Monday, December 3, 2012

This is a special safety message to all our elected officials -

December 3, 1890 -
Isaac Jordan, the U.S. Congressional Representative from the great state of Ohio, died after taking a drunken stumble down an open elevator shaft in his law offices on this date.


Remember to check if the elevator is there when entering, especially if you are drunk.


December 3, 1998
-
The romantic comedy film Shakespeare in Love, premiered in NYC on this date.



1998 was the only year that two actors were nominated for Academy Awards for playing the same character in two different films in the same year. Dame Judi Dench was nominated (and won) for Best Supporting Actress for playing Queen Elizabeth I in this movie and Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I in Elizabeth.



Today in History:
December 3, 1552 -
Francis Xavier was a saint with a few too many fans. In the early 16th century, the Spanish missionary was sent to Asia by the king of Portugal to convert as many souls to Christianity as possible. Turns out, he was pretty good at the job.


Francis Xavier became wildly popular, and after his death in 1552, so did his relics.


In fact, demand out-fueled supply. Throughout several years and multiple exhumations, his body was whittled away.


Today, half his left hand is in Cochin, India, while the other half is in Malacca, Malaysia. One of his arms resides in Rome, and various other cities lay claim to his internal organs. The leftovers? They went to Goa, India.



December 3, 1948 -
John Michael Osbourne, rock star, 'Prince Of Darkness', drug use casualty and animal vivisectionist is born on this date.



Continue to ride the Beast, Ozzy!


December 3, 1967 -
The first successful heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christaan Barnard at Capetown, South Africa, on this date. The patient, Louis Washkansky, lived 18 days with the new heart.



While a practical artificial heart may someday become a reality, transplants of real human hearts would become widely accepted surgery...with some patients living on new hearts for many years.


December 3, 1968 -
St. Elvis appeared to his devoted acolytes on this date. The leather clad Elvis - not the sweaty holy Elvis. This is the "Elvis has left the building" Elvis.



Touch the screen and feel his 'hunka, hunka burning love' healing powers upon your lions.

Today's holiday special honors St. Elvis


December 3, 1976 -



During a shoot for the cover of Pink Floyds the Animals album, one of the props, an inflatable pig broke free due to a strong gust of wind (gaining a lot of press coverage). The pig, named Algie, floated above Battersea Power Station, then disappeared from sight within five minutes, and was spotted by airline pilots at forty thousand feet in the air. Flights at Heathrow Airport were cancelled as the huge inflatable pig flew through the path of aircraft, eastwards from Britain and out over the English Channel, finally landing on a rural farm in Kent that night.



To commemorate the special reissue of the entire Pink Floyd catalog last year, the band recreated the album’s cover.



This particular flying pig was a replica – the original one was what the event planners wanted, but it was too leaky to actually be used.


December 3, 1979 -
Festival seating anyone - At Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati on this date, eleven concertgoers are trampled several dozen others injured in the rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out concert by The Who.



Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there are reports that management did not open more doors due to the concern of people sneaking past the ticket turnstiles.


December 3, 1984 -
Methyl Isocyanate leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide plant located at a slum in Bhopal, India on this date. The gas killed 4,000 people and injured 200,000 others, many of whom were permanently blinded or disabled.


The event set a standard for industrial accidents that has yet to be equaled.

What else can one say.


5 more shopping days until Hanukkah, 22 more shopping days until Christmas, and the world may just be over in 18 days.



And so it goes

No comments: