History As You Experienced It

Milli Vanilli Fraud Rocks the Music Biz (Nov. 15, 1990)

I was away on business in L.A. visiting my company's office there for the first time (ad agency NWAyer).  That evening, a Thursday, I was in my hotel room (the newly renovated Biltmore) getting ready to drive over to West Hollywood for a bite to eat when I heard a breaking story on the evening news about Grammy-winning vocal duo Milli Vanilli (Best New Artist of 1990). It was revealed that they hadn't done their own singing when recording or performing!

Despite this deception I couldn't understand why a class-action lawsuit was filed to obtain refunds for those who purchased MV's CD/record Girl You Know It's True (which sold nearly 10 million units and produced 5 top-10 singles).  After all, the wildly popular songs were unchanged, with the same great hooks & beats, so if fans previously liked hits such as Girl I'm Gonna Miss You why would they no longer enjoy them now? Of course, MV had to give back their Grammy.  And unlike Vanessa Williams, whose career took off after a scandal forced her to step down as Miss America in 1985 (nude photos), the fledgling careers of Rob & Fab were largely over (and, sadly, Rob committed suicide in 1998).

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz

New York's First Great Blackout (Nov. 9, 1965)

I was in the 3rd grade and after dinner I was doing homework in the living room with the radio playing in the background (my parents listened to the evening news on venerated Pittsburgh station KDKA while we ate dinner). Mom & dad were getting ready to leave for Parents Night meetings at each of the schools my brother, sister & I attended.  That's when the news report came on about a massive power failure affecting New York City during evening rush hour. 

Years later (as a resident of NYC) I was on a date when the conversation turned to our tastes in music, in particular, The Supremes.  My date told me that whenever he heard their song I Hear A Symphony it always brought back memories of the Blackout of '65.  On the evening of the blackout it was being played on radio station WABC-AM when the melody & voices became distorted as the turntable slowly wound down after losing power. And my memory of him telling me what he remembered was that when we said good-night he hugged me so hard (it came out of nowhere) that he broke one of my ribs. Literally, a painful memory.

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz

Bush Pushes Rumsfeld Aside (Nov. 8, 2006)

It was a dreary & rainy Tuesday but I was in good spirits for a number of reasons.  First, the results from yesterday's mid-term election were very positive as both houses of Congress returned to Democratic control.  Secondly, it was payday for me after completing a consulting project for research company MRI.  I went up to MRI's offices in Chelsea at around noon to pick up the check and from there I walked over to my bank to deposit it. While standing in line at HSBC I heard the surprising (and gratifying) news on CNN that irascible Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was stepping down! 

This news flash was like a beam of sunshine breaking through the clouds.  Even better was the fact that for some reason the president decided to wait until after the election to make this announcement. Therefore, it was of no benefit to Republican candidates. This good news made the day's pouring rain (the most of any day this year, a record-setting 3.60") more than bearable. In fact, as I walked home I felt lighthearted, just like Gene Kelly in his famous rain-splashing scene in the the movie Singin' in the Rain. At long last there appeared to be light at the end of the tunnel - and in 2 more years we would be delivered from evil. 

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz    

Gore Vs. Bush: Too Close to Call (Nov. 7, 2000)

I was running on the treadmill at the gym (Crunch Fitness) in the early evening watching election coverage as I warmed up for my weight workout. The early returns looked promising for Vice President Al Gore.  In fact, NBC had just projected him to be the winner in Florida.  This encouraging news gave me a lift during my workout. However, by the time I returned home an hour later the state's 25 electoral votes had been taken from his column as Florida was now "too close to call". This was quite an unusual, and puzzling, development. 

I stayed up until nearly 2:00 and then for whatever reason I chose to keep the TV on as I slept.  (At least I was able to lull myself to sleep knowing that former First Lady Hillary Clinton had won her race in New York for the U.S. Senate.) I awoke to the same uncertainty as when I crawled into bed - the race had yet to be called.  And this is how it would stay for the next 5 weeks until the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Bush's favor - thus beginning an 8-year nightmare for the nation. (Books by CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and renowned Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz discuss the standoff in Florida.) 

The craziness in Florida, with its confusing variety of ballots, made me reflect on how those in the advertising research field (my profession) so often disparage Nielsen for its measurement of TV audiences - using techniques which go through rigorous methodological review.  How curious that its methods are held up to such greater scrutiny compared to the jerry-rigged system used to elect the President, the most important man in the world.  

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz

"The Great Pumpkin" Makes Its TV Debut (Oct. 27, 1966)

Charles Schulz's popular comic strip Peanuts surged in popularity in the mid-1960's.  It was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story in April 1965; the first animated Peanuts TV special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas", aired in December 1965; and the following year the holiday-themed novelty tune "Snoopy Vs. the Red Baron" went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks.  And on this Thursday evening on CBS the special "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" aired for the first time. 

I was 9 years old at the time and in the 4th Grade. I watched the 30-minute telecast over at the house of my friend Mary Kay Opalanko, who lived across the alley from us (she was year a older than me).  We watched Linus & Charlie Brown's little sister Sally sitting in the pumpkin patch while we set up Mary Kay's new road-race set in her living room.  My older brother Darrell joined us because of the lure of the racing set (he also helped assemble it).  An added attraction was the Opalanko's new color TV.   (Mary Kay's family was also the first in the neighborhood to get a big, above-ground swimming pool.) 

"The Great Pumpkin" delivered a 31.6 Nielsen household rating, making it the 30th highest-rated telecast of 1966 (episodes of Bonanza comprised half of the top-30 that year).  And although new Charlie Brown specials would proliferate through the years none would achieve the same beloved stature as this one or "A Charlie Brown Christmas".  (To purchase either on DVD doubleclick  "Great Pumpkin" or "Charlie Brown Christmas".)

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz 

Buckner's Miscue Gives Mets Miraculous World Series Win (Oct. 25, 1986)

It was Saturday evening and I had gone up to a commitment ceremony for two lesbian friends, Helena & Diana, who lived on the Upper East Side.  After the ceremony our party of 15 taxied down to the Chinese restaurant Marvelous Mandarin in the East Village. The entire night we were following Game 6 of the World Series between the Red Sox & Mets. (By coincidence I had gone to the Mets' last regular season game with Helena & Diana and my boss/friend David.)  After dinner the gang was going out dancing to continue the celebration of this happy occasion but I was low on energy because I had a touch of a cold so I decided to go home instead. 

When I left the restaurant shortly after midnight the Mets, who had come back twice to tie the game, had once again fallen behind.  It was the bottom of the 10th inning, Boston was ahead 5-3 and there were 2 outs and the bases were empty. I reconciled myself to the reality that they lost the World Series and the Red Sox had finally broken their "curse".  Of course it was a disappointment, especially since the Mets had gone 108-54 during the regular season.  However, a few minutes after I started walking across town to my apartment in the West Village the streets exploded as if it was New Year's Eve.  Curious, I ran into a nearby bar and heard the unbelievable news that the Mets had come back to win the game after an easy ground ball hit by Mookie Wilson went through the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner!

The Mets went on to win Game 7 making them World Series champions but it was almost anti-climatic after Game 6's finish (similar to the 1975 Series in which Carlton Fisk's HR in extra innings is remembered more than the fact that Boston lost the Series the next day to the Reds). 

(To further immerse yourself in the '86 World Series the 1986 Mets World Series Collector's Edition DVD is worth considering.) 

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz

Wall St. Tanks on Black Monday (Oct. 19, 1987)

For the past 5 years Wall St. had been in the midst of a bull market.  However, after reaching its all-time high at the end of this summer the market began heading south.  Then on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 19, 1987 a number of friends called me at work to tell me that Wall St. was experiencing a meltdown.  Stock prices had plunged and the market was forced to close early because the huge volume of selling was just too great for the trading floor to handle.  At the closing bell the Dow had plummeted 508 points, a decline of nearly 23% (this was on top of 235 points that been lost the previous week.)  This % decline was nearly twice the decline back on Oct. 28, 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression.

I was 30 years old at the time and had been kicking myself for not investing during this bull market (I didn't open my first mutual fund until the following year).  However, on the upside, since I didn't have much at stake (as was the case with most of my peers) I wasn't shaken like many of my older colleagues were.  My boyfriend at the time was very concerned.  He was chief counsel at EF Hutton, a brokerage that had been under investigation for various financial improprieties.  Today's market collapse quickened its demise and in less than 2 months it merged with Shearson Lehman/American Express. (However, he did keep his job after the merger.)

From work I went home and tuned to the CBS Evening News to try to grasp the enormity of it all.  Gosh, how much further might this collapse go?  This was cause for anxiety as Tuesday dawned.  Trading that day was characterized by wild swings, so much that the market closed for a brief time at mid-day in hopes of regaining its bearings. Thankfully, the market rebounded in the afternoon and half of Monday's losses were regained in the next few trading days.  This was in stark contrast to the Black Mondays of 1929 and last year which presaged the beginning of grim economic times. By contrast, this was merely a market "correction".

Although the number of points lost on this day in 1987 was 270 fewer than last year's 777-point plunge on Sept. 29 the % change was much greater because it was off a much smaller base (back then the Dow was only in the 2,000's compared to 11,000+ in 2008).  By comparison, last year's one-day decline was a drop of "only" 7%.  (A behind-the-scenes account of what transpired on Oct. 19-20, written by a former reporter for the Wall St. Journal, is provided in the book Black Monday: The Stock Market Catastrophe of Oct. 19, 1987). 

Somewhat lost in the week's financial turmoil was the acrimonious confirmation hearings for President Bush's choice for the Supreme Court, Robert Bork.  At the end of the week the U.S. Senate would vote down his nomination by a 58-42 vote.

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz 

Mazeroski Hits a Home Run for the Ages (Oct. 13, 1960)

Growing up in Pittsburgh, one of the proudest moments in the city's history, and a story passed down from generation to generation, was the Pirates' 1960 World Series victory over the mighty New York Yankees.  In the most dramatic ending in World Series history, Pirates 2nd baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to win Game 7 (this was years before the term "walk-off" came into use). It seemed fitting that the championship came to Pittsburgh because at the time the Steel City was going through its "Renaissance", a massive civic campaign to clean the air/water, create parks and rebuild parts of downtown. 

In the first six games of the Series the Yankees had scored twice as many runs as Pittsburgh yet the Pirates managed to win three games.  In the games they won the Yanks crushed the Pirates (16-3, 10-0, 12-0) while the Pirates won games in which its pitchers shined (6-4, 3-2, 5-2). In Game 7 the Pirates ramped up its offense.  It was a see-saw game and after the Yankees scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th the game was tied 9-9.

Maz was the first batter in the bottom of the 9th and he hit his famous home run a little past 3:30. My mother was watching the game with my older brother & sister who were already home from school (2nd and 5th Grades, respectively). As for me I was just 3 years old so I have no recollection. When Dad came home from work at 4:30 Mom met him on the sidewalk with a "crying towel" since he had bet against the Pirates with our neighbor from across the street.  The bet was for a case of beer (Iron City, of course).  Mr. Zamanski magnanimously didn't want Dad to pay-up but Dad insisted and they drank a bottle together.

The Pirates also had satifsying World Series triumphs in 1971 and 1979 (both times over Baltimore) but neither matched the adrenaline rush of that late afternoon HR over the scoreboard in beloved Forbes Field. (The book The Best Game Ever: Pirates 10 Yankees 9 offers an in-depth, inning-by-inning account of Game 7.)

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz  

Anita Hill Testifies Against Clarence Thomas (Oct. 11, 1991)

It was Friday afternoon and I was sitting in my office at ad agency NWAyer when I first heard on the radio news of the rather contentious atmosphere at the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Anita Hill, a former colleague of Thomas', had made allegations about lewd comments and sexual harrassment she had been subjected to when they worked together (he was her manager at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.)  Curious, I walked down the hall to the office of the director of national broadcast buying to watch some of the live testimony on his TV.  I was shocked to hear Hill's frank testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, e.g. Thomas' comment about a pubic hair being on a can of Coke on his desk during a meeting with her (one of the most ignominious brand mentions of all time).  Never before had words such as these, or for that matter, "penis" and "oral sex" been talked about so openly in a public forum. (This was 7 years before the references to the semen stain on Monica Lewinsky's blue dress.)  The riveting "he said/she said" testimony continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening (when Thomas got his chance at rebuttal). In addition to watching some of it at the office I continued watching the coverage at home before & after I went to the gym and then after traveling out to NJ to spend the night at my boyfriend's apartment. 

Four days later Thomas was approved in a very close vote in the Senate.  In fact, the 52-48 vote was the closest confirmation vote of the 20th Century. (By comparison, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by a 68-31 vote, Chief Justice John Roberts by 78-22 and Samuel Alito 57-42.) The book The Prince and the Pauper: The Case Aganst Clarence Thomas provides an essay that offers background into Thomas, an analysis of his confirmation as well the political process that resulted in his selection. 

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz

Superstar Pope Makes First Visit to U.S. (Oct. 1-6, 1979)

The world was wild about Pope John Paul II. Less than a year into his papacy he made a triumphant visit to his Polish homeland in June and a few months later the U.S. got its turn when he spent the first week of October in the Northeast visiting Boston, NYC, Philly & D.C. (he became the first pope to visit the White House).  During his visit to New York I managed to see him twice. The first time was during lunchtime on Tuesday, Oct. 2 as I waited with three co-workers (the "3-M's": Marina, Maria & Marian) at the corner of First Ave./49th St. We saw him drive past after he left the U.N., which was a short walk from our office on 3rd Ave./50th St. (ad agency Scali,McCabe, Sloves). 

I saw him again the following morning and this time it was pure happenstance. I was walking to work in a downpour and he came riding past in his popemobile down 5th Ave. on his way to Madison Square Garden after saying mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Not a bad way to start the day I must say! And it seemed that the good feeling generated by JPII's visit extended to much of the nation (or at least we Roman Catholics) but the euphoria would last for just a month because on Nov. 4 the U.S. embassy in Tehran was overtaken and 52 of its American staff were taken hostage.  This turn of events, combined with tough economic times (e.g., double-digit inflation), created a national malaise that would be instrumental in taking down Jimmy Carter's presidency.  

Remembered by Rob Frydlewicz