Paul Layendecker’s “WAY BACK WHEN” for Friday, Dec. 20, 2024
1891 YMCA instructor Dr. James Naismith organized the first basketball game between his students in Springfield, Massachusetts. The original game used a soccer ball and a peach basket with the bottom still intact. Players had to use a ladder to retrieve the ball from the basket. Eventually, they poked a hole in the basket so they could use a stick to retrieve the ball.
1937 Walt Disney’s ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ premiered. It was his first feature-length animation and the world’s first animated feature made in full color and sound. At a cost of $1.5 million, many in the film industry predicted it would flop and bankrupt the company. But instead, the film grossed $6.5 million, making it the most successful motion picture of 1938 and the most successful sound film made to that date.
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Music History:
1968 Glen Campbell was on top of the U.S. album chart with “Wichita Lineman”. Although the LP was on the charts for 44 weeks, it was his only number one album. The title song made it to #3 on the charts.
Notable Birthdays:
Actor Kiefer Sutherland 58
Actor Ray Romano 67
Actress Jane Fonda 87
