On this day in history.

[giradman]

If they still offer it, I'd like to try the burro ride to the bottom of the canyon.

We actually looked into that option but that was before we took up horse riding which might have encourage us to give the ride a try - now there is a 200 pound or so rider limit on these animals which would not have been an issue for us - So, decided to do the helicopter rider - Dave

P.S. googling some pics and looks like horses and mules are the main animal options.

 

[J. A.]

Thanks for the research.

You're welcome.

 

[giradman]

Hugh Mercer dies from wounds received in the Battle of Princeton on this day in 1777!

Well, this seems rather minor to what I usually post in this thread, but I am quite familiar w/ this Brigadier General who served on George Washington's staff and was present at the Battle of Trenton just weeks before he was killed in Princeton (both in the state of New Jersey).

So, why my interest? First, he was a physician like myself and was trained in Scotland, his homeland. Second, he was prominently featured in a movie I watch several times a year about the Battle of Trenton called The Crossing w/ Jeff Daniels as George W. And third, one of the most famous 20th century American lyricists, Johnny Mercer, was a direct descendant - Johnny was born in Savannah, Georgia which I discussed on our trip to the area just under a year ago in my Hilton Head Island travelogue.

Finally, I've been going through my American 'pop' singers from the 20th century (culling and adding) over the last few weeks, and guess what! Many, many, etc. sing the wonderful songs of Johnny Mercer. Dave

On this day in 1777, American Brigadier General Hugh Mercer dies from the seven bayonet wounds he received during the Battle of Princeton.

From 1760 to 1775, Mercer worked as an apothecary and practiced medicine in Fredericksburg, Virginia. When the colonies took up arms against the British, he quickly returned to his rebellious roots. When first commissioned as a captain in the Continental Army, Mercer was charged with leading the Independent Company of the Town of Fredericksburg. He was soon made a lieutenant colonel, commanding a militia battalion. By December 1775, he was a full colonel and the first commander of the 3rd Virginia Regiment, with luminaries including James Monroe and John Marshall under his command. General George Washington personally requested Mercer’s promotion to brigadier general in June 1776 (Source).

Johnny Mercer was born in Savannah, Georgia. His father, George Anderson Mercer, was a prominent attorney and real estate developer, and his mother, Lillian Elizabeth (née Ciucevich), George Mercer’s secretary and then second wife, was the daughter of a Croatian immigrant father and a mother with Irish ancestry. Lillian's father was a merchant seaman who ran the Union blockade during the U.S. Civil War.[2] Mercer was George's fourth son, first by Lillian. His great-grandfather was Confederate General Hugh Weedon Mercer and he was a direct descendant of American Revolutionary War General Hugh Mercer, a Scottish soldier-physician who died at the Battle of Princeton. Mercer was also a distant cousin of General George S. Patton.[3] The construction of Mercer House in Savannah was started by General Hugh Weedon Mercer in 1860 (although never finished by him; the next owners of the house finished it), later the home of Jim Williams, whose trial for murder was the centerpiece of John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Neither the General, nor Mercer himself, ever lived there (Source).

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[scifan57]

January 28, 1986;

Shortly after liftoff, the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes, killing the entire crew. Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

Hi Scifan.. - that disaster was on the radio yesterday and covered many different aspects, including an NPR interview w/ one of the NASA engineers who wanted the launch cancelled (quote below - Source).

I remember exactly where we were and watching the event on a hotel room TV - the place was the Frenchman's Reef Hotel on St. Thomas - our annual winter radiology meeting was taking place that week and I was one of the speakers. Don't believe that I have any original pics left from that time, but may post in the the images thread - believe we made that trip 3-4 times after switching the locale from Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. Dave

Thirty years ago, as the nation mourned the loss of seven astronauts on the space shuttle Challenger, Bob Ebeling was steeped in his own deep grief.

The night before the launch, Ebeling and four other engineers at NASA contractor Morton Thiokol had tried to stop the launch. Their managers and NASA overruled them.

 

[giradman]

Baseball Hall of Fame - Elects First Members This Day in Cooperstown, NY - 1936!

The Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, New York (see the map - the blue circles represent areas visited by Susan & I - the New England states, such as New Hampshire & Vermont are nearby for combo trips) - we have never gone to the Hall of Fame which is shown below along w/ the plaques for the first five inductees - check out the link's source for more information - also notice that Abner Doubleday, a Union Major General in the Civil War, is falsely credited w/ the invention of the game of baseball (see last quote - Source). Dave

On January 29, 1936, the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame elects its first members in Cooperstown, New York: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Matthewson and Walter Johnson.

The Hall of Fame actually had its beginnings in 1935, when plans were made to build a museum devoted to baseball and its 100-year history. A private organization based in Cooperstown called the Clark Foundation thought that establishing the Baseball Hall of Fame in their city would help to reinvigorate the area’s Depression-ravaged economy by attracting tourists. To help sell the idea, the foundation advanced the idea that U.S. Civil War hero Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown. The story proved to be phony, but baseball officials, eager to capitalize on the marketing and publicity potential of a museum to honor the game’s greats, gave their support to the project anyway (Source).

You may have heard that a young man named Abner Doubleday invented the game known as baseball in Cooperstown, New York, during the summer of 1839. Doubleday then went on to become a Civil War hero, while baseball became America’s beloved national pastime. Not only is that story untrue, it’s not even in the ballpark. Doubleday was still at West Point in 1839, and he never claimed to have anything to do with baseball. In 1907, a special commission created by the sporting goods magnate and former major league player A.J. Spalding used flimsy evidence—namely the claims of one man, mining engineer Abner Graves—to come up with the Doubleday origin story. Cooperstown businessmen and major league officials would rely on the myth’s enduring power in the 1930s, when they established the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in the village.

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[J. A.]

January 30, 1931:
Charlie Chaplin's film "City Lights" is released . Chaplin was actor, director, and composer of the score.
City Lights - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

For those interested in Chaplin's City Lights, I can strongly recommend the Criterion production shown below along w/ the ratings from HERE - comes w/ both a DVD and a BD, plus a 40+ booklet; yes, a little pricey (I bought from Amazon w/ some gift credit) - also, Criterion will occasionally run 'half-off' sales, so if interested, check their website. Dave
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[giradman]

Beatles Arrive at Kennedy Airport on this day in 1964 - Start of Beatlemania in the USA!

Well, I was a senior in high school on that date and we watched the Ed Sullivan Show of their first appearance - in fact, I just listened to the 3 CDs that I own of their music a few weeks ago (was going through my non-classical music collection and was on 20th century singers & groups): 1) No. 1 Hits (27 songs); 2) Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; and 3) Yellow Submarine soundtrack (do not own the 1968 movie which is now out on BD - saw in the theater w/ Susan before we married!). Dave

On February 7, 1964, Pan Am Yankee Clipper flight 101 from London Heathrow lands at New York’s Kennedy Airport–and “Beatlemania” arrives. It was the first visit to the United States by the Beatles, a British rock-and-roll quartet that had just scored its first No. 1 U.S. hit six days before with “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” At Kennedy, the “Fab Four”–dressed in mod suits and sporting their trademark pudding bowl haircuts–were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans who caused a near riot when the boys stepped off their plane and onto American soil.

Two days later, Paul McCartney, age 21, Ringo Starr, 23, John Lennon, 23, and George Harrison, 20, made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, a popular television variety show. Although it was difficult to hear the performance over the screams of teenage girls in the studio audience, an estimated 73 million U.S. television viewers, or about 40 percent of the U.S. population, tuned in to watch......Source

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[scifan57]

February 7, 1812;

On this day, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, one of the strongest earthquakes in human history occurred in Arkansas, causing widespread damage and what was called the fluvial tsunami which caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for several hours. Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in Mississippi - Feb 07, 1812 - HISTORY.com

 

[giradman]

February 7, 1812;

On this day, a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, one of the strongest earthquakes in human history occurred in Arkansas, causing widespread damage and what was called the fluvial tsunami which caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards for several hours. Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in Mississippi - Feb 07, 1812 - HISTORY.com

YES! The New Madrid fault and the time the Big Muddy went the other way - wish that I were there!

Below, the first pic of the fault zone which impacts on multiple states, including Arkansas - for those interested, there is an entire book on this subject which I read when released (second pic) - an amazing narrative - thanks for the reminder! Dave
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[KevinJS]

Feb 7, 1812 was the birthdate of Charles Dickens.

 

[J. A.]

On February 8, 1834, Dmitiry Mendeleev was born in Siberia.

Dmitri Mendeleev - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[giradman]

On February 8, 1834, Dmitiry Mendeleev was born in Siberia.
View attachment 70253
Dmitri Mendeleev - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boy, the Periodic Table of Elements - I use to have quite a bit of that table memorized after 2 chemistry courses in HS and 5 (inorganic x2, organic x2, & physical chemistry) as an undergrad, and then biochemistry in medical school. For those who want to bring back fond memories of that table, one of many charts available w/ a google image search! Dave
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[J. A.]

February 10, 1923: Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, German physicist, died of cancer.

Wilhelm Röntgen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia