- All Hail the GeeksAugust 30 marks the 127th anniversary of the birth of John William Mauchly who along with J. Presper Eckert invented the first electronic digital computer. Born in Cincinnati, Mauchly earned a PHD in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.… Read more: All Hail the Geeks
- FORE!At a recent alumni golf event, friends urged me to write a blog on golf. As adult beverages flowed at the nineteenth hole, some requests seemed to turn into veiled threats. Thus, as an act of self-preservation here are some… Read more: FORE!
- One of a KindMary Jane West AKA “Mae” was born on August 17, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. Mae’s mother was a German immigrant and her father was “Battling Jack” West a featherweight prizefighter of English and Irish descent. She made her performing… Read more: One of a Kind
- Invasion of the PodsRecently, I was surprised to discover that Keurig Dr Pepper is headquartered in Massachusetts. I knew from my many business trips to Dallas that Dr Pepper is a long-established Texas company. And Keurig? Must be a European entity, I thought.… Read more: Invasion of the Pods
- You’re Gonna Need a Bigger BoatAugust 9 marks the 97th anniversary of the birth of actor and novelist Robert Shaw. He left us way too soon in 1978, four years after his memorable performance as Quint in ‘Jaws”. Shaw was an accomplished Shakespearian actor who… Read more: You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat
- PerfectionistJuly 26th marks the 96th anniversary of the birth of Stanley Kubrick. The film director, screenwriter, and producer made some of our generation’s most ground-breaking films. However, because of his perfectionism bordering on mania, Kubrick only directed thirteen feature films… Read more: Perfectionist
- SupernaturalSupernatural July 20 marks the 77th birthday of legendary guitarist. Carlos Santana. Born in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico, Santana’s family moved to Tijuana when he was five. That year he began playing the violin but ditched that instrument in favor… Read more: Supernatural
- The Ultimate Good GuyIf you happen to run into Harrison Ford on July 13, be sure to wish him a happy 82nd birthday. Born in Chicago, Harrison’s mother was a radio actress and his grandfather worked in Vaudeville. He was a philosophy major at… Read more: The Ultimate Good Guy
- Independence Day TriviaHappy July Fourth. Here are some random facts and stories about the U.S. War of Independence that you can share at your Independence Day celebration: Thomas Jefferson was the chief wordsmith for the Declaration of Independence but received a great… Read more: Independence Day Trivia
- Happy 98th MelI have always known that June 28th was an important date in history and not just because it is the birthday of myself, my “twin sister” Suzanne and golfer extraordinaire, Bill Ten Eick. On June 28, 1914 Austrian Archduke Franz… Read more: Happy 98th Mel
- Swinging StarHappy 86th birthday to actor, Ron Ely, Ely who played the title role in the 1960s series “ Tarzan”. During the show’ s filming, Ely performed all of his stunts and along the way suffered two dozen major injuries including two broken shoulders… Read more: Swinging Star
- Crazy Animal FactsOn Friday, please take a few minutes away from celebrating Flag Day to commemorate the 38th anniversary of the death of explorer, conservationist and world-famous zoo director, Marlin Perkins. A pioneer in the filming of wild animals, Perkins hosted Mutual… Read more: Crazy Animal Facts
- Take My WifeTerry and I are away for a few weeks so I am reposting this blog which is almost as old as Henny Youngman’s jokes. Thankfully almost everyone still enjoys his classic one-liners. Here is Henny’s story. Unlike many show businesspeople,… Read more: Take My Wife
- The Best Kept SecretOn June 6, 1944, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada invaded Nazi-occupied France. “ D-Day” was the most massive military undertaking in history. Here are some interesting facts about that historic day. D-Day was the 20th century’s best-kept secret.… Read more: The Best Kept Secret
- The 27 ClubA certain Professor Whalen from Boston College always sends me notes about how much he enjoys my Friday blogs. He then proceeds to complain that I have never written about the 27 Club- a collection of music greats who died… Read more: The 27 Club
- Crazy World RecordsI recently read that in November 2023, Luke Willett broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest nine holes of golf. The 39- year-old Willett is the British speed golf champion, a sport that combines golf and running. Guiness timed… Read more: Crazy World Records
- Mother’s Day RamblingsHappy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there. Here is some Mother’s Day food for thought I wrote down four years ago. The roots of the holiday trace back to the Civil War. Julia Ward who wrote the… Read more: Mother’s Day Ramblings
- So GoodMay 3rd marks the 89th anniversary of the birth of the first person to be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. James Brown was known for his song writing, phenomenal singing and electrifying performances. He released over… Read more: So Good
- Monkey SeeApril 19 marks the 142nd anniversary of the death of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. The intellectual heavyweight was born on February 12,1809, the same day as fellow non-slacker, Abraham Lincoln. Unlike Abe, who was famously born in a log cabin,… Read more: Monkey See
- USA StrongApril 15, 2013 witnessed one of the worst terrorist events in American history. The celebration of the 117th Boston Marathon was shattered by two pressure cooker bombs set off by two subhuman losers. 260 people were seriously wounded and three… Read more: USA Strong
- VincentMarch 30 marks the171st anniversary of Vincent Van Gogh’s birth. Vincent was born into a relatively wealthy family in Zundert, Netherlands in 1853. His father didn’t make much money but because he was a minister, he was provided a house… Read more: Vincent
- Resurrecting The OlympicsThe modern Olympic Games were inaugurated on April 6 , 1896 in the games’ ancient birthplace – Greece. The ancient Olympics had been held every four years for twelve centuries. The first Olympic games took place in 776 BC in… Read more: Resurrecting The Olympics
- That’s Not a Word!April 13 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Alfred Butts, a mild-mannered architect from New York City who invented the game of Scrabble. His time-honored invention is currently sold in 121 countries and is available in more than… Read more: That’s Not a Word!