Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, invested in the Stout Metal Airplane Company, the company of William Bushnell Stout. The Stout 3-AT was the predecessor to the Ford Trimotor, and the Trimotor was produced from 1925 to 1933.
An editorial cartoonist drew President Benjamin Harrison wearing the much-too-large hat of his grandfather, William Henry Harrison, to suggest that the incumbent wasn’t up to the job.
Benjamin Harrison’s house can be toured in Indianapolis. In there, there’s an original document signed by Abraham Lincoln - quite rare and unique, although right now I don’t recall what makes it so. A few miles away from the house, one can visit Harrison’s grave site. It’s near the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts owner Robert Irsay’s grave which is easy to spot - it only says Irsay, and has the Colts logo on it, and that’s it (image).
George HArrison’s composition “Something” is the Beatles second most covered song (first is “Yesterday”). Frank Sinatra once called it “the most perfect love song.”
Joe DiMaggio banned Sinatra and the other Rat Pack members from attending Marilyn Monroe’s funeral.
Legend has it that James Monroe lost his chance to be the only other unanimously elected president (in Electoral College votes) when one elector refused to vote for him to keep George Washington as the only one with that honor. In reality, the elector, William Plummer, just didn’t think Monroe was doing a good job, and preferred John Quincy Adams.
Currently only two states do not require a unanimous guilty verdict in a criminal case: Oregon and Louisiana.
Oregon’s got the only American state flag that is different on the front and back: Flag of Oregon - Wikipedia
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The first time the American flag flew over a foreign city was over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli in Libya.
The city of Tripoli, Lebanon was the chief city of the Crusader County of Tripoli. Due to the large number of southern French Crusaders who settled in the area, the language of Langue D’Oc was a dominant language in the region for over 150 years.
The 1805 Battle of Dema in the First Barbary War is referenced in the “shores of Tripoli” line in the first stanza of the Marine Corps Hymn:
*From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli
We fight our country’s battles, in the air, on land, and sea
First to fight for right and freedom and to keep our honor clean
We are proud to claim the title of United States Marine
*
The song “Hymn for a Sunday Evening” from Bye Bye Birdie is better known as “Ed Sullivan.”
“St Patrick’s breastplate” is one of the oldest hymns in common use. (Attributed 4th century; more likely 8th century.)
The oldest known hymn for which we have a known author is “Shepherd of Tender Youth”, written by Clement of Alexandria ca. 200 AD
The Battle Hymn of the Republic is often sung at Presidential inaugurations.
Beethoven’s “Battle Symphony”, aka “Wellington’s Victory”, is often played at the Proms in Britain, as popularly as Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” is at US Fourth of July concerts. Both feature extensive cannon fire, usually simulated by the percussion section but sometimes with actual cannons.
John Philip Sousa’s music is often played at Fourth of July concerts and fireworks shows. Sousa’s ancestry includes Portuguese from his father’s side, and Bavarian from his mother’s side. Among his best-known marches are “The Liberty Bell”, “The Thunderer”, “The Washington Post”, “Semper Fidelis” (Official March of the United States Marine Corps), and “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (National March of the United States of America).
Sousa’s “The Liberty Bell” is commonly recognized as the theme song from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Sousa’s “The Liberty Bell” was played by the Marine Band, “the President’s Own,” at Bill Clinton’s first inauguration on Jan. 20, 1993.