Day Tripping: February 19

Recordings, Restriction, and Recourse

Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.

Let There Be Sound

The race to capture recorded sound kicked off in 1878 when Thomas Edison received a patent for his invention of the phonograph. Using a system involving cylinders made from tin foil, Edison’s initial device was designed as an adjunct to improving the telegraph communication system sweeping the globe at the time. As other inventors like Alexander Graham Bell and Emile Berliner developed the technology into disc form, the recording of voice and music became a reality and with it, new industries evolved.

As a form of entertainment for the next century, the phonograph disc has brought musical enjoyment to millions who otherwise would never have access to great artists. As a practical use for capturing words and thoughts, the recording has provided countless means for documentation as a business practice.

Profiling

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the document in 1942 that orders the removal of Japanese Americans to internment camps on the west coast. A little more than two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 caused persons of Japanese descent to be removed from their homes in ‘military zones’ with whatever they could carry and sent to detention centres.

It would take more than thirty years for such an order to deemed prohibitive, and forty-five years before President Ronald Reagan issued an official public apology. A fine writer on Medium and historian, Floyd Mori has written extensively about the plight of Japanese Americans as well as other minorities. His knowledge of these events is well documented here.

Voicing Disdain

Jordan’s King Hussein announces in 1986 he will sever ties and funding to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) stating in a speech, “after two long attempts, I and the government of Jordan hereby announce that we are unable to continue to coordinate politically with the PLO leadership until such time as their word becomes their bond, characterized by commitment, credibility and constancy.”

Though Hussein would continue to fund development in the region, his actions opened opportunities for dialogue with Israel and the Arab world. Unfortunately for all involved, the opportunity went unrealized.

Musical Milestones

1980 — “Death by misadventure” was listed as the official cause of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott’s demise. The truth is, he drank himself to death and when Bon Scott died, the bluesy edge to the band’s music went with him.

1995 — Pamela Anderson and drummer Tommy Lee perform their famous nuptials with the Baywatch star wearing a white bikini. The match made somewhere below heaven gave us the now infamous ‘sex tape’. Oh, joy.

Narratives

Children's television’s most beloved figure, Mr. Rogers’ made his network debut in 1968 on public broadcasting channel, NET.

Mickey Mouse is welcomed in China in 1985. How’s that for progress?

Remembrance

Author of perhaps the most important novels of the twentieth century, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee passed away in 2016, two months shy of her 90th birthday.

Notable Births

1924 — Film noir and Western movie star Lee Marvin. The range of his skills as an actor is defined by his roles as Liberty Valance and Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou.

2004 — Actress from Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown turns seventeen and she’s already an ‘A’ list star and producer. What’s she going to do for an encore?

Thanks for taking the time to read this article dedicated to the days of our history. I hope to see you tomorrow for another instalment.

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Joseph M. Learned 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