When The Monkees visited London in 1967, Mike Nesmith attended the Beatles’ recording session for “A Day in the Life” at Abbey Road Studios. During a conversation with John Lennon, Nesmith asked him “Do you think we’re a cheap imitation of the Beatles, your movies and your records?” Lennon replied, “I think you’re the greatest comic talent since the Marx Brothers. I’ve never missed one of your programs.”
King George VI considered naming Winston Churchill the first Duke of London after Churchill was defeated in the general election of 1945, having arguably done more than any other Briton to win World War II, but Churchill declined. He hoped to return as Prime Minister, which he could not have done from the House of Lords, and also knew that some of his children might want to follow him into politics.
Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington. It stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, on the south-east corner of Hyde Park. The house was given the popular nickname of Number One, London, since it was the first house passed by visitors who travelled from the countryside after the toll gates at Knightsbridge. It was originally part of a contiguous line of great houses on Piccadilly, demolished to widen Park Lane: its official address remains 149 Piccadilly, W1J 7NT.
Pun intended, I presume?? Made me chuckle!
In play, in honor of the 75th anniversary of D-Day:
Ernest Hemingway based many of his stories on his experiences during World War II. As a war correspondent for Collier’s magazine in 1944, Ernest Hemingway took part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy on a landing craft, coming in on the seventh wave after most of the action was ended. Hemingway accompanied American troops as they landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy.
ETA: I don’t know if Hemingway spent any time in London before or after the war.
I wish it was intended, but alas, I am not that clever. 
It’s a very good bet, though.
A C-47 Skytrain (military DC-3) named “That’s All, Brother”, addressing Hitler, was the first Allied aircraft to enter France on D-Day, to drop paratroopers behind German lines. She was recently rediscovered and has been restored to her WWII configuration by the Commemorative Air Force, and led a group of C-47’s across the Atlantic, via the still-used WWII ferry route and stops in Greenland and Iceland, to participate in today’s activities.
The Skytrain is still in use today in some air forces. It is the longest-serving type of military aircraft ever built.
Laker Airways was an English passenger air carrier, and was one of the first “no frills” airlines. In the 1970s, Laker was known for its “Skytrain” flights – low-cost, no-frills transatlantic flights between England and the U.S.
Laker Airways went out of business in 1982, due to a recession as well as competitive pressure. However, many of the tactics pioneered by Laker became commonplace in the airline industry.
George Mikan won seven NBL, BAA, and NBA championships as the center for the Minneapolis Lakers. The bespectacled Mikan was so dominant that he caused several rule changes in the NBA: among them, the introduction of the goaltending rule, the widening of the foul lane—known as the “Mikan Rule”—and the creation of the shot clock.
Very cool, thanks for this info! Here’s my imgur snap of “That’s All, Brother” flying:
My mother was a stewardess on Philippine Airlines – on DC-3s. So that’s my main interest in them, because of that. Back in 1959 she was PAL’s “Miss Aviation”, complete with a bikini cover photo on the Manila Sunday Times magazine.
Enjoy, fellas, and if you want to call her hot, go right ahead, she is 80 now and she’d love that.
In play:
1935-1949: the NBL, National Basketball League, operates with 38 teams (in 1935-1936 as the MBC, Midwest Basketball Conference). Their last league champions were the Anderson Packers of Anderson IN.
1946-1949: the BAA, Basketball Association of America, operates with 16 teams. Their last league champions were the Minneapolis Lakers of Minneapolis MN.
In 1949 the NBL merged* with the BAA to form today’s NBA.
- — To this day, the NBA claims the BAA’s history as its own. It now reckons the arrival of the NBL teams as an expansion, not a merger, and does not recognize NBL records and statistics.
I feel just a bit creepy in saying this, but, yes, Mother Bullitt was hot!
In play: The Minneapolis Lakers were formed in 1947 by two investors who purchased the Detroit Gems franchise and relocated it to Minneapolis. However, no players were involved, as the NBL had already assigned the Detroit players to other teams in the league. However, the new franchise had the first pick of the draft and they used it to select George Mikan. The Lakers won the league championship in their first year of existence, then moved to the BAA/NBA, where they won titles in their first two years in that league.
The Cleveland Browns were champions of the All-American Football Conference for every year of its existence, 1946-49, before joining the NFL along with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts. The Browns’ first NFL game was against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, with the Browns winning “The World Series of Pro Football” 35-10.
The first of the existing Major League Baseball teams to relocate from one city to another was the team now knows as the Baltimore Orioles, who started as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901 (actually they existed before then, but the American League was not considered a major league until that year) and then became the St. Louis Browns for over 50 years until becoming the Orioles.
Confusingly, the St. Louis Cardinals were also once called the Browns, in the 1880s and 1890s, and many years later another Milwaukee Brewers team was created.
The Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small icterid blackbird common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. It received its name from the resemblance of the male’s colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. “Oriole” ultimately derives from Latin aureolus, “golden”.
The Baltimore Orioles are one of three major league baseball teams with a bird for a mascot. The other two are the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays.
There are five such teams in the NFL: Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks.
The NBA and NHL have two each. Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA, and Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks in the NHL.
Baltimore Orioles 3B great Brooks Robinson was nicknamed The Human Vacuum Cleaner for his ability to snag scorching liners from his position at “the hot corner”. He won the Gold Glove sixteen times in a row and was also an 18x MLB All Star. His statue in Baltimore is only a few yards away from their statue of Babe Ruth.
The Gold Glove Award was created by sporting-goods manufacturer Rawlings in 1957, to recognize excellence in fielding among Major League Baseball players.
Each year, Rawlings awards 18 Gold Gloves – one for each position, in each of the two major leagues. Recipients are selected by MLB managers and coaches; in addition, statistical evaluations by the Society of American Baseball Research are factored into the vote.
Brooks Robinson’s sixteen Gold Gloves are the most received by a position player; however, pitcher Greg Maddux received the award eighteen times.
In addition to the MLB awards, Rawlings also awards Gold Gloves to professional female fast-pitch softball players, as well as to high school and collegiate baseball players.
My very first glove was a Rawlings. Good memories.
In play: The Rawlings brothers, George and Alfred, founded Rawlings in 1887, in St. Louis MO. They initially also sold guns (!) in their store. Rawlings is credited with introducing football shoulder pads in 1902, and the first all-weather football.
From 1610 until 1848, every French King (reigning and nominal) was named Louis except for one, Charles X.
The kings were:
Louis XIII
Louis XIV
Louis XV
Louis XVI
Louis XVII (nominal)
Louis XVIII
Charles X
Louis XIX (for 20 minutes)
Louis Philippe