Monday 30 July 2012

1968, Fashion: Pierre Cardin Space Age look

As space became popular in 1960's television programs like 'Star Trek', 'Barbarella' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' Pierre Cardin explored the idea of dressing for the future. Cardin's embrace of science and technology, together with the notion of progress was expressed in his Space Age Collection, which featured white knitted skin tight catsuits, ta-bards worn over leggings, tubular dresses, and his growing interest in man made fibres. Some of his fashions were made entirely of metal and plastic. His female models were dressed in shiny vinyl, skin-tight catsuits, high-legged leather boots and even space helmets. Collars, when used, were typically over sized and cut-outs were very revealing. He created his own fabric, Cardine, in 1968, a bonded, uncrackable fibre incorporating raised geometric patterns.

Pierre Cardin, born Pietro Cardin, is an Italian-born French fashion designer who was born on 7 July 1922, at San Biagio di Callalta near Treviso.

Pierre Cardin design 1967
Pierre Cardin design 1968
Pierre Cardin design 1968
Pierre Cardin design 1968
Pierre Cardin design 1968

Saturday 28 July 2012

1967, Science & Technology: Pulsar

The first known pulsar was discovered in August 1967 by student Jocelyn Bell (Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, 15 July 1943) and her mentor Professor Antony Hewish (Fowey, Cornwall, England, UK, 11 May 1924). It had a pulse time of 1.3 seconds. They named the object responsible for this LGM, which stood for little green men, because it looked like a radio beacon that extraterrestrial intelligent life emitted. After some speculation a consensus was reached that the only object that could be responsible for these signals was a neutron star.

A pulsar (pulsating star) is a highly magnetized, rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. This radiation can only be observed when the beam of emission is pointing towards the Earth, much the way a lighthouse can only be seen when the light is pointed in the direction of an observer, and is responsible for the pulsed appearance of emission. Neutron stars are very dense, and have short, regular rotational periods. This produces a very precise interval between pulses that range from roughly milliseconds to seconds for an individual pulsar.
Jocelyn Bell
Antony Hewish

Video: Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Beautiful Minds, 2010)

Wednesday 25 July 2012

1966, Television: Daktari

Daktari (Swahili for "doctor"), an American television series, premièred on January 11, 1966 on CBS. The series, an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television, stars Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a veterinarian at the fictional Wameru Study Centre for Animal Behaviour in East Africa. Daktari was based upon the 1965 film Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion. From 1966 to 1969 a total of 89 episodes were produced during a four season span.

Synopsis
The show follows the work of Dr. Tracy, his daughter Paula (Cheryl Miller), and his staff, who frequently protected animals from poachers and local officials. Tracy's pets, a cross-eyed lion named Clarence and a chimpanzee named Judy, were also very popular characters. In the show's final season, child star Erin Moran joined the cast as Jenny Jones, a seven-year-old orphan who becomes part of the Tracy household.
Clarence & Cheryl Miller
Marshall Thompson & Judy

Main Cast
  • Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy
  • Cheryl Miller as Paula Tracy
  • Hedley Mattingly as District Officer Hedley
  • Yale Summers as Jack Dane (1966–1968)
  • Erin Moran as Jenny Jones (1968–1969)
  • Hari Rhodes as Mike Makula

Opening Titles

Sunday 22 July 2012

1965, Cars: Car of the Year: Austin 1800 (BMC ADO17)

The Austin 1800 won the Car of the year award in 1965 with 78 points. Second was the Autobianchi Primula with 51 points and third the Ford Mustang with 18 points.

BMC ADO17 was the model code used by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) for a range of cars produced from September 1964 to 1975 and sold initially under its Austin marque as the Austin 1800. The car was also sold as the Morris 1800 and Wolseley 18/85, and later as the Austin 2200, Morris 2200 and Wolseley Six. Both Alec Issigonis and Pininfarina worked on its exterior design.
Austin 1800 Mk I
Austin 1800 Mk I
Austin 1800 Mk II
Austin 1800 Mk II
Front wheel drive and transverse engine was a BMH trademark in the ‘60s, following the celebrated Mini tradition. Independent suspension all round, with Hydrolastic compounds. 4-speed manual gearbox or auto 3-speed transmission. OHV 1.8 4-cylinder engine: 87 hp.
Morris 1800 Mk III
Some 386,811 units were build during three generations from 1964 to 1975.
Second Place: Autobianchi Primula
Third Place: Ford Mustang

Tuesday 17 July 2012

1964, Film: Mary Poppins

On August 27, 1964 the musical film Mary Poppins premièred. The film based on the Mary Poppins books and produced by Walt Disney, was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by the Sherman Brothers. It was shot at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The film is also known for its combination of animation and live action. Famous from the film is particularly imaginative word supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and the eponymous song.

Synopsis
Two banker's children lose their nanny due to her frustration with them. A change in the wind blows in an assertive nanny who matches the qualifications of the children and not the father. As she helps them magically explore the world around them the father grows increasingly disapproving of her methods, and must eventually deal with his own distance from his children.
Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice & Matthew Garber

Main Cast
  • Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins
  • Dick Van Dyke as Bert / Mr. Dawes Senior
  • David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks
  • Glynis Johns as Mrs. Banks
  • Hermione Baddeley as Ellen
  • Reta Shaw as Mrs. Clara Brill
  • Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks
  • Matthew Garber as Michael Banks
  • Elsa Lanchester as Katie Nanna
  • Arthur Treacher as The Constable
  • Reginald Owen as Admiral Boom
  • Ed Wynn as Uncle Albert
  • Jane Darwell as The Bird Woman
Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke

Awards
  • Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role: Julie Andrews (1965)
  • Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects: Peter Ellenshaw, Hamilton Luske and Eustace Lycett (1965)
  • Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Film Editing: Cotton Warburton (1965)
  • Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Music, Original Song: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman For the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee" (1965)
  • Academy Awards, Oscar for Best Music, Substantially Original Score: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1965)
  • American Cinema Editors, Eddie for Best Edited Feature Film: Cotton Warburton (1965)
  • BAFTA Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles: Julie Andrews (1965)
  • Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film: Robert Stevenson (1966)
  • Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actress – Musical/Comedy: Julie Andrews (1965)
  • Grammy for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1965)
  • Laurel Awards, Golden Laurel for Best Song Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman For the song "Chim Chim Cher-ee". (1965)
  • Laurel Awards, Golden Laurel for General Entertainment (1965)
  • Laurel Awards, Golden Laurel for Musical Performance, Female: Julie Andrews (1965)
  • Laurel Awards, Golden Laurel for Supporting Performance, Female: Glynis Johns (1965)
  • Writers Guild of America, WGA Award for Best Written American Musical: Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi

Trailer

Sunday 15 July 2012

1963, Music: Eurovision Song Contest

The 8th Eurovision Song Contest was held on 23 March 1963 at the BBC Television Centre London, United Kingdom.

France had won the contest in 1962 but were incapable of hosting in 1963, due to financial shortcomings, the BBC stepped in to save the event. Katie Boyle presented the festival and of the 16 participants Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann won for Denmark with "Dansevise". It was Denmark's first win. Finland, Norway and Sweden all failed to score any points for the first time. The Netherlands received no points for the second time, and became the first country to go two years in a row without scoring a single point.
Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann
(top l-r) Heidi Bruhl (Germany), unknown, Monica Zetterlund (Sweden), Annie Palmen (Netherlands),
Anita Thalloug (Norway), Alain Barriere (France), Laila Halme (Finland), Carmela Corren (Austria),
Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann (Denmark), Ester Ofarini (Switzerland), Nana Mouskouri (Luxembourg)
and Jacques Raymond (Belgium) (front sitting) Jose Guardiola (Spain) and Emilio Pericoli (Italy)

Draw
Country
Artist
Song
Place
Points
01
United Kingdom
Ronnie Carroll
"Say Wonderful Things"
4
28
02
Netherlands
Annie Palmen
"Een speeldoos"
13
0
03
Germany
Heidi Brühl
"Marcel"
9
5
04
Austria
Carmela Corren
"Vielleicht geschieht ein Wunder"
7
16
05
Norway
Anita Thallaug
"Solhverv"
13
0
06
Italy
Emilio Pericoli
"Uno per tutte"
3
37
07
Finland
Laila Halme
"Muistojeni laulu"
13
0
08
Denmark
Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann
"Dansevise"
1
42
09
Yugoslavia
Vice Vukov
"Brodovi"
11
3
10
Switzerland
Esther Ofarim
"T'en va pas"
2
40
11
France
Alain Barrière
"Elle était si jolie"
5
25
12
Spain
José Guardiola
"Algo prodigioso"
12
2
13
Sweden
Monica Zetterlund
"En gång i Stockholm"
13
0
14
Belgium
Jacques Raymond
"Waarom?"
10
4
15
Monaco
Françoise Hardy
"L'amour s'en va"
5
25
16
Luxembourg
Nana Mouskouri
"À force de prier"
8
13


Video

Thursday 12 July 2012

1962, News: Amnesty International

"Amnesty International" was founded in London in July 1961 by English labour lawyer Peter Benenson. On 30 September 1962, it was officially named “Amnesty International”. The idea came after reading an article about two Portuguese students from Coimbra who had been sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in Portugal for allegedly "having drunk a toast to liberty" (1960). In his newspaper article "The Forgotten Prisoners" (The Observer 28 May 1961), Benenson later described his reaction as follows: "Open your newspaper any day of the week and you will find a story from somewhere of someone being imprisoned, tortured or executed because his opinions or religion are unacceptable to his government [...] The newspaper reader feels a sickening sense of impotence. Yet if these feelings of disgust could be united into common action, something effective could be done."
Peter Benenson, 20 years Amnesty International in 1981

Now "Amnesty International" is one of the largest non-governmental organisations focused on human rights with over 3 million members and supporters around the world. The objective of the organisation is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."


Wednesday 11 July 2012

1961, Television: Dr. Kildare

Dr. Kildare, an NBC medical drama television series, premièred on September 27, 1961. It was broadcast until April 5, 1966, with a total of 190 episodes in five seasons. The show was an instant success and helped spark a number of new medical shows.

Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character created by the author Frederick Schiller Faust, under the pen name Max Brand.

Synopsis
The series told the story of a young intern, Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain), working in a fictional large metropolitan hospital (Blair General) while trying to learn his profession, dealing with the problems of the patients, and winning the respect of the senior doctor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey).
Raymond Massey & Richard Chamberlain

Awards
  • Golden Globe for Best TV Star – Male: Richard Chamberlain (1963)
  • Eddie (American Cinema Editors, USA) for Best Edited Television Program: Harry V. Knapp (1964)
Lois Nettleton, Richard Chamberlain & Raymond Massey

Friday 6 July 2012

1960, Cars: Chevrolet Corvair

The Chevrolet Corvair was introduced October 2, 1959 for the 1960 model year, initially as a four-door sedan offered in two trim levels. The car was produced by the American Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1960–1969 model years. It was the only American-made, mass-produced passenger car to feature a rear-mounted air-cooled engine.

It was General Motors' response to the growing popularity of small, lightweight imported cars such as the Volkswagen Beetle, as well as to compete with domestic-built compact cars like the Rambler American and the Studebaker Lark. The Corvair's design began in 1956 with the first vehicles rolling off the assembly line in late 1959 for the 1960 model year.
Chevrolet Corvair 700 Series 1 Coupé
Chevrolet Corvair 900 Series 1 Monza Club Coupé
Chevrolet Corvair 95 Series 1 Pickup
Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier Series 1 Van
From 1960 to 1969 a total of 1,835,170 units were produced over two generations. During the first generation (1960-1964) following body styles were available: 2-door convertible, 2-door coupé, 4-door sedan, 4-door station wagon, 6-door van, 8-door van and 2-door pickup truck. Second generation (1965-1969) body styles were: 2-door convertible, 2-door hardtop, 4-door hardtop (1965–1967) and 6-door van (1965).
Chevrolet Corvair 500 Series 2 Sedan and Coupé
Chevrolet Corvair 900 Series 2 Monza Convertible


Chevrolet Corvair 95 Ad (1961)

Chevrolet Corvair Ad (1960)

Chevrolet Corvair Ad (1961)

Chevrolet Corvair Ad (1965)

Chevrolet Corvair Ad with Jimmy Dean (1960)

Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood Monza Ad (1961)

Chevrolet Corvair Monza Ad (1963)

Chevrolet Corvair Monza Spyder Ad with Michaël Landon (1963)

Chevrolet Corvair In Action Promotional Film (1960)

Wednesday 4 July 2012

1977, Film: Saturday Night Fever

"Saturday Night Fever", an American dance film directed by John Badham was released in 1977. The film starring John Travolta as Tony Manero, tells the story of an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque.

A huge commercial success, the film significantly helped to popularize disco music around the world and made Travolta famous. The "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, featuring disco songs by the Bee Gees, is one of the best selling soundtracks of all time. The story is based upon a 1976 New York magazine article by British writer Nik Cohn, "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night".
John Travolta as Tony Manero

Synopsis
Tony Manero (John Travolta) is an Italian American from the Bay Ridge, Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City. Tony lives at home with his parents and has a dull job at a small hardware store, selling paint. But on Saturday nights Tony rules the dance floor with his appearances at 2001 Odyssey, a local discothèque...
John Travolta as Tony Manero and
Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie Mangano

Main Cast
  • John Travolta as Tony Manero
  • Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie Mangano
  • Barry Miller as Bobby C.
  • Joseph Cali as Joey
  • Paul Pape as Double J.
  • Donna Pescow as Annette
  • Bruce Ornstein as Gus
  • Val Bisoglio as Frank Manero
  • Julie Bovasso as Flo Manero
  • Martin Shakar as Father Frank Manero
  • Nina Hansen as Tony's grandmother
  • Lisa Peluso as Linda Manero
  • Sam Coppola as Dan Fusco


Sunday 1 July 2012

1976, Science & Technology: Space Shuttle unveiled

On September 17, 1976, NASA publicly unveils its first space shuttle, the Enterprise, during a ceremony in Palmdale, California. In 1977, the Enterprise became the first space shuttle to fly freely when it was lifted to a height of 25,000 feet by a Boeing 747 and then released, gliding back to Edwards Air Force Base on its own accord.

Construction began on June 4, 1974. Designated OV-101 (NASA Orbiter Vehicle 101), it was originally planned to be named Constitution and unveiled on Constitution Day, September 17, 1976. A letter-writing campaign by Star Trek fans (Trekkies) to President Gerald Ford asked that the orbiter be named after the Starship Enterprise. Most of the cast of the original series along with Gene Rodenberry were guests at Rockwell's, Palmdale California plant for the opening.
Left to right: NASA Administrator Dr. James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley (Dr. "Bones" McCoy); George Takei (Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); Gene Rodenberry (series creator); a NASA official and Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov)

 Left to right: Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); George Takai (Mr. Sulu); DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy)
and James Doohan (Mr. Scott)


Documentary narrated by William Shatner