While in the throes of straightening up my office (read "disposing of unnecessary papers and other miscellany",) I chanced to browse Wikipedia. What's that got to do with organizing my office you ask? Haven't a clue.
Anyway it all started with me typing January 4th into the Google search engine.
Here are some things that happened on January 4th:
1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (one of the Brothers Grimm) is born
1885 – The first successful appendectomy is performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside
1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign
1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.
2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building is officially opened.
Let's think about a few of these.
First successful appendectomy - How many unsuccessful ones were performed before this? And what does an unsuccessful appendectomy look like?
An elephant is electrocuted by Thomas Edison - A bit harsh as a way to say AC current is lethal, don't you think? It turns out that Topsy was a murderer, but apparently TE's assistants executed several non-felonious animals during his DC vs AC campaign, which they lost. If you're interested in some of the history of the electricity that we all use, click on the War of Currents link above. One remarkable fact: the last utility-generated DC current in NYC was terminated in 2007!
Jesse Ventura as governor - a strange and wondrous experience to hear a politician actually say what's on his mind, not that it helped him stay in office. Now he probes theories about government conspiracies that TruTV thinks we need to know - and maybe we do. TruTV's slogan is "Not reality. Actuality."
The world's tallest building - My building's bigger than your building - one more phallus designed and built by guys?
I think it's time for me to go back to straightening up my office.
Anyway it all started with me typing January 4th into the Google search engine.
Here are some things that happened on January 4th:
1785 – Jacob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (one of the Brothers Grimm) is born
1885 – The first successful appendectomy is performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside
1903 – Topsy, an elephant, is electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign
1999 – Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.
2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building is officially opened.
Let's think about a few of these.
First successful appendectomy - How many unsuccessful ones were performed before this? And what does an unsuccessful appendectomy look like?
An elephant is electrocuted by Thomas Edison - A bit harsh as a way to say AC current is lethal, don't you think? It turns out that Topsy was a murderer, but apparently TE's assistants executed several non-felonious animals during his DC vs AC campaign, which they lost. If you're interested in some of the history of the electricity that we all use, click on the War of Currents link above. One remarkable fact: the last utility-generated DC current in NYC was terminated in 2007!
Jesse Ventura as governor - a strange and wondrous experience to hear a politician actually say what's on his mind, not that it helped him stay in office. Now he probes theories about government conspiracies that TruTV thinks we need to know - and maybe we do. TruTV's slogan is "Not reality. Actuality."
The world's tallest building - My building's bigger than your building - one more phallus designed and built by guys?
I think it's time for me to go back to straightening up my office.
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Comments are always from "anonymous". Often I can identify the author by the content of the comment, but that much cogitation makes my 80 year-old brain tired. Please help out an old man and identify yourself within the text of the comment. Thanks for the comments whether or not you ID yourself. Tom