Boiardi’s restaurant, the Garden of Italy, is now long gone but was not far from Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland Indians now play baseball.
In 1893 a cancerous growth was discovered on the roof of Grover Cleveland’s mouth, and most of the President’s upper left jaw was removed. This major surgery was a closely guarded secret–Cleveland feared that worries over his health might make a gloomy economic situation (the “Depression” of '93) even worse. The surgery proved successful and Cleveland was provided with an artificial jaw of vulcanized rubber. The facts of the case did not come out until 1917.
***Rubber Soul ***was the first Beatle album on whcih all the songs were written by members of the band. For the first time, there were no cover songs.
Charles Goodyear discovered the Vulcanization of rubber, making it stable enough to be used commercially. But due to patent issues, he wasn’t able to become wealthy from the process. The Goodyear Tire Company was named after him, but had no connection to him or his heirs.
Prof. P., did you know there’s a recent book on Cleveland’s surgery and the aftermath?: http://www.amazon.com/President-Sick-Man-Supposedly-Newspaperman/dp/1613744560/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365797449&sr=1-1&keywords=grover+cleveland+surgery
In play:
Akron, Ohio is the self-dubbed “rubber capital of the world.” It is the county seat of Summit County.
In 1920, the Akron Pros, led by African American quarterback Fritz Pollard, were the first team to win the championship of the newly formed AFPA (which would become the NFL two years later).
It was not until 1926 that rule changes barred black men from playing in the NFL.
Walter “Fritz” Mondale wrote a memo to President-elect Jimmy Carter just after the November 1976 election, outlining how he intended to serve as Carter’s Vice President, confirming their earlier discussions that he would have regular national security briefings and lunches with the President, and stating that he intended to keep in touch with the political scene in his home state of Minnesota. The memo has been consulted during Presidential transitions since then as an important explanation of how to keep the VP informed and engaged in a new administration.
There was never a rule banning Blacks from playing in the NFL, however prevailing attitudes combined with a surplus of talented White players engendered what has been called the “gentlemen’s agreement” among owners. The end result being a period in which no Black players were signed from 1927-1933.
In play:
President Jimmy Cater’s brother Billy was investigated for influence peddling by a Senate Committee based on his relationship with the Libyan government.
Billy Beer was promoted by Billy Carter, the younger brother of then-President Jimmy Carter. Written on each can were these words of endorsement, which were followed by Billy Carter’s signature:
Brewed expressly for and with the personal approval of one of America’s all-time great beer drinkers - Billy Carter.
I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it, too
SFC Schwartz
Billy Carter preferred Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
The notion that Blue Ribbon represents the highest grade may have originated with The Most Noble Order of the Garter, for which the riband (ribbon) on arms and mantle was blue. Excepting two Kings who married close relatives of King Henry IV, the first non-English prince to be installed with the Garter was Sigismund of Luxemberg, the (son-less) Holy Roman Emperor who almost brought Hungary into the Empire via his marriage to the daughter of the (son-less) King of Poland and Hungary.
Bertha Benz, wife and business partner of inventor Karl Benz, was the first person take a trip of any considerable distance in a car. During her trip in 1888, she used a garter to insulate a broken wire allowing her to complete a 66 mile journey to visit her mother. The trip gained world wide recognition and drew attention to the automobile as a legitimate mode of transportation. She did it (without Karl’s foreknowledge) because she did not think her husband was adequately marketing his invention.
Reported
It is reported that hayfever sufferers may drive automobiles dangerously, due to sneezing, temporary blindness and antihistamines
(Very cool, Blkshp, thanks for this trivia! I’ll add to it.)
From a mechanical problem encountered on that first historic road trip in 1888, Bertha Benz invented brake lining for cars’s brakes.
Bertha Benz’s historic road trip was from Mannheim, Germany to Pforzheim. As Blkshp posted, it’s a distance of 66 miles. Bertha brought her two sons, ages 15 and 13, along for the ride.
Until that time, all trips in cars had been short trial drives made with mechanics riding along, and starting and ending in the same place. Bertha encountered and solved several problems along the way, including how to refuel along the way – she bought ligroin to use as fuel from a pharmacy in Wiesloch; repairing the brakes – this led her to inventing brake lining; getting a broken chain fixed at a blacksmith shop; using a long, straight hat pin to clear a blocked fuel line; and using her garter to insulate a wire.
Bertha’s 66-mile road trip took all day to complete. She left at dawn on 05 August 1888, and didn’t arrive until after dusk. When she arrived at Prorzheim, she sent a telegram home to her husband to let him know what she’s done, and that she’s arrived successfully.
The next day, Bertha drove back home.
Way to go, Bertha! And from her picture at Wikipedia, taken when she was about 21 years old, she’s quite attractive, too. Bertha was 39 years old when she drove from Mannheim to Pforzheim.
In 1903, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson and Samuel K. Crocker became the first people to drive across the United States, in a Winton automobile named *Vermont *after their home state. They were accompanied by a pit bull terrier named Bud they picked up shortly after their start in San Francisco, making him the first dog to learn the joys of riding a car with his tongue hanging out in the breeze.
In 1919 Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower drove across the country from Washington, D.C. to Oakland, CA, and then was ferried across San Francisco Bay from Oakland to San Francisco. The US Army’s cross-country convoy took 30 days to complete, including 6 days of rest, stops to repair wooden bridges along the way, and 230 “road incidents” resulting in 9 of the trucks breaking down and not completing the trip. Eisenhower’s experience with this convoy and trip, coupled with him seeing Germany’s autobahn system during WWII, motivated him to create the US’s interstate highway system in 1956.
Eisenhower’s mother was a devout pacifist, and when she found Ike reading about battles and heroes, she took the books away and locked them in the attic. Later, when Ike planned to go away to the U.S. Military Academy, she never objected openly. But after putting her third son on the train to West Point, she went home and wept. It was the first time her family had ever seen her cry.
William IV was the third son of King George III. His accession to the throne upon the death of his brother, George IV, was the only time a third son became King. At one point, he had been 4th in the line of succession. He was the farthest down the line to become king, short of a change in the line of succession.
Stanley Livingston played Chip Douglas, the third son, on the sitcom My Three Sons from 1960-1972. He and Fred MacMurray were the only cast members to appear in the entire run of the show.