Atlantic City, NJ, served as the inspiration for the original version of the board game Monopoly.
In economic theory a monopoly is a market structure characterised by a single seller. In contrast, a market characterised by a single purchaser is a monopsony.
Screaming Lord Sutch, founder and leader of Britain’s Monster Raving Loony Party, was famous for demanding “Why is there only one Monopolies Commission?”. Notable for campaigning in a top hat, gold lame suit, and leopardskin boots, he also proposed switching to decimal time - where there would be 100 seconds to the minute, and 100 minutes to the hour.
On 5 October 1793 decimal time was imposed on Revolutionary France.
Link to photo of French clock with dual decimal/duodecimal face
On 03 April 2007 a French TGV test train set the record for the fastest wheeled train, reaching 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph).
“On Wisconsin” is the college fight song that is most familiar and frequently played by bands at other schools. Originally composed in 1909 as “Minnesota, Minnesota”, it was re-adaptted to Wisconsin four years later.
Most of the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin is formed by two rivers, the St. Croix, and the Mississippi. The St. Croix is a tributary of the Mississippi.
The tune for “On Wisconsin” is used for one of songs of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The tune for “On Wisconsin” was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy as “Minnesota, Minnesota”. He intended to enter it into a college fight song contest, but withdrew at the last minute. A lyrics rewrite a few years later produced what John Philip Sousa called “the finest of college marching songs”.
Canada’s first public health care act came in Saskatchewan in 1946. There is no national health care in Canada, as each province administers its own with separate rules, but must meet a federal minimum standard and be portable. Each province, from time to time, rewrites the plan (averting ninja).
Tommy Douglas, a Canadian national hero for establishing its public health care system starting in his native Saskatchewan, was the grandfather of actor Donald Sutherland and great-grandfather of actor Kiefer Sutherland.
Donald Sutherland’s four sons were all named after directors under whom Sutherland worked - hence their rarity as forenames.
Kiefer is named after Warren Kiefer who, under the assumed name of Lorenzo Sabatini, directed Sutherland in his very first feature film. Roeg is named after director Nicolas Roeg, Rossif after French director Frédéric Rossif and Angus Redford got his middle name after Robert Redford.
Gabriela Sabatini, the Argentine tennis champion, was totally hot. Her father was a General Motors auto executive.
Gabriela von Habsburg is the Ambassador of Georgia to Germany. She is also known as the Archduchess Gabriela of Austria, and is the granddaughter of Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria.
Emmett Hall, the last Saskatchewanian appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, shares the nickname of “Father of Canadian Medicare” with Tommy Douglas.
After Douglas (the Socialist) brought in Medicare in Saskatchewan, Prime Minister Diefenbaker (the Conservative), another Saskatchewanian, appointed Hall (another Conservative) to study the issue of health care nationally. Hall recommended that the federal government fund Medicare nationally. His tag line was: “The only thing more expensive than good healthcare is no healthcare.”
By the time of Hall’s report, Diefenbaker had been defeated and replaced by Prime Minister Mike Pearson (the Liberal; not a Saskatchewanian, but no doubt secretly wished he was). PM Mike accepted Hall’s recommendation and implemented the funding formula which made Medicare a reality across Canada.
The Medicare system in Canada thus owes its origins to two Conservatives, one Socialist, and one Liberal. Three of the four were Saskatchewanians.
(Minor correction on all things Saskatchewan: Donald Sutherland is not Douglas’ grandson. Sutherland married Shirley Douglas, Douglas’ daughter. Their son is Keifer Sutherland, Douglas’ grandson, not great-grandson.)
medicare.gov is the official US Medicare website for CMS (or CMMS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in Baltimore MD. President Lyndon Baines Johnson led the creation of Medicare almost 50 years ago, in 1965. When LBJ signed the Medicare amendment, Harry and Bess Truman were beside him.
If Elizabeth Warren is elected president, she will be the first one with a surname the same as the given name of a previous president (Warren Harding).
The first woman elected to an Australian parliament was Edith Cowan (née Brown). She won a seat in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly in 1921.
NBA Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Dave Cowens is one of only four players (Scottie Pippen, Kevin Garnett and LeBron James are the others) to lead his team in all five major statistical categories for a season: points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. Cowens accomplished the feat in the 1977-78 season.
Boston is a sister city of Melbourne.