Sesame Street Opens, Then and Now

As Google notes today, the 40th anniversary season of Seasame Street is coming right up. The first show airs on November 10th.Herewith, the colorful hi-tech show opener for season 40, followed by the decidedly low-tech opener for season 1 in 1969 — where “special effects” means camera zooms at 0:19 and 0:42.

Halloween With the Stars

Halloween With the Stars

Three costumes from Halloween 2009…Heidi Klum as a raven…Pop singer Debbie Gibson as a devil…

“The Loin In Winter”

Headline of the day, from a NY Times article on the aging Hugh Hefner.Comes with a slide show with shots of a young, intense-looking Hef.

Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin: The Patent

Today’s document from the National Archives is the patent application for Eli Whitney’s cotton gin.Whitney applied for a patent on October 28, 1793 and on March 14th of the following year was granted a U.S. patent for his machine, which removed seeds from the cotton fiber.

What’s the Correct Way to Wish Happy Birthday to a Dead Person?

On this day in 1872 Emily Post was born. Post set etiquette standards for Americans for most of the 20th century by adapting high society rules of behavior for a wider class of people — but class was still the operative word. Women were “ladies” and men were “gentlemen,” and her books on etiquette still presumed a level of education and sophistication associated with higher incomes and bigger cities.