This Month in YesterYear History - November

Halloween quickly came and went, and as we enter the post-holiday doldrums, I'll be taking most of the month off.  We have a big family vacation coming up to see Uncle Mickey and Aunt Minnie, so most of the month will be Retro RePosts of some fun Thanksgiving content.  I promise a new "Thanksgiving On..." classic sitcom article this year, though.  Be on the lookout for that, and if you would, please come back and check out the RePosts, too!

Let's review the Novembers of our past with another edition of "This Month in YesterYear History!"  

Please CLICK HERE to read last month's feature if you missed it!

In this series, we take a brief look back at the "best" or "top" of popular culture from the past 20 (2002), 25 (1997), and 30 (1992) years ago!   

Below, you'll find a little time capsule of what was significant in our lives during those days.  Hopefully, as you read these brief synopses of the past, you'll begin to remember the who, when, and where of your memories from that time period.  

That's why I post to this site, after all!

So, let's get into those time machines, my friends!  We're headed back to Twenty, Twenty Five, and Thirty years ago!

POINTS OF REFERENCE

2002: On the 2nd, Mark Messier played his 1,616th NHL game, moving into second place in games most played.  He finished his career just 6 games shy of Gordie Howe's number 1 spot with 1,756 games.  Saddam Hussein is told to "disarm or face serious consequences" by the UN Security Council on November 8th.  Eminem's "Lose Yourself" is released on November 13th.  The next day, Argentina defaulted on an $805 million loan payment to World Bank.  The same day, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (#2 in the series) is released in theaters.  On November 16th, the SARS virus began spreading in China.  November 20th sees "Die Another Day" starring Pierce Brosnan as James Bond released in theaters.  Ina Garten, known as Barefoot Contessa, debuts her cooking show on Food Network on November 30th.

1997: "Titanic" premiers at the Tokyo Film Festival on November 1st.  On the 11th, the NHL's expansion team, set to debut in 2000 in Columbus, Ohio, announced the team name "Blue Jackets."  On the 13th, "The Lion King" opens on Broadway in New York at the Amsterdam Theater.  The next day, on the 14th, "The Lion King" sets a new record for one-day ticket sales of $2.7 million.  Mario Lemieux enters the NHL Hall of Fame on November 17th.  On the 18th, the FBI claims no evidence of foul play was found in the crash of TWA 800.  On the 20th, Philadelphia Flyers' Eric Lindros infamously tries to bite the nose of San Jose's Marty McSorely.  On the 27th, the "Great Balloon Massacre" at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade occurs.  READ MORE HERE.  On the 28th, the final episode of "Beavis and Butthead" airs on MTV.  

1992: On November 3rd, Whitney Houston's version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" was released.  On the same day, Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush to become the 42nd President of the United States.  On November 11th, the Church of England approved the ordination of female priests.  On the 13th, Riddick Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield to become the undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion in the first of three series of bouts.  Dateline NBC airs an exploding GM truck on impact in an accident on November 17th, and it is later proved to be fake news as NBC rigged the car to explode.  In tennis, Monica Seles defeated Martina Navratilova for her 2nd women's championship on the 22nd.  On the 27th, Howard Stern Interviews debuts on the E! Network.  

TOP MOVIES

2002: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, based on J. K. Rowling's 1998 novel of the same name.  The film, the second installment in the Harry Potter film series, stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively.  The story follows Harry's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the Heir of Salazar Slytherin opens the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing a monster that petrifies the school's students. 

Principal photography began in November 2001, only three days after the first film's release.  The filming concluded in July 2002, and the film had a budget of $100 million.  The film became a critical and commercial success, grossing $879 million worldwide and becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2002, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.   

1997: "Starship Troopers" - Starship Troopers is a science fiction action film based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein.  Set in the 23rd century, the film follows the exploits of a teenager, Johnny Rico, and his friends while serving in the military under the Earth world government, the United Citizen Federation.  Humanity's exploration and colonization of outer space brings them into conflict with an alien species known as Arachnids, leading to an interstellar war.  It stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, and Michael Ironside.

Starship Troopers was released on November 7th, 1997, to some initial box office success but negative reviews from critics who perceived the film as promoting fascism, including accusations against Verhoeven and Neumeier of being Nazis.  The reviews and poor word-of-mouth led to box office grosses dropping weekly until it left theaters as only the 34th highest-grossing film of the year.  Verhoeven believed the misconceptions about the film resulted from poor marketing that presented Starship Troopers as an action film instead of a satire.

Since its release, Starship Troopers has been critically re-evaluated and is now considered a cult classic, one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, and a prescient satire of fascism and authoritarian governance that has grown in relevancy.  The film helped launch a multimedia franchise that includes four sequels, an animated television series, Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999), video games, comics, and a variety of merchandise.

1992: "Home Alone 2:  Lost in New York" -  This Christmas comedy directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes was the sequel to the 1990 film Home Alone.  Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, and Catherine O'Hara, it follows Kevin McCallister (Culkin) as he is separated from his family on their vacation in Florida, this time in New York City.  

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Fox on November 20th, 1992.  It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the performances but criticism for its darker tone, use of violence, and similarities to the first film.  The film grossed over $359 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing film of 1992.  A sequel with a new cast, Home Alone 3, was released in 1997.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is the last Home Alone movie to feature the cast from the first film.  However, Devin Ratray reprised his role as Buzz McCallister in the sixth film in the franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone.

TOP SONGS

2002:  "Underneath it All" by No Doubt

1997:  "Candle in the Wind, 1997" by Elton John

1992:  "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men

TOP TV NEWS

2002:  Not much was happening in November of 2002 following the September 11th attacks and the holiday downtime.  

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show aired on the 20th on CBS and earned 10.5 million viewers.    

1997:  Rodgers and Hammerstein's version of Cinderella was aired on ABC, starring Brandy Norwood and Whitney Houston, on November 2nd.  

On the 7th, a crossover with all four TGIF shows sees Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World, You Wish, and Teen Angel.  

On November 9th, the infamous "Montreal Screw-Job" occurred at the WWF Survivor Series Pay-Per-View when Vince McMahon (in reality) screwed champion Bret Hart out of his championship.  McMahon, sitting ringside, ordered referee Earl Hebner to end the match as Michaels was holding Hart in a submission move to switch the titles.  It was the final appearance of Bret Hart on WWF television until 2010.  

On November 29th, The Emergency Broadcast System was replaced by the Emergency Alert System.  

1992:  On November 1st, Texas billionaire Ross Perot acquires blocks of television air time to promote his Presidential campaign.  

On November 14th, Nickelodeon aired the "Kids Choice Awards" for the first time.  

The Seinfeld episode "The Contest" airs on November 18th, later winning an Emmy Award and named the number one episode of all time by TV Guide, despite the controversy surrounding the episode.  

On November 27th, the made-for-TV movie "Saved by the Bell:  Hawaiian Style" airs on NBC.