1606: blockbuster May 8, 2019

If a movie bombs, that is to say is does poorly, but if a movie is a blockbuster—the name for a type of bomb—it means it had commercial success. The term 'blockbuster' comes from the '40's when the word referred to a bomb powerful enough to demolish a city-block. The first movie known to be called a 'blockbuster' was the 1943 and 1944 the war dramas 'Bombardier', 'Bataan', and 'With the Marines at Tarawa', quite fittingly and probably somewhat of a play on words. However, quickly after the term moved away from war and meant something—usually a film—with a big impact. The relation to the bomb was also strengthened by the national attention on war during WWII, and only survived afterwards by some luck.

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