Aztalan is the name of a community as well as a state park located in Jefferson County in southeast Wisconsin, approximately three miles east of Rock Lake and the town of Lake Mills. There are submerged and unexplained structures in this lake, which underwater surveys and scans have likened to pyramids found in Mesoamerica. Some people have even theorized that these are evidence of the Aztec legend, which claims that the first Aztecs came from a northern land called Aztalan.
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Mitt Romney announced his selection of Wisconsin Congressman Tim Ryan as his GOP running mate in 2012 aboard the battleship USS Wisconsin, now a museum ship moored in Norfolk, Va.
The Norfolk Terrier is a British breed of dog. Prior to gaining recognition as an independent breed in 1964, it was a variety of the Norwich Terrier, better known as the dog which won Best in Show in the 2000 mockumentary, Best in Show.
Actor-writer-director Christopher Guest (a.k.a. Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest) has directed and co-written five “mockumentary” films. These comedies use largely improvised dialogue, and feature a recurring cast of actors, including Eugene Levy (co-writer of four of the films), Catherine O’Hara, Michael McKean, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Harry Shearer, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley Jr., John Michael Higgins, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jim Piddock.
These films include Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), For Your Consideration (2006), and Mascots (2016).
Since all of Christopher Guest’s children are adopted, the next in line is his brother Nicholas. Since all of Nicholas’ children are girls, after him the title will go extinct.
The late Prince Philip of the United Kingdom, husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was a great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, tsar of Russia from 1825-1855. In 1993, after the unmarked graves believed to contain the remains of Nicholas II, Alexandra and three of their daughters were exhumed, Prince Philip offered a blood sample to scientists seeking to identify the remains. His DNA matched that of the bodies believed to be those of Alexandra and the three girls, helping to confirm their identity.
Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II were both great-great-grandchildren of Queen Victoria.
King Charles III, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, wore a purple-and-gold tunic for his May 6, 2023 coronation based on that worn by his grandfather, King George VI.
And scroll about a fifth of the way down here: Which Jewels Will King Charles III Wear for His Coronation?
Purple and gold are the primary uniform colors for several North American sports teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, and the athletic teams of the University of Washington and Louisiana State University.
Beginning in 1968, the Minnesota Vikings’ front defensive line was called “The Purple People Eaters.” They were a key part of a Vikings team that won 10 division titles in 11 years, leading to five NFC Championships and four Super Bowl appearances.
“The Purple People Eater” was written and recorded by Sheb Woolley in 1958.
Sheb Wooley (note spelling) also had a career as an actor specializing in Westerns and is believed to be the actor that did the Wilhelm Scream in the movie Distant Drums.
One movie role played by Sheb Wooley was in Hoosiers (1986), where he played Cletus Summers, the principal of Hickory High School and the one who hired Coach Norman Dale who was played by Gene Hackman who, by the way, is a US Marine — because, Once a Marine, Always a Marine.
Roy Rogers was billed as “King of the Cowboys” and his wife Dale Evans was “Queen of the West.”
Roy Rogers was also twice elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame, first as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers in 1980, and again as a soloist in 1988.
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the earliest Western singing groups and have remained one of the longest-surviving country music vocal groups. They have never stopped performing since their inception. Formed in 1933 as the Pioneer Trio, in 1934 they changed their name to The Sons of the Pioneers, they made their first commercial recording, and Roy Rogers also joined the group.
The Coen brothers used their “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” in their classic movie “The Big Lebowski.”
On The Roy Rogers Show (1951-1957), Roy’s horse was named Trigger (this horse played Maid Marion’s horse in The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938, by the way) and Dale’s horse was named Buttermilk.
President Abraham Lincoln’s typical White House lunch during the Civil War was an apple and a glass of buttermilk.
The First Family was a 1962 parody album of President John Kennedy and his family. The album, which featured comedian and impressionist Vaughn Meader, became the largest and fastest selling record in the history of the record industry, selling more than one million copies per week for the first six and one-half weeks. Meader became a celebrity star overnight, appearing on television variety shows and was featured in several magazines. His fame, however, came to an abrupt end when Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963, as his bookings were canceled and the album was pulled from stores across the country. He never regained his star status and eventually became a local musician in his native Maine. He died in 2004.
In 1981 Rich Little appeared on the comedy album The First Family Rides Again. It spoofed Ronald Reagan, his family, and his administration. Also appearing on the album: Melanie Chartoff, Shelley Hack, Michael Richards; writers included Earl Dodd and Vaughn Meader. The cover of the album was a homage to The First Family of 1962, with actors pictured in front of the White House.