Don’t get your knickers in a twist –
Today is National DNA Day
On April 25 we commemorate the day in 1953 when James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin and colleagues published papers in the journal Nature on the structure of DNA. Furthermore, on that day in 2003 it was declared that the Human Genome Project was very close to complete, and “the remaining tiny gaps [we]re considered too costly to fill.” – Wikipedia
Today is National Tartan Day, which makes note of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. This document declared Scotland to be an independent and sovereign country – my, how things have changed.
Like all things that have their ups and downs, Otis elevators did not get off to a rousing start. People were afraid to trust the new devices. To allay their fears,
” . . . the company’s founder, Elisha Otis Graves, decided to make a dramatic demonstration at the New York Crystal Palace, a grand exhibition hall built for the 1853 Worlds Fair.
The company recounts this milestone in its history.
Perched on a hoisting platform high above the crowd at New York’s Crystal Palace, a pragmatic mechanic shocked the crowd when he dramatically cut the only rope suspending the platform on which he was standing. The platform dropped a few inches, but then came to a stop. His revolutionary new safety brake had worked, stopping the platform from crashing to the ground. “All safe, gentlemen!” the man proclaimed.
Otis’ demonstration had the desired effect. He sold seven elevators that year, and 15 the next. When Otis died only seven years later his company, now run by his sons, was well on its way. By 1873 there were 2,000 Otis elevators in use. They expanded to Europe and Russia. In rapid succession his company got the commissions for the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Flatiron Building and the original Woolworth Building — in its day, the world’s tallest. In 1967, Otis Elevator installed all 255 elevators and 71 escalators in the World Trade Center.
But the very first commercial installation was on March 23, 1857, at a five-story department store at Broadway and Broome Street in what is now New York City’s SoHo district.”
Happy Elevator Day
Today is the birthdate of my blog namesake, Anne Bonney. She was born Anne McCormac, or Cormac, in or around Cork, Ireland in 1702, or thereabouts.
Operating mainly in the Caribbean, she is associated in her pirating exploits, with Calico Jack Rackham and Mary Read. Possessed of red hair and a fiery temper, Anne was a strong and independent woman whose history may be sketchy, but who lives on in legend.
Cornflakes were invented by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg as part of the health regimen at his Battle Creek Sanitarium in 1896. Dr. Kellogg and his brother had some pretty funny ideas about health and healthy living, but the late nineteenth century was a time of plentiful ideas and experimentation that was based on wonky science. At Battle Creek these ideas also led to the invention of flaked cereals, graham crackers, and rice krispies.
For tattoo Tuesday, the Kellogg’s rooster . . .
March 1st is St. David’s Day.
St. David is the patron saint of Wales. He was a preacher and church founder, born sometime in the 6th century. According to Wikipedia, “His best-known miracle is said to have taken place when he was preaching in the middle of a large crowd at the Synod of Brefi: the village of Llanddewi Brefi stands on the spot where the ground on which he stood is reputed to have risen up to form a small hill. A white dove, which became his emblem, was seen settling on his shoulder.” Leeks and daffodils are also associated with St. David and are symbols of Wales.
I propose baking Welsh Cakes to commemorate the day . . .
“These soft, tender cakes are a cross between a pancake and a baking powder biscuit, with elements of cookies and muffins thrown in for good measure. Sturdy enough to be eaten out of hand, they can be served plain; sprinkled with sugar (or cinnamon-sugar, our favorite); or spread with butter, and gilded with sugar or jam. In addition, they’re excellent the next day, warmed in the toaster as you’d warm toaster cakes.
Native to Wales, as their name suggests, Welsh Cakes are the perfect breakfast on the feast day of their native country’s patron saint, St. David — celebrated each year on March 1.”
The Statue of Liberty was unveiled on October 28, 1886. Today is her 130th birthday.
The President was Grover Cleveland and he dedicated the statue at the unveiling ceremony.
On that day, the New York Times described the event:
“All day yesterday people came to the city in droves to participate in to-day’s celebration. Extra heavily loaded trains, much behind schedule time, were the rule on every railroad entering the city. Every hotel was crowded to its utmost capacity last night, and there was hardly one of the better known hotels which did not have to turn away hundreds of would be guests.”
Grover Cleveland by Anders Zorn
The ceremony included speeches by the president and famed French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, among others, as well as music and gun salvo. The finale? The statue’s designer, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, who was perched in the statue’s torch, pulled a rope removing a large French flag from the front of the statue, revealing Lady Liberty’s face to the crowd.
Today, in 1977, the Gossamer Condor won the Kremer Prize for controlled, sustained, human-powered flight. The prize was established in 1959, but proved difficult to win . . .
“In order to win the prize, a person had to pilot a human-powered aircraft around a figure-eight course where the turning points are a half-mile apart. The aircraft had to clear a 10-foot hurdle at the beginning of the course and again at the end.”
The craft, with its 96-foot wing span, is now at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
It’s summertime! I am celebrating frozen custard – originated by the Kohr family in 1919. They added egg yolks to ice cream creating a creamier texture with greater stability – and deliciousness.
Frozen custard from my youth was Frozen Whip at Euclid Beach. (I know, you are too young to remember.) The custard ooched out of the freezer and was paddled onto cones with special scoops. Nothing else tastes like it.
This is a frozen desert decoder from the people at FK custard in the Bay area.
Kohr’s is from New Jersey, but Milwaukee has more frozen custard stands per capita than any other city in the world – weird, huh.
Firearms, fibers, any news or behaviors that make me say, "hmm, let me take another look at this."
I still miss my man, but my aim is getting better.
Gunsmoke and Knitting 