Category Archives: Uncategorized

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”

October 19, 1953 –After Julius La Rosa had finished singing Manhattan on Arthur Godfrey Time, the host (and general louse) Arthur Godfrey fired him on the air, announcing, “that was Julie’s swan song with us.“ Unaware the firing was coming (or what the phrase “swan song” meant), La Rosa tearfully met with Godfrey after theContinue reading “Arthur Godfrey Time”

October 19, 1974 –Billy Preston’s single, Nothing from Nothing went to No. #1 on the Billboard Charts, on this date. The B-side of the single was another song Preston wrote with his songwriting partner Bruce Fisher: You Are So Beautiful, which was later a hit for Joe Cocker.

Several sources, including the eponymously named Facebook page, lists today as International Gin and Tonic Day. Some cite April 9th as the date. I’m up for celebrating on both dates. (But don’t confuse it with World Gin Day which always falls on the second Saturday of June.) So celebrate the day with the British RoyalContinue reading “Life is exceedingly complicated”