Newsletter
Entries for October, 2011 in UNCLE HISTORY
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 25, 1415: The English devastate French forces at Agincourt. Because of this decisive victory, The 100 Years War lasted a mere 38 more years. To see more Uncle History, CLICK HERE
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 24, 1926: Harry Houdini performs his last magic act when, in a strange accident, he trips and falls into one of his sleeves, never to be seen again.
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 22, 1964: Jean-Paul Sartre, the philosopher and author who wrote "Being and Nothingness," refuses the Nobel Prize in literature. Sartre said he refused the prize because he didn't think writers should become institutions. Besides, he said he felt nauseous ...
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 21, 1772: Samuel Taylor Coleridge is born. Through much of his life, contempories avoided the British poetbecause of his habit of starting every conversation with "dude, I had the weirdest dream." Embryonic fluid, embryonic fluid everywhere.
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 18, 1873: The universities of Rutgers, Princeton, Yale and Columbia finalize the first rules for intercollegiate football. Some of the rules seem somewhat dated: 1: No stabbings during play. 2: Likewise, clubbing is not allowed either, unless the club ...
-
Even Walter Cronkite had failures
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 20, 1957: Newsman Walter Cronkite begins airing the weekly documentary "Riding Through My Innards," which one television critic referred to as "the most unsettling half-hour of my life."
-
Forget Wall Street, This Is How To Protest!
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 19, 1765: The Stamp Act Congress meets in New York to draw up the Declaration of Rights and Liberties, which reads, in full, "Quit it."
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 15, 1860: 11-year old Grace Bedell writes a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, telling him he would look better with a beard. Lincoln agrees and grows one. He also exchanges his assless chaps for a suit and a ...
-
Marilyn Monroe + nudity = scientific research
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 14, 1947: Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier over Southern California in the Bell X-1 rocket plane. It was the first time anyone had traveled faster than the speed of sound, but to be fair, sound moved slower then. ...
-
Maybe this is what it takes to sell newspapers
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 13, 1792: The first edition of the Old Farmers Almanac is published. With its concoction of articles, anecdotes, entrail readings, planting schedules, weather predictions and renderings of naked old farmers, the Almanac proves a huge success. To see more ...
-
Forget Gay Marriage, How About This?
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 10, 1975: Elizabeth Taylor remarries Richard Burton. It would be her sixth marriage. Eventually, Taylor would wed 383 times, even once accidentally marrying herself.
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 9, 1000: Viking explorer Lief Erickson lands on the East Coast of America. He was intrigued by the "glowing golden arches" in the distance.
-
If at first you don't succeed...
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 11, 1868: Thomas Edison files his first patent. The inventor was ecstatic to patent his electric voice machine, especially so soon after the electric prophylactic incident.
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 8, 1869: Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, passes away. In keeping with presidential tradition, Pierce wandered off alone into the woods to die. To see more Uncle History, CLICK HERE
-
Heart of a champion, legs of a loser
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 7, 1918: In the most lopsided football score in history, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets destroy the Cumberland College Hapless Martyrs 222-0. To be fair, however, the guy playing for Cumberland was injured.
-
Where the word "Cokehead" came from
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 6, 1955: LSD is made illegal in the United States, forcing Coke to change its formula once again.
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 5, 1947: Sitting at his desk, President Harry S. Truman gives the first televised White House address. Speaking on the international food crisis, Truman ends the address with, "I'm not wearing pants." To see more Uncle History, CLICK HERE
-
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 4, 1957: The Soviet Union launches into orbit Sputnik 1, the first manmade satellite. Americans panic, terrified that Sputnik will drop a virus causing them to "catch the Communism." To see more Uncle History, CLICK RIGHT HERE
-
And the one who wears the Fez shall rule them all
By unclehistory in UNCLE HISTORY
October 1, 1189: Grandmaster of the Knights Templar Gerard de Ridefort is killed during the siege of Acre. He was succeeded by Robert de Sable who, as grandmaster, now had the honor of wearing the fez and riding the little ...