E. B. White, an editor for The New Yorker, was hired to edit a new edition of William Strunk’s handbook, The Elements of Style in 1959. The book is now referred to as “Strunk and White” and is still considered one of the most important style manuals for aspiring writers. White, though a famous essayist of his time, is now better known for his successes in child literature as the author of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web.
HM William II Rufus of England was killed while hunting on 8/2/1100 by an arrow fired (shot?) by an unknown archer.
To this day no one has a very good idea who did it.
Talk about a cold case!
William the Conqueror had grown so incredibly obese toward the end of his life that a special casket had to be constructed for him at his death in 1087. But they had forgotten to account for the body bloating even further and so had to cram him in. They pushed so hard that his body just sort of “exploded” and during one of the hottest summers in memory. The stench in the chapel was reportedly incredible, and all who could fled while the rest suffered through a very hasty funeral with a partially closed coffin.
If you think an “exploded” king is bad, try an exploding whale!!!:
Whale explodes on Taiwanese street!
Whale explodes on Oregon beach!
OK, OK, so the Oregon whale didn’t explode on its own. Yet the Taiwansese whale suggests the Oregon whale
might have done so if only it had been left alone.
The coast-to-coast dash of the battleship USS Oregon during the Spanish-American War made headlines, and underlined the importance of digging the Panama Canal.
The Panama Hat originated in Ecuador.
Now stereotypically associated with hoodlums, they were part of the wardrobe
of numerous prominent men, including US Presidents T. Roosevelt and Truman.
The origin of the Guayabera shirtare disputed- some sources claim Latin America and others the Philippines- but it became popular around the world in the mid 20th century, especially in hot climates and especially for heavy men (it drapes well over big bellies).
The American Anti-Imperialist League was formed in 1898 to oppose the attempt of the United States to annex the Philippines. Prominent members of the League included Jane Addams, Ambrose Bierce, Andrew Carnegie, Grover Cleveland, and Mark Twain.
For many years, Andrew Carnegie paid a pension to Presidential widows.
The South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, founded by Henry Clay Frick (a close associate of Andrew Carnegie) was the group responsible for one of the greatest disasters in the US when the dam built to create their fishing pond gave way, destroying Johnstown, PA.
I think we’ve had that one before.
One of historian David McCullough’s first books was about the Johnstown Flood. He was teaching at the time and, before that, wasn’t sure he’d be able to make a living from his writing.
Perennially disappointed candidate Sen. Henry Clay is reported to have said: “I would rather be right than President.”
Some wit is supposed to have rejoined “You will never be either”, but I can’t find a cite for it.
Australian author Colleen McCullough engendered criticism for controversial statements made during the Pitcairn sexual assault trial of 2004 for asserting that the rapes committed by the defendants (all but one of whom were ultimately found guilty of at least some of the charges they faced) were “indigenous customs” and that it is "Polynesian to break your girls in at 12
Pitcairn itself is the only inhabited island of the British Overseas Territory of the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands.
Due to a contract dispute, on June 15, 1977, the New York Mets traded “The Franchise” – Tom Seaver (probably their best home-grown player) to the Cincinnati Reds for Doug Flynn, Pat Zachry, Dan Norman, and Steve Henderson. The trade – along with another trade the same day that sent the teams best slugger, Dave Kingman, to San Diego for Paul Siebert and Bobby Valentine – infuriated fans. None of the players involved has particularly distinguished careers, though Valentine did manage the Mets to a World Series om 2000.
English eighteenth-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, noting the obscurity of Saint Valentine’s identity, suggested that Valentine’s Day was created as an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia.
Karen Valentine won an Emmy Award for best supporting actress for playing the naive, idealistic teacher Alice Johnson on the TV series Room 222.
“Room 222” was set in Walt Whitman HS in Los Angeles. The show featured many actors who went on to become major stars, such as Bruno Kirby, Bernie Kopell, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, Jamie Farr, Rob Reiner, Anthony Geary, Richard Dreyfuss, Chuck Norris, Kurt Russell, and Mark Hamill.
Heavyweight boxing contender Gerry Cooney, who as promoted as the new “Great White Hope” of boxing in the early 80s, was a graduate of Walt Whitman High School in Huntington, NY.
Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” was a key plot point in the movie “With Honors”, starring Brendan Fraser and Joe Pesci.