Imperfections do not shock me, for I see so many in myself

Today is the Feast of the Transverberation of St. Teresa of Ávila (and this time, I’m not sure even an old lady saying her rosary in church could explain it to you).



If you find yourself in Rome, run - do not walk - to Santa Maria della Vittoria. The church houses one of the most astonishing works of art: The Ecstasy of St. Teresa by Bernini.

Look for the light switch to illuminate the statue. Just think, God had to turn St. Teresa on with his shafts of pure light - you can do it with a flick of a switch.)



The sculpture depicts a moment described by St. Teresa in her autobiography, when she had a vivid vision of an angel piercing her heart with a golden shaft, over and over again, filling her with both immense joy and pain. Bernini’s flowing robes and contorted figures abandon classical restraint, capturing instead a more passionate, almost voluptuous trance.

Such is my obsession with religion.


La Tomatina tomato fight in Buñol near Valencia happens every year on the last Wednesday in August though the partying starts earlier in the week. The highlight of the festival is the tomato fight which takes place between 11am and 1pm on that day. Thousands upon thousands of people make their way from all corners of the world to fight in this World's Biggest Food Fight.



There is no political or religious significance to La Tomatina, it's just good, messy fun. The tradition’s beginning remains a mystery but this event is estimated to have begun in 1945. The event has become one of the highlights on Spain’s summer festivals calendar with thousands of people flocking to this little Valencian town for this chaotic event.


Today is also National Dog Day, reminding potential dog owners to adopt their dogs from shelters, rather than buying from pet stores.



But why isn't it celebrated during the dog days of summer?


The first time toilet paper was ever sold on a roll was on August 26, 1871 (Joseph Gayetty, often created as 'the father of modern TP' sold his product in packets of flat sheets.) August 26 was later officially dubbed National Toilet Paper Day. (Seth Wheeler patents rolled and perforated toilet paper (U.S. patent No. 117355) on July 25, 1871.)





The Chinese took a break from inventing everything else and were thought to have create TP on this date in 580 AD. They were far too serious to be messing around with any old orgies not to note the correct date.


August 26. 1933 -
The Merrie Melodies short, We're in the Money, directed by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, was released on this date.



The final Warner Bros. cartoon to be produced by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising.


August 26, 1939 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Detouring America, directed by Tex Avery, was released on this date.



This cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award in 1940, making it the second Warner Bros. cartoon to get a nomination, and the first color cartoon from the studio to be nominated.


August 26, 1944 -
The Looney Tunes short, Buckaroo Bugs, directed by Bob Clampett and starring Bugs Bunny, was released on this date.



This was Bugs Bunny's second appearance in the Looney Tunes series. His first was a short cameo in Porky Pig's Feat, though not in a starring role, therefore making "Buckaroo Bugs" his first starring role in a Looney Tunes short.


August 26, 1953 -
Considered to be one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, George Pal's The War of the Worlds was released on this date.



The Martian war machines had about twenty wires running to each one. Some were for suspension and maneuvering, while others carried power to the various lights and mechanisms. This was produced before there were lightweight circuits and sophisticated radio controls.


August 26, 1955 -
Satyajit Ray burst onto the international film scene, when his directorial debut Pather Panchali, starring Subir Banerjee, Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee, premiered in India on this date.



Halfway through filming, Ray ran out of funds. The Government of West Bengal loaned him the rest, allowing him to complete the film. This loan is listed in public records at the time as "roads improvement", a nod to the film's translated title.


August 26, 1957 -
The Hammer horror film The Abominable Snowman (US title: The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas), directed by Val Guest and starring Forrest Tucker (the man who go head-to-head with Uncle Miltie in a match-up) and Peter Cushing premiered in the UK on this date.



The film is based on The Creature, a BBC Television play by writer Nigel Kneale. It follows an English anthropologist on an American expedition searching the Himalayas for the legendary Yeti


August 26, 1968 -
Warner Bros.-Seven Arts released Paul Newman's directorial debut, Rachel, Rachel, starring Joanne Woodward, Estelle Parsons, James Olson, and Geraldine Fitzgerald on ths date.



The production was a small-scale one, with a small budget (reportedly only $700,000) but it eventually emerged as quite a big moneymaker, as well as being one of the studio's prestige movies of its year.


August 26, 1972 -
The romantic drama directed by Elia Kazan and produced by Sam Spiegel, based on Harold Pinter's screenplay adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel The Last Tycoon on this date. It stars Robert De Niro, Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Jack Nicholson, Donald Pleasence, Jeanne Moreau, Theresa Russell and Ingrid Boulting.



Mike Nichols was replaced after disagreements with Sam Spiegel. Allegedly, Nichols opposed the casting of Robert De Niro in the lead. Soon afterwards, Nichols worked on another project planned for De Niro, an original comedy script by Neil Simon titled Bogart Slept Here This, too, came to nothing, amidst rumors of considerable friction between De Niro and Nichols, who then abandoned filmmaking for several years. Simon later rewrote his script extensively, and it emerged as The Goodbye Girl , but with Richard Dreyfuss in the lead, and Herbert Ross directing.


August 26, 1972 -
Looking Glass' single Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) hit No. 1 on this date.



This was not typical of the band's sound, which caused a problem at concerts. While audiences expected pop songs like this one, the Looking Glass played rock, which left the crowds disappointed. The band broke up less than two years later.


August 26, 1983 -
The David Bowie film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, co-starring Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Takeshi Kitano opened on this date



Lourens van der Post, the author of this film's source novel The Seed and The Sower, once said of this filmed adaptation of his novel: "This is a great and deeply moving film. The only war film I have ever seen that does not exploit the surface drama and horrifics of war, but penetrates into the origins and meaning of war in the human spirit. Moreover, it is honest and brave, and looks with the same unevasive and unblinking eyes into the character of Japanese and Europeans alike."


August 26, 1998 -
Lauryn Hill releases her solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on this date.



The album was named after The Mis-Education Of The Negro, a book by Professor Carter G. Woodson, an American black history expert, and The Education of Sonny Carson, an autobiographical film about the title controversial activist. It went on to become the first hip-hop album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year.


Another episode of ACME's Little Known Animal Facts


Today in History:
August 26, 1498 -
A statue was commissioned for the tomb in St. Peters for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres (who was a representative in Rome), on this date.



Michelangelo (23 at the time) won the commission to make the Pieta.


August 26, 1743 -
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier was born on this date. Dr. Lavoisier discovered Oxygen (Joseph Priestley may beg to differ) but not on this date; he was usually too busy celebrating his birthday.



The discovery was a great boon to science, as it enabled Breathing, without which many subsequent scientific advances would have been impossible.


August 26, 1883 -



Krakatoa erupted, between Java and Sumatra on this date. The two-day eruption and related tidal waves killed 36,000 people and destroyed two thirds of the island. (Yeah, yeah, I know, Krakatoa is West of Java.)



On a lighter note, "Krakatoa" sounds like "cracked a toe, huh?" and can be used in many humorous puns.


August 26, 1920 -
The Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, on this date.





The amendment had been first introduced in Congress in 1878, setting in motion supporters who demonstrated, lobbied, marched and spoke out for woman suffrage. They were often met with venomous opposition. Early on, the two main factions of the movement disagreed about how to achieve their goal, but they ultimately united in 1890 to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association and worked together to get the amendment passed. By August 18, 1920, three-fourths of the United States had agreed to the bill. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment on this date.


August 26, 1930 -
Philo Farnsworth at 24, was finally granted a patent (US Patent No 1,773,980) for a television system on this date. The patent was has been repeatedly delayed by RCA legal action. This is his first patent, with a description of his image dissector tube, which will be his most important contribution to the development of television. He had begun working on this concept at an early age, gained some financial support for his research, and worked in a small laboratory with limited assistance.



Farnsworth ultimately held patents covered scanning, focusing, synchronizing, contrast, controls, and power. He also invented the first cold cathode ray tubes, the first simple electronic microscope, used radio waves to get direction (later called radar), and black light for seeing at night. During the 1960s he worked on special-purpose TV, missiles, and peaceful uses of atomic energy.


August 26, 1957 -
Henry Ford was a very plain man; he wasn't interested in anything fancy. Ford left the design stylings of the Model A (during the late 20s, early 30s) to his son Edsel. The Model A pretty much saved the company, at the time.

Henry never gave his son the proper credit for his help until the Ford Motor Company rolled the first Edsel, named after Edsel Bryant Ford, off the assembly line on this date. (Well, Ford did give his son one million dollars on his 21st birthday, which in my book is not too shabby a gift.)



110,847 of the cars are built before Ford pulls the plug due to lack of sales.



And so it goes.

Hooray - more ice cream holidays

Today is National Banana Split Day, observed annually on this date.



A 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist at Tassel’s Pharmacy in Latrobe, Pennsylvania created the first banana split in 1904. David Evans Strickler enjoyed inventing sundaes at the store’s soda fountain. His first “banana-based triple ice cream sundae” sold for 10 cents, double the cost of all the other sundaes. But wait, Ernest R. Hazard claimed that he invented the banana split in 1907. He owned a restaurant in Wilmington, Ohio, and he hoped that a new ice cream treat would attract students from Wilmington College.



Walgreens had a hand in spreading the word – the early drug stores, operated by Charles Rudolph Walgreens in the Chicago area, is often credited with spreading the banana split’s popularity to a national level. The store had promoted the banana split as their signature dessert, which attracted customers who might have otherwise been simply satisfied with having their prescriptions filled at other drug stores in the neighborhood.


August 25, 1945 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Fresh Airedale, directed by Chuck Jones, was released on this date.



The burglar calls Shep a quisling, another name for a turncoat. It comes from the Norwegian politician, Vidkun Quisling, who was a Nazi collaborator in WW2.


August 25, 1949 -
Vincente Minnelli adaptation of Gustave Flaubert's novel, Madame Bovary, starring Jennifer Jones, James Mason, Van Heflin, and Louis Jourdan, opened in New York City on this date.



After the expensive box-office failure of The Pirate, director Vincente Minnelli worked hard to cut corners on this film, fearing he might be otherwise be accused of extravagance. However, he devoted a great deal of time to the ball sequence, which he regarded as the most important scene in the film; he even had composer Miklos Rozsa compose the waltz theme used in it well in advance of the start of filming.


August 25, 1956 -
The Looney Tunes short, Raw! Raw! Rooster!, directed by Bob McKimson and starring Foghorn Leghorn, was released on this date.



Red asks for a "mashie-niblick," an old style golf club which was the equivalent in use to the modern 7-iron. "Mashie" is derived from the French word "massue" (club), while "niblick" is diminutive of neb/nib, or "little nose."


August 25, 1962 -
Little Eva's record The Loco-Motion topped the charts on this date.



When the demo of this song was completed, Artie Kaplan, a session musician and song plugger, took it to Cameo-Parkway, but Cameo producer Bernie Lowe listened to the opening for all of sixty seconds before squeaking the needle off the record and saying "I didn't hear the hook," turning it down cold. Kaplan just shrugged and took it back to Aldon. Lowe's exact facial expression, upon hearing this song come out of the radio later as a #1 hit by July of '62, is forever lost to history but we're pretty sure it must have been memorable. And that's how this song became the first single put out by the newly-formed Dimension Records, spawned from Aldon Music.


August 25, 1972 -
American International Pictures released another film in the blaxploitation vein, Blacula, starring William Marshall, on this date.



While the film was in its production stages, William Marshall worked with the producers to make sure his character had some dignity. His character's name was changed from Andrew Brown to Mamuwalde and received a background story about his being an African prince who had been turned into a vampire.


August 25, 1975 -
Bruce Springsteen's third album Born to Run was released on this date.



The stunning success of Born To Run was tempered by the fine print on Springsteen's contract with his manager, Mike Appel, which gave Appel a degree of control over who Bruce worked with. They sued each other in 1976, and it wasn't until the middle of 1977 that Springsteen could return to the studio on his own terms. When he did, it was with a pile of songs that were more glum than his previous work, a reflection on his personal struggles and time he spent with local friends listening to their concerns. He named the album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, and chose songs that fit the mood. It's nuanced and well-crafted, and made with no concern for hit potential. The album held up as a milestone in his discography, and many of the songs remained concert favorites throughout his career.


August 25, 1979 -
The TV pilot movie for the series Hart to Hart, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers premiered on ABC-TV on this date.



The initial choice for the role of Jonathan Hart was Cary Grant. However, Grant (who was seventy-five years old at the time) had retired from acting in 1966. Actresses considered for the role of Jennifer Hart included Michele Carey, Suzanne Pleshette and Lindsay Wagner.


August 25, 1986 -
WEA Records released Paul Simon's award-winning Graceland album 40 years ago on this date.



Paul Simon's visit to South Africa was no easy task, as many nations were boycotting the country because of their racist apartheid policy. However, the United Nations Anti-Apartheid Committee supported his efforts since he only recorded with black South African musicians and did not collaborate with the government in any way. This didn't appease some critics, who felt that violating sanctions undermined efforts to effect change in the country, no matter his artistic intentions. Ultimately, the Graceland project helped raise awareness to the apartheid struggle and expose many South African musicians to a global audience. The sanctions were put in place mainly to prevent entertainers from performing lucrative gigs at the Sun City resort, and Simon did nothing to support the corrupt government there.


August 25, 1988 -
One of the best documentary films ever produced, Miramax released The Thin Blue Line, directed by Errol Morris, on this date.



This film was released the very same year the National Film Registry was first established. The film was selected to be preserved at the Registry 13 years later, making it the first film to be preserved that is as old as the Registry itself.


August 25, 1990 –
Janet Jackson's single Come Back To Me, went to No #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart on this date.



The music video for the song was directed by Dominic Sena and it was set in Paris. The romantic video features Jackson's former husband René Elizondo Jr.


August 25, 1994 –
ABC TV introduced everyone to Angela Chase and the students at Liberty High School when My So-Called Life starring, Claire Danes, Jared Leto and Wilson Cruz, premiered on this date.



Although he wound up being a series regular, Jordan Catalano was only supposed to appear in the pilot episode. Jared Leto almost turned down the opportunity to be a regular on the show, but he eventually accepted and Jordan was written in as a main character.


Today's moment of Zen


Today in History:
The Council of Nicaea ended on August 25, 325, resulting in the Nicene Creed. This established the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which proved that the Father and Son were not two, but three and therefore one. This controversial creed alienated many math teachers from the church.



Its repercussions eventually caused a Schism, which caused Infidels, which caused considerable bloodshed and ultimately resulted in more Political Philosophy.


August 25, 1718 -
French colonists, led by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur De Bienville, established the Louisiana settlement and fortress of Nouvelle Orleans.



In honor of the Big Easy, you don't even have to take off your top to get beads today.


August 25, 1830 -
The 'Tom Thumb' steam locomotive, designed by Peter Cooper, ran the famous first race between a locomotive and a horse-drawn vehicle, over a nine mile stretch, between Relay and Baltimore, Maryland. The locomotive was off to a promising start, but broke down, and the horse won .



Strangely enough on this date in 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel,



traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in less than 22 hours.


August 25, 1835 -
The New York Sun published stunning revelations that Sir John Hershel, having built a new super powerful telescope, had observed little men living on the surface of the moon.



The stories, now generally believed to be false, brought the paper record circulation.


August 25, 1900 -



No, Nietzsche is dead, on this date.



God finds this very amusing.


August 25, 1901 -
Clara Maass, a 25 year old army nurse, volunteered for an experiment to prove that the mosquito carries yellow fever.



Unfortunately for her, the experiment proved successful and Maass died. Her death roused public sentiment and put an end to yellow fever experiments on humans.


August 25, 1916 -
It's the 110th anniversary of the creation of the US National Park Service today.



If you're in NYC, you don't have to leave the city; just take the ferry in lower Manhattan and visit Governors Island.


August 25, 1925 -
The Sleeping Car Porters' Union was established by A. Philip Randolph, a political malcontent who'd been agitating for reform ever since his ejection from the Wide Awake Car Porters' Union.



Mr. Randolph was the principle organizer for the March on Washington in 1963.


August 25, 1944 -
The City of Paris, occupied since June 1940, was liberated from German occupation by Free French Forces under General Jacques LeClerc and his 2nd Tank division on this date (Charles De Gaulle might beg to differ.)



Although ordered by Adolf Hitler to leave Paris a smoldering ruin, Paris' military governor Major General Dietrich von Cholitz lied to his superiors and left the city's landmarks intact.



I bet Hitler wasn't a happy camper today.


It's the birthday of Declan Patrick MacManus, one of the most prolific musicians of the late 20th Century.









In addition to recordings as "Elvis Costello" (often backed by The Attractions), he has recorded music as "Declan MacManus", "Napoleon Dynamite and The Royal Guard", "The Coward Brothers" (with T-Bone Burnett), "Nick Lowe and His Sound", "The Emotional Toothpaste" and "The Imposter".


August 25, 1967 –
George Lincoln Rockwell, the leader of the American Nazi Party, was relieved of his duties by means of the usual Nazi method: he was shot to bloody hell on this date.

Former party member John Patler was later convicted of the killing.


August 25, 1970 -
Elton John, a virtual unknown, started the first night of a six night engagement at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles on this date, making his first American public appearance.



After the first night, Robert Hilburn, music critic for the Los Angeles Times, wrote: “Tuesday night at the Troubadour was just the beginning. He’s going to be one of rock’s biggest and most important stars.” And as Hilburn predicted, in 1990 Rolling Stone magazine declared these shows to be among the 20 most important concerts in the history of Rock ‘n’ Roll.



And so it goes.

Do you like waffles?

August 24, 1869 -

Today is National Waffle Day.



It the anniversary of Cornelius Swarthout (of Troy, New York) receiving the first U.S. patent for a stovetop Waffle Iron (U.S. patent No. 94,043).


August 24, 1937 -
William Wyler's crime-drama film, Dead End, premiered in NYC on this date.



William Wyler originally wanted to film on location on the streets of New York, but producer Samuel Goldwyn insisted that the movie be made in the studio. Art director Richard Day was assigned to design the sets and made one of the most convincing and elaborate sets in film history.


August 24, 1940 -
The Merrie Melodies short, Ceiling Hero, directed by Tex Avery, and starring Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, was released on this date.



The oft-repeated line "Calling Barranca" is a reference to the film Only Angels Have Wings.


August 24, 1966 -
One of the quintessential films of the 60s, Alfie, directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Michael Caine, Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Shirley Anne Field, Vivien Merchant, Eleanor Bron, and Shelley Winters opened in the US on this date.



Several well-known actors (including Richard Harris, Laurence Harvey, James Booth, and Anthony Newley) turned down the title role, due to the then taboo subject matter of abortion. Despite having played Alfie on Broadway, Terence Stamp categorically declined to reprise the role on film, thus giving his good friend, and then roommate Michael Caine, the breakthrough role of his career.


August 24, 1966 -
The (still surprising good) sci-fi film, Fantastic Voyage, premiered on this date.



Medical schools, at least as late as the 1980s, showed clips from this movie to illustrate various concepts in human anatomy, physiology, and especially immunology.


August 24, 1967 –
Encouraged by Pattie Harrison, The Beatles and their partners - minus Ringo and Maureen Starkey, whose second child, Jason, had been born just five days earlier -attended a lecture by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London, on this date.



This was a highly creative period for The Beatles. They wrote many songs, most of which were later included on their self-titled 1968 album, commonly known as the White Album. Ultimately, their association with the Maharishi ended abruptly after rumors surfaced of his inappropriate behavior with female devotees. John Lennon later expressed disappointment, stating that they had been mistaken about the Maharishi’s integrity.


August 24, 1968 -
The Rascals' song People Got to Be Free topped the charts on this date.



Felix Cavaliere claimed that he had to fight for this song, since Jerry Wexler at Atlantic Records was worried that a message song would hurt the Rascals' career. Cavaliere prevailed and the song became the group's biggest hit.


August 24, 1977 –
The third in a series of films based on the Peanuts comic strip, Race For You Life, Charlie Brown, directed by Bill Melendez and Phil Roman, and voiced by Duncan Watson, Stuart Brotman, Gail Davis, Liam Martin, and Melanie Kohn, opened on this date.



This is the only theatrical Peanuts film to have villains (being the bullies). In every other film, the conflict comes from the characters themselves.


August 24, 1979 -
NBC-TV introduced the girls of Eastland School, an all-girls boarding school in Peekskill, New York, to audiences when The Facts of Life premiered on this date.



The pilot Rough Housing may have been the very first children's program on network television to discuss gender confusion and sexual identity crises among youth; as well as anti-gay bullying among teenagers.


August 24, 1981 -
Rolling Stones Records released the 16th British and 18th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, Tattoo You, on this date.



The Rolling Stones were getting ready for a contractual world tour and the band was barely speaking to one another by late 1980. To promote their worldwide American Tour 1981/European Tour 1982, the band's production team combed through unused recordings from prior sessions, some dating back almost a decade, to come up with songs for the album.


August 24, 1985 –
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' single, Real Love went to No. 1 on the Billboard country singles chart on this date.



The song, the title track from Parton’s latest album, was Parton and Rogers’ second country chart-topper as a duet act.


August 24, 1988 -
The Joan Micklin Silver romantic comedy, Crossing Delancey, starring Amy Irving, Peter Riegert, and Sylvia Miles, premiered on this date.



The pickle store as referred to in the film was Guss' Pickles, located at 35 Essex Street, below Delancey Street. It was a New York tradition, since 1920, closed their location on Essex Street in 2020. Currently, The Pickle Guys, located at the corner of Essex and Grand Streets, continues that tradition.


August 24, 1994 -
Singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley's sole album Grace was released on this date.



The song Grace was the album's first single, and it was also released as a video. Buckley performed the song for a long time before he recorded it, and an early demo appears on an album he made with Gary Lucas that was released posthumously called Songs to No One 1991-1992. Lucas and Buckley were part of a project called Gods & Monsters when they wrote this song; they also collaborated on the Grace track Mojo Pin.


August 24, 2013 -
Lorde's debut single Royals goes to #1 on the Alternative chart, making her the first female solo artist to top the charts since Tracy Bonham did it in 1996 (five months before Lorde was born) with her single Mother Mother.



Ella Yelich-O'Connor is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Inspired by her love for such royals as Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI of France, and the last Tsar, Nicholas II of Russia, she adopted the moniker of Lorde (The 'e' is pronounced silently). Yelich-O'Connor was discovered when her now manager, Scott Maclachlan, saw a video of her performing at a Belmont Intermediate School talent show when she was 12.


Word of the Day


Today in History:
August 24, 79 –
Pliny the Elder, who was not as old as his father, Pliny the Dead, witnessed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum being fired by Mount Vesuvius on this date. Vesuvius, ever the vengeful volcano god buried those happening Roman vacation spots, apparently to punish the debauchery that made the towns famous. Tens of thousands of people perished only to have plaster casts made centuries later of the hollows their bodies once occupied.



Once again, People, this is what happens when a city goes on the cheap and starts sacrificing any old whore rather than a proper virgin. One ever so faithful reader suggests that you skip visiting Pompeii and visit Ercolano (Herculaneum) instead. It is not so crowded and there are some cool little bars near the ruins where you can enjoy views of the bay of Naples and Vesuvius.


August 24, 1572 -
Troops loyal to the French crown alongside Catholic civilians massacre the Protestant Huguenots of Paris, estimates range between 20,000 and 100,000 deaths. At news of this carnage of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, a gleeful Pope Gregory XIII ordered celebrations and a medal to be struck.



Sometimes, you just have to be embarrassed to be a Catholic.


August 24, 1680 -
Colonel Thomas Blood, Irish adventurer who stole the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London in 1671, died on this date.



Captured after the theft, he insisted on seeing King Charles II, who had a reputation for liking bold scoundrels. Charles not only pardoned him, but granted Blood Irish lands worth £500 a year!


August 24, 1814 -
The White House and other public buildings in the District of Columbia were torched by the invading British army on this date.



The President's wife, Dolley Madison and Paul Jennings, her husband's enslaved manservant, are torn away from Mrs. Madison's ice cream and candy making duties to save a couple of chairs,



and an unfinished portrait of some dead Virginian Slave holder, Masonite and dope smoker.


August 24, 1853 -
It is believed that the original potato chip recipe was created by chef George Crum, at Moon's Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York, on this date.



He was fed up with a customer (the popular myth wrongly identifies him as Cornelius Vanderbilt) who continued to send his fried potatoes back, claiming that they were too thick and soggy. Crum decided to slice the potatoes so thin that they couldn't be eaten with a fork, nor fried normally in a pan, so he decided to stir-fry the potato slices. Against Crum's expectation, the guest was ecstatic about the new chips. They became a regular item on the lodge's menu under the name Saratoga Chips. They soon became popular throughout New York and New England.

You don't want to know how Crum got the vinegar flavor for that damn chip.


August 24, 1932 -
Amelia Earhart flew from Los Angeles to Newark, becoming the first woman to complete a non-stop, transcontinental flight on this date.

She completed the journey in 19 hours and five minutes.


August 24, 1958 -
Red China commenced the shelling of the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, which hold one-third of Chiang Kai Shek's troops, on this date. The United States threatens nuclear retaliation for this, but the American people do not support the stance.



A very strange compromise is worked out, permitting China to shell the islands on odd dates and Chiang Kai Shek's troops to resupply the islands on even dates.


August 24, 1959 -
Three days after Hawaiian statehood,

Hiram L. Fong was sworn in as the first Chinese-American U.S. senator while Daniel K. Inouye was sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. representative.


August 24, 1968 –
France exploded its first hydrogen bomb, thus becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.



The Germans break out in an ever slight sweat. (The 1998 film Godzilla uses this particular test as the basis for the monster Godzilla, an infant green iguana mutated by the fallout from the blast.)



Another reason to hate the French.


August 24, 1989 -
Pete Rose was suspended from baseball for life for gambling on this date.



Unfortunately, Pete may never get into the Hall of Fame but the Cincinnati Reds did put up a statue of him outside the stadium a couple of years ago.


August 24, 2006 -
The planet Pluto was reclassified as a "dwarf planet" by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) on this date. Pluto's status was changed due to the IAU's new rules for an object qualifying as a planet.



The other planets have been picking on Pluto ever since.



(Damn you, Neil deGrasse Tyson!)



And so it goes.