June 14, 1938: Superman to the Rescue!

On this day in 1938, Action Comics #1 was issued, introducing Superman to the public for the first time. If you can do the math, you will see that today is not just the birthday of Superman, but he turns 70 ! ! !

Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster originally had Superman as a bald madman whose telepathic abilities were used to wreck havoc. This form of him appeared in Science Fiction #3 (1933). They re-wrote the character as a hero, with little resemblance to his namesake, later on in 1933 (which I am sure everyone is thankful for). Now all they needed was a publisher. The creators were asked to contribute a feature to National Comics for a new publication they submitted Superman for consideration. Not only did National Comics accept Superman for their new Action Comics series, but they made him the cover! Action Comics was soon followed by a Superman comic book series in 1939.

Superman was born Kal-El on the far-off planet of Krypton. As an infant his parents sent him to Earth moments before the planet was to destruct, leaving him the lone survivor of his planet (or so goes most versions). He was found, adopted, and raised by a Kansas farmer and wife and bestowed the name Clark Kent. As an adult, Clark Kent is a reporter for The Daily Planet (or Daily Star) in the fictional city of Metropolis. He works alongside reporter Lois Lane whom he is often romantically linked and even married to. Throughout his childhood and teenage years his superhuman abilities have grown and matured with him. Reaching adulthood he decided to use his powers for the benefit of humanity.

“Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound”
--Jay Morton

The character's supporting cast and powers have slowly expanded and revamped over the years. While his powers have varied, the following tend to be attributed to him: flight, super-strength, super-speed, vision powers (x-ray, heat, telescopic, infra-red), invulnerability to non-magical attacks, self-healing power, super-breath (can freeze and create powerful winds), super-hearing (just a lot of super powers – hence his name, Superman)

Superman forever changed the medium of comic books. It is hard to believe, but before Superman superheroes were uncommon in the comic book genre. Superman was the first comic book superhero, starting off the success of this new fantasy subgenre. Superman’s initial success led to other, similar characters being created (the first to follow was Batman). Today thousands of characters have since been produced and superhero comics are established as the dominant genre in American comic book publishing.

Superman has been adapted to various media outside of comic books. From a radio series in 1940 to numerous animated cartoons to even a play, Superman has been around. It has been a TV series numerous times with most recent in 1993 as Louis & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Smallville in 2001 focusing on Clark Kent’s teenage years. Superman has starred in five movies: Superman (1978), starring Christopher Reeve, its three sequels and more recently Superman Returns (2006).

As an American cultural icon, Superman is still seen as being as relevant now as he has been in the seventy years of his existence.

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June 13, 1920: Only 53 cents to mail your kid!

On this day in 1920, the U.S. Post Office Department ruled that children could not be sent by parcel post.

Before the practice was banned there really are circumstances when children were sent by mail. In 1914, going through a divorce, a mother shipped her baby from Stillwell to its father in South Bend, Indiana. The child traveled in a container marked “Live Baby” for only 17 cents. That same year another case was recorded where parents shipped four-year-old May Pierstroff from Grangeville, Idaho to her grandparents to another part of the state for 53 cents (the going rate for mailing chickens). Instead of being shipped in a box she rode in the mail car with postage stamps attached to her coat. These, and other cases, prompted the Post Office Department to forbid sending humans by mail.

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) was created under Benjamin Franklin on July 26, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia (yes, we had a postal service before we had D.C.). Today, the USPS is a self-sustaining agency (i.e. does not receive tax money) and delivers more than 212 billion pieces of mail every year. If you think that is a lot, it is. The U.S. Postal Service handles about 46% of the world’s card and letter mail volume, delivering more mail to more addresses in a larger geographical area than any other post office in the world. No wonder it is the third largest employer in the US (after the US Department of Defense and Wal-Mart). The Department operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world with more than 219,000 vehicles driving more than 1.2 billion miles each year and using about 121 million gallons of fuel (so that’s where all the gas is going). Competition from e-mail and private companies (UPS, FedEx, DHL) has forced the USPS to modernize its products and services (who said competition was a bad thing?).

Source for USPS Facts

June 12, 1665: New what?

On this day in 1665, the English renamed New Amsterdam, New York.

New Amsterdam was the first permanent European settlement in the area, founded in 1624 by the Dutch East India Company at the mouth of the Hudson River on the southern part of Manhattan Island. The city would be the capital of New Netherland from 1626 till its capture by the British in 1664.

When England and Holland’s vie for economic supremacy spread to the American colonies it was no mystery that New Amsterdam, the pearl of the New Amsterdam Colony, would be a target. Five hundred professional soldiers, aboard four English warships arrived at the harbor on August 18, 1664. The current governor of New Amsterdam, Stuyvesant, wanted to prepare for battle and fight but the citizens had something else in mind. Resentful of his autocratic rule and with the best navy in the world at the time at their doorsteps they refused to fight and surrender. New Amsterdam was conquered quickly and without a fight.

In 1665 the English renamed the city (or more like a large town at the time) New York in honor of the Duke of York, brother of King Charles II of Britain. The name was later applied to the entire colony.

Consolidated in 1898, New York City now consists of five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. The city has become a major economic and cultural hub for the country hosting (to name just a few) the New York Stock Exchange, 40 Fortune 500 companies, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an array of sports teams such as the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Giants, and Knicks. NYC is the largest city in the United States, with a current population of over 8.2 million people (excluding its metropolitan areas), which is more than double that of L.A., the second largest city in the U.S. (bet the Dutch wish they fought a little harder for it now).

June 11, 1982: E.T.

On this day in 1982, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was released in theaters (making today a Friday in 1982). The American Film Institute ranks E.T. as the 24th Greatest Movie of All Time and the 6th Most Inspiring Movie of All Time. The family fun film earned back its $10.5 million budge during its opening weekend, grossing $11.8 million. Staring Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace, and Peter Coyote, the film tells the story of a lonely boy named Elliot (Thomas) who befriends a friendly alien stranded on Earth. Elliot, along with his siblings, helps the alien return home while trying to keep it a secret from their mother and the government.

Uncommon in motion pictures, Spielberg shot the movie in chronological order to help invoke convincing emotional performances from the young cast when E.T. departed at the end of the film. He also shot most of the film from the eye-level of a child to help draw one into a child’s point-of-view and to help the audience further connect with Elliot and E.T.

"I didn't pretend that E.T. was anything other than a kids movie, about kids, for kids, I was still a kid then. I still am."
-- Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg dictated the script for E.T. on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) during filming breaks to Melissa Mathison. As Harrison Ford’s wife at the time, Mathison, a screenwriter, was conveniently already on set to be with her husband. Spielberg’s original concept for the film was actually a much darker movie where a family would be terrorized by aliens. When he decided to go with a friendly alien, the family0in-jeopardy plot was recycled as Poltergeist (1982). Spielberg actually worked simultaneously, producing both films at the same time. They were meant to compliment each other: E.T. representing suburban dreams and Poltergeist representing suburban nightmares.

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’s close relationship is no secret in the entertainment industry (or to the public in general), especially with the popularity of their Indiana Jones franchise. At the time, and maybe still, E.T. was Spielberg’s greatest film and Star War was Lucas’s. It is no surprise then that they made guest appearances in their films (or at least their characters). In E.T., with Yoda’s theme song playing in the background, E.T. approaches a kid in a Halloween Yoda costume crying “Phone home! Phone home!” as if he recognized someone familiar. Also, various Star Wars toys appear in Elliot’s bedroom. To return the favor, in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace a delegation of E.T.s can be seen when Queen Amidala calls for a Senate vote of no confidence against Chancellor Valorum. This seems to link the two films together, or at least a cool bit of movie trivia.

E.T. became the highest-grossing movie of all time until Star Wars (1977) was re-released in 1997 (yes that’s right, they use to re-release movies). Its domestic grosses in the United States currently rank fourth with $435,110,554. This is the highest grossing movie Universal Studios has had, and as luck would have it, its second top grossing movie is Jurassic Park, also directed by Steven Spielberg.

The film was nominated for a slew of Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Screenplay written for the Screen, winning in only the following categories: Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and Best Sound. It lucked out a little better in the Golden Globes, winning one for Best Motion Picture and Best Score, but still missing out on its other nominations in Best Director and Best Screenplay. It also won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture. Awards aren't everything though.

A children’s classic, the film is still a favorite amongst children and those young at heart.

June 10, 1752: Franklin's Kite

On this day in 1752, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm to prove that lightning was an electrical force found in nature. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States one would think that he would be smarter than to test this theory out on himself, but nonetheless he carried it out. Franklin did not invent electricity with this experiment; he just discovered that lighting was a form of electricity and not some mysterious force sent as a punishment from God (as most people back then thought).

To reach high enough into the storm clouds Franklin used a kite. In order to produce a current he attacked a small piece of metal to the top of his kite and a metal key to the base of the string. He then tied the kite string to an insulating piece of ribbon to the knuckles of his hand. When the lightening struck the kite it traveled down the kite string to the key. When Franklin touched the key with his knuckle there was a spark of electricity between the two of them. His son William was the only witness to the experiment. The first record of the experiment was fifteen years later by another man, which has caused some theories to emerge saying that he never actually performed it (I just think they’re jealous).

Franklin’s fascination with electricity began in the mid-1740s, resulting in almost a decade spent conducting electrical experiments (and countless electrical shocks). He developed the single-fluid theory of electricity and introduced many of the terms used to descried electricity today: battery, conductor, condenser, charge, discharge, positive, negative, electrician, and electric shock.

Understanding the power and danger of lightning, he went on to invent the lighting rod. This metal conductor is attacked to a high point on usually a building or ship and leads to the ground, protecting the object from destruction by lightning.

As a prominent scientist, inventor, and politician it is no surprise that Franklin was one of the most well known and widely recognized people of his time, and still so today. Creating such items as the bifocals, day light savings time, fire departments, and political cartoons he is still most widely known for his crazy experiment of flying a kite in the middle of a thunderstorm.