I have only ever heard of this island before, but maybe one day I’ll see it for myself.  It was on this date in 1784  that Kodiak Island became the first Russian colony in Alaska.  This island is the eightieth largest in the world and the second largest in America, coming in at 3600 square miles.  A Siberian fur merchant […]

Indeed she was one of the most noted women in Western entertainment history–at least in my opinion.  On this date in 1860, Phoebe Anne (Annie) Moses (known professionally as Annie Oakley) was born in Ohio.  Her parents were Quakers, and Annie was the sixth of seven children.  Due to her mom being widowed twice, Annie and her older sister were […]

I have never heard of this individual, but perhaps you have.  On this date, Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes, also known as Cantinflas, was born in Mexico.  There were eight children in their family, and he attempted to enter the U.S. through California.  That did not work out so he became a prizefighter when he was in his teens.  From […]

I remember actually seeing this the last time I saw the Golden Gate bridge.  I probably have a picture somewhere, but regardless, this is a pretty famous place.  On this date in 1934, the first prisoners arrived at Alcatraz.  Its name came from a Spanish explorer who named the island after the pelicans he saw living there.  This federal penitentiary […]

“I used to help my granddaddy make sausage. He would mix it up in a cleaned-out washtub with his hands, no gloves. Man, if we did anything like that today, they would jack the jail up and throw us under it.” Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jimmy_dean.html#Ikz72kCqHb5Xr68U.99 I learned something this morning.  Jimmy Dean was a real person, not just a sausage […]

I can remember the old netscape.  My first e-mail address was “something @netscape.net.”  That brings back some truly old memories of the old internet when I didn’t even have a computer at home.  And then I had dial-up.  And, well, you may have had similar experiences.  Anyway, on this date in history, Netscape, one of the original internet browsers, went […]

I found today’s feature kind of fun, and this video was a great watch.  We lost a great person when Dick Clark passed away.  But on this date in 1960, Brian Hyland’s Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini went to number one on the Billboard charts.  Need I say more? For more information; http://famousdaily.com/history/itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini.html http://popculturemadness.com/PCM/1960/1960-number-one-hits/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hot_100_number-one_singles_of_1960_(U.S.) http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_billbord2.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itsy_Bitsy_Teenie_Weenie_Yellow_Polka_Dot_Bikini […]

When I was growing up, one of my favorite films was The Wizard of Oz.  In fact, it was the first musical I ever watched.  It was where I was introduced to such greats a Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, and today’s feature.  On this date in 1884, the beautiful Billie Burke was born.   In her day, she was indeed a […]

I was just telling my mom how sometimes I will cover topics that don’t really interest me because they are of interest to my readers.  Sports happens to be one of those topics.  So I made up my mind to cover a sports history feature, and this one actually fascinates me (and would my daughter as well)!  On this date […]

Do you remember the USSR?  I certainly do.  I can remember when the Soviet Union fell, but this day was an auspicious day.  On this date in 1940, Latvia was annexed by the Soviet Union.  They had shown interest in this particular country, and Stalin organized a big spectacle to show that it was not a part of their “wonderful” […]