'TMNT' Ended 22 Years Ago?! This Week in History: October 28-November 3

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop… the Mojo Zone. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be opening up our time capsule to tell you what happened this week in history, October 28 - November 3. For this list, we’re scouring our memory banks and the history books to find ten interesting stories that’ll make you say “oh yeah! I remember that!” Be sure to keep an eye on our Community Tab to vote for your favorite memories on upcoming episodes! For this episode, over 150 thousand of you guys voted, so thanks! Keep ‘em coming! 22 Years Ago The Turtles Scarf Their Last Pizza November 2nd, 1996 When you think about it, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were an improbable hit. ‘Humanoid turtles named after Renaissance painters who live in the sewers’ . . . It doesn’t sound like a shoe-in for success. But these heroes in a half shell became a staple of the late ‘80s and ‘90s, with the original animated series running for 193 episodes until the tenth season finale on November 2, 1996. Heck, they were half the reason we ate so much pizza. Originally airing a shocking and “makes-us-feel-old” 22 years ago, their last episode had them being recognized by Splinter as equals . . . but Splinter, you’ll always be ‘sensei’ to us. 42 Years Ago “Carrie” Bloodies Up Theater Screens November 3rd, 1976 Nowadays, screen adaptations of Stephen King novels are a dime a dozen. And while some are brilliant masterpieces - landmark films and instant classics – others are best left forgotten. The first, and some argue the best, was Brian De Palma’s “Carrie.” As scary today as it was 42 years ago, the spellbinding tale of a bullied girl who discovers she has dangerous telekinetic powers, enthralled and haunted both audiences and critics, in no small part thanks to De Palma’s deft, innovative direction and strong performances from the cast. This classic overshadows the best efforts of later adaptations, and remains a benchmark in the genre. Eesh, how DO you get pig’s blood outta silk, anyway? 10 Years Ago T.I. Does “Whatever You Like” November 1st, 2008 A decade ago (Yeah, that’s 10 WHOLE YEARS), rapper T.I. gave us “Whatever You Like.” And listeners didn’t just like it; they loved it. Promising riches to a girl with a “brain so good” because “school [she] went to college,” the pop-rap track was the lead single from T.I.’s album Paper Trail and first reached #1 in September. After temporarily making room at the top for Pink’s “So What,” it seemed to finally relinquish first place to T.I.’s own “Live Your Life” and Britney’s “Womanizer” . . . before charging back to #1 on November 1st and refusing to budge for another two weeks. No wonder he was “[popping] bottles all night.” 25 Years Ago The Advertising World’s Original Thirst Trap October 29th, 1993 Launched on October 29th, 1993, the famous “Got Milk?” ad campaign taught us the perils of peanut butter sandwiches, and of course the virtues of dairy. Believe it or not, the first commercial in the series was actually directed by Michael Bay. Yep, that Michael Bay, of “Armageddon” and “Transformers” fame. Which begs the question: how’d he manage to hold back all the explosions? Maybe they were cut? Anyway, the campaign went on to become one of the most iconic in history. Y’know, it’s hard to believe that the first time we were asked if we “got milk” was a quarter of a century ago. And by the way . . . yes milk. We get you. 37 Years Ago RIP Lily & James Potter October 31st, 1981 In the world of fiction, it’s a week of both birthdays, and sadly, of untimely demises. This Halloween, 37 years ago, Voldemort arrived in Godric’s Hollow hoping to kill a young Harry Potter. The Dark Lord used the Killing Curse to murder first Harry’s father James and then his mother Lily . . . but as the words “Avada Kedavra” hung in the air over baby Harry, the wizard’s spell encountered unexpected resistance created by Lily’s self-sacrifice. Her love saved Harry and destroyed Voldemort’s corporeal form. And the rest, as we know, is history. 80 Years Ago The Radio Scared the S*** Outta Ppl October 30th, 1938 80 years ago, aliens landed in New Jersey. Or at least, that’s what was announced over the CBS radio network. 80 years ago this week, actor Orson Welles performed an adaptation of the classic novel by H. G. Wells’ (no relation). However, Orson’s take on “The War of the Worlds” was in the form of news bulletins, causing many listeners to panic. Thinking the broadcast was real news, they thought Martians had really attacked. Although why aliens would pick rural New Jersey as their first point of contact is anyone’s guess. The program caused outrage and calls for legal action . . . because how could people possibly be expected to realize that an alien invasion from Mars was fictional? ??? Years Ago Happy Birthday, Sid! November 2nd C is for cookie, and many of us have Cookie Monster to thank for that fundamental knowledge. The 2nd of November is the monster otherwise known as Sid’s birthday, and since he debuted on the first episode of Sesame Street in 1969, the confection addict is turning at least 49. It’s been a long road, and the Muppet superstar reports having had some crazy times as “the Robert Downey Jr. of cookies,” but now acknowledges - on camera at least - that cookies are a “sometimes food.” He shares this week of birthdays with Beavis of “Beavis and Butt-Head,” who turns 39 on October 28, and ALF, who on the same day as Beavis hits an impressive 262. Cookies, chronic and cats for all! 12 Years Ago The Pumpkin Dance Is Breaking News October 31st, 2006 If you haven’t seen the Pumpkin Dance . . . have you really lived? The news industry is a tough business - especially when you’re on a tight budget. Desperate to fill in time during the underfunded 10 o'clock nightly newscast on Nebraska’s CW affiliate KXVO, anchor Matt Geiler struck gold. He would don a unitard and pumpkin mask and dance to the Ghostbusters theme. Sure, it might not be news . . . but it was new, we guess? In 2009, the clip went viral, and in 2017 Geiler took his act all the way to “America’s Got Talent,” where he made the Judge Cuts. The classics never go out of style. 15 Years Ago There’s Always Money in the Banana Stand November 2nd, 2003 It was the show so good it wouldn’t say “die.” Back in the early 2000s, critics hailed “Arrested Development” as the funniest show on TV - in fact, many say it was one of the greatest comedies of all time. Its witty dialogue and absurd, larger-than-life characters were influential beyond the show’s original three-season run . . . so much so that it returned for an encore in 2013, and again in 2018. With a whopping 25 Emmy Award nominations, and six wins, the show has achieved lasting popularity despite all the cancellations, as audiences clamor for more Bluth family antics. Now let’s all celebrate with a chicken dance. 75 Years Ago The Philadelphia Experiment Messes with Space-Time October 28th, 1943 Don’t screw with the space-time continuum! Everyone knows that. But according to mysterious letters received by astronomer and ufologist Morris K. Jessup in 1955, that’s just what the U.S. Navy did at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on October 28th, 1943. According to these letters - and subsequent conspiracy theories - their top-secret experiment turned the USS Eldridge invisible, then teleported the ship around the country and even to another dimension. You could consider the alleged experiment a great success . . . except for the crewmembers that got fused to the hull and turned inside out. Well, we guess they haven’t worked out the kinks, because we’re still driving to work. Come on, science!