Pop Culture Happenings: February

Fifty years ago, the Iron Lady took the lead, 40 years ago, detention became cool and 25 years ago, Snoopy and the gang lost their creator.

1975

50 years ago

On Feb. 11, 1975, Margaret Thatcher defeated Edward Heath for the leadership of the British Conservative Party, the first woman to lead a major political party in the U.K. Four years later, she became Britain’s prime minister, the first woman to hold the position. As prime minister, she implemented economic policies known as Thatcherism. Dubbed the “Iron Lady,” a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style, Thatcher was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th Century. A polarizing figure in British politics, Thatcher resigned as prime minister and party leader in 1990. She was given a life peerage as Baroness Thatcher, which entitled her to sit in the House of Lords. In 2013, she died of a stroke at the age of 87.

1985

40 years ago

On Feb. 7, 1985, the coming-of-age comedy “The Breakfast Club” premiered. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice principal. The film was written and directed by John Hughes and starred Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy as the American teenagers struggling to be understood, both by adults and by themselves. One of the quintessential ‘80s films, “The Breakfast Club” remains a cultural milestone, with killer quotes like, “Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?” and “You’re a neo maxi zoom dweebie” and a bestselling soundtrack featuring “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds.

2000

25 years ago

On Feb. 12, 2000, American cartoonist Charles M. “Sparky” Shultz passed away at the age of 77. Shultz was the creator of the popular comic strip “Peanuts,” which features his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential cartoonists in history, and at its height, “Peanuts” was published daily in 2,600 papers in 75 countries, in 21 languages. Throughout nearly 50 years, Schulz drew 17,897 published “Peanuts” strips. “Peanuts” also proved popular in other media; the first animated TV special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” aired in December 1965 and won an Emmy award. The last original “Peanuts” strip appeared in newspapers the day after Shultz’s death, but reprints of the comic still appear in newspapers around the world today.