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Saturday, October 3, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Senior Citizens Day
Today, August 21, is National Senior Citizens Day. So spend some time with an elderly loved one. Or, if you are a senior take the day off. You should be retired already. Thanks Reagan.
Water Skiing Record
On today’s date, August 21 1977, Donna Patterson Brice set the world record in high speed water skiing at a speed of 111.1 m.p.h. The record has since been broken by speeds over 150 m.p.h.
WWJ Radio
On today’s date August 20, 1920, WWJ of Detroit, Michigan, became the first commercial radio station. The original call letters were 8MK. The Scripps family, which owned the station, kept some distance from the station believing radio would be a fad. The station is still broadcasting news.
Salem Witch Trials
Today was a bad day for witches. On today’s date August 19, 1692, five people of Salem, Massachusetts, were executed for witchcraft. Hysteria ruled when reason left the community.
Fulton Steamboat
On August 17, 1807, the North River Steamboat, invented by Robert Fulton, became the first commercially successful steamboat. Fulton is also credited with the invention of the first practical submarine, which he invented in 1800 through a commission by Napoleon Bonaparte.
PC Release
On August 11, in 1981, IBM released the PC, Personal Computer. Their computer dominated the home computer market throughout the 80s and brought the computer into many homes. Its influence is still felt to this day. The first PCs operated at a speed of 4.77 MHz, had 16 KB of RAM (later 64) and 64 KB of ROM.
Missouri Statehood
On August 10, 1821, Missouri was admitted into the Union as the 24th state. Central to The Missouri Compromise, her admission into the Union only helped to delay the Civil War a few more decades.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Football War
On today’s date July 21, 1969, The Football War ended with a cease fire between Honduras and El Salvador. Also known as the 100 Hour War, it coincided with a riot during a qualifying round of the 1970 FIFA World Cup. The war was a result of tensions between the two neighboring countries and a precursor to civil war in El Salvador a decade later.
Holocaust
On today’s date July 22, 1942, the first Jews were deported from the Warsaw Ghetto, beginning the Holocaust. Over six million Jews and an additional five to 11 million Poles, Soviets, political enemies and homosexuals were murdered by the Nazi regime. This dark period in history was as much a crime of omission as it was one of commission.
Ice Cream Cone
On today’s date July 23, 1904, Charles E. Menches invented the ice cream cone. Many other vendors at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair made the same claim. It sure beats eating it out of your hand.
Pine Tar Incident
On today’s date in 1983, at Yankee Stadium, George Brett homered off of Goose Gossage in the top of the ninth. Yankee’s manager Billy Martin protested the amount of pine tar Brett had used on his bat. The umpires nullified the homer which allowed the Yankees to win the game. After the Royals protested, the game was replayed, resulting in a Royals win. Brett later quipped that had it not been for The Pine Tar Incident, he would only be known for hemorrhoids.
On July 30 1975, Union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Hoffa was last seen in the parking lot of a restaurant in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Many believe his disappearance was due to his involvement with the Mafia. The mystery has never been solved. Hoffa’s son James Hoffa Jr. currently is President of the Teamsters Union, the same post his father once held.
On today’s date August 3, 1900, The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded. Founder Harvey Firestone used his relationship with Henry Ford to grow his business. The two men along with Thomas Edison formed “ The Millionaires Club” and often vacationed together. Represented above is a giant Uniroyal tire along I-94 in southeast Michigan. Although, completely unrelated to Firestone, its a very impressive piece.
Transatlantic Cable
On today’s date August 5, 1858, the first transatlantic telegraph cable was completed by American entrepeneur Cyrus West Field after repeated attempts.
Hiroshima
On today’s date in August 6, 1945, the U.S. dropped “Little Boy,” the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb and the after effects of radiation caused 90,000 to 140,000 casualties. A second bomb “Fat Man,” dropped three days later on Nagasaki, Japan forced the Japanese to surrender and ended World War Two.
Whiskey Rebellion
On today’s date in 1794, President George Washington declared martial law to quell The Whiskey Rebellion. The rebellion was due to a tax on whiskey that penalized small farmers more than large whiskey producers, which included Washington. A militia of nearly 13,000 men was assembled to march on the rebels. This was the first time that the young nation used military force against its citizens. Perhaps self interest in politics is part of our national heritage.
"Government is not reason, it is not eloquence - it is force."
–George Washington
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
National Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day
Friday, July 17, 2009
Gettysburg
On July 3 1863 was the third and final day of The Battle of Gettysburg, pivotal battle in The Civil War and also the bloodiest with casualties around 50,000. The Conderacy never recovered from the defeat.
Amelia Earhart
On July 2, 1937, American hero and distinguished pilot, Amelia Earhart, made her final radio transmission. Earhart was attempting the first equatorial flight around the world when she disappeared near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. Her disappearance is one of the great mysteries of the 20th century.
Kettle Hill
On July 1, 1898, future President Teddy Roosevelt led his Rough Riders on a charge up Kettle Hill in the Spanish American War. The 10th Calvary “Buffalo Soldiers” helped take the hill.
On July 7, 1928, The Chillicothe Baking Company, in Chillicothe Missouri produced the first loaf of sliced bread. During World War II, sliced bread was banned, as it required a heavire wrapping. The ban lasted two months. Although there have been thousands of inventions since, sliced bread remains the paragon of invention.
Disney
On today’s date in 1955, Disneyland televised the opening of its first theme park in Anaheim, CA.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Parking Meter
On today’s date in 1935, the first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The meter was invented by Carl Magee. Fifteen minutes of parking cost a nickle. The title character in “Cool Hand Luke”, played by Paul Newman, was imprisoned for cutting the heads off of parking meters.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Rosetta Stone
On today’s date in 1799, French Army engineer Captain Pierre-François Bouchard, found The Rosetta Stone in Rosetta, Egypt. The stone, written in 2 Egyptian languages and Greek, was a decree of tax amnesty for priests. The Rosetta Stone was the critical artifact that cracked the code of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The stone is 45 inches high and weighs approximately 1700 lbs.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Hollywoodland
On today’s date in 1923, The Hollywoodland sign was officially dedicated. The sign was originally built as an advertisement for a housing development. It became such a universally recognized symbol that the L.A. Chamber of Commerce took over its care with the stipulation that the “LAND” be removed to reflect the district of Hollywood rather than the housing development. The original sign was five feet taller than the current version and each letter was illuminated with roughly 4,00 light bulbs.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Roswell
On July 8, 1947 the Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release stating that they had recovered a “flying disk.” Hmm.
Scopes "Monkey Trial"
On today’s date in 1925, The Scopes “Monkey Trial” began in Dayton, Tennessee. The trial featured two brilliant American attorneys Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. The case decided whether evolution could be taught in classrooms. It remains one of America’s most famous cases.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Electric Company
I stumbled upon this image while reading up on Paul Virilio. It really got me to thinking about a new project which I hope to get started on soon.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Typography
Identifont is always a help and inspiration to me.
I use it frequently and highly recommend it.
Does anyone know of any others?
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