“Disney’s Cinderella,” and “Plane Crash Kills Olympic Skating Team,” - This Day in History – Feb 15th

Disney Classic Animated tale of Cinderella debuts

Back in 1950, Walt Disney investment of six years of work paid off with the making of another animated full-length feature film based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Cinderella. 

This movie features its signature songs, such as the Oscar-nominated “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,” and the classic, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.” 

History.com stated that, “As with Snow White and other classic animated features, the studio held periodic re-releases of Cinderella in 1957, 1965, 1973, 1981 and 1987, keeping its popularity alive among new generations of moviegoers.”

Tragedy Strikes the 1961 U.S figure skating team

Back in 1961, the U.S and the world mourned the loss of the 18 members of the U.S. figure skating team who were killed in a plane crash in Prague, Czechoslovakia. About.com gives a listing of the individuals who died in the plane crash here.

History.com stated that, “In addition to the skaters, 16 people accompanying them, including family, friends, coaches and officials, were killed. The other 38 passengers and crew aboard Sabena Flight 548, which left New York on the night of February 14, also died when the plane went down around 10 a.m. in clear weather while attempting to make a scheduled stopover landing at the Belgian National Airport in Brussels. One person on the ground, a farmer working in the field where the Boeing 707 crashed in Berg-Kampenhout, several miles from the airport, was killed by some shrapnel. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the crash, although mechanical difficulties were suspected.” 

The last gold medal won by an American in ice-skating had occurred in 1948, when Dick Button won the gold.  After the plane crash in 1961, it would take eight years before Peggy Fleming would win the gold in 1968 and for Scott Hamilton in 1984. 

The U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund provided financial assistance to the American skaters who died.  Additionally, in 2011, on the 50^th Anniversary of this tragedy, the members were inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO.

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/broadway-legend-ethel-merman-dies?catId=13