1979: Pemex's Ixtoc I oil rig blows, spilling an estimated 3 million barrels (126 million gallons) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It was the worst oil spill in history... until it was surpassed by Saddam Hussein's decision to open the valves at the Sea Island oil terminal plus a few tankers in an attempt to keep US Marines from landing and kicking his azz out of Kuwait and back to Iraq. An estimated 11 million barrels (462 million gallons) were spilled into the Persian Gulf, covering approximately 4,200 square miles of ocean. So how do those spills compare to the current BP oil spill in the gulf? We've surpassed Ixtoc and could very well exceed Hussein by the time it's all said and done.
1969: Australian aircraft carrier "Melbourne" slices U.S. destroyer "Frank E. Evans" in half, killing 74, during joint military exercises off the coast of Manila. This wasn't the first time the Melbourne cut a ship in half: the first time was in 1964, when she collided with the destroyer, Voyager, killing 82 Australian Navy sailors.
1959: First class of the US Air Force Academy received their diplomas. The 306 cadets chose the falcon as their school mascot, and wrote the Cadet Code: We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. The Class of 2010 boasts 1,001 graduates, all of whom uphold the USAF core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do!
1880: Alexander Graham Bell sent the first wireless telephone message from the roof of the Franklin School in Washington, DC. The device allowed the transmission of sound on a beam of light, making it the predecessor of modern fiber optic cable technology.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
What I learned today...
... is that since it's creation 5.5 billion years ago, the Grand Canyon has filled with water eight times.
... is that the new Freddie Krueger is played by the actor that played the cigarette smoking, motorcycle-riding hotdog in the original 'Bad News Bears' movie.
... is that illegal aliens killed more Americans last year than Iraqi insurgents. 2158 KNOWN murders committed by illegal aliens.
... is that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body
... is that the new Freddie Krueger is played by the actor that played the cigarette smoking, motorcycle-riding hotdog in the original 'Bad News Bears' movie.
... is that illegal aliens killed more Americans last year than Iraqi insurgents. 2158 KNOWN murders committed by illegal aliens.
... is that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Today I learned...
... that just a few days ago the Cincinnati Reds played the St. Louis Cardinals in the Civil Rights game. The game is meant to honor the civil rights movement and the African-Americans who have played professional ball. Ironically, the St. Louis Cardinals don't have ANY African-American players or coaches this year. heh.
... that the New York Yankees have won 26 World Series titles, more than any other team. It's no wonder then that Yankees right fielder, Mickey Mantle, holds the record for most home runs (18) and RBI's (40) in World Series history.
... that Cal Ripken, Jr. holds the record for the most consecutive major league games played, 2,632, and he played them all for one team: the Baltimore Orioles. The previous record holder was Lou Gehrig. In front of a sold-out crowd on Sept. 6, 1985, he broke Gehrig's record, playing his 2,131st consecutive game, getting a home run to boot. The game was later named by fans as the "Most Memorable Moment in MLB history".
... that Claude Berry was the first MLB player to wear a protective cup? The year was 1904; the team, Chicago White Sox.
... MLB balls are rubbed down with Lena Blackburne's special rubbing mud. Every Major AND Minor League team uses the same mud, and has for the past 75 years. The exact formula used to make the mud is a well-kept secret. All we know is that comes from somewhere along a tributary of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey.
... that the New York Yankees have won 26 World Series titles, more than any other team. It's no wonder then that Yankees right fielder, Mickey Mantle, holds the record for most home runs (18) and RBI's (40) in World Series history.
... that Cal Ripken, Jr. holds the record for the most consecutive major league games played, 2,632, and he played them all for one team: the Baltimore Orioles. The previous record holder was Lou Gehrig. In front of a sold-out crowd on Sept. 6, 1985, he broke Gehrig's record, playing his 2,131st consecutive game, getting a home run to boot. The game was later named by fans as the "Most Memorable Moment in MLB history".
... that Claude Berry was the first MLB player to wear a protective cup? The year was 1904; the team, Chicago White Sox.
... MLB balls are rubbed down with Lena Blackburne's special rubbing mud. Every Major AND Minor League team uses the same mud, and has for the past 75 years. The exact formula used to make the mud is a well-kept secret. All we know is that comes from somewhere along a tributary of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey.
Today in history....
1997: Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing which killed 168 men, women and children. He was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. Exactly 3 months later, Islamic asshats took control of four planes, killing thousands as they crashed them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon.. and a field in Pennsylvania.
1989: Playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Eric Davis hit for the cycle against the San Diego Padres, leading the Reds to a 9-4 win. The last Reds player to accomplish this was Frank Robinson, in 1959.
1983: A fire onboard Air Canada flight 797 kills 23 at the Cincinnati International Airport. The fire started in the toilet, spread between the outer and inner skins of the airplane, destroying electrical cables and causing the cockpit to lose all instrument panels. Amazingly, the pilots landed the plane and evacuations began. However, a mere 90 seconds after the doors opened, a flashover occurred, killing those still on board. 18 passengers and 5 crew members survived. As a result of the investigation that followed, we now have smoke detectors in airplane lavatories and "runway" lights, showing the way to the exits.
1942: Boston Red Sox star, Ted Williams, enlists in the US Navy. He earned his wings and commission as a pilot in the US Marine Corps on May 2, 1944. He never saw combat action during WWII, and was released from active duty in January, 1946. On May 1, 1952, he was recalled for the Korean War. He flew 39 combat missions (he served as John Glenn's wingman for the last half of those missions) before his flight status was pulled in 1953 due to an inner ear infection that made him ineligible to return to flight.
1989: Playing for the Cincinnati Reds, Eric Davis hit for the cycle against the San Diego Padres, leading the Reds to a 9-4 win. The last Reds player to accomplish this was Frank Robinson, in 1959.
1983: A fire onboard Air Canada flight 797 kills 23 at the Cincinnati International Airport. The fire started in the toilet, spread between the outer and inner skins of the airplane, destroying electrical cables and causing the cockpit to lose all instrument panels. Amazingly, the pilots landed the plane and evacuations began. However, a mere 90 seconds after the doors opened, a flashover occurred, killing those still on board. 18 passengers and 5 crew members survived. As a result of the investigation that followed, we now have smoke detectors in airplane lavatories and "runway" lights, showing the way to the exits.
1942: Boston Red Sox star, Ted Williams, enlists in the US Navy. He earned his wings and commission as a pilot in the US Marine Corps on May 2, 1944. He never saw combat action during WWII, and was released from active duty in January, 1946. On May 1, 1952, he was recalled for the Korean War. He flew 39 combat missions (he served as John Glenn's wingman for the last half of those missions) before his flight status was pulled in 1953 due to an inner ear infection that made him ineligible to return to flight.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Today I learned....
... The whole story behind the VFW's Buddy Poppy program. In 1915, inspired by the poem, "In Flanders Fields", Moina Michael wrote her own poem:
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
It is here that we find the origin of wearing red poppies on Memorial Day. Ms. Michael sold red poppies to her friends, donating the money to charities benefiting our military. Madam Guerin, visiting from France, learned of Ms. Michael's poppies, and did the same thing upon her return to France, with the money benefiting war orphans and widows. In 1922, the VFW became the first veteran's organization to officially sell poppies nationwide. Their poppies are made by disabled American veterans, with the proceeds going directly to VFW programs aimed at assisting our disabled veterans. The VFW has tradmarked the name "Buddy Poppy", and ensure that all Buddy Poppies were made by disabled or needy veterans in VA hospitals across the nation.
... On the first Memorial Day, May 30, 1868, approximately 5,000 people helped decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union AND Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington. No distinction was made between the sides- it was a day of unity, acknowledging the human cost of war to both sides. This point is important to note, considering the fact that the Civil War didn't officially end until May 5, 1868 and it took so long for word to reach the whole country that the last shots were fired a month after the war ended.
... The tradition of placing flags on the graves at Arlington has been carried out by the 3rd US Infantry since the late 1950's. They then patrol the cemetary, 24 hours a day, throughout Memorial Day weekend, making sure the flags remain standing.
... That in 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance Resolution was passed. At 3PM, EST, all Americans are asked to stop what they are doing for a private moment of reflection.
... That the US flag should be flown at half-mast until noon, and then flow high and proud at the top of the staff for the rest of the day. (To be honest, I knew it was supposed to be lowered, but I wasn't sure about how long or when)
I ask that you honor this day of rememberance, and think about all who have died in the name of our country. It is so much more than just another day off work. I leave you with these words from Francis A. Walker, Confederate Civil War General, educator, and economist:
We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
It is here that we find the origin of wearing red poppies on Memorial Day. Ms. Michael sold red poppies to her friends, donating the money to charities benefiting our military. Madam Guerin, visiting from France, learned of Ms. Michael's poppies, and did the same thing upon her return to France, with the money benefiting war orphans and widows. In 1922, the VFW became the first veteran's organization to officially sell poppies nationwide. Their poppies are made by disabled American veterans, with the proceeds going directly to VFW programs aimed at assisting our disabled veterans. The VFW has tradmarked the name "Buddy Poppy", and ensure that all Buddy Poppies were made by disabled or needy veterans in VA hospitals across the nation.
... On the first Memorial Day, May 30, 1868, approximately 5,000 people helped decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union AND Confederate soldiers buried at Arlington. No distinction was made between the sides- it was a day of unity, acknowledging the human cost of war to both sides. This point is important to note, considering the fact that the Civil War didn't officially end until May 5, 1868 and it took so long for word to reach the whole country that the last shots were fired a month after the war ended.
... The tradition of placing flags on the graves at Arlington has been carried out by the 3rd US Infantry since the late 1950's. They then patrol the cemetary, 24 hours a day, throughout Memorial Day weekend, making sure the flags remain standing.
... That in 2000, the National Moment of Remembrance Resolution was passed. At 3PM, EST, all Americans are asked to stop what they are doing for a private moment of reflection.
... That the US flag should be flown at half-mast until noon, and then flow high and proud at the top of the staff for the rest of the day. (To be honest, I knew it was supposed to be lowered, but I wasn't sure about how long or when)
I ask that you honor this day of rememberance, and think about all who have died in the name of our country. It is so much more than just another day off work. I leave you with these words from Francis A. Walker, Confederate Civil War General, educator, and economist:
We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.
Today in history....
On this day in:
2010: We celebrate Memorial Day. Today is the day that we honor the sacrifice of those who have given their lives for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. It is not a "happy" holiday, like Independence Day, Christmas, or Easter. It is a day of remembrance; treat it as such, and not just another great sale at Kohl's or an excuse to get drunk at a picnic. Do your best to attend a Memorial Day ceremony or visit the graves of our veterans, and wear your red poppy.
1958: US government performs an atmospheric nuclear test near the Bikiki Atoll in the . Code name "Sycamore", this 92 kiloton bomb test was a part of Operation Hardtack 1. As a result of the many atmospheric nuclear bomb tests performed at Bikini, the island was considered unihabitable until 1997. However, further tests revealed that the ground was still too contaminated to safely grow food.
1868: First Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio. General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, declared May 30, 1868, as Decoration Day, a day to honor the Civil War dead. Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day in 1967 and now honors the fallen for all of our wars, not just the Civil War. Ironton's 142-year- old tradition is recognized as the oldest continuously held Memorial Day parade in the United States.
1864: General Sheridan's cavalry seized Cold Harbor, VA, allowing Grant to push between General Lee and the Confederate capital of Richmond. It took another year before the Federals actually took Richmond, effectively ending the war on April 9, 1865.
2010: We celebrate Memorial Day. Today is the day that we honor the sacrifice of those who have given their lives for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. It is not a "happy" holiday, like Independence Day, Christmas, or Easter. It is a day of remembrance; treat it as such, and not just another great sale at Kohl's or an excuse to get drunk at a picnic. Do your best to attend a Memorial Day ceremony or visit the graves of our veterans, and wear your red poppy.
1958: US government performs an atmospheric nuclear test near the Bikiki Atoll in the . Code name "Sycamore", this 92 kiloton bomb test was a part of Operation Hardtack 1. As a result of the many atmospheric nuclear bomb tests performed at Bikini, the island was considered unihabitable until 1997. However, further tests revealed that the ground was still too contaminated to safely grow food.
1868: First Memorial Day parade held in Ironton, Ohio. General John A. Logan, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, declared May 30, 1868, as Decoration Day, a day to honor the Civil War dead. Decoration Day was renamed Memorial Day in 1967 and now honors the fallen for all of our wars, not just the Civil War. Ironton's 142-year- old tradition is recognized as the oldest continuously held Memorial Day parade in the United States.
1864: General Sheridan's cavalry seized Cold Harbor, VA, allowing Grant to push between General Lee and the Confederate capital of Richmond. It took another year before the Federals actually took Richmond, effectively ending the war on April 9, 1865.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Today I learned....
.... That it is ILLEGAL in Texas for anyone to have a pair of pliers in their possession, but it is LEGAL to carry any kind of weapon in your car, without a permit. Phew. Thank goodness Texans are now allowed to bring swords to plier fights!
.... In Alaska, it is illegal to look at moose from an airplane, nor can you push a live moose out of a moving airplane. In Fairbanks, it is also illegal to give alcoholic beverages to a moose. Thank goodness they cleared that up- all this time I was under the impression that it was ok to get your moose drunk, shove it out of a moving airplane, and then watch it splat on the ground!
.... In my homestate of Ohio, I am prevented from fishing for whales on Sundays. Hot Damn! I can still go out and fish for saltwater whales in our freshwater rivers and lakes Monday through Saturday! I am, however, now considering moving to Toledo, where it is illegal to throw a snake on anyone. I hate snakes.
.... You can ROLL TIDE, ROLL in Alabama, but if you are driving, you'd better have shoes on your feet, windshield wipers on your car, and for pete's sake... TAKE OFF THAT BLINDFOLD! If you don't, you're breaking the laws of both Alabama and Darwin.
That is all.
You may return to your day, with knowledge that makes you go... WTF???
.... In Alaska, it is illegal to look at moose from an airplane, nor can you push a live moose out of a moving airplane. In Fairbanks, it is also illegal to give alcoholic beverages to a moose. Thank goodness they cleared that up- all this time I was under the impression that it was ok to get your moose drunk, shove it out of a moving airplane, and then watch it splat on the ground!
.... In my homestate of Ohio, I am prevented from fishing for whales on Sundays. Hot Damn! I can still go out and fish for saltwater whales in our freshwater rivers and lakes Monday through Saturday! I am, however, now considering moving to Toledo, where it is illegal to throw a snake on anyone. I hate snakes.
.... You can ROLL TIDE, ROLL in Alabama, but if you are driving, you'd better have shoes on your feet, windshield wipers on your car, and for pete's sake... TAKE OFF THAT BLINDFOLD! If you don't, you're breaking the laws of both Alabama and Darwin.
That is all.
You may return to your day, with knowledge that makes you go... WTF???
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