November 30th
If you don't read anything else in this post, read the last entry for the birthdays and the message at the end.
Famous Events that occurred on November 30th
1887--The first softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois. The game was first called "indoor baseball". A broomstick was used for a bat and a boxing glove for a ball.
1922--Sarah Bernhardt (perhaps the most talented American actress of all-time) made her last appearance on the stage during the final performance of Daniel in Turin, Italy.
1940--Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were married.
2004--the episode in which Ken Jennings 74-game-winning streak on Jeopardy! first aired.
Famous People Born on November 30th
1554--Sir Philip Sidney, author of Arcadia, statesman, soldier. While dying after battle, Sidney gave his water bottle to another dying soldier and uttered these immortal words, "Thy necessity is yet greater than mine."
1667--Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels.
1835--Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens). He needs to further explanation. However, it should be noted that on the day he was born Halley's Comet could be seen.
1874--Sir Winston Churchill, the greatest British Prime Minister ever.
1924--Allan Sherman, actor and comedian who penned the famous song "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh!"
1929--Dick Clark, America's oldest teenager, game show, music, and television host.
1930--G. Gordon Liddy, politician, radio host.
1936--Abbie Hoffman, activist, hippie leader, author.
1937--Robert Guillaume, actor who is most well known for his work on t.v. shows (Soap, Benson), despite the fact he is a great dancer and theatrical talent.
1937--Ridley Scott, film director. Can you say Alien, Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down? Good, I knew you could.
1947--David Mamet, playwright and director. Despite the dark and depressing settings, set-ups, and situations of many of his plays, he is probably the greatest living American playwrite and most of his works do have substance.
1952--Mandy Patinkin, an unbelievably talented actor who will be forever remembered as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride.
1955--Billy Idol, musician, singer: "Mony, Mony" "Dancing With Myself" "Cradle of Love".
1962--Bo Jackson, former MLBA player and NFL player. The guy did them both simultaneously. How amazing is that?! Do you know Bo?
1965--Ben Stiller, actor who started to breakout with a role in Heavyweights of all films (he later reprised that same role with a different name in Dodgeball).
1976--Tom Varner, actor, author, educator, film director: wrote the Tony Award-winning play, Nice Guys Finish Last? He wrote and directed the Academy Award-winning remake of Lord of the Flies. Got his start working in community theatres in the Midwest and while auditioning for reality game shows (Survivor, The Amazing Race, Jeopardy!)
Famous People Who Died on November 30th
30 B.C. Cleopatra committed suicide.
1900--Oscar Wilde
1979--Zeppo Marx
You Know You Grew Up in the 80's If...
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "psyche".
2. You ever watched the Pound Puppies.
3. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom.
4. M.C. Hammer
5. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock" when it first was broadcast.
6. You had plastic streamers on the handlebars of your bike.
7. You can sing the entire theme song to "Duck Tales".
8. You remember when it was actually worth getting up on a Saturday morning to watch cartoons.
9. You saw the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie in the theatre.
10.You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day during computer class in school.
11.You played the game MASH (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House).
12.You know the profound meaning of "Wax On, Wax Off."
13.You wanted to be a goonie.
14.You ever wore fluorescent clothing.
15.You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off (and before his hair caught on fire during the Pepsi commercial--that's when Michael started to change; I think the fire fried some brain cells in addition to his hair).
16.You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
17.You ever took a Lunch Pail to school.
18.You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
19.You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
20.You thought Sheera and He-Man should hook up. (the coolest thing about He-Man was the He-Man role).
21.After you saw Pee Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying, "I know you are, but what am I?"
22.You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up" and still laugh about the old lady in the commercial.
23.You remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line skates.
24.You had or attended a birthday party at McDonald's.
25.You remember Popples.
26."Don't worry, be happy."
27.You wore socks scrunched down.
28.You remember boom boxes vs. CD players.
29.You remember watching both Gremlins movies in the theatre.
30.You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!"
31.You either watched Rainbow Brite on your own or with your sister (or other female relative).
32.You watched ALF when he first landed on Earth.
33.You knew all the character names and their life stories on Saved By the Bell, the original class.
34.You knew all the words to Bon Jovi's "Shot Thru the Heart."
35.You remember watching Magic vs. Bird.
36.You can still sing "We Are the World."
37.You rolled your jeans.
38."Where's the beef?"
39.You know what Willis was "talkin' 'bout."
40.You know that another name for a keyboard is a "synthesizer."
41.You once were able to sing the McDonald's "Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish, Quarter Pounder, and French Fry" song.
42.You know who Mr. T is.
43.You knew who Fat Albert was and drew Picture Pages with Bill Cosby.
44.You wanted to be The Hulk for Halloween.
45.You believed that "By the power of Greyskull, you HAD the power!"
46.Partying "Like It's 1999" seemed so far away.
47.You knew that Transformers were more than meets the eye.
48.You knew that knowing is half the battle (from G.I. Joe, yo).
49.You wanted to be on Star Search.
50.You remember Garbage Pail Kids.
51.You remember when ATARI was a state of the art video game system.
52.You owned any cassettes (and still do).
53.You were led to believe that by the year 2000 people would be living on the moon (I had a teacher tell us that by 2000, probably 1/4th of the Earth's population would be living on the moon).
54.You remember or owned any Care Bear glasses from Pizza Hut or Muppets glasses from McDonald's.
55.You knew who Ben Stein was before you could win his money.
56.Your Lego collection began with the free sets in a Happy Meal.
57.You remember when Happy Meals came in a box instead of a paper bag.
58.You remember when Saturday Night Live was actually funny.
59.You wore Wonder Woman or Superman underoos.
60.You hated Scrappy Doo.
61.You wish you had a light saber.
62.You have ever said, "Gag me with a spoon."
63.You had to get up to change the channel on anything.
64.You remember the first time you went to a video store.
65.You remember life before mini-vans and SUVs.
When I was a kid, people listened to music on the radio and on records. There were no CDs and cassettes didn't become bigger until later. There was no Internet (public access was circa 1994) and only rich people owned a computer. There were no cell phones. People wanted to get cable so they could watch movies without seeing a commercial. You could go to the movie theatre and watch a show with only seeing the previews and the movie itself. The national speed limit was 55 mph. Gas routinely cost about 70-80 cents a gallon. Things have changed a lot in the past 29 years.
If you couldn't tell, today is my birthday. I'm another year older, though I don't know if I'm any wiser. I've learned a lot in the past year and my life has changed in ways I could never have imagined. Despite some difficulties and a recent struggle with melancholy in my soul, it has been a great year. The past few days I've felt great, and even though I haven't done anything all that exciting, it has been a wonderful day. It's my birthday, damn it! So go have a good time and enjoy yourself. And if you get really bored, give me a call. I'll probably be bored, too.
