May 25, 1979: "Alien" Premieres

May 25, 1979: The film Alien premieres, directed by Ridley Scott. It is, perhaps, the greatest film to truly blend science fiction and horror.

At first, it appears that the film's stars are Tom Skerritt and John Hurt. But, as is usually the case in horror films, the apparent stars are killed early, and there is a "final girl," Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver in the role that makes her a star.

Veronica Cartwright -- coming off another sci-fi/horror film, the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- Yaphet Kotto and Harry Dean Stanton also starred. The "xenomorph," designed by H.R. Giger, was played by 6-foot-10 Nigerian actor Bolaji Badejo. When the film proved successful enough that a sequel was ordered, Badejo turned down the opportunity, and returned to his native country, which has a thriving film industry. He died of sickle-cell anemia in 1992, only 39 years old.

There were sequels: Aliens (plural) in 1986, Alien 3 in 1992, and Alien Resurrection in 1997. In 1987, Predator premiered, and among the titular hunter's "trophies" was the skull of a xenomorph, suggesting that the 2 civilizations were mortal enemies. It was probably intended as an "Easter egg," but fans began to demand an "Alien vs. Predator" film.

They would have to wait through Predator 2 in 1990, as well as the 3rd and 4th Alien films. Alien vs. Predator finally happened in 2004, followed by Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem in 2007. Scott directed the prequel films Prometheus in 2012 and Alien: Covenant in 2017. And the Predator side would produce Predators in 2010, The Predator in 2018, and Prey in 2022.

As is so often the case, the franchise continued to produce sequels without regard to quality: As with Star Trek, Star Wars, baseball films, and the movies that were made with Elvis Presley in the lead role, the thinking was, "There's enough fans who'll see it, no matter what we do, that we'll make a profit, so why spend big on quality?"

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May 25, 1979 was a Friday. This was also the day of the worst air travel crash in American history occurred, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. I have a separate entry for that. Carlos Bocanegra, former captain of the U.S. soccer team, was born that day.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates were tied, 3-3 after 11 innings at Shea Stadium, when the game was called by rain. Joel Youngblood got 3 hits, while the rest of the Mets, combined, only got 5. Willie Stargell went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Lynn McGlothin pitched 8 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and Bruce Sutter pitched a perfect 9th inning. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-4. Pete Rose went 2-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the California Angels, 6-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Rod Carew went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Robin Yount went 1-for-4. Paul Molitor went 2-for-4.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-3 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. George Brett went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Seattle Mariners swept a doubleheader from the Texas Rangers, 3-2 and 5-3 at Arlington Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Houston Astros, 2-1 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). The Astros tied the game in the 9th inning, but Dan Briggs brought Gene Richards home with a sacrifice fly in the 10th.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Cincinnati Reds, 17-6 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Johnny Bench went 2-for-3.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 6-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

* The Montreal Expos and the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal -- the allegedly retractable roof was still years away from being ready. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 30. The Cards won the 1st game, 7-2. The Expos won the 2nd game, 5-1.

* The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on September 17. The Indians swept, 5-1 and 6-5. Rick Waits, a lefthander who always seemed to give the Yankees trouble, outpitched Jim Beattie in the opener. Mike Hargrove won the nightcap with with a triple in the bottom of the 9th. The Yankees had gotten home runs from Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, and Jerry Narron, the rookie who had to take over as the starting catcher after the plane-crash death of Thurman Munson on August 2.

* The Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays were also rained out, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto. This game was also made up as part of a doubleheader on September 17. The Jays won the 1st game, 5-4. The Sox led 4-2 going into the bottom of the 9th, but a double by Rick Cerone and an error by Sox catcher Carlton Fisk gave Toronto the win. Carl Yastrzemski went 2-for-3 with a walk, then sat out the 2nd game, which the Sox won, 5-3.

* And the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers were rained out at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The game was made up on September 20. The Orioles won, 8-7. Eddie Murray went 2-for-5 with a home run. 

May 5, 2000: The film "Gladiator" premieres

May 5, 2000: The film Gladiator premieres, directed by Ridley Scott. As Mel Gibson did 5 years earlier, Russell Crowe stars in a historical epic that’s a lot better with drama than it is with historical accuracy. Still, most people who saw it were entertained.

For all intents and purposes, it's a remake of the 1964 film The Fall of the Roman Empire, directed by Anthony Mann, which is often said to have marked the beginning of the end of historical epics, although that wasn't quite the case. Both films are set AD 180, roughly the high point of the Empire. In the 1964 film, the general-turned-gladiator is named Livius, and he's played by Stephen Boyd; in the 2000 film, he is named Maximus, and played by Crowe.

In the 1964 film, old Emperor Marcus Aurelius is played by Alec Guinness, new Emperor Commodus by Christopher Plummer, Commodus' sister and the gladiator's ex-girlfriend Lucilla by Sophia Loren. In the 2000 film, those roles are played, respectively, by Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix and Connie Nielsen. The 1964 film also features James Mason, Mel Ferrer, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle and John Ireland; while the 2000 film also features Oliver Red, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou and David Hemmings.

Gladiator was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, and won 5, including Best Picture, and Best Actor for Crowe. Apparently, sufficient members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences were entertained.

In real life, Marcus Aurelius, who reigned from AD 161 to 180, dying in office at the age of 58, is considered the last of "The Five Good Emperors," and his surviving writing, The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, have led to him being called a "philosopher-king." In contrast, his son Commodus, both in his time and since, was regarded as an evil dictator, who did, indeed, enter the gladiatorial field of combat himself. He reigned until 192, and was assassinated, although not as a gladiator. He was 31.

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May 5, 2000 was a Friday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* A wild game was played at the old Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees blew a 3-0 lead over the Baltimore Orioles, then blew a 5-3 lead. Then the Orioles blew an 8-5 lead. The Orioles took a 10-8 lead in the top of the 9th.

Paul O’Neill led off the bottom of the 9th against Mike Timlin, and crushed a home run. Bernie Williams singled. Oriole manager Mike Hargrove brought B.J. Ryan in to pitch. Tino Martinez worked him for a walk. Yankee manager Joe Torre sent Clay Bellinger in to pinch-run for Tino. And Jorge Posada hit one out. Four runs without an out in the bottom of the 9th, and the Yankees won, 12-10. And that wasn't the highest-scoring game that day.

* The New York Mets beat the Florida Marlins, 4-1 at Pro Player Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Al Leiter was the winning pitcher. Mike Piazza hit a home run.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-3 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Tom Glavine and Randy Wolf started, but neither figured in the decision. The Phils scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th, including a home run by Scott Rolen, to take a 5-4 lead. But in the bottom of the 9th, Wally Joyner singled, and Andruw Jones hit a game-winning home run.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Cleveland Indians, 11-10 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto. The Jays got home runs from Darrin Fletcher, Raúl Mondesí Sr., Carlos Delgado, José Cruz Jr. and Alex Gonzalez. The Tribe got them from Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome. And that wasn't the highest-scoring game that day.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati. Ken Griffey Jr. went 2-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 10-2 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins, 10-8 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-1 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Oakland Athletics, 17-16 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. The Rangers got only 1 home run, from Iván Rodríguez; but they got 2 hits and 4 RBIs from Scott Sheldon; and 3 hits each from Rodríguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Chad Curtis, Rubén Mateo and Tom Evans. The A's got homers from Frank Menechino; Ramón Hernández ,Jeremy Giambi, Adam Piatt and Terrence Long (3, off Jeff Zimmerman, 8th inn, 0 on, 2 outs to RF).

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field) in Phoenix. Tony Gwynn did not play.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Astros, 3-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies, 5-0 at Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Joe Nathan pitched 7 innings of 2-hit shutout ball, and John Johnstone and Alan Embree finished the 3-hit shutout. J.T. Snow hit a home run. Barry Bonds went 0-for-4.

* And the Anaheim Angels beat the Seattle Mariners, 6-5 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

Football was out of season. There were 2 games in the NBA Playoffs. The Utah Jazz beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 96-93 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. And the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings, 113-86 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles. Shaquille O'Neal scored 32 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.

There were 2 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche beat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver. And the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-4 at the San Jose Arena (now the SAP Center).

January 22, 1984: Apple's "1984" Commercial & The Introduction of the Macintosh

January 22, 1984: Just after halftime of the broadcast of Super Bowl XVIII on CBS, Apple airs a commercial, directed by Ridley Scott, tying in with George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, and fears that, now that calendar year 1984 had arrived, such a world might be happening.

"Big Brother" was played by English actor David Graham. He was best known for voicing the Daleks in Doctor Who, and later voiced Grandpa Pig on the British cartoon Peppa Pig. The narrator was Edward Grover, best known for playing Lieutenant Hal Brubaker on Baretta.

The hammer thrower was English athlete Anya Major, cast not for her appearance, but because she was the only woman who auditioned who could properly throw the hammer. She later played the title role in the video for Elton John's song "Nikita." Contrary to her appearance in the ad, she was never a Hooters waitress.

Two days later, on January 24, Apple held a press conference, at which Steve Jobs introduced their Macintosh 128K computer.

Yes, kids, this young guy with the long hair and no beard is Steve Jobs.

What would inevitably be abbreviated as "The Mac" was the first successful mass-market all-in-one desktop personal computer with a graphical user interface (GUI), built-in screen and mouse. It was pivotal in establishing desktop publishing as a general office function. 

Edward Grover lived until 1986, Steve Jobs until 2011. Contrary to urban legend, as of January 22, 2022, Anya Major is alive and well, 56 years old, and living in England, married with 3 children. David Graham and Ridley Scott are also still alive. (UPDATE: Graham died in 2024, at the age of 99.)

In a 2012 episode of the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, "Nice" Peter Shukoff played Steve Jobs, against "Epic" Lloyd Ahlquist as Bill Gates.

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January 22, 1984 was a Sunday -- obviously, since the Super Bowl was being played. The Los Angeles Raiders beat the defending Champions, the Washington Redskins, 38-9.

Baseball was out of season. Bowing to the reality of TV viewing, the NBA scheduled only one game for the day: The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 109-98 at the Boston Garden.

Likewise, there was only one game in the NHL, and it's an All-Canadian matchup, giving people of that country something to watch instead of a Super Bowl between the teams from America's entertainment and governmental capitals: The Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks, 6-4 at the Winnipeg Arena.