The Daily Dose/February 18, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: The Great Bridge by David McCullough: Despite the fact the Brooklyn Bridge is a completely different subject than the settlement of Marietta, Ohio, we find ourselves stealing a line from our review of that book by McCullough:
… immediately we are introduced to someone interesting to know.
Here We Go Again: This, of course, is a time-honored McCullough tactic and this time it was John Roebling, the man who conceived and designed the Brooklyn Bridge and remained with the project until his death before construction actually got underway. He was replaced by his able son Washington Roebling who later found himself so disabled he was obliged to watch construction from his house, supervising and issuing instructions through his assistant and his very capable wife.
Why Didn’t You Say So?: Throughout the book McCullough displays a pleasing knack for making the mechanics of bridge-building accessible to dolts like us. Of particular interest heading in were the caissons that were dug below the East River, on which the two towers that hold the cables that suspend the bridge stand. The deal is they’re placed in the river, pressurized with air and then workers go down and dig until they reach bedrock. On the Brooklyn side, at least. Hard sand was settled for on the Manhattan side.
Finally, Some Dry, Technical Matter: Despite an awful lot of effort, they never did figure out the way to prevent the bends that came about after leaving the compressed air environment.
Oh Yeah: The book is also a delightful insight into the Brooklyn and Manhattan cities (they were separate then) of the era, including a look at the real power in Manhattan, Boss Tweed, a look which includes his downfall.
FunFact: Here is the official Daily Dose rating scale:
1 – The very best
2 – Very good
3 – Good
4 – Average
5 – A steaming pile
The Bottom Line: Final Rating: 2, Very Good: We don’t throw the highest ranking out too often, and we’re not this time, but we came this close because you got a greater impression than usual McCullough was thoroughly enjoying himself, both as a historian and a writer. The Great Bridge is highly recommended for both the casual fan of history and the general reader.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – At the VSO, Sparrow gets some work done on his presentation for the March training meeting. Today’s Diary.
My customer service training presentation for the March regional training meeting got some work done on it, too…In fact, I was able to send the first whiteboard video to Rich, who was the one whose original customer service PowerPoint has provided absolutely zero inspiration…This is hardly a surprise because unless you are Mr French or the queen’s lord chamberlain, you simply do not have the experience I do in this matter.
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On This Date
The long march to today.
In 2001 – FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested for spying as he was taping classified information for the Russians to the bottom of a bridge at a county park in Virginia. Hanssen was discovered after the FBI paid $7 million to the KGB for the file on an anonymous spy, later identified as Hanssen. Hanssen pled guilty the following year and, now 76, is serving 15 consecutive life sentences at the federal supermax prison in Colorado.
In 1970 – Bobby Orr establishes a new NHL record for goals in a season by a defenseman in a 5-5 tie with the Los Angeles Kings. Orr’s first-period goal was his 22nd of the season, eclipsing the mark he had set the season before. Orr finished the season with 33 goals and would break or tie the mark three more times before it was broken by Doug Wilson of the Chicago Blackhawks with 39 in 1981-82. The mark is now held by Paul Coffee of the Edmonton Oilers, who had 48 in 1985-86.
In 1984 – Michael Jackson is at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the 29th of 37 non-consecutive weeks with Thriller. The album had first gone to #1 on February 26, 1983, and was Billboard’s biggest album of both 1984 and 1983, becoming only the third album to be the #1 album for consecutive years. The album went to #1 in many other countries, including France, Australia and Great Britain and with over 47 million certified copies sold, remains the biggest-selling album in history.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
To be reckless is not to be brave, it is only to be a fool.
Louis L’Amour
The Walking Drum
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
The Second Barbary War was in 1815, though due to the Barbary Coast states repudiating the initial treaty and an oversight by the US Senate in ratifying the second one, the war did not officially end until 1822.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
What were the other two albums that were Billboard’s #1 albums for consecutive years? – Answer next time!
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