Who Played Frankenstein in the 1931 film classic "Frankenstein"?
What Happened On
Who Shot J.R.?
November 21, 1980
* SPOILER ALERT * 78 million people watch Dallas to find out Kristin shot J.R., making this the highest-rated TV episode to date.
Kristin was J.R.'s scheming sister-in-law and mistress who shot him in a fit of anger. J.R. did not press charges, as Kristin claimed she was pregnant with his child.
Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama
Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama
Bus Segregation
November 21, 1961
Mississippi's segregation laws for buses and public transportation are ruled unconstitutional by a federal court. This was largely due to the efforts of the Freedom Riders, who challenged bus segregation by riding as racially-mixed groups.
Elvis Presley - "No Singer is Worth that Much"
November 21, 1955
Elvis Presley signs with RCA Victor for $40,000 ($460,000 in 2023 dollars). The high amount paid prompted a Columbia executive to comment "No singer is worth that much."
Frankenstein
November 21, 1931
Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff as the monster, opens in theaters.
What is arguably one of its most famous scenes, the scene of the girl being thrown into the lake, was cut from the film in 1934 due to enforcement of the Production Code. The footage was thought lost, but was rediscovered in the 1980s and it has been reincorporated into modern copies of the film.
"We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation; life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, well,--we warned you." - Producer Carl Laemmie before the opening credits.
Puzzle: Who played Frankenstein? Answer
First Woman U.S. Senator
November 21, 1922
Mrs. Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia is sworn in as Senator for Georgia. She only served for 24 hours.
When Senator Thomas E. Watson died in September, 1922, then Governor Thomas W. Hardwick had to appoint a replacement. Since Hardwick was running for this Senate seat, he wanted someone who would not be a viable opposing candidate in the upcoming election and who could also help pacify the women voters he had alienated with his opposition to women's right to vote. Congress was not expected to reconvene until after the election, so Hardwick didn't think Felton would get sworn in. However, Walter F. George won the election and when Congress reconvened, George allowed Felton to be sworn in before he took office the following day.
Sinking of the HMHS Britannic
November 21, 1916
The sister ship of the RMS Titanic and the RMS Olympic sinks after striking a mine during World War I. 1,035 of the 1,065 people on board were rescued from the water and lifeboats. The Britannic was the largest ship lost during World War I. Her remains were located in 1975 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and is the largest passenger ship on the sea floor.
One of the survivors, Violet Jessop, also survived the sinking of the Titanic and had been aboard the Olympic when it collided with a British warship in 1911.
Westmoreland with President Lyndon B. Johnson
Vietnam War - Westmoreland Claims the Communists are Losing
November 21, 1967
Commander of U.S. troops in Vietnam, General William Westmoreland, tells the media: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing." However, these statements were undermined when the communists launched the massive Tet Offensive two months later. This marked the turning point of public sentiment turning against the war.
Hotel Television
November 21, 1947
New York City's Roosevelt Hilton begins offering in-room television service, becoming the first hotel in the world to have televisions in guest rooms. The system boasted of a single antenna connected to a control room that adjusted the picture quality before sending the transmission to the room. Therefore, the TVs had only two knobs: On-Off/Volume and Channel Selector, as opposed to typical televisions of the day that required multiple knobs just to adjust the picture.
Conrad Hilton began his hotel chain in 1919.
North Carolina
November 21, 1789
North Carolina becomes the 12th U.S. state. Its state motto is the Latin words "Esse Quam Videri", meaning "To be, rather than to seem".
The two dates on its state flag:
• May 20, 1775: The date claimed for the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence by a committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County, who declared independence from Great Britain after hearing of the battle of Concord.
• April 12, 1776: Date the Halifax Resolves resolution was adopted by North Carolina. It was the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American Colonies during the American Revolution.
First Manned Free Balloon Flight
November 21, 1783
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a 25-minute flight over Paris. They covered six miles and reached an altitude of about 300 feet.
Birthdays
Dr. John (Malcolm Rebennack, Jr.)
Born November 21, 1940 d. 2019
American Grammy-winning musician. Music: Walk on Guilded Splinters (1968), Iko Iko (1972), Right Place, Wrong Time (1973), and Makin' Whoopee (1989, Grammy).
Prior to a show, a motel manager was pistol whipping Dr. John's friend and lead vocalist, Ronnie Barron, over a tryst that Barron was having with the manager's wife. When Dr. John stepped in, the motel manager shot him, nearly taking his left-hand ring finger completely off. After surgery, the finger healed at an awkward angle, making it difficult to play guitar, so he concentrated on piano and organ.
As a child, he was pictured on Ivory Soap packages.
Inventor of the Six-Pack
Virgil Browne
Born November 21, 1877 d. 1979
American bottler. In 1923, he developed the six-pack beverage carton, which he developed for Coca Cola. He got the idea after acquiring a Coca-Cola bottler operating in Oklahoma City the previous year.
He was also a pioneer in vending machines and parking meters.
World's Greatest Miser
Hetty Green (Henrietta Howland Green)
Born November 21, 1834 d. 1916
American financial wizard and miser, called the Witch of Wall Street and the World's Greatest Miser. She wore the same black dress for years (eventually it turned green and then brown), used old newspapers for lingerie and lived in an unheated apartment. Her estate was valued at $100,000,000.
François-Marie Voltaire
Born November 21, 1694 d. 1778
French author, philosopher. Quote: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" is attributed to Voltaire.
Quote: "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities."
Reggie Lewis
Born November 21, 1965 d. 1993
American basketball player. The Boston Celtics' top scorer, he died of heart failure during practice. After collapsing during a game three months earlier, he was diagnosed by 12 physicians as having a life threatening heart condition. He followed the advice of another doctor who said that he was OK to play.
Lorna Luft
Born November 21, 1952
American actress. TV: Trapper John, M.D (Libby Kegler). She is the daughter of Judy Garland.
Goldie Hawn
Born November 21, 1945
American Oscar-winning actress. Film: Cactus Flower (1969, Oscar), Shampoo (1975), Private Benjamin (1980), Overboard (1987), and Death Becomes Her (1992). TV: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973).
Marlo Thomas (Margaret Thomas)
Born November 21, 1937
American Emmy-Grammy-winning actress. TV: That Girl (1966-71, Ann Marie). She serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was founded by her father, Danny Thomas (1962).
Stan Musial (Stanisław Franciszek Musiał)
Born November 21, 1920 d. 2013
American Hall of Fame baseball legend, "Stan the Man." He was the first three-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award (1943, 46, 48).
Benedict XV
Born November 21, 1854 d. 1922
Italian religious leader, 258th Pope (1914-22).
Deaths
Birdman of Alcatraz
Robert Stroud
Died November 21, 1963 b. 1890
American convicted killer, known as the Birdman of Alcatraz. He became an expert on bird diseases while spending 44 years in solitary confinement. He discovered a cure for the hemorrhagic septicemia family of diseases in birds.
At age 18, Stroud murdered a man for assaulting a woman Stroud was pimping out for prostitution. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and developed a reputation as one of the most violent prisoners in the prison and was transferred to the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas as a result. There he killed a guard and was sentenced to death by hanging. Stroud's mother appealed to President Woodrow Wilson who halted the execution. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he spent most of the rest of his life in solitary confinement. It was during this time that Stroud found some injured sparrows in the prison yard and raised them to adulthood. He then began raising and selling canaries and bird medicines via mail order to help support his mother. Over the years he raised nearly 300 canaries and wrote two books on the care of birds. After prison officials found out equipment Stroud had ordered for his birds was actually for distilling alcohol, and also due to his violent tendencies, he was transferred in 1942 to Alcatraz where he was no longer allowed to keep birds.
Writings: Diseases of Canaries (1933) and Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds (1943).
He was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1962 movie.
David Cassidy
Died November 21, 2017 b. 1950
American singer, actor. David Cassidy played Keith Partridge in TV's The Partridge Family (1970-74). His character's mother on the show was played by his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones. Along with The Partridge Family, he had a successful solo music career performing for screaming crowds in what became known as "Cassidymania." In an attempt to change his public image in 1972, he appeared nude on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Music: I Think I Love You (1970, #1).
Ann McCaffrey
Died November 21, 2011 b. 1926
American-born Irish Hugo Award-winning Science Fiction Hall of Fame writer. Writings: The Dragonriders of Pern series (1967‑). She was the first woman to win a Hugo award for science fiction and also the first woman to win a Nebula Award. The Pern series was continued after her death by her son Todd, who had previously collaborated with her on the books.
Bill Bixby
Died November 21, 1993 b. 1934
American actor. TV: My Favorite Martian (reporter Tim O'Hara), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (Eddie's father), and The Incredible Hulk (David Banner - You don't want to make him mad).
Carl Hubbell
Died November 21, 1988 b. 1903
American baseball hall-of-famer. Known as "The Meal Ticket," he won 253 games with the N.Y. Giants and was twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player (1933, 1936).
Lee Patrick
Died November 21, 1982 b. 1901
American actress. Film: The Maltese Falcon (1941, Sam Spade's secretary).
Garret Augustus Hobart
Died November 21, 1899 b. 1844
American politician. 24th U.S. Vice-President (1897-99). He died while in office of heart disease at the age of 55. During his time in office, Hobart significantly expanded the powers of the vice presidency, becoming a presidential adviser, and taking a leadership role as president of the Senate.
Father of Mineralogy
Georgius Agricola
Died November 21, 1555 b. 1494
German scholar. The "Father of Mineralogy." His writings served as a guide for metallurgist for over 200 years.