July 25th in nerd history: Mars, golf movies, and thrash metal
Happy National Hot Fudge Sundae Day! The origins of this treat can be traced to the early 1900s when ice cream sundaes were going viral across the country. Clarence Clifton Brown, the owner of C.C. Brown’s Ice Cream Shop in Hollywood, California, decided to add his flair of hot fudge in 1906.
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July 25 in Nerd History
Here are 5 things that happened on July 25 at the intersection of nerd and pop culture.
I.
Birthdays of honor: Estelle Getty (1923), Matt LeBlanc (1967), Thurston Moore (1958).
II.
In 1980 we finally got some insight into all the workings of a high-end golf club when Caddyshack came out. Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, AND Bill Murray had prominent roles in this Harold Ramis-directed classic.
In 1986, Maximum Overdrive hit theaters, directed by Stephen King. Weird that he hasn’t directed any other movies right? Well, if you’ve seen it, not actually that weird. Still, it has a killer soundtrack from AC/DC and featured Emilio Estevez and a young Lisa Simpson (aka Yeardley Smith).
And one of the great ’90s rom-coms of all time was released today in 1993 with Sleepless in Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
III.
For some reason, someone — presumably mad with power — thought having Rosanne Barr sing the National Anthem at a baseball game would be a good idea. And so it was that on this day in 1990, she did just that at a game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres. Fairly or unfairly, it’s often cited as the worst rendition ever performed.
IV.
Three months after dropping guitarist Dave Mustain — who would go on to found Megadeth — Metallica released their debut album today in 1983, Kill ‘Em All. It cemented their place as leaders in thrash metal and set the ground for future commercial success.
V.
On this day in 1976, the Viking 1 spacecraft took a photo of Mars — exciting, sure, but all the more so because people thought maybe they saw a giant face in the photo. Turns out it’s basically just a really big hill — at least, that’s what they want us to think…
