#ThrowbackThursday – 1 August
It’s 1 August, and that means it’s time for another edition of Throwback Thursday! Today, we’re taking a look back at three prominent events that went down on this day in history:
1774 – A Breath of Fresh Air
On 4 August 1774, an English chemist discovered one of the world’s most precious elements: oxygen.
While working in his laboratory at Bowood House in Wiltshire, Joseph Priestley was conducting an experiment. Here, he placed a sample of red mercuric oxide inside a glass tube and, by focusing sunlight through a convex lens, caused the compound to heat up and subsequently break down.
To Priestley’s astonishment, the gas that was released from the mercuric oxide was remarkably different from the air he was accustomed to. He noted that this gas enabled a candle to burn brighter and burned wood at a faster pace than regular air.
Priestley dubbed this extraordinary gas “dephlogisticated air”, although in later years it would come to be known as “oxygen”. From a chemist’s standpoint, oxygen is considered essential for combustion, playing a pivotal role in various chemical reactions.
Its discovery also opened new avenues in fields such as medicine: it has been integral in the treatment of respiratory illnesses, restoring one’s oxygen levels in the bloodstream, treating sleeping disorders and enhancing one’s quality of life, among other benefits!
1963 – Happy Birthday, Coolio
Today marks what would have been the 61st birthday of US rapper Coolio, who sadly passed away two years before.
Born in Monessen, Pennsylvania on 1 August 1963, Coolio – real name Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. – later moved to Compton, California, where he started his career as a rapper. He released his debut album, “It Takes a Thief”, in 1994; however, he would achieve worldwide success with his iconic chart-topping hit, “Gangsta’s Paradise”, which garnered him a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Despite some controversy over the years, including a few run-ins with the law, Coolio’s music remained popular and highly relevant over the years, and he ultimately sold over 17 million records worldwide. He also dipped his toes into acting and cooking, which saw him releasing a cookbook called “Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price”.
On 28 September 2022, Coolio was in the bathroom of his friend’s house in Los Angeles, California when he collapsed, presumably due to a heart attack. He passed away within the hour that the Los Angeles Police Department had arrived.
A few months later, records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office showed that the 59-year-old rapper had died as a result of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Here’s hoping Coolio’s spirit found peace and comfort in another kind of paradise.
1981 – RIP, Radio Stars
Since its inception in 1981, MTV has become a cultural phenomenon worldwide. While the channel’s focus shifted to broadcasting shows like “Jackass”, “Teen Mom” and “Jersey Shore” among others in recent years, it still remains the premier destination for music and – you guessed it – music videos!
So, which music video holds the prestigious honour of being the first to be aired on MTV?
If you thought “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles, then you’re absolutely correct!
At one minute past midnight on 1 August 1981, MTV kicked off its broadcast with footage of the first Space Shuttle launch countdown for Columbia, along with the historic 1969 moon landing. Shortly afterwards, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles was aired for the first time.
First-time viewers were greeted with visuals of Trevor Horn singing into a radio microphone, while also performing alongside bandmate Geoff Downes on their instruments in a bright white room. The video featured exploding radios and a young girl being whisked into the future (complete with a stunning dancer clad in a silver bodysuit).
Although the music video was two-years-old by the time of its debut, “Video Killed the Radio Star” certainly set the tone for the newly-launched MTV. It also paved the way for a new era in music consumption and pop culture, where visual storytelling became just as important as the songs themselves.
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