Is it just us, or are there a disproportionate number of birthdays
in 2006? Granted, we've never really counted them up before, but
this year we've noticed there are some seriously significant
milestones happening - and, lucky for you, there's some sort of
party to go along with each one. Since we don't think that
celebrating just one birthday per year is enough, raise your
glasses and wish a
bonne anniversaire to the following
pieces of history. - Kevin Raub
-Twister, (40)
Milton Bradley's Twister turns 40 in 2006 - the same number of
years since
Johnny Carson championed the ultimate party game on
The Tonight Show (he played with Eva Gabor), giving it the
sort of endorsement that separates here-today-gone-tomorrow games
with those that … well … have been around for 40 years. Milton
Bradley is commemorating the occasion with the
Twister Dance
DVD ($30).
-Eames Lounge and Ottoman (50)
An icon of mid-century modern design, the Eames Lounge and Ottoman
by Charles and
Ray Eames made its debut in 1956 and proved to be a
classic. In honor of its golden anniversary,
Herman Miller has put
together a traveling exhibition, The Eames Lounge Chair: An Icon of
Modern Design, as well as a limited-edition version of the set,
made with sustainably sourced tropical wood ($6,500).
-Play-Doh (50)
What's childhood without this American classic?
Hasbro is giving away $50,000 in a sweepstakes commemorating the
1956 invention of this modeling compound turned iconic toy. We were
hoping for a new color too. Oh well - money is almost as good.
-San Francisco Earthquake (100)
The tremor that ripped
San Francisco apart 100 years ago was one of
the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. The 8.25 quake (in
comparison, 1989's Loma Prieta quake measured a paltry 6.7)
displaced 250,000 people and caused a whopping $350 million in
damage. So what is the city doing this year? Hosting a conference,
of course.