Tidbits of History, October 6

October 6 is:

National Noodle Day

Australians consume more than 18 million kilograms of noodles every year – that’s almost one kilogram (2.2 pounds) per person!
In Japan, it is considered good form to loudly slurp your noodles as a way of telling your host that you are enjoying the meal.
Noodles symbolize longevity in China.
Noodles have been created from flour and water since 1000BC and today they are more popular than ever.
Noodles are low in fat and have a very low sodium content.

October 6, 1781 – Americans and French began the siege of Cornwallis at Yorktown; the last battle of American Revolutionary War.

From Today in Science
George Westinghouse, born October 6, 1846Birthday of George Westinghouse (October 6, 1846), American engineer, inventor and industrialist who founded his own company to manufacturer his invention, the air brake. The son of a New York agricultural machinery maker, he began at age 21 to work on a new tool he invented to guide derailed train cars back onto the track. Before he died 46 years later, he produced safer rail transportation, steam turbines, gas lighting and heating, and electricity. He founded not only namesakes Westinghouse Air Brake and Westinghouse Electric, but also Union Switch & Signal and the forerunners to Duquesne Light, Equitable Gas and Rockwell International. He was also chiefly responsible for the adoption of alternating current for electric power transmission in the United States, and held 400 patents.

First train robbery in US. The Reno Brothers (also known as the Reno Brothers Gang and The Jackson Thieves) took $13,000) in 1866. The group carried out the first three peacetime train robberies in U.S. history. The gang was broken up by the lynchings of ten of its members including Frank, Simeon, and William Reno by vigilante mobs in 1868.

Thomas EdisonAmerican inventor Thomas Edison showed his first motion picture in 1889.

Mormon Church outlawed polygamy in 1890. The 1890 Manifesto (also known as the Woodruff Manifesto or the Anti-polygamy Manifesto) is a statement which officially advised against any future plural marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Issued by church president Wilford Woodruff in September 1890, the Manifesto was a response to mounting anti-polygamy pressure from the United States Congress, which by 1890 had disincorporated the church, escheated its assets to the U.S. federal government, and imprisoned many prominent polygamist Mormons. Upon its issuance, the LDS Church in conference accepted Woodruff’s Manifesto as “authoritative and binding.”

Kon TikiFrom Today in Science
Birthday of Thor Heyerdahl (October 6, 1914), Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer who organized and led the famous Kon-Tiki (28 Apr 1947) and Ra (1969-70) transoceanic scientific expeditions. Both expeditions were intended to prove the possibility of ancient transoceanic contacts between distant civilizations and cultures. The Kon Tiki voyage from Peru to Polynesia was a 101-day, 4,300-mile drifting voyage on the 40-sq.ft. raft, a replica of pre-Inca vessels. He wished to show that Polynesia’s first settlers could have come from South America. Few scholars at the time, and almost none today, endorsed the idea. They discount the Heyerdahl hypothesis largely on linguistic, genetic and cultural grounds, all of which point to the settlers having come from the west, not the east.

1927 The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, premiered in New York City, introducing the sound era of motion pictures.

The Curse of the Billy Goat: Billy Sianis and his pet billy goat were ejected from Wrigley Field during Game 4 of the 1945 World Series because the pet goat’s odor was bothering other fans. Billy Sianis was outraged and declared, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more,” which has been interpreted to mean that there would never be another World Series game won at Wrigley Field. The Cubs have not won a National League pennant since this incident.

President John F. Kennedy advised Americans to build fallout shelters in 1961.

The Yom Kippur War began as Egypt and Syria launched an attack on Israel in 1973.

Anwar Sadat assassinated October 6, 1981President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, was assassinated at a military parade on October 6, 1981.

Tidbits of History, October 5

October 5 is:

Rocky Mountain Oyster Day* (a delicacy in Colorado)
Rocky Mountain oysters, or mountain oysters, or meat balls, also known as prairie oysters in Canada, is a dish made of bull testicles. The organs are often deep-fried after being skinned, coated in flour, pepper and salt, and sometimes pounded flat.

National Apple Betty Day (a crustless apple pie seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar.)
Foodimentary.com says:
The apple is the fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family (Rosaceae).
It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans.
Apples grow on small, deciduous trees.
The tree originated in Western Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today.
Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists.

1582 – Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, October 5th did not exist in 1582 in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

Jonathan Edwards, born October 5, 1703Birthday of Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703), American theologian, philosopher, and college president who has been called “the greatest American mind of the Colonial Period”. He played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening.

1713 Birthday of Denis Diderot , French philosopher. He was a prominent figure during the Age of Enlightenment.

French Revolution: Women of Paris marched to Versailles in 1789 to confront Louis XVI about his refusal to abolish feudalism, to demand bread, and to have the King and his court moved to Paris.

French Revolution: Christianity was disestablished in France in 1793.

War of 1812: Battle of Thames in Canada; Americans defeated British and kill Shawnee leader, Tecumseh in 1813.

President Chester Alan Arthur, born Oct 5, 1829Birthday of Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829), twenty-first President of the United States. He became president upon the death of Garfield. Suffering from poor health, Arthur made only a limited effort to secure the Republican Party’s nomination in 1884, and he retired at the end of his term. Journalist Alexander McClure wrote, “No man ever entered the Presidency so profoundly and widely distrusted as Chester Alan Arthur, and no one ever retired… more generally respected, alike by political friend and foe.”

1857 – The City of Anaheim, California was founded by fifty German families. Named for “Ana”, after the Santa Ana River, and “Heim”, the German word for “home”.

1905 – Wilbur Wright pilots Wright Flyer III in a flight of 24 miles in 39 minutes, a world record that stood until 1908.

1902 Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park, Illinois. Ray Kroc sold blenders for milkshakes, and one of his customers was a restaurant in San Bernardino, California owned by Maurice and Richard McDonald. Kroc set up a chain of drive-in restaurants based on their efficient assembly line production kitchen. He opened his first restaurant on April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois. By 1961 he had 228 restaurants and he bought out the McDonald brothers. When he died in 1984 there were over 7,500 McDonald’s restaurants. Today there are over 36,000 restaurants in over 100 countries.

2001:Barry Bonds Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants broke Mark McGwire’s single-season home-run record when he hit his 71st and 72nd home runs of the season and finished the season with 73.

In 2022 – Aaron Judge of the NYY hit his 62nd home run of the season, besting the American League record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

2011: American businessman Steve JobsSteve Jobs, a pioneer of the personal computer era who co-founded Apple and transformed it into one of the world’s most successful companies, died at age 56.

Tidbits of History, October 4

October 4 is:

Taco Day October 4Crunchy Taco Day

Per foodimentary.com:

Founder, Glenn Bell, first opened a hot dog and taco franchise, ‘Bell’s Drive-In’, in San Bernardino, California in 1948. He then started Taco-Tia’s and El Tacos. He opened the first Taco Bell in 1962.
He was the first to fry his taco shells in advance. Before then, they were fried on demand.
In 1962, a taco only cost 19 cents.

Fun Fact: Taquito is a Spanish word that translates to small taco. It is believed that the word “taco” originally referred to pieces of paper that silver miners in Mexico would wrap around gunpowder and use in holes that were carved into the face of the rock.

From Today in Science
Birthday of James Lind
Born 4 Oct 1716; died 13 Jul 1794 at age 77.
Scottish physician, “founder of naval hygiene in England,” who investigated sickness of sailors. On 20 May 1747, while a ship’s surgeon on the HMS Salisbury, he began an experiment to remedy scurvy. He regulated the diets of the sailors, and especially included lemons and oranges. With a clearly positive outcome, he recommended fresh citrus fruit and lemon juice be incorporated in the diet of seamen on long voyages. When made a requirement by Sir Gilbert Blane, this resulted in the prompt eradication of scurvy from the British Navy. (The Dutch had implemented this practice almost two centuries earlier.) Lind also recommended shipboard delousing procedures and suggested the use of hospital ships for sick sailors in tropical ports. In 1761, he arranged for the shipboard distillation of seawater for drinking water.

The German festival Oktoberfest was first held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. It’s been cancelled this year due to the Coronavirus.

Eliza Johnson, October Birthday of Eliza McCardle Johnson (October 4, 1810), wife of Andrew Johnson, first lady 1865-1869. Andrew Johnson, 18, married Eliza McCardle, 16, on May 17, 1827; at 16, Eliza Johnson married at a younger age than any other First Lady. Johnson credited his wife for teaching him to do arithmetic and to write, as he had never attended school.
Aside from two public appearances – one at a reception for Queen Emma of the Sandwich Islands and the other at a birthday party for her husband – Eliza Johnson remained totally out of the public eye due to her poor health from tuberculosis.

Hayes, October 4, 1822Birthday of Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822), ninteenth president of the United States. Hayes won the election of 1876 by only one electoral vote. He declined to run for a second term.

1853: The Crimean War began as Ottoman Turks (later joined by England and France) declared war on Russia; the fighting lasted more than two years and ended with Russia’s defeat.

Remington, October 4, 1861Birthday of Frederic Remington (October 4, 1861), American artist and author famous for his drawings and paintings of frontier life, Indians, and horses.

1923-Charlton HestonBirthday of Charlton Heston, actor, former president of the NRA, who won Academy Award for title role of Ben Hur in 1959, starred in The Ten Commandments 1956 and Planet of the Apes 1968.

“Leave It to Beaver,” debuts on CBS in 1957. It ran until 1963.

From Today in Science
Sputnik
In 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union, to the dismay of the United States, launched Sputnik, the first manmade satellite, into orbit around the earth. The craft circled the earth every 95 minutes at almost 20,000 miles per hour 500 miles above the Earth. The Sputnik (meaning “companion” or “fellow traveler”) was launched from Kazakhstan. It stayed in orbit for about three months. Sputnik fell from the sky on 4 Jan 1958. The 184-lb satellite had transmitted a radio signal picked up around the world, and instrumentation for temperature measurement.

1970: American singer Janis JoplinJanis Joplin , who was known for her fierce and uninhibited musical style, died of an accidental overdose of heroin. Remembered for her rendition of “Me and Bobby McGee”

Tidbits of History, October 3

October 3 is:

National Soft Taco Day (as opposed to just regular Taco Day, October 4th)

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling.
A taco can be made with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety.
A taco is generally eaten without utensils and is often accompanied by garnishes such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, minced meat, onions and lettuce.

St. Francis of Assisi died on this day in 1226. St. Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history. He founded the Franciscan orders, including the Poor Clares and the lay Third Order. He and St. Catherine of Siena are the patron saints of Italy, and he is also the patron saint of ecology and of animals.

The Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is dispair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Myles Standish, died October 3, 1656Anniversary of the death of Myles Standish in 1656. The Pilgrims needed a man to coordinate any military campaigns and to organize the defense of their new colony. Captain Standish agreed to accompany the group on the Mayflower in 1620. The Pilgrims had several conflicts with the natives from 1621-1635 and Standish proved himself to be a decisive, sometimes brutal military leader.

His memory has been perpetuated by Longfellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish”. In that legend, John Alden won the hand of Priscilla after first wooing her for his friend, Miles Standish when she asked: “Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?” Longfellow was a descendant of John and Priscilla Alden
and depicts Standish as a shy and timid romantic.

On October 3rd of 1789, General George Washington issued a proclamation designating a “day of thanksgiving” to be held on Thursday, the 26th of November, 1789 to celebrate victory over the British in the Battle of Saratoga.

Edgar Allen Poe On October 3, 1849, American author Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious in a gutter in Baltimore, Maryland under mysterious circumstances; it is the last time he is seen in public. He died on October 7.

Birthday of William Crawford Gorgas (October 3, 1854), American sanitarian, surgeon-general of the United States Army, famous for his success in controlling yellow fever, an achievement that permitted completion of the Panama Canal.

Federal Income Tax signed into law in 1913 (at 1%).

1916 Birthday ofJames Herriot James Herriot, (born as James Alfred Wight) veterinarian, author of much-loved books including:

All Creatures Great and Small (1972),
All Things Bright and Beautiful (1974),
All Things Wise and Wonderful (1977),
and The Lord God Made Them All.
He died in 1995.

1960: The Andy Griffith Show debuted on American television and was an immediate success. The show starred Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, the widowed sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, a fictional community of roughly 2,000–5,000 people. Other major characters included Andy’s cousin, the well-meaning and enthusiastic deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts); Andy’s aunt and housekeeper, Bee Taylor (Frances Bavier); and Andy’s young son, Opie (Ron Howard). It ran until 1968.

1961: The Dick Van Dyke Show, a pioneer of the sitcom genre, began airing on CBS. The show starred Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, and Larry Mathews. It ran until 1966.

1990 – German Reunification. The German Democratic Republic ceased to exist and its territory became part of the Federal Republic of Germany. East German citizens became part of the European Community, which later became the European Union. Now celebrated as German Unity Day.

Tidbits of History, October 2

October 2 is:

National Custodial Worker Day
International Day of Non-Violence, birthday of Mahatma Gandhi

World Farm Animals Day
      Pig insulin is used to control diabetes.
      Goats and sheep don’t have teeth on their upper jaw. They have a hard palate that helps them grind their food.
      The chicken is the closest living relative to the T-Rex.
      Geese are faithful, mate for life, and mourn when their partner dies.
      Cows have a memory of about three years.

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier was the first European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, which he named “The Country of Canadas” after the Iroquois names for the two big settlements he saw at Stadacona (Quebec City) and at Hochelaga (Montreal Island).

1789 – George Washington sent the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification.

Come and Take It Flag The Texas Revolution began in 1835 with the Battle of Gonzales: Mexican soldiers attempted to disarm the people of Gonzales, Texas, but encountered stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia.

Birthday of Paul von Hindenburg (October 2, 1847), Polish-German field marshal and politician, second President of Germany (d. 1934)

Birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (October 2, 1869- Jan 30, 1948), Hindu statesman and spiritual leader. He was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule, and to later inspire movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

1889 – In Colorado, Nicholas Creede struck it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West. He was an American prospector famous for discovering the Holy Moses Amethyst vein and other mining properties near Creede, Colorado in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

GrouchoBirthday of Groucho Marx (October 2, 1890), American comedian, actor, and singer (d. 1977)

Abbott and CostelloBirthday of Bud Abbott (October 2, 1895), American actor and singer (d. 1974) Partnered with Lou Costello, their patter routine “Who’s on First?” is one of the best-known comedy routines of all time.

Wilson, born December 28In 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed.

Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz was first published in 1950.

1957: The British-American war classic The Bridge on the River Kwai had its world premiere, and it later won the Academy Award for best picture.

1959: The science-fiction anthology TV series The Twilight Zone debuted and became hugely popular, known for its unexpected plot twists and moral lessons; the show was created by Rod Serling.

Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American justice of United States Supreme Court in 1967.

Rock Hudson1985: American actor Rock Hudson died, becoming one of the first Hollywood celebrities known to succumb to AIDS-related complications; the extensive publicity surrounding his death drew attention to the disease.

Tidbits of History, October 1

October 1 is:

International Day of Older Persons
World Vegetarian Day

pumpkinNational Pumpkin Spice Day

  • The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds.
  • The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.
  • In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
  • Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
  • The chemicals in the pumpkin seed cause an increase in urination (diuretic effect), which helps relieve bladder and prostate discomfort. Some chemicals might also reduce inflammation in the prostate.

James LawrenceBirthday of James Lawrence (October 1, 1781), naval hero during the War of 1812; he commanded USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon commanded by Philip Broke. He is probably best known today for his last words or “dying command” “Don’t give up the ship!”, which is still a popular naval battle cry.

Treaty of San IldefonsoSpain ceded Louisiana to France in a secret treaty, the Third Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800.

Caroline Harrison, Oct 1, 1832Birthday of Caroline Lavinia Scott Harrison (October 1, 1832), first wife of Benjamin Harrison, first lady 1889-1892. She secured $35,000 in appropriations from Congress to renovate the White House; and she oversaw an extensive project making up-to-date improvements. In 1891 she had electricity installed but was too frightened to handle the switches. She left the lights on all night and a building engineer turned them off each morning. Harrison was nominated for a second term in 1892. A few days prior to the election, First Lady Caroline Harrison died of tuberculosis.

Karl Marx“Das Kapital, Volume I”, also called “Capital. A Critique of Political Economy” published in 1867. Volumes II and III were completed by Engels from the notes of Marx. Marx is also well-known for writing the 1848 pamphlet, The Communist Manifesto. Marx died in 1883.

1903 – First baseball World Series, Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League vs Boston Americans of the American League. Pittsburgh pitcher, Sam Leever, injured his shoulder while trap-shooting, so his teammate, Deacon Phillippe, pitched five complete games, winning three of them. In Game 1, Phillippe set a World Series record by striking out ten Boston batters.

In Game 2, Boston pitcher Bill Dinneen broke that record, striking out eleven batters.
He and pitcher Cy Young led Boston to victory, coming back from a 3 game to 1 deficit, winning the final four games to win the World Series.

Ford Model T discontinued in 1927Henry Ford introduced the Model T car (costs $825) in 1908.
1908 The Model T Ford was introduced at a price of $825. Due to efficient mass production, by 1925 the price of a 2 door Model T was only $260.

Seagull monument1913 A monument to honor sea gulls was erected in Salt Lake City, Utah. The gulls had eaten the plague of grasshoppers that threatened the Mormon settlers crops in 1848.

The Black Sox Scandal took place during the play of the 1919 World Series. The Chicago White Sox lost the series to the Cincinnati Reds, and eight White Sox players were later accused of intentionally losing games in exchange for money from gamblers. The players were acquitted in court, but nevertheless, they were all banned for life from baseball.

Jimmy Carter, October 1, 1924Birthday of Jimmy Carter (October 1, 1924), thirty-ninth President of the United States. Jimmy Carter’s one-term presidency is remembered for the events that overwhelmed it—inflation, energy crisis, war in Afghanistan, and hostages in Iran. After one term in office, voters strongly rejected Jimmy Carter’s gloomy outlook in favor of Ronald Reagan’s optimism.

RehnquistBirthday of William Rehnquist, (October 1, 1924), Supreme Court (1972-86) Chief Justice (1987-2005)

Julie AndrewsBirthday of Julie Andrews (October 1, 1935), Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, actress/singer (Sound of Music, Mary Poppins)

Tidbits of History, The Month of October

The month of October, the tenth month in the Gregorian calendar, received its name from the Latin numeral octo, meaning “eight” because in the days of the old Roman calendar, it was the eighth month.

One of the notable days in October is Columbus Day, October 9, honoring the discovery of America by the Italian map-maker and explorer, Christopher Columbus. It is celebrated as Discovery Day in Central and South America and was set aside as a holiday in the United States in 1892 by President Harrison.

Hawaii has a special October event called “the Aloha Festival,” sometimes described as the “Mardi Gras of the Pacific.” It is observed with pageantry, street dancing, hula festivals, luaus, parades, and fancy balls.

October gave its name to one of the best-known German fall festivals. Oktoberfest, started on October 17, 1810, the wedding day of King Ludwig I. It still retains the name,, even though the festivities may start in September, with October having only a partial share of the time schedule. Octoberfest was cancelled in 2020 due to Coronavirus. The 187th Oktoberfest in 2022 will take place from September 16 until October 3.

An important October day for the entire world is Oct 24, United Nations Day, which commemorates the founding of the United Nations on October 24, 1945. It is a holiday for many of the member nations and is generally observed by all nations as a way of publicizing the aims and achievements of the world organization.

The month ends with Halloween or All Hallow’s Eve. It is a religious festival in some countries but a trick-or-treat night in the United States – a time for small children in costume to roam through their neighborhoods to solicit candy or cookies.

October candulaThe flowers for October are the calendula

and the cosmos. October Cosmos

The birthstones are the opal and the tourmaline.

October OpalOctober tourmaline

…from Gregory, Ruth W. Anniversaries and Holidays, Third Edition;. Chicago: American Library Association, 1975.

The month  is:

  • Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
  • American Pharmacist Month
  • Awareness Month
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month
  • Clergy Appreciation Month
  • Computer Learning Month
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Month
  • Eat Country Ham Month
  • International Drum Month
  • Lupus Awareness Month
  • National Apple Month
  • National Applejack Month
  • National Caramel Month
  • National Cookbook Month
  • National Cookie Month
  • National Dessert Month
  • National Diabetes Month
  • National Pasta Month
  • National Pickled Peppers Month
  • National Pizza Month
  • National Popcorn Popping Month
  • National Pork Month
  • National Pretzel Month
  • National Vegetarian Month
  • Sarcastic Month
  • National Seafood Month

Weekly Celebrations during the month:

  • Week 1 Get Organized Week
  • Week 1 Customer Service Week
  • Week 2 Fire Prevention Week
  • Week 2 Pet Peeve Week
  • Week 3 Pastoral Care Week

October 31 is Nevada State Day. In 1864 Nevada became the 36th state in the Union.

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Tidbits of History, September 30

September 30 is:

National Mud Pack Day Mud packs are mixtures of therapeutic clays which, when applied to the skin, increase circulation, ease muscle tension, release toxins and boost immunity. They work well on oily and some combination skin types.
While commonly used as a facial, mud packs treat the entire skin’s surface.

National Chewing Gum Day Birthday of William Wrigley, Jr. in 1861.

National Hot Mulled Cider Day
The cider industry uses 45% of all apples grown in the UK.
There are more than 300 varieties of cider apple grown in the UK – all with the sole purpose of making cider.

According to Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked in 1659. The first edition of the book credited the work’s protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a travelogue of true incidents.

1659 – Peter Stuyvesant of New Netherlands forbid tennis playing during religious services (first mention of tennis in US).

Anesthetic ether was used for first time in 1846 by American dentist Dr William Morton who extracted a tooth.

Elie_WieselBirthday of Elie Wiesel (September 30, 1928-July 2, 2016), Romanian-born, Jewish-American professor and political activist. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and Buchenwald concentration camps; winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

From Today in Science
In 1935, the Boulder Dam, Boulder City, Nevada was dedicated. The concrete-arch dam, subsequently named Hoover Dam (1947), supplied the first U.S. hydroelectric plant to produce a million kilowatts. This production peak occurred in June 1943, though the first of its four generators was placed into operation on 26 Oct 1936… The power serves the Los Angeles area.

Bridge over Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona.

September 30, 1955September 30, 1955: American film star James Dean died at aged 24 in a car crash. He starred in Rebel Without a Cause, Giant, and East of Eden.

Tidbits of History, September 29

September 29 is:

World Heart Day established to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease.

Michaelmas Day, the Feast of Saint Michael, the Archangel, honoring Michael as representative of all the angels. In Christianity, the Archangel Michael is the greatest of all the Archangels and is honored for defeating Lucifer in the war in heaven.

“Old Michaelmas Day” fell on 11 October. It is said that the Devil fell out of Heaven on this date, and fell into a blackberry bush, cursing the fruit as he fell. According to an old legend, blackberries should not be picked after this date. In Yorkshire, it is said that the devil had spat on them. According to Morrell (1977), this old legend is well known in all parts of the United Kingdom, even as far north as the Orkney Islands. In Cornwall, a similar legend prevails; however, the saying goes that the devil urinated on them.

International Coffee Day
International Mocha Day

Horatio_NelsonBirthday of Horatio Nelson, (September 29, 1758) English admiral who is remembered for his admonition, “England expects that every man will do his duty”.
He was wounded several times in combat: A musket ball severed an artery and his arm was amputated immediately – without anaesthetic – in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands. He lost the sight in one eye in Corsica. Of his several victories, the best known and most notable was the Battle of Trafalgar on the south coast of Spain in 1805. During this battle he called his captains a “band of brothers”. It was a reference to Shakespeare’s Henry V play. At Trafalgar he was shot, the shot puncturing his lung and fracturing his spine. His last words were, “Thank God I have done my duty”.

On Sept. 29, 1957, the New York Giants played their last game at the Polo Grounds, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-1. The Giants moved to San Francisco for the next season. in the summer of 1957 both the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers announced their moves to California, ending the three-team golden age of baseball in New York City.

September 29, 1966September 29, 1966 – The Chevrolet Camaro, originally named Panther, was introduced. It was built as competition to the Ford Mustang.
Automotive press asked Chevrolet product managers, “What is a Camaro?” and were told it was “a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs.”

2005 – John Roberts was sworn in as the nation’s 17th chief justice.

Tidbits of History, September 28

September 28 is:

Drink Beer Day

National Strawberry Cream Pie Day
This light-as-air pie has sweetened cream cheese, fresh whipped cream, and plenty of strawberries piled high on a graham cracker crust. Strawberries are one of the few fruits with seeds on the outside.

September 28Believed to be the Birthday of Confucius about 551 B.C. Some quotes:

  • “The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”
  • “Silence is the true friend that never betrays.”
  • “Life is really simple, but men insist on making it complicated.”
  • “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”
  • “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

(Good King) Saint Wenceslas was murdered by his brother, Boleslaus I of Bohemia on September 28, 935.

Samuel HuntingtonIn 1779, American Revolution: Samuel Huntington was elected President of the Continental Congress. While not known for extensive learning or brilliant speech, Huntington’s steady hard work and unfailing calm manner earned him the respect of his fellow delegates. As a result, when John Jay left to become minister to Spain, Huntington was elected to succeed him as President of the Continental Congress on September 28, 1779 which is one reason why he is sometimes considered the first president.

Napoleon Bonaparte graduated September 28, 1785Napoleon Bonaparte (16) graduated from the military academy in Paris in 1785 (42nd in a class of 51).

1850 – The U.S. Navy abolished flogging as a form of punishment.

Brigham Young named governor of Utah, Sept 28, 18501850 – U.S. President Millard Fillmore named Brigham Young the first governor of the Utah territory. In 1857, U.S. President James Buchanan removed Young from the position.

1889 – The first General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defined the length of a meter as the distance between two lines on a standard bar of an alloy of platinum with ten percent iridium, measured at the melting point of ice.

King Camp Gillette (Jan 5, 1855-July 9, 1932, and William Emery Nickerson invented the safety razor. Their innovation was the thin, inexpensive, disposable blade of stamped steel. Gillette is widely credited with inventing the so-called razor and blades business model, where razors are sold cheaply to increase the market for blades, but in fact he only adopted this model after his competitors did.
To sell the product, Gillette founded the American Safety Razor Company on September 28, 1901 (changing the company’s name to Gillette Safety Razor Company in July 1902). Gillette obtained a trademark registration (0056921) for his portrait and signature on the packaging. Production began in 1903, when he sold a total of 51 razors and 168 blades. By 1910, King Gillette was a millionaire. His portrait was printed on every package of blades, which gained him great celebrity. Sadly, Gillette lost most of his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929.

He said “If I had been technically trained, I would have quit.” He spent eight frustrating years striving to invent and introduce his safety razor.

From Asimov, Isaac. Isaac Asimov’s Book of Facts. New York, Bell Publishing Company, 1981

In 1928, Sir Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.

Bonneville Dam, Oregon1937 – FDR dedicated Bonneville Dam on Columbia River (Oregon). Bonneville Lock & Dam, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the first federal lock and dam on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The project’s first powerhouse, spillway and original navigation lock were completed in 1938 to improve navigation on Columbia River and provide hydropower to the Pacific Northwest.