This Day in Pop Culture for August 24

The Gutenberg Bible was first printed and “The Facts of Life” aired for the first time with little fanfare.

August 24, 2020

3–4 minutes

1456: The Gutenberg Bible is Finally Printed

While many believe that Johannes Gutenberg first work using moveable type was the Bible, it was probably the second or maybe even third. The Gutenberg press was in operation by 1450, and it is known that a German poem had been printed before the Bible. However, it is known that Gutenberg began the painstaking process of hand placing every letter for every page of the new Bible during that same year. It is believed that the 42-line Gutenberg Bible was completed on this day in 1456. About 180 copies of the book were printed, which seems rather small for a first edition. (Main image: Wikimedia)

1979: They Took the Good, They Took the Bad…

From this day in 1979 to May 7, 1988, families learned The Facts of Life from Blair, Natalie, Jo and Tootie. Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon created this family sitcom as a spinoff of Diff’rent Strokes. Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) went from working as a housekeeper for the Drummond family to becoming a housemother for an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York.

The show wasn’t much when it started. In fact, it was the NBC’s lowest rated series during its first year. Although it never ranked higher than #24 (in season 3), at one time it was the network’s most popular comedy series.

The show began with a large cast which included Molly Ringwald, Julie Anne Haddock, Felice Schachter, Julie Piekarski, Lisa Whelchel, Kim Fields and Mindy Cohn. Each episode featured at time for Edna to share a teaching moment with the girls. But four of the characters were cut for season two. After getting in trouble with the law, Blair, Natalie and Tootie were separated from the other girls at the school under the care of Edna. Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon), a tough girl from the Bronx, was added to the cast.

In Season four, the girls graduated high school. In season five, Edna opened Edna’s Edibles, and the girls became her employees. In season 7, a fire destroyed Edna’s shop. Turning lemons into lemonade, the gang turned the space into a gift shop. George Clooney had joined the cast too. In season 8, Edna’s sister (Cloris Leachman) took over the gift shop while Charlotte Rae left the series. The show ended with Season 9, but it wasn’t really the end.

Three reunion movies aired: The Facts of Life Goes to Paris in 1982, The Facts of Life Down Under in 1987 and The Facts of Life Reunion in 2001. In 2021, Jimmy Kimmel and Norman Lear presented the third Live in Front of a Studio Audience special recreating the original episode, “Kids Can Be Cruel” with Ann Dowd playing Edna, Jennifer Aniston as Blair, Gabrielle Union as Tootie, Allison Tolman as Natalie and Kathryn Hahn as Jo. The special also featured Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Jon Stewart and Noah Lapook. Lisa Whelchel performed the theme song.

1869: National Waffle Day

On this day in 1869, the U.S. patent for the waffle was issued and so because of this, August 24th has been deemed National Waffle Day. Nobody seems to know the origin of this unofficial holiday as when it first began or who felt the need to honor the holey pastry product. But now that you know, doesn’t a big ol’ fluffy one sound good right about now? (By the way, the first known waffle recipe was written in late of the 14th century in France.)