Posted on June 19, 2022
This is an update of my post published on June 19, 2011:
The dawn of the age of the nickelodeon!
On this date in 1905, Harry Davis and John P. Harris opened a small storefront theater in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. They called it Nickelodeon because they charged a nickel – and because the Greek word for roofed theater was odeion.
Ten- to fifteen-minute films played in the theater continuously, including short narratives, “actualities” (documentaries), illustrated songs, dance acts, sporting events, melodramas, and so forth.
Hundreds of copy-cat nickelodeons opened up all over the country, but starting in 1915, the day of the nickelodeon was essentially over. The new films being made were longer and drew larger audiences, and new movie theaters were built with larger auditoriums and higher admission prices. (Yep, people had to pay an entire DIME to see a movie!)Now you know where the name Nickelodeon came from!
Celebrate by watching something other than a mainstream movie. How about an animated short or a documentary? You might try Blast Off! or Oktopodi, for animated shorts. Volcanoes for Kids and What On Earth is Wrong with Gravity? are some possibilities for documentaries.
Also on this date:
Mathematician Blaise Pascal’s birthday
World Sauntering Day
Garfield the Cat Day
Illustrator Maginel Wright Enright’s birthday
Independence Day in Kuwait
Labour Day in Trinidad and Tobago
Artigas Day in Uruguay
Juneteenth
Father’s Day in the USA
(Third Sunday in June)
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
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June holidays
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June birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in June
And here are my Pinterest boards for:
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July holidays
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July birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in July