Author Archives: dcaligari

September 15, 1885 – Circus showman P.T. Barnum’s prize elephant Jumbo was struck dead by a freight train in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. It took 150 men to haul the carcass up an embankment, from whence it is taken to a taxidermist. The stuffed Jumbo became a featured attraction in Barnum’s circus. Afterwards, P.T. BarnumContinue reading “Goodbye Jumbo”

September 15, 1965 – Danger Will Robinson, danger. Dr. Smith is attempting to inappropriately stimulate your young pulsating bulbous nether region! The Robinson Family gets Lost in Space for the first time on CBS-TV on this date. The Robinsons’ robot was created by Robert Kinoshita, the same man who designed Robby the Robot for ForbiddenContinue reading “This was an incredibly busy day on TV :”

According to fashion arbiters from days gone by – you should not be wearing your straw hats any longer this season – In the early 20th Century, tradition held that a man switch from straw hats to felt ones on September 15th. If he wore “the taboo headgear” after that date, hooligans were free toContinue reading “It probably had to do with The Susquehanna Hat Co.”

Armadillos have shells so hard they can deflect a bullet. One poor Texan man learned this the hard way when he shot at an armadillo only to have the bullet ricochet off the indestructible beast, and back at him into his jaw! The man was airlifted to hospital. Amazingly, the armadillo just walked off unscathed.Continue reading “No Armadillos were injured in this report”

September 14 1849 – Ivan Pavlov was born on this date. Pavlov was a Russian scientist who discovered that dogs drooled whenever bells were rung. Only after his death were his ideas discredited by a group of Swedish scientists who determined that dogs also drooled when a nice juicy steak was dangled in front ofContinue reading “Who’s going to clean up this mess?”

September 14, 1965 –One of the more bizarre sitcoms, My Mother the Car starring Jerry Van Dyke and Ann Sothern (as the car), premiered on this date. Jerry Van Dyke agreed to star on the series after turning down the lead role on Gilligan’s Island and an offer to join the cast of The AndyContinue reading “My Mother the Car”

Dwight David Eisenhower – America’s 34th President

Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios aren’t nuts. They’re classed as seeds, because a nut is defined as “a hard-shelled dry fruit or seed with a separable rind or shell and interior kernel”.

September 13, 1848 –A 13-pound tamping iron is blown through the head of railroad construction foreman Phineas P. Gage, entering beneath the left cheekbone and exiting the top of his head. The metal bar landed 30 yards away, taking with it much of his left frontal lobe. Gage never loses consciousness, even while the doctorsContinue reading “A real pain in the head”

September 13, 1986 –CBS allowed a strange, pale man, in an ill-fitting suit to come into their viewers homes (to scream really loud) when Pee-Wee’s Playhouse premiered on this date. Throughout the entire series run, the closing credits have never credited Paul Reubens as Peewee Herman, but instead would display the other cast & guestContinue reading “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse”