August 8th in nerd history: Let's go see a body
Last updated: June 3, 2024
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August 8th in Nerd History
Here are 5 things that happened on August 8th at the intersection of nerd and pop culture.
I.
Birthdays of honor: Dustin Hoffman (1937), The Edge (1961), Sable (1967), Kool Moe Dee (1962).
II.
In 1986, one of the greatest coming-of-age stories ever told came to theaters when Stand by Me was released. Aside from the bonkers before-they-were-stars casting (Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O’Connell), this is one of those movies that just moves from classic scene to classic scene.
And the live-action(ish) reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles came out today in 2014 — but I think we’re at the point where we can pretend that version doesn’t exist now, right?
III.
In 1969 The Beatles were busy recording inside Abbey Road Studios but took a break for a few photos in a more or less impromptu fashion. The resulting images of the band walking through a crosswalk outside the studio became iconic and led to decades of fans speculating about hidden messages — including that, for some reason, Paul was dead.
IV.
Today in 1992 The Dream Team won the gold medal in basketball when active NBA players joined the Olympic squad for the first time. There is nothing about playing this team that was fair.
V.
In 1988 N.W.A. released their consequential debut album, Straight Outta Compton. It went platinum, showing that gangsta rap could be commercially viable.