If you pop over to one of those "This Day In History" sites, which I do daily, with only a couple of minor exceptions and one major one, June 17 seems to be reserved for misconceptions, accidents, missteps, crime, and lost causes. Of course, this is the main reason things become historical. It is, as Alexander would say, one of those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days.
In 1775 there was a revolutionary battle fought on Breed's Hill in Boston. Naturally, this will be forever designated as The Battle of Bunker Hill.
In 1944 The Vichey government in France surrendered to Germany. Now you know why Humphrey Bogart tosses a bottle of "Vichey Water" into the trashcan at the end of Casablanca.
1876 - The Indians won one game at the Battle of Rosebud. Unfortunately, they didn't win the series.
In 1962 the Watergate Burglers got arrested. Eventually, Deep Throat came to mean something more than an X-rated movie, Woodward and Bernstein became way too famous for their own good, and the American public got stuck with G. Gordon Liddy as a talk show host.
1994 - Who can forget the slow speed "chase" of the white Bronco down a California freeway. Two people were dead, OJ was arrested and eventually released, and TV programmers discovered that car chases got great ratings.
1986 - Kate Smith died. There's nothing funny to say about this one. We lost a great lady with a great voice who had way too many jokes made about her weight, but kept singing anyway. When I was four, her signature song was the first "grown up" one I ever learned as my repetoire to that point was Itsy Bitsy Spider.
And the really, really good thing.
In 1885 - The arrival of what may have been the world's largest puzzle arrived in New York. It came off the boat in more than 200 packing cases, took a year and a half to assemble, but once completed, gave an excuse for a great big party then and a hundred years later. To see how the puzzle turned out: Go Here.
In 1775 there was a revolutionary battle fought on Breed's Hill in Boston. Naturally, this will be forever designated as The Battle of Bunker Hill.
In 1944 The Vichey government in France surrendered to Germany. Now you know why Humphrey Bogart tosses a bottle of "Vichey Water" into the trashcan at the end of Casablanca.
1876 - The Indians won one game at the Battle of Rosebud. Unfortunately, they didn't win the series.
In 1962 the Watergate Burglers got arrested. Eventually, Deep Throat came to mean something more than an X-rated movie, Woodward and Bernstein became way too famous for their own good, and the American public got stuck with G. Gordon Liddy as a talk show host.
1994 - Who can forget the slow speed "chase" of the white Bronco down a California freeway. Two people were dead, OJ was arrested and eventually released, and TV programmers discovered that car chases got great ratings.
1986 - Kate Smith died. There's nothing funny to say about this one. We lost a great lady with a great voice who had way too many jokes made about her weight, but kept singing anyway. When I was four, her signature song was the first "grown up" one I ever learned as my repetoire to that point was Itsy Bitsy Spider.
And the really, really good thing.
In 1885 - The arrival of what may have been the world's largest puzzle arrived in New York. It came off the boat in more than 200 packing cases, took a year and a half to assemble, but once completed, gave an excuse for a great big party then and a hundred years later. To see how the puzzle turned out: Go Here.
4 comments:
I never would have thought of the Statue of Liberty as a puzzle, but I guess she kind of is.
^....like all women.
Just kidding, I had to throw in some sort of bad psycho babble.
Great gift, but I do stand guilty of being one of those New Yorkers who has never gone to the Statue of Liberty...or the Empire State.
Other good:
It was the second day of Monterey Pop on June 17th.
There's something.
As for the lack of direction for me...and the noticeable lack of blogging (James Cagney is amazing though, you're right) it's not a sense of lack of direction as much as trying to figure out the world and re-entering the world of "Why?" and "Good or Bad?". I've never been a black or white person. But I feel so confused and often disturbed by who's in the world or has been. And what some of these people have done...and WHY?
There's my major head scratch of the moment.
Whew, I guessed the puzzle, but I think that's because I've figured out where you go with stuff sometimes LOL! Good post. I liked the Robin Hood one, too, I'm just not taking time for many comments today...sorry.
Big fan of 'this day in history' articles.
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