Note use of reputed and reported in above post.
Future President Richard Nixon also appeared on “Laugh-In,” delivering the famous catch phrase “Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me!”
Richard Nixon’s name appeared on the President/Vice-President ballot five times, tying FDR.
Lt. Richard Nixon, USN, aka “Nick,” funded his future political career with winnings from poker games played while he was serving as a Navy supply officer in the South Pacific.
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush were all in the Pacific theater during WWII.
LCDR Johnson narrowly escaped death while flying as an observer on a bombing mission against the Japanese. The plane he was supposed to be on crashed into the ocean, killing its crew. He had been on board prior to takeoff, but went to fetch his camera. When he returned, another officer had taken his place, and Johnson was forced to ride in another aircraft.
Waylon Jennings narrowly escaped death when he gave up his seat on the plane Buddy Holly chartered to take Holly, Ritchie Valens and Jennings from Clear Lake, Iowa to Fargo, ND for their next tour stop. J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) asked Jennings for the seat because he had a cold and was uncomfortable on buses because of his size. Jennings said yes and the plane crashed killing all aboard.
The Big Bopper was a writer as well as a performer. Two of his compositions were #1 hits for other artists – White Lightnin’ (George Jones) and Running Bear (Johnny Preston).
Big Bear was a leader of the Cree in the North-West Territories of Canada during the 1870s and 1880s. He was convicted for participating in the North-West rebellion and imprisoned. He was released before the end of his sentence due to ill health and died shortly thereafter.
Bob “The Bear” Hite, a founding member of Canned Heat claimed to have over 15,000 78rpm records.
Bob Hope was born in London but raised in Cleveland. He was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“Hope” is the motto displayed on Rhode Island’s state flag, officially adopted in 1897. The flag’s motto and anchor device, however, date back to Colonial times.
Fisher’s Island is the easternmost point of New York State. It is two miles from Rhode Island and Connecticut, but over 10 miles from any other point in New York
The Bronx is the only part of New York City that is actually on the continent of North America. All of the other boroughs are on islands.
When Boston’s much-scorned Prudential Center (“The Pru”) skyscraper was completed in 1964, it was the tallest building in North America. At the time, everything taller was on Manhattan Island.
Since 9-11 and the fall of the World Trade Center towers, the Empire State Building has once again been the tallest building on Manhattan Island. It will lose its title to One World Trade Center, expected to be completed next year.
The tallest skyscraper in the world not in a central business district (aka “downtown”) is the 902 foot Williams Tower (formerly the Transco Tower) in Houston, Texas.
Philadelphia’s city hall is the tallest and largest masonry building in the world. Since no steel frame was used in its construction, the walls at the first floor are up to 22ft thick to support all of the weight from the floors above.
The Philadelphia City Hall appears in both the comedy Trading Places and the courtroom drama Philadelphia.
Elton John & Bernie Taupin’s composition “Philadelphia Freedom” plays in Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute IMAX Theater before every show to express the city’s love for freedom and impact on shaping the country. The lyrics can also be found printed on the walls of the Hard Rock Cafe in Philadelphia.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino operates gambling in Florida as the result of an unconstitutional agreement where the tribe agreed to pay Florida $100million over 25 years and the Federal Department of the Interior approved it. Apparently the Federal approval trumps the state court’s ruling.