ON THIS DAY~APR 16

  APRIL 16~ LITTLE TRAMP DAY

 

In his autobiography, he wrote, “There are more valid facts and details in works of art than there are in history books.”

Charlie Chaplin’s life was a work of art and it began on this day in 1889 in London, England. He started on his acting career as a young child, performing on stage, then touring with Fred Karno’s company as a teenager. When he was twenty-four, Chaplin joined Mack Sennett’s Keystone company where he made over thirty films. These films were the making of the cane-twirling clown with the baggy pants. The character of the little tramp came to fulfillment in the 1915 film, The Tramp.

Four years later, he formed United Artists Corporation with other film artists, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, and produced many independent films including The Gold Rush in 1925, City Lights in 1931 and Modern Times in 1936. His first talkie was The Great Dictator in 1940. And one of his most remembered films was made in 1952, Limelight.

Ostracized from the American film community and denied reentry after a trip abroad, because of his refusal to become an American citizen, his left-wing causes and his marriages to several teenagers, Chaplin lived in Switzerland from 1952 until 1972 with his fourth wife, Oona, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.

In 1972, he returned to the United States (this time he was permitted entry) to accept a special award at the Annual Academy Awards. And, in 1975 he was knighted by the Queen of England. Two years later, on Christmas Day, the little tramp died at his home in Vevey, Switzerland.

 

1943  Hallucinogenic Effects of LSD Discovered

In Basel, Switzerland, Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist working at the Sandoz pharmaceutical research laboratory, accidentally consumes LSD-25, a synthetic drug he had created in 1938 as part of his research into the medicinal value of lysergic acid compounds. After taking the drug, formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide, Dr. Hoffman was disturbed by unusual sensations and hallucinations. In his notes, he related the experience:

"Last Friday, April 16, 1943, I was forced to interrupt my work in the laboratory in the middle of the afternoon and proceed home, being affected by a remarkable restlessness, combined with a slight dizziness. At home I lay down and sank into a not unpleasant, intoxicated-like condition characterized by an extremely stimulated imagination. In a dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I found the daylight to be unpleasantly glaring), I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors. After some two hours this condition faded away."

After intentionally taking the drug again to confirm that it had caused this strange physical and mental state, Dr. Hoffman published a report announcing his discovery, and so LSD made its entry into the world as a hallucinogenic drug. Widespread use of the so-called "mind-expanding" drug did not begin until the 1960s, when counterculture figures such as Albert M. Hubbard, Timothy Leary, and Ken Kesey publicly expounded on the benefits of using LSD as a recreational drug. The manufacture, sale, possession, and use of LSD, known to cause negative reactions in some of those who take it, were made illegal in the United States in 1965.

 

1787  First American Playwright Produced

The first production of an American playwright to be successfully mounted by a professional company debuts in New York. The Contrast, by Royall Tyler, was performed at the John Street Theater and glorified American simplicity and idealism.

 

1900  The First Book of U.S. Postage Stamps was Issued

The two-cent stamps were available in books of 12, 24 and 48 stamps.

 

1917  Lenin Returns to Russia from Exile

On April 16, 1917, Vladimir Lenin, leader of the revolutionary Bolshevik Party, returns to Petrograd after a decade of exile to take the reins of the Russian Revolution.

 

1947  Fertilizer Explosion Kills 581 in Texas

A giant explosion occurs during the loading of fertilizer onto the freighter Grandcamp at a pier in Texas City, Texas, on this day in 1947. Nearly 600 people lost their lives and thousands were injured when the ship was literally blown to bits.

 

1968  Baseball’s Longest Night Game was Completed -- After 24 Innings

The game took six hours, six minutes to play. The winner? The Houston Astros.

 

BIRTHDAYS

 

1867 - Wilbur Wright  Aviator: one of the Wright Brothers; died May 30, 1912

1889  Sir Charles (Spencer) ‘Charlie’ Chaplin  Actor, Comedian; died Dec 25, 1977; see Little Tramp Day [above]

1929  Roy Hamilton  Singer: You’ll Never Walk Alone, If I Loved You, Ebb Tide, Unchained Melody, Don’t Let Go, You Can Have Her; died July 20, 1969

1947  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor)  Basketball Hall of Famer: LA Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks: NBA career record: games played [1.560], points [38,387], field goals [15,387], blocked shots [3,189] cameo role: Airplane!

1947  Gerry Rafferty  Singer, Songwriter: Stuck in the Middle with You, Star, Baker Street

 

 

     CHART TOPPERS

 

1962Johnny Angel - Shelley Fabares
Good Luck Charm - Elvis Presley
Slow Twistin’ - Chubby Checker
She’s Got You - Patsy Cline

1970Let It Be - The Beatles
ABC - The Jackson 5
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan

1978Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Someone Loves You Honey - Charley Pride

1986Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
Kiss - Prince & The Revolution
Manic Monday - Bangles
She and I - Alabama