Picture it ... Massac County ... 1977 ... Fidget Comer was grilling on the patio, no doubt in her apron and I was close at hand; as I usually was ... assisting :) Just inside the screen door, the phone jingled. ((By the way, do y'all remember what a jingling phone sounds like? Such a pleasant sound in comparison to the beepers, buzzers and songs that we have on our phones now...anywho, I digress...)) Mom sent me in to answer the phone and on the other end was my aunt insisting that I get Mom immediately and tell her Elvis was dead. I started for the screen door as Mom finished flipping whatever was on the grill and came inside. I handed her the phone and told her Elvis had died.
The only thing I remember after that is the ensuing confusion when my Auntie directed Mom to find the station currently playing Mr. Bojangles, as that's the one she'd heard the shocking news on. Mom's never been up to speed on current music ... and I guess this must have also been true in 1977. ((Bob Dylan, my apologies....:) ))
As a kid... I was a pretty huge Elvis fan for a phase. I was from the "camp" ((...although I never went to camp :) )) in the late 80's who believed Elvis faked his death in 1977 and was still alive. I never really bought into Kalamazoo, but I felt then and still do that enough intriguing points have been raised over the years to suggest that it was a very strong possibility.
As a side note, it was on this date in 1962 that Ringo Starr took over for Pete Best as drummer of the Beatles ... which brings me to this; it must be quite a statement of this "neck of the woods" that I can remember the death of Elvis Presley in 1977; but can't remember the death of John Lennon in 1980.
Ahhh .... Life in the Heartland ....
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-A Snack for your Noggin-
-Other things that have happened on August 16th-
-Other things that have happened on August 16th-
2005 –
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes near Machiques, Venezuela, killing the 160 aboard.
1987 –
A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carrying Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes on take-off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan (Detroit), killing 155 passengers and crew. The sole survivor is four-year-old Cecelia Cichan.
1960 –
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 crashes near Machiques, Venezuela, killing the 160 aboard.
1987 –
A McDonnell Douglas MD-82 carrying Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes on take-off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan (Detroit), killing 155 passengers and crew. The sole survivor is four-year-old Cecelia Cichan.
1960 –
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft.
1954 –
The first edition of Sports Illustrated is published.
1930 –
The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
1920 –
Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. To date, Chapman is the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
1868 –
Arica, Peru (now Chile) is devastated by a tsunami that follows a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in the Peru-Chile Trench off the coast. The earthquake and tsunami kill an estimated 25,000 people in Arica and perhaps 70,000 people in all.
The first edition of Sports Illustrated is published.
1930 –
The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks.
1920 –
Ray Chapman of the Cleveland Indians is hit on the head by a fastball thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees, and dies early the next day. To date, Chapman is the second player to die from injuries sustained in a Major League Baseball game, the first being Doc Powers in 1909.
1868 –
Arica, Peru (now Chile) is devastated by a tsunami that follows a magnitude 8.5 earthquake in the Peru-Chile Trench off the coast. The earthquake and tsunami kill an estimated 25,000 people in Arica and perhaps 70,000 people in all.
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