November 27th in nerd history: Eyes so blue they should be illegal

Last updated: February 22, 2024

November 27th in nerd history: Eyes so blue they should be illegal

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November 27th in Nerd History

Here are five things that happened on November 27th at the intersection of nerd and pop culture.

I.

Birthdays of honor: Bruce Lee (1940), Jimi Hendrix (1942), Bill Nye (1955), Jaleel White (1976), Fisher Stevens (1963), Eddie Rabbitt (1941), Curtis Armstrong (1953).

II.

It’s officially been a decade since those damn songs got stuck in your head.

10 years ago today, Frozen was released in theaters, featuring the songs (among others) “Let It Go,” “For the First Time in Forever,” and “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” You sang those while reading the titles, didn’t you?

Inspired by The Snow Queen, a fairytale written by Hans Christian Andersen, the movie would go on to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, with over $1.2 billion at the box office.

That sum would eventually be bested by the sequel, and depending on who you ask Frozen II still holds that moniker — some consider 2019’s The Lion King to hold the title, as even though it’s considered “live-action” by Disney, the vast majority of the film was made with computer animation.

III.

If you think getting a ticket in the mail from one of those red-light cameras stinks, try being Frank Sinatra, who at the age of 23 was arrested and booked in New Jersey for the crime of “Seduction.”

It’s not that we don’t think ol’ Blue Eyes isn’t capable of seduction, because obviously he is, but going to jail for it? Sheesh. Turns out the archaic charge came from a law that sought to protect unmarried women from getting into “inappropriate encounters” with men, thereby ruining their reputation.

The charge was dropped when they found out the woman in question was actually married — but those hardworking lawmen wouldn’t rest, and arrested Sinatra again, this time for Adultery. Eventually, all charges related to whatever went on that night were dropped. All in all, Frank spent a few hours in jail related to the incident — but that’s enough to add to his mystique if you ask us.

IV.

Today in 1991, My Girl hit theaters.

The coming-of-age story centered on 11-year-old Vada Sultenfuss (played by Anna Chlumsky) and the summer of 1972. Vada’s dad (played by Dan Aykroyd) operates a funeral parlor, giving Vada an obsession with death and proneness to hypochondria. The movie’s also known (at least to us) for Macaulay Culkin being in one of his few kid roles where he didn’t have to act all zany.

While critics initially gave the movie mixed reviews, it was a hit with audiences, grossing over $120 million against a $17 million budget.

And today was a great day for America in 1985 when Rocky IV was released. This is the one where Rocky decides to fight a Russian dude, played by Dolph Lundgren.

This is pretty much your classic mid-80s Cold War tale, and even in the Soviet Union, it was said that fans ended up rooting for Rocky.

V.

Here’s a pro tip — if you’ve just escaped court-ordered rehab, don’t hit up the drive-thru at a McDonald’s.

Which is exactly what rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard did today in the year 2000 in Philadelphia. Unfortunately for him, a policewoman recognized and arrested him. I wonder what he was ordering — if it was one of those handheld apple pies, totally worth it.