A very unstable canard aircraft design from Curtiss-Wright, the XP-55, looked like it was flying backwards. Pilots who hated its looks and unstable handling gave it the double-entendre name “Ascender.”
(“Ass-ender”?)
**Le Canard enchaîné ** is the premier French satirical magazine, founded in 1915. The title means “The Chained Duck.”
Woodrow Wilson, Democrat of New Jersey (but born in Virginia), was President of the United States in 1915. He was very narrowly reelected the next year.
Ahem:
(Page 172, Reply #8579 this thread):
I think Wilson’s PhD was appropriately in Government or Political Science,
from Johns Hopkins.
The Ashland Manufacturing Company purchased animal by products to make tennis and violin strings. The company was renamed The Thomas E. Wilson Company after its company’s president. Today it is known as Wilson Athletics and is currently owned by Finnish conglomerate Amer Sports, the largest sporting goods manufacturer in the world.
Wilson Athletics is the official football in the NFL. George Halas and Tim Mara (related to actress sisters Kate and Rooney Mara) brought Wilson footballs and the NFL together in 1941, and Wilson has been in the NFL since then.
When Wilson, the character on Home Improvement who always had the bottom half of his face hidden by something, came to a Halloween party dressed as the Phantom of the Opera, he wore a mask covering the top half of his face.
The sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is called Love Never Dies.
Frank Capra once described his most embarrassing moment at an Oscar ceremony. He was up for best director and Will Rogers, the presenter, opened the envelope and said, “Come on up, Frank.” Capra started to the podium.
Then he realized Rogers was looking at Frank Lloyd, another nominee. Capra slunk back to his table (but eventually won the award).
Seneca Falls, NY, in NY’s Finger Lakes region, is purportedly the inspiration for the fictional town of Bedford Falls in Frank Capra’s movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Seneca Falls has an annual It’s a Wonderful Life Festival, and also an It’s a Wonderful Life Museum. There’s even a bridge over the Seneca River that looks much like the one Jimmy Stewart’s character jumps off of in the movie.
Personal note: I’ve visited Seneca Falls. It’s a quaint village and also claims to be the birthplace of the Womens’ Rights Movement.
The Seneca was the “stripped-down” version of the Dart when Dodge introduced that nameplate for the 1960 model year. The Phoenix was the most expensive Dart, while the Pioneer was the mid-level option.
Joaquin Phoenix unexpectedly announced his “retirement” from acting so that he could pursue a career as a rap musician. It was later revealed to be a hoax as a part of a mockumentary titled “I’m Still Here”.
That Dodge Dart was sold from 1960-1976, before being replaced in 1977 by the Dodge Aspen. For 2013, the new Dodge Dart is now a joint venture with Fiat as a replacement for the Dodge Caliber sold from 2006-2011.
ETA: Ninja’d by Nars!
The first thing President Jimmy Carter did in his Inaugural Address on Jan. 20, 1977 was to thank his predecessor, Gerald Ford, for all he’d done to heal the country after the Watergate scandal. The two later became close friends.
In 1969, Rose Mary Woods apartment was burglarized at her residence in the Watergate complex. 3 years later, she was accused of erasing 5 minutes of 18 1/2 minutes missing from President Nixon’s office audio taping system that purportedly contained evidence about the Watergate break-in and coverup. Woods always maintained that the erasure was accidental.
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme are all members of the mint family, and are documented emmenagogue, contraceptive and abortifacient herbal remedies.
The custom of a bride wearing twigs of rosemary in her hair is still practiced in England and other European countries today.
Because rosemary is linked with “remembrance” and grows wild on the Gallipoli Peninsula, which was the site of a World War I campaign in which troops from Australia and New Zealand played significant roles, sprigs of the herb are often worn on ANZAC Day (April 25). ANZAC is the acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.
Mutafa Kemel was instrumental in leading the counterattack on ANZAC troops in Gallipoli, anticipating the attack and fortifying the peninsula. After the war, he helped establish the Turkish Republic, using the name of Kemel Ataturk.
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment was the only North American unit which served at Gallipoli. Surviving that battle, it was transferred to the western front in time for the Battle of the Somme. On July 1st, 1916, the Regiment was nearly wiped out at the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel. It was the only North American unit participating in the first day of the Somme.
Of the 780 men who went over the top, 68 answered the roll call on July 2nd.