Happy 90th Anniversary, Mr. Lone Ranger!

My parents raised me well. In my early years they taught me Murphy's Law: never argue with an idiot in public... else people will not know the difference between the two. Never was there a perfect example than the debate among fans of The Lone Ranger whether the radio program premiered on the evening of January 30, 1933, or January 31, 1933. The premiere date was indeed January 31, but it seems every year during the anniversary, there is a small percentage (very small, I should note) that want to pick a fight over the date and insist January 30. While they have no historical documents to back their claim, every year at least one or two of them try to draw me into a public debate. The easiest solution, of course, is to walk away and avoid them. It is not a matter of who is right and who is wrong, but rather from a psychological aspect that dictates getting into a debate of this nature is pointless.

The problem of January 30 vs. January 31 stems from mis-information posted on numerous websites, which keep getting reprinted on other websites. Worse, there is a small percentage of folks on social media who feel the most important thing they have to do today is get into arguments with other fans of The Lone Ranger so that their opinion of January 30 is more definitive than the factual January 31. Perhaps some people just want to have a reason to argue... but they can argue with someone else. I choose to walk away.

In college I was taught that people who hold irrational beliefs to be truth rarely change their minds. That is one of the key differences between those who put reason above emotion in their own thinking and those who do not: A person who truly values reason can be convinced to change their minds by evidence. A person who acts primarily on belief and emotion is almost impossible to sway with evidence. But I digress: the evidence is out there and therefore January 31 wins out. Which is why I feel sorry for that smallest of minority that want to, annually, debate over January 30 because of their belief and choose not to take three minutes and review the historical documents that speaks otherwise.

Enclosed below (click to enlarge) is a well-written (clear and concise) explanation of the premiere broadcast date, verifying January 31.

Scans above reprinted with permission from The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933-1937, which reprints pages and pages of historical documents backing up all the facts contained within. I provide this info for you to be informed, not influenced. So the next time you meet a fan of The Lone Ranger who wants to pick a fight over the premiere broadcast date, walk away and leave them to their opinions. There are things far more important to debate over than the premiere broadcast date of The Lone Ranger. At least you have the facts and that is more important than trying to convince someone with an opinion otherwise.

 

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