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March 10, 2018: March 10 marks the 105th anniversary of the death of a giant in American history, albeit a giant who stood less than five feet tall. Born sometime between 1819 and 1823, Harriet Tubman spent her childhood as a field slave in Maryland, living a harsh existence that included … Read more about Celebrating The Black Ghost

March 2, 2018: Let’s raise a tall Cuba Libre to Desi Arnaz on the 101st anniversary of his birth. Known to most as the excitable husband of Lucille Ball on “I Love Lucy”, Arnaz was also a famously shrewd businessman and a television industry visionary.   Desi’s father was the mayor of Santiago, … Read more about Viva Signor Arnaz

February 17, 2018 : On February 17, 1776, the first volume of Edward Gibbon’s seminal “The History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire” was published in London. Gibbon’s painfully researched six volume master work was unique at the time because of the historian’s heavy utilization of primary … Read more about Whatever Happened to The Roman Empire?

February 9, 2018: On February 9, 1971, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announced that Satchel Paige would be the first black player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, capping perhaps the most remarkable baseball journey of all-time.  Born in Mobile, Alabama on July 7, 1906, Leroy (Satchel) Paige … Read more about But Socrates didn’t have a fastball

February 2, 2018: On February 3, 1863, Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pen name “Mark Twain” for the first time. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. In 1839, Clemens’ father, John Marshall, moved his family to Hannibal Missouri and opened a general store. Decades later, … Read more about Mark Twain never said that

January 25, 1918: On Saturday, raise a glass of your favorite Austrian beverage to toast Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg.  At the age of three, Mozart would listen as his seven- year-old sister, Nanneri, received piano lessons from their father, Leopold, … Read more about Mozart and the Cultured Cow

January 19, 2018: On January 20, 1892 the first official game of basketball was played at a YMCA in Albany, New York. Records show that the final score was 1-0, the only basket being a 25-foot field goal. Not much else is known about this landmark event- not even the names of the teams. What we … Read more about Dr. Naismith’s Amazing Invention

January 15, 2018: I received an email from a Mr. John White, Esq., thanking me for recently recognizing his home town of New Haven as the birthplace of the telephone book. He sheepishly acknowledged that aside from the phone book, Pepe’s Pizza, and a certain Ivy League institution, New Haven is … Read more about Do you know these word and phrase origins?

12/31/2017: You may be aware of the passing of some very famous people in 2017 including Chuck Berry, Mary Tyler Moore and Tom Petty. Here are some other notables who passed away in 2017. Music Legend Tommy Allsup died of complications from a hernia operation at the age of 85. “Who the hell … Read more about Notable Passings 2017

12/15/2017 There are two movies that make me drop whatever I am doing and watch - The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. To kick-off your weekend, here are some facts about The Godfather that you may find of interest. The Book Mario Puzo was in dire financial straits when he walked into … Read more about A Movie I Can’t Refuse

George Washington’s Christmas Eve Surprise   Christmas Eve marks the anniversary of one of America’s most renowned historic events, Washington crossing the Delaware. The Crossing The Continental Army achieved early success in 1776 when it forced the British to evacuate Boston however the … Read more about George Washington’s Christmas Eve Surprise