Apocalypse Now, the acclaimed Vietnam War film directed by
Francis Ford Coppola, opened in theaters around the United
States on August 15, 1979.

The film, inspired in part by Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella
Heart of Darkness, among other sources, told the story of an
Army captain (played by Martin Sheen) and crew of men who
are sent into the Cambodian jungle to kill a U.S. Special Forces
colonel (Marlon Brando) who has gone AWOL and is thought to
be crazy.

Apocalypse Now, which co-starred Robert Duvall and Dennis
Hopper, became notorious for its long, difficult production,
which included budget problems, shooting delays due to bad
weather on the Philippines set, a heart attack for Sheen and
a nervous breakdown for Coppola.

Despite the production hurdles, the film became a commercial
success and won two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography
and Best Sound); it received six other Oscar nominations,
including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Supporting
Actor (Duvall).

                     
CAMILLE BOHANNON

Sir James Paul McCartney is 84 today.

                    
ROSS SIMPSON                     

On February 28, 1983, the celebrated sitcom M*A*S*H bows out
after 11 seasons, airing a special two-and-a-half hour episode
watched by 77 percent of the television viewing audience.

Congress pushed ahead standard time for the United States by
one hour in each time zone, imposing daylight saving time—
called at the time “war time.”

Daylight saving time, suggested by President Roosevelt, was
imposed to conserve fuel and could be traced back to World
War I, when Congress imposed one standard time on the
United States to enable the country to better utilize resources,
following the European model.

The 1918 Standard Time Act was meant to be in effect for only
seven months of the year—and was discontinued nationally
after the war.

     
President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)