The Daily Dose/January 27, 2025
By Gaylon Kent – America’s Funniest Guy™
Leading Off
Notes from around the human experience.
CAPSULE BOOK REVIEW: Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hacket Fischer: One of the treasures of reading is finding out things you didn’t know before on subjects you a little bit about. We are moderately well-read on the Revolution and were pleased to learn many things we hadn’t known before.
Dry, Technical Matter: Paul Revere was an American patriot from Boston who actively supported the American cause by helping organize intelligence and alarm systems that warned patriots of British troop movements. A silversmith by trade, he was 40 at the start of the Revolution and lived 83 useful years. His place in American folklore for midnight ride is both well-earned and a tad exaggerated.
The British Are Coming: For example, we learned Revere was not the only one riding that night, and he never said “The British are coming”.
The British Are Already Here: Our favorite tidbit we found concerned Revere getting caught and interrogated by the British while on his midnight ride. Revere was riding with two others when they ran into a British patrol. The other two escaped, but Revere didn’t and likely survived for two reasons: one, he was unarmed, and, two, he told the truth. This included details of the British operation field commanders didn’t even know and was later released, more as a practical matter than anything.
Fly In The Ointment: Fans of detailed analyses of orders of battle and whatnot will thrill at the in-depth accounts of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Those who, like us, prefer a more big-picture aspect may see their eyes glaze over at times.
Get Your Official Daily Dose Rating Scale Right Here: 1 – The very best; 2 – Very good; 3 – Good; 4 – OK; 5- A steaming pile.
Final Rating: 2: Thoroughly and brilliantly researched and personably written, Fischer did his work very well. Everyone from general readers to history buffs to Revolution scholars will enjoy it, and everyone will enjoy getting to know the Americans and British who attended the start of the American Revolution.
Today At The Site
Writing worth reading. Usually.
The Diary of a Nobody – Sparrow has the latest Morning Coffee Service news. Today’s Diary.
The big news – and it is HUGE – is there are now three – three!!! – water pots for Morning Coffee Service…I am not making that up…
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On This Date
Extra, extra, read all about it.
In 1855 – The American continent is crossed for the first time when the Panama Railway runs between Colon on the Atlantic coast to Panama City on the Pacific coast. The railroad ties were laid initially on pine crossties, which quickly rotted in the jungle and were replaced with a harder wood known as lignum vitae. First-class fare was $25, a bit more than $900 in today’s money, while second-class passage was $10.
In 1988 – Michael Adams of the Denver Nuggets begins a streak of an NBA-record 88 games with one 3-point basket in a 122-113 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Adams had three 3-pointers to begin a streak that would not end until Jan 23, 1989. Dana Barros broke the record with 89 in 1995-96 and the record is now 268 consecutive games by Stephen Curry from December 2018 through December 2023.
In 1978 – The soundtrack from Saturday Night Fever by various artists is at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the second of 24 consecutive weeks. The album produced eight chart singles and four #1s. The album went to #1 in numerous other countries including Sweden, Norway, and Great Britain, produced eight chart singles and four #1s, and was Billboard’s #1 album of 1978 and its 27-biggest of 1979.
Some Philosophy Crap
The wisdom of the ages. Whatever.
…she was saved by the native shrewdness that goes hand in hand with personal ambition.
Ursula Curtiss
Letter of Intent
Answer To The Last Trivia Questions
Knowledge is power.
The only explorers to die in space were Soviet cosmonauts Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev, who died when their Soyuz 11 capsule depressurized before reentry.
Today’s Stumper
Match wits with Gaylon. It’s not that hard.
When did construction on the Panama Canal begin? – Answer next time!
