Pop Culture Flashback: Hurricane Ian (Sept. 28)

It was on this day that Hurricane Ian got out of control and yet thousands of people didn’t heed the warning to get out. Not only did lots of people lose their homes, but they also lost their lives as well.

2022 – Hurricane Ian, the Deadliest in 89 Years

The destruction left behind from Hurricane Ian was terrible, but it could have been worse. The tropical cyclone had peaked to category five (with sustained winds of 160 mph) but dropped down to a category four on this day when it made landfall in Cayo Cosa Park, Florida. Most of the damage was caused by flooding forcing many people to climb to their roofs to survive. Even so, the storm was responsible for 161 fatalities in Cuba, North Carolina and Virginia but most were in Florida.

According to a report by NBC News and U.S. News, many of the deaths were preventable. Thousands of residents near the coast choose to hunker down instead of evacuating as they were used to hurricanes. Some people said that they didn’t receive warnings early enough. Others couldn’t believe that a storm could be so deadly.

Ian became Florida’s costliest hurricane and deadliest in 89 years. It was the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall on U.S. soil. It was also the third costliest weather disaster worldwide. A large number of insurance companies went out of business and sadly, 200,000 claims ended up not being paid.

1981 – Olivia Newton-John Got ‘Physical’

Two men and a woman do a kettlebell workout — *(karabulakastan/Pixabay)*

The single “Physical” from Olivia Newton-John’s 12th album was released by MCA Records on this day in 1981. The song, written by Steve Kipner and Terry Shaddick, was originally intended for Rod Stewart. (That would have probably been pretty popular too.) The song was a huge success selling two million copies in the U.S. It was certified as Platinum and spent ten weeks at the #1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100.

“Physical” was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and it won the Billboard Award for Top Pop Single. It is Newton-John’s biggest hit song.

1963 – Roy Lichtenstein’s Most Popular Painting

Roy Lichtenstein standing in front of one of his paintings. — Roy Lichtenstein in 1967 *(Wikimedia Commons)*

You may appreciate pop art, but did you know that “Whaam!,” a 1963 pop art piece painted by Roy Lichtenstein, is one of the best-known works of the art form?

The painting was first exhibited at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New Your City on this day in 1963. It was purchased by the Tate Gallery in London three years later and has been on permanent display at Tate Modern since 2006. It is said the Lichtenstein was inspired by several comic book panels. Lichtenstein studied art before and after serving in the United States Army during World War II. His themes of art focused on romance and war.

2014 – The Movie Tour Ended

The former Backlot Tour at Disney Hollywood Studios in Florida. — The former Backlot Tour at Disney Hollywood Studios in 1998 *(Wikimedia Commons)*

When Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida first opened in 1989, the Studio Backlot Tour was a major part of the park’s appeal. Then known as Disney MGM Studios, the park was meant to be a Disney version of Universal Studios. They actually fitted the park with working sound stages and a number of TV and movie projects were filmed on the backlots.

Originally, the tours were half a walking tour and half a half a tram tour and even a few special effects were shown during the tours. Over the years, the tours would get downsized just as fewer projects were filmed there. On this day in 2014, the tours stopped for good.