Welcome to the Weekend Edition of Today in History. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the post. Have an awesome weekend.
1980
Da Vinci notebook sells for over $5M
On December 12, 1980, American oil tycoon Armand Hammer pays $5,126,000 at auction for a notebook containing writings by the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci.
The manuscript, written around 1508, was one of some 30 similar books da Vinci produced during his lifetime on a variety of subjects. It contained 72 loose pages featuring some 300 notes and detailed drawings, all relating to the common theme of water and how it moved.
1913
Stolen “Mona Lisa” recovered in Florence
Two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece The Mona Lisa is recovered inside Italian waiter Vincenzo Peruggia’s hotel room in Florence. Peruggia had previously worked at the Louvre and had participated in the heist with a group …read more
1970
“Tears Of A Clown” gives Smokey Robinson & The Miracles their first #1 pop hit
While Motown Records founder Berry Gordy surely deserves credit for establishing the creative philosophy and business strategy that turned his Detroit-based company into a hit-making machine in the 1960s, the inner workings of that machine during the company’s early years …read more
1901
First radio transmission sent across the Atlantic Ocean
Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean, disproving detractors who told him that the curvature of the earth would limit transmission to 200 miles or less. The message–simply the Morse-code …read more
1963
JFK memorial album sets record for sales
On December 12, 1963, a vinyl long-playing record (“LP”) called John Fitzgerald Kennedy: A Memorial Album sets a record for album sales. A total of 4 million copies sold in the first six days of its release. The album, released on the Premier label, included recordings of some of …read more
I’m so glad you are enjoying Fun Facts. I learn something new each week, even if it’s weird. I love hearing your comments!
The oldest person ever to have lived (whose age could be authenticated), a French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment, was 122 years old when she died in 1997. (guinnessworldrecord.com)
Sliced bread was first manufactured by machine and sold in the 1920s by the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri. It was the greatest thing since…unsliced bread? (chllicothenews.com)
The Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, who lived in the 1700s, reportedly invented the sandwich so he wouldn’t have to leave his gambling table to eat. (pbs.org)
The first college football game was played on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton (then known as the College of New Jersey) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rutgers won. (ncaa.com)
Experiments in universities have actually been carried out to figure out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, both with machine and human lickers (because this is important scientific knowledge!). The results ranged from 252 to 411. (tootsie.com)
I’m so glad you’ve joined me this week for another edition of Weekend Music Share.
This is an awesome version of Mary did you know! I love it and can’t get enough of it.
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
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I can’t recall a time when adventure was not on my mind. I’m the thrill seeker who will travel halfway around the world to bungee jump off the highest bridge.
This is my friend Jackie (curly hair) who lives in England. Our birthdays are close so we enjoyed celebrating together when she lived here for a couple of years. A hot air balloon ride was my birthday gift that year and hers too.
We live in a large city so we had to fly northeast. We lift off heading for the cow pastures in the distance. The sun slowly went down giving a beautiful light display. As we were landing the wind picked up. Before I know it we hit a tree, bounce up and over to another tree. I wasn’t scared of crashing, my interest was cow patties and cold champagne waiting. The mishap added to the adventure.
You will find ballooning in the French countryside on my Bucket List.
I would love to hear what you have on your Bucket List.
What is it about people who don’t put the cart back in the cart bin? Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Is it that they are too good to take the four or five steps to put it back? Is it that it’s someone else’s job? These are the same people who get pissed off when […]
Welcome to the Weekend Edition of Today in History. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the post. Have an awesome weekend.
1945
Aircraft squadron disappears in the Bermuda Triangle
At 2:10 p.m., five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19 take off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-hour training mission. Flight 19 was scheduled to take them due east for 120 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would return them to the naval base. They never returned.
2013
South African president Nelson Mandela dies at 95
On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela, the former activist who overcame a nearly three-decade prison stint to become president of South Africa, passes away after years of struggling with health issues. He was 95. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a …read more
1984
Eddie Murphy stars in “Beverly Hills Cop”
Eddie Murphy stars as the wisecracking Detective Axel Foley in the action-comedy Beverly Hills Cop, released in theaters on December 5, 1984. The movie marked the first major starring role for Murphy, who went on to become one of the top-grossing actors in Hollywood. Murphy was …read more
1872
The Mary Celeste, a ship whose crew mysteriously disappeared, is spotted at sea
The Dei Gratia, a small British brig under Captain David Morehouse, spots the Mary Celeste, an American vessel, sailing erratically but at full sail near the Azores Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was seaworthy, its stores and supplies were untouched, but not a soul was …read more
1964
Army Captain awarded first Medal of Honor for action in Vietnam
The first Medal of Honor awarded to a U.S. serviceman for action in Vietnam is presented to Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York, for his heroic action earlier in the year. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the …read more
I’m so glad you are enjoying this weekend tradition of Fun Facts. I learn something new each week, even if it’s weird. I love hearing your comments!
Three presidents, all Founding Fathers—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe—died on July 4. Presidents Adams and Jefferson also died the same year, 1826; President Monroe died in 1831. Coincidence? You decide. (constitutioncenter.org)
The Barbie doll’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin. Her birthday is March 9, 1959, when she was first displayed at the New York Toy Fair. (barbiemedia.com)
There actually aren’t “57 varieties” of Heinz ketchup, and never were. Company founder H.J. Heinz thought his product should have a number, and he liked 57. Hint: Hit the glass bottle on the “57,” not the bottom, to get the ketchup to flow. (heinz.com)
The tallest man ever recorded was American giant Robert Wadlow (1918–1940), who stood 8 feet 11 inches. Wadlow’s size was the result of abnormally enlarged pituitary gland. (guinnessworldrecords.com
The tallest living man is 37-year-old Sultan Kosen, from Turkey, who is 8 feet, 2.8 inches, who set the record in 2009. His growth is also due to a pituitary issue. (guinnessworldrecords.com)
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
It is not often that we find ourselves in awe of something, but’s an incredible feeling. When was the last time you saw something so beautiful it took your breath away?
Welcome to the Weekend Edition of Today in History. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the post. Have an awesome weekend.
1942
Jimi Hendrix born
Guitar legend Jimi Hendrix is born in Seattle. Hendrix grew up playing guitar, imitating blues greats like Muddy Waters as well as early rockers. He joined the army in 1959 and became a paratrooper but was honorably discharged in 1961 after an injury that exempted him from duty …read more
1940
Bruce Lee born
On November 27, 1940, the actor and martial-arts expert Bruce Lee is born in San Francisco, California. In his all-too-brief career, Lee became a film star in Asia and, later, a pop-culture icon in America. Lee was born while his father, a Chinese opera star, was on tour in …read more
1703
Freak storm dissipates over England
On November 27, 1703, an unusual storm system finally dissipates over England after wreaking havoc on the country for nearly two weeks. Featuring hurricane strength winds, the storm killed somewhere between 10,000 and 30,000 people. Hundreds of Royal Navy ships were lost to the …read more
2005
Aerosmith and 50 Cent headline a $10 million bar mitzvah
In exchange for a multimillion-dollar fee, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith and rapper 50 Cent took to the stage at New York City’s famous Rainbow Room in the early morning hours of November 27, 2005, as headline performers at the $10 million bat mitzvah of Long Island …read more
1868
Colonel George Custer massacres Cheyenne on Washita River
Without bothering to identify the village or do any reconnaissance, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer leads an early morning attack on a band of peaceful Cheyenne living with Chief Black Kettle. Convicted of desertion and mistreatment of soldiers earlier that year in a …read more
I’m so glad you are enjoying this weekend tradition of Fun Facts. I learn something new each week, even if it’s weird. I love hearing your comments!
Charles Darwin invented the modern office chair when he added wheels to his own chair, so he could move around his office easier
The term “coccyx” (also known as your tailbone) is derived from the Greek word “cuckoo” (“kokkux”) because the curved shape of the tailbone resembles the bird’s beak.
The most popular item at Walmart is bananas. They sell more bananas than any other single item they have in stock.
Canadians eat more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world.
A dolphin’s blowhole is an evolved nose that has moved upward to the top of its head.
I’m so glad you’ve joined me this week for another edition of Weekend Music Share.
Welcome back to Weekend Music Share; the place where everyone can share their favorite music.
Feel free to use the ‘Weekend Music Share‘ banner in your post, and don’t forget to use the hashtag #WeekendMusicShare on social media so other participants can find your post.
The most significant gifts are the small ones most easily overlooked. Small everyday blessings: woods, health, music, laughter, memories, books, family, friends, second chances, warm fireplaces, and all the footprints scattered throughout our days.
Nineteen years ago we said I do in a small chapel in the snowy mountains. It was not our first but knew it was our forever. We had met just 11 months earlier, at New Years Eve party and from the beginning knew we were meant to be together.
We’ve been down many roads in our 20 years together but we’ve always gone down them side by side.
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