Pop Culture Happenings: November

Days of Novembers past saw a scandalous president, a thrilling “King of Pop” and an ill-fated “King of the World.”

__50 Years Ago: 1972__

On Nov. 7, incumbent President Richard Nixon was re-elected in a landslide by winning 49 states. Nixon resigned two years later due to the Watergate Scandal. Also on Nov. 7, 1972, attorney Joe Biden of Delaware was elected by just more than 3,000 votes to the U.S. Senate. Biden won re-election six times before being elected vice president to President Barack Obama in 2008, and then, of course, achieving the full President of the United States (POTUS) in 2020.

__40 Years Ago: 1982__

Michael Jackson’s sixth studio album “Thriller” was released Nov. 30. With the title song “Thriller,” the album also contained the chart-toppers “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “The Girl Is Mine,” a duet with Paul McCartney. A year later came the video for “Thriller.” Jackson choreographed the dancing and picked John Landis to direct the video because of the work he did on “American Werewolf in London.” Vincent Price did the creepy narration, and Jackson’s sister Janet was one of the zombies. “Thriller” became the best-selling album of all time and won a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, while “Beat It” won Record of the Year.

__25 Years Ago: 1997__

“Titanic,” directed by James Cameron and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival Nov. 1. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards and winning 11, including Best Picture and Best Director, the disaster/romance tied “Ben-Hur” (1959) for the most Oscars won by a single film. With an initial worldwide gross of more than $1.84 billion, “Titanic” was the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark. It remained the highest-grossing film of all time until another Cameron film, “Avatar,” surpassed it in 2010. Cameron was truly “King of the World!”