I think I had heard this somewhere, but we have Benjamin Franklin to thank for bifocals, or so the story goes.  Franklin was getting old, and it was becoming difficult for him to see.  On this date in 1785, he sent a letter to an optician in London that suggested that he developed the idea for bifocals.  While there is […]

I remember this day.  I never watched The Tonight Show, but I knew all about it.  My mom used to watch it when she was first married since my dad had the night shift.  She said he was always the greatest, and indeed what I have watched and read about Johnny Carson lead me to the same conclusion.  On this […]

So are you a Levi jeans fan?  For me, it’s never been a big deal because genuine Levi jeans seems so expensive.  Nevertheless, on this date in 1873, Levi Strauss, a German immigrant, and his partner Jacob Davis received a patent for “Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings” by means of studs.  This was the birth of the modern blue jeans.  Since that […]

It seems like even after all these years, JFK and Marilyn Monroe spark the nation’s interest.  And this is one of those features that is quite memorable.  On this date in 1962, Marilyn Monroe sang her favorite Happy Birthday Mister President at Madison Square Garden in honor of President Kennedy’s 45th birthday.   It was ten days before the actual day, […]

This post truly connects with me since I grew up in Washington state, and I have vivid memories of this event.  On this date in 1980, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted.  It was a shock to us (probably not as much to scientists), and I can remember this event as though it were yesterday.  I was not even six years old […]

This was how I was introduced to today’s feature.  On this day in 1956, Bog Saget was born.  Full House was a special favorite of mine when I was a teenager.  And I even enjoyed him on America’s Funniest Home Videos even though he was pretty corny.  I did not know he was Jewish (until now).  I even watched him on 1 […]

I have heard a lot of unusual rulings, but this one takes the cake.  On this date, 1927, the Supreme Court ruled that criminals had to pay income taxes on their stolen property or face tax evasion.  It was a landmark decision in the case of the United States v. Sullivan.  This means that bootleggers had to pay tax.  This means […]

I honestly don’t go flying much any more, but this is probably indicative of just how much things have changed in the airline industry.  On this date in 1930, Iowa native Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess (remember when they were called that?).  She was aboard a Boeing Air Transport from Oakland, CA to Chicago, IL.    Interestingly, it […]

A very important day for those who are addicted to facebook.  On this date in 1984, the founder of facebook–Mark Zuckerberg, was born.  I cannot believe how young the guy is!  I feel ancient!  I hope he has a very happy birthday. For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg http://www.biography.com/people/mark-zuckerberg-507402 http://www.wired.com/magazine/2013/04/facebookqa/ http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/mark-zuckerberg.html

Wow, he was born the same year as my brother!  Yes, on this date in 1968, Tony Hawk was born.  And you can see his most recent appearance on Splash in the above video.  My daughter and I did ride his Big Spin roller coast ride at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas on our last birthday in Texas.  Let’s see, that […]