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View Full Version : Disneyland's Official 52nd Anniversary is July 18th, 2007 (and this is NOT a typo)



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Darkbeer
07-14-2007, 10:34 AM
Yes, I know a lot of you have heard this before, but for the new folks who don't know the history of the park...

Here is OFFICIAL Disney material showing the date is clearly July 18th...

http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/ga
llery/1677032 (http://darkbeer.smugmug.com/gallery/1677032)

A Pin sold in 2005 with this on the bottom





1st Day ticket, July 18, 1955




And a printed card came with a pin with this question...





What individual bought Disneyland's first general admission ticket for its public opening on July 18, 1955?




And the OFFICIAL publication of the park, The Disneyland News from July 1955





More than 50,000 visitors were attracted to Disneyland on Monday, July 18, when the Park officially opened its gates to the general public.




Disney did celebrate the 18th for about 10 years, even holding ceremonies and opening rides on that date.

Then someone in marketing decided to make it the 17th.....

Sorry, but I don't care if folks want to CHANGE history, it is clear that the park opened to the public on the 18th. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln opened at the Opera House for Disneyland's 10th Anniversary on July 18th, 1965. Splash Mountain opened on July 18th, 1989.

Heck, why did the special tickets for the 17th say "International Media Preview"??

http://www.keeline.com/DLTickets/


When is the official DCA opening day, the first preview in January, or the first day it opened to the general public on February 8th, 2001?

IMHO, a Preview is not an official opening.

cstephens
07-14-2007, 10:53 AM
Lather, rinse, repeat.

Someone has issues...

Disney Vault
07-14-2007, 12:00 PM
I wonder how this would have gotten changed down the line by marketing? Was it just a mistake that stook or intentional?

Darkbeer
07-14-2007, 12:05 PM
I wonder how this would have gotten changed down the line by marketing? Was it just a mistake that stook or intentional?

Good question, and I don't have the answer.

An educated guess.

One year, the 18th was not a good "media" day, either a weekend or some other major event was happening, and since the plaque says the 17th, they decided to move it.

disneyhound
07-14-2007, 12:47 PM
Lather, rinse, repeat.

Someone has issues...

???

Thanks for the info Darkbeer!

The Real Cinderella
07-14-2007, 01:09 PM
Eh, it's all the same. Easter isn't celebrated on the exact same day every year, but that's generally believed to be a valid holiday. Let's just consider it Disneyland's Birthday (Observed). Much like my calendar says for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed).

Problem solved.

darph nader
07-14-2007, 02:18 PM
Eh, it's all the same. Easter isn't celebrated on the exact same day every year, but that's generally believed to be a valid holiday. Let's just consider it Disneyland's Birthday (Observed). Much like my calendar says for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed).

Problem solved.

Well said. It's kinda like 'Presidents Day'. Washingtons/Lincolns B-days too close together. Oh well.:cool:

cstephens
07-14-2007, 02:27 PM
Eh, it's all the same. Easter isn't celebrated on the exact same day every year, but that's generally believed to be a valid holiday. Let's just consider it Disneyland's Birthday (Observed). Much like my calendar says for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed).

Problem solved.

I like your answer!

Disney Vault
07-14-2007, 04:43 PM
Good question, and I don't have the answer.

An educated guess.

One year, the 18th was not a good "media" day, either a weekend or some other major event was happening, and since the plaque says the 17th, they decided to move it.

Which plaque says the 17th? At the base of the flag pole? And is it a plaque that has been there since the opening of the park or also something that was added later on?

tod
07-15-2007, 07:09 AM
Which plaque says the 17th? At the base of the flag pole? And is it a plaque that has been there since the opening of the park or also something that was added later on?

It's at the base of the flagpole, and it has been there since before July 17, 1955, because there was a cut-in shot of the plaque in the TV show.

There's a picture of it here (http://www.matterhorn1959.com/blog1/img373.jpg).

--t

soccerlady16
07-15-2007, 04:35 PM
Which plaque says the 17th? At the base of the flag pole? And is it a plaque that has been there since the opening of the park or also something that was added later on?

What about the time capsule by the castle? What does that say?

DaddyB
07-15-2007, 05:32 PM
Eh, it's all the same. Easter isn't celebrated on the exact same day every year, but that's generally believed to be a valid holiday. Let's just consider it Disneyland's Birthday (Observed). Much like my calendar says for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed).

Problem solved.Easter is set by the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox... that's why it's different every year. It's not an anniversary that we mark, like a wedding or the opening of a certain theme park. Although I like the "Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Observed)" idea.

I think that Darkbeer is wrong in the way he titled this thread (IMO). The OFFICIAL day is the 17th (at least for now) because it has been OFFICIALLY marked as such by those in charge of the observance (some might call them OFFICIALS).

I completely agree however, that the ACTUAL anniversary date is the 18th of July.

It's kinda' like how the marketing folks made May 5th the start of the 50th celebration... and were shocked that people might be interested in what sort of goings on they had planned for the 17th, a couple months later (I wonder if people had flooded in questions asking what they were planning on the 18th if things would be different?).

olegc
07-15-2007, 06:42 PM
OK - so according to Darkbeer's logic - we should not be celebrating our INdependence of the United States on July 4th - since that was only the date of the declaration (similar to the dedication date). We should be celebrating the date when we were truly free from the British and the war was over as our independence day. I don't know what day it is...

But if Darkbeer wants it that way, then I guess we all need to follow. :D

oh - and since so many people sneaked in over the fence on the 17th - can't we kind of call it a general public day?

The Real Cinderella
07-15-2007, 06:45 PM
Easter is set by the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox... that's why it's different every year. It's not an anniversary that we mark, like a wedding or the opening of a certain theme park.

I know ... I was waiting for someone to call me out on that :) It was more to make a point.

You know, we should just take a page out of Disney's book and have a non stop celebration over both days. I mean, heck. How long did they celebrate their 50th anniversary?? It was well into the 51st. And how many Years of a Million Dreams will there be?

I am going to be in the park on both days, and I will be sure to drink a celebratory Mint Julep to commemorate both anniversaries :)

Darkbeer
07-15-2007, 06:46 PM
How about the photo Walt took with 2 children and has always been labeled as the first guests of Disneyland. That picture was taken on Monday Morning, July 18th.

Every other Disney owned park has had previews, and every one of them recognise that that the first day of selling tickets and allowing the public to enter as the First day of official operation, and is the date used for anniversary celebrations. Why is Disneyland different?

The Real Cinderella
07-15-2007, 06:48 PM
OK - so according to Darkbeer's logic - we should not be celebrating our INdependence of the United States on July 4th - since that was only the date of the declaration (similar to the dedication date). We should be celebrating the date when we were truly free from the British and the war was over as our independence day. I don't know what day it is...

Good point! That's the example I should have used. (By the way, I believe it was August 13th, but I could be wrong.) Though, I don't fault anyone for the day they choose to celebrate it. The important thing is that this wonderful park has been around for 52 years. Like I said in the above post ... why not just celebrate it twice?

danyoung
07-16-2007, 06:27 AM
How about the photo Walt took with 2 children and has always been labeled as the first guests of Disneyland. That picture was taken on Monday Morning, July 18th.

How about the day that Walt stood in Town Square and read the dedication, and Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan and Bob Cummings took us on a televised tour of the new park? July 17th is the beginning of the park. July 18th is the first day the park was open to the general public. I've always considered July 17th to be the first day. Modern day marketing choices will never change that for me.

adriennek
07-16-2007, 08:59 AM
oh - and since so many people sneaked in over the fence on the 17th - can't we kind of call it a general public day?

That was my thought. ;) The park was dedicated on July 17, 1955 and it was on the plaque. It was televised - it was a big deal. I suspect that making the 18th the official first day for a few years was a way to appease the public because the first day was an invitation only event (in theory.)

I have no problem with the 17th. I think that calling it the 18th is sort of patronizing to the people who went on the 18th because they weren't invited on the 17th.

Adrienne

olegc
07-16-2007, 09:04 AM
That was my thought. ;) The park was dedicated on July 17, 1955 and it was on the plaque. It was televised - it was a big deal. I suspect that making the 18th the official first day for a few years was a way to appease the public because the first day was an invitation only event (in theory.)

I have no problem with the 17th. I think that calling it the 18th is sort of patronizing to the people who went on the 18th because they weren't invited on the 17th.

Adrienne

and we know how much Americans love to be part of the "in" crowd :D

cstephens
07-16-2007, 09:57 AM
Well, lots of people are claiming that "Ratatouille" opened on June 29, but I know for a fact that I saw the movie on June 16, so someone better get busy making sure that anywhere anyone claims that opening day was on June 29 that they know they are TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY WRONG. Oh, and in case anyone forgets, make sure that every June 16, start a thread to remind people that it's the anniversary of when "Ratatouille" was released.

seanutbutter
07-16-2007, 05:59 PM
How about the day that Walt stood in Town Square and read the dedication, and Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan and Bob Cummings took us on a televised tour of the new park? July 17th is the beginning of the park. July 18th is the first day the park was open to the general public. I've always considered July 17th to be the first day. Modern day marketing choices will never change that for me.

That's how I feel as well. :)

Dlandmom
07-17-2007, 08:57 AM
Well, Happy Sorta Birthday to Disneyland!!!

Another Dimension
07-17-2007, 01:32 PM
Something is rather cheeseball in the kingdom when the Happy Birthday Disneyland thread gets only 2 replies
on Disneylands Birthday... and this humorous lunacy over 20 replies.


:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

ladodgerjon
07-17-2007, 05:03 PM
I completely get Darkbeer's line of thought, but here's why I cast my vote for the 17th:

1). The park was "opened" to the entire world -- via television -- on the 17th.

Additionally, "Black Sunday" was a ticketed event that was attended by press AS WELL AS family and friends. In short, members of the general public first saw DL on the 17th.

At this point, it's semantics... and 40 years of celebrating the 17th are going to be pretty hard to erase.

Bottom line: I'd view the construction worker's free "preview day" (or, heck Walt & Lilly's anniversary party on the 14th) as the 'soft opening,' and the 17th as the BIG DAY.

2). I also hold with the date on the plaque-- that was Walt's intended "premiere" date.

ladodgerjon
07-17-2007, 05:05 PM
Did I mention that I once got to see ticket "001" -- bought by Roy? I believe this was a "last minute" thought that occured to him...