Nerd History

That time a pop star burned down a house

Moviestillsdb.com

Happy National Donald Duck Day! Apparently, June 9 is Disney canon Donald Duck’s birthday — they even held a 50th birthday party for him at Disneyland in 1984. I say have a Donald Duck-style tantrum today about whatever you’d like.

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

June 9 in Nerd History

Here are 5 things that happened on June 9 that matter to those of us who …

I.

Birthdays of honor: Natalie Portman (1981), Michael J. Fox (1961), Les Paul (1915), Jackie Mason (1928), Dick Vitale (1939), Johnny Depp (1963).

II.

In 1994 Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes got into a fight with her boyfriend, NFL star Andre Rison. As payback, she set fire to his sneakers in a bathtub — only, the flames didn’t stay in the tub. Rison’s entire mansion was burnt to the ground, and Lopes received five years probation and a $10,000 fine for arson.

III.

In 1973, probably the most famous horse ever, Secretariat, completed a win for the Triple Crown.

IV.

Parents across the country started saying, “you know, for a kids movie, it’s actually pretty good!” when Cars was released in 2006.

And Star Trek movies ended forever when Star Trek V: The Final Frontier came out in 1989. I mean, c’mon, it says “final” right in the title.

V.

On this day in 1971, “Brown Sugar” by The Rolling Stones was no. 1.

Put the Star Wars movies in chronological order

Back in 1977, Star Wars was simple. For starters, it was just called Star Wars — no episode titles to contend with. Three movies came out, told a story, and bam, everyone moved on with their lives. Right? One speed bump in that plan was that it nearly instantly became one...

What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Here’s a pro tip: If you ever find yourself tasked with a divine quest to find the Holy Grail, make sure you know what your favorite color is. Sadly, Sir Galahad wavered, and thus was thrown into the pits of certain doom beneath the Bridge of Death — a bridge...

Elisabeth Shue withdrew from which prestigious university to be in The Karate Kid?

The name Elisabeth Shue, for many of us, is synonymous with a leisurely afternoon catching a movie sometime in the 1980s. From the highly underrated Adventures in Babysitting to a couple of Back to the Futures to her breakout in 1984’s The Karate Kid, it seems that acting must...

Who was the only actor from the original Top Gun NOT to vomit during their time in fighter jets?

Here’s something that will take your breath away: Flying in an F-14 Tomcat. These bad boys can reach a Mach speed of up to 2.34, or roughly 1,795 miles per hour. When Top Gun first came out in 1986, it was not the cultural powerhouse it is...

What ‘90s sitcom aired three potential series finales before a final series finale in 1996?

The 1990s were the last great golden age of TV sitcoms. Sure, you have a handful of great shows that popped up in the aughts, but then streaming came along and since about 2015 most people are still just trying to figure out what to watch (and where you can...

June 9 in Nerd History

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

Read next