Hundreds of cryptographers and master codebreakers have tried to decipher it over the years with none succeeding to grasp its meaning or origin.
I nearly forgot, today is National Donut Day. The holiday began as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army in 1938. It is celebrated annually on the first Friday of June, and honors all the female volunteers who served donuts to soldiers behind the front lines during World War I.
To celebrate Donut Day 2021, a few donut shops are offering a free donut deal. Celebrate at Krispy Kreme with a free donut of any variety (plus an additional one if you're vaccinated), or at Dunkin' Donuts which is offering a free donut with the purchase of any beverage.
June 4, 1938 -
Another extremely funny Warner Bros. Cartoon, Porky the Fireman, was released on this date.
The director, Frank Tashlin, is one of the few directors to successfully make the transition from animation to live-action, noted especially for his work with Jerry Lewis. Tashlin never made a picture that couldn’t be slotted firmly into the genre of comedy.
June 4, 1942 -
William Wyler' adaptation of Jan Struther wartime novel, Mrs Miniver, starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon (the second of their eighth movies pairings,) premiered in New York City on this date.
After completing the film, William Wyler joined the US Army and was posted to the Signal Corps; he was overseas on the night he won his first Oscar. He later revealed that his subsequent war experiences made him realize that the film actually portrayed war in too soft a light.
June 4, 1953 -
Joseph L. Mankiewicz's adaptation of William Shakespeare's classic tragedy, Julius Caesar, starring Marlon Brando and just about every middle aged British actor opened in general release on this date.
John Gielgud was cast after director Joseph L. Mankiewicz saw him play Cassius in a stage production at Stratford-upon-Avon. Mankiewicz was in Stratford to see Paul Scofield, who he was considering casting as Mark Antony, until Marlon Brando's screen test turned out so well.
June 4, 1963 -
The Nutty Professor, arguably Jerry Lewis' best directorial effort, was released on this date.
The character of Professor Frink from the animated television series The Simpsons loosely borrows many of his mannerisms and technique from Lewis' delivery of the Julius Kelp character, as well as the transition to a Buddy Love version of Frink in several episodes. In one episode, the character of Frink's father was voiced by Lewis.
June 4, 1965 -
The Rolling Stones release Satisfaction on this date.
Keith Richards ran his guitar through a Gibson Fuzz Box to create the distortion effect. He had no intention of using the sound on the record, but Gibson had just sent him the device, and he thought the Fuzz Box would create sustained notes to help sketch out the horn section. The band thought it sounded great and wanted to use the sound because it would be very unusual for a rock record. Richards thought it sounded gimmicky and did not like the result, but the rest of the band convinced him to ditch the horn section and use the distorted guitar sound.
June 4, 1982 -
Paramount released the epic Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (which should have been titled, Battle of the Outrageous Toups) opened on this date.
Producers went ahead with a movie script featuring Khan, taking this for granted that Ricardo Montalban would be interested in or available for this film. Specifically, this was overlooked that Montalban at the time, was busy starring on Fantasy Island. Montalban was receptive when approached about reprising the role, and arrangements were made to film the movie, so as not to conflict with Montalban's Fantasy Island scheduling.
On the same day, Paramount also released the horror classic, Poltergeist.
Drew Barrymore was considered for the role of Carol Anne, but director Steven Spielberg wanted someone more angelic. It was Barrymore's audition for this role, however, that landed her the part of Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
June 4, 1983 -
The Police started a four week run at No.1 in the UK with a cut from their album Synchronicity, Every Breath You Take, (the group's fifth and final No.1 single,) on this date.
The Police performed this when they were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. They were inducted by No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani, who showed a picture of her getting an autograph from Sting when she was a chubby 13 year old. It was the last performance of the night and the closest thing to the all-star jam that typically ends the ceremonies. The Police were joined by Stefani, Steven Tyler (who inducted AC/DC), and John Mayer, who had recently won a Grammy for his song Your Body Is A Wonderland.
June 4, 1984 -
Bruce Springsteen released Born in the USA on this date.
This is one of the most misinterpreted songs ever. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.
Another unimportant moment in history
Today in History:
June 4, 1070 -
Roquefort cheese was accidentally discovered in a cave near Roquefort, France, when a shepherd found a lunch he had forgotten several days before, chasing after a pretty girl.
Remember, this is an estimated date - history doesn't normally record the spoiled luncheon choices hungry shepherds have. This was a very brave (or very hungry) shepherd.
Also, how do they know he was chasing a pretty girl. Maybe he was chasing another virile and strapping youth. Maybe it was a fetching sheep with a come-hither look. What business is it of yours anyway? (Apparently it concerned King Charles VI of France enough. He granted a monopoly for the ripening of Roquefort cheese to the people of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon as they had been doing for centuries, on this date in 1411.)
The Freemasons were officially founded in London on June 4, 1717.
Freemasons first appeared in England and Scotland in the 1300s, not long after the first appearance of the Loch Ness monster but well before the advent of crop circles. Most laborers of the era were villains and therefore prohibited from travel; since most stone masonry projects (such as cathedrals, churches, and big piles of rocks) required specialized training and large numbers of workers, however, stone masons were permitted to travel freely. They became known as Freemasons; their curious lunchboxes came to be known as mason jars.
Whenever the Freemasons arrived in town to start work on a new project, they set up a common area where they could meet one another, receive their pay, get food, train apprentices, rest, and get roaring drunk. These came to be known as lodges.
As the centuries passed, the Freemasons did less and less work with rocks and more and more drinking at lodges. Today, the Freemasons are a friendly social organization with a secret handshake, and are therefore believed to be responsible for selling out the governments of the world to an invading extraterrestrial army.
June 4, 1783 -
The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their unmanned Montgolfière (hot air balloon) on this date.
The first untethered flight was recorded by the brothers later that year on November 21, 1783 in Paris, France.
June 4, 1798 -
Giacomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt, Venetian adventurer, syphilis sufferer and author, died in relative obscurity as the librarian of Count Waldstein of Bohemia on this date. The Count often ignored him at meals and failed to introduce him to important visiting guests. More over, Casanova, the testy outsider, was thoroughly disliked by most of the other inhabitants of the Castle of Dux. Casanova’s only friends seemed to be his fox terriers.
In despair, Casanova considered suicide, but instead decided that he must live on to record his memoirs, which he did until his death.
His main book Histoire de ma vie (History of My Life), part autobiography and part memoir, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs and norms of European social life during the 18th century. His last words are said to have been “I have lived as a philosopher and I die as a Christian.”
June 4, 1937 -
Sylvan Goldman ran a successful chain of grocery stores, where customers could carry hand baskets while they shopped. By 1937, when he was a major owner of the Humpty-Dumpty supermarket chain, he invented the shopping cart. He got the idea from a wooden folding chair. He designed the cart by putting a basket on the seat, another below and wheels on the legs. He and a mechanic, Fred Young put one together with a metal frame, and wire baskets.
On this date, Goldman placed an advertisement in the Oklahoma City papers, showing a woman exhausted by the weight of her shopping basket. “It’s new – It’s sensational. No more baskets to carry,” the ad said, referring to the new shopping cart.
Unfortunately, the customers didn’t want to use the carts. Young men thought they would appear weak; young women felt the carts were unfashionable; and older people didn’t want to appear helpless. So, Goldman hired models of all ages and both sexes to push the things around the store, pretending they were shopping.
June 4, 1989 -
Today is the 32nd anniversary of what became known as the "June Fourth Incident" in China. Tiananmen Square protests were ended in the typical manner of a totalitarian regime - with the People's Liberation Army soldiers and tanks, massacring the people they are supposed to serve.
Amnesty International estimated anywhere from 1,000 to 3,000 Chinese democracy advocates were killed on this day. The Chinese government puts the death toll at 241. Public commemoration of the incident is officially banned. However, the residents of Hong Kong have held an annual vigil on the anniversary of the crackdown, even after Hong Kong reverted to Chinese administration.
Once again, I'm not making any friends with the Chinese government.
And so it goes.
Battle of the Outrageous Toups, indeed
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