Sheldon and Amy on The Big Bang Theory do a podcast about flags.
Sheldon Leonard – TV producer of The Andy Griffith Show, The Danny Thomas Show, the Dick Van Dyke Show, Gomer Pyle USMC, and I Spy, started out as an actor, usually playing comic gangster types. His best-known role today is the bartender in the “George Bailey had never been born” version of Bedford Falls: “Look at me. I’m making angels.”
When Italian gangsters first came to the US in the early 20th century and started extortion rackets, they were known as the Black Hand, because when they sent extortion letters to businesses, they would put a black hand on the paper. These gangs terrorized shops and businesses in the Italian sectors of cities.
The Hand of the King in the Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin acts as the top aide to the ruler of Westeros, even sitting on the Iron Throne when acting in the King’s stead. Eddard “Ned” Stark served reluctantly as the last Hand of King Robert Baratheon.
The Red Hand of Ulster is an ancient Irish symbol, rooted in Irish mythology. It has served variously as a symbol for the O’Neil clan, the Province of Ulster, and certain baronets.
The Irish tricolor flag, created in 1848, was designed to reflect the country’s political realities. Orange stands for the Irish Protestants, green for the Irish Catholics and white for the hope that peace might eventually be reached between them.
The Newfoundland republican movement’s flag is a pink, white and green tricolour. Origins of the flag are shrouded in mystery.
The only known case of Germans landing in North America during WWII was in Newfoundland. On October 22, 1943, German submarine U-537 landed on Martin Bay in the north of Labrador (the province is officially named “Newfoundland and Labrador”) and set up a remote weather station. It was forgotten and wasn’t visited again until 1981.
In game four of the 1969 World Series, with Rod Gaspar on second, catcher J.C. Martin hit a weak topper that was fielded by Orioles pitcher Pete Richert. Richert’s throw his Martin on the wrist, and bounced away, allowing Gaspar to score. Photos later showed that Martin was running inside the baseline, which, at the time, would have meant that he was out when the ball hit him. The umpires never called it (and the rule was later changed). Orioles manager Ear Weaver, who was a stickler for the rules, never protested, since he had been thrown out of the game for calling umpire Shag Crawford “Shag.” (Evidently, Crawford thought he said something else.)
The Shag is the official state dance of South Carolina, to the amusement of visiting Brits, especially when seeing Myrtle Beach bars advertising Shagging Contests.
Sen. John McCain, Republican of Arizona, said after his failed 2000 Presidential campaign that he regretted not being more forthright in opposing the display of the Confederate flag at the South Carolina state capitol.
Opponents of Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas tried to make an issue of allegations that he had a Confederate flag in his office; it turned out he only had the state flag of Georgia, his home state, which happened to feature the stars and bars in its design.
The State Amphibian of Georgia? The Green Tree Frog.
Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Washington all have state amphibians. I guess I need to contact my congressmen from Indiana now.
The Amphicar, a German product with a Triumph engine, was the most commercially successful amphibious vehicle ever made. President Lyndon B. Johnson was known to enjoy scaring visitors at his ranch by driving them downhill in his Amphicar directly into his property’s lake, all the while shouting that the brakes had broken.
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Hmm, I believe I used that one myself awhile back.
In play: As of 2012, German athletes have won a total of 1662 Olympic medals (summer and winter combined from 1896-2012), more than any other country in the world except the US.
Following the dissolution of the USSR, but before most of its newly-independent countries could all set up their own Olympic committees, athletes from there competed in 1992 in both winter (Albertville) and summer (Barcelona) games, under the Olympic flag, as the Unified Team. The Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia - did have their own teams that year.
Paul McCartney wrote “Back In The USSR” as a medley based on the Beach Boys and Chuck Berry. It was derived from a song by Berry in 1959 called “Back in the USA.” Berry’s song expressed his joy of being back in America, with all its drive-ins, hamburgers, juke boxes etc. Then Paul combined this with the Beach Boys song “California Girls,” changing the love interest to Georgia girls and the Ukraine, speaking of them as if it was California.
Chuck Berry’s only Number One hit was his cover of Dave Bartholomew’s “My Ding-A-Ling”. It was recorded live during the Lanchester Arts Festival at the Locarno ballroom in Coventry, England, on 3 February 1972, where Berry – backed by The Roy Young Band – topped a bill that also included Slade and Billy Preston.