The Daily Dose/Friday, May 20, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 19, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off will return. Promise.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest MPG figures for the new ride. Today’s Diary.
You don’t want to rest on your MPG laurels, tho; there are still more frontiers to conquer, like the all-time high of 42.236 MPG done once, a couple of years ago, I think, and it would be good to be consistently above the 40 MPG mark.
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
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On This Date
History’s long march.
In 1873 – Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a US patent for the “improvement in fastening pocket-openings” where seams on pants are prevented from coming apart by a metal rivet. Strauss was a dry goods salesman in San Francisco and Davis had invented blue jeans in 1870 but was unable to keep up with the demand and the two had gone into business together two years earlier. Levi Strauss & Co. had been formed in 1853 and remains headquartered in San Francisco.
In 1948 – The Cleveland Indians tie the modern major league record for most walks in a game in a 13-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. The Indians walked 18 times to tie the mark established by the Detroit Tigers in 1916 and the record still stands. The all-time major league record is 19 by the Louisville Colonels of the American Association in 1887 and the National League record is 17, done three times. Eight of the Cleveland starters had at least two walks.
In 1978 – Wings is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first of two consecutive weeks with With a Little Luck. It was the 17th of 23 Top 40 hits for the group, their 12th of 15 Top 10 hits, and was their fifth of six #1 songs, totals that do not include Paul McCartney’s hits as a solo act or as part of a duo. The song also went to #1 in Canada, peaked at #5 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 18th-biggest song of the year. The song was McCartney’s 25th of 29 appearances at #1 as an artist.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed — I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
Georges Clemenceau
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The area that holds the record for most consecutive days over 100° F is Marble Bar, Western Australia, which was over 100° F from October 31, 1923 through April 7, 1924, a total of 160 consecutive days.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Billboard’s #1 song of 1978? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Thursday, May 19, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 19, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off will return. Promise.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has some technology news from the hotel. Today’s Diary.
(Also, ol’ Sparrow strongly suspects there will be a credit card processor on the back office computer again…Recall the old one went away under circumstances that were never satisfactorily explained…This will make it possible to enter credit cards on reservations made in the back office, which will increase the Sparrow Convenience Factor (SCF) the one or two times a month he takes a reservation in the back office.)
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
History’s long march.
In 1743 – What today is known as the Celsius temperature scale comes into being when French physicist Jean-Pierre Christin inverts the then in use Centigrade scale, which at the time had water boiling at 0° and freezing at 100°. Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius had invented the centigrade scale the year before, though the scale wasn’t named after him until 1948. The Celsius and Fahrenheit scales intersect at minus-40°.
In 1973 – Secretariat, ridden by Ron Turcotte, wins the Preakness Stakes with a 2 1/2-length win over Sham at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore. There was some controversy about the winning. The official time was 1:55, but two Racing Form timers both had it at 1:53⅖, an issue that was not resolved until 2012 when the faster time was acknowledged by the race track. Secretariat would claim the Triple Crown three weeks later with a 31-length win in the Belmont Stakes.
In 1962 – The Shirelles are at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the third and final consecutive week with Soldier Boy. It was the seventh of twelve Top 40 hits for the group and was their second and final #1 song. The song also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s soul chart, at #23 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s tenth-biggest song of the year. A version by Donna Fargo peaked at #71 on Billboard’s country chart in 1991.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
Would he spend the rest of his life here…watching hope slip away along with the years, until there was nothing left to live for and time had finally run out?
Alex Haley
Roots: The Saga of an American Family
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The NHL record for most goals scored in a Stanley Cup Finals game is five, by Newsy Lalonde of the Montreal Canadiens in game three of the 1919 Final vs the Ottawa Senators.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What area holds the record for most consecutive days over 100° Fahrenheit? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Wednesday, May 18, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 18, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off will return. Promise.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow spends some time on the phone with tech support. Today’s Diary.
…27 minutes in the tech comes on and despite the usual Indian accent, he was within five feet of his phone so it didn’t sound like he was on Neptune and he was actually easy to understand…He farts around for 15 minutes or so and comes back on to announce he has some zero clue what the problem is, so he’s referring the matter to the Bengal tiger team…He said he is going to hang up and they will call me to either announce the problem’s been fixed or that all is lost.
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Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
History’s long march.
In 1965 – Israeli spy Eli Cohen is hanged in Damascus, Syria. Cohen had asked for an end to his assignment on his last visit to Israel, but the government persuaded him to go back and he had been arrested on Jan 24 after Syrian agents triangulated a radio transmission to his apartment. Cohen had moved to Syria in 1962, his cover story that of a Syrian businessman returning home after working in Buenos Aires, where he had lived for a year. Cohen’s remains have yet to be returned to Israel.
In 1990 – Jari Kurri of the Edmonton Oilers ties the NHL Stanley Cup Finals record for most points in a game in a 7-2 win over the Boston Bruins in game two. Kurri had three goals and two assists to tie the record established in game three of the 1942 Finals by Eddie Bush of the Detroit Red Wings and tied in game five by Don Metz and Syl Apps of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the mark was later tied Sid Abel (Detroit, 1943) and Toe Blake (Montreal, 1944). The record still stands and Edmonton won the series in five games.
In 1985 – Simple Minds is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the only week with Don’t You (Forget About Me). It was the first of five Top 40 hits for the group and remains their only #1 song. The song also went to #1 in the Netherlands and Canada, peaked at #7 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 16th-biggest song of the year. The song’s last appearance on a Billboard chart came last year when it peaked at #14 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…his life seemed to prove that the valorous were the favorites of fortune. He was simply inviting the Convention to do what he had done repeatedly – to aim as high as possible and to strain every nerve to attain the goal.
John C Miller
Alexander Hamilton: Portrait in Paradox
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Andrew Johnson was a tailor by trade.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who holds the NHL record for most goals in a Stanley Cup Finals game? – Answer next time!
The Daily Dose/Tuesday, May 17, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 17, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
Treasured readers, we are taking the day off. Everything will return tomorrow.
The Daily Dose/Monday, May 16, 2022
The Daily Dose/May 16, 2022
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off will return. Promise.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest gas mileage figures. Today’s Diary.
We filled up heading out to the big city, at the city at the Interstate, and received the privilege of bending over and taking it in the shorts by paying more than $5 a gallon for the first time…This was funny: here was a gas station in a conveniently located city charging five dollars and change and up in our remote part of the state we’re still keeping less than five…Not a whole lot less, but it’s still good for morale.
———
Click here to get in on the laughs.
4Ever & Ever ($8.99) and monthly ($2.99) plans available.
Click here for complimentary chapters of all of Gaylon’s books.
It’s easy reading on any device.
———
On This Date
History’s long march.
In 1868 – President Andrew Johnson is acquitted in his impeachment trial conducted by the United States Senate. Johnson was acquitted by a single vote on the first of eleven articles of impeachment that had been passed by the US House in February. The decisive vote was cast by Senator Edmund G Ross of Kansas, one of ten Republicans who voted against his party. Ten days later, votes on the second and third articles resulted in the same 35-19 result and the Senate declined to vote on the remaining articles.
In 1980 – Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers establishes a new NBA Finals record for most points in a game by a rookie as the Lakers win the NBA title with a 123-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers to win the title in six games. Johnson had 42 points in the game, as well as 15 rebounds and seven assists, and his 14-for-14 performance at the free throw line established a Finals record for most free throws made without a miss, a record now held by Kawhi Leonard of Toronto (16, 2019). It was the seventh of 17 NBA titles for the Lakers.
In 1987 – U2 is at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 of the first of three consecutive weeks with With Or Without You. It was their second of 17 Top 40 hits, their first of six Top 10 hits, and was their first of two #1 songs. The song also went to #1 in Poland, Ireland, and Canada, peaked at 34 in Great Britain, and was Billboard’s 15th biggest song of the year. Early in the recording process the band, not pleased with the song’s progress, considered abandoning it and their manager didn’t think it was good enough for release as a single.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
No powerful priesthood, no ancient and inspired text limited men’s thinking…Here for the first time thought became secular, and sought rational and consistent answers to the problems of the world and man.
Will Durant
The Story of Civilization, Vol. II: The Life of Greece
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The oldest McDonalds still operating opened in Downey, California in 1953.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What was Andrew Johnson’s trade before getting into politics? – Answer next time!