Pop Culture Flashback: September 11

September 11 may be forever known as simply 9/11. It is a day that Americans will likely never forget and for good reason.

2001 – 9/11: May We Never Forget

Rows of gravestones with a Navy trumpet playing in the middle of them — Members of the Chief of Naval Operations – Intelligence Plot (CNO-IP) hold an annual 9/11 Commemoration Wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Pentagon Group Burial Marker in Section 64 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., Sept. 11, 2023. *(U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released)*

Although many years have gone by since this horrible day in world history, it still feels like it happened yesterday. On this day in 2001, America was the target of four coordinated terrorist attacks led by the Islamic group al-Qaeda.

Four airplanes bound for California were hijacked at the same time by the terrorists with the goal of crashing them into different U.S. landmarks. Two crashed into the World Trade Center twin towers. An hour and a half later, they collapsed. A third plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. The attackers’ plan for the fourth plane was thwarted when some of the passengers took down the attackers causing the plane to crash into a field instead of Washington D.C.

2,996 people lost their lives on that day. Each year on this day the 9/11 Commemoration Wreath-Laying Ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery.

OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY:

1977 – Bing Crosby and David Bowie Record Christmas Music Together

One of the oddest pairings in music history began on this day in 1977. David Bowie agreed to appear on Bing Crosby’s annual TV Christmas special. It is not clear if either star knew who the other was.

The plan was to have the two men chat about their family Christmas celebrations and then sing “The Little Drummer Boy,” but Bowie said that he hated that song and asked if he could sing something else. Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan wrote “Peace on Earth” on the spot as a counterpoint and the pair recorded the song within an hour. Crosby died just five weeks later on October 14, 1977, never knowing how popular the song would become.

Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas aired on American TV on November 30, 1977, and on Christmas Eve in the UK.

1974: Class in Session in ‘Room 222’

Karen Valentine, Denise Nicholas, Lloyd Haynes and Michael Constantine from "Room 222" — Karen Valentine, Denise Nicholas, Lloyd Haynes and Michael Constantine from *Room 222 (ABC via TVDB)*

Set in the racially diverse Walt Whitman High School in Los Angeles, many of the stories in this series took place in Room 222, an American history classroom taught by Pete Dixon (Lloyd Haynes). His lessons often reflected on tolerance and understanding during the political climate of the times.

Other characters in the series included guidance counselor Liz McIntyre (Denise Nicholas), principal Seymour Kaufman (Michael Constantine) and student teacher Alice Johnson (Karen Valentine).

Room 222 won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding New Series In 1970 while Constantine and Valentine won for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series.

Fast Forward to 2022 where another TV series about the classroom, Abbott Elementary, was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Quinta Brunson won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Sheryl Lee Ralph won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

SATURDAY MORNING TV

Remember watching your favorite cartoons with a bowl of cold cereal? Here are some that began airing on this day. How many do you remember?

The Bugs Bunny Show title art — *(TVDB)*

1962: The Bugs Bunny Show

After airing primetime, Bugs moved to Saturday mornings. The anthology series featured a collection of Warner Bros. cartoons that had appeared in theaters from as early as 1948. The show continued with different formats for nearly 40 years.

1971: The Funky Phantom

Basically, a copycat of Scooby-Doo by the makers of Scooby-Doo. This show featured three teenagers who solved crimes committed by “ghosts” and “monsters” with the aid of a Revolutionary War-era ghost and his cat who is often teasing the teen’s bulldog.

1962: The Jackson 5ive

This Rankin/Bass cartoon told tales of the Motown rock group who rose to fame after they saved Diana Ross from Rosey, their pet snake. None of the Jackson brothers voiced their own characters, but their music was used.

1971: The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

Little Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble are now teenagers in this Flintstones spin-off. It’s the kids’ show, but Fred, Barney, Wilma and Betty are all here too in supporting roles. The three friends in the backseat are Moonrock, Wiggy and Penny.

1976: Jabberjaw

Another Hanna-Barbera show that follows the Scooby-Doo formula only this time it’s a shark that sounds like Curly from The Three Stooges and the underwater rock band, The Neptunes. The humans in the cartoon were Biff, Shelly, Bubbles and Clamhead.

1976: Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

This cartoon featured Radley Crown, a millionaire art dealer who dressed up as the Blue Falcon to solve crimes with help from his bumbling robotic dog, Dynomutt. Truly an odd couple, there was no explanation how these two ever got together.

1993: Saved by the Bell: The New Class

When the original Saved by the Bell went off the air, NBC went to work creating this spinoff series. The latter had an impressive seven-year run. The only character to appear in all seven seasons was Mr. Belding. Screech joined the cast in season 2.

Other TV Shows That Debuted on This Day:

1950: The Adventures of Paddy the Pelican
1971: Curiosity Shop; Help! It’s the Hair Bear Bunch!; The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show; Lidsville
1976: Junior Almost Anything Goes; Tarzan Lord of the Jungle; Ark II; Monster Squad; Big John, Little John; The Krofft Supershow; McDuff, the Talking Dog
1985: The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians
1992: The Little Mermaid
1993: Running the Halls; Droopy: Master Detective; Legends of the Hidden Temple
2004: The Batman