The Daily Dose/August 15, 2021
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
Leading Off is running intermittently for the time being.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has a busy morning at the hotel. Today’s Diary.
Morning Coffee Service (MCS) was supremely busy this morning…There’s a triathlon in town and competitors were up early and drinking coffee like they were well, about to compete in a triathlon, and there was a brief period where only one pot was out, as horrifying as it is rare for someone who puts the diligence into MCS that ol’ Sparrow does.
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On This Date
The long march to today.
In 1812 – The British army, led by Major General Issac Brock, defeats an American force with superior numbers in the Siege of Detroit in the War of 1812. Using a variety of intrigues and subterfuges, Brock led American General William Hull to believe he had more troops and Indians than he really had and Hull surrendered Fort Detroit without a fight. The British would hold Detroit for more than a year before losing it in a naval battle on Lake Erie and the war ended in 1815 without a clear winner.
In 1743 – English boxing champion Jack Broughton promulgates the first rules of boxing. Amongst the rules were a 30-second knockdown rule, no hitting of a downed fighter and fighters being allowed to kneel and take a 30-second count. The earliest accounts of boxing – which derived from fencing because swords were becoming less common – date from 1681 when a duke brokered a match between two of his servants.
In 1980 – Diana Ross is at #1 on Billboard’s soul chart – then known as the Hot Soul Singles chart – for the first of four consecutive weeks with Upside Down. It was her third #1 soul song as a solo act, and her tenth of eleven soul #1s, counting hits with Lionel Ritchie and the Supremes. The song would later spend four weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 and also went to #1 in seven other countries, including New Zealand and Norway and peaked at #2 in Great Britain. It was Billboard’s 18th biggest song of the year and ranked 80th on their 60th Anniversary Hot 100 in 2018.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
I had found what I was looking for – a man like myself, but one who in his search for meaning had discovered a worthwhile object for his life; who had paid every price and not counted it a sacrifice; who was paying it still and would pay it till he died…who had reduced his life to the one thing that mattered to him, and was free.
John LeCarre
The Secret Pilgrim
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
Knowledge is power.
Gale Sondergaard was originally offered the role of the wicked witch of the west in The Wizard of Oz, but ended up not being pleased with the role.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
Who were the American and British heads of state during the War of 1812? – Answer next time!
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