On this day in 1878, the first female telephone operator, Emma Nutt (not pictured) started work in Boston.
On this day in 1056 Empress Theodora became ill, dying suddenly a few days later, without children to succeed the throne, ending the Macedonian dynasty.
Born on this day in 1797 author Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley.
According to an ancient American legend, on this day in 1896 the Chinese-American dish chop suey was created in New York City by the Cantonese chef of Chinese Ambassador Li Hung-Chang.
On this day in 1850 Richard Wagner‘s romantic opera Lohengrin premiered at Weimar, conducted by Franz Liszt.
On this day in 1665 Ye Bare & Ye Cubb became the first play performed in North America (at Acomac, VA.)
On this day in 1498 Michelangelo was commissioned to carve the Pietà.
On this day in 1718 French colonists in Louisiana established a settlement named for the Duc d’Orléans, which would later become the city of New Orleans.
On this day in 1853 the first potato chips were prepared by chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY.
On this day in 1834 Mount Vesuvius erupted.
On this day in 1945 Noel Coward‘s revue Sigh No More premiered in London.
Happy 81st birthday mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker.
On this day in 1828 Gioacchino Rossini‘s opera Le Comte Ory premiered in Paris.
On this day in 1772 Gustav III seized effective control of the Swedish government and restored the full power of the monarchy, which had been subordinate to parliament since 1720.
Born on this day in 1873 lyricist Otto Harbach.
On this day in 1939 The Wizard of Oz opened at Loew’s Capitol Theater in New York City.
On this day in 1876 the music drama Siegfried premiered in Bayreuth.
On this day in 1040 King Duncan I of Scotland was killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth (not, as per Shakespeare’s play, murdered in his sleep.)
On this day in 1965 (i.e., 50 years ago), Sonny & Cher‘s “I Got You Babe” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Happy 67th birthday soprano Kathleen Battle.
On this day in 1877, Thomas Edison invented the “Edisonphone,” an early phonograph.
On this day in 1866 the world’s roller rink opened, in Newport, Rhode Island.
On this day in 1948 Allen Funt‘s Candid Camera debuted.
On this day in 1930 Betty Boop first appeared in Max Fleischer‘s animated cartoon “Dizzy Dishes.”
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.
