In 1953, Lucy Ricardo gave birth to Little Ricky; Dwight Eisenhower became the 34th President of the United States; Christine Jorgensen had successful sex reassignment surgery; James Watson and Francis Crick announced the discovery of the structure of DNA; The Academy Awards were broadcast on television for the first time; Jonas Salk announced the polio… Continue reading Welcome to the world Little Ricky: A look back at 1953
Nobody likes it when you’re 23; a look back at 2023
In 2023, China launched a series of spy balloons over the United States; Silicon Valley Bank failed; King Charles III was coronated; On the way to visit the wreckage of the Titanic, the submersible Titan imploded; The WGA and SAG-AFTRA launched a strike against Hollywood studios; Kevin McCarthy’s brief reign as Speaker of the House ended in… Continue reading Nobody likes it when you’re 23; a look back at 2023
Class of 2023
The following is my ranked list of the celebrities who passed away in 2023. This is not a statement of their worth, but a valuation of their careers. Everyone’s life is equally valuable, but their careers are not. 69) Angus Cloud He had a key role in Euphoria and seemed like he was… Continue reading Class of 2023
Stuck at Homer(r): Season 16
16.1 Treehouse of Horror XV In “The Ned Zone,” Ned acquires the power to foresee how people will die. When he sees himself murdering Homer, he tries to avoid it, but fate will not let him. In “Four Beheadings and a Funeral,” Bart and Lisa are a detective team in the 19th century who try… Continue reading Stuck at Homer(r): Season 16
Camelot ended: A look back at 1963
In 1963, The United States banned travel to Cuba; Harold Wilson became prime minister of the United Kingdom; Marin Luther King Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail,” and gave his “I Have a Dream,” speech; Buddy Rogers became the first WWWF Champion; Coca Cola introduced its first diet drink, Tab; ZIP codes were… Continue reading Camelot ended: A look back at 1963
Stuck at Home(r): Season 15
15.1 Treehouse of Horror XIV The fourteenth edition of the Simpsons annual tradition is one of the better ones. In the first segment, Homer takes on the role of Grim Reaper, but balks at killing Marge. In the second, Professor Frink wins a Nobel Prize and, while dealing with his long gestating daddy issues, briefly… Continue reading Stuck at Home(r): Season 15
Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
In 1973, Richard Nixon was sworn in for a second term as President of the United States; George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier to become world heavyweight champion; The Vietnam War ended; Major League Baseball debuted the designated hitter; The Sears Tower became the world’s tallest building; Skylab launched; The Bahamas, Guinea-Bissau, and Papua New-Guinea became… Continue reading Three years before America’s bicentennial: A look back at 1973
Everything that follows is older than Harry Styles: A look back at 1993
In 1993, Eritrea became an independent nation, and Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia; Bill Clinton became the 42nd President of the United States of America; Ramzi Yousef, Mahmud Abouhalima, Mohammad Salameh, Nidal A. Ayyad, Abdul Rahman Yasin, and Ahmed Ajaj attempted to blow up the World Trade Center; Janet Reno became the first… Continue reading Everything that follows is older than Harry Styles: A look back at 1993
Stuck at Home(r): Season 14
14.1 Treehouse of Horror XIII Another excellent installment in the venerable Treehouse series. In the first segment, Homer clones himself with predictably disastrous results (a funnier version of Multiplicity). In the second, undead outlaws Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and Kaiser Wilhelm(!) take over Springfield. While the final segment is a delightfully absurd take on… Continue reading Stuck at Home(r): Season 14
Iraq War part 2: A look back at 2003
In 2003, The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry into earth’s atmosphere; The US and allied forces invaded Iraq; The Human Genome Project was completed; The Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, and Slovakia joined the European Union; Tesla was founded; Robert Novak controversially identified Valeria Plane as a covert agent; 4chan… Continue reading Iraq War part 2: A look back at 2003