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October 21, 1954 –The episode of Climax!, an anthology series – broadcast live, on this evening was the first time James Bond (Barry Nelson) appeared on-screen in Casino Royale, and more than half a century later Bond is still making movies. The program was thought to be lost for decades until it resurfaced in 1981Continue reading “Casino Royale”

I used to urge readers to begin purchasing those candies filled with poison. I’m unclear if trick or treating is back on in many locales. (If you find yourself in a pinch though, a few pennies will do in a pinch. Loose change is at a premium nowadays.)

Jellyfish are mostly water. From the outside, jellyfish look like squishy, insubstantial blobs, and this is reflected in their structural makeup. Jellyfish are 95 percent water with the rest of them accounting for minerals and proteins. Between their two dermis layers is a gelatinous, water-based substance called mesoglea that contains muscle cells, nerve cells, andContinue reading “That 5% of the other stuff is pretty tough”

Fortune cookies are an American interpretation of a Japanese treat. They were created by Makoto Hagiwara of San Francisco in the 1890s and sold at the Golden Gate Park’s Japanese Tea Garden. Unequivocally not Chinese, the fortune cookie may in fact not even be Chinese American.

October 20, 1818 – Canada and the United States in the “Convention of 1818“, established the 49th Parallel as their mutual boundary (known as the International Border) for most of its length from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky mountains. The International Boundary is commonly referred to as the world’s longest undefended border,Continue reading “Sucks to get a full body cavity search every day before school.”

October 20, 1976 –The Led Zeppelin concert documentary The Song Remains The Same, directed by Peter Clifton and Joe Massot premiered in London and New York, with the band attending the New York opening. For their three New York performances, the band members wore exactly the same clothes to facilitate seamless editing of the film,Continue reading “The Song Remains The Same”

October 20, 1955 – Harry Belafonte, advocate for civil rights and humanitarian causes, recorded the famous Day-O (Banana Boat Song) on this date. This song was first recorded in 1952 by Edric Conner, a musician from Trinidad who sang it with his band The Carribeans as Day De Light. The song re-emerged in 1956 whenContinue reading “Day-O”

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” Partial to skinny-dipping in the Potomac, John Quincy Adams was once surprised by an enterprising lady reporter, midswim. She forced him into a naked interview. (Quite probably the first and only naked interviewContinue reading “Ah yes – Naked Basking on the Banks”

Prehistoric penguins were once almost 6 feet tall. Scientists estimated this from a discovery of bones found at Seymour Island dating back to 37 – 40 million years ago. These gigantic penguins would have weighed up to 250 pounds.

In the midst of the First World War, Salvation Army volunteers in France found themselves stymied by inadequate supplies and ovens for baking. Unable to prepare the cakes and and pies they so badly wanted to bake for the troops, they came up with the novel idea of frying rather than baking the dough. TwoContinue reading “Breakfast (and warfare, for that matter,) were forever changed”