Archive for January, 2008

The kids are really enjoying their “activity” table they got for Christmas. If they are not playing billiards, they are playing one of the other many games, like shuffleboard.

We were going to get them something completely different, but they have proven once again that we don’t know what we’re doing. I’m glad we decided to get that instead of installing fiber optic cables throughout the house or something.

On this day in 1974, “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand topped the charts.

It’s been 34 years already? Wow. She must feel very old, I know I do. The last I heard, she and other celebrities were going to move out of the country if Bush was re-elected. Did they ever move? I didn’t see any news about a rush on Rimowa luggage at the stores.

On this day in 1880, the actor known as W.C. Fields was born. Here he is in his first short film, Pool Sharks, from 1915.

W.C. Fields was one of a kind. These days he would be considered his own “franchise“, as they like to say. He had a way of making people laugh, even though, when you look back on things, he wasn’t really that funny at all. It just shows you that nothing has really changed in Hollywood, except the faces.

On this day, in 1986, the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after lift off.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.

Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.

For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, ‘Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy.’ They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.

We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.

And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.

I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute. We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.”

There’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, ‘He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.’ Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete.

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ’slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’

Thank you.

On this day in history, Ed Wynn was born. Who was Ed Wynn you ask?

In 1826, Julia Dent Grant was born.

In 1837, Michigan became the 26th state.

In 1875, George F. Green patented the electric dental drill.

In 1880, Douglas MacArthur was born.

In 1925, Paul Newman was born.

In 1934, the Apollo Theatre opened in New York City.

In 1935, Bob Uecker was born.

In 1958, Ellen DeGeneres was born.

In 1960, Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the NFL.

You can find out more about this day in history at the History Channel, Those Were The Days, and InfoPlease .

This is hilarious.

Wow.

Here’s a blast from the past for you…

On this day in 1973, Donny Osmond received a gold record for his hit, “Too Young”.

Sometimes I am so ashamed to admit I grew up in of the ’70’s.

In 1737, John Hancock was born.

In 1789, Georgetown College was established. How would you have liked to have been the real estate agent that handled that transaction?

In 1832, Edouard Manet was born.

In 1898, Randolph Scott was born.

In 1899, Humphrey Bogart was born.

In 1907, Charles Curtis became the first American Indian U.S. Senator (He later became Pres. Herbert Hoover’s vice-president).

In 1919, Ernie Kovacs was born.

In 1950, Richard Dean Anderson was born.

In 1975, Barney Miller debuted on ABC-TV.

In 1989, Salvador Dali died.

In 2004, Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) died.

You can find out more about this day in history at the History Channel, Those Were The Days, and InfoPlease .

In 1968, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In debuted on NBC.

I often wonder why today’s television executives don’t put something like this back on the air. Comedy is timeless. I think it’s a pretty safe bet that none of the women, including Ruth Buzzi needed eca stack to help with their weight problems back then. I really liked Laugh-In.