In keeping with the theme of this blog “everyuselessthing”, I thought a short history lesson was in order to supply readers with a little known trivia tidbit about NASA and the first moon landing. In 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon as we all know but were you aware that William Safire, President Nixon’s speechwriter, gave the president a draft of a speech he might have to give if the moon mission failed. It is claimed that the president never saw it. Here is a copy of that speech.
Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their family and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home, Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.
One final tidbit of irony. In 1999, on the 30th year anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts were shown this text for the first time by Tim Russert on Meet the Press.
I’ve spent almost half of my life working in some manner in law enforcement. I patrolled for years as a uniformed officer, a member of the detective unit for a time, and then two years in undercover vice and narcotics. I’ve seen many guilty individuals go to jail and I’ve seen almost as many get a slap on the wrist by the court system and put back on the streets without much punishment. That punishment almost never fits the crime? I also spent six years interviewing prisoner’s in numerous jails throughout the state of Maine. I’ve seen it all and heard it all and then some. The system is just barely adequate.
As I’m want to do I decided to dig into the past for possible answers to improve our system. I must say that things were unbelievably different from our current mess. I found these eight punishments from past centuries and maybe just maybe they should be reviewed for possible reuse today but with some modifications. If your a person who thinks the punishment should fit the crime, you’ll going to love these.
The Pillory – Hands and head tightly clamped between two pieces of wood in the village square. It made a great target for passing citizens to pelt the criminal with all sorts of things.
The Dunking Stool – This required the dunking of the criminal in freezing cold water. This was often punishment for nagging wives.
The Stocks – This would be the little brother of the Pillory. The offender was seated on a bench with hands and feet held between two planks. This was punishment for minor offenses and the length of the sentence was determined by the severity of the crime.
The Whipping Post – The name is self-explanatory. FAFO in it’s first incarnation. The sentence was usually 10 lashes from a whip made from 40 strips of leather.
A Scarlet Letter – Offenders were required to have a large red letter sewn onto their clothing and forced to stand in the square for up to three hours for public ridicule – “A” for adultery, “B” for blaspheming, and “D” for being a drunk.
Branding – A scarlet letter burnt into your cheek, back, thumb, or back of the hand. “L”- Liar, “T” for thief,, and “F” for forger. They had a whole alphabet to choose from.
The Branks – A much more serious punishment. An iron cage was attached to the head with a sharp spike clamping the tongue. It was sometimes called the “scolds bridle” because many women were so punished for daring to talk back to their husbands.
The Billboes – (No relation to the Hobbit) A metal bar with attached handcuffs for the feet and then attached to the ground. Drunks and people who spoke out against the government were left to stand from dawn till dusk clamped to these.
Here’s the fifth and last installment of the retro trivia series. I hope you’ve had as much fun with them as I had putting them together. The answers will be listed below. See how you do.
What craze included terms like “handglide” and backslide”?
Whose visit to South Korea in May, 1984, promoted the tightest security in that nations history?
What brand of sweetener did G.D. Searle & Company put on the market in 1983?
The U.S. mining of what nation’s harbors caused a congressional uproar in April, 1984?
What was the name of Jesse Jackson’s hoped for coalition?
What was the bug that caused havoc in California?
Who was shot and killed at the airport in Manila in 1983?
What group in 1981 was compensated $5,000.00 per person for their unusual stint overseas?
Seven people died after popping these cyanide-spiked pills?
In what nation did a Soviet submarine find itself beached in 1981?
BONUS QUESTION
What celebrated figures were married in St. Paul’s Cathedral?
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Answers
Breakdancing, Pope John Paul II, NutraSweet, Nicaragua, The Rainbow Coalition, Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Benigno Aguino, The Iranian Hostages, Extra Strength Tylenol, Sweden, BONUS-Prince Charles & Lady Diana Spencer,
The 60’s were an interesting and drug filled decade. I lived through it and thoroughly enjoyed almost all of it, How much do you know or remember? Put on your bell bottoms and crappy sandals, drop some acid, and go for a walk on the street to chat with strangers. I dare you!
Lets step back into the 1960’s. As always the answers are listed below.
What was the name of the “doorway” between the divided Berlins?
In what city was the 1968 Democratic Convention held?
Name of the Rockefeller that never returned from New Guinea?
Who were the first astronauts to fly the two-occupant Gemini capsule?
What was the first Apollo mission to carry a color TV camera to the moon?
In what European city was Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin apprehended?
In what area of the Dallas policed station was Lee Harvey Oswald shot by Jack Ruby?
What popular tranquilizer was introduced in 1963?
In 1968 which nation became the fifth to have “the bomb”?
How was the Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann put to death?
BONUS QUESTION
What two nations combined to form Tanzania?
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Answers
Checkpoint Charlie, Chicago, Michael, Gus Grissom & John Young, Apollo XII, London, The Garage, Valium, France, He was Hanged, BONUS-Tanganyika & Zanzibar
Todays post will take us on a short time-travel trip to the 1940’s. This will be the first of five trivia posts from past decades from the 1940’s through the 1980’s. These first few questions may be difficult since most readers weren’t alive in the 40’s but if your a fan of history you may learn a few mostly forgotten facts. Let’s get started. As always the answers will be listed below.
What important journal was found in Amsterdam following World War II?
In what year was Korea split in two?
On what day of the week was Pearl Harbor bombed?
Who coined the phrase “Iron Curtin”?
What newspaper ran the infamous headline “Dewey Defeats Truman”?
In what island group is Corregidor, which fell to the Japanese in 1942.
From what nation did Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gain it’s independence in 1948?
The body of what World War II leader was hung upside down in public?
What world leader in 1943 survived a bomb set by his generals to assassinate him?
What was the nickname given the the Nazi general Erwin Rommel?
BONUS Question
What two world leaders met in Casablanca in 1943?
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Answers
The Diary of Ann Frank, 1948, Sunday, Winston Churchill, The Chicago Daily Tribune, The Philippines, Great Britain, Benito Mussolini, Adolph Hitler, The Desert Fox, BONUS-Churchill and Roosevelt
I decided to take a break from watching the tremendous happenings that are occurring around the world. The gigantic wakeup call has commenced but I feel the need to step back and not get too caught up in politics. I have only one thing to say and I’ll do it at the top of my lungs . . . THANK GOD FOR OUR TROOPS.
Now for todays posting. In the past I’ve posted quizzes from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s , and 80’s. Some were easy and some were not. The people that lived through each era scored well as you would expect. Todays quiz concerns the 1950’s and the number of people born and raised in that time has been significantly reduced by old age. Let’s see how well you all do with this one. As always the answers will be listed below.
Who succeeded Joseph Stalin as the leader of the Soviet Union?
In what year was Dwight D. Eisenhower first elected US President?
Great Britain, France, and __________ attacked Egypt during the Suez Crisis.
North Korea and South Korea are separated at the __________ Parallel.
In 1956, most of the action in the Hungarian Revolution took place in what city?
What was the game that Eisenhower referred to in his famous “Falling” speech?
__________ was the leader of China during the Korean War?
In what country was Joseph Stalin born?
More Americans lost their lives in which Korean War battle that lasted from November 27 to December 15, 1950?
__________ was the leader of Egypt during the Suez Crisis?
I was just a five year old during the fifties and I scored seven correct answers. How did you do?
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Answers
Nikita Khrushchev, 1952, Israel, 38th, Budapest, Dominos, Mao Zedong, Georgia, The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Gamal Abdel Nasser
I’ve spent a few nights recently getting reacquainted with Isaac Azimov’s Foundation series. It’s a classic creation that I’ve read a number of times over the years and it’s still a great read. Being a huge fan of Azimov I still read the story in absolute amazement much like I get when I read the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. How their minds work to write these amazing stories puzzles me but I still enjoy every minute spent reading them. Todays post will contain a group of unrelated facts collected by Azimov over the years and I thought you might enjoy them.
After the most recent North American glacier ended its southward advance about 11,000 years ago, it took more than 4,000 years for the mile-deep ice mass to melt from the present site of Hartford, Connecticut to that of St. John’s, Vermont, a distance of 190 miles.
The Earth receives only one-half of one-billionth of the sun’s radiant energy. But in just a few days it gets as much heat and light as could be produced by burning all of the oil, coal, and wood on this planet.
The first English settlement in what became New England was founded 13 years before the arrival of the Pilgrim’s. In 1607, a settlement was established at Popham Beach, Maine. After a year, its inhabitants found the climate too harsh, and departed.
During most of the Middle Ages, few people, including kings and emperors, were able to read or write. The clergy were virtually the only ones who possessed those skills.
Blue Laws became known as such because of the color of the paper on which they were printed. In 1665, Theophilus Eaton, governor of the New Haven Colony, and a friend, clergyman John Davenport, drew up the strict legal code regulating personal conduct that subsequently became known as the Blue Laws.
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, was sentenced to life in prison for splinting the fractured leg of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, John Wilkes Booth, became a hero to guards and inmates of his island prison when he stopped a yellow-fever epidemic there, in 1868, after all of the Army doctors had died. President. Johnson, Lincoln’s successor, pardoned Mudd in early 1869.
Until the “pooper-scooper law” was passed in 1978, the 500,000 dogs in New York City deposited 175 pounds of fecal matter on the streets each day. The law requires dog owners to clean up after their dogs, on penalty of fines up to $100. Most dog owners comply, and New York City is much cleaner.
President Lincoln’s only son to live to manhood – Robert Todd Lincoln – was at hand at the assassinations of three Presidents: his father’s, Garfield’s, and McKinley. He was called to the house where his father was dying; arrived only moments after Garfield was shot in the capital and McKinley was shot in Buffalo.
It’s been a miserable few days trying to get my systems back into operation. After four days I can finally return to the blog. It will probably take me another few weeks before things return to abnormal. This post will concern quotes from prominent people about politics. It seems to be all the rage nowadays so I decided to get on board with all of the other wackos. Here goes nothing . . .
My Quote of the Day
“Technology is a queer thing. It brings you
great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you
in the back with the other.”
(C. P. Snow)
“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.” Oscar Ameringer
“No man should be in public office who can’t make more money in private life.” Thomas Dewey
“The cardinal rule of politics – never get caught in bed with a live man or a dead woman.” J.R Ewing (Dallas)
“Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be President but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.” John F. Kennedy
“One fifth of the people are against everything all the time.” Robert Kennedy
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“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build a bridge even when there’s no river.” Nikita Krushchev
“Socialism is workable only in heaven, where it isn’t needed, and in hell, where they’ve got it.” Cecil Palmer
With Congress, every time they make a joke it’s a law, and every time they make a law, it’s a joke.” Will Rogers
“My choice early in life was to be either a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, There’s hardly any difference.” Harry Truman
“If God had been a liberal, we wouldn’t have had the Ten Commandments – we’d have the Ten Suggestions.” Malcolm Bradbury
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THANK GOD ONLY ONE OF THEM CAN WIN!
(Bumper sticker from the Kennedy-Nixon campaign in 1960)
Of all the historical scientific icons, in my opinion Albert Einstein should lead the list. You would think that someone with his accomplishments would be honored after his death even more so than when he was alive. Today’s post is a story that I found concerning Mr. Einstein after his death. It just goes to prove that human beings suck and no matter what the reasoning, they can justify any weird and bizarre actions that they think is necessary. Read on and be horrified like I was.
Did you know that Albert Einstein’s eyes are sitting in a bank vault in New Jersey? About the same time that pathologist Thomas Stoltz Harvey absconded with the brain mere hours after the famed physicist’s death in New Jersey in 1955, Einstein’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Henry Abrams, removed his eyes. Abrams placed them in a jar and locked them away in a bank vault. Although rumors pop up from time to time that the eyes will be put on the auction block, Abrams maintains that he has no plans to sell them. “When you look into his eyes, you’re looking into the beauties and mysteries of the world,” he said. “They are as clear as crystal; they seem to have such depth.”
Here’s just a little trivia factoid.
The creature designers for Star Wars based Yoda’s eyes on Albert Einstein’s eyes.
And finally a relatively famous quote by Albert Einstein that I’ve always loved and respected: “I love Humanity, but I hate humans.”It just proves to me that he was even more intelligent than I thought.
I thought this morning I’d try to get a little silly and make everyone smile. The recent and constant stream of bulls**t online videos is taking its toll on my sanity and disturbing my calm. I firmly believe that the human race is deserving of whatever it gets because anyone who is screaming and demanding “free speech” but then immediately uses it in the worse possible way, should be held to account. Todays post isn’t about “free speech” or “TikTok morons” but just another way to show how idiotic and stupid human beings can be if left unsupervised. Here are a few actual newspaper headlines that were once publishedand just prove my point even more.
HALF OF ALL CHILDREN TESTED SCORED BELOW AVERAGE
STOLEN PAINTING FOUND BY TREE
LIVING TOGETHER LINKED TO DIVORCE
MINERS REFUSE TO WORK AFTER DEATH
BOYS CAUSE AS MANY PREGNANCIES AS GIRLS
DEADLINES PASS FOR STRIKING POLICE
CEMETERY ALLOWS PEOPLE TO BE BURIED BY THEIR PETS
POLICE SEARCH FOR WITNESSES TO ASSAULT
KIDS MAKE NUTRICIOUS SNACKS
PROSTITUTES APPEAL TO POPE
And last but not least, the funniest joke ever told, or so says some British experts in 2002:
A couple of New Jersey hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. The other guy whips out his cell phone and calls 9-1-1. He gasps to the operator, “My friend is dead!, What can I do?” The operator in a calm, soothing voice, says, “Just take it easy. I can help. First let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, and then a shot was heard. The guys voice comes back on the line. He says, “Okay, now what?”
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