Day Tripping: May 10

Street Fights, Gold Spikes, and Video Tape

Theatre Is Hell

The Astor Opera House in New York City was the scene of a riot that took place in 1849. Between 22 and 31 people were killed and another 120 injured as the militia was called in to quell the uprising which pitted immigrants against nationalists, and at times, those factions against British sympathizing aristocrats.

The cause for this particular riot came down to a feud between two great actors of Shakespeare, each claiming to be superior to the other. William Charles Macready had established himself as the greatest American actor, and visiting impresario Edwin Forrest was largely recognized as the greatest Shakespearean in all of Britain. The cultural clash between opposing factions came as a result of separate evening performances by both men.

The Final Dagger

Union Pacific Railroad came to meet the Central Pacific Railroad at Promontory Summit, Utah where a 17.6 karat gold spike was the last to be driven into the track that completed America’s First Transcontinental Railway. The ceremony that took place on this day in 1869 was actually delayed by two days from when the Golden Spike was driven home because the weather would not allow for a decent celebration.

Work still needed to be done to bring the railroad all the way to the Pacific coast which was completed in September of the same year. Technically, the rail line was not seamless as passengers crossing the Missouri River would be moved into boats until the bridge was finished in 1872.

Be Kind and Rewind

The way we watch, what we watch, and how we watch video changed dramatically in 1975 when Sony introduced the Betamax videocassette recorder. In many ways, the Betamax system was superior to the JVC rival VHS tape recorder, including the production of broadcast-quality components.

The fatal flaw came when Sony insisted on selling Betamax as a proprietary system. Other manufacturers balked at the idea and within a few years, VHS was being manufactured by 40 companies, giving the system a larger worldwide presence. That philosophy has worked successfully for Apple…for now.

Musical Milestones

Paul Simon premiered his Graceland album by performing three songs on Saturday Night Live in 1986. Joining him on stage was the South African vocal group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Unfortunately, his performance garnered criticism because South Africa was under a cultural boycott against Apartheid.

Narratives

After decades of apartheid and more than 27 years in a South African prison, Nelson Mandela is sworn in as the country’s first black President in 1994.

Remembrance

Racecar driver and creator of some of America’s most iconic vehicles, Carroll Shelby passed away in 2012.

Notable Births

1894 — Dimitri Tiomkin composed music for great films like High Noon and My Darling Clementine

1899 — Star of Singin’ In The Rain and That’s Entertainment, dancer and actor Fred Astaire

1902 —Producer of iconic films like Gone With the Wind and studio executive, David O. Selznick

1946 — Creator of Sunshine Superman, Mellow Yellow, and Atlantis, Donovan

1960 — Born Paul David Hewson and otherwise known as U2 frontman, Bono

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 David Perlmutter Joe Luca

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