January 17 in Pop Culture History

Happy Birthday, Benjamin Franklin!

In movies and real life, whenever people talk about large amounts of money, they talk about the Benjamins. This is because Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill.

When Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 17, 1706, no one knew then that he would be famous. People think of Franklin as a genius, but he had only two years of formal schooling. He was apprenticed at age 12, but ran away to Philadelphia at age 17. He took a job as a printer.

Franklin is remembered as the author of Poor Richard’s Almanack, known for its witty sayings. He flew a kite in a thunderstorm to prove that lightning was electricity. He invented the lightning rod and the Franklin stove, neither of which he patented.

From a historical perspective, Franklin played a role in the American Revolution. He lived in London when George III was crowned king and when Parliament passed the Stamp Act. Franklin signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. During the American Revolution, he spent time in France, during which he jokingly suggested the idea of Daylight Saving Time.

Whether it be the movie National Treasure or the television series Liberty’s Kids!, Benjamin Franklin has played a role in pop culture and history. That’s the way it was in the eighteenth century.

1706 – Ben Franklin ‘The First American’ was born.

1773 – Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to sail below the Antarctic Circle.

1929 – Popeye made his 1st appearance, in comic strip ‘Thimble Theater’

1929 – From the Mount Wilson Observatory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Edwin Hubble showed that the universe was expanding.

1946 – The United Nations Security Council held its 1st meeting

1949 – The Goldbergs debuted on CBS

1950 – During the Great Brink’s Robbery, eleven thieves stole more than $2 million from an armored car company’s offices in Boston. They were all caught later.

1954 – Jacques Cousteau’s 1st network telecast aired on CBS’s Omnibus

1966 – There was an accident involving a mid-air refueling operation off the coast of Spain. 4 thermonuclear weapons were dropped in the process each with a yield of 70 kilotons or more (equal to 70 thousand tons of TNT) but none of them exploded.

1976 – #1 Hit January 17, 1976 – January 23, 1976: Barry Manilow – I Write the Songs

1984 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws, in a 5-4 decision.

1986 – Iron Eagle, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Troll and Heathcliff: The Movie were released in theaters

1987 – #1 Hit January 17, 1987 – January 23, 1987: Gregory Abbott – Shake You Down

1994 (Earthquake) A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit Northridge, California.

1997 – Metro, Beverly Hills Ninja, Kolya and Albino Alligator were released in theaters.

1998 – #1 Hit January 17, 1998 – January 30, 1998: Savage Garden – Truly Madly Deeply

1998 – Matt Drudge broke the story of the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair on his website, The Drudge Report.

2003 – Kangaroo Jack debuted in theaters.

2009 – #1 Hit January 17, 2009 – February 6, 2009: Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis – Just Dance

2011 – Piers Morgan Tonight, replacing Larry King Live, debuted on CNN.

2012 – Food Network personality Paula Deen revealed that she has Diabetes type 2.

2015 – #1 Hit January 17, 2015 – April 24, 2015: Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk