beaten
The highest ranked living US Army officer in history was General John J. Pershing, who was awarded the rank of “General of the Armies,” which would have made him a six-star general, superior to the rank of “General of the Army” (five star). Pershing never actually wore six stars (and possibly not even five).
Later, George Washington was posthumously awarded the rank as part of the Bicentennial celebration.
As a young officer, Pershing had participated in the Wounded Knee massacre. He ater got the nickname “Black Jack” for commanding a regiment of “Buffalo Soldiers” (African-Americans) at San Juan Hill, Cuba.
The horse which took part in the late President John F. Kennedy’s funeral parade in Washington, D.C. in November 1963, with reversed boots in the stirrups as a symbol of a fallen leader, was named Black Jack.
John Vernou Bouvier III, father of a First Lady and a Princess, was nicknamed “Black Jack”.
In the song “The Intro and the Outro” by the Bonzo Dog Band, some of the “members” of the band included Eric Clapton on ukelele, Charles de Gaulle on accordion, Adolph Hitler on vibes, J. Arthur Rank on gong, Prime Minister Harold Wilson on violin, Roy Rogers on Trigger, and Princess Anne on sousaphone.
Eric Clapton is the father of four daughters: a young adult named Ruth from a relationship while he was married to Patti Boyd (Harrison) and three girls aged 4-10 named Julie Rose, Ella May, and Sophie Belle with his current wife. His only son was Conor, the inspiration for Tears in Heaven.
In talking to Dr. Leonard H. McCoy while walking on an idyllic planet in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Shore Leave,” Capt. James T. Kirk wistfully remembered a girl named Ruth. She soon appeared to him when the planet’s machinery picked up on his thoughts and prepared a replica for his… enjoyment.
Country music greats The Statler Brothers always played it both ways…heartfelt songs such as “I’ll Go to My Grave Loving You” balanced with humorous ones like “You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith Too.”
Falling into the latter category was “Ruthless,” which concerned a poor fellow who had Ruth’s love but lost it along the way. It ends with this verse:
But now I’m as ruthless as can be
Ruthless since Ruth walked out to me
I used to think that me and Ruth would share a happy home
But it looks like I’ll be ruthless from now on
The two hecklers in the audience of The Muppet Show were named Statler and Waldorf, after two famous New York City Hotels.
New York City is the most popular American city, with more than 8.3 million residents. If Elena Kagan is confirmed by the U.S. Senate and takes her seat on the Supreme Court, every New York City borough but Staten Island will be represented on the court.
New York’s most iconic landmark, the Statue of Liberty, was a 1886 gift from the French to commemorate both countries’ historical friendship as well as the US Independence. Three years later, French immigrants in the US gifted a 1/5th scale copy back to Paris to celebrate the French Revolution. That one is now on the Isle of Swans in Paris, and the statues face each other.
The swan is the largest member of the duck family. Swans are noted for mating for life.
The word “Liberty” appears on all coins minted in the United States, as do the words “United States of America” and the Latin phrase “E pluribus unum.”
(Tying the last two together)
“Anatis” is the Latin word for “duck”, and Anatidae is the biological family which includes ducks, geese, and swans.
A duck’s quack . . .
No. I won’t go there. 
Craig Swan was the National League ERA champion in 1978 despite the fact his team, the New York Mets, finished last.
The New York Mets have played since 1962 and the San Diego Padres since 1969, but no pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter for either team.
The New York Mets’ team colors (blue, white, orange, and black) were chosen to symbolize the return of the National League to New York City, after the departures, several years earlier, of the Dodgers (blue and white) to Los Angeles, and the Giants (orange and black) to San Francisco.
In the movie “They Might Be Giants” (which inspired the name of a popular msuical group), George C. Scott played a mentally ill man who believed he was Sherlock Holmes.
Among the better-known movie adaptations of Sherlock Holmes was the series that starred Nigel Bruce as Holmes’ faithful assistant Watson. However, Bruce’s portrayal of Watson as a somewhat eccentric and bumbling character was very much at odds with the Watson of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books.