Afro Pop Remix

Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound) http://afropopremix.com   Snapshots   1.    Bill Clinton is President   2.    Jan - In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Tonya later pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover-up the attack, is fined $100,000, and banned from the sport.   3.    Jan - During a segment on NBC's Today, host Bryant Gumbel asks, "What is the internet, anyway?"   4.    Feb - During the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, guest host Martin Lawrence makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene, which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and SNL (for life). In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer Jim Downey), saying that although SNL is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs.   5.    Apr - Kurt Cobain, songwriter and frontman for the band Nirvana, is found dead at his Lake Washington home. He is believed to have committed suicide three days before he was found.   6.    Jun - Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are murdered outside the Simpson home in Los Angeles. O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings but is held liable in a civil suit.   7.    Nov - Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces that he has Alzheimer's disease.   8.    Nov - WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides the world's first internet radio broadcast, aka live streaming.   9.    Nov - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot five times and robbed after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan.   10.    Sep - The pilot episode for Friends airs on NBC.   11.    Open Comments   12.    Top 3 Pop Songs   13.    #1 "The Sign", Ace of Base   14.    #2 "I Swear", All-4-One   15.    #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men   16.    Record of the Year: Sheryl Crow for "All I Wanna Do"   17.    Album of the Year: Tony Bennett for MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett   18.    Song of the Year: Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia"   19.    Best New Artist: Sheryl Crow   20.    Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton for "Breathe Again"   21.    Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Babyface for "When Can I See You"   22.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "I'll Make Love to You"   23.    Best R&B Album: Boyz II Men for II   24.    Best Rap Solo Performance: "U.N.I.T.Y." – Queen Latifah   25.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "None of Your Business" – Salt-N-Pepa   26.    Top 3 Movies   27.    #1 The Lion King   28.    #2 Forrest Gump   29.    #3 True Lies   30.    Notables: House party 3, Blue Chips, Sugar Hill, Above The Rim, The Ink Well, Crooklyn, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Speed, Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Shawshank Redemption, Jason's Lyric, Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber   31.    Top # TV Shows   32.    #1 Seinfeld   33.    #2 ER   34.    #3 Home Improvement   35.    Debuts - Sister, Sister, South Central, Rolanda   36.    Economic Scene   37.    Income = 37k (Previously 31K)   38.    House = 119K (113)   39.    Car = 12.5k (12.7)   40.    Rent = 533 (532)   41.    Harvard = 24.9k (23.5)   42.    Movie = 4 (4.14)   43.    Gas = 1.09 (1.16)   44.    Stamp .29 (Same)   45.    Social Scene: OJ Simpson   46.    O.J. Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in Putrero Hill, California, in the family of Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson. His father was a chef and bank custodian and his mother were a hospital administrator. Soon after his birth he developed rickets and had to wear braces on his legs till he was five. In 1952, his father left the family when he was still very young, and his mother had to take responsibility of raising the four children. He joined the ‘Persian Warriors’, a street gang in his early teens and was confined at the ‘San Francisco Youth Guidance Center’ for a short while. He played football for his team the ‘Galileo Lions’ at the ‘Galileo High School’ (now known as ‘Galileo Academy of Science and Technology’) in San Francisco.   47.    List of the most familiar faces that played pivotal roles in the trial.   48.    Marcia Clark (Prosecution / Ice Queen): An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial. Described as cold and calculating, Clark turned off many black female jurors who viewed her courtroom style as harsh and aggressive. After losing the Simpson case, Clark resigned from the L.A. District Attorney's office.   49.    Christopher Darden (Prosecution / Uncle Tom / Token): Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a black man amid a majority black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson. Although Darden floundered at the start of the trial and was purportedly intimidated by Cochran, he gained momentum as events progressed. However, he made a consequential mistake when he demanded that Simpson try on the infamous bloody gloves, which ended up being too small for the accused's hands. The loss of the Simpson trial devastated Darden, who was known for his short fuse, and he took a leave of absence.   50.    Robert Shapiro (Defense / Publicity Hound): A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Shapiro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded. But when he began representing Simpson, Shapiro found himself jostling to keep his leadership role as other attorneys on his team were chomping at the bit to outshine him. Reportedly, co-defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey leaked stories to the press about Shapiro's ego, one of many indications there was infighting within the group. However, the blow that removed Shapiro from his lead status was when Cochran won Simpson's favor by visiting him in jail — something Shapiro preferred not to do with any of his clients. Once Cochran took over as lead counsel, Shapiro was vocally critical and attempted to distance himself from his team's chosen strategies. He would later tell Barba ra Walters that "not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck."   51.    Johnnie Cochran (Defense / Master Manipulator): Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team. Once Cochran gained control of Simpson's defense strategy and pushed Shapiro to the side, he wooed the courtroom and media. Using his "black preacher" style approach, he controversially used the race card to curry sympathy for Simpson. After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage.   52.    Lance Ito (Judge / Wanna Be): Before Lance Ito was appointed to the bench in 1989, he was an attorney for the L.A. district and at one point, worked under Cochran. A fan of media attention, Ito was arguably too lax about different aspects of the Simpson trial, giving interviews and inviting celebrities and journalists into his chambers. Judge Ito was further criticized on his decision to allow cameras in the courtroom and letting attorneys stall and have too many sidebars. His willingness to include Detective Mark Fuhrman's old taped interviews, in which he denigrated black people, was also a huge source of contention for the prosecution. In a strange twist, the tapes also revealed Fuhrman had made disparaging remarks about Ito's wife, Margaret York, who was Fuhrman's department superior at the time. When those comments were exposed, the prosecution asked for Ito to recuse himself due to his possible bias against Fuhrman, but later the request was withdrawn.   53.    Mark Fuhrman (Detective & Witness / Racists): Among the most controversial figures of the Simpson trial was L.A. homicide detective Mark Fuhrman. Responsible for discovering the "bloody glove" at the murder scene, Fuhrman did what the LAPD refused to do to Simpson — he threw the former NFL star in jail. Although Fuhrman denied ever having racist tendencies or using the n-word, a taped interview he had chosen to do 10 years earlier revealed otherwise. In the recording, he was quoted as saying to incarcerated black people: "You do what you're told, understand, n—r?" A wave of backlash hit Fuhrman, but he continued denying being a racist and also pushed back against the defense's theory that he planted the bloody glove to frame Simpson.   54.    Dennis Fung (Criminologist & Witness / Dunce): As the prosecution's witness, Dennis Fung — the LAPD criminologist who collected evidence at the murder scene — ended up spending the longest time testifying on the stand. For nine days, Fung recalled how he collected samples of blood, albeit admittedly overlooking some important areas where blood drops were identified and not always using gloves. The defense ate up Fung's inefficient and careless actions and implicated him as a liar who was part of a lar

Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound) http://afropopremix.com   Snapshots   1.    Bill Clinton is President   2.    Jan - In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Tonya later pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover-up the attack, is fined $100,000, and banned from the sport.   3.    Jan - During a segment on NBC's Today, host Bryant Gumbel asks, "What is the internet, anyway?"   4.    Feb - During the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, guest host Martin Lawrence makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene, which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and SNL (for life). In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer Jim Downey), saying that although SNL is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs.   5.    Apr - Kurt Cobain, songwriter and frontman for the band Nirvana, is found dead at his Lake Washington home. He is believed to have committed suicide three days before he was found.   6.    Jun - Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are murdered outside the Simpson home in Los Angeles. O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings but is held liable in a civil suit.   7.    Nov - Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces that he has Alzheimer's disease.   8.    Nov - WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides the world's first internet radio broadcast, aka live streaming.   9.    Nov - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot five times and robbed after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan.   10.    Sep - The pilot episode for Friends airs on NBC.   11.    Open Comments   12.    Top 3 Pop Songs   13.    #1 "The Sign", Ace of Base   14.    #2 "I Swear", All-4-One   15.    #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men   16.    Record of the Year: Sheryl Crow for "All I Wanna Do"   17.    Album of the Year: Tony Bennett for MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett   18.    Song of the Year: Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia"   19.    Best New Artist: Sheryl Crow   20.    Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton for "Breathe Again"   21.    Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Babyface for "When Can I See You"   22.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "I'll Make Love to You"   23.    Best R&B Album: Boyz II Men for II   24.    Best Rap Solo Performance: "U.N.I.T.Y." – Queen Latifah   25.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "None of Your Business" – Salt-N-Pepa   26.    Top 3 Movies   27.    #1 The Lion King   28.    #2 Forrest Gump   29.    #3 True Lies   30.    Notables: House party 3, Blue Chips, Sugar Hill, Above The Rim, The Ink Well, Crooklyn, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Speed, Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Shawshank Redemption, Jason's Lyric, Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber   31.    Top # TV Shows   32.    #1 Seinfeld   33.    #2 ER   34.    #3 Home Improvement   35.    Debuts - Sister, Sister, South Central, Rolanda   36.    Economic Scene   37.    Income = 37k (Previously 31K)   38.    House = 119K (113)   39.    Car = 12.5k (12.7)   40.    Rent = 533 (532)   41.    Harvard = 24.9k (23.5)   42.    Movie = 4 (4.14)   43.    Gas = 1.09 (1.16)   44.    Stamp .29 (Same)   45.    Social Scene: OJ Simpson   46.    O.J. Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in Putrero Hill, California, in the family of Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson. His father was a chef and bank custodian and his mother were a hospital administrator. Soon after his birth he developed rickets and had to wear braces on his legs till he was five. In 1952, his father left the family when he was still very young, and his mother had to take responsibility of raising the four children. He joined the ‘Persian Warriors’, a street gang in his early teens and was confined at the ‘San Francisco Youth Guidance Center’ for a short while. He played football for his team the ‘Galileo Lions’ at the ‘Galileo High School’ (now known as ‘Galileo Academy of Science and Technology’) in San Francisco.   47.    List of the most familiar faces that played pivotal roles in the trial.   48.    Marcia Clark (Prosecution / Ice Queen): An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial. Described as cold and calculating, Clark turned off many black female jurors who viewed her courtroom style as harsh and aggressive. After losing the Simpson case, Clark resigned from the L.A. District Attorney's office.   49.    Christopher Darden (Prosecution / Uncle Tom / Token): Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a black man amid a majority black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson. Although Darden floundered at the start of the trial and was purportedly intimidated by Cochran, he gained momentum as events progressed. However, he made a consequential mistake when he demanded that Simpson try on the infamous bloody gloves, which ended up being too small for the accused's hands. The loss of the Simpson trial devastated Darden, who was known for his short fuse, and he took a leave of absence.   50.    Robert Shapiro (Defense / Publicity Hound): A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Shapiro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded. But when he began representing Simpson, Shapiro found himself jostling to keep his leadership role as other attorneys on his team were chomping at the bit to outshine him. Reportedly, co-defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey leaked stories to the press about Shapiro's ego, one of many indications there was infighting within the group. However, the blow that removed Shapiro from his lead status was when Cochran won Simpson's favor by visiting him in jail — something Shapiro preferred not to do with any of his clients. Once Cochran took over as lead counsel, Shapiro was vocally critical and attempted to distance himself from his team's chosen strategies. He would later tell Barba ra Walters that "not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck."   51.    Johnnie Cochran (Defense / Master Manipulator): Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team. Once Cochran gained control of Simpson's defense strategy and pushed Shapiro to the side, he wooed the courtroom and media. Using his "black preacher" style approach, he controversially used the race card to curry sympathy for Simpson. After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage.   52.    Lance Ito (Judge / Wanna Be): Before Lance Ito was appointed to the bench in 1989, he was an attorney for the L.A. district and at one point, worked under Cochran. A fan of media attention, Ito was arguably too lax about different aspects of the Simpson trial, giving interviews and inviting celebrities and journalists into his chambers. Judge Ito was further criticized on his decision to allow cameras in the courtroom and letting attorneys stall and have too many sidebars. His willingness to include Detective Mark Fuhrman's old taped interviews, in which he denigrated black people, was also a huge source of contention for the prosecution. In a strange twist, the tapes also revealed Fuhrman had made disparaging remarks about Ito's wife, Margaret York, who was Fuhrman's department superior at the time. When those comments were exposed, the prosecution asked for Ito to recuse himself due to his possible bias against Fuhrman, but later the request was withdrawn.   53.    Mark Fuhrman (Detective & Witness / Racists): Among the most controversial figures of the Simpson trial was L.A. homicide detective Mark Fuhrman. Responsible for discovering the "bloody glove" at the murder scene, Fuhrman did what the LAPD refused to do to Simpson — he threw the former NFL star in jail. Although Fuhrman denied ever having racist tendencies or using the n-word, a taped interview he had chosen to do 10 years earlier revealed otherwise. In the recording, he was quoted as saying to incarcerated black people: "You do what you're told, understand, n—r?" A wave of backlash hit Fuhrman, but he continued denying being a racist and also pushed back against the defense's theory that he planted the bloody glove to frame Simpson.   54.    Dennis Fung (Criminologist & Witness / Dunce): As the prosecution's witness, Dennis Fung — the LAPD criminologist who collected evidence at the murder scene — ended up spending the longest time testifying on the stand. For nine days, Fung recalled how he collected samples of blood, albeit admittedly overlooking some important areas where blood drops were identified and not always using gloves. The defense ate up Fung's inefficient and careless actions and implicated him as a liar who was part of a lar

Topics: WTC Bombing, Urban Fashion, Dr. Dre, Menace II Society, Living Single (Bonus Artist: Luck) http://afropopremix.com/   https://www.vibe.com/2016/01/1993-the-year-hip-hop-and-rb-conquered-the-world "1993: The Year Hip-Hop And R&B Conquered The World" 1993 was a historically transformative period for hip-hop and rhythm and blues. When VIBE Magazine dropped its iconic black and white debut issue in September of 1993—featuring a ridiculously fresh faced Snoop Doggy Dogg gracing the landmark cover—it was yet another reminder how ubiquitous urban culture had become. 1993: Hip Hop Artist that released albums A Tribe Called Quest / Bone Thugs-n-Harmony / Cypress Hill / De La Soul / Digable Planets / Digital Underground / DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince / Eazy-E / Fat Joe / Geto Boys / Heavy D & the Boyz / Ice Cube / Ice-T / Insane Clown Posse / Jodeci / Jungle Brothers / Kid Rock / Kris Kross / KRS-One / LL Cool J / Luke / MC Lyte / Naughty by Nature / Onyx / Queen Latifah / Run-D.M.C. / Salt-n-Pepa / Shaquille O'Neal / Snoop Dogg / Tag Team / The Roots / Too Short / Tupac / Wu-Tang Clan / Yo-Yo Next recording: Sunday June, 28th 2020 Time: Decatur / Tulsa - 12 noon Denver - 11a California - 10a Topics: Social - World Trade Center bombing Social - Urban fashion Music - The Chronic, by Dr. Dre Movies - Menace II Society TV - Living Single 1. 1993 notes 2. Bill Clinton, President 3. Feb – Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 49, dies of the AIDS virus in New York. Ashe was believed to have contracted the virus from a blood transfusion during a heart surgery ten years earlier. 4. Feb – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over 1,000. 5. Feb – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, with a warrant to arrest leader David Koresh on federal firearms violations. Four agents and five Davidians die in the raid and a 51-day standoff begins. 6. Mar - ESPN holds the first ever ESPY Awards. 7. Apr – The Kuwaiti government claims to uncover an Iraqi assassination plot against former U.S. President George H. W. Bush shortly after his visit to Kuwait. Two Iraqi nationals confess to driving a car bomb into Kuwait on behalf of the Iraqi Intelligence Service. 8. Apr - Colorado Rockies becomes a baseball team 9. Jun - The final episode of Soul Train with Don Cornelius as host airs. 10. Jul – U.S. President Bill Clinton announces his 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy regarding homosexuals serving in the American military. 11. Sep – PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin shake hands in Washington D.C., after signing a peace accord. 12. Oct – A large scale battle erupts between U.S. forces and local militia in Mogadishu, Somalia; eighteen Americans and over 1,000 Somalis are killed. The assault was planned to include an air and ground phase. As the mission was ongoing, Somali forces shot down two American Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s. A desperate defense of the downed helicopters began, which would become dramatized in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down. Fighting lasted through the night to defend the survivors of the crashes, including the insertion of two sniper commandos who would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. In the morning, a UNOSOM II armored convoy fought their way to the helicopters, incurring further casualties but eventually rescuing the survivors. 13. Nov – President Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act into law, requiring purchasers of handguns to pass a background check. 14. Open Comments: 15. Top 3 Pop Songs 16. #1. "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston 17. #2. "Whoomp! (There It Is)" Tag Team 18. #3. "Can't Help Falling in Love" UB40 19. Record of the Year: "I Will Always Love You", Whitney Houston 20. Album of the Year: The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album 21. Song of the Year: "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle 22. Best New Artist: Toni Braxton 23. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Toni Braxton for "Another Sad Love Song" 24. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Ray Charles for "A Song for You" 25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Sade for "No Ordinary Love" 26. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson 27. Best Rap Solo Performance: Dr. Dre for "Let Me Ride" 28. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Digable Planets for "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" 29. Top 3 movies 30. #1. Jurassic Park 31. #2. Mrs. Doubtfire 32. #3. The Fugitive 33. Notables: CB4, Groundhog Day, The Crying Game, Falling Down, Indecent Proposal, Who's the Man?, Sleepless in Seattle, Poetic Justice, Carlito's Way, A Bronx Tale 34. Top 3 TV Shows 35. #1. 60 Minutes 36. #2. Home Improvement 37. #3. Seinfeld 38. Debuts: Living Single (Forgot to Mention "Martin" debut for 1992) 39. Economic Snapshots 40. Avg. Income: 31k (30k - previously) 41. New Home: 113k (122.5k) 42. Avg Rent: 532 (519) 43. New Car: 12.7k (16.9k) 44. Harvard: 23.5k (15.4k) 45. Movie Ticket: 4.14 (4.25) 46. Gas: 1.16 1.05 (1.05) 47. Stamp: .29 (.29) 48. Social Scene: WTC Bombing 49. A 1,200-pound bomb in a Ryder rental truck parked in a parking garage beneath the World Trade Center exploded. The explosion created a hole about 6 stories deep. An estimated 50,000 people were evacuated, yet only 6 people died. 50. Ramzi Yousef directed the organization and execution of the bombing. He said he did it to avenge the sufferings Palestinian people had endured at the hands of US-aided Israel. He is the nephew of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the accused mastermind of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people and ultimately brought down the World Trade Center. 51. Timeline 52. February 26, 1993 - At 12:18 p.m. ET, a bomb explodes on the second subterranean level of Vista Hotel's public parking garage, below the 2 World Trade Center building. 53. February 28, 1993 - The FBI confirms that a bomb caused the explosion. In the wreckage, federal agents find shattered van parts with a vehicle identification number. 54. March 4, 1993 - Mohammad Salameh is arrested after he claims a refund on a rented van authorities believe carried the explosives. 6 More arrested over next 8 months. 55. March 29, 1993 - The World Trade Center re-opens. 56. August 25, 1993 - Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman (The Blind Sheik) an Egyptian cleric who emigrated to the United States, is indicted for involvement for in the terrorist plot. Some of the 1993 bombing suspects frequented the New Jersey mosque where he preached. 57. February 7, 1995 - Suspected WTC bombing mastermind Yousef is captured abroad by the FBI and State Department. 58. October 1995 - Abdel-Rahman is convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. 59. January 8, 1998 - After being convicted, Yousef is sentenced to 240 years in prison for his role in organizing the bombing. "I am a terrorist and proud of it," he tells the court. He has been locked away in solitary confinement at the federal "Supermax" prison in Florence, Colorado, since 1998. 60. February 18, 2017 - Abdel-Rahman, the blind Egyptian-born cleric who inspired terrorist plots including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, passes away in an American prison at the age of 78. 61. Question: What do you remember about this attack and/or the 9/11 attack? 62. Social Scene (2) Urban Wear / Street gear explosion 63. First generation of hip-hop acts dressed like the top RnB acts that influenced them: Classic Motown, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Prince, George Clinton, etc... 64. 1983: Run-DMC set a new standard in hip-hop fashion, choosing casual wear like adidas sneakers and Kangol hats over suits, fancy shoes and other expensive gear. They popularized, the B-Boy look of bucket hats, sneakers, and gold chains. 65. Mid 80's Dapper Dan, born Daniel Day, a haberdasher who would import bootlegged fabrics or screen-print logos onto luxury leather, then turn them into one-of-a-kind, street-inflected pieces. His boutique, operated from 1982–92 and is most associated with introducing high fashion (opposite Run-DMC's casual style) to the hip hop world, with high profile clients over the years including Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, & LL Cool J. 66. 1984-1992: Tommy Hilfiger & Polo Ralph Lauren: Between 1984 and 1989, Ralph Lauren was king of the hip-hop culture. When Tommy Hilfiger was released in the early 1990s, both brands battled each other for the hearts of musicians and the attention of hip-hop fans around the world. In 1992, Grand Puba wrote lyrics for the Mary J. Blige’s song “What’s the 411?” and mentioned Hilfiger because that’s what he was repping at the time. Puba said he gave a shout-out to the brand because rap artists recognized “whatever’s fresh, whatever’s dope.” 67. 1990: Founded in 1989, Cross Colours was geared toward young African Americans to help promote pride in their ethnicity. Based on the principle of “clothes without prejudice,” Cross Colours is one of the most iconic brands to embrace hip-hop culture. In 1990, on the first season of the hit primetime television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, lead actor Will Smith wore a series of boldly hued and geometric looks designed by the young Los Angeles–based urban apparel line. African American-owned, founded by Carl Jones and T.J. Walker, the brand quickly skyrocketed. Soon, it was being worn by almost every musical icon of the era. Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Run DMC, Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, Mary J. Blige, members of TLC, television show In Living Color, and Muhammad Ali. 68. 1993: With the mainstream success of hip-hop, street gear/urban wear sales exploded and legitimized "Urban" fashion as a legitimate niche for major retail outlets. 69. Notable brands: Pelle (1978), Karl Kani (1989), Phat Farm (1992), PNB Nation (1992), Fubu (1992), E

Topics: L.A. Riots, Mary J. Blige, White Men Can't Jump, Def Comdey Jam (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound) 1992 Snapshots 1. President: George H. W. Bush 2. Feb - In Indianapolis, Indiana, boxer Mike Tyson is convicted of raping Desiree Washington. 3. Mar - H. Ross Perot announces that he will run for U.S. President. 4. Apr - Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of the murder of mob boss Paul Castellano and of racketeering, and is later sentenced to life in prison. 5. Apr - Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 48, announces that he is suffering from the AIDS virus, which he is believed to have contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in 1983. 6. Apr - In Simi Valley, California, a jury acquits four LAPD police officers accused of excessive force in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, causing the 1992 Los Angeles riots and leading to 53 deaths and $1 billion in damage. 7. May - After 30 years, Johnny Carson retires as host of NBC's The Tonight Show. 8. Jun - During a spelling bee at a Trenton, New Jersey elementary school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle erroneously corrects a student's spelling of the word potato, indicating it should have an e at the end. 9. Jul - 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain 10. Oct - The video game Mortal Kombat is released. 11. Nov - Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeats incumbent President George H. W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot in the US presidential election. ["It's the economy, stupid"/ "I didn't inhale."] 12. Dec - Hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre releases his solo debut studio album The Chronic. 13. Top 3 Pop Songs 14. #1 - End of the Road", Boyz II Men 15. #2 - "Baby Got Back", Sir Mix-a-Lot 16. #3 - ‘Jump", Kris Kross 17. Record of the Year - Eric Clapton for "Tears in Heaven" 18. Album of the Year - Eric Clapton for Unplugged 19. Song of the Year - Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven" 20. Best New Artist - Arrested Development 21. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan for The Woman I Am 22. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Al Jarreau for Heaven and Earth 23. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Boyz II Men for "End of the 24. Road" 25. Best Rap Solo Performance - Sir Mix-a-Lot for Baby Got Back 26. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - Arrested Development for Tennessee 27. #1 - Aladdin 28. #2 - The Bodyguard 29. #3 - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 30. Notables: Juice, American Me, Basic Instinct, Deep Cover, Sister Act, A league of Their Own, Mo' Money, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Mighty Ducks, Reservoir Dogs, Malcolm X, The Bodyguard, A Few Good Men, Toys, White Men Can't Jump 31. Top 3Tv Shows 32. #1 60 Minutes 33. #2 - Roseanne 34. #3 - Home Improvement 35. Debuts: Hanging with Mr. Cooper and Def Comedy Jam 36. Economic Snapshots 37. Avg. Income: 30k (29.9k - previously) 38. New Home: 122.5 (120k) 39. Avg Rent: 519 (495) 40. New Car: 16.9k (16.8k) 41. Harvard: 15.4 (14.5k) 42. Movie Ticket: 4.25 (4.25) 43. Gas: 1.05 (1.12) 44. Stamp: .29 (.25) 45. Social Scene: LA Riots 46. Audio Clip 47. Open Comments 48. Question: Do riots actually serve a meaningful purpose? What would you tell your kids if 49. they were in a riot? (On either side) 50. Music Scene 51. Top Black Songs from the top 40 52. #1. "End of the Road". Boyz II Men 53. #2. "Baby Got Back". Sir Mix-a-Lot 54. #3. "Jump". Kris Kross 55. #4. "Save the Best for Last". Vanessa Williams 56. #5. "Baby-Baby-Baby". TLC 57. #7. "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)". En Vogue 58. #9. "All 4 Love". Color Me Badd 59. #10. "Just Another Day". Jon Secada 60. #11. "I Love Your Smile". Shanice 61. #14. "Black or White". Michael Jackson 62. #16. "I'll Be There". Mariah Carey 63. #19. "Remember the Time". Michael Jackson 64. #20. "Finally". CeCe Peniston 65. #23. "Can't Let Go". Mariah Carey 66. #24. "Jump Around". House of Pain 67. #25. "Diamonds and Pearls". Prince and The New Power Generation 68. #27. "Masterpiece". Atlantic Starr 69. #29. "Giving Him Something He Can Feel". En Vogue 70. #31. "Come and Talk to Me". Jodeci 71. #33. "Humpin' Around". Bobby Brown 72. #35. "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do". Tevin Campbell 73. #36. "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg". TLC 74. #37. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Boyz II Men 75. #38. "Move This". Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K 76. #40. "Tennessee". Arrested Development 77. #41. "The Best Things in Life Are Free". Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson 78. #42. "Make It Happen". Mariah Carey 79. #44. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". P.M. Dawn 80. #46. "2 Legit 2 Quit". Hammer 81. #47. "Please Don't Go". KWS 82. #48. "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)". Mint Condition 83. Vote: 84. Top RnB Albums 85. Jan - Dangerous, Michael Jackson 86. Feb - Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat 87. Apr - Private Line, Gerald Levert 88. May - The Comfort Zone, Vanessa Williams 89. May - Funky Divas, En Vogue 90. May - Totally Krossed Out, Kris Kross 91. Jun - Dead Serious, Das EFX 92. Oct - What's the 411?, Mary J. Blige 93. Nov - Bobby, Bobby Brown 94. Dec - The Predator, Ice Cube 95. Vote: 96. Featured Artist: Mary J. Blige 97. Audio: 98. Open Comments 99. Movie Scene: White Men Can't Jump 100. Audio Clip 101. Open Comments 102. Question: Why do Black people LOVE basketball? 103. TV Scene: Def Comedy Jam 104. According to Russel Simmions, In his book "Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money + God" The inspiration for Def COmedey Jam was a club on Crenshaw Blvd in L.A. called the Comedy Act Theater. Robin Harris hosted performances there, and he already had a serious underground buzz, from House PArty and Do the Right Thing. At the same time, everywhere Russell traveled, the "Black Comedy" nights were hot, and Russel was always looking for stuff that was "hot" with his hip-hop customer base. 105. In 1989, he eventually hooked up with Hollywood power player Stan Lathan (Sanford & Son, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Remington Steele ,Cagney & Lacey, Frank's Place, Roc and the 1984 classic feature film Beat Street) and they began creating Def Comedy Jam. 106. The original run of Def Comedy Jam ran from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. In the fall of 2006 it returned to HBO. Many comedians had their careers launched by the huge success of this series! 107. Robin Harris was going to be the original host, but he died in 1990. Eddie Murphy was a big supporter of Martin Lawrence to replace Harris. 108. The show caught major criticism for using excessive foul language and a “supposed” negative representation of African Americans. Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier were major critics. 109. Def Comedy Jam, went on to become the longest running HBO series ever, launched the careers of several A-List comedians today. 110. 1992 Alumni: 111. Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Bill Bellamy, DL Hughley, Adele Givens, Cedric the Entertainer, Dave Chapelle, Eddie Griffin, Joe Torry, Michael Colyar, and Ricky Harris Jr. 112. Open Comments 113. Question: Favorite bit/comedian? 114. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1992?

Questions: 1. Scared yet: CV19 what we know 2. Health: How you be? personally, family, and friends 3. Quarantine life: stir crazy yet? How is technology helping? What’s up with Work/Exercise/Entertainment/Education? 4. Government response: local state federal 5. Future behavior: keep social distancing, hand washing, gloves masks wipes (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1991 General Snapshots 1.    President: George H. W. Bush 2.    January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq. 3.    January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" 4.    February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated". 5.    February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. 6.    March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers. 7.    July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana. 8.    July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders. 9.    August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air. 10.    August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States. 11.    October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him. 12.    October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx. 13.    November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career. 14.    November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public. 15.    December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves. 16.    Open Comments 17.    Top 3 Pop Songs 18.    #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams 19.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 20.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 21.    Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 22.    Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole 23.    Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 24.    Best New Artist: Marc Cohn 25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'" 26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love 27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony" 28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross 29.    Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out" 30.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime" 31.    Top 3 Movies 32.    #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day     33.    #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 34.    #3. Beauty and the Beast 35.    Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2 36.    Top 3 TV Shows 37.    #1 60 Minutes 38.    #2 Roseanne 39.    #3 Murphy Brown 40.    Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC 41.    Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc. 42.    Economic Snapshots 43.    Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K) 44.    New Home: 120k (previously 123K) 45.    Avg Rent: 495 (465) 46.    New Car: 16.8k (16K) 47.    Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k) 48.    Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50) 49.    Gas: 1.12 (1.34) 50.    Stamp: .25 (.25) 51.    Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King 52.    Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial. 53.    Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence. 54.    1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities. 55.    Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison. 56.    Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority. 57.    King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. Kin

Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1991 General Snapshots 1.    President: George H. W. Bush 2.    January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq. 3.    January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" 4.    February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated". 5.    February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live. 6.    March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers. 7.    July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana. 8.    July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders. 9.    August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air. 10.    August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States. 11.    October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him. 12.    October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx. 13.    November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career. 14.    November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public. 15.    December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves. 16.    Open Comments 17.    Top 3 Pop Songs 18.    #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams 19.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd 20.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory 21.    Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 22.    Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole 23.    Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole 24.    Best New Artist: Marc Cohn 25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'" 26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love 27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony" 28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross 29.    Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out" 30.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime" 31.    Top 3 Movies 32.    #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day     33.    #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 34.    #3. Beauty and the Beast 35.    Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2 36.    Top 3 TV Shows 37.    #1 60 Minutes 38.    #2 Roseanne 39.    #3 Murphy Brown 40.    Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC 41.    Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc. 42.    Economic Snapshots 43.    Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K) 44.    New Home: 120k (previously 123K) 45.    Avg Rent: 495 (465) 46.    New Car: 16.8k (16K) 47.    Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k) 48.    Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50) 49.    Gas: 1.12 (1.34) 50.    Stamp: .25 (.25) 51.    Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King 52.    Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial. 53.    Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence. 54.    1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities. 55.    Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison. 56.    Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority. 57.    King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. Kin

Topics: A Black Renaissance?, Mariah Carey, House Party, In Living Color / The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)     1990 General Snapshots   1.    George Bush Sr. President   2.    January - United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega, the deposed "strongman of Panama", surrenders to American forces.   3.    January - Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia.   4.    January - Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting.   5.    February - James "Buster" Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson to win the World Heavyweight Boxing crown.   6.    February - A smoking ban takes effect on all domestic U.S. flights of less than six hours.   7.    March - Greyhound bus drivers’ strike for higher pay.   8.    April - STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.   9.    June - Nelson Mandela tours North America, visiting 3 Canadian cities and 8 U.S. cities.   10.    July - George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, designed to protect disabled Americans from discrimination.   11.    August - Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War.   12.    September - Chris Rock makes Saturday Night Live debut.   13.    October - Evander Holyfield defeats James "Buster" Douglas to become the heavyweight boxing champion.   14.    November - Sharon Pratt Kelly is elected Mayor of the District of Columbia, becoming the first black woman to head a major U.S. city. She takes office January 2, 1991.   15.    Top 3 Pop Songs   16.    #1    "Hold On"    Wilson Phillips   17.    #2    "It Must Have Been Love"    Roxette   18.    #3    "Nothing Compares 2 U"    Sinéad O'Connor   19.    Record of the Year - "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins   20.    Album of the Year - Quincy Jones (producer & artist) for Back on the Block   21.    Song of the Year - "From a Distance" performed by Bette Midler   22.    Best New Artist - Mariah Carey   23.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Anita Baker for Compositions   24.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Luther Vandross for "Here and Now"   25.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group - Ray Charles & Chaka Khan for "I'll Be Good to You"   26.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song - "U Can't Touch This" performed by M.C. Hammer   27.    Best Rap Solo Performance - M.C. Hammer for "U Can't Touch This" 28.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy D. III & Quincy Jones for "Back on the Block"   29.    Top 3 Movies   30.    #1 Ghost   31.    #2 Home Alone   32.    # 3 Pretty Woman   33.    Other Notables:   34.    Top 3 TV Shows   35.    Cheers   36.    60 Minutes   37.    Roseanne   38.    Debuts: In Living Color, True Colors, Brewster Place, The Fresh Prince   39.    Economic Snapshots   40.    New Home: 123k (previously 120K)   41.    Avg Rent: 465 (425)   42.    Avg. Income: 29k (27K)   43.    New Car: 16k (15K)   44.    Harvard: 13.5k (12.7k)   45.    Movie Ticket: 4 3.50 - same   46.    Gas: 1.34 (.97)   47.    Stamp: .25 (.25)   48.    Social Scene: Pop Culture Dominance and Influence   49.    Politics: Colin Powell, Douglas Wilder, Congressional Black Caucus @ 25 (John Lewis 2nd term)   50.    Business: Ebony/Jet, Russel Simmons, Reginald F. Lewis   51.    Sports: Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr.   52.    Music: Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Anita Baker   53.    Movies: Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee, Robert Townsend   54.    Television: Oprah (Daytime), Cosby (Prime time), Aresnio (Nighttime)   55.    Open Comments:   56.    Question: Assimilation? OK, but who is changing who? Are we changing America or is America Changing us?   57.    Music Scene   58.    Black Songs from the Top 40   59.    #4    "Poison"    Bell Biv DeVoe   60.    #6    "Vision of Love"    Mariah Carey   61.    #8    "Hold On"    En Vogue   62.    #11    "Do Me!"    Bell Biv DeVoe   63.    #13    "Pump Up the Jam"    Technotronic   64.    #14    "Opposites Attract"    Paula Abdul and The Wild Pair   65.    #15    "Escapade"    Janet Jackson   66.    #17    "Close to You"    Maxi Priest   67.    #21    "All Around the World"    Lisa Stansfield   68.    #22    "I Wanna Be Rich"    Calloway   69.    #23    "Rub You the Right Way"    Johnny Gill   70.    #24    "She Ain't Worth It"    Glenn Medeiros and Bobby Brown   71.    #26    "The Power"    Snap!   72.    #30    "Two to Make It Right"    Seduction   73.    #33    "Step by Step"    New Kids on the Block   74.    #36    "I Don't Have the Heart"    James Ingram   75.    #38    "Rhythm Nation"    Janet Jackson   76.    #41    "Everything"    Jody Watley   77.    #42    "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)"    Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler   78.    #43    "Here and Now"    Luther Vandross   79.    Top RnB Albums   80.    January Tender Lover Babyface   81.    January Back on the Block Quincy Jones   82.    April Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em MC Hammer   83.    June Poison Bell Biv DeVoe   84.    June Johnny Gill Johnny Gill   85.    August I'll Give All My Love to You Keith Sweat   86.    December I'm Your Baby Tonight Whitney Houston   87.    Featured Artist: Mariah Angela Carey, (Songbird) singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and philanthropist   88.    Childhood - Born to Patricia (Hickey), an Irish American mezzo-soprano opera singer, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer. They got divorced when Carey was only three. Her first public performance was at the age of six. By the age of sixteen, she was skipping classes to write songs and her brother, Morgan, paid for her first recording session. She finally graduated from Harborfields High School, in 1987.   89.    Career - Before Carey got her big break, she worked as a temp and juggled with a few odd jobs such as a beautician, hair sweeper in a salon, waitress and as a coat check girl. After several years of struggling, Carey began singing background vocals for the pop and salsa singer-songwriter Brenda Starr in the late 1980s. Additionally, Carey wrote four songs with Ben Margulies, which solely constituted her demo tape. Margulies was a drummer, guitarist, piano player and singer. (One of Margulies's bandmates went to high school with Mariah’s older brother) Starr ultimately helped Carey land a record contract by giving her demo tape to Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. In 1988, Mottola signed her***.   90.    In June of 1990, her self-titled album, ‘Mariah Carey’, which contained four No.1 hits were released. It was the best-selling album of 1991 and has been certified nine times Platinum.   91.    Aside from her voice, she has become known for her songwriting. Yahoo Music editor Jason Ankeny wrote, "She earned frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion but did them both one better by composing all of her own material." Also, according to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States. Additionally, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Carey as the third best-selling female artist of all-time behind Madonna, Rhianna, maybe Taylor Swift.   92.    Open Comments:   93.    Point #1 – Divas status is earned. (She stuck to her guns re: song writing / Dunked on everyone / Checked Eminem)   94.    Pont #2 – Studio performer, but not studio tricks.   95.    Point #3 – The Christmas Song   96.    Question: Is Mariah a "Soul" singer?   97.    Movie Scene: House Party,” …an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play.”   98.    Plot: Although Kid has been grounded by his father, he sneaks out for a party at his friend Play's house. But Kid has no clue about the trouble that awaits him in the form of three thugs from school.   99.    Release date: March 9, 1990 / Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 4.5 Stars   100.    Budget - $2.5m, / Box office - $26.4m   101.    Open Comments:   102.    Point #1: Cast is great (Tisha & Martin broke out)   103.    Point #2: First truly successful "Hood" comedy franchise. (4! sequels)   104.    Point #3: Not possible without the success of Robert and Spike. Director said the project only got the green light because of the recent box office success of "black" movies.   105.    Question: What are some of your house party war stories?   106.    Television Scene   107.    #1 - In Living Color (1990–1994): [IMDB Rating: 8.1/10] Keenen Ivory Wayans (@ wasn't looking to do a TV show. In 1988, he was riding high on the success of his cult hit I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and contemplating his next movie. But he took a meeting with a fledgling network called Fox, which made an offer he couldn't refuse. "They told me I could do whatever I wanted," Wayans, 61, recalls. What he wanted was to do a show like Saturday Night Live only much, much edgier. Homey Da Clown, Homeboy Shopping Network, Men on Films, Fire Marshall Bill, Oswald Bates, Wanda, The Fly Girls — the skits Wayans and his mostly African American cast performed each week pushed the envelope not just of TV's color barrier but of TV comedy, won an Emmy and incubated the careers of stars Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez, and several members of the Wayans family.   108.    Open Comments:   109.    Question: Chapelle or In Living Color?   110.    #2 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996) [MDB Rating: 7.9/10]: A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion.   111.    Open Comments   112.    Point #1 - Will and Jazzy were supposed to do the movie House Party   113.    Point #2 - Quincy is doing the most! - Fresh Prince, a collaboration of Quincy Jones and the then-married team of Andy and Susan Borowitz, was based loosely on the life of Will Smith’s then-manager Ben

Topic: Transitioning from Gen-X to Gen-Y. (Born 1980-1994) (Bonus Artitst: Luck Pacheco)   Question #1: Millennials, who are you, and what do you want? (What motivated you when you were 20 and just starting out)   Question #2: Favorite memories of growing up in the 90's?   Question #3: Why are you guys so sensitive, spoiled, and lazy?   Question #4: Who/what represents the best of your generation?   Question #5: Thoughts on Gen Z? (Born 1995-2015)

Topics: 80's Tech, MC Hammer, Do The Right Thing, The Arsenio Hall Show (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) 1989 Notes 1. General Snapshots 2. George Bush Sr. President 3. Feb - Barbara Harris is the first woman (and first black woman) consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. 4. Mar - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of oil after running aground. 5. Apr - Bill White becomes president of baseball's National League, becoming the first African American to head a major sports league. 6. Apr - Trisha Meili is attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park; as her identity remains secret for years, she becomes known as the "Central Park Jogger." 7. May - President Bush vetoes a minimum-wage bill passed by Congress on May 17 that would have increased the minimum wage to $4.55 an hour. 8. Jun - In Texas v. Johnson, the United States Supreme Court ruled that burning the Flag of the United States was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. 9. Jun - In Penry v. Lynaugh, the Supreme Court rules that states can execute murderers as young as 16 or who are mentally retarded. 10. Jul - In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court gives the state’s new authority to restrict abortions. 11. Aug - President Bush nominates United States Army Gen. Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the first African American to hold that position. 12. Aug - Hughey P. Newton was murdered in Oakland, California by Tyrone Robinson, a member of the Black Guerrilla Family. 13. Aug - Yusef Hawkins is shot in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, sparking racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans. 14. Nov - Douglas Wilder wins the Virginia governor's race, becoming the first elected African American governor in the United States. 15. Nov - David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City. 16. Nov - Congress passes legislation to raise the minimum wage from $3.35 to $4.25 an hour by April 1991. Bush signs this bill on November 17. 17. Nov - Clarence Page 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary 18. Nov - Denzel Washington: First African American actor to receive two Best Supporting Actor nominations. Cry Freedom / Glory (Won) 19. Misc.: Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African American to lead a major United States political party. 20. Misc.: The first of 24 Global Positioning System satellites is placed into orbit. 21. Open Comments: 22. Top 3 Pop Songs 23. #1 "Look Away" Chicago 24. #2 "My Prerogative" Bobby Brown 25. #3 "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" Poison 26. Record of the Year: Bette Midler for "Wind Beneath My Wings" 27. Album of the Year: Bonnie Raitt for Nick of Time 28. Song of the Year: "Wind Beneath My Wings" performed by Bette Midler 29. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got" 30. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Bobby Brown for "Every Little Step" 31. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler for "Back to Life" 32. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" performed by Simply Red 33. Best Rap Performance: Young MC for "Bust a Move" 34. Open Comments 35. Top Movies 36. #1 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 37. #2 Batman 38. #3 Back to the Future Part II 39. Other Notables: Look Who's Talking, Dead Poets Society, Lethal Weapon 2, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Disney, Ghostbusters II, The Little Mermaid Disney, Born on the Fourth of July, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Lean on Me, Field of Dreams, Weekend at Bernie's, When Harry Met Sally..., Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Harlem Nights, The War of the Roses, Steel Magnolias, Glory, and Driving Miss Daisy*. 40. Top 3 TV Shows 41. #1 - The Cosby Show 42. #2 - Roseanne 43. #3 - Cheers 44. Debuts: Saved by the Bell, American Gladiators, Doogie Howser, M.D., Baywatch, America's Funniest Home Videos, COPS, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons 45. Economic Snapshot: 46. New Home: 120K - previously 91,777 47. Avg Rent: 425 - p. 420 48. Avg. Income: 37K - p. 24k 49. New Car: 15K - p. 10,432 50. Harvard: 12,700 - p. 12,015 51. Movie Ticket: 3.50 - same 52. Gas: .97 - p. .91 53. Stamp: .25 - same 54. Social Scene: Top Tech of The 80’s 55. Mobile Tech 56. Sony Walkman: Before the iPod effectively killed off an entire industry, the Sony Walkman was the original, must-have portable cassette player. Unlike portable radio players, the Japan-made Walkman allowed people to choose what to listen to via portable headphones, and make playlists on tape, alongside FM and AM radio frequencies. Like with Texas Instrument’s Speak and Spell, the first model hit shelves in the late 1970s, but it rose to prominence during the two decades that followed. So ubiquitous it became that the word Walkman even entered the English dictionary in 1986. The model pictured is the WM-F77. 57. Nokia-Mobira Cityman 900: These days, the mobile phone is so far advanced we barely even call it a mobile phone any more, but back in the '80s the sheer thought of carrying a phone any further than the length of a coiled plastic chord seemed fantasy at best. Then along came a handful of firms, including a certain Finnish outfit by the name of Nokia-Mobira and made portable phone calls an actual reality. Looking back the sheer size of it is almost laughable (18cm high and 760g in weight to be precise), but it was practically lightweight compared to the colossal Talkman, which weighed in at shocking 5.5kg! Still, it put Nokia on the map and set the stage for the firm's dominance to come in the late '90 and early '00s. 58. The Boombox: Much like the VHS player, the humble Boombox was more of a collective movement than the work of one particular model, but it still became one of the most iconic devices of the late '80s. Again, to keep things on message with this feature, the classic Boombox wasn't just a powerful all-in-one music player (with AM/FM radio and multiple cassette decks) it was also a portable music player (if you were willing to lug it around). While its size and battery-powered portability eventually saw it go the way of the dodo in and around the mid '90s, the 'ghetto blaster' became intertwined with the rise of hip hop in the States and secured itself a place in the annals of gadget lore. 59. Sharp pocket computer: The 1980s was the decade of the microprocessor, led by the likes of Sharp and its range of pocket computers. These gadgets resembled calculators but worked in a similar way to how we use keyboards on modern-day PCs and laptops. Below a 24-digit dot matrix LCD display sat a full QWERTY-style keyboard you could use to program BASIC code. The computer’s battery was said to last 200 hours and it even came with a connector that let you attach a printer or tape drive. 60. Epson ET-10 Pocket TV: If you haven't already twigged, there's a bit of a pattern forming with this feature - good ol' portability. From music on the move to phone calls away from home, handheld technology helped define the decade and every single one that's followed. And so, it was the turn of the humble TV, already shrinking as a regular set, to get the micro treatment. The ET-10 from Epson was one of the first, and the most popular, with its two-inch liquid crystal display offering proper TV viewing while out and about (and in a decent spot to catch the analogue signal). With a five-hour battery, the ET-10 was a proper little dynamo and foreshadowed the portable TV experience we take for granted now with tablets and smartphones. 61. Casio Databank: It’s a testament to just how cool and iconic the Casio Databank watches became - they’re still sold in various models and designs today. One of the original models of this calculator watch, the gold version of the DBC 610 (pictured), was first released in 1985 and later re-released due to popular demand. The designs of these modern versions have barely deviated from the original and still feature a membrane keyboard, with Mode and Adjust physical buttons on the side. 62. Gaming Tech 63. Nintendo Entertainment System: Another iconic Japanese import of the 1980s was the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. A remodeled version of the company’s Family Computer, or Famicom, the 8-bit NES was originally designed to be a joint venture between Nintendo and Atari until a dispute over licensing meant Nintendo decided to go it alone. It helped lift the gaming industry out of the slump of 1983 by offering easier-to-use controllers, standardized graphics and a wider variety of game genres. It brought hugely popular arcade games, including Donkey Kong, to home TVs. 64. Nintendo Game Boy: Fresh off the success of its Nintendo Entertainment System, the Japanese giant launched a handheld version of is 8-bit console called the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989. It effectively used the same A and B controls and D pad seen on the NES, positioned below a 4.7cm x 4.3xm “pea soup” green LCD display. Using ROM cartridges also similar in design to those used on the NES, these games could be inserted and removed on the back of the device. The Game Boy ran on four AA batteries and was an incredibly robust console, making it a popular choice among kids. The Game Boy and its successor the Game Boy Color have sold in excess of 118 million units and spawned several later models, namely the Game Boy Lite and Game Boy Advance. 65. Simon: Another classic from the 1980s that is still sold today is the Simon game. Named after the Simon Says game, the toy’s premise is simple – the colored panels light up and you must repeat the pattern and tones it creates. Yet despite this simple gameplay, it was a great feat of engineering at the time of release in 1978 and became a pop culture icon during the 1980s. 66. Speak and

Topics: Gangs, Keith Sweat, Al. B. Sure!, Bobby Brown, Coming to America, A Different World (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)   Snapshots   1.    Ronald Reagan President (Last Year!)   2.    Jan - Doug Williams super bowl [Two weeks earlier, CBS commentator Jimmy the Greek had been fired for remarking that blacks were better at sports because of slave plantation breeding techniques: “During the slave period, the slave owner would breed his big black with his big woman so that he would have a big black kid — that’s where it all started.”]   3.    Feb – Winter Olympics: Jamaican Bobsled team! Debi Thomas 1988 winter Olympics Bronze medal - The best African American figure skater in history   4.    Jul - Jessie Jackson keep hope alive speech at the DNC   5.    Jul - The first ever edition of "Shark Week" airs on Discovery Channel.   6.    Aug - Yo! MTV Raps   7.    Sep - James Brown, while high on PCP, was involved in a high-speed chase with the police. He was eventually convicted of assaulting an officer and possession of an unlicensed firearm, among other charges. He spent three years in prison   8.    Sep – Summer Olympics: Florence Joyner She is considered the fastest woman of all time, based on the world records she set in 1988 for both the 100 m and 200 m still stand. Jackie Joyner-Kersee long jump and heptathlon, Carl Lewis, Steve Lewis, and roger kingdom   9.    Oct - Sega's two-year head start on Nintendo in the 16-bit gaming wars began on October 29, 1988, when the Sega Genesis launched   10.    Nov - George Bush elected President   11.    Dec - Mad Max Robinson dies   12.    Dec - Roots: The Gift, the third installment of the Roots series is broadcast on ABC.   13.    Open Comments:   14.    Top Pop Songs   15.    #1 - "Faith" - George Michael   16.    #2 - Need You Tonight" - INXS   17.    #3 - "Got My Mind Set on You" - George Harrison   18.    Grammy Awards   19.    Record of the Year: Bobby McFerrin for "Don't Worry, Be Happy"   20.    Album of the Year: George Michael (producer & artist) for Faith   21.    Song of the Year: Bobby McFerrin for "Don't Worry, Be Happy"   22.    Best New Artist: Tracy Chapman   23.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got"   24.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Terence Trent D'Arby for Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'arby   25.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Gladys Knight & the Pips for "Love Overboard"   26.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got" performed by Anita Baker   27.    Best Rap Performance: "Parents Just Don't Understand" – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. [The first award for Best Rap Performance was presented to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Parents Just Don't Understand". Jeff and Smith led a boycott in protest of the awards presentation not being televised, and some members of the rap community felt that more qualified artists were overlooked.   28.    Top 3 Movies   29.    #1 - Rain Man   30.    #2 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit   31.    #3 - Coming to America   32.    Other Notables: Big, Twins, Crocodile Dundee II, Die Hard, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Cocktail, Beetlejuice, Above the Law, Colors, A Fish Called Wanda, Young Guns, Tougher Than Leather, Child's Play, The Land Before Time, Tequila Sunrise, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and School Daze.   33.    Top 3 TV Shows   34.    #1 - The Cosby Show   35.    #2 - Roseanne   36.    #3 - A Different World   37.    Economic Snapshots   38.    New Home: 91,777   39.    Avg Rent: 420   40.    Avg. Income: 24,457   41.    New Car: 10,432   42.    Harvard: 12,015   43.    Movie Ticket: 3.50   44.    Gas: .91   45.    Stamp: .25   46.    Social Scene: Gangs and the movie Colors   47.    Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZvatzKVM2g   48.    “Bulls”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQAKDbq0hI   49.    Stevin Levitt, Freakonomics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UGC2nLnaes 50.    @9:35 - Summary: McDonalds vs Gang   51.    Factors: Socio-political-economical, hyper masculinity and criminal justice/policing   52.    Other ethnicities “evolved” out of their “street-gang” phases, but black- brown people are dealt with differently.   53.    Open Comments:   54.    Question: would more representation in the criminal justice system help – how to counter our internal factor?   55.    Music Scene:   56.    Top Black Singles   57.    #6 - "So Emotional", Whitney Houston   58.    #11 - "One More Try", George Michael   59.    #12 - "Wishing Well", Terence Trent D'Arby   60.    #15 - "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", Billy Ocean   61.    #21, "Man in the Mirror", Michael Jackson   62.    #27, "Father Figure", George Michael   63.    #33 - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", Whitney Houston   64.    #36 - "The Way You Make Me Feel", Michael Jackson   65.    #37 - "Don't Worry, Be Happy", Bobby McFerrin   66.    Top Black Albums   67.    Jan – Bad, Michael Jackson   68.    Jan - Characters, Stevie Wonder   69.    Feb - All Our Love, Gladys Knight & the Pips   70.    Mar - Make It Last Forever, Keith Sweat   71.    Apr - Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, Terence Trent D'Arby   72.    May - Faith, George Michael   73.    Jul - In Effect Mode, Al B. Sure!   74.    Aug - Strictly Business, EPMD   75.    Sep - Don't Be Cruel, Bobby Brown   76.    Sep - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy   77.    Oct - Don't Let Love Slip Away, Freddie Jackson   78.    Nov - Giving You the Best That I Got, Anita Baker   79.    Nov - Any Love, Luther Vandross   80.    Vote:   81.    Featured Artists: New jack swingers   82.    Keith Sweat (@ 27 yrs. old): Known for his distinctive ‘whining’ vocal style, Sweat has established himself as one of the most successful male R&B/soul singers not only in America but also in other parts of the world. Born Keith Douglas Sweat, he was raised in Harlem and by the time he was 14 he had performed at various nightclubs in and around New York City. He graduated from the City College of New York with a BS degree in ‘communications’, after which he worked for a brief period as a successful brokerage assistant in a Wall Street firm. Despite a prosperous career at the Wall Street, he chose to pursue his passion for music and began writing songs and tried selling them to various record labels. In 1975, he began his career in music as a member of the Harlem based band called the ‘Jamilah’. In 1984, he left ‘Jamilah’ in order to begin a solo career and subsequently sang at various nightclubs in New York. He was quickly noticed and given an opportunity to record an independent album for ‘Stadium Records’. He recorded ‘My Mind Is Made Up’ for the ‘Stadium Records’ and he was also credited as the co-writer and co-producer of ‘You Are the One for Me’. On November 25, 1987 his debut solo album ‘Make It Last Forever’ was released, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "I Want Her"   83.    Bobby Brown (@ 19 yrs. old): Brown changed producers for this album and worked extensively with hit-making songwriting and production duo Babyface and L.A. Reid. Alex Henderson of AllMusic wrote: “Don't Be Cruel was to Bobby Brown what Control was to Janet Jackson – a tougher, more aggressive project that shed his "bubblegum" image altogether and brought him to a new artistic and commercial plateau. With "My Prerogative" and the title song, Brown became a leader of new jack swing”   84.    Al B. Sure!(@ 20 yrs. old): During the late '80s, Al B. Sure! enjoyed a brief run as one of new jack swing's most popular romantic singers. Born Al Brown in Boston, he grew up in Mount Vernon, NY, listening to smooth crooners like Marvin Gaye and Johnny Mathis; he later became interested in rap and added that skill to his vocal repertoire. At age ten, he and a friend performed on a song written by Ellie Greenwich for the soundtrack of Sesame Street, and later he began writing songs with his cousin Kyle West. While in high school (where he quarterbacked the football team), he became friends with Edward Ferrell, aka DJ Eddie F, who was working with rapper Heavy D at the time. Eddie F introduced the still-teenaged Al B. Sure! to Heavy D's manager/Uptown label head Andre Harrell, who had him sing backing vocals on several Heavy D tracks and helped him get a deal with Warner Brothers. In 1987, Al was selected by Quincy Jones as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. He collaborated with Jones on various projects, most notably the platinum single “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” from Jones’ double-platinum-certified album Back on the Block. On this hit, he was one of a quartet with El DeBarge, Barry White, and James Ingram. His debut album of 1988 In Effect Mode topped the Billboard R&B chart for seven consecutive weeks, selling more than two million copies.   85.    Open Comments:   86.    Question: Al B. Said “There’s a generation of women starving to be told I love you again” What happened?! Who is bringing it back?   87.    Movie Scene: Coming to America   88.    Trailer:   89.    The Hollywood Reporter's original review: “Eddie Murphy's latest Coming to America is likely to leave the wreath-bearers, the frantic faithful, the crowd herders and the legions of line-waiters in numbed, disbelieving disappointment…Distressingly, the film flops into the blandest of sitcom formats, never realizing its regal potential...Coming to America is the filmic equivalent of using a Maserati to go to the corner grocery store…Yes, there are some crazy pieces crammed into America — Murphy and Hall in their multi-roles do a running black barbershop bit that is good and nuts — but this comedy is generally tame and sappy…The plot itself is pathetic…No getting around it, while the script completely misses as a social satire, the writers have botched the romance part

Topics: Crack Epidemic, Michael Jackson - Bad, Hollywood Shuffle, Eyes on the Prize (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)   Snapshots   1.    Ronald Reagan President – (Should have been impeached)   2.    January   3.    The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, became the very first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.   4.    March   5.    U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal.   6.    Jim Bakker, head of PTL Ministries, resigns after admitting an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn.   7.    April   8.    Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of English rock band Queen, is diagnosed with AIDS. He dies four years later after making his diagnosis public.   9.    Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuts as a series of short animated segments as part of The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox.   10.    May   11.    U.S. Senator Gary Hart drops out of the running for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, amid allegations of an extramarital affair with Donna Rice.   12.    June   13.    During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall.   14.    Teddy Seymour is officially designated the first black man to sail around the world, when he completes his solo sailing circumnavigation in Frederiksted, St. Croix, of the United States Virgin Islands.   15.    Edwards v. Aguillard: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools whenever evolution is taught is unconstitutional.   16.    July   17.    Ronald Reagan nominates former Solicitor General Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The nomination is later rejected by the Senate, the first and only nominee rejection to date.   18.    October   19.    Jesse Jackson launches his second campaign for U.S. President.   20.    The United States is caught up in a drama that unfolds on television as a young child, Jessica McClure, falls down a well in Midland, Texas, and is later rescued.   21.    December   22.    Prozac makes its debut in the United States.   23.    Open Comments   24.    Black Snapshots   25.    Mar - The first ever Soul Train Music Awards   26.    Apr - Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis makes racially insensitive comments when 27.    asked about the scarcity of black field or general managers in MLB. Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject on Nightline. Anchorman Ted Koppel asked him why, at the time, there had been few black managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview, he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify, ("Do you really believe that?") or back down from his remarks, but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. Campanis was fired less than 48 hours later.   28.    Literature – Rita Dove wins a Pulitzer for Thomas and Beulah and Toni Morrison publishes Beloved; it will win a Pulitzer and become a movie. Terri McMillan's first book, Mama, was published in 1987, later works include Disappearing Acts, Waiting To Exhale, and How Stella got Her Groove Back. James Baldwin, author of If Beale Street Could Talk, passed away.   29.    John H. Johnson is named the first BE Entrepreneur of the Decade, having built Johnson Publishing Co. Inc., producers of Ebony, Jet, and Fashion Fair cosmetics into an international powerhouse. Born and raised in Arkansas, Johnson’s family moved to Chicago when he was a teen. He excelled in school, received a scholarship to the University of Chicago, and began working at an insurance company. He got his start when his mother used her furniture as collateral for a $500 loan to start his first publication, Negro Digest, in 1942, which served as the launching pad for him to create the largest African American publishing company in the world. Seemingly, there wasn’t a single African American household in late 20th century America in which you could not find a copy of Ebony or Jet on the coffee table. In September 1955, Johnson made a decision that forever shook the world. Not one to vacillate on any issue, he revealed to millions the mutilated corpse of Emmett Till, a Chicago youngster who had been bludgeoned and shot in Mississippi for reportedly whistling at a white woman. Shortly thereafter, other black publications followed Jet’s lead in publishing the photos. It galvanized clusters of African Americans nationwide to protest such senseless acts of violence. In one bold move, the determined 37-year-old publisher helped launch the civil rights movement.   30.    Open Comments   31.    Top 3 Pop Songs   32.    #1 - "Walk Like an Egyptian", The Bangles   33.    #2 - "Alone", Heart   34.    #3 - "Shake You Down", Gregory Abbott   35.    Grammy Awards   36.    Record of the Year - Paul Simon for "Graceland"   37.    Album of the Year -U2 for The Joshua Tree   38.    Song of the Year - "Somewhere Out There" performed by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram   39.    Best New Artist - Jody Watley   40.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Aretha Franklin for Aretha   41.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Smokey Robinson for "Just to See Her"   42.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Aretha Franklin & George Michael for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"   43.    Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) - David Sanborn for "Chicago Song"   44.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song - Bill Withers (songwriter) for "Lean on Me" performed by Club Nouveau   45.    Open Comments   46.    Top 3 Movies   47.    #1 - Beverly Hills Cop II   48.    #2 – Platoon   49.    #3 - Fatal Attraction   50.    Other Notables: Lethal Weapon, Predator, Spaceballs, Full Metal Jacket, RoboCop, La Bamba, The Lost Boys, Who's That Girl, Disorderlies, Dirty Dancing, The Big Easy, Hellraiser, The Princess Bride, Three Men and a Baby, Wall Street, Good Morning, Vietnam, and Eddie Murphy Raw   51.    Open Comments   52.    Top 3 TV Shows   53.    #1 - The Cosby Show   54.    #2 - A Different World   55.    #3 - Cheers   56.    Debuts: 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and A Different World   57.    Open Comments   58.    Economic Snapshots   59.    New Home: 92,024   60.    Avg Rent: 395   61.    Avg. Income: 24,375   62.    New Car: 10,370   63.    Harvard: 11,390   64.    Movie Ticket: 3.00   65.    Gas: .89   66.    Stamp: .22   67.    Social Scene: The Crack Epidemic   68.    Crack cocaine   69.    What is it - Crack cocaine, is a free base form of cocaine that can be smoked. Cocaine had a reputation as a “party” drug for rich white people. Heroine was a “street” drug for poor black people. Crack became popular on the “streets” with dealers because it turns powder cocaine into an extremely profitable and addictive drug you can now sell to anybody, rich, poor, black, and white. Users liked it because it is a cheap and very potent.   70.    Epidemic background – In 1981, crack started showing up in southern states, like Miami and Houston, and on the west coast, Los Angeles and Oakland. (Coastal/Port cities) Crack was basically an unheard-of drug until 1985. That year was the first time the term "crack" was used by the press, November, 29 New York Times article - A NEW, PURIFIED FORM OF COCAINE CAUSES ALARM AS ABUSE INCREASES, By Jane Gross. Within a year, over one thousand stories showed up in the press. By 1987, The DOJ said crack was in 46 out of 50 states.   71.    How did it Happen? The main conspiracy theory out there is that Reagan had the CIA do it.   72.    Audio Clip   73.    Question: Did crack impact your life at all? Why/Why not?   74.    Music Scene: Black Songs from the top 40   75.    #3 - "Shake You Down", Gregory Abbott   76.    #4 - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", Whitney Houston   77.    #7 - "Here I Go Again", Whitesnake   78.    #14 - "Always", Atlantic Starr   79.    #16 - "Looking for a New Love", Jody Watley   80.    #17 - "Head to Toe", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam   81.    #22 - "Didn't We Almost Have It All", Whitney Houston   82.    #24 - "I Want Your Sex", George Michael   83.    #29 - "Lean on Me", Club Nouveau   84.    #31 - "Lost in Emotion", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam   85.    #36 - "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", Aretha Franklin and George Michael   86.    #37 - "Control", Janet Jackson   87.    #38 - "U Got the Look", Prince   88.    #39 - "Somewhere Out There", Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram   89.    Vote:   90.    Top RnB Albums   91.    Jan - Just Like the First Time, Freddie Jackson   92.    May - Give Me the Reason, Luther Vandross   93.    Jun - Jody Watley, Jody Watley   94.    Jul - One Heartbeat, Smokey Robinson   95.    Jul - Bigger and Deffer, LL Cool J   96.    Sep - If I Were Your Woman, Stephanie Mills   97.    Dec – Characters, Stevie Wonder   98.    Vote   99.    Featured Artist: Michael Jackson, BAD   100.    Open Floor   101.    Question 1: Best Song on the Album   102.    Question 2: Best MJ song ever?   103.    Movie Scene: Hollywood Shuffle, by Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans   104.    Robert Townsend, writer, producer, director, and actor was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 6, 1957, the second oldest of four children to Shirley and Robert Townsend.  Growing up on the Westside of Chicago, Townsend was raised by his mother in a single parent home.  As a child Townsend watched TV where he learned to do impersonations of his favorite actors. In 1974, at age 17, he joined Chicago’s Experimental Black Actors Guild X-Bag Theatre and studied at the Second City

Topics: Chicago Bears, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, She's Gotta Have It, 227-(TV Sitcom)(Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)   General Snapshots   1.    Ronald Reagan is President   2.    Jan - The first federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring Martin Luther King Jr., is observed.   3.    Jan - The first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll HOF, included Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and 3 other white performers. Also inducted were, James Brown*, Little Richard*, Fats Domino*, Ray Charles*, Chuck Berry*, Sam Cooke*, Robert Johnson*, and Jimmy Yancey*.   4.    Jan - Super Bowl XX: The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.   5.    Jan - Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing the crew of seven astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster). President Ronald Reagan postpones for one week the State of the Union address that had been scheduled for the evening and instead addresses the nation on the Challenger disaster.   6.    Mar - Halley's Comet is a comet visible from Earth every 75–76 years. It last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.   7.    Apr - The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, is a two-hour live American television special.   8.    Apr - In Ukraine, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster. 31 are killed directly by the incident, many more die from cancer in later years, many thousands more are exposed to significant amounts of radioactive material, and vast territories in Ukraine and Belarus are rendered uninhabitable.   9.    May - Hands Across America: approximately 6.5 million people form a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, California, to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness. The event raised about $15 million. A total of 24 cities participated along the route, including: Champaign, Illinois (with Walter Payton), Chebanse, Illinois (A cornfield in central Illinois served as center-point of the nation with 16,000 people in attendance), Springfield, Illinois (with 50 Abraham Lincoln impersonators), and St. Louis, Missouri (with Kathleen Turner under the St. Louis Arch)   10.    Aug - In Edmond, Oklahoma, United States Postal Service employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers before committing suicide.   11.    Sep - Desmond Tutu becomes the first black Anglican Church bishop in South Africa’s Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy.  Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology; politically, he identifies as a socialist.   12.    Nov - Iran–Contra affair: The United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret, in order to secure the release of 7 American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. Also, profits from the covert weapons sales to Iran were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua. National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, start shredding documents implicating them.   13.    Nov - Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title by defeating Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas. Tyson won the title by TKO in the second round, and at the age of 20 years and 4 months became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout or stoppage, 12 of them in the first round.   14.    Dec - Three African Americans are assaulted by a group of white teens in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York. One of the victims, Michael Griffith, is run over and killed by a motorist while attempting to flee the attackers.   15.    Open Comments:   16.    Top 3 Pop Songs   17.    1 "That's What Friends Are For, Dionne and Friends   18.    2 "Say You, Say Me", Lionel Richie   19.    3 "I Miss You", Klymaxx   20.    Grammy Award Winners   21.    Record of the Year: "Higher Love", Steve Winwood   22.    Album of the Year: Paul Simon (producer & artist) for Graceland   23.    Song of the Year: Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) for "That's What Friends Are For" performed by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder   24.    Best New Artist: Bruce Hornsby & the Range   25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for Rapture   26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: James Brown for "Living in America"   27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Prince and The Revolution for "Kiss"   28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Sweet Love" performed by Anita Baker   29.    Open Comments   30.    Top 3 Movies   1.    Top Gun   2.    Crocodile Dundee   3.    Platoon   31.    Other Notables: The Karate Kid Part II, Star Trek IV, Back To School, Aliens, The Golden Child, Ruthless People, Ferris Bueller's Day Off,  Crocodile Dundee, The Fly, Howard the Duck, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, Platoon, Pretty in Pink, Stand By Me, Top Gun, The Three Amigos ---AND UNDER THE CHERRY MOON!   32.    Open Comments   33.    Top 3 TV Shows   1.    The Cosby Show   2.    Family Ties   3.    Cheers   34.    Open Comments   35.    Economic Snapshot   36.    New Home: 89,463   37.    Avg Rent: 385   38.    Avg. Income: 22,300   39.    New Car: 9,300   40.    Harvard:10,600 yearly   41.    Movie Ticket: 2.75   42.    Gas: .89   43.    Stamp: .22   44.    Social Scene: Chicago Bears – Super Bowl Shufflin!!   45.    “In March of 1920 a man telephoned me. Mr. Chamberlain asked if I would like to come to Decatur and work for the Staley Company. [George Chamberlain was general superintendent of the A. E. Staley Company, a food starch company of Decatur, Illinois. In 1919, the company's Fellowship Club had formed a football team. It had done well against other local teams, but Mr. Staley wanted to build it into a team that could compete successfully with the best semi-professional and industrial teams in the country.” - George Halas, in his book Halas by Halas.   46.    The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 17, 1920 and moved to Chicago in 1921. It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago. Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the company hired George Halas, a Chicago native, and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team. The 1920 Decatur Staleys season was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922). The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for $100 (~$1,400 in 2019). In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise and, as with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball team. Halas liked the bright orange-and-blue colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Bears adopted those colors as their own.   47.    The 1985 Bears were simply the greatest team ever, and here's why. The collection of players Chicago put together not just on defense, but also offense, made them one of the most talented teams ever assembled. The Bears steam-rolled their way through the regular season with a 15-1 record. In Super Bowl XX, they destroyed the Pats 46-10, with the only 10 points they would give up in the entire playoffs. At the time, the 36-point win was the largest in Super Bowl history. Chicago finished with an 18-1 overall record and allowed only five of the teams they faced that year to score more than 10 points in a game. They had the greatest running back in NFL history, Walter Payton. They had the best middle linebacker in NFL history, Mike Singletary. And they even had the 1985 Coach of the Year, Mike Ditka. But, most importantly, they had the greatest team in the history of the NFL. (Including the “Punkie” QB and the Fridge!) They were the 1985 Chicago Bears. R.I.P. Sweetness. Although you wore No. 34 on the field, you will always be No. 1 in Bears fans' hearts! - MATT REAGAN [https://bleacherreport.com/articles/136752-1985-chicago-bears-the-greatest-team-ever]   48.    Question: Did you care?   49.    Music Scene   50.    Black Songs from the Top 40   51.    1 "That's What Friends Are For, Dionne and Friends   52.    2 "Say You, Say Me", Lionel Richie   53.    3 "I Miss You", Klymaxx   54.    4 "On My Own", Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald   55.    6 "How Will I Know", Whitney Houston   56.    7 "Party All the Time", Eddie Murphy   57.    11 "Greatest Love of All", Whitney Houston   58.    12 "Secret Lovers", Atlantic Starr   59.    16 "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", Billy Ocean   60.    19 "Kiss", Prince and The Revolution   61.    26 "I Can't Wait", Nu Shooz   62.    31 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", Billy Ocean   63.    32 "When I Think of You", Janet Jackson   64.    39 "Dancing on the Ceiling", Lionel Richie   65.    43 "What Have You Done For Me Lately", Janet Jackson   66.    Vote:   67.    Top RnB Albums   68.    Jan - In Square Circle, Stevie Wonder   69.    Feb – Promise, Sade   70.    Apr – Control, Janet Jackson   71.    Jun - Winner in You, Patti LaBelle   72.    Aug - Love Zone, Billy Ocean   73.    Aug - Raising Hell, Run–D.M.C.   74.    Sep – Rapture, Anita Baker   75.    Oct - Word Up!, Cameo   76.    Nov - Give Me the Reason, Luther Vandross   77.    Dec - Just Like the First Time, Freddie Jackson   78.    *Dec - Life, Love & Pain, the debut album of Club Nouveau (Personal Favorite – 1st “Grown Up” album I bumped)   79.    Vote   80.    Featured Arti

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)   1985 Notes   General Snapshots   1.    President: Ronald Reagan   2.    Jan – In Hollywood,  California, the charity single "We  Are the World" is recorded by USA for  Africa. The  single raises money to combat the  ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The  American act consists of high-profile  performers, including Michael  Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner,  Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross.   3.    Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".   4.    Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden.  In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.   5.    Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.   6.    Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone.   7.    Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.   8.    Oct  – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software.  The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems.   9.    Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.   10.    Open Comments:   11.    Top 3 Pop Songs   12.    1    "Careless Whisper"    Wham!   13.    2    "Like a Virgin"    Madonna   14.    3    "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"    Wham!   15.    Grammy Awards   16.    Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World"   17.    Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required   18.    Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World"   19.    Best New Artist: Sade   20.    Top 3 Movies   21.    Back to the Future   22.    Rambo: First Blood Part II   23.    Rocky IV   24.    Other Notables:  The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire /  Krush Groove   25.    Top 3 TV Shows   26.    The Cosby Show   27.    Family Ties   28.    Murder, She Wrote       29.    TV Debuts   30.    Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy   31.    Black Snapshots   32.    Feb -  Whitney Houston releases her debut  album – Whitney Houston.   33.    Mar  – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout.   34.    May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year."   35.    May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the  first African American to hold that office,  orders police to storm the  headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!)  The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996.   36.    Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs   37.    Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids  (1972-) 13 yrs   38.    Nov - Ebony Man: EM  Magazine launches   39.    Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording   40.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love"   41.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle   42.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift"   43.    Economic Snapshot   44.    Avg. Income = $22,138   45.    House = $99,331   46.    New Car = $9,531   47.    Avg. Rent = $375   48.    Tuition at Harvard = $9,800   49.    Movie Ticket = $2.75   50.    Gas = $1.20   51.    Stamp = $0.22   52.    Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon   53.    The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history.   54.    Open Comments:   55.    The pushback and common critisisms   56.    Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth.    57.    When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses.   58.    Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things.   59.    Open Comments:   60.    It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling.   61.    Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed  faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising?   62.    Music Scene   63.    Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!)   64.    5    "I Feel for You"    Chaka Khan   65.    6    "Out of Touch"    Hall & Oates   66.    12    "Easy Lover"    Philip Bailey and Phil Collins   67.    17    "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   68.    20    "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   69.    22    "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   70.    23    "Saving All My Love For You"    Whitney Houston   71.    26    "Cool It Now"    New Edition   72.    28    "Loverboy"    Billy Ocean   73.    29    "Lovergirl"    Teena Marie   74.    31    "Oh Sheila"    Ready for the World   75.    32    "Rhythm of the Night"    DeBarge   76.    38    "Neutron Dance"    The Pointer Sisters   77.    40    "Nightshift"    Commodores   78.    Vote:   79.    Top RnB Singles   80.    Jan - "Operator"    Midnight Star   81.    Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   82.    Feb -  "Mr. Telephone Man"    New Edition   83.    Feb - "Missing You"    Diana Ross   84.    Mar - "Nightshift"    The Commodores   85.    Apr - "Back In Stride"    Maze featuring Frankie Beverly   86.    Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night"    DeBarge   87.    May - "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   88.    May - "Fresh"    Kool & the Gang   89.    May - "You Give Good Love"    Whitney Houston   90.    Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)"    Freddie Jackson   91.    Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)"    Loose Ends   92.    Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)"    René & Angela   93.    Aug - "Freeway of Love"    Aretha Franklin   94.    Sep - "Saving All My Love for You"    Whitney Houston   95.    Sep - "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   96.    Sep - "Oh Sheila"    Ready For the World   97.    Oct - "You Are My Lady"    Freddie Jackson   98.    Oct - "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   99.    Nov - "Caravan of Love"    Isley-Jasper-Isley   100.    Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   101.    Vote:   102.    Top RnB Albums   103.    Jan - New Edition    New Edition   104.    Feb - Solid    Ashford & Simpson   105.    Mar - Gap Band VI    The Gap Band   106.    Mar p- Private Dancer    Tina Turner   107.    Apr - Nightshift    The Commodores   108.    Apr - Can't Stop the Love    Frankie Beverly and Maze   109.    May - The Night I Fell in Love    Luther Vandross   110.    Jun - Whitney Houston    Whitney Houston   111.    Jun - Rock Me Tonight    Freddie Jackson   112.    Nov - In Square Circle    Stevie Wonder   113.    Vote   114.    Featured

Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)   1985 Notes   General Snapshots   1.    President: Ronald Reagan   2.    Jan – In Hollywood,  California, the charity single "We  Are the World" is recorded by USA for  Africa. The  single raises money to combat the  ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The  American act consists of high-profile  performers, including Michael  Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner,  Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross.   3.    Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner".   4.    Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden.  In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.   5.    Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months.   6.    Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone.   7.    Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA.   8.    Oct  – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software.  The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems.   9.    Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.   10.    Open Comments:   11.    Top 3 Pop Songs   12.    1    "Careless Whisper"    Wham!   13.    2    "Like a Virgin"    Madonna   14.    3    "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"    Wham!   15.    Grammy Awards   16.    Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World"   17.    Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required   18.    Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World"   19.    Best New Artist: Sade   20.    Top 3 Movies   21.    Back to the Future   22.    Rambo: First Blood Part II   23.    Rocky IV   24.    Other Notables:  The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire /  Krush Groove   25.    Top 3 TV Shows   26.    The Cosby Show   27.    Family Ties   28.    Murder, She Wrote       29.    TV Debuts   30.    Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy   31.    Black Snapshots   32.    Feb -  Whitney Houston releases her debut  album – Whitney Houston.   33.    Mar  – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout.   34.    May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year."   35.    May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the  first African American to hold that office,  orders police to storm the  headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!)  The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996.   36.    Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs   37.    Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids  (1972-) 13 yrs   38.    Nov - Ebony Man: EM  Magazine launches   39.    Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording   40.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love"   41.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle   42.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift"   43.    Economic Snapshot   44.    Avg. Income = $22,138   45.    House = $99,331   46.    New Car = $9,531   47.    Avg. Rent = $375   48.    Tuition at Harvard = $9,800   49.    Movie Ticket = $2.75   50.    Gas = $1.20   51.    Stamp = $0.22   52.    Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon   53.    The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history.   54.    Open Comments:   55.    The pushback and common critisisms   56.    Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth.    57.    When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses.   58.    Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things.   59.    Open Comments:   60.    It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling.   61.    Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed  faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising?   62.    Music Scene   63.    Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!)   64.    5    "I Feel for You"    Chaka Khan   65.    6    "Out of Touch"    Hall & Oates   66.    12    "Easy Lover"    Philip Bailey and Phil Collins   67.    17    "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   68.    20    "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   69.    22    "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   70.    23    "Saving All My Love For You"    Whitney Houston   71.    26    "Cool It Now"    New Edition   72.    28    "Loverboy"    Billy Ocean   73.    29    "Lovergirl"    Teena Marie   74.    31    "Oh Sheila"    Ready for the World   75.    32    "Rhythm of the Night"    DeBarge   76.    38    "Neutron Dance"    The Pointer Sisters   77.    40    "Nightshift"    Commodores   78.    Vote:   79.    Top RnB Singles   80.    Jan - "Operator"    Midnight Star   81.    Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   82.    Feb -  "Mr. Telephone Man"    New Edition   83.    Feb - "Missing You"    Diana Ross   84.    Mar - "Nightshift"    The Commodores   85.    Apr - "Back In Stride"    Maze featuring Frankie Beverly   86.    Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night"    DeBarge   87.    May - "We Are the World"    USA for Africa   88.    May - "Fresh"    Kool & the Gang   89.    May - "You Give Good Love"    Whitney Houston   90.    Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)"    Freddie Jackson   91.    Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)"    Loose Ends   92.    Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)"    René & Angela   93.    Aug - "Freeway of Love"    Aretha Franklin   94.    Sep - "Saving All My Love for You"    Whitney Houston   95.    Sep - "Cherish"    Kool & the Gang   96.    Sep - "Oh Sheila"    Ready For the World   97.    Oct - "You Are My Lady"    Freddie Jackson   98.    Oct - "Part-Time Lover"    Stevie Wonder   99.    Nov - "Caravan of Love"    Isley-Jasper-Isley   100.    Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight"    Eugene Wilde   101.    Vote:   102.    Top RnB Albums   103.    Jan - New Edition    New Edition   104.    Feb - Solid    Ashford & Simpson   105.    Mar - Gap Band VI    The Gap Band   106.    Mar p- Private Dancer    Tina Turner   107.    Apr - Nightshift    The Commodores   108.    Apr - Can't Stop the Love    Frankie Beverly and Maze   109.    May - The Night I Fell in Love    Luther Vandross   110.    Jun - Whitney Houston    Whitney Houston   111.    Jun - Rock Me Tonight    Freddie Jackson   112.    Nov - In Square Circle    Stevie Wonder   113.    Vote   114.    Featured