Day Tripping: April 30

Big day for firsts

Tuning In

The New York World’s Fair opened in 1939 on the grounds of Flushing Meadow Park. The exposition was officially opened in a ceremony where President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a speech which was also the first public demonstration of a television broadcast.

The NBC and RCA company’s new technology wasn’t the only marvel on display. The fair also featured FM radio, a look into robotics, and a crude version of the fax machine.

Logging On

Originally invented by CERN scientist Tim Berners-Lee as a source for scientific data sharing around the world, the World Wide Web was launched as a public domain in 1993. Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer worked as the first as the internet’s first server, and with it, he wrote the system’s very first web page WorldWideWeb in 1991.

When the scientist opened the system to free access, it didn’t take long for other browsers like Mosaic to appear and today, Tim’s invention is considered a pivotal moment in human history for obvious reasons. The World Wide Web now connects an estimated 4.4 billion people.

Coming Out

In 1997, approximately 42 million viewers tuned in to watch the episode of the sitcom Ellen, where its star Ellen DeGeneres comes out as gay. The show had been well hyped with Ellen making jokes about the upcoming episode, saying in one interview that her character was ‘Lebanese’. DeGeneres also appeared on the cover of Time Magazine with the caption, Yep, I’m Gay.

Almost a week before the sitcom aired, Ellen was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on 20/20 confirming the rumours that were sweeping through Hollywood and beyond. Strange to think of this pronouncement as a ‘big deal’ today, but the Ellen show’s ratings slid badly in the aftermath and the show was cancelled at the end of the season.

Musical Milestones

Drummer Keith Moon’s on tour behaviour was legendary. Proof of it occurred in 1976 in New York when The Who’s wildman paid nine city cab drivers $100 apiece to block both intersections surrounding his hotel so he could throw furniture out his window at the Hotel Navarro.

The story has never been corroborated but given it was Keith Moon, it’s more than likely to be true.

Narratives

A literary periodical called All Year Round is the first to publish as a weekly instalment, Charles Dickens's A Tale Of Two Cities in 1859.

Remembrance

A giant of the blues resurgence Muddy Waters died in 1983.

Better known as the architect of the Spaghetti Western, Sergio Leone was one of the world’s great filmmakers. He died in 1989.

Notable Births

1926 —The woman who brought us, Frau Blucher! (commence whinnying here) Cloris Leachman

1975 — As a foil to roommate Sheldon, Johnny Galecki played Leonard for the hit show Big Bang Theory

1985 — Wonderwoman herself, Gal Gadot.

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 Thewriteyard

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