This Month In YesterYear History - August

 

In "This Month in YesterYear History," we look back at the big pop culture moments from 

20 (2005), 25 (2000), and 30 (1995) years ago!   

Below, you'll find a little time capsule of what was significant during this month in history.  Hopefully, as you read these brief recaps of the past, you'll remember the who, when, and where of some long-tucked-away memories!  That's the whole point of this site! 

POINTS OF REFERENCE

2005:  On the 1st, the great novel "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson is published posthumously.  It's the first in the "Millennium" series.  On the 2nd, the largest trade in NBA history is completed as 5 teams combine to swap 13 players, bringing Antoine Walker & Jason Williams to Miami, leading to the Heat's first ever Championship that season.  Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day retires at 52 after winning a career total of $298 million in race purses.  On the 5th, the NBA announces Las Vegas will host the All-Star Game, the first in a city without a franchise.  Also on the 5th, the discovery of Skull No. 5 was announced by archaeologist David Lordkipanidze in Georgia (the country).  The skull was deemed approximately 1.8 million years old and is supposedly from the site of the first known hominids to leave Africa.  Also on the 5th, Alexander Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals is the first MLB player to score 30 home runs or more in each of his first 5 seasons.  On August 12th, an F1 tornado strikes Glen Cove, New York, a very rare event for Long Island.  I was teaching people how to fly on Long Island then, and remember seeing what I thought was a waterspout over Long Island Sound during the lesson, and an hour or so later when I landed everyone in the flight school was freaking out about the tornado and canceled the rest of my day.  On August 18, Dennis Rader was sentenced to 175 years in prison for the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) murders in Kansas.  On the 19th, a series of intense storms dubbed the "Toronto Supercell" lashed Southern Ontario, spawning several tornadoes and creating extreme flash flooding within Toronto and its surrounding communities.  A day later, Hurricane Katrina forms over the Bahamas, later becoming a Category 5 hurricane that destroys New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast.  As Jesse Ventura says, the government had that HAARP weather modifier crankin' this August!  On the 26th, the US Postal Service names one of its Los Angeles facilities after singer Ray Charles.  On the 29th, Hurricane Katrina made landfall over New Orleans, causing $115 billion in damage and killing over 1,800 people.  Brokeback Mountain debuts at the Venice Film Festival on the 31st.  

2000:  On the 1st, the first patient in the world received the Jarvik 2000, the first entirely artificial heart.  On the 7th, Vice President Al Gore picked his running mate, Joe Lieberman, making Joe the first Jewish man to run for Vice President.  Also on the 7th, the Los Angeles Lakers announced the retirement of former star player and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Jerry West.  On the 8th, Confederate submarine CSS H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor, off the coast of South Carolina.  The band Lifehouse releases their single "Hanging by a Moment" on the 16th, which becomes Billboard Song of the Year 2001.  On the 20th, Tiger Woods wins back-to-back PGA titles after a 3-hole playoff with Bob May, becoming the first to win 3 major titles in the same year since Ben Hogan in 1953.  On the 23rd, a Gulf Air A320 crashed near Bahrain, killing 143.  On the 27th, the 1,772-foot-tall Ostankino Tower catches fire in Moscow, killing 3.  

1995:  On the 1st, Westinghouse purchased the CBS television network.  On the 2nd, Saudi Arabia's King Fahd issued a decree replacing all members of the Council of Ministers who do not have blood ties to the royal family.  On the 3rd, CNN launches CNN Español.  On the 4th, after a suspension from the MLB for substance abuse, former Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry joined the NY Yankees.  Thousands gather on the 6th in Hiroshima, Japan, to honor the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb.  Coolio releases "Gangsta's Paradise" on the 8th.  It was named "Song of the Year" by Billboard.  The Pittsburgh Pirates' Jeff King becomes the 16th player to ever hit a home run twice in the same inning.  On the 10th, the MLB's last (to date) forfeit occurred, when the LA Dodgers were forced to forfeit the game against the St. Louis Cardinals.  It was souvenir ball day, and rowdy LA fans continued to throw them on the field during the game.  When the home plate umpire made a string of bad calls against the Dodgers in the bottom of the 9th, Dodgers batter Raul Mondesi and manager Tommy LaSorda were ejected from the game.  Fans showered the field with balls, and the umpire called the game off.  As with all forfeits, the MLB scored the end of the game 9-0.  In what music insiders call "The Battle of Brit Pop," Oasis and Blur release singles on the same day (the 13th).  On the 14th, the Foo Fighters make their television debut on The David Letterman Show, performing This is a Call.  Also on the 14th, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman to attend The Citadel, following a lawsuit.  She quits 5 days later,  when she is unable to complete the physical training, which she cited to Oprah Winfrey as "stress-induced weight gain."  Los Del Rios release their single "Macarena" on the 15th, but it takes a few years (and an English language remix) to become a mega-hit.  On the 19th, Mike Tyson returns to the boxing ring after three years in prison.  He won in 89 seconds against Peter McNeeley.  On the 23rd, actor Larry Hagman received a liver transplant.  On the 24th, a brush fire that wipes out 6,000 acres in The Hamptons on Long Island starts.  That same day, Microsoft released Windows 95.  On the 30th, CNN joins the internet.  

TOP MOVIES

2005: "The Dukes of Hazzard" - 

The Dukes of Hazzard is a 2005 American action comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by John O'Brien.  It is technically the third installment of the Dukes of Hazzard film series and is loosely based on the 1979-1985 television series of the same name.  

This film stars Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson in her feature film debut, Burt Reynolds, Joe Don Baker, Lynda Carter, and Willie Nelson. It follows cousins Bo and Luke Duke and Daisy and Uncle Jesse as they try to prevent the corrupt Hazzard County Commissioner Boss Hogg from seizing their family farm. 

Warner Bros. Pictures released the film in the United States on August 5, 2005.  It opened to substantial box office numbers, debuting with $30 million and eventually grossing $109.8 million worldwide against a production budget of approximately $50 million.  Despite its financial success, the film received generally negative reviews from critics.  Many long-time fans of the series were angered at the multiple changes to characters and storylines, which differed significantly from the source material.

It was followed by a direct-to-video prequel, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, in 2007.

2000: "Hollow Man" -  

This science fiction horror/thriller was directed by Paul Verhoeven, written by Andrew W. Marlowe, and starring Elisabeth Shue, Kevin Bacon, Josh Brolin, Kim Dickens, Greg Grunberg, Joey Slotnick, Mary Randle, and William Devane. 

The film follows Sebastian Caine, a scientist who volunteers to be the first human test subject for a serum that renders the user invisible.  When his fellow scientists are unable to restore him to normal, he grows increasingly unstable and eventually becomes very violent.  

The film was not well received by critics, but it grossed $190 million worldwide.  On Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews of only 26% of over 120 critics are positive.  Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 24 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.  Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2001, but lost to Gladiator.  

A direct-to-video stand-alone sequel, Hollow Man 2, starring Christian Slater and Peter Facinelli, was released in 2006.Critical response

1995: "Waterworld" -  

Waterworld is a post-apocalyptic thriller/adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy.  It was based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay.  The film stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it alongside Charles Gordon and John Davis.  It was distributed by Universal Pictures. 

The movie is set in the distant future, where the polar ice caps have completely melted and the sea level has risen over 25,000 feet (7,600 meters), covering nearly all of the land on Earth.  The film centers on a nameless antihero, dubbed "The Mariner" (Costner), who drifts around the Earth on his trimaran boat.

Peter Rader, the writer, came up with the idea for Waterworld when discussing the creation of a Mad Max rip-off.  The original script was written in 1986, but was shelved until 1989.  Rader cited Mad Max as a direct inspiration for the film, including various Old Testament stories and Helen of Troy (even naming the main female character Helen).  After several rewrites, Costner and Kevin Reynolds joined the production team in 1992, marking the fourth collaboration between the two: Fandango (1985), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and Rapa-Nui (1994).   Kevin Reynolds quit the film before its release, owing to heated battles with Costner over his creative decisions, but still received full producer credits.

During production, the film was plagued by a series of cost overruns and production setbacks.  Universal initially gave the film a budget of $100 million, but by 1994, the bill had increased to $135 million, with final costs estimated at about $175 million.  

Waterworld's reported total outlay was $235 million once marketing and distribution costs are factored in. Because of the production's runaway costs, some critics dubbed it "Fishtar" and "Kevin's Gate," alluding to his other flops, Ishtar and Heaven's Gate.  

Filming took place in a large artificial seawater enclosure similar to that used in the film Titanic two years later; it was located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Hawaii.  The final scene was filmed in Waipio Valley on the Big Island, also referred to as The Valley of Kings.  Additional filming took place in Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, and Santa Catalina Island, and the Channel Islands of California. 

Before filming began, Steven Spielberg had warned Costner and Reynolds not to film on open water owing to his own production difficulties with Jaws. Like Jaws, the production was hampered by difficulties in obtaining otherwise simple shots due to poor weather, safety concerns, and waves pushing the camera crew out of position.

The film debuted at the box office at number one and for its first weekend, Waterworld collected a total of $21.6 million.  At the end of its run, the film grossed $88 million at the North American box office and $176 million overseas, for a total of $264 million worldwide.  It eventually became profitable after factoring in home video sales and TV broadcast rights, among other revenue streams.

TOP SONGS

2005:  "We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey

2000:  "Incomplete" by Sisqo

1995:  "Waterfalls" by TLC

TOP TV NEWS

August 2005:

1st: Current TV, a 24-hour youth-oriented news channel owned by former Vice President Al Gore, is launched. The channel replaces Newsworld International.  

3rd:  "Kathy Griffin:  My Life on the D-List" debuts on Bravo.

4th:  "Always Sunny in Philadelphia" debuts on FX.

7th:  ABC's acclaimed news anchor Peter Jennings dies of lung cancer.  He is succeeded by Bob Woodruff.  

The Playboy-centric reality show "The Girls Next Door" debuts on E!

"Weeds" debuts on Showtime.

13th:  In response to Linda Vester's year-long maternity leave, Fox News Channel announces she will no longer host DaySide.

14th:  MTV cancels "Viva La Bam," which surprisingly lasted three seasons.

19th:  The Disney Channel cancels "The Proud Family," which debuted in 2001. 

21st:  HBO's hit series "Six Feet Under" ends.

22nd:  Peppa Pig debuts on Cartoon Network's short-lived "Tickle U" programming block aimed at preschoolers.  

29th:  Hurricane Katrina strikes the Greater New Orleans area, causing major disruption of the region's television broadcasts.  Local television news programs relocate to other cities to cover the story, though most are interrupted by the storm; some continue to broadcast reports via the Internet.

August 2000:  

12th:  "Battle Bots" debuts on Comedy Central.  

14th:  "Dora the Explorer" debuts on Nickelodeon. 

18th: Sadly, the long-time flagship program for World Championship Wrestling, WCW Saturday Night, ends. It had aired on TBS on Saturday Night at 6:05PM since 1971.

23rd: Corporate trainer Richard Hatch was declared the inaugural winner on "Survivor" on CBS, winning the $1 million grand prize. Kelly Wiglesworth was the runner-up. This may be the last time America was swept up in a television show like this. As a personal aside, I can remember even the elderly senior citizens in the family following along with the show while we were on vacation in Maine.

August 1995:

7th:  NBC wins the rights to broadcast the 2002 Winter Olympics from Salt Lake City, Utah, for $545 million.

Finance show "The Squawk Box" debuts on CNBC.

17th:  The series finale of Yo!  MTV Raps airs, featuring numerous high-profile names in the world of hip-hop.

22nd:  Larry Hagman, the star of Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie, undergoes a liver transplant.

27th:  WWF cancels "WWF Wrestling Challenge," which had been on air since 1986.