BBB Destination - Middlebury

The Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History is the oldest chartered community history museum in the United States, welcoming visitors and researchers since 1882. Arguably Middlebury's most famous inhabitant, Henry Sheldon (1821-1907) was the town clerk, a lifelong bachelor, and a first class pack rat. Henry Sheldon was not wealthy, so instead of preserving steamships for posterity, he preserved ticket stubs and his own extracted teeth.

Most of the Museum space has been devoted to Vermont History so there's not nearly enough space for Henry Sheldon. Most of Henry's oddball collecting has been compressed into one room, which still offers tantalizing glimpses of what must have been -- and perhaps still is, in a storage unit somewhere -- a much larger collection.

Rumor has it, for example, that two of the museum's more noteworthy displays were a mousetrap that kills mice by drowning them in a cylinder of water, and a pair of Calvin Coolidge's baby shoes. Neither have been sighted in recent times but the careful observer will find a cigar holder made from a chicken leg; a hook embedded in hind quarter of cow; an adult-sized cradle, built for a woman named Aunt Patty, who "was said to have been not right in the head;" and "a Cornwall lady's cat" stuffed by a Middlebury College student in the 1890s.

One excellent exhibit is the small "petrified Indian boy," discovered by a party of rabbit hunters in 1877, purchased it for a hundred barrels of whiskey, and exhibited in Boston until it was exposed as a fraud, whereafter it was exhibited in Canada. Sheldon bought it and put it on display in 1884, but it scared local schoolchildren so much that he moved it to the basement. Even today, it's hit or miss whether you'll see it, since it tends to shuffle between exhibits and storage status.

Today in History - 1883

Lawsuits, poor investments, and the falling price of copper as western mines opened brought the the Ely Mine in Vershire Vermont to a crisis.

On this day (the day before pay day) the directors posted a sign that the mine would be closed unless the miners would take a pay cut. The men, who had gone two months without pay, revolted in what is called the Ely War. They went on strike, raided the company store, and marched on Smith Ely's home in West Fairlee, chanting "Bread or Blood!" Ely met with the workers, blamed the mess on the new directors of mining operations, and promised they would be paid. The miners, doubting this, seized the company gunpowder and stated that they would destroy all company property if pay were not forthcoming.

Acting on the request of the Sheriff, the Governor called out the National Guard, sending 184 soldiers into town at dawn on Saturday July 6th. Expecting to meet an unruly mob, they found instead a quiet village, whose awakening inhabitants soon told of their greivances. The soldiers, disturbed by what had happened, gave their food to the miners and their families and marched back to the train.

This was the most important instance of labor unrest in Vermont history. The workers, naturally, received almost nothing. The company was declared bankrupt and was sold at auction in 1888.

News from all over - Montpelier

At Riverwalk Records, the all-vinyl record store just down the street from the state Capitol, the black "US Out of Vt.!" T-shirts are among the hottest sellers.

Disillusioned by what they call an empire about to fall, a small cadre of writers and academics is plotting political strategy and planting the seeds of separatism.

They've published a "Green Mountain Manifesto" subtitled "Why and How Tiny Vermont Might Help Save America From Itself by Seceding from the Union." They hope to put the question before citizens at Town Meeting Day next March, eventually persuading the state Legislature to declare independence, returning Vermont to the status it held from 1777 to 1791.

About 300 people turned out for a 2005 secession convention in the Statehouse, and plans for a second one are in the works. A poll this year by the University of Vermont's Center for Rural Studies found that 13 percent of those surveyed support secession, up from 8 percent a year before.

"The argument for secession is that the U.S. has become an empire that is essentially ungovernable -- it's too big, it's too corrupt and it no longer serves the needs of its citizens," said Rob Williams, editor of Vermont Commons, a quarterly newspaper dedicated to secession.
Source

Quotable Quote

Vermont's a place where barns come painted
Red as a strong man's heart,
Where stout carts and stout boys in freckles,
Are highest forms of art.

-Robert Tristram Coffin

Today's Chuckle

BBB Geeky Novelty

Say you have a favorite photo, an empty wall, and an artistic flair. After stocking up on printer supplies, you too can bring the elements together using free Rasterbator software to make your place oh, so very cool - OK, there's no guarantee of that but it's worth a try, eh?.

Here's a step-by-step How To and check out the Rasterbator gallery.

Today in History - 1907

The Washington Nationals stole 13 bases in a single baseball game against the New York Highlanders.

[Was Clemens pitching that game, too?]

News from all over - Ledbury

Timothy Fry had been taking Rose and Buddy, a corn snake and a rat snake, out into a field in the park for the past year. But, after being warned it might be illegal, he asked the town council, which refused him permission.

Mr Fry said he did not want to take them out any more anyway as the snakes had not enjoyed the attention they got. He said he had not used a lead or collar, just put them in the grass and let them roam around. He added he always kept close and no-one had been in any danger from the snakes, which are not poisonous.

"A few people would come up and ask what I was doing but no-one ever complained," he said. The snakes apparently liked having the freedom of a bit of space, after being cooped up in tanks.
Source

Quotable Quote

Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.
-W. C. Fields

BBB Swell Site

Many terms have been used to describe Mr BBB .. "aging", "bald", "kinda geeky", "owner of many gasoline powered devices that are used *way* too early on Sunday mornings" .... but no one thinks of him as a Pop Culture expert. Now there's a web site ready to help hone his pop skills though news, games and, of course, it's own blog. Check out the World Series of Pop.

News from all over - Washington DC

Palaeontologists are piecing together the complete genome species of long-dead species such as the woolly mammoth and the Neanderthals in an effort to bring them back to life, much like billionaire John Hammond resurrected the extinct dinosaurs in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.

A team led by Stephan Schuster and Webb Miller at Pennsylvania State University, US, and Tom Gilbert at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is working on the genome of woolly mammoths preserved in the Siberian permafrost.

Scientists have already deciphered the complete gene sequences – or genomes – for many living species, including humans, dogs, and mice. However, they are divided over how they should do it in the case of long extinct species, and whether it's even feasible.

Max Planck researcher Svante Paabo, who together with colleagues, is aiming to assemble a Neanderthal genome from bones preserved in arid caves, in a paper appearing in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) said only certain types of errors appeared in ancient DNA.

As such, its not that difficult to piece together much of the original genetic instructions. However, he is unsure whether the animals can be resurrected completely. "Resurrecting these animals is for the most part science fiction," said Paabo.

[What could possibly go wrong?]
Source

Today in History - 1949

Set in the future, Captain Video and His Video Rangers followed the adventures of a group of fighters for truth and justice premiered this day. The Rangers operated from a secret base on a mountain top. Their uniforms resembled US Army surplus with lightning bolts sewn on.

So Now You Know

"Tobor", an important character on Captain Video, represents the first appearance of a robot in live televised science fiction.

BBB Etymology - Chips

It's a three-fer or four-fer depending on how you count!

Chip in - From poker, where it is a request to place one's chips, representing money, in the pot or kitty during play. When the chips are down, the money has been put down on the table, decisions have been taken and the crucial part of the game has been reached.

Chip off the old block - Literally a chip from a block of wood and therefore a piece of the same kind of wood. It is said of a person having the same characteristics as one of his or her parents or, more generally, having the good old-fashioned virtues of an older generation.

Chip on one's shoulder - The reference is to a custom originating in the USA, but also known in Canada, in which a person who was looking for a fight carried a chip of wood on his shoulder and invited people to knock it off; anyone who did so agreeing to fight.

I'll leave it to you to figure out fish and chips and potato chips

Today in History - 1284

The town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation. One day, a man claiming to be a rat-catcher approached the villagers with a solution. They promised to pay him for the removal of the rats. The man accepted and thus took a pipe and lured the rats with a song into the Weser river, where all of them drowned.

Despite his success, the people reneged on their promise and refused to pay the rat-catcher. The man left the town angrily, but returned on this date seeking revenge.

While the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe again, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and never seen again.

News from all over - Munger

As the 2007 Munger Potato Festival Potato Queen, Allison Nowicki wasn't planning to relinquish her sash and crown until next month, when the next festival queen is to be named. But the Munger Potato Festival Queen Committee thought otherwise.

Nowicki, of Hampton Township, received a letter from the committee saying she did not attend enough events to remain the Potato Queen. Since she was crowned last year, she made appearances at several events, including the Miss Bay County Pageant, the St. Johns Mint Festival, the Bay County Fair, the Montrose Blueberry Festival and the Linwood Pickle Festival.

"The only one I missed was the (Bay City) St. Patrick's Day Parade," Nowicki said. "I called the first runner-up and told her I wasn't going to make it."

From sharing potato dishes to crowning Potato Queens, the Munger Potato Festival has been a sparkle in the town's eye. But Nowicki and her supporters are disappointed in the Queen Committee's decision.

The first runner-up, Katie Smrecak, will serve as the Potato Queen until a new queen is chosen next month. Smrecak is the daughter of Don Smrecak, chairman of the Munger Potato Festival.
Source

Because they could

BBB Pulp Pick - Sounds in Space

So, does this mean it's forty-five to sixty minutes of vacuum-generated silence ... in >>Living Stereo<<, no less?

News from all over - Denver

thagomizer, n. The cluster of spikes at the end of a Stegosaurus’s tail.

Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, crossed over into anatomical nomenclature with a 1982 comic in which a caveman teaches a class this faux-scientific word. (Larson later joked, "Father, I have sinned—I have drawn dinosaurs and hominids together in the same cartoon.") But when fossil evidence suggested that the dinosaur used its stego-tail as a weapon, scientists co-opted the moniker. Ken Carpenter, a paleontologist at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, was the first to use the term professionally, quipping, "And now, on to the thagomizer," when describing a specimen with broken tail spikes at a 1993 meeting. These days, the word appears in reference books and museum exhibits. It’s no surprise that scientists adopted Larson’s terminology, says Carpenter. "He has a completely warped mind, which we absolutely love."
Source

Today in History - 1874

Rose O'Neill was born in this day in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, O'Neill won a children's art contest. Winning the contest gave her inspirations to pursue her career in illustration and she began a weekly cartoon series for the Omaha World Herald. She published artwork in various magazines, newspapers and books and remained focused on her career as an illustrator going on to gain recognition in France, awarded with the associate of the Société des Beaux Arts. Her most famous success can be seen in elf-like creature in 1909 which became the wildly popular Kewpie doll to accompany her magazine stories. She is credited with writing and illustrating more than 5,000 Kewpie stories.

So Now You Know

Stegosaurus, one of the many dinosaurs first collected and described in the Bone Wars, was originally named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1877, from remains recovered north of Morrison, Colorado. Soon after describing Stegosaurus, Marsh noted a large canal in the hip region of the spinal cord, which could have accommodated a structure up to 20 times larger than the brain. This has led to the famous idea that dinosaurs like Stegosaurus had a 'second brain' in the tail, which may have been responsible for controlling reflexes in the rear portion of the body. It has also been suggested that this "brain" might have given a Stegosaurus a temporary boost when it was under threat from predators. More recently, it has been argued that this space (also found in sauropods) may have been the location of a glycogen body, a structure in living birds whose function is not definitely known but which is postulated to facilitate the supply of glycogen to the animal's nervous system.[

Today's Chuckle

BBB Destination - Club 33

If you are among the very few (500) who have a membership, Club 33 offers a delightful vantage point to experience Disneyland. The club, created by Walt Disney himself as a place where he could entertain investors and business associates, didn't open until 1967, after his death. Since then it has been visited by presidents, princes and celebrities.

The restaurant, named for its address on 33 Royal St. in the park, is so secretive that the door remains locked and only members with a reservation are allowed in. Of its 487 members, individuals slightly outnumber corporations. Corporate memberships cost $25,000, plus $5,925 in annual fees. Individuals pay a $9,500 initiation fee, then $3,175 annually, Disneyland Resort spokesman Bob Tucker said. The nine- to fourteen-year waiting list is capped at 1,000.

While you wait or dream of waiting (or perhaps seek out new friends who have a membership), you can check out photos and legends of Club 33 at these sites...
disneylandclub33.com
mouseplanet entry
club33 tour by some aol guy
ebay auctions for memorabilia

News from all over - Blue Island

For the second time in eight days, Alan Turcott's home caught fire when squirrels knocked high-voltage wires loose from a utility pole and onto his three-story house, fire officials said.

"This is unbelievable," Blue Island Fire Chief Robert Copp said. "I've seen where squirrels have shorted things out or blown a fuse, but nothing like this before." Two scorched squirrels were found after the fires, confirming the critter cause, Copp said. It appears they transferred power from one line to the next as they bounced across the wires June 9 and 17.

"It's like a battlefield around here," Turcott said as he pointed to his plywood-patched home. "I think it's a total loss. It's just a big nightmare."
Source

Today in History - 1942

Victory-Mail was sent for the first time. V-mail correspondence worked by photographing large amounts of censored mail reduced to thumb-nail size onto reels of microfilm, which weighed much less than the original would have. The film reels were shipped to the US, sent to prescribed destinations for developing at a receiving station near the recipient, and printed out on lightweight photo paper. These facsimiles of the letter-sheets were reproduced about one-quarter the original size and the miniature mail was delivered to the addressee.

V-mail was composed of a letter that folded into its own envelope. The user would write the message in the prescribed space, fold the letter/envelope form, address it, affix postage and then the mail was on its way.

According to the National Postal Museum, "V-mail ensured that thousands of tons of shipping space could be reserved for war materials. The 37 mail bags required to carry 150,000 one-page letters could be replaced by a single mail sack. The weight of that same amount of mail was reduced dramatically from 2,575 pounds to a mere 45." This saved considerable weight and bulk in a time in which both were hard to manage in a theatre of the war. It also eliminated the threat of spies using microdots or invisible ink to send reports. Any microdot would not be photographed with enough resolution to be read.

So Now You Know

There is a secret door in the Trophy Room of Club 33 that leads to an audio room where Walt had intended to interact via an animatronic Vulture.

BBB Geeky Novelty

You say you have some extra time this weekend but aren't sure which project to take on? Well, sometimes the best solution is, yes, start a new one! And here's a Jim-Dandy ... all it takes are a few picture frames, some glue, brads, and that tub of army men you haven't set up for battle in years. Get ready to hone your craft skills and build an Army Men Side Table.

News from all over - Northop

A truck driver who was steering with his knees while eating spaghetti from a saucepan has been jailed for dangerous driving. The Presatyn court was told that Dutch driver Martin Veens, 30, was pursued by police in a helicopter after receiving reports of a truck being driven extremely erratically.

The truck was eventually stopped in Northop, North Wales. The prosector said: "He was seen eating food out of a saucepan while driving by using his knees. He was using his left hand to hold the saucepan and in his right hand had a fork." The lawyer speaking for the defendant admitted it had been "an outstandingly stupid thing to do". Veens was jailed for two months and banned from driving for a year.
Source

Today in History - 1948

Columbia Records announces a new Vinylite long-playing record that could hold 23 minutes of music on each side. One of the first LPs produced was of the original cast of the Broadway show, South Pacific. Critics quickly scoffed at the notion of LPs, since those heavy, breakable, 78 RPM, 10-inch disks with one song on each side, were selling at an all-time high.

So Now You Know

During the reign of the Communist Party in the former USSR, records were commonly homemade using discarded medical x-rays. These records, nicknamed "Bones", were usually inscribed with illegal copies of popular music banned by the government. They also became a popular means of distribution among Soviet punk bands; in addition to the high cost and low availability of vinyl, punk music was politically suppressed, and publishing outlets were limited.

BBB Swell Site

Over the years, I've admired and chuckled at certain church sign messages. Not surprisingly, someone has collected photos and compiled them on a web site. Enjoy! But wait, there's more ... you can even add your own clever phrase to a virtual sign at the same site's Church Sign Generator.

News from all over - Reno

A Wildcreek golfer who hit a bad shot this evening started a brush fire that consumed 15-20 acres northeast of the golf course, fire officials said. The golfer had knocked his ball into the grass beyond the course off the 3500 block of Sullivan Lane. When he tried to play back to the fairway, his club struck something that created a spark that started the fire.

“He was totally honest about it,” Reno Battalion Chief Curtis Johnson said, adding he didn’t know if the golfer turned in the alarm. Reno and Sparks fire engines with 45-50 people swarmed the area and were mopping up about 8:30 p.m. A 12-person crew from the Sierra Front Forest Service was to be at the fire site until at least midnight.
Source

Today in History - 1885

The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor as a symbol of Franco-American friendship. Nine years late, the 300-foot statue was a gift from the people of France, who had been the Patriots’ primary foreign ally in the War for Independence, to those of United States as a celebration of the Declaration of Independence’s centenary in 1876. The monumental work is mounted on a steel framework designed by Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue, originally titled “Liberty Enlightening the World” from copper sheets upon a steel frame. After completion, the statue was disassembled into 350 sections and shipped in 214 crates to New York Harbor. Over a year later, on October 28, 1886, the statue was reconstructed and dedicated in a large public ceremony by President Grover Cleveland.

So Now You Know

For a few years early in its existence, the Statue of Liberty was officially a lighthouse and under the authority of the Lighthouse Board. The lighted torch in Lady Liberty’s right hand was used as a navigational aid for ships entering New York Harbor.

Today's Chuckle

BBB Etymology - Eighty-six

Sometimes not knowing the origin of a word or phrase is more entertaining than knowing. Being "86'd" is a good example. Here are but a few of the speculations ...

I was told by a bartender friend that the derivation of "eight-six'd" comes from the Old West. Alcohol was once allowed to be 100 proof in strength, and when a regular was known to get disorderly, he was served with spirits of a slightly lower 86 proof. Hence he was "86'd." -Marc Olmsted

New Yorkers know a different origin for this phrase. There's a bar/restaurant called Chumley's, at 86 Bedford Street in Greenwich Village. The bar has a formidable history as a literary hangout, but more importantly, as a speakeasy. The place is known for having no identifying markings on the door, and at least four or five hidden passageways that led to exits, some into adjacent apartment buildings. To "86-it" meant to simply vanish from a "dining" establishment. It's not hard to imagine how that evolved to mean "take a special off the menu", or any of the other interpretations it's given today. -David G. Imber

The term was current in the late 1930s when I was a teenager in New York City. It was supposed to have derived from the street-car line that operated on First Avenue on the East Side of Manhattan. The line ran from 14th Street to 86th Street (both major east-west streets). As a north-bound car came to the last stop, the motorman would call out (usually in a rich brogue), “Eighty-six! End of the line! All out!” -John Tracy McGrath

You missed the ideogram here. I think the origin of the phrase comes from the way the numbers look. The 8 is kicking the 6 out of a bar. -Bill Wargo

I have heard that the origin of this term "eighty-sixed" was referring to the standard height of a door frame. In other words to be thrown out the door, you are 86'ed. -Leslie Zenz

The term 86 or 86'd has its origins in NYC, where people committed suicide by jumping from the observation deck of The Empire State Building on the 86th floor before a safety fence was installed. -Billy Rene

I heard this term came from a shaving powder (Old Eighty-six) from the wild west days. Just a pinch in the rambunctious cowboy's drink would have him heading for the outhouse and out of the saloon. -Edwin J. Martz

As an apprentice filmmaker I learned to use transparent light filters to change the quality or colour of the image that I was filming. These filters are categorized by number, the highest number being an 85 filter. The mythical 86 filter would be totally opaque, not letting through any light at all. Hence, I learned, the origin of the verb 86, to get rid of something in the way an 86 filter would completely delete any image in front of the camera from striking the film. -Fred Harris

While working as a waitress, I was told that "86" referred to the number of ladles it took to empty an army pot of soup. After 86 servings, the pot was empty. -Amy LaPrade

The United States military has what is called the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Article 86 of the UCMJ is Absence Without Leave. (commonly called AWOL). -Richard Jefferson, U.S. Navy Seabees [Retired]

I heard that this expression originated in New York City back in the days when there was a saloon on every street corner and elevated trains ran along the lengths of the major avenues. One of the lines terminated at 86th Street, at which point the conductors would eject the drunks who had fallen asleep on the train. Sometimes the drunks were belligerent. The conductors took to referring to them as "86's." -Tom Fedorek

It is a holdover from journalism days when news was delivered over the teletype. To expedite the process, sometimes coded numbers were sent for common phrases and actions. For example, when a story was complete, the number "30" was sent. To this day, copy editors in newspapers still use the number 30 at the bottom center of the last page of a story. Also, (I've been told), when an item was sent in error or to be discarded, the number "86" was used. -Mark Gadbois

I had thought that this term had been derived from military shorthand and referred to the phone dial (when it had letters on it). The T for Throw is on the 8 key and the O for Out is on the 6 key - hence something tossed is 86'd. -Curtis S Morgan

I was always under the impression that the expression was nautical. Something like "86 leagues or feet", with the idea that putting something that deep down in the ocean was discarding it. -Teresa Bergfeld

So far my working hypothesis was, that maybe it started as a misunderstanding and derives from "deep six" as in buried six feet under ground, i.e. dead. -Ronald C.F. Antony

I believe this originated during the Korean war. "Eighty-six" refers to the jet fighter North American F-86 Saber. Whenever an F-86 shot down a airplane during a dogfight it had been "eighty-sixed". -Sandy Megas

I read several years ago that "86" refers to the standard depth of a grave in the U.S.: 7 feet, 2 inches; thus to "eighty-six" something is to "bury it". -Doris Ivie

Folk lore has it that local code #86 in New York makes it illegal for bar keepers to serve drunken patrons. The bartender says to such a patron, "You're eighty sixed", and thus we get this phrase. -Tudi Baskay

I am a career restaurant worker and the story I heard about the origin of the term "86'd" started with the 86th precinct of the NY police dept. It seems that when officers in other precincts fell out of favor with their superiors the threat of being sent to the rough and overworked 86th was enough to make them tow the line. It was in conversation at the local restaurant among the officers that the wait staff began to pick it up and cycled to other restaurants and other industries. -Shawn Chriest

In the electrical industry devices have numbers -- a 27 is an undervoltage relay, 43 is a selector switch, etc. -- and an 86 is a trip and lockout device. An 86 operation means the affected piece of equipment is "locked out." -Lane Dexter

Today in History - 1952

CBS-TV debuted one of television's most popular hits, I've Got a Secret. Garry Moore was the first host, from 1952 to 1964. Steve Allen was next (1964 to 1967) and moderated a syndicated version in the 1972-1973 season. Bill Cullen hosted the attempted comeback of the show in 1976. Panelists included Jayne Meadows; Bill Cullen, [BBB personal favorite ...] Henry Morgan, Betsy Palmer, Faye Emerson, Melville Cooper and Orson Bean.

Quotable Quote

One day [Garry Moore] invited me for a cruise on his swell, old eighty-foot schooner, Redwing. Just one highlight: It tells a lot.

On the second night Garry piloted his sturdy band of Lascars up a narrow Connecticut river and, with a lot of "Danforth" and "heaving the lead" and "make fast" and other hake-and-flounder talk, we stopped. The noble corsair put out an anchor fore and one aft because of the current, or the wind, or the cow in the field about forty feet away.

At three in the morning (six bells, Connecticut ocean time), I tried to turn over in my little bag but couldn't do it and the effort woke me. It seems (don't you just love "it seems"?) that the river only existed at high tide and our gallant ship was lying at a forty-five degree angle in the mud.

By five A.M. we had the vessel roped to some trees so that it stopped listing. Hours later the tide changed its mind and we were able to horse the damn thing out of the mud and up on its feet, like. All-in-all it was an experience I wouldn't have missed for forty, forty-five cents.
-Henry Morgan

News from all over - Selden

A 38-year-old Long Island man is under arrest after he accidentally set fire to four cars at an automotive shop while trying to steal gasoline from one of them.

Suffolk County Police said that the Selden man was using a cordless power drill to bore into the bottom of the gas tank of a car parked at Sunrise Automotive in Islip when the fuel ignited.

The man was able to get from under the car unscathed, but the gasoline continued seeping out, spreading flames. Police said three cars were destroyed and a fourth damaged.
Source

BBB Pulp Pick - Super, uh, Friction?

OK, kind of a neat super power but welding metal ... hmm .. if only Superman had some sort of power that would make it easier... something that generated heat... something that he could use to weld things just by looking at them...

Today in History - 1861

Evidently, no worries of war in upstate New York ... The first American fly-casting tournament was held in Utica.

Today's Chuckles

News from all over - Bradenton

Jonathan Franklin Hunter’s wedding at the courthouse here was a quick, no-frills affair Friday. He exchanged vows. He kissed his bride. But the Hunters’ plan for a romantic evening on the beach was ruined within minutes.

Several Manatee County sheriff’s deputies confronted the bridegroom with a warrant. They arrested Hunter, 21, on suspicion of violating a domestic violence injunction his sister filed in 2005. Hunter left the courthouse in a patrol car and wearing handcuffs. Bailiffs would not let his bride kiss or hug him goodbye.

Hunter’s family was angry, saying deputies could have arrested Hunter outside the courthouse. Folks get married at the courthouse every day, drawing oohs and aahs from courthouse employees admiring dressed-up couples. But the weddings rarely* generate as much buzz as Hunter’s hitch.

“It was embarrassing. I was shocked. Everyone was looking at us. I wanted to run out of there,” Hunter’s wife, Whitney Hunter, 19, said Saturday. She and her husband both cried. Whitney spent Friday night with her mother.
*Rarely??
Source

BBB Destination - Tulsa

Lest you thought I forgot ... today is the day for the unearthing of the 1957 Belvedere Sport Coupe buried in a time capsule in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma during Tulsarama! festivities. Even though you may not be able to get there by the 6:30 "unveiling", you can watch the big event from one of the two sites referenced here.
Related BBB post with broken link

News from all over - West Sussex

A woman who had not cut her hair in 43 YEARS had it destroyed in a freak gardening accident. The 57-year-old got her 3ft locks entangled in a hedge trimmer which knocked her out.

Firefighters called to her rural home in Henfield, West Sussex, realised they would have to chop off her hair to free it from the machine. The woman, who has not been named, pleaded with them for an hour not to snip the hair — which had been growing since she was at school. A fire brigade spokesman yesterday said: “She was traumatised.”
Source

Today in History - 1215

In a meadow called Ronimed, between Windsor and Staines, England, King John of England sealed the Magna Carta, the first charter of English liberties. The Magna Carta is considered one of the most important historical documents defining political and human freedoms.

And don't miss ...

Even if you miss the unearthing of the Belvedere this evening, you can still make it to the Mayor's Sock Hop tomorrow night at the Convention Center ...

Dust off your saddle shoes, curl that pony tail and iron your poodle skirt to join us for the Mayor's Sock Hop on Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. We will jitterbug the night away to the talents of Fabian, Bobby Vee and the Chiffons.

Tickets are $3.50 plus the handling fee of $1.50 and are available at www.carsonattractions.com or 918.584.2000

BBB Geeky Novelty

If your desk is in dire need of a little droid action, then you could do far worse than these R2-D2 speakers available for preorder from National Console Support Inc. (but evidently not today). Forty bucks gets you two 12cm tall models, in either red or blue, and by flipping up the head domes you reveal a set of speakers.

You’re not likely to get major sound quality from them, true, but they’d be a compact and entertaining way to decorate your desk if you’re a Star Wars fan. Connection is via a standard 3.5mm audio cable, although a USB connection for power supply at least is an unconfirmed possibility.
Source

News from all over - Bellevue

A Seattle man was arrested for drinking under the influence of alcohol and having sex while driving last weekend, the Washington State Patrol reported today. The incident happened when a state trooper noticed a sport utility vehicle drifting between lanes and driving at unusual speeds, sometimes speeding up then slowing down to well below the speed limit on Interstate 90, near Bellevue Way, about 1:20 a.m. Friday.

When the trooper stopped the vehicle, he noticed the 19-year-old driver and a 20-year-old female passenger were naked, according to a state patrol news release. The woman began hiding alcohol containers and put on a shirt but the driver, from Seattle, made no efforts to cover up.

After the trooper told the driver to dress, the man submitted to field sobriety tests and was arrested for DUI and "embracing while driving." State trooper Jeff Merrill said in an interview that "embracing while driving" is a misdemeanor. In this case, the woman said she was performing oral sex on the driver while he was driving. "You are not supposed to be hugging or kissing while driving," Merrill said. "It’s so distracting."span>
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Today in History - 1923

In a vacant building on Nassau Street in Atlanta, Georgia, Fiddlin' John Carson cut two sides, "Little Old Log Cabin" and "The Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's going to Crow." Ralph Peer of Okeh Records recorded the session and announced them "pluperful awful" but agreed to press five hundred on a blank label for personal use.

With Fiddlin' John hawking them from the stage of the next Fiddler's convention, all 500 sold out quickly. Peer immediately rushed into a major pressing on the Okeh label and invited Carson to New York to record twelve more sides.

So Now You Know

Ralph Peer's influence was never limited to one genre. He published music used by (and even recorded many of the artists) Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Hoagy Carmichael, Stuart Gorrell, Jimmie Davis, Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, Russ Morgan, Andrews Sisters, Deanna Durbin, Frank Sinatra, Édith Piaf, Patti Page, Dean Martin, Bobby Rydell, Burl Ives, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, The Big Bopper and The Platters.

BBB Swell Site

So you find yourself in the Big Apple wandering around Central Park wondering, "What secrets does this place hold?" As you know, here at the BBB, no self-generated question goes without a response (or at least a link) and this is no exception ... enjoy the Secrets of Central Park. (Not to mention Statues of Central Park or Bridges of Central Park)

News from all over - Seven Kings

Six binmen were rushed to hospital after being overcome by fumes. The smelly waste sparked a major scare involving police and 30 firefighters in chemical suits. The crews were scrambled to East London to investigate after a black bag burst open releasing a flood of nasty liquid.

The men — five refuse collectors and one street cleaner — suffered watery eyes and sore throats and were taken to King George’s Hospital in Ilford amid fears they had toxic poisoning. But firefighters found the bags contained nothing except nappies and household waste.

The men were all given a clean bill of health by doctors and allowed the rest of the day off. A local mum said: “Nappies can whiff a bit but I couldn’t believe all this fuss.” But Dr Andrea Sella of University College London said: “Nappies in an airless bag in warm weather create a stinky brew. I’m not surprised these binmen found it unpleasant.”
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Today in History - 1805

Four days after forging ahead of the main body of the expedition, Meriwether Lewis was overjoyed to hear "the agreeable sound of a fall of water." Soon after he "saw the spray arise above the plain like a column of smoke.... [It] began to make a roaring too tremendous to be mistaken for any cause short of the great falls of the Missouri." By noon, Lewis had reached the falls, where he stared in awe at "a sublimely grand specticle [sic].... the grandest sight I had ever held."

Lewis and Clark had been correct--the south fork was the Missouri River. The mysterious northern fork was actually the Marias River. Had the explorers followed the Marias, they would have traveled up into the northern Rockies where a convenient pass led across the mountains into the Columbia River drainage. However, Lewis and Clark would not have found the Shoshone Indians nor obtained horses. Without horses, the crossing might well have failed.

Three days after finding the falls in north-central Montana, Lewis rejoined Clark and told him the good news. However, the captains' elation did not last long. They soon discovered that the portage around the Great Falls was not the easy half-mile jaunt reported by the Hidatsa, but rather a punishing 18-mile trek over rough terrain covered with spiky cactus. The Great Portage, as it was later called, would take the men nearly a month to complete. By mid-July, however, the expedition was again moving ahead. A month later, Lewis and Clark found the Shoshone Indians, who handed over the horses that were so critical to the subsequent success of their mission.

So Now You Know

The fact that the Lewis and Clark Expedition would travel as much as it could on the Missouri River was done for political reasons. It was imperative to stay out of Spanish territory. President Jefferson had told Lewis not to go into Spanish territory. By staying in higher latitudes, the Expedition would avoid crossing into Spanish territory.

Spain wanted to keep the Louisiana territory as an empty buffer between the U.S. and the many mineral mines in northern Mexico. After the start of the expedition, Spain sent at least four different missions to stop Lewis and Clark. During the Expedition’s stay in the Shoshone’s camps, the Expedition was told they were ten days away from Spanish settlements. This warning helped Lewis and Clark stay away from the Spanish, but they never knew the Spanish had sent missions to stop them until after they returned from the journey.

Today's Chuckle

BBB Etymology - Hoist With His Own Petard

A "petard" was a medieval weapon, specifically a small bomb used to blow open the gates of a castle under siege. They sometimes malfunctioned, "hoisting" (blowing skyward) the "engineers" delegated to plant the devices.

An oft misquoted phrase from Shakespeare comes from Act III of "Hamlet". Hamlet, having sidestepped an assassination plot by having the unwitting bearers (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern) of the assassination order themselves "whacked", muses on the justice of the moment: "'Tis the sport to have the engineer hoist with his own petard." This metaphorical use of the phrase to mean "someone being ruined or destroyed by the very plans or weapons they intended to use on someone else" has remained popular .. my favorite modern example is the Coyote in the Roadrunner cartoons.

News from all over - Beijing

A Chinese court has jailed two officials after they let a blind contractor build a bridge which collapsed during construction and injured 12 people, the official Xinhua news agency said Monday.

"When they knew the bridge was being built by a blind contractor, they did not stop it," cited the court ruling, adding the contractor had changed the blueprint without getting a professional to look at the design. "After the blind contractor changed the blueprint, he carried out the work only using a roughly drawn draft of the plan, which caused the bridge to collapse."
Source

Today in History - 1939

The Baseball Hall of Fame was formally dedicated at Cooperstown, NY. The shrine to major league baseball still stands in honor of baseball greats of the past.

So Now You Know

Medieval art was mostly flat and two-dimensional until the 15th century, when the Florentine architect Filippo Brunelleschi conceived of the vanishing point, the place where parallel lines converge into nothingness. This allowed for the development of perspective in art.

BBB Pulp Pick - Brief Stories

Wait, what? (Click image for larger view.)

News from all over - Wanne-Eickel

A man who tried to steal a frozen turkey by stuffing it under his shirt and pretending to be fat was foiled when the bird slipped on to the floor as he walked past the cash register, German police said.

The shop assistant noticed the sudden weight loss and called the police. Officers rushed to the supermarket and detained the 58-year-old man, who was inebriated. There's no such thing as a lightning diet but frozen turkeys can fly, at least in Wanne-Eickel," police said in a statement.
Source

Today in History - 1742

Today is credited as the day Benjamin Franklin invented his Franklin Stove - a metal-lined fireplace with baffles in the rear to improve the airflow. Also known as the circulating stove, it provided more heat and less smoke than an ordinary open fireplace. Although in current usage the term "stove" implies a closed firebox, the front of a Franklin stove is open to the room.

Quotable Quote

The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
-Benjamin Franklin

BBB Destination - Cambria

Artist/recluse Art Beal bought his hillside lot in 1928, and spent most of the next 50 years carving out the terraces with only a pick and shovel, and creating his very own "castle on a hill." His Nitt Witt Ridge sits on a hill at 881 Hillcrest Drive at the northwest end of Cambria. Beal was garbage collector for this California town in the 1940s and '50s, and made good use of what other Cambrians were throwing away, as well as the natural materials on the property, in the nearby pine forests, and on the area's beaches.

After Art Beal's death in 1992 at the age of 96, Nitt Witt Ridge was maintained for a while by a group of interested Cambrians, but slowly it began to deteriorate, and there were doubts that this unique piece of Americana would survive into the 21st century.

In 1999, current owners and caretakers of Art Beal’s legacy, Michael and Stacey O'Malley, purchased Nitt Witt Ridge and resolved to save the two-and-a-half-acre labor of love. They have shored up staircases, re-done walls and parts of the foundation, and cleaned up the gardens. They share their enthusiasm for Art Beal and his quirky creation by providing guided tours of the property. The tours are $10 for adults and $5 for children; reservations are required. Do call ahead of time; the O'Malleys are at 805-927-2690.
Source

News from all over - Queensland

Queensland criminals known to be habitual spitters will be made to wear special headgear to prevent them spitting on police. Police Minister Judy Spence said a successful 10-week trial ran in 11 police cells last year of the single-use, disposable spit nets which were similar to the garb worn by bee keepers. From today, the trial has been extended to eight major watch-houses for one year.

"Under the guidelines of the trial, the spit nets will only be used on offenders who spit at police or have a history of spitting at police," Ms Spence told state parliament.

"If offenders co-operate with police and behave themselves, they will avoid the wearing of spit nets completely." Ms Spence said spitting at someone doing their job was repulsive and, unfortunately, on the rise, with 222 recorded incidents of police officers being spat on between October 2005 and October 2006.

"It is even more heinous when we realise that some of the people who are in watch-houses have diseases such as hepatitis and may be only too willing to spit at police officers to try to pass on their diseases," she said. "These actions are not only abhorrent, but they potentially expose police officers to three months or more of worry while they wait for extensive and expensive medical tests, and often psychological treatment.

"This is a daunting and stressful process that one of these spit nets may be able to prevent." The nets would also help protect the nurses, chaplains, lawyers and cell visitors who come in contact with these offenders, Ms Spence said.

The results of the 12-month trial will be evaluated by the Queensland Police Service Ethical Standards Command and the Crime and Misconduct Commission.

Today in History - 1783

Iceland's Laki volcano blew its top and continued to spew lava for eight months.

Investigators from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and a collaborator from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland used a computer model developed by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies to trace atmospheric changes that followed the eruption of Laki in southern Iceland back to their point of origin. The study is the first to conclusively establish the linkage between high-latitude eruptions and the water supply in North Africa.

"Our findings may help us improve predictions of climate response following the next strong high-latitude eruption, specifically concerning changes in temperature and precipitation," said Rutgers researcher Luke Oman, first author on the study. "Given the sensitivity of these arid regions to reductions in rainfall, our predictions may ultimately allow society time to plan for the consequences and save lives."

The Laki volcano eruptions of 1783, regarded as the largest at high-latitude in the last 1,000 years produced three cubic miles of lava and more than 100 million tons of sulfur dioxide and toxic gases, killing vegetation, livestock and people.

These eruptions were followed by a drought in a swath across northern Africa, producing a very low flow in the Nile. Laki's far-flung effects were chronicled by the French scholar Constantin Volney and his friend Benjamin Franklin.

"The [annual Nile] inundation of 1783 was not sufficient, great part of the lands therefore could not be sown for want of being watered, and another part was in the same predicament for want of seed. In 1784, the Nile again did not rise to the favorable height, and the dearth immediately became excessive. Soon after the end of November, the famine carried off, at Cairo, nearly as many as the plague," wrote Volney as reported by Oman and his colleagues.

In the northern hemisphere, the summer of 1783 was chilly – the coldest in at least 500 years in some locations, according to tree ring data. Sulfate aerosols in the atmosphere kept the warmth of the sun from the Earth's surface.

While the computer linked these reduced northern hemisphere temperatures to Laki, it also connected the dots to a weak monsoon – the seasonal winds that bring the annual rains to southern Asia and northern Africa. The unusual cold in the North lessened the temperature contrast between the land and the oceans, upon which the monsoon winds rely for their development and strength.

The modeling showed significant warming that occurred in the region west to east across Africa to the southern Arabian Peninsula and on to India during the summer of 1783. With little or no monsoon, there were no clouds to bring rain for the rivers or shield the surface from evaporation. Little or no rain, no irrigating floods, no crops and no food – all conspired to bring about the situation Volney described, and all were traceable back to Laki.

So Now You Know

The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven!

BBB Geeky Novelties

From our friends at Wired ...

If American teenagers during the Cold War ever stopped to consider how their Eastern bloc counterparts spent the weekend, they probably imagined dreary groups of Red Youth robotically singing hymns to Soviet wheat production and discussing the glories of socialist brotherhood from Hanoi to Havana.

They likely would have been surprised to know that in movie theaters, train stations and recreation centers across the U.S.S.R., packs of Soviet youth huddled around upright video games with coins lined up along the edge of the screen, same as at any mall in Jersey.

From the late '70s to the early '90s, Soviet military factories produced some 70 different video game models. Based largely (and crudely) on early Japanese designs, the games were distributed -- in the words of one military manual -- for the purposes of "entertainment and active leisure, as well as the development of visual-estimation abilities."

Production of the games ceased with the collapse of communism, and as Nintendo consoles and PCs flooded the former Soviet states, the old arcade games were either destroyed or disappeared into warehouses and basements.

It was mostly out of nostalgia that four friends at Moscow State Technical University began scouring the country to rescue these old games. So far they have located 32 of them and are doing their best to bring them back to life.

Last month, the four officially opened the Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in a Stalin-era bomb shelter under a university dormitory. Packed into two rooms are dozens of Soviet-made video game carcasses in various states of repair. Some work perfectly; others last for a few minutes, then fade. One common feature among them all is a lack of a high-score list.

"That kind of competition wasn't encouraged," explains Alexander Stakhanov, one of the museum's founders and engineers. "If you got enough points you won a free game, but there was no 'high score' culture as in the West."
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News from all over - Salem

Some fortune tellers have been faced with a rather disturbing find on their doorsteps. Someone has been leaving road kill, dead raccoons specifically, on the door steps of local fortune tellers.

The business owners suspect they are being targeted for their opposition to a proposal that would allow more out-of-town fortune tellers to set up shop during the fall Halloween festival season.
Source

Today in History - 1692

At 11:43am, a catastrophic earthquake strikes Port Royal, Jamaica, then known as "the richest and wickedest city in the world." Buildings are shaken apart and ships in harbor hurled onto busy streets. In just three minutes, the temblor takes out 70% of the population, killing 1,600 and seriously injuring 3,000 others.

Two thirds of the city sink into the Caribbean Sea such that today it is covered by a minimum of 25 ft (8 m) of water. Known today to 16th–18th-century focused archaeologists as the "City that sank", it is considered the most important underwater archaeological site in the western hemisphere, yielding 16th–17th-century artifacts by the ton and many important treasures from indigenous peoples predating the 1588 founding from as far away as Guatemala. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal coming from waters as far away as Madagascar on the far side of Africa. Several 17th and early 18th century pirate ships are sunk within the harbor and being carefully harvested under controlled conditions by different teams of archaeologists. Other "digs" are staked out along various quarters and streets by different teams.

So Now You Know

Port Royal, located along the shipping lanes to and from Spain and Panama, provided a safe harbor for pirates. Buccaneers found Port Royal appealing for several reasons. Its proximity to trade routes allowed them easy access to prey. The harbour was large enough to accommodate their ships and provided a place to careen and repair these vessels. It was also ideally situated for launching raids on Spanish settlements. From Port Royal, Henry Morgan attacked Panama, Portobello, and Maracaibo. Roche Brasiliano, John Davis, and Edward Mansveldt (Mansfield) also came to Port Royal.

Since the English lacked sufficient troops to prevent either the Spanish or French from seizing it, the Jamaican governors eventually turned to the pirates to defend the city.

BBB Swell Site

After a weekend of Ithaca Festivalizing, it's hard to settle in to a "normal" week, am I right? All the great food, music, and of course, juggling. While food and music can be experienced in multiple ways, juggling at the desk can lead to broken keyboard tabs and possibly fire alarms. But how about virtual juggling? Enjoy!

Today in History - 1933

The first U.S. drive-in to show movies was opened in Camden, New Jersey, on Crescent Boulevard.
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News from all over - Stone

As his sixth birthday approached, Morgan Smith's parents thought hoisting the Jolly Roger would be the perfect way to make the pirate-mad youngster's day. The flag was duly run up the pole in the back garden, leaving Morgan looking forward to a party on Saturday with lots of friends wearing eyepatches and wielding toy cutlasses.

But little did the family know that out on the treacherous high seas of bureaucracy, trouble was heading their way. Council officials branded the skull and crossbones flag "unneighbourly" and banned Morgan's parents Richard and Sharon from flying it.

The couple must apply for planning permission at a cost of £75, and then an assessment of the 5ft by 4ft flag's "impact" on the surrounding area of Stone, Staffordshire, will be undertaken. The intervention has sunk the plans for a pirate-themed party. Morgan's 40-year-old father, an engineer at Bentley Motors, said: "It's not as though I'm building a huge extension which will blight the neighbourhood. It's a child's pirate flag.

"Morgan is really upset because I'd told him we could have a pirate party for his birthday with him and his friends all coming dressed as pirates. "The skull and crossbones was to be the centrepiece. We'll wait to see if the Jolly Roger is approved and if so we'll hold the party at a later date."

For years, the patriotic family have flown a Union Jack or a St George's flag on the 18ft-high flagstaff at their detached home without a problem, but a neighbour complained to the council about the Jolly Roger.

Mr Smith said: "When the lady from the council came to see me she said that it was no problem flying any of the other flags, it was the Jolly Roger that was of concern. "She said that we would have to take it down. I've put in a planning application but I shouldn't have to go to all this trouble." Mrs Smith, 43, said: "It strikes me as very petty. Who would complain about it? Obviously someone with too much time on their hands."

Councillor Richard Stevens said the council had objected to the flag because "it was unneighbourly and could open the doors for all kinds of flags". A Stafford Borough Council spokesman said: "A planning application has been made for a Jolly Roger flag to be flown at a property in Stone.

"The application is currently under review and will include planning officers looking at the impact the flag has on the area, with the decision expected by the end of this month. "Legislation requires planning approval before it can be flown from the flagpole."

The Jolly Roger dates back to the 1700s when pirates would fly it to make their victims surrender readily.
Source

So Now You Know

According to Christopher Bonanos ... Pirates probably did not say "arrrrr". Both that phrase and the accent that goes with it are strictly Hollywood. They originated with Robert Newton, the actor who played Long John Silver in the movies and on TV through much of the 1950s. Newton was from Dorset, in the Cotswolds district of southwest England, and the regional accent he brought to the movies included a rolled "r." Though Dorset may well have produced its share of sailors, they were hardly the only pirates out there; most seamen—and especially the outlaws on pirate vessels—were people who struck out from oppressed nations, like Scotland and Ireland, to start over on the high seas.

So, was there a typical pirate accent at all? Among British outlaws, yes: The onboard speech was most likely underclass British sailor with extra curse words, augmented with a polyglot slang of French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch picked up around the trade routes. "Arrrrr" is strictly fiction, as are a number of the other affiliated signifiers: Nobody ever walked the plank, and nobody has ever discovered an actual pirate treasure map. On the myth-confirming side, pirates were known to dress in loose clothing, guzzle rum and smash the empty bottles, and chase busty wenches through Caribbean ports.
Source

Today's Chuckle

BBB Etymology - From scratch

From 19th century sporting events, specifically the "scratch" drawn in the ground which served (and often still does) as the starting line of a foot race. A runner "starting from scratch" received no handicap or benefit -- whatever the contestant accomplished was due solely to his or her own efforts. So, too, is a cook baking a cake without the benefit of Betty Crocker or her ilk said to be making it "from scratch."

Today in History - 1895

One of my boyhood heroes was born this day ... William Boyd better known on the big and small screen as Hopalong Cassidy.

And, yes, packed away in a box somewhere, I have that very milky white mug with Hopalong's image.

News from all over - Kamogawa

A worker at Kominato Hotel Mikazuki south of Tokyo, notified police the million dollar bath was missing from the hotel's guest bathroom on the 10th floor of its building, according to a local police official.

The round tub, four feet in diameter and two feet deep, was made of 18-carat gold weighing 176 pounds, he said. Flanked by two crane statues, the bath has been a main feature of the hotel's shared bathroom. Visitors can take a dip in the tub, but it is only available a few hours a day "for security reasons," the hotel's website said.

Someone apparently cut the chain attached to the door of a small section of the bathroom where the bathtub was placed, but not riveted, and made off with the tub. The cranes were left untouched. "We have no witness information and there are no video cameras," he said. "We have no idea who took it," the official said.
Source

So Now You Know

In 1950, Hopalong Cassidy was featured on the first lunch box to bear an image, causing sales for Aladdin Industries to jump from 50,000 units sold the previous year to 600,000 units sold.

BBB Pulp Pick - Strange Tales

There's certainly plenty of fodder out there when it comes to pulp "classics" and Strange Tales is one of the more, well, strange. Here's some copy about this short-lived masterpiece.

"When Strange Tales first appeared in 1931 as a pulp magazine, it was clearly something new. Edited by Harry Bates as a companion to Astounding Stories, it combined the supernatural horror and fantasy of Weird Tales with vigorous action plots. Had the Great Depression not intervened and killed it after seven issues, the whole history of fantastic fiction might have been different.

"Strange Tales rapidly attracted the most imaginative and capable writers of the day, including such Weird Tales regulars as Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Henry S. Whitehead, Hugh B. Cave, Ray Cummings, and numerous others.

"Certainly Strange Tales gave Weird Tales a serious run for its money."

It later morphed into a Marvel Comics vehicle for Doctor Strange and Nick Fury ... but those are other stories.
Order your own copy at amazon.com