The Stockton, California team in the California League was known as the Stockton Ports from 1979-1999 (and previously from 1946-1972) except for 1984, when the name used was the Stockton Mudville Nine.
Stockton, California, is the site of the first Sikh temple in the United States; Stockton Gurdwara Sahib opened on October 24, 1912
Male Sikhs have “Singh” (Lion), and female Sikhs have “Kaur” (princess) as their middle or last name. Sikhs who have undergone the khanḍe-kī-pahul (the Sikh initiation ceremony) may also be recognised by the five Ks: Kesh, uncut hair which is kept covered, usually by a turban; kara, an iron or steel bracelet; a kirpan, a sword tucked into a *gatra *strap or a kamal kasar belt; kachera, a cotton undergarment; and kanga, a small wooden comb. Initiated male and female Sikhs must cover their hair with a turban.
The Lion and the Unicorn are symbols of the United Kingdom. They are “heraldic supporters” standing on each side of the full royal coat of arms; the Lion stands for England and the Unicorn for Scotland.
Gilded statues of the lion and the unicorn stand on the Old State House in Boston, in front of which the Boston Massacre took place. The central portion contained the chambers for the elected Massachusetts Assembly. This chamber is notable for including public galleries, the first known example of such a feature being included in a chamber for elected officials in the English-speaking world. On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the east side balcony to jubilant crowds by Col. Thomas Crafts (one of the Sons of Liberty). At one o’clock Col. Crafts rose in the Council Chamber and read it to the members. Then, fellow patriot Sheriff William Greenleaf attempted to read it from the balcony, but he could only muster a whisper. Col. Crafts then stood next to the sheriff and read it from the balcony in a stentorian tone. For most people, it was a festive occasion, as about two-thirds of Boston residents supported the revolution. The lion and the unicorn on top of the building were removed and burned in a bonfire in King Street (now State Street), but were replaced in a renovation.
Boston’s Old North Church is a mission of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. It is the oldest standing church building in Boston and is a National Historic Landmark. Inside the church is a bust of George Washington, which Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, reportedly remarked was the best likeness of the first president he had ever seen.
The ocean liner SS Normandie, built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for La Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT), was the world’s fastest ship and is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built. She was seized by the US government at her pier in New York after the fall of France in 1940, and was undergoing refitting there as the Navy’s troop transport USS Lafayette when she burned and sank. The project was never completed.
Normandie Avenue is one of the longest north-south streets in Los Angeles, running approximately 22.5 miles
The 1999 Rage Against the Machine album Battle of Los Angeles comes from the rumored enemy attack and subsequent anti-aircraft artillery barrage which took place from late 24 February to early 25 February 1942 over Los Angeles, California. In 1983, the U.S. Office of Air Force History attributed the event to a case of “war nerves” triggered by a lost weather balloon and exacerbated by stray flares and shell bursts from adjoining batteries.
The Battle of Los Angeles was preceded by one day by the Bombardment of Ellwood, which was an attack by a Japanese submarine upon coastal areas near Santa Barbara, CA. One can readily understand why nerves of LA defenders were frayed.
The name Ellwood or Elwood is of Old English origin and means “old, noble wood.” In essence, it’s like naming your kid Furniture.
Dan Aykroyd played the role of harmonica player/vocalist Elwood Blues in the movie “The Blues Brothers”.
The Kansas City Blues were the AAA farm team of
the News York Yankees through 1954. When Kansas City acquired the major league franchise Philadelphia Athletics, the Blues relocated in Denver.
“Until Arnold Johnson died, Kansas City was not an Independent Major League baseball team at all. It was nothing more than a loosely controlled Yankee farm club.” - That statement was made by Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck. From the time the Philadelphia Athletics moved to Kansas City until owner Arnold Johnson died the A’s and Yankees swapped 59 players in 16 trades in six years. Yankees co-owner Del Webb’s construction company even got the contract to renovate the stadium in Kansas City. Among the players the Yankees acquired from the A’s were Clete Boyer, Ralph Terry, and Roger Maris.
In 1961, Roger Maris set the then-home runs per season record. Maris hit 60 HRs in at 162 game season.
In 1994, Matt Williams hit 43 home runs in a strike-shortened season. Williams hit 43 HRs in 115 games. Williams’ HRs per game rate was greater than Maris’.
1961, 162 games, 60 HRs yielding 0.3704 HRs per game: Roger Maris
1994, 115 games, 43 HRs yielding 0.3739 HRs per game: Matt Williams, SF Giants
Or course, we will never know if Williams could have continued at that rate. But boy was it fun to watch, until the strike.
Actor and playwright Emlyn Williams said he would most probably have started working in the Welsh coal mines with his father at age 12, like most boys he knew. However, a teacher noted his talent and when he was 17 managed to get him a scholarship to Oxford. At the end of his long career on stage and in film, he toured the world portraying Charles Dickens in a one-man show.
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Litttle Jimmy Dickens, at 4’11", was the originator of the rhine-stone studded costumes worn since the late 1940s by country music performers.
The Rhine River starts in southeastern Switzerland and flows north-northwest for over 750 miles before draining into the North Sea in The Netherlands. The Rhine forms parts of the country borders of:
CHE-AUT: Switzerland and Austria
CHE-LIE: Switzerland and Liechtenstein
CHE-DEU: Switzerland and Germany
FRA-DEU: France and Germany
In Düsseldorf, the Rheinuferpromenade is a walkway along the Rhine. Düsseldorf takes its name from the river Düssel, which drains into the Rhine there. Düsseldorf means the village of Düssel.
Rheingold beer (named for the river Rhine and the Wagner opera) was very popular in New York in the mid-1900s. Old Rheingold beer cans were found during the cleanup of the WTC site following the collapse of the Twin towers, hidden in the beams of the building decades earlier by construction workers who had drunk the beers on the job.
When Nat King Cole became the first major black entertainer to host a television show in 1957, most advertisers stayed away except for Rheingold; it was the New York regional sponsor for Cole’s show. As early as 1965, Rheingold aired television ads featuring African American, Puerto Rican and Asian actors, to appeal to its racially diverse customer base.