Huh. I’m surprised it took that long.
In play:
There have been five U.S. Navy warships named USS Decatur, in honor of the early naval hero. The current one, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was commissioned in 1998.
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The NFL’s Chicago Bears were first known as the Staley Bears. They were organized in Decatur, Illinois in 1920.
I thought Da Bears were originally known as the Decatur Staleys?
Okay, Decatur Staleys then. That’s what I get for not being a fan.
There are conflicting proposed etymologies for the word “fan” in the sense of a supporter of a particular sports team. One theory is that it is a shortened version of “fancy”, a term associated in 19th century England with boxing. Another theory is that it is a shortened version of “fanatic.”
Champagne was invented in England, not in France. In 1662, scientist Christopher Merret presented a paper to the Royal Society in London describing how the addition of sugar and molasses to wine make it brisk and sparkling. This method, now known as méthode champenoise, was adopted by Dom Pérignon over 30 years later to produce the first sparkling wine in Champagne.
The Boston Molasses Disaster, which occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, is considered one of the most bizarre disasters in US history. A large molasses storage tank burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph, killing 21 and injuring 150. The event has entered local folklore, and some residents claim that on hot summer days, the area still smells of molasses.
(The smell has been gone for a long time, but it did take decades. A college friend told me his grandfather drowned in the flood)
John Cullum, probably best known as curmudgeonly old storekeeper Holling Vincoeur on “Northern Exposure”, played South Carolina delegate John Rutledge in the Broadway and film productions of “1776”. The role is highlighted by the song “Molasses to Rum (to Slaves)”, excoriating the hypocrisy of abolitionist Bostonians and their merchants who became wealthy off the Triangle Trade without getting their own hands dirty.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the oldest state university in the US.
Author Thomas Wolfe began to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) when he was 15 years old, studying playwrighting. He predicted that his portrait would one day hang in New West near that of celebrated North Carolina governor Zebulon Vance, which it does today.
On November 2, 1954 Strom Thurmond of South Carolina became the first US senator elected by write-in vote. He received 139,106 write-in votes to win his seat, defeating Democratic nominee Edgar Brown, who received only 80,956 votes.
In opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, Strom Thurmond conducted the longest filibuster ever by a lone senator, at 24 hours and 18 minutes in length, nonstop. In the 1960s, he opposed the civil rights legislation of 1964 and 1965 to end segregation and enforce the voting rights of African-American citizens.
Nate Thurmond, who replaced Wilt Chamberlain as the San Francisco Warriors center, was the first NBA player to record a quadruple double - at least 10 points, rebounds, assists, and blocks in a single game. He performed the feat in his first game after being traded to the Chicago Bulls.
Contrary to popular belief, Neville Chamberlain’s approval rating actually increased to 68% after he made his 1938 deal with Hitler. Even Winston Churchill, who completely disagreed with that decision, believed Chamberlain was a good and smart leader who made the best decision in the circumstances Britain had. Churchill even gave him a spot on his cabinet to fight Germany.
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco named two of their cigarette brands for the city that housed their corporate headquarters: Winston-Salem, NC>
Bruce Willis provided the voice of R.J. the raccoon in the animated movie version of the comic strip Over the Hedge.
On “The Honeymooners”, Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton were both members of the Loyal Order of Raccoons lodge. The lodge hat included a raccoon tail, which the wearer would shake when greeting another member.
According to scriptwriter Irving Brecher, The Honeymooners was Jackie Gleason’s ripoff of Brecher’s radio-and-TV series The Life of Riley. The characters and situation are very much the same, and Gleason starred as Riley when the show first came to television. William Bendix starred in the original radio version.
“Irving, we got a green that makes you tingle?” is the punch-line to one of the chapters in Alan Kung’s book, Anyone Who Owns His Own Home Deserves It!