Economist Milton Friedman on This Day in History

This day in history: American economist Milton Friedman was born on this day in 1912. The Economist described him as "the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century ... possibly of all of it". Friedman was an advisor to Republican President Ronald Reagan and Conservative British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His political philosophy extolled the virtues of a free market economic system with minimal intervention. He was certainly a great and quotable communicator:

"Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program."

"Inflation is taxation without legislation."

"Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned."

"The government solution to a problem is usually as bad as the problem."

"A society that puts equality... ahead of freedom will end up with neither."

"Only government can take perfectly good paper, cover it with perfectly good ink and make the combination worthless."

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand."

"When everybody owns something, nobody owns it, and nobody has a direct interest in maintaining or improving its condition. That is why buildings in the Soviet Union -- like public housing in the United states -- look decrepit within a year or two of their construction."

“The great virtue of a free market system is that it does not care what color people are; it does not care what their religion is; it only cares whether they can produce something you want to buy. It is the most effective system we have discovered to enable people who hate one another to deal with one another and help one another.”

See also The History & Mystery of Money & Economics-250 Books on DVDrom

Jimmy Hoffa on This Day in History

Hoffa Assassination Scene

This day in history: Teamster's Union leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan on this day in 1975. He was never seen or heard from again. There are many theories as to what happened to him, and the most popular is that he was buried in Giant's stadium (he was not officially declared dead until July 30, 1982). The truth is hard to come by because of his involvement in the mafia. According to history dot com, his disappearance is one of the 6 greatest mysterious disappearances of all time, including Amelia Earhart, D.B. Cooper, Joseph Force Crater, the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island and the mystery ship Mary Celeste. 

Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a fictionalized story on this ship called: J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement 

See also: The Mystery Ship "Mary Celeste" by John E Watkins 1919
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-mystery-ship-mary-celeste-by-john-e.html

See also The Ghost of the Mary Celeste by Valerie Martin – review
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/19/ghost-mary-celeste-valerie-martin-review

Lasagna on This Day in History

This day in history: Today is National Lasagna Day. Lasagna originated in Naples, Italy in the Middle Ages. The word “lasagna” referred to the pot in which the food was cooked. It is thought that the word “lasagna” is derived from the Greek word for "chamber pot." It is possible to make lasagna in the dish washer. All you have to do is put the ingredients together in a dish, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, then use the heated dry and sanitize cycle on your dishwasher to cook the lasagna. The most expensive lasagna is the $100 'Diamond and Gold' Lasagna at Portofino. This particular lasagna is stuffed with porcini mushrooms, Iberico ham and Prosciutto di Parma as well as 24-month-aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, buffalo mozzarella and Kobe Bolognese and is topped with Alfredo sauce infused with foie gras. However, the most famous lasagna in the world is John Chandler's Lasagna, a Texas lasagna described as "an artery-clogging tower of sweet Italian sausage, ground beef and ricotta cheese."

Vivaldi, Bach (and Alexander Hrustevich) on This Day in History

Alexander Hrustevich play Vivaldi

This day in history: Italian violinist and composer Antonio Vivaldi died on this day in 1741, and German composer Johann Sebastian Bach died on this day in 1750. Bach is known for many great pieces of music, while Vivaldi is mainly known for one series of 4 pieces...the Four Seasons. Now, take just TWO minutes out of your day to listen and watch a young man, Alexander Hrustevich, play the a section of the Four Seasons in the accompanying video on accordion. Those two minutes will blow your mind. This is definitely the best accordion performance I have ever seen and heard.

See also: The Science & Appreciation of Classical Music - 175 Books on DVDROM

Vincent van Gogh on This Day in History

This day in history: Vincent van Gogh shot himself on this day in 1890. This man was an over-rated nutjob alcoholic who previously cut off his own ear. His most famous piece was painted inside an insane asylum. Van Gogh was of course not the only crazy artist. His buddy, the suicidal Paul Gaugin suffered from severe bouts of depression, as did Michelangelo, Mark Rothko, and Nicolas de Staël. Richard Dadd believed his father was the devil and that he was taken hostage by the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. Georgia O’Keefe suffered a nervous breakdown, as did Edvard Munch.

Learn to Draw, Paint and Sketch - Over 100 Books on DVDrom

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/learn-to-draw-paint-and-sketch-over-100.html

The Americans with Disabilities Act on This Day in History

This day in history: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on this day in 1990. "The ADA is known as 'attorney’s dreams answered' because it, and similar state laws modeled on the law, have spurred hundreds of thousands of lawsuits, often for violations of arcane architectural standards. As early as 1995, one federal judge denounced an ADA case as 'a blatant attempt to extort additional money' — something for which the law is now notorious."~James Bovard

For instance, a P.F. Chang's was sued because the coat hook was too high in bathroom stalls. A strip club in Los Angeles had to close a shower stall on its stage because it wasn't accessible to strippers in wheelchairs...never mind that weren't any such strippers. Many swimming pools had to close because they couldn't afford expensive automated spatulas. Target paid $6 million in a lawsuit because their website wasn't sufficiently accessible to blind customers.

Because of fears over ADA lawsuits, businesses now hire less disabled people as well. "It's difficult to think of a piece of legislation that failed more abysmally than the ADA."~David H. Auto

Mozart's 40th Symphony on This Day in History

This day in history: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completes his Symphony No. 40 in G minor (K550) on this day in 1788. I actually have a ringtone of this piece. According to wikipedia this song ranks as #33 of "The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music." Mozart appears 6 times on the list, and if my count is right, that is more than anyone else on the list.

The 1984 movie based on Mozart, Amadeus, is one of my favorite movies and is still included in the American Film Institutes top 100 movies of all time.

And who can forget the 1985 German rap song, Rock Me Amadeus by Falco?

See also: The Science & Appreciation of Classical Music - 175 Books on DVDROM

President Martin Van Buren on This Day in History

This day in history: President Martin Van Buren died on this day in 1862. According to the book "Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity and Liberty" Martin Van Buren ranks as the third best president (the top 5 presidents according to this book are John Tyler, Grover Cleveland, Martin Van Buren, Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur). The reason these presidents you never heard of were better is that they mainly left people alone. Van Buren became the first President who was born after the American Revolution, making him, in a newer sense, the first "American" born president.

See also American History & Mysteries, Over 200 PDF Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/american-history-mysteries-over-200-pdf.html

The Twilight Zone Movie Mishap on This Day in History

This day in history: The Twilight Zone Movie deaths happened on this day in 1982. In the early morning hours of July 23, 1982, actors Vic Morrow and seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le, and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen, were filming on location in California, in an area that was known as Indian Dunes, near Santa Clarita. The helicopter was hovering at approximately 24 feet above them when the heat from special effect pyrotechnic explosions reportedly delaminated the rotor blades and caused the helicopter to crash on top of them, killing all three instantly. Morrow and Le were decapitated and mutilated by the helicopter rotor blades, while Chen was crushed by a helicopter strut.

Others who died during the production of a movie were Brandon Lee (shot), John Ritter (a tear in his aorta), Redd Fox (massive heart attack), Steve Irwin (stabbed by a stingray) and Bruce Lee collapsed while filming The Game of Death and died 2 months later.

"Outsiders" Author S.E. Hinton on This Day in History

This day in history: Author S.E. Hinton was born on this day in 1950. She is best known as the author of The Outsiders, her first and most popular novel, set in Oklahoma in the 1960s. She began writing it in 1965 at age 15 and it was published in 1967. Since then, the book has sold more than 15 million copies and still sells more than 500,000 a year. Imagine writing a book in high school that will take care of you for the rest of your life. The Outsiders is still one of the best selling Young Adult books of all time, though the list now is mostly dominated by the Harry Potter books.

Read The Outsiders

Buy The Outsiders

The Wild West on This Day in History

Top Western Movie Gunfights

This day in history: Wild Bill Hickok shot and killed Davis Tutt on this day in 1865 in Springfield, Missouri, in what is regarded as the first western showdown. At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James–Younger Gang pulled off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West on this day in 1873. American outlaw Sam Bass was killed by Texas Rangers on this day in 1878. The month of July also hosts the Shootout on Juneau Wharf in Skagway, Alaska in 1898, and The Battle of Lincoln (New Mexico) which was a five-day-long gunfight in 1878.

See also: Buffalo Bill & the American Wild West, 200 Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/buffalo-bill-american-wild-west-200.html

Famous Last Words on This Day in History

This Kindle book (The Companion Guide to Death) is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only $1.99
See my blog listing for this here.

This day in history: Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa died on this day in 1923. His famous last words were, “Don’t let it end like this. Tell them I said something.“ This got me thinking about other famous last words. Margaret Sanger’s last words were, “A party! Let’s have a party.” Louise-Marie-Thérèse de Saint Maurice, said, after flatulence: “Good. A woman who can fart is not dead.” Physicist Richard Feynman's last words were: “This dying is boring.” Murderer James W. Rodgers was put in front of a firing squad in Utah and asked if he had a last request. He replied, “Bring me a bullet-proof vest.” Convicted murderer Thomas J. Grasso used his last words to complain about his last meal. He said, “I did not get my Spaghetti-O’s; I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.” When Groucho Marx was dying, he let out one last joke: “This is no way to live!”

Oddly enough, my favorite last words were by Steve Jobs: "Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow."

The Chappaquiddick Incident on This Day in History

Chappaquiddick Trailer

This day in history: The Chappaquiddick incident happened on this day in 1969. On a warm July night in 1969, Edward "Ted" Kennedy drove off a bridge and into the water, leaving Mary Jo Kopechne alone in the car to die. "The indications are very strong that she remained alive for an indeterminable length of time, breathing in an air bubble. Expert diver John Farrar, the first to reach her, says the posture of her corpse indicated exactly that. Furthermore, she died of asphyxiation, not of drowning; there was very little water in her lungs."~Jeffrey Hart

This incident made for a great movie (see trailer above) and a very good book, Senatorial Privilege by Leo Damore, a book which has yet to be reviewed by the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Time, or Newsweek. The media protects its own, and Ted Kennedy would go on to become the "Lion of the Senate." Despite his history of scandal, Kennedy had never lost his standing in the Democratic Party. They even treated him as a hero at their 2012 National Convention, airing a "tribute" video to the senator.

Jane Austen on This Day in History

See also The Life and Writings of Jane Austen, 30 Books on CDrom

This day in history: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." English novelist Jane Austen died on this day in 1817 at the age of 41. After Shakespeare, Austen may be the most popular and widely acclaimed literary figure in history. Her six novels are some of the most widely read literature in the world often outselling the books of top modern authors. Her works have also been made into movies, the best of which appeared in the 1990's and 2000's: Sense and Sensibility (1995), Emma (1996), Mansfield Park (1999), Northanger Abbey (2007). The newer movies (Emma [2020]; Love & Friendship [2016] and Pride, Prejudice & Zombies) fell flat for me.

On an interesting side-note, Jane Austen has been cited in 27 written court decisions. Her famous line (see above) has been re-written as "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a recently widowed woman in possession of a good fortune must be in want of an estate planner."

"Shakespeare has neither equal nor second. But, among the writers who have approached nearest to the manner of the great master, we have no hesitation in placing Jane Austen."—Macaulay.

"The realism and life-likeness of Miss Austen's Dramatis Personae come nearest to those of Shakespeare."—Tennyson.

"She produced novels that come nearer to artistic perfection than any others in the English language."—Harold Child.

“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” ~Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

The five things you didn’t know about Jane Austen
A holiday romance, a childhood illness and a secret brother — there’s a lot of things you didn’t know about Jane Austen.
https://goo.gl/xwxH3a

Jane Austen Vindicates the Rights of Women
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/12/jane-austen-vindicates-rights-of-women.html

The Life of Jane Austen by Edwin L. Miller 1917
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-life-of-jane-austen-by-edwin-l.html

Watch Northanger Abbey for FREE

Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler on This Day in History

This day in history: Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler was born on this day in 1949. Before Black Sabbath was formed he was studying to become an accountant, and these skills helped him do the band's books later on. Butler was heavily influenced by the writings of occultist Aleister Crowley as a teenager, as it seems, oddly, a lot of young British men were at the time. Black Sabbath is considered by many to be the first Heavy Metal band. Their debut album is considered by many to be one of the best debut albums, though their second album, Paranoid is by far their best. The song "Paranoid" was written last minute as filler for the album. All of the original members of Black Sabbath are still alive, which is quite remarkable for bands of that era.

The Catcher in the Rye on This Day in History

This Day In History: The book, The Catcher in the Rye, was published on this day in 1951. This book is thought to be behind the murders of actress Rebecca Schaeffer, JFK, Lennon, and a failed assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. Other books that have led to crimes are A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Asimov's Foundation, The Collector by John Fowles, Rage by Stephen King, The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice, The Turner Diaries, Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, The Basketball Diaries by Jim Carroll, The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad and Benjamin Spock's Baby and Child Care has been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A 1774 German novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werther) by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe led to a string of suicides.

This Kindle book (The Companion Guide to Death) is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only $1.99
See my blog listing for this here.

Germany on This Day in History

This Day In History: King Rudolf I of Germany died on this year in 1291. The history of Germany, or rather the Germans is an interesting one. If you look at a map of Europe in 1850 you may not find a Germany on it, making America an older country than Germany. However Germans have been around in one form or another since the the Roman Empire. Germany became a modern, unified nation under the leadership of the “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), and this unification was officially proclaimed on 18 January 1871. This is known as the Second Reich, the First Reich being the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, 800-1806, commencing with crowning of Charlemagne (Charles the Great) on Christmas day in 800. The best translation of the word "Reich" might be "realm" or "empire."

The Storming of the Bastille on This Day in History

This Day In History: The storming of the Bastille happened on this day in 1789, a day which is now celebrated as "Quatorze Juillet" (Fourteenth of July in French), or simply Bastille Day. This is an important moment in the French Revolution, though it was a bloody Revolution. "The French Revolution marks a stain in history, notorious for one of the bloodiest periods in modern civilization." [Mallary A. Silva] It came on the heels of the American Revolution, but unlike the colonies it ultimately (arguably) failed and degenerated into senseless violence and gave the world the guillotine. “...more men and women were slaughtered in a couple of weeks of the terror of the atheistic French Revolution than in a century of the Inquisition.”~Michael Coren

The New York City Draft Riots on This Day in History

Gangs of New York - Draft Riots

This Day In History: The New York City draft riots happened on this day in 1863. Opponents of conscription began three days of rioting which ended up in 120 deaths and will be later regarded as the worst riot in United States history. Many countries still have the draft (compulsory recruitment for military service) such as Russia, Austria, Israel, Switzerland and Norway.

Ayn Rand had harsh words for the draft: "Of all the statist violations of individual rights in a mixed economy, the military draft is the worst. It is an abrogation of rights. It negates man’s fundamental right—the right to life—and establishes the fundamental principle of statism: that a man’s life belongs to the state, and the state may claim it by compelling him to sacrifice it in battle. Once that principle is accepted, the rest is only a matter of time. If the state may force a man to risk death or hideous maiming and crippling, in a war declared at the state’s discretion, for a cause he may neither approve of nor even understand, if his consent is not required to send him into unspeakable martyrdom—then, in principle, all rights are negated in that state, and its government is not man’s protector any longer. What else is there left to protect?...Politically, the draft is clearly unconstitutional. No amount of rationalization, neither by the Supreme Court nor by private individuals, can alter the fact that it represents 'involuntary servitude.'"

You may also be interested in 220 Books on the American Civil War on DVDrom 1861-1865

For a list of all of my disks, with links click here

The Burr-Hamilton Duel on This Day in History

This Day In History: The famous duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton happened on this day in 1804 (Hamilton would go on to die from his wounds). Andrew Jackson would also be involved in several duels and Lincoln was once called out for a duel, but cooler heads eventually prevailed. The French were especially creative when it came to dueling. In 1808, two Frenchmen fought in balloons over Paris, each attempting to shoot and puncture the other's balloon, and in 1843, two other Frenchmen fought a duel by means of throwing billiard balls at each other. Dueling eventually fell out favor in the mid-1800's.

The last duel that I could find to take place on British soil at Battle, East Sussex. Ben Salfield fought against an unknown adversary with cavalry swords, over an insult allegedly made to a lady. The musician apparently won, and neither party suffered serious injury. He later recalled the incident as happening "on a hillside at dawn, dressed in 17th century clothes", and described it as "a brutal but fair way to decide a matter of honour"

See also The Bloody History of Dueling
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-bloody-history-of-duelling.html

See also Notorious Criminals, Crimes & Criminology - 100 Books on DVDrom

For a list of all of my disks and downloads click here

Dueling Documentary

George W. Taylor and the Hemline Index on This Day in History

This Day in History: Industrial Relations professor George W. Taylor was born on this day in 1901. He came up with what is known as the Hemline Index theory. The theory suggests that hemlines on women's dresses rise along with stock prices. In good economies, we get such results as miniskirts (as seen in the 1920s and the 1960s), or in poor economic times, as shown by the 1929 Wall Street Crash, hems can drop almost overnight. Of course this index is almost useless now that many women wear pants.

See also The History & Mystery of Money & Economics-250 Books on DVDrom

Slavery in Canada on This Day in History

Investigating White Slavery

This Day in History: The "Act Against Slavery" in Upper Canada banned the importation of slaves on this day in 1793. It was one of many moves that Western Countries took to end slavery. Britain freed their slaves by paying off their slave owners, a debt that was not paid off until 2015. While the West went to great pains to end slavery, to this day, millions are still slaves in Africa.

"Thousands Of Black People Are Still Slaves. So Why Haven’t You Heard About Them? Every day across Africa, black men, women, and children are captured, bought, and sold into slavery with the Western world paying scant attention."

See also: The Real History of Slavery: Wake up students, says Thomas Sowell.
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/10/thomas-sowell/the-real-history-of-slavery/

See also: Juneteenth & the Hidden Side of Slavery
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2020/06/juneteenth-hidden-side-of-slavery.html

White Cargo on This Day in History

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2020/08/white-cargo-on-this-day-in-history.html

Buy: The Mysterious Book of Genesis - Lilith, Enoch & Other Strange Studies: An Anthology on Amazon and The Companion Guide to Death, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only $1.99

British Actor Marty Feldman on This Day in History

Walk This Way

This Day in History: British Actor Marty Feldman was born on this day in 1934. Known for his misaligned eyes, Feldman suffered from thyroid disease and developed Graves' ophthalmopathy, causing his eyes to protrude and become misaligned. His best known role is as Igor in Young Frankenstein, and the "Walk This Way" scene inspired Aerosmith to write their hit song of the same name. "Walk this way" is a recurrent pun in a number of comedy films and television shows. One version of this old joke goes like this: A heavy-set woman goes into a drug store and asks for talcum powder. The bowlegged clerk says, "Walk this way," and the woman answers, "If I could walk that way I wouldn't need talcum powder!"

Marty Feldman died of a massive heart-attack in Mexico in 1982 at age 48 after eating shellfish, though Mel Brooks says a contributing factor may have been his diet: "He smoked sometimes half a carton (5 packs) of cigarettes daily, drank copious amounts of black coffee, and ate a diet rich in eggs and dairy products."

Arthur Conan Doyle on This Day in History

Edgar Allan Poe - An Exhumation is available on

 Amazon by clicking here...and it is only 99 cents

This Day in History: Sherlock Holmes creator/author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died on this day in 1930. I loved reading the Holmes books when I was young, and he wrote other great works as well such as the Brazilian Cat. Doyle did not invent the detective story, that honor may have to go to Edgar Allan Poe with his August Dupin (Murders in the Rue Morgue). Doyle however, seems to have been inspired by an old teacher of his with an eye for detail, Dr. Joseph Bell.

See also The 300 Oldest Murder Mystery and Crime Books & Stories on DVDrom - For a list of all of my digital books and books on disks click here

Forerunners of Sherlock Holmes 1906

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2016/01/forerunners-of-sherlock-holmes-1906.html

The Best Thoughts & Quotes on Sherlock Holmes

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-best-thoughts-quotes-on-sherlock.html

Where Sherlock Holmes Came From by Arthur Bartlett Maurice 1908

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2018/02/where-sherlock-holmes-came-from-by.html

Sherlock Holmes - A Criticism, article in The Academy 1897

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2016/01/sherlock-holmes-criticism-article-in.html

Joseph Bell - The Original Sherlock Holmes by Carolyn Wells 1913

https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/05/joseph-bell-original-sherlock-holmes-by.html

Sir Thomas More on This Day in History

See also Over 300 PDF/Acrobat Books on 

Socialism, Communism and Economics

This Day in History: Sir Thomas More was executed for treason against King Henry VIII of England on this day in 1535. During the reign of Henry VIII, it is estimated that between 57,000 and 7­2,000 English subjects lost their heads. Thomas More is known for more than that though. He famously wrote an important Communist book called UTOPIA. In More’s Utopia, “men live all the time under everyone’s eyes.” "Citizens shunned individuality. All dressed in bland, simple garments and disdained ostentations like jewelry and other finery. Gold had so little appeal that it was used for making chamberpots. All persons ate their meals in large groups in common halls. Communistic Utopia had no money or private property." [Daniel Hager] Utopia inspired many socialists, but Karl Kautsky pointed out that "perplexed" historians and economists often saw the name Utopia (which means "no place") as "a subtle hint by More that he himself regarded his communism as an impracticable dream."

Buy my book: The Folly of Socialism (40 Chapters) for 99 cents on Amazon

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See also: Socialist Theories and Literary Utopias

SPAM on This Day in History

Monty Python SPAM 

This Day in History: SPAM, the luncheon meat, was introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation on this day in 1937. SPAM is chopped pork shoulder meat with ham, salt, water, sugar, and sodium nitrite, unless of course you get some other variation of it. The word SPAM is short for "spiced ham" not "something posing as meat." SPAM was invented in the depressionera, a low cost food item which Margaret Thatcher once referred to as a "wartime delicacy" [Nearly 100 million pounds of SPAM were consumed by the Allied troops during World War II.] Hormel produces 44,000 cans of SPAM every hour, but it's been decades since I've had any. SPAM is big in Hawaii and the McDonald's restaurants there feature SPAM on the menu.

Believe it or not, there is a SPAM Museum in Austin, MN

July 4th on This Day in History

This Day in History: July 4th is most known as the day when the United States Declaration of Independence was adopted on 1776, but many American things happened today. The United States Military Academy West Point opened on this day in 1802, the Louisiana Purchase was announced on July 4th 1803, construction on the Erie Canal began in New York on July 4th 1817, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4 in 1826, and James Monroe—the nation's fifth president—died just a few years later on July 4, 1831, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" was written on this day in 1831, Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" was published on July 4th 1855, Calvin Coolidge was born July 4th in 1872, the Freedom of Information Act was signed by LBJ on this day in 1966, Neil Simon was born July 4 1927, and the American Flag received its 50th star on this day in 1960. Eating Salmon on the Fourth is a New England tradition, and Americans eat about 150 million hot dogs on Independence Day.

What is an American? (from What is an American? By Charles Dana Burrage 1920)

An American is a religious Voltaire; and his religion is expressed in Voltaire's words to an opponent: "I disagree absolutely with what you say, but I would die for your right to say it."
Joseph Edgar Chamberlin

A man who,—while born and living in America and intent above all things else upon maintaining America as the best place in the world to live in,—sees that we must be just and generous to all the world, this proving what we showed on our entrance into the war, that America's greatest glory will be its vision of a new and a better world, and who acts accordingly.
Charles R. Lanman.

An American is one who, if need be, would give everything he has, for the sake of ordered liberty as conceived by Washington, Lincoln and Roosevelt.
Henry Harmon Chamberlin.

An American is at once the servant and the savior of the World.
W. B. Scofield.

Any man born in United States.
A. Obelitz—A guest, born in Denmark.

One that believes in liberty of Governemnt of the people, with equal rights for all.
C. T. Grinnell.

A citizen of the United States who believes in and is at all times prepared to support the principles and ideals of its government as set forth in the Constitution.
Montgomery Reed.

He who considers the best interests of the U. S. before all else.
Louis N. Wilson.

A man who is friendly, unselfish, democratic, and absolutely just; who is willing to recognize in all men an equal right to think for themselves and to work together for the common good.
Nathan Haskell Dole.

A worshipper of the All Mighty Dollar.
Albert W. Ellis.

An American is one who holds America as his country above everything else.
William E. Story.

An American is anyone whose heart and soul are consecrated in devout allegiance to the welfare and traditions of the United States of America!
H. H. R. Thompson.

A man who lives in America and puts America first.
Eben F. Thompson.

One that is absolutely loyal to our glorious Country.
W. W. Johnson.

One born or adopted in the United States who believes, and who lives the belief that all men are born free and equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Edwin S. Crandon.

An American citizen who loves his country and is obedient to her laws.
Edward Palmer Hatch.

See Capitalism in America - 100 Books on DVDrom (Captains of Industry)

Who Really Discovered America? - 90 Books on DVDrom (Vikings, Irish, Welsh etc)
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/who-really-discovered-america-90-books.html

American History & Mysteries, Over 200 PDF Books on DVDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/american-history-mysteries-over-200-pdf.html

The World's First Car on This Day in History

This Day in History: German automotive engineer Karl Benz, officially unveiled the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first purpose-built automobile on this day in 1886.

Walmart on This Day in History

Sam Walton

This Day in History: The first Walmart store opened for business in Rogers, Arkansas on this day in 1962. Walmart is the world's largest company by revenue, with US$514.405 billion and it is also the largest private employer in the world with 2.2 million employees. While many dislike Walmart, others argue that Walmart has done more to lift more low-income people out of poverty than any charitable organization or government agency in the world. Wal-Mart's everyday low retail prices in groceries, prescription drugs, clothing, and household items has significant economic benefits for the poor. Walmart also is at the forefront in many emergency response efforts. Ryan Ferguson in his article (My 5 Favorite Evil Corporations) states: "I don’t shop at Walmart very often, but they're a massive value creator for society that everyone hates. Rich people who prefer to imagine that poor people don’t exist like to lobby cities to prevent Walmart, ignoring how much they have improved the lives of people all over the world. They are the driving force of lowering the prices on all sorts of products. They have democratized wealth by pushing down supply costs and giving people access to inexpensive versions of almost any product available." https://fee.org/articles/my-5-favorite-evil-corporations/

Wolfman Jack on This Day in History

Clap for the Wolfman

This Day In History: The Original Rock 'N' Roll Animal, Wolfman Jack, died on this day in 1995 in North Carolina. He was only 57 when he died (my age). He was one of the earliest syndicated Disc Jockeys during the golden age of Rock n Roll. He received a second life after the 1973 George Lucas movie, American Graffiti. His appearance there led to a 1976 Canadian variety television series, and appearances in many TV shows and movies. He lent his voice to the Guess Who's "Clap for the Wolfman" and the Stampeder's 1975 hit "Hit the Road Jack" (both Canadian bands).