The Daily Dose/April 2, 2026
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
UP, UP, AND AWAY…FINALLY: After eight years, NASA’s Artemis program lifted off its first manned voyage, with Artemis II beginning a ten-day trip sending three men and one woman on a trip around the Moon. The countdown featured some tense moments and assorted problems, and in the air there were problems with the crapper, but the flight appears to be progressing as it should be.
Dry, Technical Matter: The capsule will orbit Earth for a couple of days, checking out assorted systems, before heading to the Moon.
Quote That Sucker: Since nothing in this day and age can stand alone and must be hyped, the announcer who did the countdown announced right after liftoff that “Humanity’s next great voyage” had begun.
Well, yes and no. Any trip to the Moon is great. This is the tenth time the US has sent humans to the Moon and the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Of course, it’s a big deal.
Stop Us If You’ve Heard This Before: On the other hand, regular readers of this crap know our opinion on this matter: we could’ve had humans on Mars in the 1980s if we wanted to and now, in the third decade of the 21st century, lunar flights should have long been routine. We didn’t want to, though. Congress cut the following three Apollo missions, which meant we could forget about going to Mars, too.
Dry, Technical Matter II: Not only have we not gone back, but no other nation has even attempted to send humans to the Moon, which leads us to believe, perhaps, that Apollo was ahead of its time. But then again, no. Accomplishments happen in their own time, when we humans decide to go and make them happen, and it’s humanity’s fault for not building on the foundation laid in the 1960s.
The Bottom Line: It’s time to catch up. We’re happy Artemis II finally launched, and like you, we hope their mission is a complete success. Honestly, we find it surprising it took us 53 years to fly to the moon again. And at the rate of two flights in eight years, it’s going to take forever to get to Mars, but as Apollo showed, one small step at a time.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow enjoys a night off. Today’s Diary.
We had the usual delusions of getting tons of project and bonus project work done, but in the end, we were grateful for as little screen time as possible…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1285 – Pope Honorius IV is elected in Peruglia in central Italy, three days after the death of Pope Martin IV. Honorius was 75 and suffered from either the gout or arthritis and was unable to either walk or lift his hands without assistance. He was made a cardinal by Pope Urban IV in 1261, but was not consecrated a priest until six weeks after his election. He is the most recent pope to be named Honorius and reigned for two years.
In 1985 – Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers established a new NHL record for most career hat tricks in a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Gretzky had three goals for his 34th career hat trick, breaking the record established by Phil Esposito from 1963-81. Gretzky would retire in 1999 with 50 career hat tricks, a record that still stands.
In 2011 – Lady Gaga is at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the sixth and final consecutive week with Born This Way. The song went to #1 in 24 other countries, including Israel, Hungary, and Finland, peaked at #3 in Great Britain, at #1 on Billboard’s dance chart, and was their 18th-biggest song of the year. It was the third of six #1s by Lady Gaga.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…nothing is harder to manage, more risky in the undertaking, or more doubtful of success than to set up as the introducer of a new order.
Niccolo Machiavelli
The Prince
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
Billboard’s #1 album of 1967 was More of the Monkees by the Monkees, which spent 18 consecutive weeks at #1.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who was the last person elected pope who was not a priest? – Answer next time!
