Edgar Allan Poe’s maternal grandfather was (William) Henry Arnold, who was involved in the London theater. When he attended West Point, Poe invented a fictional genealogy as a joke, claiming that his grandfather was the son of Benedict Arnold, the famous traitor. However this conceals a more interesting plausible genealogy. There is circumstantial evidence that Henry Arnold’s grandfather was Thomas Arnold, who had an affair with HRH Amelia, the daughter of King George II. Thus, it is not impossible that Edgar Allan Poe was the gt-gt-gt grandson of King George II !
Although Prince William, the eventual heir to the British throne, resembles Prince Charles, his younger brother Harry looks remarkably like red-haired cavalry officer James Hewitt, one of his mother’s long line of lovers. Hewitt loyally denies paternity, however.
The speculated infidelities of Lady Di are only one of many alleged cuckoldings that could be easily tested if royals did not guard their DNA samples so zealously. For example, experts do not believe the present King of Spain has the Bourbon Y-chromosome implied by his official pedigree. Infidelity would not affect his claim to Spain, however, which derives from his ancestress Queen Isabel II (d. 1904)
James Hewitt claimed to have had an affair with Princess Diana. Diana herself, in a one-on-one interview in November 1995, claimed their relationship went beyond a close friendship, and that she was in love with him. In less than two years, she would be dead.
Diana Dors was a blonde 1950s bombshell from Britain whose real name was Diana Fluck. She left a large fortune that has never been found – in her will, she put the location of the 2-million pounds in a code that only her ex husband could decipher, but he committed suicide and the stash remains hidden to this day.
Diana Dors was a platinum blonde who looked similar to Marilyn Monroe. They were about the same age, too, born just five years apart. Dors was born in 1931 while Monroe was born in 1926. Dors died at 52 of ovarian cancer.
About a year ago, Secretary lf State John Kerry announced that the Monroe Doctrine (which was never law) is now inoperable. Which could mean that the US is now free to meddle in the affairs of European countries.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was created by the JFK Administration for political purposes. Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara asserted on the first day of “ExComm” delibrations when asked how the MRBMs in Cuba affected the strategic baalnce: “Not at all … A missile is a missile; it makes no great difference whether you are killed by a missile from the Soviet Union or Cuba.”
The Cuban cigar has been largely off limits to Americans since the imposition of the U.S. economic embargo more than 50 years ago. The anticipated new regulations under the coming thaw include visitors to Cuba being able to buy up to $100 of cigars and bring them into the U.S.
That amounts to between three and five cigars, if you estimate the general average price. A worthwhile Cuban cigar, depending on the size, goes for between $20 to $30. Cigar lovers visiting, say, Montreal, will have to enjoy the Cubans in Quebec as they’ll likely still be prohibited from bringing in the cigars from a third country.
In his poem “The Betrothed”, Rudyard Kipling observed
*OPEN the old cigar-box, get me a Cuba stout,
For things are running crossways, and Maggie and I are out.
We quarrelled about Havanas—we fought o’er a good cheroot,
And I know she is exacting, and she says I am a brute.
…
A million surplus Maggies are willing to bear the yoke;
And a woman is only a woman, but a good Cigar is a Smoke.
Light me another Cuba—I hold to my first-sworn vows.
If Maggie will have no rival, I’ll have no Maggie for Spouse!*
A Cuba Libre is made from cola, lime, and either dark or light rum.
Variations include making it with club soda, orange slices, spiced rum, a splash of juice, or a splash of syrup.
A simple and good (to me, my family, and my former neighbor Memen anyway) recipe for classic pecan pie uses either dark or light Karo syrup.
Quick Facts
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Bake Time: 60 to 70 minutes
Cool Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen deep-dish pie crust
> Stir first five ingredients thoroughly with spoon. Mix in pecans.
> bake 60-70mins @350 °F on center rack
> cool for 2hrs; store in refrigerator
> Tips: Pie is done when center reaches 200 °F. Tap center surface of pie lightly; when done it should spring back. For easy cleanup spray pie pan with cooking spray. If pie crust is over-browning, cover edges with foil.
For this week, I baked four (4!) for my family.
Fruit cake is simple and good. If anybody has a fruit cake they don’t want, PM me for my mailing address.
The Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas was founded in 1896 by August Wiederman, an immigrant from Wiesbaden, Germany. Celebrities such as Enrico Caruso and Will Rogers were sighted at the bakery, and in 1914 the Ringling Brothers Circus passed through town and ordered dozens of fruitcakes as Christmas gifts to be mailed to friends and family across the globe.
jtur88, you can order yours on line.
March 27th, 1914 saw the 1st successful blood transfusion.
Jimmy Drake, aka Nervous Norvus, recorded a novelty song in 1956 called “Transfusion”, wildly popular, but it was banned by almost every radio station, as in bad taste.
On 10/8/1956 Don Larsen pitched a perfect game for the NY Yankees against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series.
Larsen, a notorious skirt chaser, was served with divorce papers by his wife on the same day.
NYY manager Casey Stengel said of Larsen that “the only thing he fears is sleep” (i.e. sleep might cut into the time available for whoring around). On another occasion, after Larsen was reported to have wrecked his car during some late-night hijinks, Stengel said “He probably just went out to mail a letter.”
In the 2014 Workd Series, Madison Bumgarner became just the third pitcher ever in the Fall Classic to start twice and make a relief appearance of more than three innings. Even more remarkably, he is the first man to do so in more than a century. Not since the Tigers’ George Mullin in 1909 and none other than Cy Young in the very first World Series in 1903, had a pitcher managed that feat. Mullen and Young, however, both took a loss in one of their three starts (yes, three) and their relief appearances came in losing efforts as well.
Even though Bumgarner’s mound performance wasn’t the best in World Series history, no pitcher has ever done what Madison Bumgarner did.
As Tom Verducci wrote in the Sports Illustrated story naming him their 2014 Sportsman of the Year, Madison Bumgarner used to date a girl named Madison Bumgarner. “No relation, I’m sure of it”, says the pitcher.
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman, met Eva Longoria, actress, but as far as I know, never dated. Brett Butler, the Dodger, and Brett Butler the actress probably met, but the paparazzi paid little attention. Robin Roberts, the Hall of Fame pitching great, probably never met the 40-years younger Robin Roberts the CNN newscasterr, whose father was a Tuskegee Airman…