It Happened Today: The Phillies Phanatic Born, David Lynch Buys First Camera, and a LGBT Sit-In

Many of the 17,000 in attendance must have thought: What on Earth is that? It was April 25, 1978, and a bright green, 6-1/2 foot tall, 300-pound monster emerged from the Phillies dugout during a game against the Cubs at the Vet, giving birth to the Phillies Phanatic. The team certainly needed a more vibrant mascot, since we were previously represented by Philadelphia Phil and Philadelphia Phillis, two kids dressed in City Tavern-style outfits. Ugh. Anyway, the Phils clobbered the Cubs that day, 7-0, and 33 years later, the Phanatic is still the country’s number one mascot.

Other notable happenings: Four years before Stonewall, students staged a sit-in at Dewey’s, a popular quick-bite near Rittenhouse Square, because the restaurant refused to serve gays (April 25, 1965); David Lynch, who was living in Fairmount, bought his first movie camera—a 16mm windup—at a store called Photorama (April 25, 1967); the QE2 makes her maiden call at Philadelphia (April 25, 1982).