theLogBook.com is a chronicle of how we used to imagine the future – an ever-expanding
logbook of what our entertainment, our culture, and even our brightest minds thought would happen.
It’s nostalgia – and some real history – that gives factual context to the fiction, cultural
context to the factual, and always looks to the future.

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Published On: August 4, 2022

Blue Origin NS-22Blue Origin launches the New Shepard suborbital flight NS-22, the vehicle’s sixth crewed flight. Passengers on this flight are Coby Cotton, Mário Ferreira, Vanessa O’Brien, Clint Kelly III, Sara Sabry, and Steve Young.

Published On: August 4, 2013

Peter CapaldiIn a live half-hour reality-show-style special broadcast simultaneously around the world, the BBC reveals that actor Peter Capaldi will be the twelfth incarnation of the last Time Lord in Doctor Who. Capaldi has already appeared in the series once (in 2008’s The Fires Of Pompeii) and in the third season of the spinoff series Torchwood. At the age of 55, Capaldi is the oldest actor to play the Doctor since William Hartnell, and represents a significant departure from his youthful predecessor, who is leaving the TARDIS at the age of 30. Capaldi’s first Doctor Who episodes will not be seen until 2014.

Published On: August 4, 2007

Masters Of Science FictionThe first episode of ABC’s science fiction anthology series Masters Of Science Fiction, drawing on the genre’s literary greats and hosted by Professor Stephen Hawking, premieres. Judy Davis (Barton Fink, Naked Lunch) and Sam Waterston (Law & Order) star in Sam Egan’s adaptation of a John Kessel short story. Robert Moloney (K-9) guest stars.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Hear about it on the Sci-Fi 5 podcast

Published On: August 4, 1981

Cosmic AvengerWith game play similar to the coin-op hit Defender (but more detailed, colorful graphics), Universal introduces the minor arcade hit Cosmic Avenger in America. Though it never really sets earnings records, home video game rights are eventually snapped up by Coleco, which will offer a home version of Cosmic Avenger on its upcoming Colecovision console. Read more

Published On: August 4, 1962

Out Of This WorldBritish broadcaster ABC airs the sixth episode of science fiction anthology series Out Of This World. Adapted by Julian Bond from a story by Robert Moore Williams, the story stars Raymond Adamson and Jacqueline Hill (Doctor Who), and is introduced by Boris Karloff (in much the same way that Rod Serling introduced episodes of The Twilight Zone). This episode no longer exists in the archives.

More about Out Of This World and Out Of The Unknown in the LogBook

Published On: August 4, 1960

WranglerThe first episode of the western series Wrangler is broadcast on NBC in the United States, starring Jason Evers as Pitcairn and guest starring Susan Oliver. The episode is written by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who also created the series, his first to get past the pilot stage. Wrangler also boasts another historic first, being the first western to be shot on videotape instead of film. As of 2024, it is uncertain if the episode has been preserved in its entirety, though a videotape of unedited footage is held in UCLA’s archives. Hear more about it on the Gene-ology podcast

Absolutely no generative AI was used in the creation of the content on this website.
It’s mostly just some guy named Earl.

EG