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Jul. 17, 2019
Week: 29 \ Day: 198
86004: H 86° \ L 57° \ Average Sky Cover: 15%
Nearest
wildfire: 13mi. Nearest lightning: 100mi
Wind: 20mph\Gusts:
24mph
Visibility: 10 mi
Record High: 93°[2009] Record Low: 62°[1988]
Jul Averages:
82°\542° (8 day with rain)
Today’s Quote
When you arrive at a fork in the road,
take it.
Yogi Berra
Random Tidbits
Westsylvania
This
was the second name for the failed Vandalia colony attempting to become the
14th state, in 1776. Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern Kentucky made up
this area. Pennsylvania, having the most land to lose, made a law stating talk
of secession to be an act of treason punishable by death. That dream quickly
and quietly went away.
Long
Island
The
region grew weary of the 'Boss' political system in New York and wanted to seek
its freedom in 1869. This idea was revisited in the 1990s, but New York is
unwilling to give up this diverse and economically sound portion of the state.
Sequoyah
The
name Sequoyah was requested by Native Americans and encompassed the majority of
Oklahoma. This included a tract of land where the U.S. Government had relocated
them.
More Observances This Month
Sandwich Generation
Month
Self Care Month Link
Smart Irrigation Month
Social Wellness Month
Tour de France Month (1-23)
Wheat Month Link
Women's Motorcycle Month
World Watercolor Month Link
Worldwide Bereaved Parents Month
Self Care Month Link
Smart Irrigation Month
Social Wellness Month
Tour de France Month (1-23)
Wheat Month Link
Women's Motorcycle Month
World Watercolor Month Link
Worldwide Bereaved Parents Month
Observances This Week
6-28
Tour de France
Tour de France
14-20
15-21
Rabbit Week
(Re: Magician Rabbits The sponsor is Melvin Rabbit up in Canada. No website. )
(Re: Magician Rabbits The sponsor is Melvin Rabbit up in Canada. No website. )
17-20
Observances for Today
Take Your Poet To
Work Day
Victims of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Attack Day Link
World Day for International Criminal Justice Link
World Emoji Day Link
Wrong Way Corrigan Day
Yellow Pig Day Link
Victims of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Attack Day Link
World Day for International Criminal Justice Link
World Emoji Day Link
Wrong Way Corrigan Day
Yellow Pig Day Link
My Rambling Thoughts
Focus
had a great time in the Paris of Siberia, Irkutsk. So much beauty. Then it’s
off to Lake Baikal after a stop in Baikal. At Lake Baikal we were given an
amazing picnic, time for swimming, and an evening of mixing it up with the many
passengers on the train. When we first saw Rosa and Victor on the train, we
assumed they were traveling together. Turns out, we learned differently. Rosa
works for the Portuguese government at a high-level position with the EU on
economics. She met Victor on the train. He is from Madrid, but spent his time with
the Portuguese group, even though he spoke little Portuguese. He was a cab
driver who had built up his own fleet of taxis. Both were in their 30’s. Then
there was the older German couple who were delightful. Isabella was a unique
traveler. She was probably in her 60’s, lived in Lisbon and always traveled
alone. She has a great story, married later in life, lost her husband, and is
happy being alone. After the picnic, we had several more days of interesting
conversations, as she decided we were both soulmates who liked traveling and
living alone. The picnic and the beauty of Lake Baikal brought our various
language groups together in an amazing way. The food was awesome, the weather
was perfect, and the views were stunning. Time to re-board our train and head
for Mongolia.
I
didn’t know what to expect from Russia. I guess it was grey square Soviet
buildings with people wearing drab clothes, working for the state, and not
being very happy. I could not have been more wrong. The Russian cities we
visited certainly had Soviet area buildings. The people were vibrant, happy,
and were enjoying their lives. In the cities, the residents were stylish, the
children were happy, everyone liked practicing their English with us. There was
lots of new construction in every city. Every city had a rich history of
architecture. We met kids with their
parents, college students, and workers. Everyone was smiling and welcoming.
Each local guide wanted to share the beauty and enthusiasm of their city.
Parks, museums, cultural venues were in each city. At no time in our tours was
politics or Putin ever mentioned. Everyday people just enjoying their lives and
willing to share with visitors. Ann, who spoke minimal Russian would stop
people and talk to them, using hands, facial expression, to get them to share
their story. Those she met enjoyed her antics and enjoyed sharing their English
knowledge.
Today’s Puzzle
Answer at the bottom of this page
I have forests but no trees.
I have lakes but no water.
I have roads but no cars.
Today’s Highlighted Historical Events
1800’s
1861 US Congress authorizes paper money
1863 Battle of Honey Springs - largest battle
in Indian Territory
1867 1st US dental school, Harvard School of
Dental Medicine, established
1897 1st ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold
from Yukon
1900’s
1917 Royal Proclamation by King George V
changes name of British Royal family from German Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor
1918 The Romanov royal family and several of
their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of
Ipatiev House, in Yekaterinburg, Siberia
1936 Spanish generals Francisco Franco and
Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War
1938 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan
leaves NY flying for LA, winds up in Ireland supposedly by mistake
1945 Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman, Joseph
Stalin and Winston Churchill hold 1st meeting
1948 US Air Force pilot Gail Halvorsen
encounters children in at Templehof Airport in Berlin during the Berlin
Blockade, giving him the idea to drop candy in 'Operation Little Vittles'
1955 Arco, Idaho, becomes 1st US city lit by
nuclear power
1959 Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers
partial skull of a new species of early human ancestor, Zinjanthropus boisei or
'Zinj' (now called Paranthropus boisei) lived in Africa almost 2 million years
ago
1964 ANC leader Nelson Mandela, recently
sentenced to life imprisonment, is awarded the Joliot Curie Gold Medal for
Peace
1966 Jim Ryun sets mile record (3m51s3)
1979 Sebastian Coe runs world record 3:49 mile
in Oslo
1984 US passes National Minimum Drinking Age
Act, prohibiting under 21's from buying or possessing alcohol as a condition of
receiving State highway funds
1995 Forbes Magazine announces Bill Gates is
the richest man in world with a net worth of $12.9 billion dollars
1998 Russia buries Tsar Nicholas II and
family, 80 years after they died
2000’s
2004 Former South African President Nelson
Mandela calls for commitment by the world to take action against AIDS
2015 Scientists solve mystery of sleeping
sickness in two villages in northern Kazakhstan - uranium mining had caused
increase in carbon monoxide
2016 17 works by Swiss architect Le Corbusier
included in UNESCO World Heritage sites list as "an Outstanding
Contribution to the Modern Movement"
2018 Oldest evidence of bread, made from wild
grains, discovered by archaeologists in 14,000 year-old dig in the Black
Desert, Jordon
Highlighted Birthdays Today
1744 Elbridge Gerry,
American statesman who invented gerrymandering
and 5th Vice President of the United States, born in Marblehead, Massachusetts
Bay (d. 1814: @70)
1763 John Jacob Astor [Johann Jakob Astor]
German-American businessman (first
multi-millionaire in the United States), born in Walldorf, Electoral
Palatinate, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1848: @84)
1889 Erle Stanley Gardner,
American detective writer (Perry Mason), born
in Malden, Massachusetts (d. 1970: @80)
1899 James Cagney,
American actor (Yankee Doodle Dandy), born in
NYC, (d. 1986: @86)
1912 Art Linkletter,
TV host (People are Funny) born in Saskatchewan
Canada, (d. 2010: @97)
1917 Phyllis Diller,
American comedienne and actress (Boy, Did I
Get a Wrong Number), born in Lima, Ohio (d. 2012: @95)
1920 Gordon Gould,
American physicist (inventor of the laser),
born in NYC, New York (d. 2005: @85)
1950 Phoebe Snow [Laub],
American singer-songwriter (Poetry Man), born
in New York City (d. 2011: @60; stroke)
80’s
84- Diahann Carroll,
actress (Julia, Claudine, Dominique-Dynasty),
born in The Bronx, New York
84- Donald Sutherland,
St John New Brunswick, Canadian actor
(M*A*S*H, Body Snatchers)
80- Spencer Davis,
Wales, vocalist (Spencer Davis Group-Gimme
Some Lovin)
70’s
72- Camilla Parker Bowles,
English wife of Prince Charles and Duchess of
Cornwall, born in London
60’s
67- David Hasselhoff,
American actor (Night Rider, Mitch-Baywatch),
born in Baltimore, Maryland
65- Angela Merkel,
German politician, Chancellor of Germany
(2005-), born in Hamburg, West Germany
50’s
59- Mark Burnett,
English-born television producer
40’s
43- Luke Bryan,
American country singer (I'll Stay Me), born
in Leesburg, Georgia
Highlighted Historical Obits Today
90’s
@92-2009 Walter Cronkite,
American broadcast journalist and news anchor
(CBS Evening News 1962-81)
80’s
@88-2006 Mickey Spillane
[Frank Morrison Spillane],
American mystery writer (I the Jury)
@85-1887 Dorothea Dix,
American pioneering nurse and social activist
who created the first American mental asylums
@84-2001 Katharine Graham,
American publisher (The Washington Post during
Watergate)
70’s
@77-1881 Jim Bridger,
American mountain man, Indian fighter, and
explorer
@74-1961 Ty Cobb,
American baseball great (Detroit Tigers) who
set 90 MLB records during his career, dies of cancer
60’s
@67-1790 Adam Smith,
Scottish economist (Wealth of Nations) and
moral philosopher
50’s
@57-1996 [Bryan] Chas Chandler,
English rock bassist (The Animals-House of the
Rising Sun) and manager of Jimi Hendrix, dies of aneurism
40’s
@44-1959 Billie Holiday,
jazz singer, dies of cirrhosis of the liver
@40-1967 John Coltrane,
American jazz saxophonist/composer (Blue
Train), dies of cancer
Puzzle answer:
A MAP
