August 28th in nerd history: It's morphin time
Last updated: June 3, 2024
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August 28 in Nerd History
Here are 5 things that happened on August 28th at the intersection of nerd and pop culture.
I.
Birthdays of honor: Jack Kirby (1917), Jack Black (1969), Shania Twain (1965), Jennifer Coolidge (1961), Jason Priestley (1969), Daniel Stern (1957), Amanda Tapping (1965).
II.
30 years ago today, on August 28th of 1993, a new show called Mighty Morphin Power Rangers hit the airwaves for the very first time. Haim Saban — who also composed the Inspector Gadget theme song — got the idea for the show while watching TV in his hotel room in Japan. As he watched giant monsters and robots and whatnot battle it out, it dawned on him that they could easily create and film an entire show without ever having to recreate those battle scenes.
Using stock footage from Japanese shows combined with original footage of the kids behind the helmets, what seemed like an insane idea became an insane global success that’s still spawning new content to this very day.
III.
In 1981 the cult-classic horror slasher Hell Night hit theaters. The movie follows a group of college students as potential new fraternity and sorority members expect a night of pranks and some silly, good ol’ college fun. Turns out, pretty much everyone is going to die. There’s not necessarily anything groundbreaking about Hell Night, which is exactly what people love about it — also the fact The Exorcist‘s Linda Blair plays a leading role.
IV.
In 2009, after years of threats and public battles, Oasis finally called it quits for good when Noel refused to work with his brother Liam anymore. Don’t look back in anger, guys.
V.
In 1963 the number one song was “My Boyfriend’s Back” by The Angels.