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Burial of John McCormick - May 4, 1945
John McCormick was a waist gunner on the B-24 Liberator (bomber) Jolly Duck, when it was shot down over Zoeterwoede, Holland on February 22, 1945. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania (my hometown)...
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No Pants Day - Moveable Holiday
Well, this one definitely deserves a mention. Apparently a joke/tradition that began in Austin, Texas by the Knighthood of BUH to ease tensions around Finals Week is held on the first Friday of May...
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Colonel Blood arrested - May 9, 1671
Colonel Thomas Blood supported Cromwell's cause during the English Civil War and lost his estate in Ireland with the Restoration. To recoup his losses, Blood decided to steal the English Crown Jewels...
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Inspiration Request
Anyone reading this blog most likely already has an interest in history. Therefore, you probably have one event, place or person in your "favorite moments in time" mental file - maybe more than one if...
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Kasparov v. Deep Blue - May 11, 1997
IBM developed a chess-playing computer named Deep Blue that was capable of thinking 6 moves ahead. The average person can only think 5 moves ahead. They got Garry Kasparov, then-reigning chess...
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Velcro - May 13, 1958
Velcro's trademark was registered in the USA on May 13, 1958. The fastener was invented in 1948 by a Swiss enginer named Georges de Mestral and patented in 1951. He came up with the idea after...
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Charlie Chaplin's Stolen Body Recovered - May 17, 1978
Charlie Chaplin died at the age of 88 on Christmas morning, 1977. He was buried in Vevey, Switzerland. On March 2, 1978 his coffin was dug up and stolen. The unopened coffin was recovered eleven weeks...
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Mount St. Helens Erupts - May 18, 1980
I realize everyone will be featuring this, but I love volcanoes, so here goes anyway...At 8:32 AM on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens (Loo-Wit), in southern Washington decided she was going to blow her...
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Amelia Earhart Completes Transatlantic Flight - May 21, 1932
Forget Charlie, I like Amelia better.Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo transatlanic today, 64 years ago. She left Saint John, New Brunswick on the morning of May 20, 1932, stopping...
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S.S. Savannah Leaves Port - May 22, 1819
While we're doing firsts...The S.S. Savannah, based out of Savannah, Georgia (how surprising), was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was captained by Moses Rogers, of New London,...
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Marx Brothers Release Cocoanuts - May 24, 1929
The first Marx Brothers movie, The Cocoanuts, was released May 2, 1929. It was a movie version of their stage play of the same name and included some of the same cast members, including Groucho, Harpo,...
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Gustav Holst Dies - May 25, 1934
Gustav Theodor Holst (composer of one of my favorite classical pieces) died in London, England May 25, 1934. He was born in Cheltenham, England September 21, 1874 of Swedish and Irish parents. His...
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Death of the Venerable Bede - May 25, 735
Bede (the Father of English History) was a Benedictine monk born around 672 at Wearmouth, England. He was brought to the abbey of Saints Peter and Paul at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England when he was only...
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Death of Niccolo Paganini - May 27, 1840
I must be on a death kick or something, but here's another.Niccolo Paganini was born October 27, 1782 in Genoa, Italy. He was playing ther mandolin by age five, violin by age seven, composing by age...
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The Goddess of Democracy - May 30, 1989
On May 30, 1989, Chinese protestors occupying Tiananmen Square during a peaceful protest and hunger strike in Beijing, China erected a 30-foot statue they called The Goddess of Democracy. She was...
View ArticleFirst Recorded Batch of Scotch Whisky - June 1, 1494
I had a different one for this date, but when I went online researching another date, I found and couldn't resist this.The Rolls of the Royal Exchequer recorded in 1494: “To Friar John Cor,by order of...
View ArticleVarious Births - June 4
As today is my birthday, I'm going to do this one a bit differently. Here is my fun (to me) list of notable people born on the same day as myself.Socrates, Greek philosopher, born June 4, 470 BCEKing...
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YMCA Founded - June 6, 1844
The Young Men's Christian Association was founded in London, England by George Williams and a group of Evangelical Christians. They were concerned by the fact that the young men coming into the city...
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Time Flies - Sorry and fair warning for next week
I'm sorry about the lagtime. I've been working very odd hours and have been so busy with real life (and blessed sleep) that I've barely been able to get online even to check my email. I had 147...
View ArticleArgh!
I hate to do this, but obviously I'm falling down on the job here. I will be able to get back to updating the blog around the second week of July. Too much is happening here in real life. I'm not happy...
View ArticleMan of 1000 Voices Dies - July 10, 1989
The actor behind the voices of some of the most beloved cartoon characters, Mel Blanc, died July 10, 1989 in Los Angeles, California. He was born in 1908 in San Francisco, but grew up in Portland,...
View ArticleThomas Bowdler - July 11, 1754
Thomas Bowdler was an English doctor who gave his name to a form of censorship. He was born near Bath and earned his degree in Medicine by 1776, however, he didn't practice, instead working towards...
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Manhattanhenge - July 12
This is less a history post as one of an interesting meteorological phenomenon. The basis of Stonehenge is that during the Summer Solstice the Sun's light is channelled directly between the two largest...
View ArticleWrong Way Corrigan - July 17, 1938
I'll explain why Mr. Corrigan is my pick for the day at the end.Douglas Corrigan, born in Texas, January 22, 1907, he changed his name from Clyde Groce to Douglas as an adult. He fell in love with...
View ArticleJulie Newmar born - August 16, 1933
While everyone else is concentrating on Elvis, let's look at one of my favorite actresses. Julie Newmar was born in Los Angeles, California on August 16, 1933 to a dancer mother and teacher father....
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