The_Kitchen_Guy
Silver Member
- 12,458
In case you are new to these daily updates, let me just quickly tell you that our friend and fellow Cheffer, Paige Dixon Birgfeld, disappeared without a trace on June 28, 2007. You can follow the entire story in a thread called "One of Our Own Is Missing" at the top of this page. Human remains were found in Colorado on March 8, 2012. Two days later, dental records tentatively identified the remains as those of Paige. On March 28, DNA testing confirmed that Paige had been found. As of this date, all we know is that Paige's remains have been found, law enforcement is considering this case a homicide, and everything is in the hands of forensics experts. All we can do now is wait, because once again, we have nothing new to report.
In news of Candles for Paige we had 3 candles as of this post. Remember, candles go out after 48 hours so keep lighting candles for Paige, her family and her three children.
Instructions for lighting candles for Paige are in the Missing thread, in this post.
On this date in History...
...in 1785, the first men to fly across the English Channel, Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries, accomplished the feat in a gas balloon.
...in 1789, the first Presidential election was held in the United States. As defined by the US Constitution, voters chose state electors. The electors, in turn, voted as members of the electoral college. The same system is used to this day, but the difference is that 1789, only white, male, land owners were allowed to vote for electors. Today, of course, any citizen over the age of 18 is allowed to vote. Detractors of the electoral college system say that it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but to lose the electoral college. This happened three times, in 1876, 1888 and 2000. Proponents of the system point out that the electoral college distributes the vote over all states, meaning Rhode Island has as much at stake in the election as larger states. If the electoral college were eliminated for popular vote only, large states like California and Texas could dominate every election, overriding smaller states. In 1789, as expected, George Washington easily won the first election and he took office on April 30, 1789.
...in 1924, George Gershwin completed the Rhapsody in Blue, the landmark jazz symphony that is popular to this day. The piece was commissioned by Paul Whiteman for his big band. The distinctive opening features a clarinet starting with the lowest note possible on the instrument, quickly rising to the top register, using a technique called a "smear" to a high C, a technique that only a few clarinetists can achieve. Gershwin also wrote An American in Paris, made famous in a Gene Kelly movie of the same name. Along with his brother, Ira, he wrote Porgy & Bess and the team wrote hundreds of familiar American songs. He died tragically in 1937, the result of a brain tumor that may have been caused by him being struck by a golf ball. His estate continues to collect royalties and he is estimated to be one of the wealthiest composers in history.
Jacob Gershowitz, aka George Gershwin
(1898-1937)
...in 1940, the CBS radio network premiered Gene Autry's Melody ranch which would remain on the air for 16 years. While in high school, Autry worked as a telegrapher at his town's railroad station and in between tasks, he would sing and play a cheap guitar. A stranger passing through the station one day heard him sing and suggested he go on the radio. The stranger knew what he was talking about, his name was Will Rogers. He found success as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" and became a mainstay of the Sears National Barn Dance. He co wrote and recorded the first gold record, That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine. In 1934, he was recruited to ride, play guitar and sing in a series of western serials and by 1940, he was America's Favorite Cowboy. During WWII, Autry joined the Army Air Corps and took his oath on the air. (He flew a C-47 in the Pacific Theater.) Roy Rogers took his place while he served. Later, Autry would star with Pat Buttram on the Gene Autry Show. Autry was also an investor and entrepreneur, even owning the California Angels as a very popular baseball owner. Autry is the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969.
Gene Autry (1907-1998) in the Gene Autry Show.
...in 1999, the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton began. He was charged with lying under oath and obstructing justice. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, under Article 1 of the US Constitution, was sworn in to preside over the trial, with Senators as jurors. President Clinton was the second US President to be impeached, the first being President Andrew Johnson in 1868.
The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999,
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding.
...in 1985, GM opened Saturn Corporation as a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of the giant automaker. As time went on, though, it became obvious that Saturn was, in fact, a division of GM. Components and platforms were shared with Saturn's GM brethren, such as the Saturn Sky roadster that was built on the same platform as the Pontiac Solstice. It was announced in 2009, after the government takeover of GM, that the Saturn Division would either be sold off or close. In September 2009, a pending sale to the Penske Automotive Group went south when Penske withdrew the tender. Saturn, like Pontiac, ceased operation at the end of the 2010 model year, bringing an end to the 25 year experiment.
Roger Smith and F James McDonald with the 1985 Saturn
That's it. That's all we know as of 1:01 AM, EST.
In news of Candles for Paige we had 3 candles as of this post. Remember, candles go out after 48 hours so keep lighting candles for Paige, her family and her three children.
Instructions for lighting candles for Paige are in the Missing thread, in this post.
On this date in History...
...in 1785, the first men to fly across the English Channel, Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries, accomplished the feat in a gas balloon.
...in 1789, the first Presidential election was held in the United States. As defined by the US Constitution, voters chose state electors. The electors, in turn, voted as members of the electoral college. The same system is used to this day, but the difference is that 1789, only white, male, land owners were allowed to vote for electors. Today, of course, any citizen over the age of 18 is allowed to vote. Detractors of the electoral college system say that it is possible for a candidate to win the popular vote but to lose the electoral college. This happened three times, in 1876, 1888 and 2000. Proponents of the system point out that the electoral college distributes the vote over all states, meaning Rhode Island has as much at stake in the election as larger states. If the electoral college were eliminated for popular vote only, large states like California and Texas could dominate every election, overriding smaller states. In 1789, as expected, George Washington easily won the first election and he took office on April 30, 1789.
...in 1924, George Gershwin completed the Rhapsody in Blue, the landmark jazz symphony that is popular to this day. The piece was commissioned by Paul Whiteman for his big band. The distinctive opening features a clarinet starting with the lowest note possible on the instrument, quickly rising to the top register, using a technique called a "smear" to a high C, a technique that only a few clarinetists can achieve. Gershwin also wrote An American in Paris, made famous in a Gene Kelly movie of the same name. Along with his brother, Ira, he wrote Porgy & Bess and the team wrote hundreds of familiar American songs. He died tragically in 1937, the result of a brain tumor that may have been caused by him being struck by a golf ball. His estate continues to collect royalties and he is estimated to be one of the wealthiest composers in history.
Jacob Gershowitz, aka George Gershwin
(1898-1937)
...in 1940, the CBS radio network premiered Gene Autry's Melody ranch which would remain on the air for 16 years. While in high school, Autry worked as a telegrapher at his town's railroad station and in between tasks, he would sing and play a cheap guitar. A stranger passing through the station one day heard him sing and suggested he go on the radio. The stranger knew what he was talking about, his name was Will Rogers. He found success as "Oklahoma's Yodeling Cowboy" and became a mainstay of the Sears National Barn Dance. He co wrote and recorded the first gold record, That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine. In 1934, he was recruited to ride, play guitar and sing in a series of western serials and by 1940, he was America's Favorite Cowboy. During WWII, Autry joined the Army Air Corps and took his oath on the air. (He flew a C-47 in the Pacific Theater.) Roy Rogers took his place while he served. Later, Autry would star with Pat Buttram on the Gene Autry Show. Autry was also an investor and entrepreneur, even owning the California Angels as a very popular baseball owner. Autry is the only entertainer to have five stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and he was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969.
Gene Autry (1907-1998) in the Gene Autry Show.
...in 1999, the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton began. He was charged with lying under oath and obstructing justice. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, under Article 1 of the US Constitution, was sworn in to preside over the trial, with Senators as jurors. President Clinton was the second US President to be impeached, the first being President Andrew Johnson in 1868.
The impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton in 1999,
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist presiding.
...in 1985, GM opened Saturn Corporation as a wholly owned, independent subsidiary of the giant automaker. As time went on, though, it became obvious that Saturn was, in fact, a division of GM. Components and platforms were shared with Saturn's GM brethren, such as the Saturn Sky roadster that was built on the same platform as the Pontiac Solstice. It was announced in 2009, after the government takeover of GM, that the Saturn Division would either be sold off or close. In September 2009, a pending sale to the Penske Automotive Group went south when Penske withdrew the tender. Saturn, like Pontiac, ceased operation at the end of the 2010 model year, bringing an end to the 25 year experiment.
Roger Smith and F James McDonald with the 1985 Saturn
That's it. That's all we know as of 1:01 AM, EST.
