Today in History: Nov. 6
John Philip Sousa was born on this date in 1854, which is as good a reason to post “The Liberty Bell” march as any:
Read More
Today in History: November 5
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I see of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.—English Nursery Rhyme, author unknown
Today marks the 406th anniversary of the discovery and arrest of Guy Fawkes, one of several conspirators against King James I of England, who was found guarding three dozen kegs of gunpowder under the House of Lords. Under torture, he confessed that there was a plot, known to this day as the Gunpowder Plot, to overthrow the king.
In a Mary Poppins novel from 1943, P.L. Travers wrote about Fawkes: “The plot was discovered, however, before any damage was done. The only result was that King James and his Parliament went on living but Guy Fawkes, poor man, did not. He was executed with the other conspirators. Nevertheless, it is Guy Fawkes who is remembered today and King James who is forgotten. For since that time, the Fifth of November in England, like the Fourth of July in America, has been devoted to Fireworks.”
Read More
Fly the W
When I moved to the Midwest in the summer of 2000, I learned that Phil Rizzuto was not the baseball announcer who had coined the phrase, “Holy cow!” I also learned that there was a controversy about this, and that, as a fan of the New York Yankees and a native New Yorker—and worse, someone unaware of any controversy—I was on the wrong side of said dispute. Born wrong.
No, I was informed, the recently departed Harry Caray was the first to use the phrase on-air and was the announcer with whom “Holy Cow!” should always be associated. Not the beloved Yankees announcer.
Read More
The Gad About Town 