Today in History
United Artists Film Studio Is Founded (1919)
[4 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 In 1919, four of the leading figures in Hollywood?Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks?decided to form their own film studio to better control their own work. Though initially successful, United Artists foundered as films became more expensive to produce. It was taken over in the 1950s and began to thrive again until the 80s, when it was bought by the studio MGM. What famous actor announced plans to resurrect United Artists in 2006 as part owner of the company? Discuss
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The "Flying Tailor" Dies after Failed Parachute Jump from Eiffel Tower (1912)
[3 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 Parachutes at the dawn of the aviation age were bulky and, inconveniently, had to be pre-opened. Among those trying to improve upon their design was French tailor Franz Reichelt. He had some success testing his designs on dummies, but he had no evidence that his parachute would work with a real person when he jumped from the Eiffel Tower before a crowd of spectators and reporters. The chute failed to open, and he plummeted to his death. How had he convinced the authorities to allow the jump?
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Cavalese Cable Car Disaster (1998)
[2 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 Relations between Italy and the US were strained in 1998 when a US military plane, flying too low and too fast through a valley near the Italian town of Cavalese, clipped an aerial tramway cable. The cable car fell, killing all 20 people on board. The pilot and navigator were acquitted of homicide in a US military court, sparking outrage in Italy, but were later convicted of obstruction of justice for destroying a video of the incident. How did the US attempt to repair relations with Italy?
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Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (1934)
[4 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 Aaron was the first US baseball player to hit more career home runs than Babe Ruth. After playing briefly in the Negro leagues and then in the minor leagues, Aaron moved up to the majors as an outfielder with the Milwaukee?later Atlanta?Braves in 1954 and was National League MVP in 1957. Upon breaking Ruth's record in 1974, he was besieged by the media and badgered by racist letter-writers, and retired just two years later. Aaron's home run record remained unbroken until when? Discuss
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Charles Lindbergh (1902)
[3 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 In 1927, Lindbergh, an American aviator, made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic in 33.5 hours, landing in Paris to a hero's welcome. He returned to the US a celebrity but moved to England in 1932 to escape the media frenzy surrounding the kidnapping and murder of his son. Returning to the US in 1940, he faced criticism for opposing US entry into WWII. Still, he flew combat missions for the US during the war. He helped invent what device that made open-heart surgery possible?
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Norman Rockwell (1894)
[2 Feb 2012 at 11:00pm]
 Rockwell was an American illustrator whose idealized scenes of family life in small-town America gained enormous popularity with the public. His illustrations appeared in major periodicals such as Collier's and Life. From 1916 to 1963, he produced 317 covers for The Saturday Evening Post, and during WWII his patriotic posters were distributed by the government. What unusually serious subject did the sentimental illustrator cover for Look magazine later in his career?
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