On this date in 1851, the very first YMCA was opened.  Boston, Massachusetts is the site of this center.  Originally, it was intended to provide a place for  British sailors who had landed in  America.  It was modeled after the very first YMCA that opened in London in 1844.  It was established as a Christian organization and emphasized things that […]

Okay, let me go on the record saying that I am not in favor of this act, and I never was.  I did attempt to sign up, but I was blessed to be able to keep my current coverage.  Otherwise, I would be paying twice as much.  But enough about that.  On this date in 2009, the Senate passed this […]

I  wasn’t aware of today’s feature.   On this date in 1954, the first successful kidney transplant occurred.  Richard Herrick had an incurable kidney disease, and his donor was his twin brother, Ronald Lee Herrick.  It was this fact (identical twin relationship) that ensured there would be no potential organ rejection.  Interestingly enough, Richard met his future wife, Clare, in the […]

This political cartoon relates to today’s feature.  Those were the days when profanity was left out!  On this date in 1807, Jefferson passed the Embargo Act of 1807.  It prohibited trade with Europe.  There were issues with Napoleon and Britain.  We were trade partners to both countries, so President Jefferson decided this would hurt those countries more than the U.S. […]

This was indeed a momentous historical meeting.  On this date in 1970, Elvis Presley met with President Richard Nixon to discuss the war on drugs.  He wanted to help, and this is how he finally got his credentials from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs because of this meeting.  It is rumored that he had ulterior motives.   According to […]

Ever wonder how long nuclear power has been used in this country?  Well, I can tell  you this.  On this date in 1951, nuclear power was first introduced by the government in Arco, Idaho.  This was the first time that nuclear power was used for non-war  purposes.  The Experimental Breeder Reactor I was located 18 miles outside of Arco, and […]

Today’s feature was a surprise to me.  On this date in 1918, Robert Ripley published his first cartoon–Champs and Chumps.  This is what began his world-famous Ripley’s Believe It or Not.  That  first cartoon featured strange but true facts about sports. It was a few months later that he widened the scope of his cartoons and began calling it the […]

On this date in 1976, WTCG completed its satellite uplink, and it became the first station to broadcast via satellite.  Two years later, it was available in all states.  This station eventually became TBS. For more info: http://readtiger.com/wkp/en/TBS_(TV_network)#WTCG_gets_beamed_via_satellite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBS_(TV_network) http://famousdaily.com/history/tbs-tv-ted-turner-superstation.html

Sports again?  Can you believe it?  On this date in 1891, James Naismith invented the game of basketball.  He was a Canadian physical education teacher, and he was familiar with the medieval children’s game called “Duck on a rock.”  That was an outdoor game where someone would throw a rock at a larger rock on a pedestal (normally a tree […]

Another sports history feature from the  non-sports blogger!  On this date in 1941, the very first NFL playoff game in history was played.  The Bears and Packers tied in the regular season, and in order to find out who the champions were, this game had to played.  The Bears beat the Packers 33-14.  They went on to win the NFL […]