On this day in 1789 the French Revolution began with the fall of the Bastille.
On this day in 1987 a federal judge threw out Bette Midler‘s $10 million suit against Ford Motor Co, who used a sound-alike voice for their TV commercials.
On this day in 1912 Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth premiered in New York City, the first foreign film to be exhibited in the United States.
On this day 1804 a duel transpired in which Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounded former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.
On this day in 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called “Monkey Trial” began with John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act.
Born on this day in 19o7 actress Clara Bow.
On this day in 1497 Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama departed on his first voyage.
On this day in 1956 the Douglas Moore/John Latouche opera The Ballad of Baby Doe premiered.
Happy Birthday to American singer Della Reese!
On this day in 1937 Spam, the luncheon meat, was introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation.
On this day in 1865, the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published.
On this day in 1954 the musical Wonderful Town closed at Winter Garden Theater after 559 performances.
On this day in 1941 Noël Coward‘s Blithe Spirit premiered in London.
On this day in 1933 Arabella premiered in Dresden.
On this day in 1862 Gustave Flaubert completed Salammbô.
On this day in 1613 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre burned down.
On this day in 1841 the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique in Paris premiered the ballet Giselle.
On this day in 1966 Dark Shadows premiered on ABC-TV.
On this day the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.
On this day in 1906, architect Stanford White was shot dead atop Madison Square Garden by Harry Thaw, jealous husband of Evelyn Nesbit, White’s former mistress.
On this day in 1374 a sudden outbreak of St. John’s Dance causeed people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapsed from exhaustion.
On this day in 1868 Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for an invention he called the “Type-Writer.”
n this day in 1985 Dallas actress Victoria Principal (“35”) wedded plastic surgeon Harry Glassman (43).
On this day in 1791, the fleeing French King Louis XVI and his family were captured at Varennes-en-Argonne.
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.
