A Brief History On August 2, 1943, US Navy torpedo boat PT-109 commanded by a young John F. Kennedy was rammed by a Japanese destroyer, cutting the boat in half and sinking it. Lt. Kennedy later became President Kennedy in January of 1961. Although we have pointed out the lily-livered chicken hawks that either dodged the draft or merely failed to enlist in the military, today we honor those politicians that also served in the US Armed Forces. (See our May 22 article 10 Celebrities that Fought in a War and our March 24 article 10 “Patriots” that Dodged the…
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A Brief History On August 1, 1981, the world of music and television changed forever when MTV made its debut on satellite and cable television, when John Lack announced, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock and Roll!” Playing in the background was video of the Space Shuttle Columbia and footage of Apollo 11. A theme song played in the background and then the very first MTV music video followed. Digging Deeper That first video, the answer to the trivia question, “What was the first MTV video?” was the ever so apropos “Video Killed the Radio Star” performed by The Buggles. The television…
A Brief History On July 31, 2017, when you visit your local animal shelter, you will find that 80% of the dogs there are mixed breeds, or “Mutts,” and around 53% of all American dogs are mutts. As the single most prevalent “breed” of dog, there must be something these mongrels that make them so popular. Digging Deeper Dogs are all of the same species, Canis familiaris, and all are descendants of the Wolf, Canis lupus. Dogs came about when humans began raising wolf cubs and selectively breeding only those that were most compatible with people. Even before humans got…
A Brief History Fantasy fans, here is your chance to be among the first in Cleveland to see The Dark Tower before it opens in theaters. Digging Deeper What: THE DARK TOWER Advance Screening When: Wednesday, August 2nd at 7:00 PM Where: AMC Classic Solon 16 How: Click the link for a pair of passes // www.sonyscreenings.com/JCUTDT Synopsis: There are other worlds than these. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, makes its launch to the big screen. The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter…
A Brief History On July 30, 2003, in Puebla, Mexico of all places, the last of the “old style” (what we like to call “real”) Volkswagen Beetles came off the assembly line, ending the longest and most prolific manufacturing streak of any car platform ever made. Digging Deeper (Note: The Toyota Corolla has sold 40 million units under that name, but the car has definitely not been the same basic car for its lifespan, from 1966 to Present. It is the same in name only.) The Volkswagen Beetle was the brainchild of Ferdinand Porsche (yes, as in that Porsche) who…