Tag: 1981

  • Louisville Sewer Explosions

    On this date in 1981, more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky, were destroyed by a sewer explosion. Here are some things you might not have known about the incident. A Ralston Purina soybean processing plant suffered a massive leak of hexane, which was used as a solvent to extract soybean oil. Hexane…

  • BASE Jumping: Life Over the Edge

    On this date in 1981, Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachuted off a Houston skyscraper, becoming the first BASE jumpers. Here are some things you may not have known about BASE jumping. BASE is an acronym. The letters stand for buildings, antennas, spans and earth, from which the jumpers must parachute or fly off of…

  • Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park, 35 Years Later

    On this date in 1981, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel played their landmark “Concert in Central Park.” Here are some things you may not have known about the show. Simon & Garfunkel met as children in Queens, New York in 1952. They began performing together in 1957 under the name “Tom and Jerry.” Their initial sound…

  • MTV: Music on Television? That’ll Never Work

    With the song “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, MTV went on the air for the first time 35 years ago today. Here are some things you may not have known about MTV. MTV billed itself as the first 24-hour music channel, however it was not the first to experiment with music videos. In 1970,…