Day Tripping: April 22

Demonstration, Presentation, and Exhibition

Globally Speaking

Having witnessed a massive oil spill off the coast of California, a junior senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson decided it was time to do something meaningful about the growing trend of polluting the Earth. Inspired by the anti-war movements of the sixties, Nelson founded the first Earth Day in 1970.

With the help of many other politicians, academics, and student leaders, Earth Day attracted about 20 million Americans to the cause by staging marches to parks around the country and picking up garbage.

Today, membership in EarthDay.org has grown to over 1 Billion people worldwide.

Newsworthy Update

Network television news changes forever and for the better in 1976 when Barbara Walters becomes the first female US network news anchor at ABC News Studios. By breaking the glass ceiling on television news in the United States, Walters signed a breathtaking contract for $1 million per season for 5 years, which was a mighty sum in 1976.

The partnership as co-anchor with Harry Reasoner on one of US television’s three networks would only last two years. It would be another fifteen years before Connie Chung joined Dan Rather on CBS broadcasts.

Singing For His Freedom

As part of his sentence for conviction of heroin possession and smuggling in Toronto, Keith Richards gives a benefit concert to raise funds for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. The two show concert took place in the nearby city of Oshawa at the Civic Arena in 1979, and thousands of free seats were reserved for blind Stones fans.

The shows were performed with his buddy, Ron Wood and they billed themselves as The New Barbarians. They finished their first set and Richards sat down with an acoustic guitar under a single spotlight. Mick Jagger appeared from behind, and the remainder of the show turned into a Rolling Stones concert.

All the Stones showed up for the gig at their own expense and without fanfare. Those lucky enough to attend got a real treat with The Rolling Stones in the raw.

Musical Milestones

In 1978, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd debut the Blues Brothers on Saturday Night Live. The skit is such a big hit, it eventually becomes the first movie ever made from SNL characters.

And we know why:

Narratives

Pyotr Tchaikovsky completed his ballet Swan Lake on this day in 1876. It began as an abject failure. Pretty popular now though.

Remembrance

Humour columnist and author of 15 books, Erma Bombeck died in 1996.

Linda Lovelace was the star of many of the largest porno films. She died in 2002.

He became famous as the first performer on stage at Woodstock. Richie Havens passed away in 2013. This is still a stirring performance and it set the tone for the whole weekend.

Notable Births

1936 — The Wichita Lineman, Glen Campbell

1937 — What hasn’t been said about Jack Nicholson?

1950 — Solo artist and former member of Humble Pie, Peter Frampton

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora

The Story Of Day Tripping Through History What’s Past Is Often Present

A comprehensive directory for Day Tripping