gipper." Reagan had portrayed Gipp in the movie Knute Rockne, All American (1940), and was often referred to as "The Gipper."
Windshield Wiper Patented
November 10, 1903
In 1902, while visiting New York City on a frosty winter day, Mary Anderson was riding the trolley. She noticed that the trolley driver, in order to see through the sleet on the windshield, had to either lean out of the window to see or stop and go outside to clear the window with his hands. Recognizing an opportunity, she designed a hand-operated device to keep a windshield clear and in 1903 was granted a patent for the automotive windshield wiper.
Anderson's device consisted of a lever inside the vehicle that controlled a rubber blade on the outside of the windshield. The lever could be operated to make a spring-loaded arm move back and forth across the windshield, thus clearing it. A counterweight was used to ensure contact between the wiper and the window.
However she never profited from her invention, because in the early 1900s cars were not very popular and by 1922, when Cadillac became the first car manufacturer to adopt wipers as standard equipment, her patent had already expired.
Stanley finding Livingstone
Stanley finding Livingstone
Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?
November 10, 1871
Henry Stanley finds Scottish explorer David Livingstone in Africa, prompting the famous query, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
U.S. Marine Corps
November 10, 1775
The Continental Marines are formed during the American Revolution. They were the forerunner to the U.S. Marine Corps. They were disbanded in 1783 and then reformed in 1798.
Garden of Eden
November 10, 4004 B.C.
Adam and Eve are ejected from the garden - as calculated in 1658 by Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh, Ireland. He used a combination of Biblical and historical documents to calculate this date.
East Germans building the Berlin Wall in 1961
East Germans building the Berlin Wall in 1961
The Berlin Wall
November 10, 1989
German troops began dismantling the 28-year-old Berlin Wall, one of the most iconic symbols of the cold war.
First Transcontinental Direct-Dial Telephone Service
November 10, 1951
Service begins, requiring only 18 seconds to make the connection.
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
The Carnegie Foundation
November 10, 1911
The Carnegie Foundation is established with a $25,000,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie to carry on his philanthropic work.
Osage Treaty
November 10, 1808
The Osage Indians cede nearly all of what is now Missouri and Arkansas north of the Arkansas River with the signing of the treaty.
Napoleon Becomes First Consul of France
November 10, 1799
The French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte becomes the First Consul of France.
Rutger's University
November 10, 1766
Queen's College at New Brunswick is chartered, later changing its name to Rutger's University.
Birthdays
Inventor of the AK-47
Mikhail Kalashnikov
Born November 10, 1919 d. 2013
Russian firearms designer. Inventor of the AK-47 assault rifle. He named it the AK-47 (Avtomát Kaláshnikova 1947). Kalashnikov based his design on the features of the American M1 and the German StG44. It is estimated that about 1 out of every 5 firearms in the world is an AK-47 or a closely related weapon.
Johnny Marks
Born November 10, 1909 d. 1985
American Hall of Fame songwriter. Specialized in Christmas songs, even though he was Jewish.
Marks was the brother-in-law of Robert L. May, who created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. May convinced Marks to write the song for his poem about Rudolph and the song become a hit for singing cowboy Gene Autry (1949, #1). The song was covered by many other artists and is the second-best selling Christmas song of all time (behind White Christmas). After Rudolph became a hit, the Jewish Marks went on to write a number of famous Christmas-themed songs.
First Movie Pie Thrown in the Face
Mabel Normand
Born November 10, 1892 d. 1930
American actress. She tossed the first pie ever thrown in a movie (1913, the silent film A Noise From the Deep, hitting Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle in the face with a custard pie).
Martin Luther discovering the doctrine of sola fide (justification by faith alone). By Joseph Noel Paton, 1861
Martin Luther discovering the doctrine of sola fide (justification by faith alone). By Joseph Noel Paton, 1861
Martin Luther
Born November 10, 1483 d. 1546
German religious reformer. His stand on the Bible led to the formation of the Lutheran Church. He was excommunicated (1521) from the Roman Catholic Church for challenging the church's doctrines.
MacKenzie Phillips
Born November 10, 1959
American actress. TV: One Day at a Time (Julie).
Sinbad (David Adkins)
Born November 10, 1956
American comic, actor. TV: The Sinbad Show.
Greg Lake
Born November 10, 1947 d. 2016
British bass player, singer, with Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Music: Lucky Man (1970), Tarkus (1971), Brain Salad Surgery (1974), and I Believe In Father Christmas (1975).
Donna Fargo (Yvonne Vaughn)
Born November 10, 1945
American Grammy-winning country singer. Music: The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. (1972, #1, Grammy), Funny Face (1972, #1), Superman (1973, #1), and That Was Yesterday (1977, #1).
Roy Scheider
Born November 10, 1932 d. 2008
American actor. Film: French Connection (1971), Jaws (1975), and All That Jazz (1979).
Richard Burton (Richard Jenkins, Jr.)
Born November 10, 1925 d. 1984
British Tony-winning actor. Film: Cleopatra (1963, Mark Antony), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). TV: Wuthering Heights (Heathcliff).
John Phillips Marquand
Born November 10, 1893 d. 1960
American Pulitzer-winning author. Writings: The Late George Apley (1937, Pulitzer). He also created the Japanese detective Mr. Moto.
Claude Rains
Born November 10, 1889 d. 1967
English actor. Film: The Invisible Man (1933, title role) and Casablanca (1942, the police chief).
Sir Jacob Epstein
Born November 10, 1880 d. 1959
British sculpture. Known for his controversial sculptures, including Venus (1917) and Adam (1939).
Oliver Goldsmith
Born November 10, 1728 d. 1774
Irish poet, author. Writings: The Vicar of Wakefield (1766), The Deserted Village (1770), and She Stoops to Conquer (1773, one of the greatest comedies in English literature).
George II
Born November 10, 1683 d. 1760
King of Great Britain and Ireland (1727-60).
Deaths
1958 Exhibit of Tennis Game.
1958 Exhibit of Tennis Game.
Father of the Video Game
William Higinbotham
Died November 10, 1994 b. 1910
American physicist. "Father of the Video Game." In 1958 he rigged up an oscilloscope for the public to play tennis on at New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Chuck Connors (Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors)
Died November 10, 1992 b. 1921
American 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) actor. Before acting he played for the Boston Celtics (1947-48) and became the first NBA player to shatter a backboard (1946, playing for the Boston Celtics, he shattered a backboard during the pre-game warm-up; it broke due to improper installation). He went on to play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1949) and Chicago Cubs (1951).
His TV show The Rifleman was one of the few American shows allowed on Soviet television at the time, as it was a favorite of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. Connors and Brezhnev would later meet each other at a party given by Richard Nixon in 1973.
TV: The Rifleman (1958-63, Lucas McCain) and Branded (1965-66, Jason McCord). Film: Soylent Green (1973, Tab Fielding).
Jimmie Dodd (James Wesley Dodd)
Died November 10, 1964 b. 1910
American actor. The 45-year-old actor/song writer was the first leader (1955-59) of the Mouseketeers on TV's The Mickey Mouse Club and composer of the opening theme song, The Mickey Mouse Club March. Dodd also did short homilies on the show encouraging young viewers to make the right moral choices; these became known as "Doddisms".
Dodd also played Lullaby Joslin in several Western B-movie episodes of The Three Mesquiteers.
Hans Langseth circa 1912
Hans Langseth circa 1912
World's Longest Beard
Hans Langseth
Died November 10, 1927 b. 1846
Norwegian-American curiosity. Hans Langseth held the record for the world's longest beard. When he died, his beard measured 17.5 ft (5.33 meters). He traveled the U.S. displaying his beard as part of a sideshow exhibition.
At 19 years old, Langseth began growing his beard to compete in a beard-growing competition. After the competition ended, he kept on growing it.
Although human hair can only grow a few feet in length, Langseth matted the dead hair together in a coil, much like today's dreadlocks, to gain its length.
Norman Mailer
Died November 10, 2007 b. 1923
American author, co-winner of a Pulitzer Prize for American History (1969). Writings: The Executioner's Song (1979, Pulitzer winner about Gary Gilmore), and Harlot's Ghost (1991, National Book Award winner).
The First Lady of Baseball
Laraine Day (La Raine Johnson)
Died November 10, 2007 b. 1920
American actress. After her marriage to baseball manager Leo Durocher, she took an interest in the sport and became known as "The First Lady of Baseball." TV: Dr. Kildare (Nurse Lamont).
Jack Palance (Volodymyr Palahniuk)
Died November 10, 2006 b. 1919
American Oscar-Emmy-winning actor. Film: Sudden Fear (1952) and City Slickers (1991, Oscar). TV: Ripley's Believe It or Not! (1982-85, host).
Ken Kesey
Died November 10, 2001 b. 1935
American author. Writings: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962).
Svetlana Beriosova
Died November 10, 1998 b. 1932
Lithuanian-born British prima ballerina, created the leads in Le Baiser de la Fée and Perséphone.
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev
Died November 10, 1982 b. 1906
Soviet statesman. Head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1964-82).
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Died November 10, 1938 b. 1881
Turkish patriot. Father of the Turks, founder and first president of the Turkish Republic (1923-38).
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis by John Trumbull
John Trumbull
Died November 10, 1843 b. 1756
American soldier, painter of the American Revolution. Paintings: Signing of the Declaration of Independence, The Surrender of Cornwallis, The Resignation of Washington.
Paul III (Alessandro Farnese)
Died November 10, 1549 b. 1468
Italian religious leader, 220th Pope (1534-49). Nicolaus Copernicus dedicated to him his book On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. It described a solar system in which the Earth revolved around the Sun.
He officially recognized The Society of Jesus (later called Jesuits) in 1540.
Celestine IV
Died November 10, 1241 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 179th Pope (Oct. - Nov. 1241).
Saint Leo I
Died November 10, 461 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 45th Pope (440-461). In 452 he convinced Attila to leave Italy without attacking Rome.