SaturdaySat, July 18th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Constitution Day is being celebrated in Uruguay
- Nelson Mandela's Birthday is being celebrated in South Africa
- People born on this day are Cancer as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2023
- EVENTS
- City of Phoenix, Arizona breaks a five decade heat record recording 19 consecutive days of temperature at or above 110°F (43.3°C); overnight low of 97°F (36.1°C) highest since 1989.
- Figures released by industry body UK Music suggested music tourism contributed £6.6bn to the economy with over 1.1m people coming to the UK from overseas in 2022 to attend a concert, peaking at over one million for the first time. UK Music, which represents the industry, said another 13 million music tourists travelled within the UK to attend gigs by artists including Ed Sheeran and Elton John, contributing to a total music tourism yearly spend of £6.6bn, which is estimated to sustain 56,000 jobs..
- 2023 wildfire season in British Columbia, now most destructive on record burning 14,100 square kilometres of land, with 390 fires still alight (surpassing 2018 record).
- Wildfire season in British Columbia becomes the most destructive on record, burning 14,100 square kilometers of land, with 390 fires still alight (surpassing 2018 record).
- BIRTHS
- Dilaida.Ts, Instagram Star, born in Kyrgyzstan.
- DEATHS
- Lew Perkins, American sports executive (athletic director USC–Aiken, Wichita State U, U of Maryland, U of Connecticut, U of Kansas), who died at 78.
- TV SERIES
- Justified: City Primeval: Season 1 is released. Eight years later, US Marshal Raylan Givens has been a part-time father to his 15-year-old daughter in Miami, but he is soon drawn to Detroit, where the criminal known as The Oklahoma Wildman (Boyd Holbrook) has managed to escape punishment thanks to his attorney (Aunjanue Ellis).
- GAMING: PC
- My Friendly Neighborhood for PC is released. Something is amiss with everyone's favorite Saturday morning puppet show! For years, the colorful cast of The Friendly Neighborhood delighted audiences across the globe with their cooky capers and educational adventures. However, as time went on and interest waned, the production studio found themselves out of money and closed their doors for good.Toy sales would dwindle, and birthday balloons and cakes would find new mascots. In time, the once household names would fade into increasingly niche fandoms. Until one night years later, the studio unexpectedly clicks back to life and starts broadcasting The Friendly Neighborhood. TV sets across the globe flicker for a moment before the familiar puppets return for a surprise encore!Play as Gordon, a repairman sent to get to the bottom of this disturbing dilemma. Fend off puppets and solve puzzles in this survival horror adventure.
- Viewfinder for PC is released. Challenge perception, redefine reality, and reshape the world around you with an instant camera. Viewfinder is a new single player game offering gamers hours of interesting and fun experiences while uncovering the mysteries left behind.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- LISA: Definitive Edition for Switch is released. After a mysterious event known only as the “White Flash” wipes out all women in existence, warlords, imbeciles and perverts are left to rule the world of Olathe. Follow Brad’s relentless journey through the barren wasteland making sacrifices and cutting off arms to save party members, fighting through countless unique monster and enemy encounters, beating up old friends and past traumas and doing whatever it takes to save his daughter, the last girl alive…
On this day in 2022
- DEATHS
- Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American pop artist (Clothespin; Alphabet; Good Humor), who died at 93.
On this day in 2021
- DEATHS
- Enn Tarto, Politician.
- TV SERIES
- The End: Season 1 is released. Set in Australia, palliative care Dr. Kate Brennan (Frances O'Connor) brings her mother Edie (Harriet Walter) out from England to a Gold Coast retirement community after her suicide attempt in this dark comedy created and written by Samantha Strauss.[Premiered originally in Australia on Fox Showcase on 2 Feb 2021, in the UK on Sky Atlantic on 10 Feb 2021 and in the US on Showtime on 18 Jul 2021]
- POLITICS
- John Woodcock OBE, English cricket journalist ('The Times'1954-88; Wisden Cricketers'Almanack 1981-86; President Cricket Writers'Club 1986-2004), who died at 94.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek are hospitalized with COVID-19 pandemic in Mumbai.
- DEATHS
- El Dany, Rapper.
- Barry Jarman, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (19 Tests; 54 dismissals), who died at 84.
- Miura Haruma, TV Actor.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- June 2019 was the hottest June on record with average worldwide temperature of 61.6F (16.4C) according to The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- One of world's earliest mosques at 1,200 years old discovered by archaeologists in Israel's Negev Desert.
- Arson attack on animated studio Kyoto Animation Co in Kyoto, Japan, kills at least 33.
- Children's songs "Baby Shark" and "Raining Tacos" used by City of West Palm Beach, Florida to drive away homeless people from the waterfront.
- Ed Sheeran broke yet another streaming record. His latest collaborative album No. 6 Collaborations Project, racked up 69 million streams in a month on Spotify, which was the highest by any artist. This new record wasn’t the first that Sheeran has broken. His last album Divide set a new record of 56 million streams on the day of release, while ‘Shape Of You’ picked up over 10 million streams on its first day..
- DEATHS
- David Hedison, American actor (Colbys, Voyage to Bottom of Sea), who died at 92.
- GAMING: PC
- Horace for PC is released. Horace is a story-driven, pixel-platform adventure peppered with nostalgic, popular culture references which will bring a smile to any gamer who enjoys the 8 and 16 bit era.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Etherborn for Switch is released. Etherborn is an elegant leap in the gravity-puzzle genre; an environmental puzzle platformer built on exploring and understanding gravity-shifting structures. You are a voiceless being that has just been born into a world where a bodiless voice awaits your arrival. As your first thoughts emerge, you realise your journey has just begun. You must reach this ethereal voice to fully understand your own existence. In this world, the laws of physics behave in a way that will bend your imagination. You experience gravity perpendicular to the surface you are standing on, allowing for creative exploration possibilities in environments carefully crafted as navigation-based puzzles. Travel through beautiful and exotic sceneries where each level is an organic puzzle that you need to explore, manipulate and shift your gravity on in order to decipher the way forward.
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- Elon Musk apologises for calling British caver diver in Thai rescue "pedo guy"after widespread criticism and fall in Tesla stock price.
- Google fined record $5.1 billion by the EU for abusing its power in mobile phone market.
- Cliff Richard wins privacy case against the BBC, for reporting he was being investigated over historic child sexual assaults.
- New Earth geological age announced, the Meghalayan Age 4,200 years ago to the present, by the International Commission on Stratigraphy.
- Kawhi Leonard is traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Pöltl, and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick.
- Lava from Kilauea volcano eruption has now destroyed 700 homes and added 700 acres to Big Island confirms Hawaii National Guard.
- Seventeen men charged with the gang-rape of a 12-year old girl in Chennai, India.
- Turkey ends its two-year State of Emergency.
- DEATHS
- Wolfgang Hufschmidt, German church musician, academic, and composer, who died at 84.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- The Mooseman for Switch is released. Long-long time ago the world was created out of an egg-shell by a god named Yen. In the murky depths of the endless ocean the Lower World was born. The Middle World was made for the men to dwell, and the Upper World was were the ancient gods would reside. Multitudes of spirits dwell among the layers of creation, guarding their secrets in the dark. Embark on a journey through all the worlds of ancient myth, find artefacts of Chud' tribes and solve all the mysteries of finno-ugric tales. You are the Mooseman and you have the ability to see all that is hidden to the mortal eye. You are about to visit three layers of this universe - the first one is the Lower World where the spirits of the dead reside.
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- The Long Reach for Xbox One is released. The Long Reach is set in New Hampshire, in the fictional town of Baervox. The game draws its inspiration from Lone Survivor and The Cave and all the classical adventures (except that The Long Reach is set in the present day).
- POLITICS
- Nicaraguan government announces Masaya is back under its control after violent clashes with anti-government protesters.
- 44 Forest fires in Sweden as far north as the Arctic Circle prompt Swedish government to request extra assistance, with drought and warm weather to blame.
On this day in 2017
- EVENTS
- R&B singer R Kelly denied allegations that he was holding several young women in an "abusive cult". The singer's lawyer said he would work "diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name".A report accused the singer of brainwashing women, who got closer to him in an effort to boost their musical careers.He had faced previous accusations of sexual misconduct, but was never found guilty..
- DEATHS
- Jose Bragato, Composer.
- GAMING: PC
- Children of Zodiarcs for PC is released. A single-player Tactical JRPG with collectible cards and craftable dice combined with classic tactical gameplay, rich story, and memorable music.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Archangel for PlayStation 4 is released. Enter the cockpit of a six-story mech and feel its might at your command. You are the tip of the spear in the United States Free Forces’ war against the overwhelming mechanized forces of HUMNX, a tyrannical corporation that rules a post-apocalyptic America.
- Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire for PlayStation 4 is released. Fallen Legion: Sins of an Empire is an intense action RPG where every battle is a heart-pounding fight and each gut-wrenching choice impacts the realm.
- Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles for PlayStation 4 is released. Yonder shipwrecks players on the vast island of Gemea, a land enshrouded in an evil murk. By exploring the land, joining forces with the locals and contributing to their community through optional talents like farming, crafting, cooking, fishing and brewing, adventurers can help the island flourish.
- 99Vidas for PlayStation 4 is released. 99Vidas is a brawler set in a contemporary world that pays tribute to both classic and new games in the industry. Brought to you in 16-bit pixelated glory, chock-full of references to not only gaming but also 80’s and 90’s pop culture.
- SPORTS
- Harvey Atkin, Canadian actor (Meatballs), who died at 74.
On this day in 2016
- DEATHS
- Gugu Zulu, Race Car Driver.
- Billy Name [William Linich Jr], photographer (Andy Warhol's factory), who died at 76.
- Chris Brauer, Race Car Driver.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- PayPal is spun off from eBay as a separate publicly traded company on the NASDAQ.
- BIRTHS
- Jake Lim, Instagram Star, born in Singapore.
- DEATHS
- (Perry) "Buddy" Buie, American rock songwriter, and record producer (Atlanta Rhythm Section - "So Into You" ; "Imaginary Lover"), who died of a heart attack at 74.
- Chris Young, Race Car Driver.
- Alex Rocco, American actor (The Godfather, The Famous Teddy Z), who died at 79.
On this day in 2014
- EVENTS
- The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) call 18,000 additional reserves soldiers in campaign against Gaza.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Video Games: The Movie is released. Video Games: The Movie chronicles the meteoric rise of video games from nerd niche to multi-billion dollar industry. Featuring in-depth interviews with the godfathers who started it all, the icons of game design, and the geek gurus who are leading us into the future, Video Games: The Movie is a celebration of gaming from Atari to Xbox, and an eye-opening look at what lies ahead.
- Mood Indigo is released. When Colin (Romain Duris), a wealthy bachelor whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy), learns that his best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh), a fellow acolyte of the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero attends a friend's party in hopes of falling in love himself. He soon meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and, before they know it, they're dancing to Duke Ellington and plunging headfirst into love. Their whirlwind courtship is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe; a flower begins to grow in her lungs. To save her, Colin discovers the only cure is to surround Chloe with a never-ending supply of fresh flowers.
- Alive Inside is released. Alive Inside investigates the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff's surprise many residents suffering from memory loss and Alzheimer's Disease seem to "awaken"when they are able to listen to music from their past. With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.
- Among Ravens is released. An annual 4th of July weekend hosted by troubled couple Wendy (Amy Smart) and Ellis (Josh Leonard) is seen through the eyes of Joey (Johnny Sequoia), Wendy's ten year old daughter. Ellis is a trust fund baby, who is devoted to Wendy and Joey, but oblivious to the fact that his wife feels disconnected from him; Wendy, a former college radical, feigns a happiness she has secretly lost. Among the couple's invited guests are: Saul, Wendy ex-husband, a successful writer whom we come to discover has never written a thing in his life; Will, Saul's alcoholic ghost writer who is suffering from writer’s block; Emma, Saul’s wife, who is having an affair with Will, and Hal, a rootless hippie life coach and Wendy’s best friend. Into this combustible mix walks Chad, a nature photographer who forces the old friends into uncomfortable situations that reveal long buried secrets and cause the group to re-examine their relationships over the course of the weekend. [Gravitas Ventures]
- A Five Star Life is released. Stylish and independent, Irene (Margherita Buy) is a single career woman in her forties with a job to die for. As a luxury hotel critic, she checks into the world's finest establishments incognito to assess their standards, meticulously judging every detail from the concierge's manners to the temperature of the food to the quality of the bedsheets. Her elegant, unattached lifestyle affords her the freedom to jet around the globe at a moment's notice to experience a world of luxury, but doesn't leave her with much of a personal life. On the rare occasions she's not working, Irene's world revolves around her absent-minded sister Silvia (Fabrizia Sacchi), two lively young nieces, and best friend--and former lover--Andrea (Stefano Accorsi). But when Silvia begins to deal with marital problems and Andrea faces an unexpected life change, Irene's small support network is fractured and she struggles to balance a glamorous career with the growing desire for something more. After a chance meeting shakes up her worldview even more, she's compelled to reexamine her choices and charts her own path to happiness despite the expectations of others. [Music Box Films]
- Aftermath is released. The devastating horror of a nuclear apocalypse is now reality and nine desperate strangers find themselves clinging to life in a farmhouse cellar, while radioactive fallout descends on the darkened world above. These would-be survivors face the nightmare of dwindling supplies, poisonous air and the greatest threat of all – the hordes of zombie-like refugees who want in. With each dying day, their choice becomes clearer – stay and let the makeshift shelter become their tomb or face the unknown terrors of the world outside.
- Fanny is released. Abandoned and still in love, Fanny finds out she's expecting Marius' child. Now an unmarried mother, she's unable to take responsibility for her and her child's future. With the approval of her mother and of Cesar, her child's grandfather, she gives in and marries Honore Panisse, a wealthy merchant from the Old Port who is thirty years her senior. He recognizes her child and raises him as his own. Panisse also brings them wealth, a renewed social status and a comfortable future. A few months after the wedding and the birth of the child, Marius, while traveling by sea to faraway lands and with no resources, realizes he still has feelings for Fanny, who still loves him. [Kino Lorber]
- MOVIES: PG
- Planes: Fire & Rescue is released. When world famous air racer Dusty learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he shifts gears and is launched into the world of aerial firefighting. Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his courageous team, including spirited super scooper Dipper, heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter, ex-military transport Cabbie and a lively bunch of brave all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. Together, the fearless team battles a massive wildfire and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Persecuted is released. When a Senator frames evangelist John Luther for the murder of an innocent teenage girl, an unprecedented era of persecution is unleashed. An evangelist turned fugitive, Luther’s mission brings him face-to-face with the coming storm of persecution that will threaten the entire Christian community in America.
- MOVIES: R
- The Purge: Anarchy is released. On the night of the annual Purge, five citizens find out just how far they will go to protect themselves and, ultimately, each other, as they fight to survive a night fraught with impossible decisions.
- Sex Tape is released. When Jay and Annie first got together, their romantic connection was intense – but ten years and two kids later, the flame of their love needs a spark. To kick things up a notch, they decide to make a video of themselves trying out every position in The Joy of Sex in one marathon three-hour session. It seems like a great idea – until they discover that their most private video is no longer private. With their reputations on the line, they know they’re just one click away from being laid bare to the world, but as their race to reclaim their video leads to a night they’ll never forget, they’ll find that their video will expose even more than they bargained for. [Columbia Pictures]
- Wish I Was Here is released. Aidan Bloom, a 35-year-old struggling actor, father and husband is still trying to find his identity, a purpose for his life. He winds up trying to home school his two children when his father can no longer afford to pay for private education and the only available public school is on its last legs. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn't find.
- I Origins is released. Dr. Ian Gray (Michael Pitt), a molecular biologist studying the evolution of the eye, finds his work permeating his life after a brief encounter with an exotic young woman (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey) who slips away from him. As his research continues years later with his lab partner Karen (Brit Marling), they make a stunning scientific discovery that has far reaching implications and complicates both his scientific and spiritual beliefs. Traveling half way around the world, he risks everything he has ever known to validate his theory.