Special Holidays
National Skyscraper Day
National Skyscraper Day is celebrated for Louis H. Sullivan who was an American architect and is often called the leader of modern skyscrapers and was born on this day in 1856. He was an influential mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright and an inspiration to other architects worldwide.
Sullivan designed many buildings across America such as bank buildings, churches, auditoriums, department store buildings, even tombs. Among these structures includes the only train station designed by him…The New Orleans Union Station, 1892.
The term skyscraper originated in the US in the late 1880’s. In modern times skyscrapers often define a city’s skyline.
Did you know?
*The invention of the elevator in 1852 led to buildings getting taller paving the way for skyscrapers.
*The fastest elevator in the world is in Shanghai Tower and can take passengers to the 119th floor from the basement in 53 seconds.
*The world’s first skyscraper was The Home Insurance Building in Chicago. This ten story “skyscraper” was completed in 1885. Two additional floors were added six years later.
*The World’s tallest skyscraper is Burj Khalifa at 2,717 feet located in Dubai with the highest number of stories at 163.
National Hummingbird Day…Sept.4
This is when we celebrate our tiny feathered friend, the Hummingbird. There are about 325 species and only eight of them regularly breed in the United States.
Hummingbirds are about three inches long and weigh less than the weight of a nickel. The smallest Hummingbird in the world is the Bee Hummingbird and is native to Cuba and is a little more than 2 inches long.
Hummingbirds have small feet and are used mainly for perching, they can’t walk or hop properly so they shuffle slightly. They can fly up to 30 mph going forward, 60 mph while diving and is the only bird that can fly backwards and upside down.
Their wings beat between 50 to 200 times per second, their hearts beat 1,200 times a minute. They may fly hundreds or even thousands of miles to migrate and eat nectar, small insects, spiders and tree sap while consuming up to double their body weight in a day. They live 3 to 12 years depending on their species, habitat and predators.
A safe food for the backyard Hummingbird is pure cane sugar syrup. Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water until the sugar dissolves and away you go! So get yourself a hummingbird feeder, and make sure it has a splash of red as they are attracted to that color. Fill it with home-made nectar and enjoy the show!
Happy New Year to all our Jewish friends…Rosh Hashanah starts sunset on Sept. 6th and runs through Sept. 8.
Classical Music Month
Did you know that September is Classical Music Month? Even if you don’t know Bach from Beethoven there are plenty of ways that you can celebrate. This month we praise the many talented composers, conductors and musicians who bring classical music to our ears.
So let a piece of ‘Classical Music’ play on your stereo or musical device a little (or a lot) each day. Also check out any of the “Music Choice” channels on your tv because they have commercial free music all day every day with a lot of styles of music to choose from. You can learn to identify instruments or a famous composer.
Classical music is good for your health. It can take away any jitters or nervousness and helps to decrease your heart rate and anxiety and depending on the music it can even help you fall asleep.
Elderly people exposed to the arts, particularly music, tend to have a higher quality of life. Music improves memory . Older adults benefit from music that improves their moods, promotes overall mental and physical health. ‘Senior Life’ says that “music holds the power to reduce stress, improve productivity as well as symptoms of depression”.
Music has benefits for dementia patients. It improves understanding, mood behavior and communication as it exercises and engages many parts of a person’s brain.
Did you know?
In 1912 The London Symphony Orchestra was booked to travel on the Titanic’s maiden voyage, but they changed boats at the last minute. They did not travel to the US again until 1964.
Birthdays
Edgar Rice Burroughs..Sept.1, 1875-1950
Last Friday was Tarzan Day and today we celebrate Tarzan’s author’s birthday.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American fiction writer best known for his adventure, science fiction and fantasy genres. He is most known for “Tarzan of the Apes” and “John Carter of Mars”.
Burroughs was born in Chicago. His father was a civil war veteran. Growing up Edgar attended Military academies. Once discharged from the service due to a heart problem he took several different jobs including working as a cowboy at his brother’s ranch and worked at his father’s battery factory. After seven years of low wages as a pencil sharpener wholesaler he began to write fiction (and in time) for pulp magazines and soon took up writing full time.
In addition to his Tarzan and John Carter series he also wrote about the ‘Hollow Earth’ in his “Pellucidar” stories as well as Westerns and historical romances. Regarding the ‘Pellucidar’ “lost world” stories they are reminiscent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne novels like “The Lost World”, “The Mysterious Island” and “Journey to the Center of the Earth”. In addition to the Tarzan and John Carter of Mars adventures there have been several film adaptations of Burrough’s ‘Pellucidar’ stories such as: “At the Earth’s Core” (1976) and “The People That Time Forgot” (1977) to name a few.
In around 1919 Edgar purchased a large ranch north of Los Angeles, which he named Tarzana. The citizens of the community that developed around the ranch over the years voted to adopt that name, when their community Tarzana, California was formed in 1927.
Edgar Rice Burroughs won several awards such as the Science Fiction Hall of Fame Award, First Fandom Hall of Fame Award and Hugo Award.
Keanu Reeves…Sept.2, 1964
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor born in Beirut and raised in Toronto. His mother was a costume designer and and his father was from Hawaii and abandoned his wife and family when Reeves was three years old. Over the years his mother remarried three more times to a Broadway director, a rock music promoter then a hairdresser.
When Reeves was nine he took part in a theater production and years later took a job at Hedgerow Theater in Pennsylvania. He remained close to his (director) step father who offered him advice and recommended him to that job at The Hedgerow Theatre.
He attended four different high schools. Even though Reeves was a successful ice hockey goalkeeper, he dropped out of school at 17 and moved to Los Angeles three years later.
After starting his career in television Reeves was able to get into feature films in the late 80’s. His breakthrough role was in the comedy “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”.
In addition to his career Reeves founded a private cancer foundation which aids children’s hospitals and provides cancer research.
As a motorbike enthusiast he also co-founded Arch Motorcycle Company which builds and sells custom motorcycles.
Keanu Reeves has been in over 80 films.
Short list of Keanu Reeves films
Dangerous Liaisons…1988, director Stephen Frears, starred John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Glenn Close, film received seven AA award nominations and won three.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure..1989, director Stephen Herek, starred Alex Winter and George Carlin
My Own Private Idaho…1991, director Gus Van Santa, starred River Phoenix
Dracula…1992, director Francis Ford Coppola, starred Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, film nominated for four Oscars and won three.
Speed…1994, director Jan de Bont, starred Dennis Hopper, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Daniels, film nominated for three Oscars and won two
The Matrix…1999, directors The Wachowskis, starred Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving and Carrie-Anne Moss, film nominated for four AA awards and won all four. Several sequels and video games followed.
The Day The Earth Stood Still…2008, director Scott Derrickson, starred Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, John Clease. This was a remake of the original film of 1951 directed by Robert Wise.
Edward Dmyrtrk…Sept.4,1908-1999
Edward was an American (Canadian born) film director known for his noir films. Edward was born in British Columbia. His parents were Ukranian immigrants and his father was a severe disciplinarian who bounced among jobs as truck driver, smelter worker and motorman. The family moved to San Francisco then to Los Angeles.
Dmytryk worked as a messenger at Famous Players-Lasky (forerunner of Paramount Pictures) while attending Hollywood High School. James Wong Howe (cinematographer we discussed last Friday worked in the film lab at the same studio.) Edward advanced to projectionist, film editor and by 31 became a director and a citizen of the United States. He made his directorial debut with a western “The Hawk”.
He was blacklisted as one of the infamous ‘Hollywood Ten’ following his refusal to name names to Congress during the Red Scare. Producer Stanley Kramer helped revitalize Edward’s career after he returned to the US from exile in England beginning with “The Caine Mutiny” in 1954. Over the years he managed to direct several hits and became one of the few blacklisted filmmakers to make a bona fide comeback.
Short list of Edward Dmytryk films
Crossfire..1947, starred Robert Ryan, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Gloria Grahame, film nominated for five Oscars including for Best Picture and Best Director.
Murder, My Sweet..1944, starred Dick Powell, Claire Trevor, adapted from novel “Farewell My Lovely” written by Raymond Chandler
The Caine Mutiny..1954, starred Humphrey Bogart, Val Johnson, Fred Mac Murray, Lee Marvin, film nominated for seven AA awards
Raintree County..1957, starred Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, Lee Marvin, Eva Marie Saint, film nominated for four Oscars
Captive Wild Women..1943, starred John Carradine, Evelyn Ankers
The Falcon Strikes Back..1943, starred Tom Conway (brother of George Sanders) and Harriet Nelson (from Ozzie and Harriet)
Classical Composer’s birthday
(as part of Classical Music Month)
John Cage…Sept. 5, 1912-1992
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, and artist. He was a pioneer of electro-acoustic music and of the non-standard use of musical instruments and considered as one of the leading avant-garde composers.
John was born in downtown Los Angeles. His father was an inventor, and his mother worked intermittently as a journalist for the Los Angeles Times. He described his mother as a woman with a sense of society who was never happy and his father like a diesel-fueled submarine that gave off exhaust bubbles.
John received his first piano lessons when he was in the fourth grade. In 1928 he wanted to become a writer. Graduating from Los Angeles High School as a valedictorian he gave a prize-winning speech at the Hollywood Bowl proposing a day of quiet for all Americans.
He dropped out of Pomona College believing that college was of no use to a writer. He hitchhiked to Galveston and sailed to Le Havre, France where he took a train to Paris. He stayed in Europe for some 18 months and studied Gothic and Greek architecture, painting, poetry and music. That was his first introduction to Stravinsky, Hindermith and Bach. He proceeded to travel to Germany, Spain and Italy where he started composing.
After returning to the US he concentrated on music. From 1930 to 1950 he composed over 16 percussion scores and invented compositional procedures and theories.
In 1952 his composition (4’33”) was performed in the absence of deliberate sounds…musicians who presented the work did nothing aside from being present for the duration specified by the title. It went on for 4 minutes and 33 seconds, the arrangement consisted of just the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during the performance, the coughs, the rustling, the noise from outside.
Cage “prepared” his piano with different materials between the strings such as screws, nuts and bolts, rubber, wood, bamboo, plastic, cloth, paper clips, pencil erasers and as well as a variety of household items. This was to produce a wide range of sounds.
He once performed one of his pieces on television’s “I’ve Got a Secret” game show using among other items a grand piano, a duckcall, a toaster, a transistor radio and a bathtub.
Honorable Mentions
Jo Ann Castle…Sept. 3, 1939
Jo Ann is an American honky tonk pianist best remembered for appearing on the Lawrence Welk Show. She was often referred to as ‘Queen of the Honky-Tonk Piano’ by Lawrence Welk himself.
Mitzi Gaynor..Sept.4, 1931
Mitzi is an American actress, singer and dancer. Her most notable films are “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, “Anything Goes” and “South Pacific” which gave her a Golden Globe nomination.
On This Day
George Eastman patents his Kodak camera on Sept. 4, 1888! It was easy enough for the amateur photographer to use and that made it the most important camera in history. Eastman called it the “Kodak” because he liked the ring to it. You put in the film and advance it then after exposing all 50 or 100 frames you would ship the entire camera to Eastman’s factory in Rochester, NY to be developed and printed. This first model camera was about $25.
Sweden begins driving on the right hand side of the road, Sept.3, 1967
This day was called ‘Dagen H’ (switch-over day). It was widely unpopular and had been repeatedly been voted down in previous years. The switch led to many head-on collisions when passing on narrow two lane highways.
The last What’s My Line show aired Sept.3,1967
This game show where the game uses celebrity panelists to question contestants in order to determine their occupation or line of work where the contestant can only answer yes or no to those questions. The panel also had to identify a weekly celebrity mystery guest while blindfolded. It ran on CBS the original network from 1950 to 1967 and is on the list of longest running US prime times network television game shows. Among some of the regular panelists were Steve Allen, Soupy Sales, Dorothy Kilgallen, Tony Randall, Joey Bishop, Ernie Kovacs, and Johnny Carson to name a few.
