David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series “The Fugitive” (1963–1967). Janssen also had the title roles in three other series: “Richard Diamond, Private Detective”; “Harry O”; and “O’Hara, U.S. Treasury”.
Alexander Hamilton was the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and his statue stands outside the Treasury building in Washington, D.C., just east of the White House.
Irving Berlin published his first song, “Marie from Sunny Italy”, in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights. He first came to fame at the age of 22, with his first major international hit, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” in 1911.
Alexander Hamilton was the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, but only because Robert Morris first turned down the job offer from George Washington. Robert Morris was a Founding Father of the United States who financed the American Revolution and signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
Hamilton is a historic town at the head of the Clyde Valley in the heart of Lanarkshire, Scotland.
The town was once the fiefdom of the Dukes of Hamilton and was named for the family in the 1400s; before that, the town’s name was Cadzow. Hamilton Mausoleum lies on the grounds of the now-demolished Hamilton Palace and is the resting place of the Hamilton family. The mausoleum is renowned for having the longest-lasting echo of any building in the world.
Mount Hamilton is a mountain in Santa Clara County, California. Mount Hamilton is the site of Lick Observatory, the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The other summits along its mile-long summit ridge are known by astronomy-related names: Copernicus Peak at 4363+ feet is the highest; and Kepler Peak and Observatory Peak follow. Golden eagle nesting sites are found on the slopes of Mount Hamilton.
Mauna Kea’s altitude and isolation in the middle of the Pacific ocean make it an ideal location for astronomical observation. Currently there are 13 independent multi-national astronomical research facilities located on the summit; one of these, the Gemini Observatory, houses an 8.1-meter optical/IR telescope operated by a consortium of seven countries. While the summit is open to the public, the summit telescope research facilities are closed to tourists. Visitors will frequently ascend the summit during the day or to watch the sunset, then return to the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station for free nightly star gazing with public telescopes operated by knowledgeable star-guides.
Cool, good to know, I will want to stop in for a visit the next time I’m there. I’ve driven by it, on Saddle Road going from Hilo to Waikoloa, but I didn’t turn up the road to the Mauna Kea Visitors Center. I think the rental car companies frown on taking their cars on Saddle Road on the slopes of Mauna Kea.
In play: the University of Texas McDonald Observatory in the mountains of west Texas, on Mount Locke near Fort Davis TX, hosts a daily radio astronomy and science show called StarDate. Since 1991 a lady named Sandy Wood has been the voice of StarDate. Wood has a lovely voice and men inquire as to what she looks like. Wood says, “I’m not a babe, I’m a Grandma”, who lives in the San Antonio area.
The McDonald Observatory is interesting to visit and offers star viewing shows. At night, of course. If you go in the summer, bring warm clothing. West Texas may be HOT in the summer (Marfa, Alpine, Marathon, and Big Bend National Park), but Mount Locke can be cold and windy at night.
Gary Locke of Washington state was the first governor in the continental United States of Asian descent, and was the only Chinese American ever to serve as a governor of any state. He later became the first Chinese American to serve as the U.S. ambassador to China.
Gary, Indiana, was founded just 110 years ago, by the US Steel company. In 1930, one-thrid of its population was foreign-born European immigrants. Gary’s population peaked at 180,000 by 1960, but hs since fallen to less than half of that. The demographic has changed to 85% African American.
In addition to writing, composing, and originally recording his only hit song “Indiana Wants Me,” R. Dean Taylor produced the record and arranged it in collaboration with David Van De Pitte. It was released on the Rare Earth label, formed by Motown in an attempt to establish itself in the rock music market. The police siren sounds at the start of the record were removed from some copies supplied to radio stations after complaints that drivers hearing the song on the radio had mistakenly pulled over, thinking that the sounds were real.
The light and sirens used by police and fire/emergency vehicles in the United Kingdom is popularly known as “Blues and Twos” for the light color and the original sound of the siren. Today, most sirens have a variety of sound effects, but the old adage remains in use.
Under Ohio law, a police officer cannot testify about a traffic ticket unless he was properly uniformed and in a marked police car at the time he stopped and ticketed the motorist.
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At Haymarket Square in Chicago, on May 4, 1886, a peaceful rally in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day and in reaction to the killing of several workers the previous day by the police was taking place when an unknown assailant threw a bomb into a group of policemen. The resulting Haymarket massacre led to the deaths of seven police officers and many bystanders. In the internationally publicized legal proceedings that followed, eight anarchists were convicted of conspiracy. Seven were sentenced to death and one to a term of 15 years in prison. The death sentences of two of the defendants were commuted by Illinois governor Richard J. Oglesby to terms of life in prison, and another committed suicide in jail rather than face the gallows. The other four were hanged on November 11, 1887. In 1893, Illinois’ new governor John Peter Altgeld pardoned the remaining defendants and criticized the trial.
The Siege of Jerusalem took place from June 7 to July 15, 1099, during the First Crusade. Although conquerors committing atrocities against the inhabitants of cities taken by storm after a siege was the norm in Medieval warfare, the massacre of the inhabitants of Jerusalem likely exceeded even these standards. Both Muslims and Jews (who had fought alongside the Muslims to preserve the city from the Crusaders) were slaughtered in great numbers.
The daughter of a tribal princess from Kenya, but raised in Harlem and Cairo, Storm is a member of a fictional subspecies of humanity known as mutants, who are born with superhuman abilities. Storm has the ability to control the weather and can fly. She is a member of the X-Men, a group of mutant heroes who fight for peace and equality between mutants and humans. Possessing natural leadership skills and some of the most formidable powers in her team, Storm has led the X-Men from time to time, and has also been a member of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. As an adult, Storm married her fellow superhero Black Panther, and was by marriage made queen consort of the African nation of Wakanda, but lost this title when they divorced.
Actress Halle Berry just turned 50 the other month. She was born Maria Halle Berry but her name was legally changed to Halle Maria Berry when she was just five. She is named after the grand old Halle Building in Cleveland, Ohio, which originally housed the Halle Brothers department store. That store company was liquidated in 1982. Halle Berry played the role of Storm in the X-Men movie.
On June 2, 1886, Grover** Cleveland** became the only US President to marry in the White House when he wed Frances Folsom. The bride was the 22nd and 24th First Lady of the US from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897. She attended Wells College in Aurora, New York. Sometime while she was in college, Cleveland’s feelings for her took a romantic turn. He proposed by letter in August 1885, soon after her graduation. They did not announce their engagement, however, until just five days before the wedding. In the part of the wedding ceremony in which vows were exchanged, the words “honor, love, and keep” were substituted for “honor, love and obey.” Becoming First Lady at age 21, she remains the youngest First Lady in history.
Upon leaving the White House at the end of her husband’s first term in 1889, Mrs. Cleveland is reported to have told the staff to take care of the building since the Clevelands would be returning in four years. She was proved correct, becoming the only First Lady to be in two nonconsecutive administrations.