Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Monday, Dec. 16, 2024
1901 Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit was first released. The story is about Peter Rabbit and his triplet siblings.
1951 The TV series Dragnet debuted on NBC. Contrary to popular belief, Sgt. Joe Friday never said, “Just the facts, ma’am” in Dragnet.
1965 The Crew of Gemini 6 report seeing a UFO: “…this is Gemini VI. We have an object, that looks like a satellite going from north to south, up in a polar orbit. … Very low. Looks like he might be going to reenter soon. Stand by one … You might just let me try to pick up that thing … I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit”. The crew of Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford then broke into a chorus of Jingle Bells, accompanied by a harmonica and small bells. These were the first musical instruments played in space and are now on exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution.
Music History:
1965 Released as a double A side The Beatles ‘Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out’, became their ninth UK No.1 and their third Christmas chart topper in a row. The single was a US No.1 in January 1966.
Notable Birthdays:
Actress Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) 43
CBS News Correspondent Lesley Stahl 84
Credit to:
Thisdayinmusic.com and Thisdaytrivia.com
