Browsing: April

A Brief History On April 24, 1885, Phoebe Ann Moses, better known as Annie Oakley, joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and was a star attraction for the next 16 years. Digging Deeper Annie was born in North Star, Ohio in 1860, a somehow appropriate location considering her future stardom. Born into poverty in a log cabin, Annie took to trapping and shooting by the age of 8 years.  Even at an early age her marksmanship skills became well known and her ability to kill game animals considerably assisted the family finances.  When a traveling shooting show came to town…

A Brief History On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola, that icon of American soft drinks, one of the  symbols of what stands for America, changed its formula! A mistake of epic proportions, eventually Coke had to bring back “Coca-Cola Classic.”  As idiotic as the decision may seem in hindsight, Coke had good reason to change the formula.  Pepsi-Cola had steadily been gaining market share, and blind taste tests proved that people preferred the sweeter Pepsi, and that people preferred an even sweeter alternative.  Still, even Fidel Castro was upset with the New Coke!  At times, otherwise smart executives make bad decisions.…

A Brief History On April 23, 1016, Edmund Ironside was crowned King of England, replacing his father Aethelred the Unready. Digging Deeper Names used to mean more than just something looked up in a book or passed down from your parents. People used to earn their names based on where they lived, what they looked like or what they accomplished. Of course, it is easiest for us in the United States to understand English names, but other societies have named people the same way.  Surely the kings noted above had “ironsides” and was “unready” for something, and the Indian (Native…

A Brief History On April 22, 1983, the world was shocked to hear that the Diaries of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had allegedly been found. Digging Deeper Stern, a respectable German magazine, reported that they had received the diaries that had been found in the wreckage of an airplane crash in East Germany. Obviously, with documents of such great historical importance the establishing of their authenticity was the first order of business, and Stern allowed representatives of Times Newspapers (British) and Newsweek (American) to view the documents.   The diaries were declared genuine and the world was prepared to reassess what…

A Brief History On April 21, 1952, the first Secretaries’ Day was celebrated.  The presidents of the National Secretaries Association and of Dictaphone Corporation came up with the unofficial holiday in conjunction with an ad agency.  Now called Administrative Professionals Day, it is now celebrated on the Wednesday during the last week of April (in the US and Canada).  The International Association of Administrative Professionals (the renamed National Secretaries Association) holds the copyright to the name, Administrative Professionals Day.  The day is celebrated in several other countries on various dates and by various names. 10. Sweetest Day. Along with Mother’s…