Sky High was a 2005 Disney film starring Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, and Michael Angarano. It’s about a high school for superheroes (and sidekicks) in training. Kurt Russell was named a “Disney Legend” in 1998.
American actor Michael Angarano, age 38, was born in Brooklyn. He was one of three finalists for the role of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels. He has had relationships with actresses Kristen Stewart, June Temple and Maya Erskine; he and Erskine married in 2024, and have a son and a daughter.
Jake Lloyd, who portrayed the young Anakin Skywalker in the first Star Wars prequel, had a rough life post-fame. He was bullied as a child and left acting, and as an adult he’s dealt with mental illness. However, as of January 2026 it appears he’s on the mend, as he has made a rare public appearance, also with a Star Wars child star, Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett).
Silent film star Harold Lloyd often appeared in films involving seemingly death-defying stunts; Lloyd did many of his own stunts, despite losing the thumb and forefinger of his right hand during a 1919 mishap while shooting promotional photos: he picked up and lit what he thought was a prop bomb, but which was an actual explosive.
For the rest of his career, Lloyd wore a glove on that hand, with prosthetic fingers, to conceal the injury.
NFL wide receiver Harold Carmichael was known for his height. At 6 foot 8 inches, he is believed to be the tallest wide receiver in the history of the NFL. Carmichael played once in the Super Bowl for the Philadelphia Eagles. In Super Bowl XV, on 25 January 1981, although favored by 3 points his Eagles lost to the Oakland Raiders 27-10.
Years later, on 04 February 2018, he would win in Super Bowl LII as an administrator working in the front office for the Philadelphia Eagles, primarily as the director of player development and alumni affairs, and in other capacities, when they defeated the New England Patriots 41–33.
Harold Carmichael was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 (Centennial Class) as a legendary Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, a member of the Eagles Hall of Fame, and the Black College Football Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy as one of the NFL’s best players of the 1970s.
At 410 lbs., Aaron Gibson is the heaviest man to play in the NFL. Selected by the Detroit Lions at number 27 in 1999, he played in a few games before being sidelined for most of the season with a shoulder injury. He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys but played just one game before a knee injury ended his season. He started in all 16 game with the Chicago Bears in 2004 before retiring in 2010, having played in only 38 games his entire career.
William “The Refrigerator” Perry, born in 1962, played for the Chicago Bears and was on their (only) Super Bowl championship team, for the 1985 season when they won Super Bowl XX, 46-10 over the New England Patriots.
Perry was a rookie that season, and he scored a rushing touchdown in the game. Other Bears rushing touchdowns in that game were scored by fullback Matt Suhey, and Quarterback Jim McMahon (twice). Unfortunately, the greatest-ever Chicago Bear, running back Walter Payton, never scored in the game and the fault for that lies squarely on head coach Mike Ditka.
Nicknamed “the Refrigerator” due to his large size, Perry remains the heaviest player to ever score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, and he has the largest Super Bowl ring at size 23–25.
Gaylord and Jim Perry are the only brothers in the history of Major League Baseball to have both won the Cy Young Award (an award for the best pitcher of the year). Gaylord won the Cy Young twice – in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians, and in 1978 with the San Diego Padres – while Jim won the award in 1970 with the Minnesota Twins.
The Perry brothers combined for 529 wins during their careers, second only to the Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe, at 539 wins. Ironically, both of the Niekros, as well as Gaylord Perry, were primarily knuckleball pitchers.
Joseph Herman “Dizzy” Dean played alongside his brother, Paul Dee “Daffy” Dean, who were colorful members of the Saint Louis Cardinals’ famed “Gashouse Gang.” Dizzy had an exceptional command of pitching a baseball, but his butchery of the English language was equally, if not more, legendary. His Ozark Mountain, uneducated dialect so thoroughly mangled English that a group of concerned (or nosy, if you prefer) teachers lodged a complaint that his broadcasts were dumbing down the children of Saint Louis. Or something. Dean, a shrewd self-marketer, leaned into the controversy. He famously said “A lot of people who ain’t sayin’ ‘ain’t’ ain’t eatin’. So teach, you keep learnin’’em English, and I’ll keep learnin’ ‘em baseball.”
This is in stark contrast to the plot of the “biopic” - quote unquote - about him, “The Pride of Saint Louis,” in which the teachers’ complaint led him to quit broadcasting and retreat into The Bottle. So moved by his penitence, the teachers withdrew their complaint.
Although St. Louis, MO, is best known as “Gateway to the West” by virtue of its location and the Gateway Arch, it is also known as “Mound City” due to the Cahokia Mounds that were built around 600 CE by First Nation tribes.
Cool. Been there. The Mississippian peoples were fascinating and Cahokia was a massive site.
In play — St. Louis, MO is very close to the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The two confluence points are only about 20 miles apart. Nearby, less than 5 miles from the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, is also Pere Marquette State Park. Because of the three major rivers there, that area is the winter home to many bald eagles. Bald eagles migrate down from Canada to spend the winters in that area. They build nests called aeries and they return to the same series each winter. Bald eagles also mate for life. On winter weekends at Pere Marquette State Park they hold Bald Eagle Viewing Days where a park ranger leads you to the different aeries to watch them.
➜ https://www.riversandroutes.com/events/bald-eagle-days-at-pere-marquette-state-park-2025-2026 ■
Comment only: I used to travel to STL MO several times a year for work. In all my visits there, the museums and tours and such that I visited (including Cahokia Mounds), the Bald Eagle Viewing Days was my most favorite event. The State Park Ranger who led the event had the last name of Isringhausen. A unique name, and when I asked him, yes he is the brother of former MLB pitcher Jason Isringhausen. I took my tour some 15-20 years ago and I think he still leads those outings.
It is a fantastic outing. Highly recommended!
The steam locomotive in the animated 2004 film The Polar Express was based on a real locomotive: a 2-8-4 “Berkshire”-type locomotive, operating number 1225, which was originally built for the Pere Marquette Railway.
The US Navy steam sloop-of-war USS Kearsarge, commanded by Capt. John A. Winslow, defeated and sank the Confederate Navy commerce raider CSS Alabama, commanded by Capt. Raphael Semmes. The two warships fought off the coast of Cherbourg, France, on June 19, 1864, for about an hour. It was the farthest-east battle of the American Civil War.
The farthest-west battle of the American Civil War involving casualties was the Battle of Picacho Pass, also known as the Battle of Picacho Peak. Picacho Peak is located about 50 miles northwest of Tucson, Arizona. A group of 120 Confederates, hoping to gain a path to the Pacific Ocean, had seized Tucson and proclaimed it the capital of the western district of the Confederate Arizona Territory. But a force of about 2,000 Union volunteers from California arrived and drove the small Confederate force back into Texas. The Union force suffered 3 killed and 3 wounded soldiers, while the Confederate force suffered 1 killed, 3 wounded, and 3 captured.
Picacho is Spanish for peak, or prominence, or summit, or needle. Picacho Peak therefore means peak peak.
There is a Picacho, California, a tiny town in the far south of the state, on the Colorado River and some 20 miles north of the Mexico border.
In northern Baja California, Mexico, there is a Picacho del Diablo mountain that, at 10,157’ high, is the highest peak on the Baja California peninsula.
Noted. Thanks for the tip!
In play:
Los Algodones is the furthest northern town in Mexico. Located in the locality of Mexicali, Mexico, south of Andrade, California, and approx. five miles east of Yuma, Arizona. It is also nicknamed “Molar City” due to hundreds of dentists that cater to Americans seeking affordable dental care outside of the United States.
There have been three warships named USS Arizona to serve in the US Navy, the best-known of which was the Pennsylvania-class battleship which was tragically sunk, with great loss of life, in the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. A Virginia-class nuclear fast attack submarine now being built will be named USS Arizona; she is expected to be commissioned in the next two years or so.
This new USS Arizona (SSN-803) submarine will be the first ship named USS Arizona since the battleship (BB-39) sank at Pearl on 07 December 1941. My dad’s uncle was aboard her that day. He was a purser and below decks. He lived in San Jose CA and on one family vacation when I visited him (we lived in Upstate New York back then), I was a young child of about 10 or 11. My dad told me about him, and we were in his living room and he showed me a framed letter signed by the President (FDR, IIRC; or maybe it was Harry S).
He told me about it and said he went up topside and dove into the waters and swam to Ford Island. I asked, Wasn’t there burning oil on the water’s surface (I remember seeing that on Tora! Tora! Tora!)? He said yes there was, and when he surfaced for air he had to splash the water with his arms to clear a space for him to get some air; then under he went again to continue to Ford Island.
Survivors of the USS Arizona (BB-39), and there were about 335 of them, are listed here
He is listed there: Patrocinio Pablo, OS1/c. As kids we called him Lolo Enyong but his name was Patrocinio Pablo.
15 of the listed survivors were Marines.
The Arizona had a crew of about 1,500.
(And yes, that’s my play.)
Not in play –
I remembered learning/being told that the USS Arizona (BB-39) was never formally decommissioned or stricken from the Naval rolls in remembrance of those who lost their lives on board her on Dec 7th. If this is true, this means that upon commissioning of the SSN, the US Navy would have two ‘active’ ships on the rolls bearing the same name simultaneously,
(after further thought, since this is in keeping with the thread, if someone wants to play off this, be my guest)
-“BB”-
The Arizona is not the only United States Navy vessel that is, for all intents and purposes, not going anywhere but remains (ceremonially) commissioned. The USS Constitution, which saw action in the War of 1812, is still afloat in Boston Harbor and is still commissioned, though I’m going to guess it’s unlikely to ever leave Boston Harbor again. Another commissioned US Naval vessel that is unlikely to ever leave its current location is the USS Pueblo, which was captured in North Korea and remains, to this day, in a museum in Pyongyang.