Welcome to ON THIS DAY! Each day, we'll look at a few moments from history and popular culture. We'll show you where you can rediscover classic movies and music, or read more about great moments in history. We'll point you to e-books, downloadable and streamable music and film, and e-audio; and of course, we haven't forgotten about physical books or DVDs.
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On this day in 1880, the Australian "bushranger" (roughly the equivalent of an outlaw in the American Wild West) Ned Kelly was captured by police after a violent confrontation at the town of Glenrowan. He was the only member of his gang to survive the shootout, and was executed by hanging four months later, a few weeks short of his 26th birthday. Kelly has become an Australian cultural icon, sparking arguments over whether he was a murderous thug or the Australian Robin Hood, taking from the rich to help the poor. He has been played in films by both Mick Jagger and Heath Ledger. Peter Carey's novel True History of the Kelly Gang is a re-telling of the Kelly story; it's available as an e-book at OverDrive or in print. |
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On this day in 1937, Tom Magliozzi was born. For 35 years, Tom and his brother Ray hosted Car Talk, a phone-in radio show in which the brothers attempted to diagnose and help fix the car problems of their callers. The brothers' banter with their callers was mixed with puzzles and comedy bits, and Tom and Ray claimed to be (in the words of the show's motto) "unencumbered by the thought process." Several collections of Car Talk highlights are available for streaming at Hoopla. |
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And on this day in 1946, Gilda Radner was born. Radner was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, creating such memorable characters as Emily Litella, Roseanne Roseannadanna, and "Baba Wawa" (a Barbara Walters parody). After leaving the show in 1980, Radner had a short film career before being diagnosed in 1985 with ovarian cancer; she would die of the disease in 1990. Live From New York is the recording of Radner's 1979 one-woman Broadway show; it's available for streaming at Hoopla. |



