It is Saturday nite, and you know what that means…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOixt5v84fU

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qD72NCJSkk

It was on this day in 1804 that Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis, MO. Accompanied with about 30 other people, the exhibition was commissioned by President Jefferson to explore a large amount of land recently purchased by the United States, as well as lay claim to more land along the Pacific coast. The group would spend a year going west and then another year to return, meeting and trading with many Native Americans tribes as well as collecting scientific data about plants and animals along the way.

It was also on this day in 1904 that the Olympic Games opened in St. Louis. This was the first time the games were held in the US.

The earliest event than Wiki mentions happening on this day is “1264 – Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured and forced to sign the Mise of Lewes, making Simon de Montfort the de facto ruler of England” and the most recent is “2005 – The former USS America, a decommissioned supercarrier of the United States Navy, is deliberately sunk in the Atlantic Ocean after four weeks of live-fire exercises. She is the largest ship ever to be disposed of as a target in a military exercise.“

A few other things that also happened on this day are:

1948 – Israel is founded.

1955 – Warsaw Pact is formed when eight communist countries sign a treaty.

1973 – The US launches Skylab.

2001- The US Supreme Court rules that there is no basic right to use an all-natural plant, even if medically needed.

Birthday cakes goes out to Tim Roth, David Byrne, George Lucas, and Jack Bruce.

It was on this day in 1985 that police in Philadelphia dropped a bomb from a helicopter onto an occupied home. They were attempting to evict some members of “MOVE”, an all-black back-to-nature commune. Citing health concerns & disorderly conduct (the group would use a bullhorn to broadcast political commentary), the city started the day off by having the fire department spray high-pressure hoses on the building. When the group inside responded with gunfire, the police threw teargas through the windows and started shooting back. (It was later determined that over 10,000 rounds were fired by the police within 2 hours.)  After a couple hours of those tactics four pounds of C-4 explosive was quickly constructed into a bomb and used. The explosion caused the house to catch on fire, which quickly spread to neighboring homes. The firefighters were prevented by the police from fighting the fire, and over 60 homes ended up being destroyed. 11 people (five of which were children) died. A commission later stated that “Dropping a bomb on an occupied rowhouse was unconscionable and should have been rejected out of hand“, and the only two survivors from the targeted home (an adult & a 13-year old child) were awarded $1.5 million in damages.

The earliest thing that Wiki says happened on this day is “1373 – Julian of Norwich has visions which are later transcribed in her Revelations of Divine Love” and the most recent is “2008 – The Jaipur bombings in Rajasthan, India results in dozens of deaths.“

A few other events that also occurred on this day are:

1607 – Jamestown founded in what is now Virginia.

1846 – US declares war on Mexico.

1981 – Pope John Paul II shot.

1989 – Protesters in China demonstrate in Tiananmen Square.

Happy birthday to Darius Rucker, Stephen Colbert, Dennis Rodman, Stevie Wonder, and Harvey Keitel.

It was on this day in 1978 that the National Hurricane Center stated that hurricanes will no longer be names only after females. However, no indication was given at the time if they could then be called “himicanes.“

Ba-dum-swish

The first thing Wiki takes notice of for this day is “254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I as the 23rd pope” and the most recent is “2010 – An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board.“

A few other things that also happened are:

1551 – The oldest university in the “New World” is founded in Peru.

1935 – Bill Wilson, a self-admitted alcoholic, needs some help in refusing a drink and ends up meeting Dr. Bob Smith for the first time. The two men would go on to form Alcoholics Anonymous.

1943 – Axis forces in North Africa surrender to the Allies.

1967 – Pink Floyd performs the first concert done with Quad-sound.

Happy birthday to Malcolm David Kelley, Kim Fields, Scott Schwartz, Emilio Estevez, Ving Rhames, Eric Singer, Billy Squier, Steve Winwood, and Yogi Berra.

It was on this day in 1894 that workers at the Pullman Palace Car Company went on strike to protest 16-hour work days as well as a reduction in wages. The country was experiencing a financial crisis, and lowering of wages (as well as prices of goods/services) wasn’t unusual. However these workers were required to live in a “company town” that was owned by Pullman, who refused to decrease rent or the prices of groceries & household goods. A couple weeks later fellow members of the American Railway Union across the nation began a boycott of Pullman railroad cars by refusing to run trains that had those cars. The railroad companies called that an illegal strike, and fired the 125,000 workers who participated. A federal injunction ordered union leaders to call for an end to the job action as well as the strike at the Pullman plant, and they were arrested after refusing to do so. The strike would continue on until the end of June, when President Cleveland sent 12,000 Army troops to disperse the workers who were protesting. At least 13 people were killed and countless wounded during the course of this job action. A national commission formed the next year to examine the causes of the strike found that Pullman’s company town was “UnAmerican”, and in 1898 the Supreme Court of Illinois ordered that the company sell their rental property and the town be annexed by Chicago.

The first event mentioned by Wiki that occurred on this day is “330 – Byzantium is renamed Nova Roma during a dedication ceremony, but it is more popularly referred to as Constantinople” and the most recent is “2000 – Second Chechen War: Chechen separatists ambush Russian paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia.“

A few other things that also happened on this day are: 

1947 -Tubeless tire is invented.

1960 – Adolf Eichmann captured by Nazi-hunters in Argentina.

1997 – A computer beats a reigning world champion in chess for the first time.

Slices of birthday cake goes to Martha Quinn, Butch Trucks, Eric Burdon, and Bernard Fox.

It was on this day in 1876 that the Centennial Exposition opened in Philadelphia, PA. It was the first “World’s Fair” in the United States, and was held to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the country. President Grant & the Emperor of Brazil (along with their spouses) were the honored guests on opening day, which saw over 180,000 people admitted to the fair. 26 states and 11 different nations had showcases and exhibits. Some of the products shown to the public for the first time include the telephone, the typewriter, Heinz ketchup, an earlier version of the light bulb, and the arm & torch from the (still being built at the time) Statute of Liberty. The Expo would remain open until November, with over 10 million visitors attending overall.

The first event that Wiki lists for this day is “70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem and attacks the city’s Third Wall to the northwest” and the most recent is “2008 – An EF4 tornado strikes the Oklahoma-Kansas state line, killing 21 people and injuring over 100.“

A few other things that also happened on this day are:

1869 – The first transcontinental railroad in the US completed.

1893 – The US Supreme Court rules that a tomato is a vegetable rather than a fruit…at least as far as tariffs are concerned.

1924 – J. Edgar Hoover is appointed the Director of the FBI, a position he’ll hold until 1972.

Happy birthday goes to Dave Mason, Donovan, Pat Summerall, Jim Abrahams, and Bono.

It was on this day in 1955 that the television show Sam and Friends premiered.  Running twice a day on a local NBC station in DC, this 5-minute program featured puppets lip-syncing to various comical songs. The host was a character named Sam, but it was a lil’ frog who ended up stealing the limelight. The show lasted until 1961, but Jim Henson’s puppets…renamed “Muppets”…would continue on to this day.

The first event that Wiki mentions occurring on this day in history is “1457 BC – Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh. It is the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail” and the latest is “2006 – Estonia ratifies the European Constitution.“

A few other things that also happened on this day are:

1937 – Edgar Bergen & his dummy Charlie McCarthy make their radio debut.

1941 – The Royal Navy captures a German submarine and seizes an Enigma code machine, which allows the Allies to read secret Axis messages for the rest of the war.

1980 – A freighter collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa FL, resulting in a collapse of the main span. 35 people, in cars as well as a Greyhound bus, fall 150 ft. into the water and die.

Happy birthday to Billy Joel, Candice Bergen, Steve Katz, and Tom Petersson.

It on this day in 1886 that a pharmacist by the name of John Styth Pemberton first sold a new patent medicine he had personally mixed together. For the cost of a nickel, customers of Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA were able to purchase a carbonated beverage that was purported to cure many diseases & ailments. (Including but not limited to impotence and headaches.) Sales grew quickly over the next few years, and Pemberton sold the formula for the beverage to Asa Candler. Candler saw the potential for the drink as a refreshing beverage rather than a cure-all medicine, and began to market it as such. His business plan and advertising vision turned out to be highly successful, with it now being estimated that over 1.6 billion servings of Coca-Cola are dispensed every day.

The earliest thing that Wiki mentions for this day is “589 – Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo” and the most recent is “1997 – A China Southern Airlines Boeing 737 crashes on approach into Bao’an International Airport, killing 35 people.“

A few other events that happened on this day are:

1846 – First battle of the Mexican-American War is fought.

1914 – Movie studio Paramount Pictures is founded.

1970 – Beatles release “Let It Be“

1976 – The first steel coaster with a vertical loop opens in California.

Slices of birthday cake go to Don Rickles, Melissa Gilbert, Alex Van Halen, Billy Burnette, Gary Glitter, Chris Frantz, Philip Bailey & Toni Tennille.

This time of year always makes me long for the upcoming summer. There ain’t nuttin’ quite like hanging with good pals, eating good food, and having good convo – and that seems to happen a lot more often when the weather is warm & we’re sleeping in tents rather than at home. Been a long, cold winter and summer can’t come soon enough…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc9wIzi96_E

Gotta love those funky styles!

Keeping the fun time a’rolling along, here is a clip of some good pals at one of my favorite festivals:

It’ll be nice to feel the warm sun during the day and the cool breezes at night once again. Mmm…can’t ya almost smell that campfire?

It was on this day in 1429 that Joan of Arc pulled an arrow out of her shoulder and then went on to kick some serious butt. The English were attacking a city gate when an archer’s missile struck her. Upon seeing this, the attackers started to dance while singing “The witch is dead!” But the battle wasn’t over for the young leader…after removing the arrow and applying a salve, she returned to the battle in order to rally the troops and ended the evening by chasing away the invaders, thus ending a six month siege of Orleans.

It was also on this day, but in 1718, that the city of New Orleans was founded on the banks of the Mississippi river. Like it was said before: *cue spooky music*

The earliest event listed by Wiki for this day is “558 – In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses. Justinian I immediately orders that the dome be rebuilt” and the most recent is “2008 – Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in as Russia’s president.“

A few other things that happened on this day are:

1846 – Oldest surviving weekly newspaper in the United States, The Cambridge Chronicle, is published for the first time.

1915 – RMS Lusitania is sank by a German submarine.

1945 – Nazi Germany surrenders to the Allies.

1946 – Sony is founded.

Happy birthday to Traci Lords, Johnny Lee Middleton & Bill Kreutzmann.