My Life - March 19, 2026

Hey y'all, what's going on?

Couple of things I wanna get out of the way. First of all, to those who watched AEW Revolution over the weekend, it's great that you've enjoyed it. And second, congratulations to those who won their respective matches and won or retained their titles.

There's one thing I want to touch on that has been bothering me this week is where AEW wrestler Ricochet insulted a fan with Multiple Sclerosis on social media. Ricochet, as you may know, had lost the AEW National Championship in a battle royal match won by Jungle Jack Perry after he's the last to elminate him. After I read that the now former AEW National Champion made that insult, it really made me sick to my stomach. The idiots in the IWC been doing the same thing since day one by not only insult and mock those because of their disability, disease or illness. Why? Because they did the same to me because of my disability.

Going on social media insulting or mocking people because of their disability, inflicted with a disease or having a mental illness or any other illness, whether they're famous or not, is totally not okay. But this is where it gets better, after that insult, Ricochet apologized. That apology he gave on social media is not even going to cut it, because that was the weakest apology I've ever heard.

If I were AEW right about now, I'd discipline or even slap a monetary fine on Ricochet. Because like I said, insulting people because of their disability, coming down with a disease or having an illness is totally NOT okay. All wrestling promotions, not just AEW, but ALL promotions need to start setting up some guardrails to prevent these incidents like this during a live show or on social media to be repeated ever again.

Federal Holiday Honors Dr. King - November 1983

Pres. Reagan, November 2, signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as a national holiday in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. King who was born January 15, 1929, was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., April 4, 1968. In the last decade of his life, he had emerged as the unofficial leader and most articulate spokesman for the black civil-rights movement in the United States. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The House, in August, and the Senate, in October had approved the holiday. Reagan had agreed to sign the bill after blacks and their supporters in Congress conveyed the intensity of their desire for the holiday.

Cold Wave Breaks Records - December 1983

A severe cold wave swept across the United States for a 2-week period beginning December 17. More than 400 deaths were attributed to the severe weather. The National Severe Storms Forecast Center reported that temperature records in 60 cities in 21 states had been broken. In the northern Great Plains, wind-chill factor temperatures were as low as -100˚ Fahrenheit. Some 80 tugboats and 800 barges on the Mississippi River were frozen in place by 8-inch-thick ice. Citrus crops in Florida and Texas were severely damaged.

Chicago TV Flashback - November 4-5, 1980

WBBM channel 2 TV schedule for Tuesday, November 4, 1980

Morning

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6a - Sunrise Semester

6:30a - It's Worth Knowing

7a - CBS News Morning with Charles Kuralt (2 hours)

9a - The Jeffersons

9:30a - Alice

10a - The Price is Right (1 hour)

11a - Young and the Restless (1 hour)

Afternoon

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Noon - Noonbreak

12:30p - Search for Tomorrow

1:30p - As the World Turns (1 hour)

2:30p - Guiding Light (1 hour)

3p - One Day at a Time

3:30p - Match Game

4p - Rockford Files (1 hour)

5p - Channel 2 News at 5

5:30p - CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite

Evening

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6p - The 1980 Presidential Election Coverage (3 hrs, 30 min)

9:30p - The 1980 Presidential Election Coverage cont'd (3 hrs, 30 min)

Early Wednesday, November 5, 1980

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1a - First Edition

1:20a - The Late Show: Fade In (1 hr, 55 min)

3:15a - Name of the Game (1 hr, 30 min)

Ronald Reagan, the Republican candidate known as a film actor and Governor of California, wins the 1980 presidential election via landslide and becomes the 40th President of the United States over incumbent president Jimmy Carter and Independent candidate John Anderson. Reagan carried 44 states with a total of 489 electoral votes, Carter carried only 6 of the states, including DC with 49 votes and John Anderson didn't carry any states leaving him with zero votes. As far as the popular vote is concerned, Reagan with 43,899,248 popular votes, president Carter finished 2nd with 35,481,436 and Anderson finished 3rd with only 5,719,850. With this win, not only the Iran Hostage Crisis comes to an end after 444 days of captivity, but Reagan will be sworn-in as the 40th president on Tuesday, January 20, 1981.

All primetime programming for this week will return next week, November 11th. For this week only, CBS News Morning expanded to 2 hours.

Unemployment Rate Continues to Fall - June 1984

The Labor Department reported, June 1, that the unemployment rate had continued to fall in May, to 7.4 percent. The Federal Reserve Board reported, June 15, that industrial production advance 0.4 percent in May. The U.S. balance of payments of deficit for the first quarter, $19.41B, set a record, the Commerce Department reported, June 18. The department said, June 19, that housing starts fell 10.5 percent in May. The Labor Department reported, June 22, that the consumer price index edged upward 0.2 percent in May. The country's major banks, June 25, raised their prime interest rate from 12.5 percent to 13 percent, the highest level since October 1982. Pres. Reagan said he could see "no excuse" for the increase. During the last week in June, the U.S. dollar set or apporached record highs in relation to major foreign currencies. The index Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.1 percent in May, the Commerce Department said, June 29.

Chernenko Elected President of USSR - April 1984

Konstantin Chernenko, general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, added another title, April 11. In a unanimous vote by the Supreme Soviet, Chernenko was named head of state. Officially the title was chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. Chernenko thus followed as secretary, his two predecessors Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov, in adding the second honor. Mikhail Gorbachev, youngest member of the ruling Politburo at age 53, nominated Chernenko for the post, prompting some speculation that Gorbachev was in line to succeed the 72-year-old Chernenko.

Stocks Soar as Oil Prices Dive - February 1986

The U.S. stock and bond markets rallied sharpily in February as the world-wide prices of petroleum products continued to tumble. At a meeting in Vienna, February 4, oil ministers of major members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries repeated a call for cooperation between members and nonmembers of OPEC but took no firmer action.The ministers appeared willing to adhere to a strategy of keeping output high and forcing prices down, the object being to increase demand for oil. By mid-February, the prices for crude oil per barrel had fallen to the $15 to $16 range. Prices had been above $28 in November. The decline was seen on Wall Street as a promise of lower energy costs for corporations and lower inflation for consumers. The result was a buying frenzy. The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 1,600 for the first time, February 6, and needed only 15 more trading days to top the 1,700 level on February 27th.

Gorbachev Rebukes Stalin - November 1987

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, addressing 6,000 party officials and visitors in the Kremlin, November 2, asserted that the late Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin had committed enormous crimes. He said that contrary to the beliefs of some, Stalin well knew that "wholesale repressive measures and acts of lawlessness" had occurred. He added that a commission would investigate the possibility of rehabilitating the reputations of innocent victims of Stalin. In a speech marking the 70th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution, Gorbachev praised Stalin for his policy of farm collectivization and for his leadership during World War II. It was reported, November 3, that two leading party figures had argued vehemently at an October 21 meeting of the Central Committee. The disputants were said to be Yegor Ligachev, the party ideologist and a force for conservative thought, and Boris Yeltsin, head of the party in Moscow and an outspoken champion of Gorbachev's reforms. Yeltsin had reportedly blamed some senior leaders for what he saw as the slow pace of reform. Tass, the official Soviet news agency, said, November 11, that Yeltsin had been removed from office because of "major shortcomings." Gorbachev criticized Yeltsin, November 11,  at a meeting of Moscow party officials. Western observers thought that perhaps Yeltsin was removed as a signal to conservatives that the pace of reform would not be too swift.

Chicago TV Flashback - June 30-July 1, 1989

WMAQ channel 5 TV schedule for Friday, June 30, 1989

Morning

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5:30a - Morning Stretch

6a - NBC News at Sunrise with Deborah Norville

6:30a - Channel 5 News at 6:30

7a - Today with Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley (2 hours)

9a - Scrabble

9:30a - Classic Concentration

10a - Wheel of Fortune (NBC Finale)

10:30a - Win, Lose or Draw

11a - Days of Our Lives (1 hour)

Afternoon

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Noon - Channel 5 News at Noon

12:30p - Generations

1p - Another World (1 hour)

2p - Santa Barbara (1 hour)

3p - The Judge

3:30p - The Judge

4p - Channel 5 News at 4

4:30p - Channel 5 News at 4:30

5p - Channel 5 News at 5

5:30p - NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw

Evening

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6p - Inside Edition

6:30p - Family Feud

7p - Highway to Heaven (1 hour; 5th-to-last show)

8p - NBC Friday Night at the Movies: Paternity (2 hours)

10p - Channel 5 News at 10

10:30p - Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (1 hour)

11:30p - Late Night with David Letterman (1 hour)

12:30a - Friday Night Videos (1 hour)

Early Saturday, July 1, 1989

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1:30a - Channel 5 News at 10 (Rebroadcast)

2a - USA Today

2:30a - Movie Greats Network: Blood Song (2 hours)

Wheel of Fortune daytime brought an end to 3 eras after 14 years: Rolf Bernischke's 5-month run as host, shopping for prizes, and NBC. With Wheel moving to CBS Monday, July 17th, primetime reruns of the hit show The Golden Girls will air in the 10a time slot the following Monday.

Chicago TV Flashback - March 3-4, 1989

WMAQ channel 5 TV schedule for Friday, March 3, 1989

Morning

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5a - Sally Jessy Raphael Show

5:30a - Morning Stretch

6a - NBC News at Sunrise with Deborah Norville

6:30a - Channel 5 News at 6:30

7a - Today with Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley (2 hours)

9a - Sale of the Century (Last show until March 20th)

9:30a - Classic Concentration

10a - Wheel of Fortune

10:30a - Win, Lose or Draw

11a - Super Password

11:30a - Scrabble

Afternoon

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Noon - Days of Our Lives (1 hour)

1p - Another World (1 hour)

2p - Santa Barbara (1 hour)

3p - Cagney & Lacey (1 hour)

4p - Channel 5 News at 4

4:30p - Channel 5 News at 4:30

5p - Channel 5 News at 5

5:30p - NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw

Evening

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6p - Inside Edition

6:30p - Family Feud

7p - Father Dowling Mysteries (1 hour; 2nd-to-last show of the 1st season)

8p - Miami Vice (1 hour)

9p - Hunter (1 hour)

10p - Channel 5 News at 10

10:30p - Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (1 hour)

11:30p - Late Night with David Letterman (1 hour)

12:30a - Friday Night Videos (1 hour)

Early Saturday, March 4, 1989

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1:30a - Channel 5 News at 10 (Rebroadcast)

2a - The Judge

2:30a - Family Feud

3a - Movie Greats Network: Dream No Evil (2 hours)

Before the 2nd instant bargain offer, host Jim Perry reminded everyone that Sale of the Century is ending its successful 6-year run on NBC. The reason for this is because the show will be taking a break for 2 weeks due to the interview show hosted by Rona Barrett temporarily occupies Sale of the Century 9a time slot. Then the show returns for its final week Monday, March 20th. For this show and leading up to the finale, three garage sale offers takes place. A garage sale is where the prizes were offered in past instant bargains during its daytime run, and in some cases, prizes unsold from the nighttime version. Champion Darrell Garrison was the first to buy the 19" TV, VCR and the music machine totalling $2,829, but to make it more interesting since Sale takes a break starting Monday, March 6th, $500 cash was thrown in for $3,329. Garrison comes back for the final week with $40,670 after 4 days.