"KENNETH, WHAT IS THE FREQUENCY?"

In 1986, CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather was mugged by a man in Manhattan who repeatedly asked, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

On October 4, 1986, Dan Rather was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a man who punched him from behind and demanded to know, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" As the assailant pummeled and kicked Rather, he kept repeating the question over and over again.

The story entered popular lore and remained unsolved for some time. The phrase soon became the subject of many jokes and slang for a confused or clueless person. The incident inspired a song called "Kenneth, What's the Frequency?" by the band Game Theory in 1987. In October 1990, the phrase "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" appeared in an issue of the Daniel Clowe’s comic Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron. In 1994 the band R.E.M. released the hit song "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" on the album Monster.

In 1997, a TV critic writing in the New York Daily News solved the mystery, and published a photo of the alleged assailant, William Tager. Rather confirmed the story and Tager also admitted assaulting Rather. Tager is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for killing a NBC stagehand in 1994.

A December 2001 issue of Harper's Magazine speculated that postmodern fiction writer Donald Barthelme had somehow orchestrated the attack citing unusual passages in his writing, including the phrase "What is the frequency?", a recurring character named Kenneth, and a short story about a pompous editor named Lather. The article was adapted into two plays, both entitled "Kenneth, What Is the Frequency?"

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Rather and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What's_the_Frequency,_Kenneth%3F

Dan Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years (1981 – 2005).

Dan Rather sings "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" with R.E.M. at Madison Square Garden (as seen on The Late Show with David Letterman)

Additional links about this topic:

http://www.ratherbiased.com/bizarre.htm

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2001/12/0075777

http://www.citizenparanoid.net/?p=81

http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/frequency.cfm

http://www.spike.com/video/whats-frequency/2478584

RED M&MS

Red colored M&M's were discontinued for 11 years from 1976 to 1985 after the FDA banned as Red Dye No. 2, despite the fact that M&M's did not contain the dye - the action was purely to satisfy worried consumers.

M&M's (named after their makers Forrest Mars and Bruce Murries) are colorful button-shaped candies with candy shells that surround a chocolate filling. Originated in the United States in 1941, the product, known to “melt in your mouth, not in your hand,” features many different colored M&Ms (although the coloring does not actually affect the taste)

In 1976, the red M&M’s were replaced with orange-colored versions after the FDA banned amaranth (also known as Red Dye No. 2). Many consumers protested, and a student at the University of Tennessee started a society for the “Restoration and Preservation of Red M&M's.”

Eventually the company relented and red candies were reintroduced in 1985 (orange remained).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M&M's and http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmandms.html

When M&M’s started, the chocolates were made in five colors: red, yellow, brown, green, and violet and served in a cardboard tube. In 1948, the cardboard packaging was replaced by the black cellophane packaging and in 1950, a black "M'" was first imprinted on the candies. It was changed to white in 1954.

In the 90’s, M&M's replaced their animated characters with computer animated "spokescandies" in their commercials. These include the team of the cynical and sardonic "Red" (originally voiced by Jon Lovitz, thereafter Billy West), who is the mascot for milk chocolate M&M's (he stands alongside the happy and gullible "Yellow," originally voiced by John Goodman, thereafter J.K. Simmons, the mascot for peanut M&M's).

Additional links about this topic:

http://www.mms.com/us/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaranth

http://www.candyfavorites.com/Red-M-amp-M-s-reg-pr-1021.html

http://adamfratino.com/writing/red-mm-poster

http://www.mymms.com/merchandise/