Birthdays: Thomas Gainsborough, George Lucas, Thomas Wedgewood, Francesca Annis, David Byrne, Jack Bruce, Bobby Darin, Tim Roth, Robert Zemeckis, Kate Blanchett

1667- At this time the sailors of the English Navy were only paid once a month. During the Dutch Wars an incident happened when the loyal sailors were told after several months of hard fighting that their fun loving King Charles II didn't have enough money left in his treasury to pay them. The tars were so angry scores of them deserted to the enemy. They guided Dutch Admiral De Ruyter's fleet right up the Thames where they could burn and plunder the docks of Greenwich within sight of King Charles' palace.
When working with pros, don't mess with their paychecks!

1842 - 1st edition of London Illustrated News

1878- Vaseline petroleum jelly patended.

1942- Disney composer Frank Churchill, who had written "Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" and "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho" shot himself at the piano. Another version of the story had him shooting himself in an onion field in Valencia that would one day be the site of Cal Arts.

1944- In the comic strip Dick Tracy, the longtime Tracy nemesis the gangster Flattop was killed.



1951 - Ernie Kovacs Show, TV Variety debut on NBC. Kovacs was a great pioneer in the video medium who loved creating surreal images and pantomime blackout skits.

the Nairobi Trio, one of my first childhood memories

1976- Keith Reilf of the rock group the Yardbirds, was electrocuted while playing his electric guitar in his bathtub. Don't do drugs.

1968 - Beatles announce formation of Apple Records.

1998 - Last episode of sitcom Seinfeld on NBC (commercial fees were $2M for 30 seconds) Elderly singer Frank Sinatra died shortly after watching it.