#17 August 1959

[rabbitcruiser]

The 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake (also known as the 1959 Yellowstone earthquake) occurred in the western United States on August 17 at 11:37 pm (MST) in southwestern Montana.

The earthquake measured 7.2 on the moment magnitude scale, caused a huge landslide, resulted in over 28 fatalities and left $11 million (equivalent to $115 million in 2023) in damage. The slide blocked the flow of the Madison River, resulting in the creation of Quake Lake. Significant effects of the earthquake were also felt in nearby Idaho and Wyoming, and lesser effects as far away as Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

The 1959 quake was the strongest and deadliest earthquake to hit Montana, the second being the 1935–36 Helena earthquakes that left four people dead. It also caused the worst landslides in the northwestern United States since 1927.

[archivist-crow]

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (1959)

Sixty-five years ago today, on August 17, 1959, Kind of Blue, the legendary album by the Miles Davis Sextet, was released. Featuring an all-star lineup of Davis, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Wynton Kelly on one track, the album is considered Davis’ masterpiece, the greatest jazz album ever recorded, and one of the best albums of all time. In addition, it is certainly also one of the most popular and influential jazz albums of all time, with its legacy extending well beyond the confines of jazz. Timeless and perfect, Kind of Blue is, as one reviewer put it, a “defining moment of twentieth century music”.

[voguefashion]

Marilyn Monroe LIFE Magazine Covers

April 7, 1952

May 25, 1953

July 8, 1957 (International Edition)

April 20, 1959

November 9, 1959

August 15, 1960

June 22, 1962

August 17, 1962

August 7, 1964

September 8, 1972

October 1981

August 1982

[bitter69uk]

To commemorate international cat day (8 August), let’s celebrate the memory of Orangey (1950 - 1967). The late, great trained showbiz cat / animal actor boasted a prestigious and prolific résumé on film and TV that any thespian would envy. (And according to IMdB, Orangey was “the only feline double-winner of the Patsy Award, the animal kingdom's equivalent of the Oscar”). Orangey’s best-known work includes The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), The Diary of Ann Frank (1959) and the scene-stealing role of “Cat” ("the poor slob without a name”) opposite Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)! Best of all, Orangey’s final television credit (aged 17) is appearing as the feline companion of Eartha Kitt’s Catwoman in two consecutive episodes of TV’s Batman in 1967 (pictured). Appropriately for a celebrity of his stature, he is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood.

[newyorkthegoldenage]

This is not a test: on August 17, 1959, a 500-block section of Manhattan suffered a blackout that lasted 13 hours. A newsstand offered the afternoon papers for those who wanted to read about it (presumably beyond the blackout area).

Photo: Joe Scherschel for Time & Life Pictures/Shutterstock/Life magazine

[davidhudson]

Keiji Sada, December 9, 1926 – August 17, 1964.

Yasujiro Ozu’s Good Morning (1959).

[charlotte-of-wales]

Happy 87th birthday to Queen Sonja of Norway!

Born on 4 July 1937, Sonja Haraldsen is the Queen of Norway as the wife of King Harald V.

In June 1959 she first met Crown Prince Harald. They dated for nine years, although their relationship had been kept secret because she was a commoner. The Crown Prince made it clear to his father, King Olav V, that he would remain unmarried for life unless he could marry her. This would in effect have put an end to the rule of his family, and likely to the monarchy in Norway, as Harald was the sole heir to the throne.

Sonja became engaged to Crown Prince Harald on 19 March 1968. The couple married on 29 August 1968, at Oslo Cathedral. She thus acquired the style of Royal Highness and the title of Crown Princess of Norway. Following the death of King Olav V on 17 January 1991, Sonja became Queen Consort of Norway.

Harald and Sonia have two children: Princess Märtha Louise (52) and Crown Prince Haakon (50), and 6 grandchildren: Maud Angelica Behn (21), Princess Ingrid Alexandra (20), Leah Isadora Behn (19), Prince Sverre Magnus (18) and Emma Tallulah Behn (16).

[mydaddywiki]

Dan Blocker

Physique: Rotund Build/Heavyset Height: 6′ 4″ (1.93 m)

Bobby Dan Davis Blocker (December 10, 1928 – May 13, 1972; aged 43) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran, who played Hoss Cartwright in the NBC Western television series Bonanza.

Big, burly Dan Blocker is a classic bearish icon who is definitely in the hallowed halls of the Great Pantheon of Bearish Gods. Blocker only did a handful of movies in his 17-year acting career, but he became one of the most beloved and popular television stars of the 1960s for his portrayal of big Eric “Hoss” Cartwright on the Western series Bonanza.

Born in De Kalb, TX, he attended Texas Military Institute and in 1946 played football at Baptist-affiliated Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. He graduated from Sul Ross State University Teacher's College in Alpine, TX, where he earned a master's degree in the dramatic arts. After two years of military service, where he earned a Purple Heart, he became an actor in 1955. His first film role was in "Hook a Crook" (1955).

He was married to Dolphia Parker (25 August 1952 - 13 May 1972) ( his death) with whom he had four children, one of whom is cute daddy actor, Dirk Blocker. What else… before taking up acting, Blocker worked as a rodeo performer, a bouncer in a bar and a high-school teacher.

On May 13, 1972, Blocker died in Los Angeles, at age 43, of a pulmonary embolism following gall bladder surgery. Blocker also left behind a legacy of good will that survives to this day, as Bonanza is in perpetual reruns on various cable channels, decades after its cancellation.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Bonanza (TV Series 1959–1972) The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970) Lady in Cement (1968) Cimarron City (1958)

[darkpeacemusic]

ℂ𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕪𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕒 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤: 𝔹𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙𝕕𝕒𝕪𝕤 (+𝔸𝕘𝕖𝕤)

Jeff the Killer - June 2nd, 2000 (Age: 24)

Homicidal Liu - December 21st, 1991 (Age: 33)

Sully - December 21st, 1991 (Age: 33, though he's seven minutes younger than his twin, Liu)

Randy - July 25th, 1990 (Age: 34)

Keith - September 23rd, 1991 (Age: 33)

Troy - July 27th, 1991 (Age: 33)

Jane - September 1st, 1993 (Age: 31)

Mary - May 10th, 1992 (Age: 30)

Ben Drowned - April 23rd, 1990, died April 23rd 2002 (Age: Permanently 12, 34 if he were still alive today)

Ticci Toby - April 28th, 1994 (Age: 30)

Masky/Tim - June 19th, 1988 (Age: 36)

Hoodie/Brian - April 18th, 1989 (Age: 35)

Kate the Chaser - June 25th, 1995 (Age: 29)

Laughing Jack - Unknown but he was created on Christmas Eve, 1800s (Age: 200+)

Eyeless Jack - November 13th, 1994, died May 20th, 2011 (Age: 17 physically, actually in his 30s)

Slenderman and his brothers - Honestly no one ones. Some say they've been around since the 1600-1700s (Ages: 1000+)

Sally - April 5th, 1958, died April 5th, 1966 (Age: Permanently 8, 66 if she were alive today)

Dr Smiley - October 20th, 1984 (Age: 40)

Nurse Ann - October 31st, 1983 (Age: 41)

Nina - February 2nd, 1997 (Age: 27)

Candy Pop - Unknown but is said to have been created sometime in the 1400s (Age: 500-600+)

Jason the Toymaker - November 15th, 1940, died August 2nd, 1959 (Age: 19 by the time of his death, 84 if he were alive today)

The Puppeteer - July 25th, 1974, died November 30th, 1994 (Age: Permanently 20, 50 if he were still alive today)

Clockwork - November 6th, 1996 (Age: 28)

Rouge - January 7th, 1990 (Age: 34)

Wilson - August 27th, 1988 (Age: 36)

Zalgo - Unknown. He's been around since the beginning of time. (Age: Millions of years old)

Nathan - October 29th, 1990 (Age: 34)

Bloody Painter - October 1st, 1992 (Age: 32)

Kagekao - December 29th, 1994 (Age: 30)

Laughing Jill - Unknown, possibly around the same time as Jack (Age: 200+)

Sadie - October 21st, 1996, died March 12th, 2014 (Age: Permanently 18, 28 if she were alive today)

Hobo Heart - August 31st, 1900s (Age: 100+)

Cat Hunter - January 16th, 1990 (Age: 34)

Chris the Revenant - December 28th, 1999 (Age: 25)

X-Virus - December 12th, 1996 (Age: 28)

Dollmaker - June 13th, 2001 (Age: 23)

Frankie the Undead - September 13th, 1924, died sometime in 1974 (Age: Permanently 50, 100 if he were still alive today)

Judge Angels - April 2nd, 1998 (Age: 26)

Lifeless Lucy - April 5th, 1987, died April 5th, 1997 (Age: Permanently 10, 37 if she were alive today)

Lost Silver - June 21st, 1992, died sometime in August 2004 (Age: Permanently 12, 32 if he were still alive)

Glitchy Red - Unknown, is said to have been created sometime in 1990-1994 during the early stages of Pokemon Red/Blue (Age: Likely somewhere in his his late 20s-early 30s)

Dr. Locklear - March 7th, 1634, died sometime in 1665 during the Great Plague (Age: 30 by the time of his death, 390 if he were still alive today)

Lulu - February 15th, 1999, died sometime in 2013 (Age: Permanently 14, 25 if she were still alive)

Killing Kate - October 29th, 1996 (Age: 28)

[lboogie1906]

Sergeant Major Gilbert “Hashmark” Johnson (October 30, 1905 – August 5, 1972) was one of the first African Americans to enlist in the Marine Corps and one of the first African American drill instructors in the Marine Corps. He was known as “Hashmark” because he had more service stripes than rank stripes. He retired in 1959 after 32 years of service in the Armed forces, including 17 years as a Marine.

He was born to a farming family in rural Mount Hebron, Alabama. He attended Stillman College, aspiring to become a minister, but he left college the following year to join the Army.

He enlisted in the 25th Infantry Regiment in 1923, serving two three-year tours. He was discharged as a corporal. He decided to join the Navy. In 1933, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve and was accepted into the Stewards Branch, the only job available to African Americans at that time, he served in the Navy for nearly 10 years. In May 1941, he entered the regular Navy. He served aboard the USS Wyoming at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802, requiring the Marine Corps to accept African Americans and forbidding discrimination by military contractors. He requested a transfer from the Navy to the Marine Corps. He and other African Americans served in segregated units.

In 1943, he was among the first African American men to be trained as Marine drill instructors. In May 1943 at Montford Point, he replaced the drill instructor. As a member of the 52d Defense Battalion, on Guamin WWII, he asked that African American Marines be assigned to combat patrols, from which they had been exempt. Once approved, he led 25 combat patrols.

Edgar Huff, the only other African American Sergeant Major besides him to serve during WWII, was his brother-in-law. They were married to twin sisters. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[comicsart3]

Mademoiselle Marie has had many incarnations. She first appeared in DC’s Star Spangled War Stories #84 (August 1959), the creation of writer Robert Kanigher and illustrator Jerry Grandenetti. Marie, whose real name was Anais Guillot, was a female French Resistance agent and fighter during World War Two. The character was based on a number of real women members of the Maquis, particularly Simone Segouin. Marie has the distinction of probably being the only major comic book fighting war heroine, and certainly the only one with her own lead story, albeit under the auspices of Star Spangled War Stories. Marie began life as an ordinary Parisian girl, but was driven to join the Resistance at the age of 17, by the depredations of the occupying Nazi German forces, but principally after her Resistance leader father was killed by German troops, dying in Anais’ arms. Anais took the nom de guerre, Marie, and developed into a capable markswoman, spy, saboteur, kidnapper and assassin, and assisted Sergeant Rock in various escapades after D-Day, eventually becoming Rock’s love interest. Distinguished by her knee length skirt, tight yellow sweater and red beret, Marie became a focus of particular hatred on the part of the Germans, who could not abide the thought of being outwitted or outfought by a mere woman.

Anais/Marie eventually falls into the hands of the Germans and is executed. The title Mademoiselle Marie, then becomes an overarching title for a number of female Resistance operatives, thus keeping the legend of Marie alive and frustrating the bemused Nazis. This “collective” of Maries feature in the Checkmate title in the late 1980s - with the Maries apparently existing as far as back as the French Revolution as well as in modern day France as secret service agents.

The original Mademoiselle Marie was perhaps the most straightforward - a rare example of a brave female soldier when women did not fight on the front line. Marie was undoubtedly titillating, but in some respects, given her appearance ahead of the “Second Wave” of feminism, she was genuinely iconic. The complication of her character, as with so many DC heroes following the Infinite Crises, removed the intriguing, if camp, nature of Marie’s first incarnation and her successors were altogether more dark, which is a shame.

The cover featured is from a retro Star Spangled War Stories one-off (#1), featuring Marie, published in November 2010. The story, entitled Vive Libre Ou Mourir!, is by Billy Tucci and illustrated by Justiniano, Tom Derenick and Andrew Magnum.

Sources: Mademoiselle Wikipedia page and Comics Vine website.

[archivist-crow]

On this day:

UFO SUCKS POWER OUT

On August 17, 1959, in Brazil, the automatic breakers at Minas Gerais electric power plant unexplainably switched themselves open, cutting off current flowing to the trunk lines. Technicians checked the system and found nothing amiss. An employee from one of the substations called and was warned about drinking on the job when he reported that a UFO flying so low overhead had caused the keys to automatically disconnect, breaking the circuit and stopping the electricity from flowing. The chief engineer at the main station began to turn the breakers back on, but when he flipped the final switch, they all popped open again. From outside, cries of alarm were heard, and the chief ran out in time to witness a spectacular flying saucer coming up the path of power lines from the disabled substation that had called in. Once the UFO had left the area, the power was restored with no ill effects.

In 1963, Denver, Colorado was the victim of an abrupt power outage when the electricity was mysteriously blocked, disabling relay lines due to an overload of power to further cities. Nearly an hour and a half later the current began to flow again. Equipment was thoroughly checked for malfunctions but nothing could be found.

Electrical interference is often reported in connection with UFO sightings. Hundreds of cases from around the world have been documented. Once the alien craft has left the area, operations usually return to normal.

Text from: Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violins, published by Weiser Books, 2009

[officiallordvetinari]

Below are 10 biographical articles from Wikipedia's featured articles list, and then a poll. Which article sounds the most interesting to you?

Cai Lun (c. 50–62 – 121 CE) was a Chinese eunuch court official of the Eastern Han dynasty.

Eunice Newton Foote (July 17, 1819 – September 30, 1888) was an American scientist, inventor, and women's rights campaigner.

Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era.

Gregor MacGregor (24 December 1786 – 4 December 1845) was a Scottish soldier, adventurer, and confidence trickster who attempted from 1821 to 1837 to draw British and French investors and settlers to "Poyais", a fictional Central American territory that he claimed to rule as "Cazique".

Hasan al-Kharrat (1861 – 25 December 1925) was one of the principal Syrian rebel commanders of the Great Syrian Revolt against the French Mandate.

Olive Morris (26 June 1952 – 12 July 1979) was a Jamaican-born British-based community leader and activist in the feminist, black nationalist, and squatters' rights campaigns of the 1970s.

Osbert Lancaster (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author.

Tom Driberg (22 May 1905 – 12 August 1976) was a British journalist, politician, High Anglican churchman and possible Soviet spy, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1942 to 1955, and again from 1959 to 1974.

William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857 – March 8, 1930) was an American politician and lawyer who was the 27th president of the United States, serving from 1909 to 1913, and the tenth chief justice of the United States, serving from 1921 to 1930, the only person to have held both offices.

Wulfhere (died 675) was King of Mercia from 658 until 675 AD.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Song of the Day - “September In The Rain”

Today is Dinah Washington’s 100th Birthday…. August 29th, 1924

From her childhood in Alabama, she sang… first gospel… but by 17, she was singing with Fats Waller… She’d moved to Chicago and after Waller, she sang for several years with Lionel Hampton’s band…They made a handful of records…Her unique voice could do any genre… she did R&B, jazz, and even country. She covered Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart”… but she called herself the queen of the blues, and her voice was perfect for blues..

She recorded with Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, Cannonball Adderley, and Ben Webster…

At some point, Dinah sang with everybody…. Ellington, Basie, everybody…

Her signature hit, “What a Difference A Day Makes” came out in 1959 and was a smash… that recorded had her backed by Panama Francis on drums, Joe Zawinul on piano, and Kenny Burrell on guitar…

She owns that tune… no question…

And she did some of the best versions of “Unforgettable” and “Teach Me Tonight”…

But for me, her best is the standard “September In The Rain”… to me, nobody ever did this song better…

Dinah was married seven times… some say there were even two more, but seven is plenty… She also died very young… of an overdose…

I always loved her nasally voice… an incredibly strong distinctive voice… like no other…

And this song, by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, has been recorded by dozens of artists… but it’s Dinah’s… the rest aren’t even close… perfect effortless phrasing…

Happy Hundredth Dinah!

[Mary Elaine LeBey]

[cabin07slytherinblogs]

Time for some Marauders Era head canons!! Up first the Gryffindor crew! Trigger warning there is mention of mental illness!

James Potter

Born 27, March 1960

Youngest out of the four boys

Total mamas boy

His parents were older when they had him. Even by wizard standards

Middle name is Henry

He started the feud with Severus Snape

Fiercely loyal

Parents are Euphemia and Fleamont Potter

Pureblood

ADHD and Dyslexic

Despite his learning disabilities he was very bright wizard

Sirius Black

Born 3, November 1959

Oldest out of the four boys

Him and Regulus were very close growing up

Middle name is Orion

Ran away at 16 and got his own place at 17

Very smart. Top of the class

Parents are Walburga and Orion Black

Pureblood

ADHD and Autistic (diagnosed later in life)

Remus Lupin

Born 10, March 1960

Second oldest out of the four boys

He was attacked by Greyback when he was 4 years old

Middle name is John

Half Blood/Werewolf

Although Remus was smart he had to try his very hardest in school do you his Intellectual Learning Disorder (he moved around a lot so didn’t have a proper primary school teaching)

Parents were Hope and Lyall Lupin

He was Welsh

Bi Polar Depression

Peter Pettigrew

Born 31, August 1960

Third oldest of the four boys

He is from Scotland

Middle name is Callum

Pure Blood

Peter was not the very brightest of the group and often struggled in school. Although he was very good in Care of Magical Creatures

Unknown parents

Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Social Anxiety

Lily Evans

Born 30, January 1960

She is the second oldest out of the marauders era girls

Younger sister named Petunia

Middle name is Eleanor

Muggle born

She was gifted in potions

Unknown parents

Was diagnosed with depression at age 10

Marlene McKinnon

Born 1, August 1961

Baby of the Marauders Era girls

Started Hogwarts a year late

Middle name is Celeste

Half blood/Veela

Youngest of 6 boys and the only girl

Unknown parents

Autistic (that’s how she helped Sirius get diagnosed when he was 17)

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Everyone knows about the blackouts of 1965 and 1977 (and those more recent), but few realize that a 500-block section of Manhattan lost power for 13 hours on August 17, 1959. New Yorkers coped in different ways. Here in an automat, they dine by candlelight.

Photo: Joe Scherschel for Time & Life Pictures/Shutterstock/Life magazine