WindyCityOperaman
Dan Soda (Windy City Operaman) is a Chicago native whose first visit to opera was at age 17 and Massenet’s Werther with Troyanos and Kraus. Nothing was ever the same. Opera and concert performances, recordings and video are an obsession. He prepares Parterre Box’s daily birthday and anniversary tributes. He also enjoys concerts, live theater and movies.
On this day in 1965 The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, was released.
On this day in 86 B.C., Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army, entered Athens, removing the tyrant Aristion who was supported by troops of Mithridates VI of Pontus.
On this day in 1925, “Tea for Two” recorded by Marion Harris reached #1 on the Billboard chart.
Born on this day in 1920 actor Tony Randall.
On this day in 1950 Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca premiered on NBC.
On this day in 1607 L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi received its première performance.
This day in 1455 is the traditional anniversary date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type.
On this day in 1879 in Utica, New York, Frank Woolworth opened the first of many “five and dime” stores.
On this day in 1972 President Nixon arrived in the People’s Republic of China.
On this day in 1944 the “Batman and Robin” newspaper comic strip premiered.
On this day in 1914 Riccardo Zandonai‘s Francesca da Rimini premiered in Turin.
On this day in 1930 Luigi Pirandello‘s Come Tu Mi Vuoi premiered in Milan.
On this day in 1598 Boris Godunov was chosen tsar of Russia.
On this day in 1950, the longest-running prime-time game show What’s My Line premiered on CBS.
On this day in 1686 Jean Baptiste Lully’s Armide premiered in Paris.
On this day in 1939 Victor Fleming replaced George Cukor as director of Gone With the Wind.
On this day in 1816 the Teatro San Carlo in Naples was destroyed by fire.
On this say in 1947 Christian Dior unveiled a “New Look”, helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world.
On this day in 55 A.D., Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman emperorship, died under mysterious circumstances in Rome, clearing the way for Nero to become Emperor.
On this day in 1940, the first “Tom & Jerry” cartoon debuted.
Born on this day in 1888 English actress Edith Evans.
On this day in 1649 the claimant King Charles II of England and Scotland was declared King of Great Britain by the Parliament of Scotland.
On this day in 1919 Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks launched United Artists.
On this day in 1968 Golden Rainbow, starring Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, opened at the Shubert Theater.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
