The Daily Dose/August 19, 2018
By Gaylon Kent
America’s Funniest Guy
In The News
One of the benefits of having your own column is you can write whatever the hell you want. Of course, you want to attract what we in the trade call ‘readers’, but an item from yesterday intrigues us, so hold on to your hats.
At the 1904 St Louis Olympics, American William Mertz became the first person to win five medals at an Olympiad without winning a gold medal. (The feat was matched in 1992 by another American gymnast, Shannon Miller.) He won a silver and three bronze medals in gymnastics and bronze in track and field. These are, of course, two completely different disciplines and we got curious.
Well, it turns out the track event was a triathlon competition, though it bore no resemblance to the triathlons of today. In St Louis the triathlon consisted of the long jump, the shot put and the 100-yard dash and was contested by 110 Americans, seven Germans and a wayward Swiss who happened to be wandering by the stadium. Despite the fact it was contested only by gymnasts and was used to determine scores for the all-around gymnastics event, the IOC lists the event in the track and field results.
Now you know. You’re welcome.
Today At The Site
Sparrow is in hot water on today’s edition of The Diary of a Nobody when some dolt misplaces the serving trays at Hotel A, causing the bacon and eggs for the complimentary breakfast to be set out late. At the retailer, two customers whine about receiving their refunds in the form of gift cards, which a lot of people call store credit, even though no credit is issued.
Once again, Louis L’Amour has The Thought for the Day. The quote is from his biography Education of a Wandering Man and talks about the sense he got that a writer of a book he was reading was thoroughly enjoying himself, and we discuss how we can thoroughly enjoy ourselves, too.
On This Date
In 1960 – Francis Gary Powers, a CIA pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in May, is sentenced by the Soviets to ten years imprisonment because no one believed the official US claim that Powers was flying a weather plane. Powers would be released in 1962 as part of an exchange of spies with the Soviets.
In 1951 – Eddie Gaedel of the St Louis Browns makes his only major league appearance, pinch-hitting for Frank Saucier in the bottom of the first inning in the second game of a doubleheader at Sportsman’s Park. Gaedel walked and was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Jim Delsing. At three feet, seven inches, Gaedel remains the only midget to appear in a major league game.
In 1967 – The Beatles are at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 14th time with All You Need Is Love. The song also went to #1 in Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Austria, Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Though not originally released on an album, the song would eventually be released on both the Magical Mystery Tour album and Yellow Submarine soundtrack.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question
The last state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1920, was Mississippi in 1984. It had rejected it in 1920.
Today’s Stumper
How many #1 songs did the Beatles have in Great Britain? – Answer next time!
Shameless Plugs
Backstairs at the Monte Carlo: A Vegas Memoir!: Clock in with the graveyard crew at the Monte Carlo Security Department on the glamorous Las Vegas Strip. You’ll meet drunks, reprobates and scoundrels, and those are just the officers! The funniest Vegas memoir ever! Promise!
The Regular Guys: Meet Lenny and Larry, two comedians who team up more or less out of desperation and become the biggest in show business. As funny as you would expect from Gaylon, and poignant, too.
Click here to read previews of both!
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