President Harry Truman, Democrat of Missouri, had no middle name, but used the initial S, which was said to have honored members of both sides of his extended family, the Solomons and the Shippes.
On “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, Laura and Rob Petrie named their son Richie Rosebud Petrie. His middle name stood for Robert Oscar Sam Edward Benjamin Ulysses David, because they couldn’t settle on a single middle name.
When musician Peter Michael Escovedo and his girlfriend Karen were unable to provide for their three-year-old daughter Nicole due to their financial and substance abuse problems they convinced his one time employer Lionel Richie and his wife Brenda, who were childless, take her in. The couple legally adopted her when she was nine years old, not long before their very nasty divorce.
Nicole Richie’s childhood best friend was Paris Hilton. In 2005, Richie wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Truth About Diamonds. The novel is loosely based on her life, but is mostly fictional.
Lisa Simpson speculates that Casper (the Friendly Ghost) is the shade of Richie Rich, who took his life when he realized how hollow the pursuit of money is.
“Hector the Hero” is a lament played in the pipes, written in honour of Major-General Hector MacDonald of the British Army, who took his life in a hotel room in Paris after rumours began to circulate alleging he had sexual relations with younger men.
In 1769, Ranald MacDonald, the chief of Clan MacDonald of Clanranald, attempted to force all of the members of the clan to convert to Presbyterianism. The Catholics fled to Canada, mainly to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
The Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, has the highest tidal range in the world. The Guinness Book of World Records (1975) declared that Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world:
New Brunswick was created as a separate British colony in 1784 to accommodate the numerous Loyalists who fled from the rebellious colonies down south.
Next time you plant in your garden, read the label on the bag of peat moss. More than likely, it says: “Made in New Brunswick.” As the second largest peat exporter in the world, the largest share of Canada’s peat moss comes from the northeastern area of New Brunswick called the Acadian Peninsula. The region’s moist climate and flat terrain make it an ideal spot for harvesting peat. Every July, the people from Lamèque celebrate the harvest during the Peat Moss Festival.
Ringo Starr, who took over as drummer for the Beatles when Pete Best was fired, is the only member of the group who does not use his given name (Richard Starkey.)
Porita di Rossi credits Ringo Starr’s stepdaughter Francesca Gregorinia with helping her come out as a lesbian and conquering her anorexia and bulimina. When they started living together, Portia accused her of not preparing diet meals and wanting her to be fat. Francesca said that she would help Portia lose all the weight she wanted to, but “you’ll only gain it back.” Realizing she was right, Portia started eating whatever Francesca ate and got back to normal eating–eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re not hungry.
According to George Harrison, Ringo Starr unintentionally inspired a number of songs by his witty off-the-cuff remarks. For example, after a long session on The Beatles first film, he was heard to say, “It’s been a hard day’s night.” That was approved by the studio as the title of the film and subsequently the song, “A Hard Day’s Night”.
George Harrison is executive producer for 25 movies and producer for 2 more.
The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site is in Indianapolis, at 1230 North Delaware Street.
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States, an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when inaugurated, the oldest president to take office until Ronald Reagan in 1981. Harrison died on his 32nd day in office of complications from pneumonia, supposedly sparked by his inauguration speech, serving the shortest tenure in United States presidential history.
The day after Reagan took office, the first DeLorean DMC-12 automobile with gull-wing doors rolled off the assembly line.
William Henry Harrison was said to be the first victim of Tecumseh’s Curse, as every U.S. President including him who was elected at twenty-year intervals, in 1840, 1860, 1880, 1900, 1920, 1940 and 1960, died in office. Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, finally broke the “curse.”
First Lady Nancy Reagan was reported to have hired psychics and astrologers to try to protect her husband from the effects of Tecumseh’s Curse.
Lady Nancy Astor, the first woman to serve in the British Parliament, was born in Danville, Virginia in 1879. Her three sisters, as well as Nancy herself, were all considered great beauties. Her sister Irene married the artist Charles Dana Gibson, and was a model for the Gibson Girl.