Cold Case

Landon: Emma wants to be the first girl to go to Harvard. Travis: They don't let girls into Harvard. Radcliffe College, Harvard's women's "Annex", was founded in 1879 since female students were not admitted in Harvard. Classes for both sexes didn't start until during the World War II, and in 1970 both colleges became coeducational. Although women were only nominally required to enroll at Radcliffe since 1977, it wasn't until October 1st, 1999, that Radcliffe College finally ceased to exist and was fully absorbed into Harvard University.

Matthew (Landon's father): What are you reading? Emma: Feynman's Lectures. Matthew: On Physics? Impressive. Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was a famous American physicist, researching in the field of quantum electrodynamics. The Feynman Lectures on Physics, written based on the lectures he held in 1962 while teaching at the California Institute of Technology, are commonly held as the most accessible writings in physics to a layman.

In the opening scenes, the detective is watching President Richard Nixon's inauguration on TV while Emma's case file is being archived. The inauguration took place on January 20, 1969, which means that the police spent only little over a month looking into Emma's death.

Det. Vera: So who's coming to Sixers' game on Wednesday? A reference to the basketball team Philadelphia 76ers.

Landon: I feel like Princess Grace. Movie star Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, making her a princess and every little girl's idol in the 1950's and 60's.

Lillian: In -68 astronauts were bigger than The Beatles. Naturally the British pop/rock band The Beatles requires no explanation. But Lillian's words are a very good way to describe the American enthusiasm for space exploration in the late 1960's, resulting in the moon landing on July 20, 1969.