1988: Remembering PAN AM 103

It was many years ago but the pain does not go away.   This is a summary of what happened on this day in 1988:    

Pan Am Flight 103 from London to New York explodes in midair over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 243 passengers and 16 crew members aboard, as well as 11 Lockerbie residents on the ground. A bomb hidden inside an audio cassette player detonated in the cargo area when the plane was at an altitude of 31,000 feet. 

We later learned that Libya was behind the terrorist act.  In 2011, Qaddafi met justice for the death of those innocent people in 1988.  

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1988 and Pan Am 103

What a horrible day.   

Pan Am 103 was blown up over Scotland on this day in 1988.   It was a London to New York flight.

All 259 passengers were killed, including 35 students from Syracuse University returning home for Christmas.

Over the next years, Libya accepted responsibility but did not express remorse.

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August 8, 1988: Lights at Wrigley Field

As I recall, the game was rained out but the lights went on before the summer showers came.  

It all started at 6:05 pm when 91-year-old Cubs fan Harry Grossman began the countdown. “Three . . . two . . . one . . . Let there be lights!”

Grossman pressed a button and light towers were on.   Wonder if Mr. Grossman was around for the 2016 World Series title?  My guess is no but I don’t know for sure.

For years, Cubs’ fans had to watch day baseball.    It was charming, specially for kids off from school.    It made afternoon rush hour traffic a bit interesting for commuters listening to WGN radio.   It brought morning baseball to West Coast fans. 

Eventually, economics caught up with the Cubs.    It’s hard to play day time baseball when TV viewership is crucial to pro sports.

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We remember Roy Orbison (1936-88)

Roy Orbison was born on this day in 1936 in Vernon, Texas.

He was one of the great voices of rock.  In fact, John Lennon was a huge fan of his vocal style.  He died in 1988.   

Most people remember him for "Pretty woman", a great # 1 song from 1964.    It also came back big with the soundtrack of the movie by the same name.  My favorite song was "Blue angel".

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The Big Sky (1952) is a good western

Want to watch a good movie?   Try "The Big Sky", a western from 1952, starring Kirk Douglas and others that I did not recognize.   It will keep your interest.

The TCM synopsis is as follows and very complete:

In 1832, trapper Jim Deakins leaves his Kentucky home to look for work in St. Louis. En route, Jim meets Boone Claudel, a quick-fisted fugitive who has been falsely accused of a crime. Boone and Jim become fast friends, and Boone joins Jim on his journey. Soon after the two arrive in St. Louis, Boone strikes an innocent Indian crossing his path and tells Jim that he dislikes all Indians. It eventually becomes clear to Jim that Boone's prejudice against Indians stems from the poor opinion he holds of his alcoholic uncle, Zeb Calloway, who is half Indian. While searching for his uncle, Boone meets Sam Eggleston, the ill-tempered owner of the Missouri River Co., who tells Boone that Zeb owes him money for a missing delivery of whiskey. Later, Boone and Jim are thrown in jail for starting a barroom brawl with Eggleston and his men. To their astonishment, Boone and Jim discover that their cellmate is none other than Zeb. Zeb tells Jim and Boone that Eggleston and his company dislike him and that they killed his partner because as a free trader he was too much competition for the Missouri River Company. Following their release from jail, Boone and Jim decide to join Zeb on a keelboat expedition up the Missouri River and into dangerous Montana Indian territory. The head of the expedition, Jourdonnais, warns his men that they are about to embark on a 2,000-mile journey into the heart of the Blackfoot Indian territory, a region that has never been traversed by white men. To quell the trappers' fears, Jourdonnais explains that their safety will be ensured by the presence of Teal Eye, a young Indian woman, whom they will be escorting to her Blackfoot chief. Once the expedition gets underway, Zeb tells Jim and Boone that the Indians fear the white man's presence in their territory because of what they call the "grab," the white man's habit of grabbing everything in sight. Many months into the journey, the expedition, having survived the perils of white water rapids and Indian attacks, is beset upon by a group of white men, who attack their camp and abduct Teal Eye. The attackers, who are all in the employ of rival fur trader MacMasters, then try to sabotage the traders' effort to reach the Blackfoot territory by setting fire to their ship. The ship is saved just in time, and two of the saboteurs are captured by the traders and later confess to working for MacMasters. Teal Eye is eventually rescued and rejoins the expedition as it enters Blackfoot territory. Once the traders reach their destination and pick up their furs, Boone announces that he has decided to marry Teal Eye and live among the Blackfoot.

You can get the movie here:  CLICK!

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1988: Andy Gibb died at age 30!

Who remembers hearing that Andy Gibb died on this day in 1988?  He had just turned 30 a few days before.

Andy was only 19 when hit the music charts in 1977 with "I just want to be your everything", a song written and produced by his older brother Barry Gibb.  

His recordings were on the pop charts for the next 3 years, from "Shadow Dancing", to "Everlasting love" to "Don't throw it all away" to "Desire" and "I can't help it", a duet with Olivia Newton-John.

Andy's career eventually faded in the 1980's and he faced several addiction problems.  His death was a reminder that drugs will kill you.

Andy sold millions of 45's and LP's.

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