A New Beginning

Did you return any borrowed farm equipment?

New Year's Resolutions are an age-old tradition related to the New Year holiday around the world. Long ago, that is very, very long ago, around 2000 BC, when the new year was in the beginning of spring, The Babylonians most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

Now, that makes sense because the farmers needed their equipment to begin the farm chores in the spring. They might have been good about keeping their resolutions, but I wonder. Did the Babylonian farmers who had to borrow farm equipment one year, have to borrow the same equipment the next year? And what did the lending farmers use to plant, cultivate, and harvest their own crops?

Today's popular resolutions are often centered around the resolver -- lose weight, quit smoking, exercise, but if you borrowed a tractor last year (or maybe a lawn mower), now is a good time to return it.

I didn't borrow anything, but I like to make lists and check off the items, so I must have a resolution or two. Let's see. I want to make more productive use of my time and to procrastinate less. That's a good beginning for this new year.

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Jeopardy!

It's no secret I like game shows, especially word games and trivia games. One long-time favorite is Jeopardy that first debuted on NBC on this date in 1964. Happy anniversary, Jeopardy.

This is the anwer-question trivia show created by Merv Griffin. Does anyone not know about Jeopardy by now?

In the Beginning
NBC thought the show would be funny because of the format. Griffin actually had to fight to convince them otherwise. It also struggled with an early rule requiring questions to be grammatically correct -- an awkward requirement for a timed response. That rule was quickly dropped and a fast-paced serious quiz show began. Read about the beginning of the most popular game show ever!

Hosts
Jeopardy began with host Art Fleming from 1964 until 1975 when the show left NBC and went into syndication. Fleming also ad a short stint with the All-New Jeopardy!, a short-lived 1978–1979 series with significantly different rules than the 1964-75 version. First, the lowest-scoring contestant was eliminated after the Jeopardy! Round; then, whoever was ahead at the end of the Double Jeopardy! Round became the champion. No Final Jeopady!

The syndicated debut in 1984 introduced Alex Trebek as host. Alex has always been a favorite host of mine. After years of retiring 5-time champions, the show began to allow them to remain until unseated by new contestants. More than one has earned multi-millions based on a knowledge of trivia. Here's a warning: some is not so trivial.

Among his many traits is the commitment to ensuring the show is inclusive. Remember Eddie Timunas on Jeopardy showed us he could become a five-time champion with only a minor accommodation for his blindness.

Are you ready to question the answers? Give it a try. Be a contestant!

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Cold Enough for You?

Karissa in TX snow

Snowy tree in Texas

Kayla and Alicia's Snowman
Little Elm, TX

This winter has brought us all some pretty cold days. Last week it even snowed in Texas -- up to 9 inches in some places. But that's nothing compared to the olden days.

I'm talking really old days -- 1888! And okay, it wasn't Texas, but it was cold!

On the plains in January, an unexpected snowfall turned into the Schoolhouse Blizzard. The temperature dropped 20 degrees in a matter of hours. Over 500 people lost their lives due to hypothermia and freezing. Read the heart-wrenching stories of children stuck in one-room schoolhouses.

Why am I thinking about that today? The Schoolhouse Blizzard was only the beginning. Just when the country was beginning to get over that catastrophe, it started snowing again on March 11.

On this day in 1888, the Great Blizzard was in full force and would continue for two more days. Some areas of the northeast experienced 50 inches of snow! That's not drifts, that is the actual snowfall. Over 200 ships were grounded, telegraph, railway and fire stations were disabled. Once again, hundreds died. Cities were immobilized for days. This may have speeded up the subway system which opened in Boston in 1897, but I did not find documentation of that cause and effect. It sounds good.

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Breathe Easier with Christmas Seals

It began in Denmark. A postal worker came up with the idea that a large amount of money could be raised without costing anyone too much. In 1904 the Danes bought four million seal stamps and the funds were used to build two hospitals for children with tuberculosis. It was the beginning of ordinary citizens taking part in the fight against a deadly infectious disease.

Norway and Sweden were impressed and started their own Christmas seal programs.

The United States was impressed and took up the cause. Some officials, however, did not help because they did not like Christmas being associated with such a horrible disease. Support in the US did not come easily, but through perseverance the program took off starting this day in 1907. Canada soon followed suit.

Read the whole story here.

Today, Christmas Seals fight more than tuberculosis , expanding to support the fight against all respiratory diseases. Support the cause, and check out the American Lung Association or browse the designs in the Canadian Lung Association Christmas Seal Gallery beginning in the 1920's.

16 days before Christmas

technorati tags: vickisblog, christmasseals, lungassociation, fundraising, tuberculosis,

Bill Cullen, Game Show Master

I like game shows, and while watching quite a few different ones, I have found some game show hosts that I like more than others. One of my favorites is Bill Cullen (Feb, 18, 1920 - Nov. 7, 1990). Today is the anniversary of his birth.

Bill Cullen was usually positioned behind the podium as the show opened instead of running out in the beginning. He had a disability, a limp as the result of polio as a child, but he was not disabled. That was evident by his long career beginning with radio game shows in the 40's and ending in the 1980's. He hosted 23 game shows -- including the first Price Is Right -- served on panels and as a guest celebrity contestant.

Bill would sometimes laugh at a question if it was amusing or outrageous, but he demonstrated the utmost respect for contestants, the audience, both in-studio and at home TV viewers. He had fun, and he was fun to watch. He always had a smile, sometimes a laugh, and he was a master at making contestants comfortable. Games and game shows are supposed to be fun. Bill Cullen made sure they were.

The Game Show Congress, a nonprofit association that seeks to promote the game show industry, inaugurated the Bill Cullen Career Achievement Award with a posthumous honor to Bill in 2004.

Happy Birthday, Bill Cullen. Many of your programs showing on the Game Show Network continue to entertain us. Thank you.

Interesting Links:

wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cullen

Bill Cullen Homepage

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Separable Fastener? Just Zip It Up!

On this day long ago, the fashion industry was changed. It didn't actually recognize that such a change was happening when Gideon Sundback patented the zipper in 1913.

The fashion world first took notice when the zipper was used for children's clothing twenty years later. But I'm jumping ahead of myself. Let's look at the beginning.

The history of the zipper began with Elias Howe of sewing machine fame, patented, but did not market, the "automatic, continuous clothing closure" in 1851. Then Whitcomb Judson of pneumatic street railway fame, actually sold a "clasp locker" that he patented in 1893. When Gideon Sundback's wife died, he focused on improving the previous designs and came up with the "Separable Fastener," which was really the zipper, almost the same one that we know today.

Sundback's fastener was first used in rubber boots until the 1930's when the aforementioned children's clothing came to market. In 1937, flies finally graduated from button-up to zippered. And, well, I guess you know about zippers today.

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March is National Women's History Month

This month is about women making history.

March is National Women's History Month and the theme this year is Generations of Women Moving History Forward. The theme recognizes two important anniversaries: 50 years ago, Central High School in Little Rock was successfully integrated; 30 years ago the National Women's Conference was held in Houston.

Both of these historic events marked the beginning of changes in government policy and our daily lives. Look at today's political arena -- the top democratic presidential contenders include an African American and a woman. Women and African Americans have run before, but these candidates are TOP contenders for the TOP political office.

The thirteen women honorees this year begin with Mathilda Joslyn Gage, an early suffragist, and end with Monique Mehta, who works with compelling problems such as immigration and homelessness. These women are all inspirational in their accomplishments and their daily lives.

We can all learn from these heroes.

technorati tags: vickisblog, homeless, immigration, national, women's, history, month, presidential, candidates, suffragist

Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

The Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, and celebrated their first harvest in 1621 with a feast. This celebration was not repeated, so it is not officially the first traditional Thanksgiving. It made a good story in elementary school, don't you think?

Actually, the First Thanksgiving Day in July of 1630, celebrating the arrival of Governor John Winthrop from England. This began the tradition in the colony which is still thriving today.

Before we were officially a country, George Washington's troops celebrated Thanksgiving on their way to Valley Forge. It was obviously important to him. After he was inaugurated as president of the new country, he declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday in his "Presidential Proclamation Number One." It didn't stick as a national holiday, however, because the colonies couldn't agree. Aw, the beginning of politics in the United States.

Sarah Josepha Hale picked up the crusade for the holiday. President Abraham Lincoln agreed and proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. He started a trend and every president since then issued a proclamation.

Thanksgiving is officially a national holiday, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Well, there was that time FDR decided to change it to the third Thursday to give people more time to shop for Christmas, but he changed it back. Check the story of the Thanksgiving time line.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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More Than Just Cookies

The Girl Scouts celebrate 95 years of scouting in the US with Make the World a Better Place Week beginning today.

Juliette Gordon Low began on this date in 1912 with 18 girls in Savannah to help girls develop leadership skills. Did it work? You decide --

Girl Scout Alumnae include:
Sandra Day O'Connor
Madeleine Albright
Eileen Collins
Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust
Katie Couric
50% of women in Congress
64% of women listed in Who's Who in America
53% of women business owners

Juliette Gordon Low was one of America's first female pilots, and she introduced that skill to the girls through the Girl Scout aviation badge 4 years before women could vote.

Looking for an alternative to the controversial Bratz dolls? The Girl Scouts teamed with Manhattan Toys to develop Groovy Girls.

Be Aware of MS

Tomorrow is the beginning of MS Awareness Week. Join the MS Movement.

Help us move toward a world free of MS.

Here's an interesting side note -- I subscribe to Visual Thesaurus who sends a word of the day to my email. Today's word - locomotion, the ability to move under one's own power - coincides with the MS Movement. Well, it made me smile.

Writer's Guild

The Writer's Guild Strike is in its fourth week and we, the viewing audience, are beginning to feel it. The last strike, in 1988, lasted 22 weeks. Are we prepared to watch reruns for the four or five months? Maybe.

But maybe we won't need to worry. There is news that an agreement may be in the works. Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Blog says there is a glimmer of hope, and the strike could be settled before Christmas. Now, that's good news!

However, we know how strikes go, and Nikki reminds us this is happening in Hollywood. Nikki Finke is generally considered the best entertainment writer in Hollywood. In an earlier post, she indicated that strike play is not necessarily fair play.

Apparently Variety delivered boxes of issues to a protest where John Edwards appeared in hopes of spreading disinformation. That issue had an article saying some writers had agreed to drop the pickets and return to work regardless of an agreement, and buried information that showrunners are walking the picket line and closing down the show. A reaction note was sent to Variety by an accused group:

"As the writing staff of The Young and The Restless gathered together to share pizza -- something we have vowed to do weekly until the strike ends -- we were incensed to read the incorrect information printed in Variety, that several writers on our show sought financial core status. Our entire writing staff of 18 is united, and we fully support our union. Not a single person who was writing for Y&R when we struck has gone core. Not one. We stand united with sore feet from picketing. Well, some of us sit. But we all do our part, and we cannot be parted.

"The Y&R writers have been asked how long the strike will last. We know it will last as long as it takes to get a fair contract. We've also been asked if Jack Abbott will prove Victor Newman is a killer. We could answer that one, but we're not going to -- because we are not writing."

It sounds as if they are standing firm and ready for whatever lays ahead. I hope the rumor is more than a rumor and a good agreement is in the works. And besides, I want to see if and how Jack proves Victor is a killer.

technorati tags: writer'sguildstrike, nikkifinke, deadlinehollywoodblog, variety, vicki'sblog

Evolution of a Superhero

Batman's TV debut was on this date in 1966 starring Adam West. The series was cute, campy, a little funny, and really quite innocent. The series was short-lived, but popular, and probably not forgotten. There was also a Batman movie in 1966 using the same stars and the same quirky techniques that made he TV version work so well.

The Batman movies beginning in the 1980s started in the same style as Superman. My kids were excited to see the first one, and then more in the Batman film series as they were produced. He was definitely a superhero, though not as campy as the early TV version. At one time he was even .. well .. you know .. sexy (played by George Clooney!).

Over the last year he has been represented in darker, more serious film, The Dark Knight.

Batman has evolved and grown up over the last 40 years. The TV series that brought the comic hero life began 42 years ago on January 12.

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Do You Believe in Good Fortune?

Today is a good day for Chinese food because, well, Chinese food is good every day.

Then be sure to eat the fortune cookie because today is Fortune Cookie Day. Those crunchy little Chinese cookies were first served in California. It's beginning to sound a little suspicious, especially considering the Fortune Cookie Day is also claimed in April, and again in June and July, and even again in August. Just in case you don't have time to go to a restaurant, get your fortune online at one of several online fortune cookie sites. And are we supposed to believe the little paper in that suspicious cookie? I think not.

Good thing today is also Defy Superstition Day. It is a superstition, isn't it, to believe in a good message found in a little Chinese -- I mean -- Californian cookie? But wait. What if the little slip of paper says "Good news will come to you by mail," which is exactly what it did say when I clicked on my online cookie. Do I wait by the mailbox? What if I don't get a letter? Maybe it will be an e-mail.

Well, luckily, today is also Positive Thinking Day so I'll just wait and know the good news will come my way. Norman Vincent Peale, the champion of positive thinking, said, "We tend to get what we expect."

technorati tags: vickisblog, holiday, fortunecookie, superstition, positivethinking

The Run for the Roses

The tragedy at the Kentucky Derby this year had to be a first, when Eight Belles broke both front ankles after placing second to Big Brown. Let's look at less traumatic firsts associated with the Derby.

Starting at the beginning, the first Kentucky Derby was run on this date in 1875. Aristides was the first Derby winner, ridden by Oliver Lewis, one of 13 African-American jockeys in that first running. In fact, of the first 28 races, 15 winners were ridden by African-Americans.

The first record of roses draping the winning horse's neck was in 1896. The race is now known as "The Run for the Roses."

1904 Elwood was the first winner owned by a woman.

In 1915, Regret became the first of only three fillies to win.

In 1917, Omar Khayyam became the first foreign-bred winner. He was a colt bred in England.

In 1919, Sir Barton was the first horse to win the Kentucky Derby, then the Preakness, and later, the Belmont. In 1930, Gallant Fox repeated, winning the three races with the largest purses. A sports writer dubbed that feat the "Triple Crown." Sir Barton was the first Triple Crown winner before there was a Triple Crown.

The race was changed from mid-May to the first Saturday to accommodate the three-race Triple Crown schedule.

In 1973, Secretariat was the first winner to run the race in less than two minutes. His time still stands as a record 35 years later. No other winner has broken two minutes.

2004 was the first year jockeys were allowed to sport corporate logos.

But wait. What about the greatest race horse ever? Man O' War won 20 of 21 races, handily beating "Triple Crown winner" Sir Barton twice. He set three world records and is listed as number one in the top 100 U.S. Thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century. He died at 30 in 1947 and is buried in Kentucky under his statue.

Man O' War never ran in the Kentucky Derby because his owner said the horse was too young when the Derby was scheduled. Ironically, some people are speculating that Eight Belles' bones were just too young for the stress of that race. How sad.

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Goodbye, Lady Bird, and Thank you

She was a journalist, interested and active in civil rights, education, and beauty. I share her interests.

We remember when Lady Bird was the First Lady, and that time of the horrible war. During that time, she still focused domestically. Her husband credited her with the Department of the Interior Appropriations bill he signed in 1968, which helped preserve and beautify our country. Lady Bird strongly supported historic civil rights legislation, and was instrumental in beginning the Head Start Program. She is credited with changing the First Lady role toward action, making the Johnson administration the most active in conservation since Teddy Roosevelt. She was our Environmental First Lady.

Back in Texas, she focused her efforts on beauty. She and friend Helen Hayes , who was a First Lady in her own industry -- the American Theater -- created a wildflower research center. The center was named in her honor in 1997, The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

A popular and populous Texas wildflower,
the Indian Blanket, photographed by Garry Jenkin.

I have always admired Lady Bird Johnson. She was a strong Texas woman, and always a true lady. She will be missed.

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Cars 100 Years Ago

In Flint, Michigan, on this date one hundred years ago, William C. Durant (1861-1947) founded General Motors (GM). Durant was a leading horse-drawn vehicle manufacturer when he became general manager of Buick in 1904. His horseless carriage business acumen resulted in Buick's success. He was the able to create GM, the multi-brand holding company with Buick and Chevrolet, soon adding Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Cadillac.

Olds Motor Vehicle Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (1864-1950) to manufacture the gasoline automobile he built in 1896. Olds had problems getting his company up and going due to poor capitalization and factory fires, but he still managed to accomplish some dramatic firsts in the new American automobile industry.

He was the first -

• to develop a low-priced car for a mass market, the curved-dash Oldsmobile for $650.
• to devise "a progressive assembly line system, which contained all the elements of the modern assembly line with the exception of the power conveyor."

Yes, it's true, Olds was first. Ford is best known because he added the "moving assembly line" into practice at Ford Motor Company between 1908 and 1915. Henry Ford (1863-1947) had incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903 to build cars for "the multitude." The Model T sold first for $990 and later for only $250.

Ford had his share of other firsts, too. He -

• designed the first commercial automobile, a delivery wagon for the Detroit Automobile Company in 1900.
• patented a plastic-bodied car, lighter than metal cars.
• introduced a one-piece V-8 engine in 1932.

In the beginning of the 20th Century, the American public began a love/hate relationship with the new, burgeoning Automobile Industry. I remember that today, one hundred years after the high-school dropout William C. Durant founded General Motors. He wouldn't recognize it today. I wonder how he would feel about the price of gas?

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March 25th is International Waffle Day and Pecan Day

Have a favorite food?

Garry's favorite Sunday breakfast is a nice plate of waffles. What luck! Today happens to be International Waffle Day.

Waffles were probably first eaten in early Greece, and who doesn't like Belgian Waffles? The special day was originally Vaffeldagen, a Swedish holiday celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation along with the beginning of spring. It really is international.

America added to the festivities when Cornelius Swarthout of New York patented the waffle iron in1869. The patent was issued in August, and Waffle Iron Day is in June, but International Waffle Day is today, and it's okay to use a waffle iron to prepare for the celebration.

My favorite nut is the pecan, and I'm in luck because today is also Pecan Day.

Now it's not International Pecan Day, nor is it National Pecan Day. It is simply Pecan Day. Well, 'simply' is not the right word because there's more to it. There is a National Pecan Day on April 14. Two pecan days!

They are not only yummy; they are healthy, too. Pecans are high in protein and antioxidants, and I have found another health benefit -- they are high in fiber, too. Wow. Pecans really do deserve two days.

When I was a young kid and we went out to breakfast, I often ordered the pecan waffles. Maybe it was not March 25, but it was a good day for some favorite foods.

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National Typewriter Day

Christopher Latham Sholes was trying to automatically number pages in a book when he enhanced the invention to include the entire alphabet. Scientific American coined 'typewriting' and the typewriter was patented on this date in 1868.

Sholes was accused of arranging the letters to slow down typists so they wouldn't notice his machine was sluggish. He placed letter-pairs so the mechanical typebars would be less likely to bump into each other. QWERTY was actually included in the typewriter patent.

Gunmakers E. Remington & Sons produced the machine and a new industry was born. Well, okay, it did not catch on too quickly. Most writers continued writing by hand. Mark Twain was the first to submit a typed manuscript for publishing in 1883. Even then, Twain did not do the typing.

The typewriter eventually did catch on, the machine was reduced in size, and portable typewriters were produced. That was lucky for news reporters who were no longer restricted to the office to write their assignments. It was not uncommon to see war articles written from the trenches -- yes, typed in the trenches.

One such reporter was Ernie Pyle. He was a sailor in WWI, but in WWII he was a war correspondent. He wrote in an intimate style about the common soldier, and his column was instrumental in Congress' decision to add combat pay to the soldier in combat. He wrote a syndicated column read around the country. The Pulitzer Prize winning columnist was killed by enemy fire near Okinawa in 1945.

The National Society of Newspaper Columnists declared National Columnist Day in honor of Ernie Pyle. How appropriate on this day, the anniversary of the beginning of the columnists' tool.

technorati tags: marktwain, typewriter, christopherlathamsholes, qwerty, remington, vickisblog,
erniepyle, nationalcolumnistday

Children Around the Globe

Today is Universal Children's Day.

In December 1954, when Dag Hammarskjöld was Secretary General, the United Nations passed a resolution that recommended all countries establish and observe a Universal Children's Day. This day promotes "worldwide fraternity and understanding between children."

Dag Hammarsrskjöld was the first person I remember from the UN. I'm not sure what it was that attached me to him. Perhaps it was that he worked for peace at a time I was beginning to understand what that meant. Perhaps because he helped pilots who were captured in the Korean War, and my daddy was a pilot in the Korean War. Anyway, I remember when I was 12 his aircraft was lost and then found and a controversy followed. I was proud when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Around the world, countries are observing this day to promote the welfare of children. Today is Universal Children's Day.

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Number, Please

In the beginning of telephone operators, before there were dials, operators were needed to connect the caller with the called. The operators were teenage boys -- and they were known to be rude and unruly. Can you imagine? Teenage boys, rude?

On September 1, 1898, Emma McNutt (also known as Emma M. Nutt) was hired as the first female telephone operator.

Young women, whose employment opportunities in the 1880's were limited at best, became eligible to connect callers, dispense news, weather, sports and more, and test trunk lines and splice cable. But they were considered only if they were prim and proper, obedient, virtuous, and single. An operator could not be married and employed.

Emma started a trend. Operators were women. In the 40's, there were 350,000 telephone operators and they were women. My first regular job was as a switchboard operator, not with the phone company, but in a small, family-owned motel. I was a teenager, but I wasn't a rowdy boy, and I was always polite. The switchboard was a wall unit of holes that I connected with cabled plugs. It was kinda fun connecting with the plug and disconnecting by pulling the cable.

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