Hey, remember the twentieth century? Man, that was some century. I decided to do a
"blog"trospective about it. We're going to see what the history of the twentieth century would look like based on the "blog." And we'll do it by regurgitating every time I have mentioned a particular year in the twentieth century. Why am I doing this? I am avoiding
a lot of work I have to do, mainly transcribing the second hour of an interview about cigarette lighters. (Note: I know you won't read this "post"! Why would you? HOW could you? I got so bored by the mid-1930s that I stopped putting it together and started transcribing that interview again.) But enough about me! I give to you the "blog's" twentieth century. 1902:
Hot dogs referred to as coneys. 1903:
Bob Hope born. At the movies:
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY. 1908:
The founding of the Lauer glove company. 1909: A
biography of John Dee published. The
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Boiled owls
referred to as tough. 1911: Notable publications:
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST.
THE FAIRY-FAITH IN CELTIC COUNTRIES. 1913: The word
"pandiculation" is in the dictionary.
A barber threatens his customer. 1915: Notable deaths:
Scriabin and
Gabriel von Max. In the American vernacular:
"skeeky." 1916: At the movies:
THE SMALL MAGNETIC HAND. Magazine of note:
THE ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTER. Other notable publications:
LIMEHOUSE NIGHTS. 1917:
Some mummies purchased. 1918:
Oliver Onions changes his name. 1919:
James Reese Europe cuts some tracks. First public appearance of Barney Google. 1920:
Some kid says "googol." 1922:
The jail on Pitcairn Island closes. A man starts hiccuping. 1923:
Q-Tips invented. 1924: Musical events:
"Sneeze," Gershwin's "operatic parody." 1925: Publications:
FAIRIES AT WORK.
LAW OF SUCCESS. At the movies:
THE MERRY WIDOW.
1926:
A saucy photograph torn apart and taped together. 1927:
THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLY supposedly first appears with the Latin completely translated in an All-English text. 1928: Notable publication:
E.C. Segar's Popeye comics. 1929: Notable publication:
MAGIC AND MYSTERY IN TIBET. 1931:
Gary Cooper poses with a chimpanzee. A woman gets so scared by a movie
she never goes back to the movies. Notable publications:
THE SCANDAL AND CREDULITIES OF JOHN AUBREY. LO!
by Charles Fort. Joan Crawford
drinks champagne by the railroad tracks. A reviewer thinks
Herbert Hoover's baby fat is cute. 1932: At the movies:
BLESSED EVENT. On TV (!): THE TELEVISION GHOST. 1933: At the movies:
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933,
COCKTAIL HOUR. 1934:
Nedra Harrison begins her studies at Emerson College in Boston. 1935:
Death of Fernando Pessoa. 1936:
Nedra Harrison concludes her studies at Emerson College in Boston. Notable publications:
Mickey Mouse comics.
NIGHTWOOD.
MY TEN YEARS IN A QUANDARY AND HOW THEY GREW by Robert Benchley. At the movies: the full-color Popeye short
"Sinbad the Sailor." 1937: Notable publication:
ANIMAL TREASURE by Ivan T. Sanderson. At the movies:
a short starring Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto. 1938:
Walt Disney admits to an interviewer that he once stomped an owl to death. At the movies:
BROADWAY MELODY OF 1938.
ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES.
THE SHINING HOUR. 1939: Notable publication:
FINNEGANS WAKE. Nedra Harrison
portrays Lady Godiva. Beginning of
the consumption of 15 million hot dogs and 15 million hamburgers. 1940: Ending of
the consumption of 15 million hot dogs and 15 million hamburgers. Flann O'Brien
completes the manuscript of THE THIRD POLICEMAN. 1941: Notable publications:
ELECTRIC EEL CALLING.
THEY GOT ME COVERED by Bob Hope. 1942:
Kerouac attends a Frank Sinatra concert. At the movies:
NIGHT MONSTER. 1944:
Last person convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1753. Notable publications:
NAVAHO WITCHCRAFT. A TIME magazine article
about the ventriloquist dummy Effie Klinker. 1945:
filming on THE BIG SLEEP having been completed, Humphrey Bogart receives several massages. Notable publications:
Archie comics. 1946: Notable publications:
Archie comics. POLICE COMICS. A
"Red Badge" mystery. 1947:
Rhubarb popularly declared to be a fruit. In the world of commerce and entertainment:
the Chiquita Banana jingle. 1948: Notable publication:
CULINARY ARTS INSTITUTE ENCYCLOPEDIC COOKBOOK. At the movies:
RAW DEAL. 1949: At the movies:
A Batman serial. Notable publication:
a single-volume abridgment of Aubrey's BRIEF LIVES.
1951: Automobiles in production:
The Bentley. On the radio:
BOLD VENTURE! 1952: On television:
THE HERMAN HICKMAN SHOW. UFOs
spotted over New Mexico. 1953:
a 4/5 quart bottle of Town and Racquet bourbon goes for $3.09 during the Gimbels 3-day liquor sale.
Eleanor Roosevelt moves to 62nd Street. At the movies:
THE CLOWN. Notable publication:
MILTON CROSS'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE GREAT COMPOSERS AND THEIR MUSIC. 1954:
Filming of MOBY-DICK in Youghal, Ireland. 1955:
Aliens speak with a Missouri farmer. Notable publications:
HAVE TUX, WILL TRAVEL by Bob Hope.
THE JOKER IS WILD by Joe E. Lewis.
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CHEESE. 1956: At the movies:
BUNDLE OF JOY.
U.F.O. Useful publication:
The Daily Racing Form. 1957:
Pilot ordered to shoot down a UFO. Automobiles in production:
Ford Fairlane 500. 1958: At the movies:
THE RETURN OF DRACULA.
RALLY 'ROUND THE FLAG, BOYS! Eleanor Roosevelt moves away. 1959:
A snotty article about Kerouac in LIFE magazine, the same Kerouac who
uses the word "google" that year.
Chimp stolen from the St. Louis Zoo. Jim enjoys eating coneys and fried chicken. At the movies:
THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON.
LI'L ABNER.
THE GHOST STORY OF YOTSUYA.
SANTA CLAUS. Notable publications:
THE LORE AND LANGUAGE OF SCHOOLCHILDREN,
EARLY HAVOC. 1960: At the movies:
WAKE ME WHEN IT'S OVER. 1961:
JFK's fallout shelter constructed on Peanut Island. At the movies:
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM. 1962:
Birth of a man who owns monkeys and dogs.
Death of Faulkner.
Destruction of a haunted church. 1963:
Bicycle safety video.
Jerry Lewis talk show. Max Goodman
begins his career at WKRG.
Lee Harvey Oswald gives a lecture on communism in Mobile, Alabama. Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapped. At the movies:
THE HAUNTING. 1964:
Margaret Best tucked into bed by a ghost. Notable Publications:
THE FAR SIDE OF THE DOLLAR.
FACTS ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS FROM WASHINGTON TO JOHNSON. 1965:
Newspapers erroneously report that James Brown wants to turn himself into a woman.
Superman practices super-ventriloquism. Notable publication:
MYSTERY IN SPACE. On television:
JEOPARDY! At the movies:
POP GEAR. 1966:
Death of Ed Wynn. Charles Portis
writes for THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. McNeil's grandfather checks out a book from the library. The
Doom Patrol teams up with The Flash. Notable music: Porter Wagoner's
"The Cold Hard Facts of Life." Notable publication:
DARKER THAN AMBER.
FLY MAN. At the movies:
WAY... WAY OUT.
DJANGO.
WHERE THE SPIES ARE. On television:
OPRY ALMANAC. 1967:
THE THIRD POLICEMAN finally published (see 1940). Other notable publications:
LETTERS TO THE AIR FORCE ON UFOS.
TALES TO ASTONISH. At the movies:
WOMAN TIMES SEVEN.
CASINO ROYALE.
WHO'S MINDING THE MINT? 1968:
Elvis Presley's famous comeback special.
Elizabeth's mother goes to the prom. Art Garfunkel
begins keeping a list of every book he reads. The normally goofy
Metal Men start going dark. Notable publication:
Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics version). 1969:
Bob Hope an occasional Nixon surrogate.
Art Garfunkel reads WUTHERING HEIGHTS. The
moon landing.
cancellation of THE BIG VALLEY. Mickey Mouse
used as a verb. At the movies, all H's:
HAMLET.
THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR.
HOOK, LINE AND SINKER. 1970:
Jack Palance sings.
Tipsy diners in restaurants.
The Hulk battles campus protestors. Coincidentally,
Bob Hope organizes "Honor America Day," which he plugs
when Jerry Lewis hosts THE TONIGHT SHOW.
1971: And yet the youth will have their say with
Hair Bear Bunch lunch boxes.
Butter and sugar sandwiches.
Wadada Leo Smith. At the movies:
COLD TURKEY.
UNIVERSAL SOLDIER. 1972:
A ghost at West Point.
Messiaen hears an owl at Bryce Canyon. On television:
GARGOYLES.
THE NIGHT STALKER. At the movies:
DRACULA A.D. 1972.
THE BISCUIT EATER.
X, Y & ZEE. Notable publication:
2010: LIVING IN THE FUTURE. 1973:
Professor Irwin Corey visits the Acropolis.
Bob Hope visits the University of Mississippi. Roy Blount Jr. visits Pittsburgh. I begin the longstanding, but not eternal, habit of watching the Academy Award ceremony. Snow. At the movies:
CANNIBAL GIRLS.
BREEZY.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS. 1974: Autobiographies of
Colonel Sanders and
Jeb Magruder. Other notable publications include
a facsimile of Edward Kelley's seances with John Dee and
WEBSTER'S NEW TWENTIETH CENTURY DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, UNABRIDGED, SECOND EDITION.
Nixon's sound check.
Bruce Springsteen bootlegs. At the movies:
THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH. 1975:
A TV movie about syphilis.
Superman comic books.
Gary Giddins badmouths Sammy Davis Jr. American Top 40. 1976:
Robert Shaw co-hosts the Oscars. A
teenager goes to somebody's apartment and eats a hot dog. Attacked by wolves, Dr. Doom plunges to certain death. I stop reading comic books. At the movies:
CAR WASH.
HARRY AND WALTER GO TO NEW YORK.
GABLE AND LOMBARD. On television:
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
1977: On television:
The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. At the movies:
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.
ROLLERCOASTER.
HOUSE.
Death of Chaplin. Notable publication:
THE SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION OF NEWSPAPER COMICS. 1978:
An uninvited owl joins in a Shakespearean production. At the movies:
LONG WEEKEND. Notable publications:
THE SATURDAY EVENING POST. 1979:
Adrienne Barbeau weds John Carpenter.
Lincoln Center tribute to Bob Hope.
Bob Hope visits China. At the movies:
PROPHECY. Was considered
"the present" at one time. 1980:
Edith Head designs a jogging suit. Norman Mailer
is married twice in four days. Elvis Costello
makes a TV commercial.
A sitcom based on SEMI-TOUGH. 1981:
Paul Schrader pouts about THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR.
Michael Palin keeps a diary. At the movies:
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of gopher as
"a land dwelling tortoise." 1982:
A conspiracy theorist is arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
Death of Djuna Barnes. Charlie Callas's final TONIGHT SHOW appearance.
McNeil checks out a book from the library. At the movies:
SWAMP THING.
AUTHOR! AUTHOR! 1983:
UFOs in the woods off Whangtown road.
McNeil records at least two Bob Hope double features. Also on television:
COCAINE: ONE MAN'S SEDUCTION. STARFLIGHT: THE PLANE THAT COULDN'T LAND.
Phil Donahue does a show on sadomasochism.
TBS airs BOEING, BOEING.
CRACKING UP appears on Jonathan Rosenbaum's annual list of best films.
Richard Nixon asks Robert Altman for a VHS of NASHVILLE. 1984: At the movies:
DUNE. 1985: At the movies:
RED SONJA and
THE NAKED FACE. In music:
"Sisters are Doing It for Themselves." The future creator of VERONICA MARS has a mullet. Max Goodman
ends his career at WKRG. 1986:
A Cutlass Supreme is named after Julie London. Dr. Harold Wallman's RV catches fire, destroying a human skeleton he owns. 1987:
Death of Ted Owens, author of HOW TO CONTACT SPACE PEOPLE. At the movies:
MALONE. 1988:
I get fired. An
aged Jim Backus still broods over a slight by his parents.
Nedra Harrison retires. In the comic books:
Jack O'Lantern and Owl Woman.
1989:
I am skinny.
An owl gets a hologram face. Zydeco Elvis wins the Battle of the Bands. On television:
"Bob Hope's Christmas in Hawaii." At the movies:
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. 1990:
A man stops hiccuping after 68 years. A priest gets a 10% discount.
A band I am in travels to Jackson, Mississippi. At the movies:
THE ROOKIE. 1992: I visit Milwaukee and
the stage collapses. In the news:
Johnny Carson trivia. 1993:
I accidentally drop my copy of a John Cheever novel into an airport toilet. At the movies:
ANOTHER STAKEOUT,
STRIKING DISTANCE and THE NIGHT WE NEVER MET. In music:
"Blue and Far" (live). Notable publication:
Leonard Maltin's Film and Video Guide. 1994:
The Olsen Twins make a music video about being detectives. A
Foster Brooks robot at the MGM Grand. Ward McCarthy and I attend an Elvis impersonator convention. At the movies:
LITTLE WOMEN,
THE FLINSTONES, and
MIXED NUTS. 1995:
Death of Grady Sutton.
Home movies of the Foster Brooks robot. At the movies:
FUNNY BONES. Notable publication:
THE OXFORD COMPANION TO PHILOSOPHY. 1996:
I buy a used book.
An executive quits his job and blasts "Everybody Hurts" out of giant speakers. 1997:
We sing a sea chantey. Notable publication:
UNDERWORLD by Don DeLillo. 1998:
I do not meet Phyllis Diller. 1999:
Buffy Summers graduates from high school. Some guy sends his Bob Hope action figure on a trip around the world. At the movies:
SHE'S ALL THAT. I read HANNIBAL on an airplane. I terrify Marvin Hamlisch in an elevator.
Last time I talked to the guy who plays Don Pardo in the 2024 movie about Saturday Night Live. I meet either Francis Ford Coppola or a guy with a similar beard.
