As a student of the University of Sheffield, I felt obliged to write about Sheffield F.C. for this day. The Club was founded 155 years ago on October 24th 1857 making them the world's oldest club playing Association football. Back in 1857, however, they had a different set of rules known as the 'Sheffield Rules', which hold a strong resemblance to Australian rules football i.e. there was no offside rule.
Sheffield football started off when members of the Sheffield cricket club held informal kick-abouts in 1855, where there weren't really any rules enforced at all. Two years later, the Football Club was established at Parkfield House in Highfield, formed by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest. At first the games consisted of "Married vs. Singles" or "Professionals Vs the Rest", but later a proper team took shape. Before the FA began, there were several types of football rules around England, thus the creation of 'Sheffield Rules'.
The iPod is now a normal part of our 21st Century lives in the Western world. But imagine a time, with no iPod...*gasp!* October 23rd 2001 was the day that Steve Jobs announced the coming of a technological device that allows you to carry "1,000 songs in your pocket".
Over the past 12 years, a multitude of generations of iPod have been developed and updated, maintaining our hunger for the newest, shiniest, snazziest iPod. Variations include: the Classic, the Shuffle, the Touch, the Nano and the Mini. The iPod, among other digital music players, has effectively killed the physical CD production industry and replaced it with virtual music collections like iTunes. Could this device that has transformed our daily lives for the better, also mean the end of an era in music production?
If you are interested in this topic, check out my October 2nd blog post here, which discusses the battle between the CD and digital.
Until October 22nd 1966, not a single all-woman music ensemble had achieved a number one selling album. Suddenly, The Supremes emerged into the spotlight! The girls were the first act signed to Motown Records, and performed behind the names of 'The Primettes', 'The Supremes' and 'Diana & The Supremes'. Their music career was the most commercially successful of the Motown Records acts, as not only were they women, but they were also black, and embraced this new feminine image that had not been done before in music.
The Supremes album The Supremes A' Go-Go became number one on this day in 1966, and signified the rise of female music recognised in the charts. Although a highly inspirational band with an endless string of classic hits, the band had issues behind closed doors. Diana Ross appeared to be the shining star of the group (and striving towards a solo career), and there were quite a few switch-arounds in the group dynamic. The 2006 movie Dreamgirls maps the career of The Supremes, with Beyonce playing a character resembling Diana Ross, and Jennifer Hudson's persona closely associated with Supreme's member Florence Ballard.
Despite the problems in the band, the achievement of October 22nd 1966 remains significant, as it paved the way for future female groups and girl bands to gain recognition for their musical talents.
Apple Day first began on October 21st 1990 in Covent Garden, London. It is not, as the technological generation might assume, a day dedicated to the super-computer-company that has dominated the 21st century. Alternatively, it is just about apples and orchards.
The idea behind the day is to celebrate the apple as an icon that represents the physical, cultural and genetic diversity that communities treasure. It was initially founded by the organisation Common Ground who described the day as an appreciation of the variety and richness of the apple. When you think about it, apples do have a lot of uses. From helping Isaac Newton to understand gravity to providing many quill and ink users with a pen pot; making cider; apple martinis; apple juice; apple pie...the list goes on. Villages and communities organise various apple-related events on October 21st to celebrate this (golden) delicious fruit.
