It's time for the June 2023 edition of "This Month in YesterYear History!"
In this series, we take a brief look back at the big pop culture moments from the past 20 (2003), 25 (1998), and 30 (1993) 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. That's why I post to this site, after all!
POINTS OF REFERENCE
2003: On June 5th, a severe heatwave in India makes the news as temperatures reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit for several days. Empire Maker wins the 135th Belmont Stakes on June 7th. The New Jersey Devils defeat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on the 9th to win the Stanley Cup. NASA launches the Spirit Rover Mars Mission on June 10th. The San Antonio Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals on June 15th. Moneyball, the book that inspired the movie years later about the 2003 Oakland Athletics and General Manager Billy Beane's sabermetric approach, is published on June 17th. Google launches "AdSense," a program that allows websites to collect ad revenue, on June 18th. On the 21st, the 5th installment of Harry Potter, titled Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was released. Barry Bonds steals second base on the 23rd, becoming the first player in baseball history to have 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases. On June 27th, the United States "Do Not Call" registry was created to combat nuisance sales calls and signed up 750,000 numbers on its first day.
1998: On the 1st, the European Central Bank is created in Brussels to define the European Union's monetary policy. On June 4th, Terry Nichols is sentenced to life in prison for his role in the Oklahoma City bombings. Jim Carey's The Truman Show is released on the 5th. A seven-week strike begins at General Motors parts factories on the 5th. The TV sitcom "Sex and the City" debuts on HBO on June 6th. The Lion King on Broadway wins the Tony Award for Best Musical on June 7th. On the 14th, the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz for their 3rd straight title and 6th championship in 8 seasons. Michael Jordan wins MVP for the 3rd consecutive year. On the 16th, the Detroit Redwings defeat the Washington Capitals in the Stanley Cup Finals. On June 25th, in the case of Clinton vs. New York, the Supreme Court finds the "Line Item Veto Act" unconstitutional.
1993: Connie Chung joins Dan Rather as host of CBS Evening News on June 1st. On June 5th, Aerosmith's Living on the Edge hits the charts at number 18. Colonial Affair wins the 125th Belmont Stakes on June 6th. Vince Gill and Alan Jackson clean up at the Music City News Country Awards on June 7th. On the same day, singer Prince celebrates his birthday by changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol. Also, on the 7th, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame breaks ground for a physical museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Jurrasic Park is released in theaters on June 11th. Yokozuna defeats Hulk Hogan to become the WWF World Heavyweight Champion on June 13th. On June 14th, President Clinton nominates Ruth Bader Ginsberg for the Supreme Court. On the 26th, the U.S. launched cruise missiles at Baghdad in response to a failed assassination attempt at former President George H.W. Bush. On the 27th, Don Henley dedicates "It's Not Easy Being Green" to President Bill Clinton and gets booed by the crowd. Jacques Lemaire becomes the head coach of the New Jersey Devils on the 28th.
TOP MOVIES
2003: "Finding Nemo" - Finding Nemo is a computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar for Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and Geoffrey Rush. It tells the story of an overprotective clownfish named Marlin (Brooks), who, along with a forgetful blue tang fish named Dory (DeGeneres), searches for his missing son Nemo (Gould). Along the way, Marlin learns to take risks and comes to terms with Nemo growing up and taking care of himself.
Pre-production of the film began in early 1997. Director Andrew Stanton was inspired by his childhood visits to the dentist, who had a large fish tank. As a child, he imagined the fish were from the ocean, longing to return home. Pixar sent the animators on a crash course in fish biology and oceanography to make the movements of the fish believable.
Nemo was released in theaters on May 30th, 2003. Upon its release, it received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the visual elements, screenplay, and characters cited as funny to young moviegoers and their parents. It also became the highest-grossing animated film at the time of its release. It was the second-highest-grossing film of 2003, earning $871 million worldwide by the end of its initial theatrical run.
Finding Nemo is the best-selling DVD title of all time, with over 40 million copies sold by 2006, and was the highest-grossing G-rated film of all time before Pixar's own Toy Story 3 overtook it. In 2008, the American Film Institute named it as the 10th greatest American animated film as part of their 10 Top 10 lists. A sequel, Finding Dory, was released in June 2016.
1998: "The Truman Show" - The Truman Show is a 1998 satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir. The film stars Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who grew up living an ordinary life that—unbeknownst to him—takes place on a large set populated by actors for a television show about him. The supporting cast includes Laura Linney, Ed Harris, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, and Brian Delate.
Unlike the finished product, the original script called for a more science fiction thriller set in New York City. Paramount Pictures set up production and initially tapped Brian De Palma to direct before selecting Weir. Weir made the film for $60 million - $20 million less than the estimate. Most filming took place at Seaside, Florida, in a master-planned community in the Florida Panhandle.
The Truman Show held its world premiere in Los Angeles on June 1st, 1998, and was released in North America on June 5th. The film was a financial success, debuting to critical acclaim, and earned numerous nominations at the 71st Academy Awards, 56th Golden Globe Awards, 52nd British Academy Film Awards, and 25th Saturn Awards. The Truman Show has been analyzed as an exploration of simulated reality, existentialism, surveillance, religion, metaphilosophy, privacy, and reality television.
1993: "Jurrasic Park" - Jurassic Park needs no introduction. This 1993 science fiction film is directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It is the first installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the first film in the Jurassic Park original trilogy. Based on the 1990 novel by Michael Chrichton, the film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, located near Costa Rica, where a wealthy businessman named John Hammond (Attenborough) and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors, including Hammond's grandchildren, struggle to survive.
Even before Chrichton's novel was published, four movie studios bid on the film rights. With the backing of Universal Studios, Spielberg acquired the rights for $1.5 million in 1990. Chrichton was hired for an additional $500,000 to adapt the novel for the screen. The final script was changed by the studio, leaving out much of the novel's violence and several changes to the characters. Filming took place in California and Hawaii from August to November 1992.
The dinosaurs were created with groundbreaking computer-generated imagery by Industrial Light & Magic and life-sized animatronic dinosaurs built by Stan Winston's team. To showcase the film's sound design, which included a mixture of various animal noises for the dinosaur sounds, Spielberg invested in creating DTS, a company specializing in digital surround sound formats. The film was backed by an extensive $65 million marketing campaign, which included licensing deals with over 100 companies.
Jurassic Park grossed over $914 million worldwide in its original theatrical run,[5] becoming the highest-grossing film ever, surpassing Spielberg's own E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. This record was held until the release of Titanic in 1997. The film was followed by five sequels – The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
TOP SONGS
2003: "Get Busy" by Sean Paul
1998: "Too Close" by Next
1993: "That's The Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson
TOP TV NEWS
2003:
June 13th - Liz Cho co-anchors her last World News Now newscast on ABC before heading to the network's flagship station WABC-TV in New York City. She is replaced by Andrea Stassou.
1998:
June 6th - The series "Sex and the City" aired its first episode on HBO.
June 11th - The United Video Satellite Group, the parent company of the Prevue Channel (now Pop T.V.), acquires T.V. Guide from News Corporation for $800 million and 60 million shares of stock worth an additional $1.2 billion. Prevue Channel will rebrand to the T.V. Guide Channel on February 1st, 1999.
June 14th - Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz is broadcast on NBC. The game registered a 22.3 Nielsen rating with a 38 share with an average of 35.9 million viewers. 72 million people in the U.S. watched at least some part of the game.
1993:
June 1st - Connie Chung starts on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather.
June 13th - The WWF holds the inaugural King of the Ring pay-per-view event. Hulk Hogan would lose the WWF World Heavyweight Championship against Yokozuna in what would be Hogan's final appearance in the WWF until 2002.
June 16th - While appearing as a guest on Yo! MTV Raps, Tupac Shakur confesses to physically assaulting film directors Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes in retaliation for his firing from the film Menace II Society.
June 25th - David Letterman broadcasts his last late-night talk show with NBC.
June 26th - The final episode of Soul Train with Don Cornelius as host airs.
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