You
know, I'm finding that abandoning the theme days in this blog has been one of
the best decisions that I have made in the three and a half years that I have
been writing here. I'm finding that I
am challenging myself more than I used to, I am having more fun bringing more
personality into this space, and I think that I have gotten a well-deserved
second wind!
You
know, I don't know what it is about today, but I am in a wonderful mood! I think that this month has been an awesome
one. It's really given me some clarity
over what I need to do from this moment on, and it has really shaped my
perspective on people.
But
you know, that'll be a tale for another time.
For
now, there is one day that I plan on keeping the same. I think the Tuesday Timeline will be staying
for the foreseeable future because I enjoy writing them the most. It's amazing all of the things that you can
learn. If ever I become a contestant on
Jeopardy, these entries will be a godsend one day!
Like,
for instance, if there was a category on Jeopardy called "Things That
Happened on November 18th", the answers might look something like this...
1307 - The date in which William Tell shot an arrow
through an apple placed on top of his son's head
1493 - The date in which Christopher Columbus discovers
an island nation that would later be named Puerto Rico
1865 - The date that "The Celebrated Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County" written by Mark Twain is published in the New York
Saturday Press.
1883 - The date that railroads in Canada and the United
States adopt the five continental time zones - still in use today
1908 - The date that actress Imogene Coca (d. 2001) was
born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1924 - The date that actor Les Lye (d. 2009) is born in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
1926 - The date that George Bernard Shaw refuses to
accept the money for his Nobel Prize
1940 - The date that Adolf Hitler and Galeazzo Ciano meet
to discuss Benito Mussolini's disasterous invasion of Greece during World War
II
1947 - The date that a devastating fire takes place at
Ballantyne's Department Store in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 41
1961 - The date that President Kennedy sends 18,000
military advisors to South Vietnam
1963 - The date that the world is first introduced to
the push button telephone
1978 - The date of the Jonestown, Guyana massacre in
which Jim Jones leads his followers in a mass murder-suicide - Over 900 people
took their own lives, with almost three hundred of them being children
1986 - The date that model Gia Carangi dies of
AIDS-related complications at just 26 years of age
1987 - The date that thirty-one people are killed in a
fire at London's King's Cross St Pancras underground station
1988 - The date that Ronald Reagan signs a bill that
would allow the death penalty for drug traffickers
1991 - The date that hostages Thomas Sutherland and
Terry Waite are released from the clutches of Shiite Muslim kidnappers in
Lebanon
1993 - The date that the North American Free Trade
Agreement is approved by the U.S. House of Representatives
1994 - The date that jazz leader Cab Calloway passes away
at the age of 86
2012 - The date that the Nintendo Wii U goes on sale in
North America
2013 - The date that NASA launches the MAVEN probe to
Mars
And,
did you know that November 18 just happens to be the day that the following
people were born? Happy birthday to Sheila
Jordan, Margaret
Atwood, Brenda
Vaccaro, Linda
Evans, Susan
Sullivan, Chris
Rainbow, Jameson
Parker, Dennis
Haskins, Eric
Pierpoint, Kevin
Nealon, John
Parr, Shari
Shattuck, Kim
Wilde, George
Kotsiopoulos, Owen
Wilson, Duncan
Sheik, Elizabeth
Anne Allen, Mike
Epps, Megyn
Kelly, Peta
Wilson, Jessi
Alexander, Chloe
Sevigny, Lucy
Akhurst, Anthony
McPartlin, Pastor
Troy, Fabolous, Christina
Vidal, Jake
Abel, and Nathan
Kress.
Boy,
I had no idea that the eighteenth of November was such a busy day! Wowzers.
And
I am not even finished with the celebrity birthdays yet! I have one more to share with you. In fact, this birthday boy is the subject
for today's blog.
And
he was "born" on November 18, 1928.
Okay,
maybe born isn't the right word to use.
Maybe I should be using the phrase "drawn". You see, our subject happens to be a cartoon
character. Perhaps one of the most
famous of the bunch. He is the de facto
mascot of one of the largest animation companies in the world, and November 18
is the date in which his very first cartoon was released.
Interestingly
enough, that cartoon was called "Steamboat Willie". Interesting, because this character is not
named Willie at all. In fact, he kind
of looks more like a Mickey to me.
No,
not that Mickey. I mean THIS one.
Yes,
it was on this date eighty-six years ago that Mickey Mouse made his unofficial
debut with Disney, and therefore it is considered to be the date of Mickey Mouse's
birth. Wow, that's one rodent that
looks awesome for his age!
The
reason why I say "unofficial" is because technically, he and his
girlfriend Minnie Mouse appeared in a test screening of a cartoon called
"Plane Crazy".
"Steamboat Willie" was the first cartoon that a worldwide
audience was exposed to.
But
the cartoon does boast a legitimate first.
It is the very first cartoon to be aired with synchronized sound. And of course, the creator of the cartoon,
Walt Disney, provided all the voices heard within the cartoon.
The
story behind the creation of "Steamboat Willie" began in 1927, when
according to Walt Disney's brother Roy, Walt was inspired to make a cartoon
after watching the 1927 film "The Jazz Singer".
Disney
was also in the process of changing up their lead characters. Die hard Disney fans may recall that Disney
had began his animation career by making a series of cartoons starring the
character known as Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit.
However, when Disney ended up losing the rights to the character to
Charles Mintz, Disney was forced to create a new character.
Disney
had come up with the character of Mickey Mouse, and had inserted him in a
couple of silent animated shorts, but these test screenings were received well
by audiences. Walt Disney was initially
discouraged, but he was not ready to give up.
In his mind, the problem wasn't with the character, but with the
silence. In order to make
"Steamboat Willie" pop, he had to add sound.
Production
began for "Steamboat Willie" in the summer of 1928, and cost a then
whopping $4,986 to produce. And the
first "unofficial" screening took place in July 1928 - in a room that
was next to Walt Disney's office.
Walt's brother Roy set up the projector outside, and the movie was shown
on a bedsheet, provided by Ub Iwerks - the main animator on the "Steamboat
Willie" project.
Now,
because the movie was nowhere near finished, a partial copy was shown
instead. The music was provided by
Wilfred Jackson - courtesy of a mouth organ.
Ub Iwerks banged on pots and pans to simulate percussion
instruments. And Johnny Cannon was the
foley artist for this screening.
(A
foley artist is a fancy way of saying "sound effects guy".)
Needless
to say, the screening was a huge hit, and it gave Walt the confidence to finish
the project. He worked with Pat Powers
to bring the soundtrack to the film using his Cinephone system - which in
itself was an updated version of Lee De Forest's Phonofilm system. As for the music, it was provided by the
Green Brothers Novelty Band, and needless to say, it took a couple of tries to
get the synchronization absolutely perfect.
The desire to get a perfect product was so important to Disney that he
actually sold his car to keep the project going!
But,
as you can see from the end result, it's worth it. And as a special treat, I have the entire cartoon "Steamboat
Willie" posted at the end of this blog for you to watch! As you can see, it turned out awesome!
And
to think that when it officially debuted on November 18, 1928, Disney was only
paid $500 a week for the two weeks that it played in theatres! Oh, who am I kidding? $500 a week in 1928 was fantastic
money!
As
for Mickey Mouse? Well, he grew up to
become the most famous mouse in the world!
His image is found everywhere! On cakes, clothing, balloons, and even little hats with Mickey
ears on them! And he is probably one of
the most recognizable symbols in the entire world. That is definitely something to marvel at.
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