Author Archives: penquin

I was gonna make a post about how I was seven years old during the summer of 1976 and how I was all caught up in the Bicentennial celebrations that were going on. But as I was writing the words it … Continue reading →

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1988 that the USS Vincennes shot down a civilian airplane over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. The Airbus was still in Iranian airspace when the crew of the US Navy’s cruiser, which was in Iranian waters, mistakenly thought it was … Continue reading →

Got a double dose from one of my favorite bands – something older and something newer. If ya never saw these guys live then you missed something good. There was a great vibe at every Radiators performance that can’t quite … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1947 that something fell from the sky and crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. Was it a weather balloon, an experimental craft from the Air Force, or an alien spaceship? Whoever knows for sure ain’t talking about it…. … Continue reading →

It was in this day in 1984 that the Motion Picture Association of America announced their new PG-13 rating. This addition was mostly due to two movies that were released as PG, but many parents found them to be too much … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1859 that Jean-François Gravelet (going by his stage name of “Charles Blondin”) became the first person to walk across the gorge at the bottom of Niagara Falls on a tightrope. About 5,000 people watched … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1956 that President Eisenhower signed a bill into law that created the United States Interstate Highway System. He had first envisioned a better highway system across America when, as an officer in the Army, he took … Continue reading →

It was on this day that The War To End All Wars both started and ended. The Archduke of Austria and his wife were assassinated on the 28th of June in 1914. Due to various treaties and tempers of the time, … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1844 Joseph Smith Jr. and his brother were murdered while in a county jail in western Illinois. The Mormons had founded the town of Nauvoo about five years previously, after being driven out of Missouri. Smith, who was … Continue reading →