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May 18, 1980 –After a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Washington state, 57 people were killed in an avalanche of volcanic mud in the eruption of Mount St. Helens. The volcano spews out 200 million cubic yards of of pumice, ash, and debris which covers 24 square miles of the valley below. virgin volcano Kids, howContinue reading “Today in History”

The day honors Inventor Stephen Perry’s receiving a patent for the rubber band on this date in 1845 (We’ve also seen it listed as March 17th but we can be sure, no one from ACME was there at the time.) (The ACME Corporation is in no way endorsing this sort of behavior. But what theseContinue reading “It’s Rubber Band Day.”

May 16, 1966 –The Beach Boys released their 11th studio album, Pet Sounds on this date. It has since been recognized as one of the most influential albums in the history of popular music and is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the 1960s. All that beautiful music and barking dogs, tooContinue reading “Today in Rock History”

May 14, 1878 –Robert A. Chesebrough begins selling Vaseline (registered trademark for petroleum jelly (U.S. Patent 127,568.) For the remainder of his life, he ate a teaspoon of the product every day. (While he was president, Calvin Coolidge loved having his head rubbed with Vaseline while he ate his breakfast in bed.) Insert dirty jokeContinue reading “Today in History”

The first inoculation against Smallpox was administered on May 14, 1796, by Edward Jenner, when Jenner took fluid from a cowpox blister and scratched it into the skin of James Phipps, an eight-year-old boy (a brief aside – how much do you trust your kid’s doctor –“Good Afternoon Mr and Mrs. Phipps. Little Jimmy seemsContinue reading “Please refer to your notes to follow along”

But fun things to note if you are in the vicinity: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-elevated-acre-new-york-new-york https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mmuseumm-2 https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-sphere-by-fritz-koenig-new-york-new-york https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-wishbones-of-mcsorley-s-old-ale-house-new-york-new-york https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-oldest-fence-in-new-york-new-york-new-york https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/graybar-rats https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-weathermen-townhouse-explosion-new-york-new-york Hope they have a good time

May 13, 1994 –Soundgarden released the second single off their album Superunknown, Black Hole Sun, on this date. The band is named after a sculpture in Seattle called “Soundgarden,” and longtime speculation was that this song got its name from another Seattle sculpture called “Black Sun” by the artist Isamu Noguchi. (The piece is locatedContinue reading “Today in Rock History”

Limerick, Ireland’s third largest city, was founded by the Vikings in 812. Some of Limerick’s well-known sons and daughters include actor Richard Harris, rock legends The Cranberries, broadcaster Terry Wogan, novelist and playwright Kate O’Brien, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt. But that has nothing to do with the fact that it’s Edward Lear’s birthday.Continue reading “Why are there so many buckets in Nantucket”

May 11, 1974 –ABC Records released Steely Dan’s Rikki Don’t Lose that Number, on this date, (Any Major Dude Will Tell You was the B-side.) The Rikki of the title is Rikki Ducornet, a New York writer and artist. Steely Dan co-front Donald Fagen met her while both were attending Bard College, a small liberalContinue reading “Today in Rock History”

May 11, 12 and 13 are the feast days of Saints Mamertus, Pancras and Servais (or Servatuis or Gervatuis.) These three are known as the The Icy Saints not because they were cold during their lifetimes, but because these days are traditionally the coldest of the month. English and French folklore (and later American) heldContinue reading “Another page from the Lives of the Saints”