Today's Trivia and What Happened on November 21

Who Played Frankenstein in the 1931 film classic "Frankenstein"?

Who Played Frankenstein in the 1931 film classic "Frankenstein"? Close Large View

Who Played Frankenstein in the 1931 film classic "Frankenstein"?

Colin Clive played Dr. Frankenstein.
Boris Karloff played Frankenstein's monster, not Frankenstein.

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Quote: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. - Emma Lazarus, inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty

Quote: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. - Emma Lazarus, inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty Close Large View

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What Happened On

Who Shot J.R.?

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Who Shot J.R.?

November 21, 1980

* SPOILER ALERT * 78 million people watch Dallas to find out Kristin shot J.R., making this the highest-rated TV episode to date.
Kristin was J.R.'s scheming sister-in-law and mistress who shot him in a fit of anger. J.R. did not press charges, as Kristin claimed she was pregnant with his child.

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Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama

Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama Mob beats Freedom Riders in Birmingham, Alabama
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Bus Segregation

November 21, 1961

Mississippi's segregation laws for buses and public transportation are ruled unconstitutional by a federal court. This was largely due to the efforts of the Freedom Riders, who challenged bus segregation by riding as racially-mixed groups.

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Elvis Presley - "No Singer is Worth that Much"

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Elvis Presley - "No Singer is Worth that Much"

November 21, 1955

Elvis Presley signs with RCA Victor for $40,000 ($460,000 in 2023 dollars). The high amount paid prompted a Columbia executive to comment "No singer is worth that much."

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Frankenstein go to Video for Frankenstein

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Frankenstein

November 21, 1931

Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff as the monster, opens in theaters.
What is arguably one of its most famous scenes, the scene of the girl being thrown into the lake, was cut from the film in 1934 due to enforcement of the Production Code. The footage was thought lost, but was rediscovered in the 1980s and it has been reincorporated into modern copies of the film.
"We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation; life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, well,--we warned you." - Producer Carl Laemmie before the opening credits.
Puzzle: Who played Frankenstein? Answer

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First Woman U.S. Senator

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First Woman U.S. Senator

November 21, 1922

Mrs. Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia is sworn in as Senator for Georgia. She only served for 24 hours.
When Senator Thomas E. Watson died in September, 1922, then Governor Thomas W. Hardwick had to appoint a replacement. Since Hardwick was running for this Senate seat, he wanted someone who would not be a viable opposing candidate in the upcoming election and who could also help pacify the women voters he had alienated with his opposition to women's right to vote. Congress was not expected to reconvene until after the election, so Hardwick didn't think Felton would get sworn in. However, Walter F. George won the election and when Congress reconvened, George allowed Felton to be sworn in before he took office the following day.

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Sinking of the HMHS Britannic

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Sinking of the HMHS Britannic

November 21, 1916

The sister ship of the RMS Titanic and the RMS Olympic sinks after striking a mine during World War I. 1,035 of the 1,065 people on board were rescued from the water and lifeboats. The Britannic was the largest ship lost during World War I. Her remains were located in 1975 by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and is the largest passenger ship on the sea floor.
One of the survivors, Violet Jessop, also survived the sinking of the Titanic and had been aboard the Olympic when it collided with a British warship in 1911.

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Westmoreland with President Lyndon B. Johnson Westmoreland with President Lyndon B. Johnson

Westmoreland with President Lyndon B. Johnson Westmoreland with President Lyndon B. Johnson
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Vietnam War - Westmoreland Claims the Communists are Losing

November 21, 1967

Commander of U.S. troops in Vietnam, General William Westmoreland, tells the media: "I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing." However, these statements were undermined when the communists launched the massive Tet Offensive two months later. This marked the turning point of public sentiment turning against the war.

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Hotel Television

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Hotel Television

November 21, 1947

New York City's Roosevelt Hilton begins offering in-room television service, becoming the first hotel in the world to have televisions in guest rooms. The system boasted of a single antenna connected to a control room that adjusted the picture quality before sending the transmission to the room. Therefore, the TVs had only two knobs: On-Off/Volume and Channel Selector, as opposed to typical televisions of the day that required multiple knobs just to adjust the picture.
Conrad Hilton began his hotel chain in 1919.

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North Carolina

November 21, 1789

North Carolina becomes the 12th state.

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First Manned Free Balloon Flight

November 21, 1783

Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a 25-minute flight over Paris. They covered six miles and reached an altitude of about 300 feet.

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Birthdays

Virgil Browne

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This is a birthday

Inventor of the Six-Pack

Virgil Browne

Born November 21, 1877 d. 1979

American bottler. In 1923, he developed the six-pack beverage carton, which he developed for Coca Cola. He got the idea after acquiring a Coca-Cola bottler operating in Oklahoma City the previous year.
He was also a pioneer in vending machines and parking meters.

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Hetty Green

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World's Greatest Miser

Hetty Green (Henrietta Howland Green)

Born November 21, 1834 d. 1916

American financial wizard and miser, called the Witch of Wall Street and the World's Greatest Miser. She wore the same black dress for years (eventually it turned green and then brown), used old newspapers for lingerie and lived in an unheated apartment. Her estate was valued at $100,000,000.

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François-Marie Voltaire

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François-Marie Voltaire

Born November 21, 1694 d. 1778

French author, philosopher. Quote: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" is attributed to Voltaire.
Quote: "Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities."

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Reggie Lewis

Born November 21, 1965 d. 1993

American basketball player. The Boston Celtics' top scorer, he died of heart failure during practice. After collapsing during a game three months earlier, he was diagnosed by 12 physicians as having a life threatening heart condition. He followed the advice of another doctor who said that he was OK to play.

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Lorna Luft

Born November 21, 1952

American actress. TV: Trapper John, M.D (Libby Kegler). She is the daughter of Judy Garland.

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Goldie Hawn

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Goldie Hawn

Born November 21, 1945

American Oscar-winning actress. Film: Cactus Flower (1969, Oscar), Shampoo (1975), Private Benjamin (1980), Overboard (1987), and Death Becomes Her (1992). TV: Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1973).

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Dr. John

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Dr. John (Malcolm Rebennack, Jr.)

Born November 21, 1940 d. 2019

American Grammy-winning musician. Music: Walk on Guilded Splinters (1968), Iko Iko (1972), Right Place, Wrong Time (1973), and Makin' Whoopee (1989, Grammy).
Prior to a show, a motel manager was pistol whipping Dr. John's friend and lead vocalist, Ronnie Barron, over a tryst that Barron was having with the manager's wife. When Dr. John stepped in, the motel manager shot him, nearly taking his left-hand ring finger completely off. After surgery, the finger healed at an awkward angle, making it difficult to play guitar, so he concentrated on piano and organ.
As a child, he was pictured on Ivory Soap packages.

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Marlo Thomas (Margaret Thomas)

Born November 21, 1937

American Emmy-Grammy-winning actress. TV: That Girl (1966-71, Ann Marie). She serves as National Outreach Director for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which was founded by her father, Danny Thomas (1962).

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Stan Musial (Stanisław Franciszek Musiał)

Born November 21, 1920 d. 2013

American Hall of Fame baseball legend, "Stan the Man." He was the first three-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award (1943, 46, 48).

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Benedict XV

Born November 21, 1854 d. 1922

Italian religious leader, 258th Pope (1914-22).

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Deaths

Robert Stroud

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Birdman of Alcatraz

Robert Stroud

Died November 21, 1963 b. 1890

American convicted killer, known as the Birdman of Alcatraz. He became an expert on bird diseases while spending 44 years in solitary confinement. He discovered a cure for the hemorrhagic septicemia family of diseases in birds.
At age 18, Stroud murdered a man for assaulting a woman Stroud was pimping out for prostitution. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and developed a reputation as one of the most violent prisoners in the prison and was transferred to the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas as a result. There he killed a guard and was sentenced to death by hanging. Stroud's mother appealed to President Woodrow Wilson who halted the execution. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment and he spent most of the rest of his life in solitary confinement. It was during this time that Stroud found some injured sparrows in the prison yard and raised them to adulthood. He then began raising and selling canaries and bird medicines via mail order to help support his mother. Over the years he raised nearly 300 canaries and wrote two books on the care of birds. After prison officials found out equipment Stroud had ordered for his birds was actually for distilling alcohol, and also due to his violent tendencies, he was transferred in 1942 to Alcatraz where he was no longer allowed to keep birds.
Writings: Diseases of Canaries (1933) and Stroud's Digest on the Diseases of Birds (1943).
He was portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1962 movie.

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Michael J. Pollard (Michael John Pollack, Jr.)

Died November 21, 2019 b. 1939

American actor. Film: Bonnie and Clyde (1967, C.W. Moss - the duo's dimwitted partner) and Tango & Cash (1989, Owen).

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David Cassidy

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David Cassidy

Died November 21, 2017 b. 1950

American singer, actor. David Cassidy played Keith Partridge in TV's The Partridge Family (1970-74). His character's mother on the show was played by his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones. Along with The Partridge Family, he had a successful solo music career performing for screaming crowds in what became known as "Cassidymania." In an attempt to change his public image in 1972, he appeared nude on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Music: I Think I Love You (1970, #1).

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Ann McCaffrey

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Ann McCaffrey

Died November 21, 2011 b. 1926

American-born Irish Hugo Award-winning Science Fiction Hall of Fame writer. Writings: The Dragonriders of Pern series (1967‑). She was the first woman to win a Hugo award for science fiction and also the first woman to win a Nebula Award. The Pern series was continued after her death by her son Todd, who had previously collaborated with her on the books.

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Bill Bixby

Died November 21, 1993 b. 1934

American actor. TV: My Favorite Martian (reporter Tim O'Hara), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (Eddie's father), and The Incredible Hulk (David Banner - You don't want to make him mad).

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Carl Hubbell

Died November 21, 1988 b. 1903

American baseball hall-of-famer. Known as "The Meal Ticket," he won 253 games with the N.Y. Giants and was twice voted the National League's Most Valuable Player (1933, 1936).

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Lee Patrick

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Lee Patrick

Died November 21, 1982 b. 1901

American actress. Film: The Maltese Falcon (1941, Sam Spade's secretary).

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Garret Augustus Hobart

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Garret Augustus Hobart

Died November 21, 1899 b. 1844

American politician. 24th U.S. Vice-President (1897-99). He died while in office of heart disease at the age of 55. During his time in office, Hobart significantly expanded the powers of the vice presidency, becoming a presidential adviser, and taking a leadership role as president of the Senate.

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Father of Mineralogy

Georgius Agricola

Died November 21, 1555 b. 1494

German scholar. The "Father of Mineralogy." His writings served as a guide for metallurgist for over 200 years.

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