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: June 8, 2024

Doctor WhoThe 883rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1 (the 184th episode since the series’ revival), starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. Jonathan Groff (Hamilton) guest stars.

This entry is forthcoming.

Published On: June 8, 2010

Soundtrack specialty label Intrada releases Australian composer Brian May’s soundtrack from the 1984 movie Cloak & Dagger. This is the movie’s first soundtrack release. Read more

Published On: June 8, 2007

Space ShuttleSpace Shuttle Atlantis lifts off the 118th shuttle flight, on a two-week mission to resupply and continue assembly of the International Space Station. Two major structural trusses and two large solar power arrays are delivered and installed, and a damaged array is removed. Aboard Atlantis for her 28th flight are Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, Danny Olivas, Clayton Anderson, Jim Reilly and Steven Swanson. Anderson remains on the station, joining the crew of ISS Expedition 15.

Published On: June 8, 1998

SlidersSci-Fi Channel airs the 48th and 49th episodes of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry Oโ€™Connell, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Genesis is the fourth season premiere, and the first episode produced for the Sci-Fi Channel; Prophets And Loss guest stars David Birney (St. Elsewhere) and Connor Trinneer (Star Trek: Enterprise). David Peckinpah has now assumed sole duties as showrunner, following Tracy Torme’s exit after criticism of Fox’s handling of the series during season three.

This series is not fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.

Published On: June 8, 1997

Return To JupiterThe first episode of Return To Jupiter premieres on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Co-produced by ABC and Japanese network NHK, this children’s sci-fi series stars Sonia Todd (Home And Away) and David Wenham (The Lord Of The Rings trilogy). This series follows up on the 1994 series Escape From Jupiter.

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.

Published On: June 8, 1982

Moon PatrolWilliams Electronics unleashes an arcade favorite in the making, Moon Patrol. A rare case of a foreign game (originated in Japan by IREM) licensed for American distribution by Williams, Moon Patrol forces prospective moon buggy drivers to make split-second decisions about whether to shoot oncoming obstacles or vault over them in the moon’s low gravity. The game’s colorful graphics and inordinately jaunty music make it an instant hit. Read more

Published On: June 8, 1981

Under The MountainThe second episode of the short-lived TVNZ series Under The Mountain premieres on New Zealand’s state-run television network. The single-season children’s fantasy show is adapted by Ken Catran from Maurice Gee’s book of the same name. Read more

Published On: June 8, 1979

ELOElectric Light Orchestra‘s eighth album, Discovery, is released, featuring the singles “Don’t Bring Me Down”, “Last Train To London” and “Shine A Little Love”. The album is later criticized for being the point at which ELO became part of the disco fad, and is significant in that it’s the first ELO album without the band’s usual resident trio of string players. Read more

Published On: June 8, 1977

Star WarsThe unexpected runaway success of a dark horse in the summer movie race makes for a mad dash for the toy rights. The winner of that race is Kenner Products, the toy division of cereal maker General Mills, and the prize is the exclusive license to market toys and other products based on Star Wars. Prior to the movie’s release, however, George Lucas has convinced 20th Century Fox to allow him to keep all toy licensing rights, meaning that ongoing licensing payments are made directly to Lucas, providing him with the lion’s share of his future wealth. Kenner executive Bernard Loomis finds himself fighting to convince his own sales team that this movie will attract more than a momentary audience. With the late start and the long lead time on design, tooling and manufacture, Loomis concocts an audacious marketing scheme involving an “empty box” available by Christmas.

Published On: June 8, 1974

Doctor WhoThe 381st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the final story of the third Doctor’s era, and the final episode of Jon Pertwee’s tenure as the third Doctor. The face of the fourth Doctor is glimpsed briefly at the end of the episode.

This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store

Published On: June 8, 1965

Luna 6It’s not easy to reach the moon. Just a month after the failed flight of Luna 5, the Soviet Union launches the near-identical unmanned spacecraft Luna 6 to the moon. A pre-programmed mid-course correction engine burn, meant to help Luna 6 coast toward a soft landing on the lunar surface, instead overcorrects. The engine fails to acknowledge a command to stop firing, pushing Luna 6 so far off course that it misses the moon by almost 100,000 miles, dumping the vehicle in an orbit around the sun.

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

EG