Wednesday, November 18, 2020

This Date in History - November 18

 

Happy birthday to Linda Evans.  It's not the same unless Joan Collins is pulling your hair.

326:  THE OLD ST. PETER'S BASILICA IS CONSECRATED.

They turned it into orange juice?  Oh, wait, I read that wrong.

1105:  MAGINULFO IS ELECTED THE ANTIPOPE.

How come we don't have an Antipresident?

1210:  POPE INNOCENT III EXCOMMUNICATES ROMAN EMPEROR OTTO IV.

Don't you wish there was a Pope Guilty?

1307:  WILLIAM TELL SHOOTS AN APPLE OFF HIS SON'S HEAD.

What a waste of fruit.

1493:  CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS FIRST SIGHTS THE ISLAND NOW KNOWN AS PUERTO RICO.

And he's proud of this?

1494:  FRENCH KING CHARLES VIII OCCUPIES FLORENCE, ITALY.

There are worse choices to occupy.

1626:  ST. PETER'S BASILICA IS CONSECRATED.

It's the new basilica.   And no need to repeat the orange juice joke.

1790:  THE FUTURE FREDERICK II, THE KING OF PRUSSIA, IS GRANTED A ROYAL PARDON AND RELEASED FROM CONFINEMENT.

So I guess he was royally screwed.

1809:  IN A NAVAL ACTION DURING THE NAPOLEONIC WARS, FRENCH FRIGATES DEFEAT BRITISH EAST INDIAMEN IN THE BAY OF BENGAL.

Tigers can swim?  Admittedly, a weak joke but I have nothing else.

1865:  MARK TWAIN'S SHORT STORY "THE CELEBRATED JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY" IS PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK SATURDAY PRESS.

Wake me when Tom Sawyer shows up.

1883:  AMERICAN AND CANADIAN RAILROADS INSTITUTE FIVE STANDARD TIME ZONES, ENDING THE CONFUSION OF LOCAL TIME.

And they still don't run on time.

1903:  THE HAY-BUNAU-VARILLA TREATY IS SIGNED BY THE US AND PANAMA, GIVING THE UNITED STATES EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS OVER THE PANAMA CANAL.

If we build it, they will come.

1909:  SONGWRITER JOHNNY MERCER IS BORN.

Ac-cent-tchu-ate-ing the positive.

1918:  LATVIA DECLARES ITS INDEPENDENCE FROM RUSSIA.

Live and Lat live.

1923:  ASTRONAUT ALAN SHEPHERD IS BORN.

First American in space.  Not counting Flash Gordon.

1926:  GEORGE BERNARD SHAW REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE MONEY FOR HIS NOBEL PRIZE.

Fool.   

1928:  THE FIRST SOUND CARTOON "STEAMBOAT WILLIE" IS RELEASED BY WALT DISNEY.

Disney calls this date Mickey Mouse's birthday.

1939:  ACTRESS BRENDA VACCARO IS BORN.

Sharing it with Mickey.

1940:  WORLD WAR II - ADOLF HITLER AND ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER GALEAZZO CIANO MEET TO DISCUSS BENITO MUSSOLINI'S DISASTROUS ITALIAN INVASION OF GREECE.

What-a a mess-a.

1942:  ACTRESS LINDA EVANS IS BORN.

People totally forget she was on the Big Valley.

1942:  ACTRESS SUSAN SULLIVAN IS BORN.

Must be Prime Time Soap Actress Day.

1961:  US PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY SENDS 18,000 MILITARY ADVISORS TO SOUTH VIETNAM.

With 18,000 different opinions.

1963:  THE FIRST PUSH-BUTTON TELEPHONE GOES INTO SERVICE.

Weeping for the death of the rotary dial.

1969:  BUSINESSMAN JOSEPH P. KENNEDY SR. DIES.

Father of the dead President....and renowned Nazi sympathizer.

1970:  US PRESIDENT RICHARD NIXON ASKS CONGRESS FOR $155 MILLION IN AID FOR THE CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT.

And people still are starving in America.

1978:  IN JONESTOWN, GUYANA, JIM JONES LED HIS PEOPLES TEMPLE IN A MASS SUICIDE THAT CLAIMED 918 LIVES.

The original drinking of the Kool Aid.

1988:  US PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN SIGNS A BILL INTO LAW ALLOWING THE DEATH PENALTY FOR DRUG TRAFFICKERS.

By his last year in office, I doubt he knew what the hell he was signing.

1991:  SHIITE MUSLIM KIDNAPPERS IN LEBANON RELEASE ANGLICAN CHURCH ENVOYS.

That's a lot of shiite.

1994:  MUSICIAN CAB CALLOWAY DIES.

Hi-de-ho.

1996:  A FIRE OCCURS ON A TRAIN TRAVELING THROUGH THE CHANNEL TUNNEL FROM FRANCE TO ENGLAND.

That tunnel is the last place I would want to be in a disaster.

2002:  ACTOR JAMES COBURN DIES.

He was one of the people who got out in "The Great Escape."  Um, not this time.

Dinner last night:  A rarity---Big Mac and fries.

No comments: