It Was 20 Years Ago Today

Friday, March 2, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, Apple Computer introduced their newest computer, the Mac II.  I talk about that particular machine, compare the relative expense of top-of-the-line home computers then and now, and muse about the way technology has gotten progressively more powerful, yet less expensive.

Today's music is "Press YES To Start Demo," by Aaron Derington.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

There's also a promo for Yog-Sothoth.com, a gaming website devoted to Call of Cthulhu.  They also do a delightful podcast, Yog Radio.

If you're a podcaster and would like to swap promos, please email me!

Thursday, March 1. 2007.  [Almost caught up now!]

Twenty years ago today, Western Airlines and Delta Airlines announced they would merge, effective in a month.  It was the latest example of change that had become the norm for the airline industry in the nine years since deregulation.  I talk about the merger and the state of the airline industry during this time.

Episode music:  "See You In Seattle," by the Scottish Guitar Quartet.

Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Monday, February 26, 2007.  [Still playing catch-up, just a little.]

For the 50th (!!) episode of "It Was 20 Years Ago Today," we return to a subject we've visited before, and will again -- the Iran-Contra scandal.  On this day, the Tower Commission submitted a report on its investigations into the scandal.  It would be the first of many, which shared a common trait of often being difficult for the average person to follow.

George Santayana (1863-1952) was the person who said, "Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Today's episode music is from "Cyndi 2nd Draft," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Sunday, February 25, 2007.  [Yes, we're running a couple days late, but I thought these episodes were worth posting anyway.]

Twenty years ago today, police in Peru got an archaeologist out of bed to protect a tomb from grave robbers.  That tomb, of an ancient warrior priest called the Lord of Sipan, is still being explored and its artifacts (such as the ornament pictured to the right) recovered to this day.

I also talk a little about how I developed an interest in archaeology and the ancient cultures of Central and South America.

Today's episode music is from "Forgotten Man," by David Henderson.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Friday, February 23, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, the light from a supernova in the Greater Magellanic Cloud galaxy reached the Earth, after a journey of 168,000 years.  I talk about that celestial phenomenon, and a little about why I find astronomy a particularly fascinating science.

The picture is an image of the gas cloud from Supernova 1987A, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope.

Today's episode music is "InnaFabledCity," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Thursday, January 22, 2007.  Twenty years ago today was the first Cat Day celebration in Japan.  I take a look at the origins of that day, days set aside to honor cats in other countries, and then tell the story of the cat I owned twenty years ago.  I can no longer remember her name, but I have one picture of her, and I've posted it here.

Today's episode music is "Bella," by Patrick Gorman.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

You haven't stepped into a time warp --this is the first of an occasional series of "lost episodes" of "It Was 20 Years Ago Today."  This episode was written and recorded for December 11, 2006.  On that day twenty years before, a number of companies registered "dot com" domain names.  There were less than 100 "dot coms" in those days, and no Internet as we know it today.  I talk a little bit about how different it was to get wired in those days.

Today's episode music is "Boot Strap," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, the President authorized the construction of the Superconducting Supercollider, the biggest atom smasher that -- as it turned out -- never was.

Near the end of the show I mention the Large Hadron Collider, a new super-sized atom smasher which will be opening for business later this year.  The NPR program Science Friday did a segment on the LHC last week.

If you're curious about the Grammar Girl podcast (one of the most popular on the Internet at the moment), it can be found here.

Today's episode music is from "6 Is Lucky," by Hayfield.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Monday, January 22, 2007.  Twenty years ago today, politician Budd Dwyer committed suicide on camera.  I talk about that event, and how a similar one -- the death on camera of journalist Bill Stewart in 1979 -- had an impact on me which resonates to this day.

Today's episode music is "Stranded," by David Henderson.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.

Thursday, January 4, 2007.  For the first podcast of the new year, I look back at a terrible train wreck that took place twenty years ago today.  I tell a little of the story of the Chase wreck, and explain how a deadly accident on the other side of the country could have me holding my breath five years later.

Today's episode music is from "Sumday," by Jeff Shields.  Theme music composed and performed by Marc Rose.