ON THIS DAY in 1888, British Army officer T. E. Lawrence was born. David Lean’s 1962 epic, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, starring Peter O’Toole, was based on Lawrence’s experiences in Arabia during the first World War.
Reel History
All posts tagged Reel History
ON THIS DAY in 1965, the Beatles played before approximately 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City. The concert–which marked the birth of stadium rock–was documented in the 1966 film, THE BEATLES AT SHEA STADIUM.
ON THIS DAY in 1980, Polish electrician and human rights activist Lech Wałęsa scaled a fence at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk where a food price-hike strike was taking place. Wałęsa became the strike’s leader, his actions leading to Poland’s Solidarity movement. In 1981, the film MAN OF IRON, directed by Andrzej Wajda, told the story of how the movement persuaded the Polish government to recognize workers’ rights.
ON THIS DAY in 1860, Annie Oakley–sharpshooting star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show–was born. In 1935, her life was portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck in the film, ANNIE OAKLEY.
ON THIS DAY in 30 B.C., Cleopatra VII Philopator, last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic dynasty, committed suicide, allegedly by means of an asp bite. In 1963, she was portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the epic CLEOPATRA, also starring Richard Burton.
ON THIS DAY in 1926, Danish socialite Claus von Bülow was born in Copenhagen. Von Bülow was convicted of attempting to murder his wife Sunny via an overdose of insulin (thus leaving her in a lifelong vegetative state), but the conviction was reversed. The story was retold in the 1990 film, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, starring Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close.
ON THIS DAY in 1988, the United States authorized the Civil Liberties Act, which gave $20,000 payments to Japanese Americans who had been interned or relocated by the government during World War II. The 1990 documentary short subject Oscar winner, DAYS OF WAITING, tells the story of an artist who went voluntarily to one of the internment camps.
ON THIS DAY in 1942, Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi was arrested in Bombay by British forces, thereby launching the “Quit India Movement”. The incident was reenacted for the 1982 biographical film, GANDHI, starring Ben Kingsley.
Home Projectionist 