On July 20, 2011, after a nine-year campaign by the Cornish Pasty Association – the trade organisation of about 50 pasty makers based in Cornwall – the name “Cornish pasty” was awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the European Commission. According to the PGI status, a Cornish pasty should be shaped like a ‘D’ and crimped on one side, not on the top. Its ingredients should include beef, swede (called turnip in Cornwall), potato and onion, with a light seasoning of salt and pepper, keeping a chunky texture. The pastry should be golden and retain its shape when cooked and cooled. The PGI status also means that Cornish pasties must be prepared in Cornwall. They do not have to be baked in Cornwall, nor do the ingredients have to come from the county, though the Cornish Pasty Association (CPA) noted that there are strong links between pasty production and local suppliers of the ingredients. Packaging for pasties that conform to the requirements includes an authentication stamp, the use of which is policed by the CPA.
Prince Charles, eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and heir to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has among his many titles Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall.
In March 2005, following the suicide of writer Hunter S. Thompson, the comic strip Doonesbury ran a tribute, with Uncle Duke lamenting the death of the man he called his “inspiration”. The first of these strips featured a panel with artwork similar to that of Ralph Steadman, who illustrated several of Thompson’s works, including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Hunter S. Thompson and John Denver lived near each other in rural Colorado, although they got along better than Denver and Doonesbury’s Duke (who also lived near Denver, at least in the cartoon strip) did.
Two of John Denver’s songs have been named as official state songs. His 1971 hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is one of West Viriginia’s four official songs, while his 1973 hit “Rocky Mountain High” is one of the two official songs of Denver’s adopted home state of Colorado.
Although John Denver wrote “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, he never had a hit with his own recordings of it. Peter, Paul, and Mary took their cover (effectively a Mary Travers solo) to #1 in 1969, and it was immediately adopted by United Airlines for its commercials.
Denver’s final leaving was on a propeller plane, however.
John Denver, George Burns and Paul Sorvino all turned in stellar performances in the movie Oh God!.
There have been several U.S. Presidents with the first names of John and George; there has never been one with the first name Paul. Paul Tsongas, a Democrat of Massachusetts who ran in 1992, would have been the first, had he been elected.
There have been several Kings of England with the first names of John (one), George (six), and Richard (three); there has never been one with the first name Paul.
Under the law of the United Kingdom, whales are royal fish, and when taken become the personal property of the monarch of the United Kingdom as part of his or her royal prerogative.
Swan upping is an annual ceremony in England in which mute swans on the River Thames are rounded up, caught, ringed, and then released. By prerogative right, the British Crown enjoys ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water. The ownership of swans in a given body of water was commonly granted to landowners up to the 16th century. The only bodies still to exercise such rights are two livery companies of the City of London. Thus the ownership of swans in the Thames is shared equally among the Crown, the Vintners’ Company and the Dyers’ Company.
The flag of England displays the Cross of St. George, a red cross on a white field. It is a component of the Union Flag (or Union Jack), which represents the entire United Kingdom.
From 1997 to 2001, British Airways jets omitted the Union Jack, even in stylized form, from most of their tails, in favor of a variety of Utopia or World Image logos, representing the countries it served.
BA has just repainted one of its 747’s with the old BOAC livery, even though that name was retired before the 747 entered service.
Elton John did not think that his song “Bennie and the Jets” would be a hit. He was shocked when it went to #1 in America in 1973; it only reached #37 in the UK. John claims he rarely knows which of his songs will be hits.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the New York Jets’ only Super Bowl appearance, SB III and a 16-7 win against the Baltimore Colts, in the latter days of the Lyndon Johnson administration. Joe Namath played QB for New York, Earl Morrall and John Unitas for Baltimore.
Quarterback Earl Morrall played for 21 seasons in the NFL, primarily as a backup quarterback. However, he had several occasions when injuries thrust him into a starting role.
In 1968, when the Colts’ starting QB, Johnny Unitas, suffered a season-ending injury in the final preseason game, Morrall became the Colts’ starter. He lead the team to a 13-1 record and the NFL championship (though they then lost to the AFL champion Jets in Super Bowl III), and he won the league MVP award. Two years later, Morrall replaced the injured Unitas in Super Bowl V, which the Colts won.
Then, in 1972, Morrall replaced the injured Bob Griese for the Dolphins, and led the team to 9 consecutive wins (completing the Dolphins’ undefeated season).
On the TV series Flipper, the title role was portrayed by five different dolphins; the most commonly used ones were named “Kathy” and “Susie.”
“Flipper” was produced by Ricou Browning, who had previously been best known for the monster suit he wore in the underwater scenes as The Creature from the Black Lagoon and its sequels. Those were shot at Wakulla Springs, FL, while “Flipper” was shot mostly in Miami. The house where the Ricks family lived for “Flipper” was the same house used for the Wedloe family on “Gentle Ben”, about a bear instead of a dolphin. The story of the movie Flipper was a blatant ripoff of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’ Florida-set The Yearling, except for having a dolphin and a fisherman instead of a deer and a farmer.
In 1843, the British government appointed William Wordsworth as Poet Laureate, having previously granted him a Civil List pension of £300 per annum.
This outraged Robert Browning, who idolised Wordsworth as a radical poet and saw his acceptance of these honours as a surrender to conservatism.
Browning wrote the poem, “The Lost Leader”, attacking Wordsworth. The opening lines are memorable:
“Just for a handful of silver he left us,
Just for a riband to stick in his coat.”
(Note that the Bank of England inflation calculator estimates that £300 in 1843 would be approximately £33,325 today, which is a bit more than a “handful” of silver.)
The Tay Bridge Disaster is a poem written in 1880 by the Scottish poet William McGonagall, who has been widely recognised as the worst poet in history.
On one occasion, his shopmates paid a local theatre owner to allow McGonagall to appear in the title role in a production of Macbeth. Convinced that the actor playing Macduff was jealous of him, McGonagall refused to die in the final act.