A Brief History On November 28, 1925, a one hour “barn dance” radio show began in Nashville, Tennessee broadcast on WSM that became known as The Grand Ole Opry.  The show is the longest running radio show in history, although it has changed networks over the years.  A most American of radio shows, the Opry features country, western, folk, bluegrass, Gospel and Americana music forms, as well as comedy skits and other entertainment. Digging Deeper Created by George D. Hay, known as “Judge” Hay, a Chicago radio personality that had been hosting his own National Barn Dance on radio station…

A Brief History On November 27, 2017, we celebrate Cyber Monday as we have on every Monday after Thanksgiving each year since 2005.  This pseudo-holiday was dreamed up by Ellen Davis and Scott Silverman of the National Retail Federation as a way to encourage Christmas shoppers to make their purchases online instead of fighting the crowds at stores. Digging Deeper In 2005, it was noticed by 77% of online retailers that the Monday following Thanksgiving was a day in which online sales rose considerably.  In order to take advantage of that trend, online retailers came up with Cyber Monday sales…

A Brief History On November 26, 2015, we ran an article about guns the firearm enthusiast might desperately want for a nice Christmas (or Festivus, or Kwanzaa, or Hanukah, or Winter Solstice) present.  This year we re-examine that list, and this time we do it with an eye toward history.  If you do not intend to actually shoot the gun, there are non-firing replicas available of almost any major military arm you might want. Digging Deeper 1. Black Powder Muzzle Loading Rifle. Many states have a deer hunting season for black powder muzzle loading guns, which can greatly extend your time…

A Brief History On November 25, 2009, almost three inches of rain fell in only four hours on the Western Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah located on the Red Sea.  The city was celebrating the Eid al-Adah festival (Feast of the Sacrifice) during the annual Hajj, a Muslim tradition of making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during every Muslim’s life.  Double the normal annual rainfall, the downpour created a flash flood that swept away over 3000 cars and killed at least 122 people. Digging Deeper Jeddah, being close to Mecca, is a normal place to pass through on…

A Brief History On November 24, 2017, we take a second look at the article we published last year on this date, “Cop Shooting Epidemic, Why is it Happening?” In just the past few days a Baltimore, Maryland detective was shot in the head and killed while investigating a homicide, and in New Kensington, Pennsylvania an officer was shot and killed while chasing a traffic violator on foot that had run from the traffic stop.  Has the epidemic of police being shot and killed continued this year? Digging Deeper In a word, no.  We are happy to report a decrease…