FReeper Canteen ~ Pancakes on Wednesday ~ 14 Apr 2004

Canteen Crew ~ Radix

[Radix]

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday...
Thank the Veterans who served in
The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom?
Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

 

Pancakes on Wednesdays

Welcome to Pancakes on Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Here is an amalgamation of trivial facts and seemingly useless data.

Do not forget to hit the hyperlinks.

We have links, lots of them.

From the Radixionary

NEPENTHES

A drug or potion bringing welcome forgetfulness.

This comes from Homer’s Odyssey, in which it was the name of the drug that Paris gave to Helen after he had abducted her to make her forget her old home. It derives from the classical Greek ne–, “not”, plus penthos, “grief”.

Expert plantspeople probably know it best as the botanical name for a genus of tropical carnivorous pitcher plants. As the pitcher plants contain liquid in which the captured insects drown, the botanical name would seem appropriate, though in this case the forgetting is terminal.

Some writers have suggested Homer’s potion was opium. Nicholas Culpeper, the famous herbalist, had this recipe for making a nepenthes draught: “Take of tincture of Opium made first with distilled Vinegar, then with spirit of Wine, Saffron extracted in spirit of Wine, of each an ounce, salt of Pearl and Coral, of each half an ounce, tincture of species Diambræ seven drams, Ambergris one dram: bring them into the form of Pills by the gentle heat of a bath”. That should be enough to make anybody forget anything.

The word—commonly found as nepenthe, lacking its final letter—is otherwise solely poetic or literary. One of its better-known appearances is in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven: “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore! / Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’.” And here’s a slightly more recent example, from The Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer: “I do not employ opium as an aid to my social activities; I regard it as nepenthe from them and as a key to a brighter realm”.

Happy Birthday 

Christian Huygens 1629

The most important of Huygens's work was his Horologium Oscillatorium published at Paris in 1673. The first chapter is devoted to pendulum clocks. The second chapter contains a complete account of the descent of heavy bodies under their own weights in a vacuum,.....

People who complain about paying their taxes can be divided into two types: Men and Women.

Happy Birthday 

Antole France 1844

A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.

Happy Birthday 

Anne Mansfield Sullivan 1866

Annie Mansfield Sullivan Macy was a woman who accomplished a great deal, especially as the outstanding teacher of Helen Keller.

An accountant, a solicitor and an actuary were dining together at a fashionable restaurant.

"With income tax being so complicated, we accountants are all doing quite well these days," the accountant commented. To prove it, he pulled out a $5 note, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

"With so many people engaging in tax avoidance, we lawyers are also doing very well these days," the solicitor mused. To prove his point, he got out a $100 note, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

"With all the new requirements for certificates in the superannuation area, we Insurance Agents are doing even better," the agent said. To prove it, he wrote out a check for $1 million, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

Happy Birthday

Arnold Toynbee 1889

British historian, known for his view of the past as a succession of civilizations rather than political entities.

 

A visitor from The Netherlands was chatting with his American friend and was jokingly explaining about the red, white and blue in the Netherlands flag.

"Our flag symbolizes our taxes," he said. "We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bill, and blue after we pay them."

"That's the same with us," the American said, "only we see stars, too."

Happy Birthday

Rod Steiger 1925

Eigenvalues of a sequence of matrices

Happy Birthday

Jay Robinson 1930

I am an excellent driver

Another Jay Robinson

The Top 10 Things Overheard In A Tax Preparer's Office Prior To The Tax Filing Deadline

• No sir, the government does not want you to pay your taxes in pennies.
  
  
• I have a hard time believing that a garbage collector made $150,000 last year so for the last time, DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SOURCE OF INCOME!!!
  
  
• How cute... a tax form done in crayon.
  
  
• No sir, its do your taxes every year and renew your driver's license every 4 years, not the other way around.
  
  
• Just because you talk to your plants ma'am, you cannot, repeat CANNOT list them as your dependants.
  
  
• No Ms Lewinsky, your oval office "contributions" are not the same as when you check the dollar box at the top of your 1040 form.
  
  
• Even if you are a hooker, the number of orgasms you've had cannot count as a business expense.
  
  
• I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow your "Give me an extension and I'll give you an extension later at my place" argument.
  
  
• I take it that because you have decided to do origami with your tax form that you're not receptive to paying your taxes this year.
  
  
• Just remember the IRS motto, buddy: Screw us now, we'll screw you later!!

Happy Birthday

Anthony Perkins 1932

Happy Birthday

Frank Serpico 1934

......in the spirit with which Paul Revere lit the lamps in the tower, Frank coined the term “Lamplighters,’” for individuals who seek truth and justice, even when confronted with the prospect of great personal loss.

Happy Birthday

Loretta Lynn 1935

This straight-talkin' women-liberatin' song-writin' country-western star rose up from poverty to become one of the most popular and influential singers of the '60s.

Happy Birthday

Julie Christie 1941

Happy Birthday

Pete Rose (MLB) 1941

We are counting cards!

We ain't gambling

Would you like some trapezoids with your pancakes?

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral (has 4 sides) and has only one pair of sides parallel.

Today's Wednesday field trip takes us to Isabella Gardner's

On This Day

On this Day

1960 - The musical "Bye Bye Birdie" opened in New York City.

The plot revolves around rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie and the complications that arise when his agent stages a publicity stunt on The Ed Sullivan Show in which he will kiss one lucky girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio before being drafted into the army.

On this Day

1775 - The first abolitionist society in the U.S. was organized in Philadelphia with Ben Franklin as president.

I will be heard!

On this Day

1860 - The first Pony Express rider arrived in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, MO.

On this Day

1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.

 He actually died early the next morning.

On this Day

1894 - First public showing of Thomas Edison's  kinetoscope  took place.

On this Day

1912 - The Atlantic passenger liner Titanic, on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and began to sink. 

1,517 people lost their lives and more than 700 survived.

On this Day

1918 - The U.S. First Aero Squadron engaged in America's first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft over Toul, France.

On this Day

1925 - WGN became the first radio station to broadcast a regular season major league baseball game.  The Cubs beat the Pirates 8-2.

On this Day

1939 - The John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.

On this Day

1953 - Viet Minh invaded Laos with 40,00 troops.

Don't forget the Maple Syrup.

Pancakes Wednesdays

Definitely

[tomkow6]

mine

[Mudboy Slim]

Heh heh heh...thanks fer being honest...MUD

[Mudboy Slim]

mine mine mine...MUD

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Oriskany (CV-34)

Essex class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 27,100 t.
Length: 888'
Width: 147'6"
Draft: 31'
Speed: 33 k.
Complement: 3,460
Armament: 8 5"; 14 3"
Aircraft: 80

USS Oriskany (CVA-34), an attack aircraft carrier, was laid down 1 May 1944 by the New York Naval Shipyard, launched 13 October 1945; and sponsored by Mrs. Clarence Cannon. While still incomplete, her construction was suspended 12 August 1947. She remained in a state of preservation until after the outbreak of hostilities in Korea in June 1950, then was rushed to completion. She commissioned in the New York Naval Shipyard 25 September 1950, Capt. Percy H. Lyon in command.

Oriskany departed New York 6 December 1950 for carrier qualification operations off Jacksonville, Fla. followed by a Christmas call at Newport, R. I. She resumed operations off Jacksonville through 11 January 1951, when she embarked Carrier Air Group 1 for shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

After major modifications at New York Naval Shipyard 6 March through 2 April, she embarked Carrier Air Group 4 for training off Jacksonville, then departed Newport 15 May 1951 for Mediterranean deployment with the 6th Fleet.

For the next few months she added her far-reaching air arm to the strength of the 6th Fleet, the silent, flexible, and controlling weapon of deterrence to overt Soviet aggression in the Mediterranean and the Near East. The mobile 7th Fleet was deeply committed to a shooting war to help restore the independence and freedom of South Korea. Oriskany was part of the affirmative answer to the crucial question as to whether the Korean War would have an affect upon the Navy's ability to maintain the status quo in the Mediterranean.

Having swept from ports of Italy and France to those of Greece and Turkey, thence to the shores of Tripoli, Oriskany returned to Quonset Point, R. I. 4 October 1951. She entered Gravesend Bay, New York 6 November 1951 to offload ammunition and to have her masts removed to allow passage under the East River Bridges to the New York Naval Shipyard. Overhaul included the installation of a new flight deck, steering system, and bridge. Work was complete by 15 May 1952 and the carrier steamed the next day to take on ammunition at Norfolk 19-22 May. She then got underway to join the Pacific Fleet, steaming via Guantanamo Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn, Valparaiso, and Lima, arriving San Diego, Calif. 21 July.

Following carrier qualifications for Air Group 102, Oriskany departed San Diego 15 September 1952 to aid UN forces in Korea. She arrived Yokosuka 17 October and joined Fast Carrier Task Force 77 off the Korean Coast 31 October. Her aircraft struck hard with bombing and strafing attacks against enemy supply lines and coordinated bombing missions with surface gunstrikes along the coast. Her pilots downed two Soviet-built MIG-15 jets and damaged a third, 18 November.

Strikes continued through 11 February, heaping destruction upon enemy artillery positions, troop emplacements, and supply dumps along the main battlefront. Following a brief upkeep period in Japan, Oriskany returned to combat 1 March 1953. She continued in action until 29 March, called at Hong Kong, then resumed air strikes 8 April. She departed the Korean Coast 22 April, touched at Yokosuka, and then departed for San Diego 2 May, arriving there 18 May.

Following readiness training along the California coast, Oriskany departed San Francisco 14 September to aid the 7th Fleet watching over the uneasy truce in Korea, arriving Yokosuka 15 October. Thereafter she cruised the Sea of Japan, the East China Sea, and the area of the Philippines. After providing air support for Marine amphibious assault exercises at Iwo Jima, the carrier returned to San Diego 22 April 1954. She entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard for modernization overhaul; completed 22 October when she stood out to sea for the first of a series of coastal operations.

Oriskany arrived at Yokosuka from San Francisco 2 April 1955, and operated with the Fast Carrier Task Force ranging from Japan and Okinawa to the Philippines. This deployment ended 7 September and the carrier arrived Alameda, Calif. 21 September.

The attack carrier cruised the California Coast while qualifying pilots of Air Group 9, then put to sea from Alameda, 11 February 1956, for another rigorousWestpac deployment. She returned to San Francisco 13 June and entered the shipyard for overhaul, 1 October. She decommissioned there 2 January 1957 for modernization work that included a new angled flight deck and enclosed hurricane bow. New, powerful steam catapults were installed by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash.

Oriskany recommissioned at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard, 7 March 1959, Capt. James Mahan Wright in command. Four days later, she departed for shakedown out of San Diego with Carrier Air Group 14 embarked. Operations along the west coast continued until 14 May 1960, when she again deployed to Westpac, returning to San Diego 15 December. She entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard 30 March 1961 for a five-month overhaul that included the first aircraft carrier installation of the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS).

Oriskany departed the shipyard 9 September for underway training out of San Diego until 7 June 1962 when she again deployed to the Far East with Carrier Air Group 16 embarked. She returned to San Diego 17 December 1962 for operational readiness training off the west coast.

The carrier again stood out of San Diego 1 August 1963 for Far Eastern waters, with Carrier Air Group 16 embarked. She arrived Subic Bay 31 August 1963; thence to Japan. She stood out of Iwakuni, Japan the morning of 31 October enroute the coast of South Vietnam. There, she stood by for any eventuality as word was received of the coup d'etat taking place in Saigon. When the crisis abated, the carrier resumed operations from Japanese ports.

Oriskany returned to San Diego 10 March 1964. After overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, she steamed for refresher training out of San Diego, followed by qualifications for Carrier Wing 16. During this period her flight deck was used to test the E-2 A "Hawkeye," the Navy's new airborne early warning aircraft. She also provided orientation to senior officers of eight allied nations.

Oriskany departed San Diego 5 April 1965 for Westpac, arriving Subic 27 April. By this time more United States troops had landed in South Vietnam to support Vietnamese troops against increased Viet Cong pressure to destroy the independence of that nation. Oriskany added her weight to the massive American naval strength supporting the freedom of South Vietnam. In combat operations that brought her and embarked Carrier Wing 16 the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service between 10 May and 6 December 1965, she carried out over 12,000 combat sorties and delivered nearly 10,000 tons of ordnance against enemy forces. She departed Subic Bay 30 November and returned to San Diego 16 December.

Oriskany again stood out of San Diego for the Far East 26 May 1966, arriving Yokosuka 14 June. She steamed for "Dixie Station" off South Vietnam 27 June. Wearisome days and nights of combat shifted to "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin 8 July. In the following months there were brief respites for replenishment in Subic Bay. Then, back into the action that saw her launch 7,794 combat sorties.

The carrier was on station the morning of 27 October 1966 when a fire erupted on the starboard side of the ship's forward hanger bay and raced through five decks, claiming the lives of 44 men. Many who lost their lives were veteran combat pilots who had flown raids over Vietnam a few hours earlier. Oriskany had been put in danger when a magnesium parachute flare exploded in the forward flare locker of Hanger Bay 1, beneath the carrier's flight deck. Her crewmen performed fantastic feats in jettisoning heavy bombs which lay within reach of the flames. Other men wheeled planes out of danger, rescued pilots, and helped quell the blaze through three hours of prompt and daring actions. Medical assistance was rushed to the carrier from sister aircraft carriers Constellation (CVA-64) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42).

Oriskany steamed to Subic Bay 28 October, where victims of the fire were transferred to waiting aircraft for transportation to the United States. A week later, the carrier departed for San Diego, arriving 16 November. San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard completed repairs 23 March 1967 and Oriskany, with Carrier Air Wing 16 embarked, underwent training. She then stood out of San Francisco Bay 16 June to take station in waters off Vietnam. Designated flagship of Carrier Division 9 in Subic Bay 9 July, she commenced "Yankee Station" operations 14 July. While on the line, 26 July, she provided medical assistance to the fire-ravaged attack carrier Forrestal (CVA-59).

Oriskany returned to the Naval Air Station pier at Alameda Calif., 31 January 1968, and entered San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard 7 February for an eight month overhaul. Upon completion of work, the carrier underwent refresher training and flight qualifications before deploying to the Far East in April 1969.

Redesignated as a multi-mission aircraft carrier (CV 34) 30 June 1975, but role did not change. Decommissioned to reserve 15 May 1976; was last Essex in commission as a warship. Stricken for disposal 25 July 1989. Sold for scrapping 26 Jan 1993; scrapper defaulted and ship was repossessed without having left Navy custody. Resold for scrapping 29 Sept 1995, towed to San Francisco 1 May 1996; subsequently moved to Mare Island for scapping, but scrap contract revoked 1 July 1997. Remained at Mare Island pending disposal. As of 15 December 2000, NVR reported her to be at Beaumont TX.

In mid October 2003 the Navy awarded a contract to clean the Oriskany in preparation for her sinking as an artificial reef. The Maritime Administration began accepting bids from states interested in having the carrier sunk off their coasts. Florida has earmarked a spot 24 miles off the Pensacola coast. Oriskany was towed from Beaumont TX to Corpus Christi on 21 January 2004 for her environmental cleanup.

Oriskany received two battle stars for Korean Service and five for Vietnamese service.

[Howie66]

It was really hard for me to say that...."one good thing about liberals" line.

That's on the same par as me cheering for the Bears when they play against Minnesoda.

[E.G.C.]

((HUGS))Good morning, Star. How's it going?

[Howie66]

Have you ever watched a lacrosse game? It's fast and just plain filled with contact.

[Mudboy Slim]

"...on the same par as me cheering for the Bears when they play against Minnesoda."

Or me pullin' fer the Plowboyz against my beloved Skins...MUD

[tiamat]

i never have....

don't know a lot about the game, other than supposedly the Indians snookered the French out of Ft. Detroit way back when by playing a REALLy riviting game!

[Valin]

On This Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on April 14:
1578 Philip III king of Spain & Portugal (1598-1621)
1629 Christiaan Huygens Holland, astronomer (discovered Saturn's rings)
1676 Ernst Chreistian Hesse composer
1797 Adolphe Thiers 1st President of 3rd French Republic (1871-77)
1813 Junius S Morgan US, merchant/philanthropist (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
1820 Harry Thompson Hays Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1876
1832 James Hewett Ledlie Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1882
1866 Anne Mansfield Sullivan US, educated Helen Keller
1889 Arnold Toynbee England, historian (A Study of History)
1902 Menachem A Schneerson rebee (head of Lubavitcher Jews)
1904 Sir John Gielgud London England, actor (Arthur, Ages of Man)
1906 Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz King Saudi-Arabia (1964-75)
1907 François "Doc" Duvalier dictator of Haiti
1912 Robert Doisneau photographer
1920 John Paul Stevens Supreme Court Justice
1925 Rod Steiger West Hampton NY, actor (Illustrated Man, Pawnbroker, Chosen)
1928 Robert Mugabe President/dictator/scumbag (Zimbabwe, 1988- )
1929 William Edgar Thornton Faison NC, MD/astronaut (STS-8, 51-B, sk:49)
1933 Buddy Knox Happy TX, rock vocalist (Party Doll, Lovey Dovey)
1935 Loretta Lynn Butcher's Hollow KY, country singer (Coal Miner's Daughter)
1940 George Takei actor (Hikaru Sulu-Star Trek)
1941 Julie Christie Assam India, actress (Dr Zhivago)
1941 Pete Rose Cincinnati OH, baseball player/manager (Cincinnati Reds, Charlie hustle, most hits in majors)
1941 Anatoli Pavlocich Fyodorov cosmonaut
1941 Ryan O'Neal actor (Love Story, Paper Moon)
1942 Valentin Vitaliyevich Lebedev cosmonaut (Soyuz 13, 35, T-5)
1945 Steve Martin Waco TX, writer/actor (Jerk, Housesitter)
1954 Bruce Sterling US, sci-fi author (Involution Ocean, Schismatrix)
1966 David Justice baseball player/husband of Halle Barry
1966 Greg Maddux San Angelo TX, pitcher
1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar actress (Kendall-All My Children, Buffy)

---

Deaths which occurred on April 14:
0711 Childebert III king of French, dies at about 27
0911 Sergius III Italian Pope (904-11), dies
1099 Conrad bishop of Utrecht, stabbed to death
1552 Laurentius Andreae [Lars Andersson] Swedish church reformer, dies
1574 Christoffel Palts German General strategist, dies in battle
1759 Georg Frideric Händel organist/composer (Watermusic), dies at 74
1914 Paul Ehrenreich German etnologist/mythologist, dies at 58
1915 James Hutton Brew "Pioneer of West African Journalism", dies
1917 Lew [Lejzer L] Zamenhof Polish doc/linguist (Esperanto), dies at 57
1924 Louis H Sullivan architect (Wainwright building St Louis), dies at 67
1941 Jack Edmonson Australian corporal in Tobruk (Victoria Cross), dies
1948 Walter P Reuther President (United Auto Workers), shot at his home
1949 Joseph A Cushman US paleontologist, dies at 68
1964 Rachel L Carson US biologist/author (Silent spring), dies at 56
1965 Perry E Smith US murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged
1965 Robert E Hickok US murderer (In Cold Blood), hanged
1975 Fredric March actor, (Inherit the Wind, The Iceman Cometh, Death of a Salesman), dies from cancer at 77
1985 Enver Hoxha Albanian leader (1944-85), dies
1986 Simone de Beauvoir French author (Deuxième Sexe), dies at 86
1990 Peter Dunn actor (Invaders from Mars) dies
1992 Sammy Price US boogie-woogie pianist, dies
1995 Burl Ives folk singer/actor (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), dies at 85
1995 Michael Scott Montague Fordham jungian analyst educator, dies at 89
1996 Benjamin "Zik" Azikiwe Nnamdi politician, dies at 91

---

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1968 QUAMO GEORGE---AVERILL PARK NY.
[REMAINS RECOVERED 06/28/74]
1968 RODRIQUEZ FERDINAND A.---NEW YORK NY.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG, DECEASED]
1972 GREENLEAF JOSEPH G.---WEST NEWTON MA.
1972 MC KINNEY CLEMIE---CLEVELAND OH.
[REMAINS RETURNED 08/14/85 IDENTIFIED 02/88]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

---

On this day...
73 According to Jewish historian Josephus, 967 Jewish zealots committed mass suicide within the fortress of Masada on this last night before the walls were breached by the attacking Roman Tenth Legion. (Two women and five children survived by hiding in a cistern, and were later released unharmed by the Romans.)
0193 Lucius Septimus Severus crowned emperor of Rome
0754 Pact of Quierzy between Pope Stephen II, [III] & Pippin the Korte
0972 Notger becomes bishop of Liege
0979 Challenge to throne of King Aethelred II of England
1028 German emperor Conrad II the Sailor crowns his son Henry III, king
1191 85-year old Giacinto Bobo becomes Pope Coelestinus III
1471 Battle of Barnet-King Edward IV vs Earl of Warwick
1536 English king Henry VIII expropriate minor monasteries
1570 Polish Calvinists/Lutherians/Hernhutters unify against Jesuits
1611 Word "telescope" is 1st used (Prince Federico Cesi)
1614 Pocahontas, daughter of chief Powhatan, marries planter John Rolfe
1775 1st abolitionist society in US organizes in Philadelphia PA
1777 New York adopts new constitution as an independent state
1792 France declares war on Austria, starting French Revolutionary Wars
1799 Napoleon called for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
1809 Napoleon defeated Austria in the Battle of Abensberg, Bavaria
1814 Napoleon abdicated & was banished to Elba
1818 US Medical Corp forms
1836 Congress forms Territory of Wisconsin
1841 Edgar Allen Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue", published
1853 Harriet Tubman began her Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape
1859 Charles Dickens' "A Tale Of Two Cities" published
1860 1st Pony Express rider arrives in San Francisco CA from St Joseph MO
1861 Formal Union surrender of Fort Sumter
1861 Robert E Lee resigns from Union army
1862 Battle of Fort Pillow TN
1863 William Bullock patents continuous-roll printing press
1865 Mobile AL is captured
1865 President Abraham Lincoln shot in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth
1868 South Carolina voters approve constitution, 70,758 to 27,228
1872 Dominion Lands Act passed-Canada's Homestead Act
1890 Pan American Day-1st conference of American states (Washington DC)
1894 1st public showing of Thomas Edison's kinetoscope (moving pictures)
1895 1st performance of Gustav Mahler's (incomplete) 2nd Symphony
1896 John Philip Sousa's "El Capitan", premieres (NYC)
1900 Veteran's Hospital at Fort Miley is established
1902 Marie & Pierre Curie isolate the radioactive element radium
1903 Dr Harry Plotz discovers vaccine against typhoid (New York NY)
1904 George Bernard Shaw's "Candida", premieres in London

1906 President Theodore Roosevelt denounces "muckrakers" in US press

1909 Anglo-Persian Oil Company forms in London
1910 President William Howard Taft begins tradition of throwing out ball on opening day
1912 The Titanic, launched on 31 May 1911, on route from Southampton to New York with 2200 passengers, strikes iceberg off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia at approximately 11:30pm, and sinks early the next morning (1500+ death toll)
1914 Stacy G Carkhuff patents non-skid tire pattern
1918 Douglas Campbell is 1st US ace pilot (shooting down 5th German plane)
1920 Tornadoes killed 219 people in Alabama & Mississippi
1922 Republic rebels occupies 4 government courts in Dublin
1925 1st regular-season Cubs game to be broadcast on radio (WGN)
1931 Spain becomes republic with overthrow of King Alfonso XIII
1935 Sandstorm ravages US midwest (Dust Bowl)
1939 John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" published
1940 Allied troops land in Norway
1940 RCA demonstrates its new electron microscope in Philadelphia
1941 1st massive German raid in Paris France, 3,600 Jews rounded up
1942 Destroyer Roper sinks German U-85 of US east coast
1943 Generals Alexander/Eisenhower/Anderson/Bradley discuss assault on Tunis
1944 1st Jews transported from Athens arrive at Auschwitz
1945 American B-29 incendiary raids on Tokyo & damage the Imperial Palace
1945 US forces conquer Motobu peninsula on Okinawa
1945 US marines attack Yae Take on Okinawa
1946 Manager Mel Ott of Giants hits 511th & final homerun
1948 A flash of light is observed in the crater Plato on the Moon
1948 NYC subway fares jump from 5¢ to 10¢
1953 Viet-Minh offensive in Laos
1954 Soviet diplomat Vladimir Petrov asks for political asylum in Canberra
1955 Elston Howard becomes the 1st black to wear the Yankee uniform
1956 Ampex Corp demonstrates 1st commercial videotape recorder
1958 Sputnik 2 (with dog Laika) burns up in atmosphere
1959 (Robert) Taft Memorial Bell Tower dedicated in Washington DC
1960 "Bye Bye Birdie" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 607 performances
1960 1st underwater launching of Polaris missile
1961 1st live television broadcast from the Soviet Union
1961 Cuban-American invasion army departs Nicaragua
1961 US element 103 (Lawrencium) discovered
1962 Georges Pompidou becomes President of France
1963 George Harrison is impressed by the unsigned group "Rolling Stones"
1964 Sandy Koufax throws his 9th complete game without allowing a walk
1967 In the Vietnam War, US planes bomb Haiphong for 1st time
1968 Roberto de Vicenzo loses Masters for signing an incorrect score card
1969 1st major league baseball game outside US played in Montréal Québec Canada
1971 President Richard Nixon ends blockade against People's Republic of China
1971 Supreme Court upheld busing as means of achieving racial desegregation
1973 Acting FBI director L Patrick Gray resigns after admitting he destroyed evidence in the Watergate scandal
1977 Supreme Court says people may refuse to display state motto on license
1978 Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, fired on by Soviets, crashes in Russia
1980 1st Cubans of the Mariel boatlift sail to Florida
1981 1st Space Shuttle-Columbia 1-returns to Earth
1983 President Ronald Reagan signs $165 billion Social Security rescue
1985 Jack C Burcham is 5th to receive "Jarvik 7" permanent artificial heart
1986 US aircraft attacks 5 terrorist locations in Libya
1986 Desmond Tutu elected Anglican archbishop of Capetown
1986 Double-decker ferry sinks in stormy weather in Bangladesh killing 200
1987 Turkey asks to join European market
1989 1,100,000,000th Chinese born
1989 In the Iran-Contra trial, Oliver North's case goes to the jury
1992 UAW ends 5 month strike against Caterpillar Inc
1992 UN-imposed embargo against Libya takes effect
1992 Court throws out Apple's lawsuit against Microsoft
1993 Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh promises to surrender after completion of his Seven Seals manuscript
1994 Billy Joel & Christie Brinkley announce plans to divorce
1994 US F-15 accidentally shoots 2 US helicopters down over Iraq, 26 die

---

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Burma : Water Festival (416)
El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela : Pan American Day/Día de las Américas
Laos : New Years (416)
Mauritius : Varusha Pirruppa
US : National Garden Week Week (Day 4)
National Recycling Month

---

Religious Observances
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Justin, philosopher/martyr
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of SS Tiburtius, Valerina, Maximus, martyrs

---

Religious History

1796 Death of Joseph Swain, 35, author of the hymn, "O Thou in Whose Presence My Soul Takes Delight."
1906 The Azusa Street Revival -- proto-mission out of which the modern Pentecostal movement spread world-wide -- officially began when the services led by black evangelist William J. Seymour, 36, moved into the building at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles.
1940 English Bible expositor Arthur W. Pink wrote in a letter: 'Nothing is too great and nothing is too small to commit into the hands of the Lord.'
1942 Detroit radio priest, Father Charles E. Coughlin was censured for anti-Semitism. Coughlin's broadcasts had railed against "godless capitalists, the Jews, the Communists, international bankers and plutocrats."

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

---

Thought for the day :
"It is a good rule in life never to apologize. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them."

---

What a Difference 30 Years Makes...
1970: Seeds and stems.
2000: Roughage.

---

New State Slogans...
Nebraska: Find Kansas And Take A Right

---

Male Language Patterns...
"You know I could never love anyone else." REALLY MEANS,
"I am used to the way you yell at me and realize it could be worse."

---

Female Language Patterns...
"You have to learn to communicate." REALLY MEANS,
"Just agree with me."

[tomkow6]

1977 Sarah Michelle Gellar actress (Kendall-All My Children, Buffy)

 

[Soaring Feather]

[tomkow6]

Good morning, Ms Feather!

[Soaring Feather]

Morning, Tomkow.

[Arrowhead1952]

As hungry as I am today, these pictures are making my stomach GROWL!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning, Arrowhead!!

[MeekOneGOP]

Mornin' ! Nice weather we're both havin'. ;^)

[Diva Betsy Ross]

Good morning Canteen crew! Good morning troops. God bless you all for your support of the USA. Thank you for fighting for freedom.

Although I haven't been able to post for awhile, my thoughts are with all the troops. Prayers are said everyday for their safe and quick return home to us.

[Arrowhead1952]

Good morning to you too, bentfeather. Work sure piled up for being gone one day. Email is sooooooooo slow and everyone wants their replies yesterday.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

IMPORTANT DATA
Military Voting for 2004
YOUR VOTE will count!

Military Voter Registration Info

Just Click on a flag to Visit that Branch of Service Voting Info

Army	Navy	Air Force	Marines	Coast Guard