September 7th in nerd history: Happy birthday Buddy Holly!

September 7th in nerd history: Happy birthday Buddy Holly!
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Happy National Beer Lovers Day! You know, we spend so much time appreciating beer itself that we rarely stop to pay homage to the people who love beer. But not today — today we honor the IPA snobs, the lager lovers, and even the sour drinkers. Cheers!

Stone Cold Steve Austin Beer GIF

This is The Reset Button from Classic Nerd, resetting your day.

September 7 in Nerd History

Here are five things that happened on September 7th for those of us who thought baseball players only used Big League Chew.

I.

Birthdays of honor: Eazy-E (1964), Buddy Holly (1936), Chrissie Hynde (1951), Gloria Gaynor (1949).

II.

Today in 1979 a new channel hit the airwaves — the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Some simply call it ESPN.

About 30,000 viewers tuned in for the first broadcast, with anchors Lee Leonard and George Grande hosting SportsCenter. The first sporting event the network broadcast was the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball World Series, with the Milwaukee Schlitz taking on the Kentucky Bourbons.

III.

In 1997, Square did it yet again with the release of Final Fantasy VII.

The quality of the graphics, scope of gameplay, storyline, and cool haircuts made FFVII into a landmark RPG. This thing was so big and thought out that development for it started with the Super Nintendo. It was also tested on the N64, but ultimately Square went with the PlayStation because of the added benefits of a CD-ROM system.

Why the original Final Fantasy 7 remains essential, even after the remake.

From the battle system to memorable characters to just exploring the world, FFVII still strikes a great balance between story and gameplay.

IV.

Tonight in 1996 Tupac Shakur was shot five times after leaving a Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas. He died six days later.

No suspects were ever taken into custody, but in June of 2023 the Las Vegas PD said they had executed a search warrant in connection with the shooting.

A still of Tupac Shakur in the movie Poetic Justice.

V.

Keith Moon, the talented but troubled drummer from The Who, passed away today in 1978. Ironically, he overdosed on Heminevrin, a drug meant to help treat alcoholism. He was 32.

A gif of Keith Moon from the Who in his early years.