President Harry S. Truman could play the piano pretty well, and was quite fond of the work of Chopin.
Colonel Harry Truman was a field artillery battery commander in the US Army.
(Artillery: on time, on target!)
The Oklahoma State Cowboys play their home football games at T. Boone Pickens Stadium, previously known as Lewis Field.
Pat Boone sold more records during the 1950s than any other musical act except Elvis Presley.
Pat Boone was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003.
Richard Nixon’s wife’s name was Thelma Ryan. Her Irish family called her “Pat” because she was born on March 16th, just hours before St. Patrick’s Day.
Richard Nixon’s mother was quoted as saying “He was the best potato masher one could wish for.”
Richard Nixon: “When the President does it, that means that it’s not illegal.”
Lakers star Norm Nixon married actress/dancer Debbie Allen and appeared with her on an episode of “Fame.”
Norm Nixon was drafted by the LA Lakers in 1977 and played with them for six seasons, winning two NBA championships. When Magic Johnson was drafted by the Lakers, Nixon had to make room for the rookie star. Soon, eventually, the Laker backcourt was not big enough for both players, and in 1983 Nixon was traded to the then-San Diego Clippers.
On “Cheers”, bar anchorman Norm Peterson was played by George Wendt, who is the uncle of SNL regular Jason Sudeikis.
George Wendt played himself in a guess appearance in Bob Newhart’s Bob, based on the premise that Bob knew George Wendt personally from before he became big. Throughout the episode, Wendt was referred to as “The Guy Who Played Norm on Cheers.”
Truman retired as a captain, not a colonel: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/lifetimes/military.htm
George Washington’s favorite horse was named Nelson, and one of his favorite dogs was named Sweetlips.
Of TV and movie MAS*H - Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan was based on a real life Korean War Head Nurse known as Hot Lips Hammerly, also a very attractive blonde with a similar personality and also from El Paso, Texas.
In David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”, Major Tom is an astronaut who loses contact with ground control. He is mentioned in several other songs as including Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes”.
David Lloyd George was the first British prime minister from Wales. He was nicknamed “the Welsh Wizard” for his legislative skills.
I am impressed that you came in especially for this to make your fourth post in 10 years.
In play: To prepare for the role of Taber in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Christopher Llyod – Reverend Jim in Taxi – lived in a mental institution for a few weeks and studied the patients. He modeled his character after one of the patients and stayed in character throughout all filming even when not on screen.
Ken Kesey, author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was part of a group named “The Merry Pranksters,” who advocated the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Kesey admitted to have written some of “Cuckoo’s Nest” under the influence of LSD, especially in the scene describing the Chief’s psychosis.
The last country to produce LSD legally (until 1975) was Czechoslovakia.
At that time, the official name of the country was the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ČSSR), and the dissident movement was rising, represented (among others) by Václav Havel.