This day in history - November 21

[seamusTX]

1783 - The first successful flight of a manned balloon took place in France, which remained the cradle of manned flight for the next century or so.

1877 - Thomas Edison publicly announced the phonograph.

Although Edison is most famous for inventing the light bulb, the competition to do so was fierce, and others, who had no knowledge of Edison's work, accomplished it around the same time.

The phonograph was a new thing under the sun. Although it was supplanted by magnetic tape, CDs, MP3 players, and the like, we have had recorded music ever since and probably can't imagine being without it.

1973 - The infamous 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the Oval Office tapes became known, possibly the best-remembered piece of the Watergate debacle.

No one has ever determined or revealed what was said during that interval. It really didn't matter in the end.

1980 - The "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of the prime-time soap opera Dallas aired. It had a bigger audience than the Superbowl. The vile, hateful J.R.'s jilted ex-lover had shot him.

Dallas continues to be watched by millions around the world, dubbed into obscure languages.

- Jim