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The Daily Chronicle 

On This Date 

1941 - The Jeep was the Army’s 

little truck that could do anything. 

The Willys-Overland Motor 

Company developed the working 

prototype in just 49 days. General 

Dwight D. Eisenhower said that 

the Allies could not have won 

World War II without it. Parade 

magazine was so enthusiastic 

about the Jeep that on this day it 

devoted three full pages to a 

feature on the vehicle. 

1958 - First class postage 

increased to 4 cents. The 3-cent 

rate for first-class had been 

unchanged since 1933. 

Daily Trivia 

The custom of being 

clean-shaven is said 

to date back to 

Alexander the 

Great, who set the 

fashion. A century 

later, shaving 

entered the Roman world in the 

West and the Eastern world 

abandoned the custom. 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 2009 

© ActivityConnection.com - The Daily Chronicles - August 1, 2009 

Happy Birthday! 

Herman Melville (1819-1891) 

published his masterpiece, Moby 

Dick, in 1851. 

Critics did not 

fully appreciate 

the novel until 

long after his 

death. In the 

novel, Captain 

Ahab pursues 

the white whale, 

Moby Dick, until it finally kills 

him. At that level, it is an 

intensely authentic narrative of 

whaling. At a deeper level, it is a 

metaphor for the defeats and 

triumphs of the human spirit.


On This Date 

1824 - Fifth Avenue opened in 

New York City. It became one of 

the most famous thoroughfares in 

the world and the home to many 

beautiful, fashionable stores. 

1939 - Albert Einstein wrote to 

President Roosevelt urging him to 

authorize development of an 

atomic bomb. 

1990 - More than 100,000 Iraqi 

soldiers backed up by 700 tanks 

invaded the Gulf state of Kuwait 

in the early hours of the morning. 

Iraq’s refusal to withdraw led to 

the launching of Operation Desert 

Storm by coalition forces in 

January 1991. 


The five interlocking Olympic 

rings, designed in 1912, stand for 

passion, faith, victory, work ethic, 

and sportsmanship. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 2009 



Carroll O'Connor (1924-2001) 

was an actor, 

producer, and 

director whose 

career spanned 

four decades. He 

is best known 

for his portrayal 

of the character 

Archie Bunker 

in the television sitcoms All in the 

Family (1971-1979) and Archie 

Bunker's Place (1979-1983). 

O'Connor later starred in the 

television series In the Heat of the 

Night as Police Chief Bill 

Gillespie from 1988 to 1994.


On This Date 

1492 - Christopher Columbus set 

sail in command of three ships – 

the Santa María, the Pinta, and 

the Niña – on a journey to find a 

western sea route to China, India, 

and the Spice Islands. There were 

88 sailors aboard the three ships. 

Columbus finally sighted land on 

October 12, probably Watling 

Island in the Bahamas. 

1963 - Allan Sherman released his 

hit novelty song, “Hello Muddah, 

Hello Faddah.” The lyrics were 

sung to the tune of the ballet 

Dance of the Hours. 

1970 - Mairiam Hargrave of 

Yorkshire, England, passed her 

driving test on the 40th try. 

Fun Fact 

Broccoli and cauliflower are the 

only vegetables that are flowers. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2009 



Martha Stewart, born in 1941, is 

an authority on domestic matters 

and a skilled businesswoman. She 

has parlayed her cooking, 

gardening, and 

decorating 

talents into 

successful TV 

shows, best 

selling books, 

and marketing 

ventures with 

Kmart. After serving a five-month 

prison sentence for insider stock 

trading, Martha has staged a 

successful comeback and is 

currently hosting the popular 

daytime TV show, Martha.


On This Date 

1753 - George Washington 

became a Master Mason, the 

highest basic rank in the secret 

fraternity of Freemasonry. 

1821 - The Saturday Evening Post 

was published weekly for the first 

time. Much later, in 1916, the 

magazine began a 37-year 

relationship with the artist 

Norman Rockwell. The last of Mr. 

Rockwell’s 317 covers for the 

magazine was published in 

December 1963. 

1921 - Every telephone in North 

America was silent for one minute 

at sunset marking the time funeral 

services were taking place for 

Alexander Graham Bell. 

Fun Fact 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2009 

Squirrels plant 

millions of trees 

accidentally when 

they bury nuts and 

then forget where 

they left them. 



Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), 

jazz trumpeter, singer, and 

entertainer, was born in one of the 

poorest sections of New Orleans, 

Louisiana. However, he overcame 

poverty to become one of the 

most famous people in the history 

of music. At the 

time of his death, 

he was regarded 

as one of the 

most important 

musicians of the 

20th century. In a tribute to 

Armstrong, Bing Crosby said, 

“He was the only musician who 

ever lived who can’t be replaced 

by someone.”


On This Date 

1858 - The first telegraph line 

across the Atlantic Ocean was 

completed, a feat accomplished 

through the efforts of merchant 

Cyrus West Field. Unfortunately, 

the cable proved weak and after 

several weeks, it ceased 

functioning. Mr. Field succeeded 

in laying a permanent cable in 

1866. 

1924 - The comic 

strip Little Orphan 

Annie debuted in the 

New York Daily 

News. Annie and her 

little dog, Sandy, were creations 

of cartoonist Harold Gray. 

1984 - Joan Benoit of the U.S. 

won the first Olympic marathon 

for women. She finished in 

2:24:52, a time that would have 

won thirteen of the twenty 

previous men Olympic marathons. 


Earth is the only planet not 

named after a god. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2009 



Bruce F. Barton (1886-1967) 

was an author, 

advertising 

executive, and 

politician. He is 

credited with 

naming General 

Motors and 

General Electric. 

Among other famous advertising 

campaigns, he created the 

character “Betty Crocker.” He 

also wrote hundreds of articles for 

popular magazines, best selling 

guides to personal success, and 

served two terms in the U.S. 

House of Representatives.


On This Date 

1926 - Gertrude Ederle from New 

York became the first woman to 

swim the English Channel. She 

accomplished the feat in 14 hours 

and 31 minutes. 

1926 - The Warner Brothers 

studio gave the first public 

exhibition of talking motion 

pictures. 

1959 - General Motors registered 

the name Corvair for its new rear 

engine compact car. The car later 

became the subject of Ralph 

Nader’s book Unsafe at Any 

Speed, which marked a historic 

shift in responsibility for 

automobile safety from the 

consumer to the manufacturer. 

Fun Fact 

The phrase “sleep tight” 

originated when mattresses were 

set upon ropes woven through the 

bed frame. To remedy sagging 

ropes, one would use a bed key to 

tighten the rope. 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2009 



Robert Mitchum (1917-1997) 

achieved fame 

in the movie 

Story of G.I. Joe 

(1945). He had a 

powerful screen 

presence and 

usually played 

cool, predatory 

characters, such as the villain in 

Cape Fear (1962) and The Night 

of the Hunter (1955). He was also 

capable of playing much lighter 

roles, such as the marine corporal 

who falls in love with a nun in 

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison.


On This Date 

1876 - Michael-Babriel Paccard 

and Jacques Balmat became the 

first to climb Mont Blanc, the 

highest mountain in Europe. 

1927 - The Peace Bridge between 

Buffalo, NY and Fort Erie, 

Ontario was dedicated. It remains 

one of the most important bridges 

in North America. 

1928 - The U.S. dollar began to 

shrink in size, not value. New 

bills, one-third smaller than 

previous bucks, were issued by 

the U.S. Treasury Department. 

1942 - U.S. Marines landed at 

Guadalcanal in the Solomon 

Islands, making the first U.S. 

assault on Japanese positions in 

the Pacific Ocean. 

Word Trivia 

“Almost” is the longest word in 

the English language with all the 

letters in alphabetical order. 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009 



Garrison Keillor, born in 1942, 

is a writer and radio personality. 

In 1974, he struck upon the idea 

for a folksy and 

humorous radio 

program. He 

launched A Prairie 

Home Companion 

on Minnesota 

Public Radio later 

that year. Keillor 

has written many magazine and 

newspaper articles, along with 

nearly a dozen books for adults as 

well as children. He and his wife, 

violinist Jenny L. Nilsson, have 

one daughter and maintain homes 

in New York City and Saint Paul, 

Minnesota.


On This Date 

1881 - Clara Barton and Adolphus 

Solomons 

founded the 

American 

Red Cross. 

Barton had 

worked as a 

nurse during 

the American 

Civil War 

and became known as the “Angel 

of the Battlefield” for her tireless 

dedication. In 1904, she resigned 

as head of the American Red 

Cross and retired to her home near 

Washington, DC, where she died 

at the age of 90 on April 12, 1912. 

1974 - President Richard Nixon 

announced his intention to resign. 


Art Linkletter's Kids Say the 

Darndest Things was the bestselling 

nonfiction book in the U.S. 

for two years in a row: 

1957 and 1958. 




Esther Williams, born in 1921, 

was a champion 

swimmer and 

legendary movie 

star, famous for 

her musical films 

that featured 

elaborate 

performances 

with swimming and diving. The 

scene most people associate 

Esther Williams with is the 

famous grand water ballet finale 

in Bathing Beauty (1944). She 

currently resides in Beverly Hills 

with actor-husband Edward Bell, 

whom she married in 1994.


On This Date 

1930 - Betty Boop made her first 

appearance in the cartoon Dizzy 

Dishes. 

1941 - The first poster of Smokey 

Bear was produced. Smokey was 

pictured pouring water on a 

campfire. In later posters, Smokey 

is usually dressed in a ranger’s hat 

and blue jeans and often sports a 

shovel. His famous slogan 

“Remember only you can prevent 

forest fires” is one of the most 

recognized advertising phrases in 

the world. 


Animal Trivia 

A mongoose is not a 

goose but more like 

a meerkat, which is 

not a cat but more 

like a prairie dog, 

which is not a dog 

but more like a 

ground squirrel. 



Sam Elliott, born in 1944, is a 

film and television 

actor, usually 

recognized by his 

lanky physique, 

thick handlebar 

moustache, and 

gruff speaking 

voice. A born 

cowboy star if 

ever there was one, the stagetrained 

Elliott made his debut in a 

tiny role in the 1969 western 

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance 

Kid. He has kept busy in a wide 

variety of roles ever since. Elliott 

has been married to actress 

Katharine Ross since 1984.


On This Date 

1519 - Portuguese explorer 

Ferdinand Magellan set sail from 

Seville, Spain, to circumnavigate 

the world. 

1846 - The U.S. Congress 

established the famous 

Smithsonian Institution. An 

Englishman, James Smithson, 

made it possible to create the 

institution with his generous gift 

of $500,000; hence, the name, 

Smithsonian. 

1950 - Billy Wilder's Oscarwinning 

film Sunset Boulevard 

premiered at Radio City Music 

Hall in New York. The film 

starred Gloria Swanson, William 

Holden, and Erich von Stroheim. 


Napoleon’s troops were the first 

to eat from tin cans. 

Unfortunately, can openers had 

not yet been invented, so they 

used bayonets to open them. 




Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 

was President of the United States 

from 1929 to 1933. 

He is generally 

remembered for 

being unable to 

deal with the 

challenges of the 

Great Depression. 

Many are unaware that he also 

headed the American Relief 

Administration following WWI 

and was responsible for rescuing 

millions of Europeans from 

starvation. Recognizing this 

expertise following WWII, 

Hoover was asked to head a 

commission to evaluate how to 

rebuild Europe.


On This Date 

1806 - While hunting for elk 

along the Missouri River, 

Meriwether Lewis was 

accidentally shot in the hip, 

probably by one of his own men. 

Fortunately, the wound was not 

serious. Lewis and his partner, 

William Clark, concluded their 

epic journey when they arrived in 

St. Louis about six weeks later. 

1903 - The first U.S. patent for 

instant coffee was issued to Satori 

Kato. 

1929 - Babe Ruth hit his 500th 

Major League home run against 

the Cleveland Indians. By the end 

of his career, the “Bambino” had 

hit 714 home runs, a record that 

stood until broken by Hank Aaron 

in 1974. 


Charles Babbage invented the 

first programmable calculator 

(computer) in England in 1833. 




Marilyn vos Savant, born in 

1946, is a national columnist and 

author. She writes the “Ask 

Marilyn” 

column for 

Parade, the 

S u n d a y 

magazine. 

Marilyn was 

listed in the 

Guinness 

Book of World Records for five 

years under “Highest IQ” for both 

childhood and adult scores. She is 

married to Robert Jarvik, MD, the 

inventor of the Jarvik 7 and Jarvik 

2000 artificial hearts.


On This Date 

1908 - Henry Ford's first Model T, 

affectionately known as the “Tin 

Lizzie,” rolled off the assembly 

line in Detroit, Michigan. The 

Model T was the first reliable car 

priced for the average person. 

Prior to the Model T, most 

automobiles were viewed as 

playthings of the rich. 

1938 - Adolf Hitler instituted the 

Mother’s Cross to encourage 

German women to have more 

children. 

Daily Quiz 

Q: When did Porky Pig make his 

first movie? 

A: In 1935, Porky Pig appeared in 

his first film, I Haven’t Got a Hat. 

Porky’s career developed 

alongside the career of Warner 

Brother’s head of animation 

Chuck Jones. 




Cecil B. DeMille (1881-1959) 

was one of the 

most successful 

filmmakers in 

Hollywood 

history. Out of 

his seventy 

films, all but six 

turned a profit. 

Although famous today for his 

Bible epics, he was also admired 

for his movies about American 

history, early westerns, and sharp 

social comedies.


On This Date 

1521 - After a three-month siege, 

Spanish forces under Hernán 

Cortés captured Tenochtitlán, the 

capital of the Aztec empire. 

Cortés' men leveled the city and 

captured Cuauhtemoc, the Aztec 

emperor. The victory marked the 

fall of the Aztec empire. 

1784 - The Continental Congress 

met for the final time in 

Annapolis, Maryland. The 

government moved a few more 

times, from Philadelphia to New 

York City and, finally, to its 

permanent seat of government in 

Washington, DC. 

1913 - In Sheffield, England, 

Harry Brearley produced the first 

ever batch of “rustless steel,” later 

called “stainless steel.” 


The only three countries in the 

world whose names begin with 

“Z” are Zambia, Ziare, and 

Zimbabwe, all in Africa. 




Don Ho (1930-2007) was a 

Hawaiian pop musician, singer, 

and entertainer. In 1966, he 

released his most famous song, 

“Tiny Bubbles.” Guest 

appearances on 

television shows 

such as I Dream 

of Jeannie, The 

Brady Bunch, 

Sanford and Son, 

Charlie's Angels, 

and Fantasy 

Island soon 

followed. Ho had ten children and 

they often worked alongside him 

throughout his career.


On This Date 

1935 - The U.S. Congress passed 

the Social Security Act. At the 

time the Act was passed, more 

than 50% of senior citizens lived 

in poverty. 

1945 - President Harry S. Truman 

announced the surrender of Japan, 

which ended World War II. 

1956 - Bus Stop, starring Marilyn 

Monroe, premiered in 

Atlantic City. The 

comedy about a 

cowboy who falls for 

a saloon singer 

provided Monroe 

with one of her finest comic roles. 

Did You Know? 

In 1954, RKO Pictures 

Corporation stockholders 

approved the $23.5 million sale 

of the company to multimillionaire 

Howard Hughes. He 

became the first individual ever to 

be the sole owner of a major 

motion picture company. 




Steve Martin, born in 1945, is a 

comedian, writer, 

and producer. He 

began his career as 

a stand-up comic 

and eventually 

achieved success in 

motion pictures, 

television, Broadway, and 

literature. Some of his many 

movies include Dirty Rotten 

Scoundrels (1988), Parenthood 

(1989), and Father of the Bride 

(1991). He also won best 

playwright honors from the New 

York Outer Critics Circle in 1996.


On This Date 

1057 - At the Battle of 

Lumphanan, King Macbeth of 

Scotland was slain by Malcolm 

Canmore whose father, King 

Duncan I, was murdered by 

Macbeth 17 years earlier. These 

would be very obscure events if 

Shakespeare had not used them as 

the basis for his play Macbeth. 

This play is considered by many 

scholars to be Shakespeare's 

darkest work. 

1914 - The Panama Canal was 

officially opened. It connects the 

Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and 

crosses a small mountain range 

with a series of huge locks. 


Q: What is Scrooge McDuck’s 

relationship to Donald Duck? 

A: Scrooge McDuck is 

Donald’s billionaire uncle. He is 

believed to be the brother of 

Donald’s mother. 




Napoleon Bonaparte 

(1769-1821) was 

First Consul and 

then Emperor of 

France from 1799 

to 1814. His civil 

code is the basis 

for Europe’s 

modern legal 

system. He also introduced the 

metric system that most countries 

use today. His passion for military 

conquest led to sensational 

victories and devastating defeats. 

His career finally ended with his 

defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 

1815. He spent his final years as a 

prisoner on St. Helena Island.


On This Date 

1812 - American General William 

Hull surrendered Fort Detroit and 

his army to the British without a 

fight. He had lost hope of 

defending the settlement after 

seeing the large English and 

Indian forces gathering outside 

Detroit's walls. 

1896 - George Carmack and his 

wife, Kate, discovered gold in 

what is now known as Bonanza 

Creek, Yukon, which set off the 

Klondike gold rush. George, who 

was nicknamed “Lyin’ George” 

due to his tendency to exaggerate, 

said that the gold veins were 

“thick between the flaky slabs, 

like cheese sandwiches.” 

1977 - Elvis Presley died at the 

age of 42 of a heart attack brought 

on largely by drug abuse. 


There are no clocks in Las Vegas 

gambling casinos. 




Harold “Hal” Foster 

(1892-1982) was a Canadian- 

American 

cartoonist who 

as a young man 

worked as an 

illustrator for the 

comic strip 

Tarzan, a n 

adaptation of 

Edgar Rice Burroughs's novels. 

His painstakingly realistic 

drawings caught the attention of 

newspaper tycoon William 

Randolph Hearst. Foster was 

persuaded to work for Hearst’s 

papers when he was given 

ownership rights to his proposed 

comic strip, Prince Valiant.


On This Date 

1807 - The world’s first 

commercial steamboat service 

began. The route was between 

New York City and Albany, New 

York. 

1877 - Billy the Kid claimed his 

first victim, a burley blacksmith 

who had been picking on him. 

Billy finally met his match when 

Sheriff Pat Garrett gunned him 

down in July 1881. 

1937 - The Wizard of Oz opened 

at the Loew's Capital in New York 

City. Judy Garland and Mickey 

Rooney performed onstage at the 

premiere, and Garland continued 

to perform in the live stage show 

for the next several weeks. 


“Freelance” comes from a knight 

whose lance was free for hire, i.e. 

not pledged to one master. 




Davy Crockett (1786-1836) built 

a reputation as an Indian fighter 

and frontiersman that launched his 

political career. He served three 

terms as a U.S congressman. He 

decided to head 

west to Texas 

following his 

failure to be reelected 

in 1835. 

He died fighting at 

the Alamo along 

with the rest of the garrison in 

March 1836. Although he is 

remembered as Davy, he preferred 

to be called David.


On This Date 

1227 - Genghis Kahn died. The 

Great Kahn had united the 

Mongolian clans and conquered 

parts of China, Russia, Persia, and 

Arabia. He also threatened 

Europe. His cavalry was ruthless 

and efficient. Using powerful 

short bows, they would attack 

while still mounted on their sturdy 

ponies. 

1937 - The Toyota Motor 

Company became a subsidiary of 

the Toyoda Automatic Loom 

Works. Although Toyota is now 

better known for cars, it still 

makes looms. 

1969 - The Woodstock music 

festival drew to a close. The 

festival exemplified the 

counterculture of the late 1960s. 

Fun Fact 

“Happy Birthday” was the first 

song to be performed in outer 

space, sung by the Apollo IX 

astronauts on March 8, 1969. 




Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) 

served as co-leader, along with 

William Clark, on 

the Lewis and Clark 

Expedition 

(1804-1806), the 

first overland 

exploration of the 

West and Pacific 

Northwest. Lewis 

showed talents for natural history, 

including botany and zoology, 

which were especially valuable 

during the expedition. Shortly 

after his return from the 

expedition, President Jefferson 

appointed Lewis governor of the 

Louisiana Territory.


On This Date 

1812 - Commanded by Captain 

Isaac Hull, the USS Constitution 

won a brilliant victory over the 

British frigate Gorier. American 

sailors, on seeing British shot 

bouncing off the oak sides of their 

ship, reportedly dubbed it “Old 

Ironsides.” 

1981 - The popular television 

series Charlie’s Angels ended its 

five-year run on ABC. 

In the early days, baseball 

umpires were unpaid. They were 

often spectators (and sometimes 

players) chosen by the home team 

with the consent of the rival 

team’s captain. In 1878, the 

National League of Professional 

Base Ball Clubs, organized two 

years earlier, mandated that 

home baseball teams pay umpires 

$5 per game. 





Orville Wright (1871-1948) and 

his brother, Wilbur, made the first 

successful 

powered flight 

in Kitty Hawk, 

North Carolina, 

on December 

17, 1903. The 

brothers realized 

that a successful 

airplane would require wings to 

generate lift, a propulsion system 

to move it, and a “three-axiscontrol” 

system to maintain its 

equilibrium.


On This Date 

1942 - Searchlights crossing the 

sky ceased to be a fixture of 

Hollywood premieres. In an 

attempt to avoid attack and 

surveillance by Japanese forces in 

World War II, the entire West 

Coast was required to dim its 

lights at night. 

1960 - Two Russian dogs named 

Belka and Strelka safely returned 

from Earth’s orbit. In retirement, 

Strelka had a litter of puppies and 

one of them was presented to 

President Kennedy’s daughter, 

Caroline. An animated Russian 

feature film called Star Dogs: 

Belka and Strelka is currently in 

production and should be released 

soon. 

Did You Know? 

The first letters of the names of 

the Great Lakes spell HOMES 

(Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, 

and Superior). 




“Gentleman” Jim Reeves 

(1923-1964), born in Texas, was 

one of the best 

country and 

western singers 

of his day. Jim 

traded a basket 

of pears for his 

first guitar, and 

at the age of ten 

was given his first singing job. 

His first album, “Singing Down 

the Lane,” was released in 1956. 

Unfortunately, Reeves died in an 

airplane crash in 1964. In 1967, 

he was elected into the Country 

Hall of Fame.


On This Date 

1887 - Mighty (Dan) Casey struck 

out in a game with the NY Giants! 

This would have been long since 

forgotten except that it inspired 

Ernest Thayer to write the poem 

“Casey at the Bat” in 1888 which 

concludes: 

Oh! Somewhere in this favored 

land the sun is shining bright, 

The band is playing somewhere, 

and somewhere hearts are light; 

And somewhere men are laughing, 

and somewhere children shout, 

But there is no joy in Mudville - 

mighty Casey has struck out. 

1959 - Hawaii became the 50th 

state today. The state motto is “Ua 

Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono” 

in Hawaiian which translates to 

”The Life of the Land Is 

Preserved in Righteous.” 

Word Trivia 

“Dreamt” is the only English 

word that ends in the letters “mt.” 




Gene Roddenberry (1921-1991) 

was a writer 

and television/ 

film producer 

best known 

for creating 

the popular 

science-fiction 

television 

series Star 

Trek (1966-69), which spawned a 

string of films. Many scientists 

today say that watching the show 

as children sparked their interest 

in science. Roddenberry was one 

of the first people to have his 

ashes “buried” in space.


On This Date 

1749 - A troupe of English actors 

performed Cato, by Joseph 

Addison, in Philadelphia. The 

citizens who, like many colonists, 

considered acting to be immoral 

then ran them out of town. The 

troupe relocated to New York, a 

more theater-friendly town. 

1770 - Captain James Cook 

charted the east coast of Australia 

and claimed it for the British 

Crown. 

1902 - The Cadillac Automobile 

Company was established. The 

automobile was named after the 

17th-century French who founded 

Detroit in 1701. 


Reportedly, Clint Eastwood wore 

the same poncho in all three of his 

famous Spaghetti Westerns (A 

Fistful of Dollars, For a Few 

Dollars More, and The Good, The 

Bad, and the Ugly). 




Achille-Claude Debussy 

(1862-1918) was a French 

composer whose 

works had a 

major influence 

on music of the 

20th century. 

Sent to Paris as a 

child to study 

piano, he became 

interested in composing and gave 

up his study of piano. His many 

compositions include Clair de 

lune, La Mer, Images, Cello 

Sonata, and the piano suite 

Children's Corner that was 

written for his young daughter.


On This Date 

1617 - The first one-way streets 

were established in London. An 

Act of Common Council was 

passed to regulate the “disorder 

and rude behaviour of Carmen, 

Draymen and others using 

Cartes.” 

1913 - The statue of The Little 

Mermaid, based on the tale by 

Hans Christian Andersen, was 

unveiled in Copenhagen. It has 

become a famous symbol of the 

city. 

1926 - Rudolph Valentino's 

sudden death from a ruptured 

ulcer at age 31 caused worldwide 

hysteria, several suicides, and 

riots at his lying in state. The 

motion-picture actor was idolized 

as the “Great Lover” of the 1920s. 


February of 1865 is the only 

month in recorded history not to 

have a full moon. 




Gene Kelly (1912-1996) was a 

legendary dancer, 

choreographer, and 

actor. He was a 

dominant force in 

Hollywood 

musicals from the 

mid-1940s until 

their demise in the 

late 1950s. Most people know him 

for his energetic and athletic 

dancing style in An American in 

Paris (1951) and Singin’ in the 

Rain (1952). Very outgoing, he 

loved organizing weekly parties at 

his Beverly Hills home.


On This Date 

79 AD - Mt. Vesuvius in southern 

Italy, after centuries of dormancy, 

erupted and buried the cities of 

Pompeii and Stabiae under hot ash 

and the city of Herculaneum 

under a mudflow. Even today it is 

regarded as one of the most 

dangerous volcanoes in the world 

because 3,000,000 people live in 

the vicinity. 

1945 - The last Cadillac-built tank 

was produced, ending the 

company's World War II effort. 

2006 - The International 

Astronomical Union decreed that 

Pluto was no longer considered a 

planet and redefined it as a dwarf 

planet. 

Did You Know? 

A newborn gray whale calf is an 

average 16 feet long. For 

unknown reasons, all gray whale 

calves are born in the warm 

lagoons of Baja, California. 




Cal Ripken, Jr., born in 1960, 

was one of the all-time great 

shortstops. His other 

achievements are 

somewhat 

overshadowed by 

his record of 

2,632 consecutive 

games played. 

The previous 

record of 2,130 had been set by 

Lou Gehrig in 1939 and was 

considered by many to be 

unbreakable. Ripken retired after 

the end of the 2001 season. He 

was inducted into the National 

Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.


On This Date 

1916 - The Department of the 

Interior created the National Park 

Service to manage and preserve 

national parks and monuments for 

future generations. 

1929 - The German dirigible Graf 

Zeppelin passed over San 

Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, 

headed for Los Angeles after a 

trans-Pacific voyage from Tokyo. 

1944 - Paris was liberated by the 

French 2nd Armored Division and 

the U.S. 4th Infantry Division. 

German General Dietrich von 

Choltitz disobeyed Hitler’s order 

to burn the city. He did not want 

to go down in history as the man 

who had destroyed the “City of 

Light.” 

Did You Know? 

Murphy’s Oil Soap is the 

chemical most commonly used 

to clean elephants. 




Sean Connery, born in 1930, is a 

Scottish actor whose popularity in 

James Bond spy thrillers led to a 

successful film 

career. Even at 

the height of the 

James Bond 

craze, Connery 

continued to take 

other acting 

roles, notably in 

Alfred Hitchcock's psychological 

thriller Marnie (1964). Connery 

received a Kennedy Center Honor 

for Lifetime Achievement in 

1999, and was knighted by Queen 

Elizabeth II in 2000. In 2008, he 

unveiled his autobiography Being 

a Scot.


On This Date 

1883 - A series of violent 

explosions began what culminated 

the following day on the island of 

Krakatoa, located between Java 

and Sumatra. The explosions were 

so loud that they were heard 2,200 

miles away in Perth, Western 

Australia. 

1920 - The 19th Amendment to 

the United States Constitution, 

guaranteeing women across the 

nation the right to vote, was 

ratified by Tennessee, the thirtysixth 

state to do so. Prior to the 

passage of this amendment, 

women's suffrage was only 

guaranteed in some of the states. 

Gemstone Trivia 

Large rubies are incredibly rare 

and can cost more than diamonds. 

In the thirteenth century, traveler 

Marco Polo wrote that Kublai 

Kahn, the Mongol Emperor of 

China, once offered an entire city 

for a ruby that was nine inches 

long and as thick as a man’s arm. 




Dr. Albert Sabin (1906-1993) 

was a physician best known for 

developing the oral polio vaccine 

that could be 

administered in a 

sugar cube. The 

vaccine was 

approved for use 

in the United 

States in 1960 

and became the 

main defense 

against polio throughout the 

world. He also conducted research 

that led to the development of 

vaccines for Japanese encephalitis 

and dengue fever.


On This Date 

1859 - Edwin Drake struck oil 

near Titusville, PA, surprising a 

crowd of people who had gathered 

to jeer at the apparently 

unproductive operation. The 

secret to his success was that he 

drilled using piping to prevent 

borehole collapse. He failed to 

patent his drilling invention and 

eventually lost all his savings. In 

1872, Pennsylvania voted an 

annual annuity of $1,500 to the 

“crazy man” whose determination 

founded the oil industry. 

1961 - Francis the Talking Mule 

was the mystery guest on What's 

My Line. 


Q: How many legs does a spider 

have? How many eyes? 

A: All spiders have eight legs. 

Most spiders have eight eyes, but 

some have only six. There are 

spiders with two, four, and even 

twelve eyes. 




Tuesday Weld, born in 1943, shot 

to prominence 

through her work 

in the television 

comedy The Many 

Loves of Dobie 

Gillis, which 

premiered in 1959. 

She went on to 

more mature roles, winning an 

Academy Award for Best 

Supporting Actress in Looking for 

Mr. Goodbar (1978). Other film 

credits include The Cincinnati Kid 

(1965) and Once Upon a Time in 

America (1984). Weld was 

married to actor Dudley Moore 

from 1975-1980.


On This Date 

1850 - Wagner’s opera Lohengrin 

containing the “Bridal 

Chorus” (now better known as 

“Here Comes the Bride”) was 

performed for the first time. 

Although the march is played for 

the bride's entrance at many 

weddings throughout the Western 

world, in the opera, the wedding 

between Elsa and Lohengrin was 

an almost immediate failure. 

1963 - Reverend Martin Luther 

King Jr. gave his “I Have a 

Dream” speech at Lincoln 

Memorial. The speech helped to 

mobilize support for the 1964 

Civil Rights Act. 

1968 - Anti-Vietnam War 

protesters and police clashed in 

the streets of Chicago while the 

Democratic National Convention 

nominated Hubert H. Humphrey 

for president. 

Word Trivia 

The Sanskrit word for “war” 

means “desire for more cows.” 




Donald O’Connor (1925-2003) 

was a renowned 

actor and dancer. 

His best known 

work was as Gene 

Kelly’s sidekick in 

Singin' in the Rain 

(1952), in which he 

did an impressive dance that 

culminated in a series of backflips 

off the wall. His comedic 

talents led to his role as the 

companion to Francis the Talking 

Mule in that film series. He was a 

TV favorite in the 1950s, and was 

one of the regular hosts of NBC's 

popular Colgate Comedy Hour.


On This Date 

1837 - Pharmacists John Lea and 

William Perrins of Worcester, 

England, began the manufacture 

of Worcester sauce. 

1949 - The Soviets exploded an 

atomic bomb. The scientists who 

worked on the project were 

honored based on the penalties 

they would have suffered had the 

test failed. Those who would have 

been executed if the bomb had 

failed to explode were honored as 

“Heroes of Socialist Labor,” and 

those who would have been 

merely imprisoned were given 

“The Order of Lenin,” a slightly 

less prestigious award. 


Q: Which Great Lake is 

the deepest? 

A: The deepest of the five Great 

Lakes is Lake Superior. Its 

lowest point is 1,332 feet deep, 

almost enough to submerge 

the Sears Tower. 




John Locke (1632-1704) was an 

E n g l i s h 

philosopher 

who is widely 

regarded as one 

of the most 

influential 

Enlightenment 

thinkers. He 

argued that a 

government could only be 

legitimate if it received the 

consent of the governed and 

protected the natural rights of life, 

liberty, and estate. His influence is 

reflected in the American 

Declaration of Independence.


On This Date 

30 BC - Cleopatra, Queen of 

Egypt, committed suicide. Forces 

under Antony and Cleopatra were 

defeated in the naval battle of 

Acttium by the Roman Emperor, 

Octavian. They returned to Egypt 

with Octavian in pursuit. Antony 

fell on his sword rather than face 

capture. Shortly thereafter, 

Cleopatra let a poisonous snake 

bite her. Their fate was the subject 

of Shakespeare’s play, Antony and 

Cleopatra. 

1929 - Colonel E. H. Green took 

delivery of a new combination gas 

and electric automobile built by 

the General Electric Company. 

Fun Fact 

According to the U.S. Lawn 

Tennis Association, a tennis ball 

is supposed to bounce between 53 

and 58 inches when it is dropped 

on concrete from a height of 100 

inches. The concrete surface 

should be 4 inches thick. 




Fred MacMurray (1908-1991) 

was an actor 

who appeared 

in more than 

100 movies. 

His third film, 

The Gilded Lily 

(1935), with 

Claudette 

Colbert, made him a star. He is 

also well known for his role in the 

1944 film noir Double Indemnity, 

in which he starred with Barbara 

Stanwyck. Later in his career, 

MacMurray played the role of the 

lovable bumbler in the film The 

Shaggy Dog (1959) and in the 

television series My Three Sons 

(1960-1972).


On This Date 

1942 - “Look! Up in the sky! It’s 

a bird! It’s a plane! It’s 

Superman!” Able to leap tall 

buildings in a single bound, the 

caped crusader started on network 

radio on the Mutual Broadcasting 

System. 

1957 - The children's show Kukla, 

Fran and Ollie aired its last 

episode on network TV. The show 

featured beloved puppets Kukla 

and Ollie (a dragon) and began 

airing on NBC in 1948. After its 

network cancellation, PBS 

revived the series from 1969 to 

1971. 

1997 - Princess Diana died in an 

automobile accident in Paris while 

being pursued by photographers. 


The only river that flows both 

north and south of the equator 

is the Congo. It crosses the 

equator twice. 




Buddy Hackett (1924-2003) was 

a comedian and actor who 

garnered laughs for more than 50 

years with a 

stand-up 

routine that 

utilized his 

p u d g y 

physique, highpitched 

voice, 

and rubbery 

face, and often 

featured racy jokes. A fixture in 

nightclubs and on television, he 

also acted in plays and movies, 

including It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, 

Mad World (1963).

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