NOW YOU'RE COOKING!

   WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2021

      NOW YOU'RE COOKING!

   It's amazing to realize how many changes

have come along over the years in the way

people cooked their food! Many years before

Jesus the Chineese came up with a device

that totally enclosed fire/ So, they could cook

on it/ Wood wasthe dominent fule. Ben Franklin

invented the "modern" wood stove although his

fist design was far from perfect! It released the

smoke from the bottom of the ove! After a few

smoke filled rooms it was dedesigned with a

chimney on top! For many years people in places

like northeastern Pennsylvania used coal stoves

to both cook their food and heat their houses!

Eventually, however, coal stoves fell out of

favor as people discovered the convience of gas

stoves. Then, on this day in  1896 Bill Hadaway

changed everything with his panent for the

electric stove and oven! Of course Bill's design

has undergone all kinds of improvements over

the years. It's even been replaced in some cases

by the microwave oven! All those changes and

options and yet...it's hard to beat the taste of a

hot dog on the end of a stick cooked over an

open campfire! Well how even you cook your

food, Bon Appetit! Hope all your NEWS is good!

NOT QUITE A HEADLINE

   TUESDAY, JUNE 29TH, 2021

    NOT QUITE A HEADLINE

   It's amazing how many Headlibe stories

don't really have staying power where as

some "not so shocking stories" end up having

a big impact on our lives. June 29th., 1956

might be an excellent example. The news

headlines that day were all about the marriage

of actress Marylin Monroe to playwright Authur

Miller. Of course we now know their marriage

lasted only 5 years. But on that same day in

1956 in a story that didn't dominate the

headlines. President Eisenhower signed a 33

million dollar highway appropriations bill

that eventually created, among other things,

the Anthracie Expressway and the Keystone

Shortway. You know them better as Interstates

81 and 80. Part of the beginning of the Interstate

Highway system to link major cities across our

country! Now that had staying power!!! Hope

you're well and that all your NEWS is good!  

A MAJOR MINER STORY!

    MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

   A MAJOR MINER STORY!

    I wonder if you ever notice those

Historical markers located here and there

along our highways and streets? They 

tell some pretty interesting stories. Some

pretty dramatic stories including one that

tells of one of the worst mining accidents

ever in our anthracite coal fields. It was

called the Twin Shafts Disaster and it

happened in the greater Pittston area on

this very day in 1896. In was 3 o'clock on

a Sunday morning. 90 miners were working

underground  at the Newton Coal Company's

Twin Shafts Colliery when the roof of the 

mne caved in! Houses shook for miles around

and many people believed in was a major

earthquake. At first it was feared that all of

the miners had been killed.  In the end we

learned that 58 men and boys died in the

accident some 434 feet underground. Their

bodies were never recovered. They rest there

still!  All too often we pass by those historical

markers without giving them a second glance.

We don't read about those disasters. We don't

teach about them these days.  And that's too bad.

All of those men and boys deserve to be

remembered. Especially on this anniversary date!

I hope you will, and that all your NEWS is good!

A MOST POPULAR TUNE!

    SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021

   A MOST POPULAR TUNE!

     It's June the 27th. It was on this day

in 1859 that the most popular song in the

world was written! It's estimated that the

song is sung every minute of everyday

somewhere in the world. It's probably

sung to you one a year! It's "Happy Birthday!"

But it didn't srat out as Happy Birthday! The

sone was written by Mildred Hill, with lyrics

by her sister Patty, as a tune to be sun to schoo

students as they began their day. The original

lyrics were "Good morning to all. Good morning

to all. Good morning dear children. Good morning

to all."  Somewhere, somehow, over the years, people

started singing it as "Happy Birthday to you." In 

1934 a thrid sister, Jessica Hill, filed a lawsuit

based on the tune being traced to "Good morning

to all: and secured a copyright to the song! From

that time on anytime "Happy Birthday" was sung

publically a royality had to be paid. Whe the movie

All In Time was shot in Wilkes-Barre the scene in

which I appeared was to have been a birthday pary.

Rather than paying a royality the scene was changed

to a picnic. Finally another film maker, Jennifer

Nelson filed her own suit and a Federal judge ruled

the copyright qas no longer valid. That became

effictive in 2016 and Happy Birthday can now be

sung on stage, in padades, in movies , or anywhere

else without having to pay for the rights. So sing away!

Hope you're well and that all your NEWS is good!

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIDS?

    SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 2021

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KIDS?

   We're all heard the old saying "Truth is 

stranger than fiction." Well sometimes truth

is so strange it is altered a bit aand used in

fiction. You might want to keep that in mind

the next time you're reading Fairy Tales to your

kids and come across the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

You see it's based on a true story! It was set

down by the brothers Grimm in a story that

tells of a town plauged by rats. The Pied Piper

agrees to rid the town of the rats by leading them

away to the music of his flute. The Piper, of course,

was to be paid. But once the rats were gone the town

refused to pay up. So the Piper said he'd lure the

town's kids away forever. There are numerous records

in the town of HameIin, Germany, refering to the incident.

One, an etching in what is called "the Pied Piper's house

reads  "In the year 1284 on the day of (Saints) John and

Paul on 26 June, 130 children were misled by a piper

clothed in many colors to Calvary near the Koppen

(and lost.) One theory suggests the children actually died

is a plague and the Piper represents death. But all on June

26th?! Another suggests the young people went off on a

crusade and never returned. Whatever happened it was a

tragedy for Hamelin. But all these years later the town

not only accepts the story, it profits from it! Thousands

of tourists come to Hamelin every 26th of June. They

watch a reenactor lead young people through the streets,

buy trinkets, even pastry shaped like rodents! Maybe that's

the real moral of the story! Take a tragedy and turn it into

something positive! Hope you're well and that all your

NEWS is good!   

BILLY'S LUCKY DAY?

 FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2021

This date prompts me to repeat a Blog I offered

last August. Hope you like it!

 BILLY'S LUCKY DAY?

 I appreciate all the comments that come

in on my blogs each and every day! I've noticed

that some of you like my travel stories and many

seen to like it when I'm writing about history/

   This blog has both!

    My wife and I were in Tamaqua recently.

We visited the Odd Fellow's Cemetery where

William Heath is buried.

      "Billy" Heath has a fascinating story! His

family moved to Tamaqua in Schuylkill County.

He ran into some trouble and decided to run off

and join the Army!

         Unfortunately trouble went along with

him! Soon after enlisting Bill found himself

being sent into battle! He was wounded but

managed to get himself away from the

battlefield!

          He found someone to help him with

his wounds but after he recovered he refused

to go back to the army! Instead he went back

to Tamaqua where he and his wife raised 7 children.

          There are two monuments baring William

Heath's name. One is his tombstone in the

Odd Fellows Cemetery in Tamaqua The other

is in Colorado where his name is among

those of other soldiers killed in action at the

battle of the Little Big Horn!

           William "Billy" Heath claimed to have

survived Custer's Last Stand on this date in

1876!!!!   

            The story is, of course, controversial

but there is some evidence that supports his

version! Only God knows for certain!

             Hope you're well and that all your

NEWS is good! . 

GIVE ME FIVE!

   THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2021

           SHAKE A HAND!

     It's June 24th and for years this

was "National Handshake Day," not

to be confused with "World Handshake

Day" which is traditionally observed on

June 21st. As you might expect both events

were cancelled last year because of the

pandemic.  About the last thing anybody

wanted last year was to be holding somebody

eles's hand! Even now as the pandemic begins

to ease and many masks are coming off the

handshake hasn't been evetybody's first

choice. I've seen our grandson's T-Ball team

waving greetings to the opposing team at the

end of a game. Some men prefer the "fist " or

"elbow bump" as a hello to friends. You know

the handshake dates back to the middle ages

when one knight would approach another and

hold out an empty hand to show he held no 

weapon.  There was always someting great about

a good firm handshake with another person. Now

that so many people have had the vaccine against

covid I, for one, would like to see the handshake

return. It's just seems more civilized than an elbow

bump to me! Hope you're well and that all your

NEWS is good!

A FLOOD OF MEMORIES!

 

   WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23RD., 2021
      REMEMBERING AGNES!

     Every year around this time I get requests for
interviews. But unlike the days when I was an
active reporter doing the interviews.....these are
requests from people who want to interview me!
   And I know just what they'll be asking about.
   It's the 1972 Tropical Storm Agnes Flood!
   Back in '72 I was the News Director of WILK
Radio.
    Things looked bad in June 22nd so I called
my wife to tell her I'd be home late. Turns
out I didn't see her for nearly three days!
   When the waters of the Susquehanna River
began to rise rapidly because of the "Agnes"
storm I went to the Luzerne County to call
updates back to my station.
    But Civil Defense, the agency that
preceded the Emergency Management
Agency, didn't have a Public Information
Officer. So, when I walked in, I got drafted!
   I didn't make the decisions for Civil Defense.
   But, most of the time, I was the one who
announced them.
   The one I'm often remembered for was the
one I made on June 23rd as the sirens sounded
and I told area residents it was time to....
"Get out. Get out now!"
   A little while later I was sending a report
on our two way radio in the sub basement of
the Courthouse when water started coming
into the room from a drain in the floor.
   I always thought water was suppose to go
out drains!
   So when the water came in.....I got out!
  Eventually all of us on the Civil Defense
staff had to evacuate the Courthouse and move
to higher ground.
   We ended up in the Wilkes-Barre School
Administration building sending hourly
news updates to 13 area radio stations. I
formed and directed that network.
   Initially we used an Army Field Telephone
which was wired, literally, through the streets
to the old WYZZ FM.  The other 12 stations
re-broadcast our reports at 15 minutes past
each hour and throughout the emergency
we only missed one report.
   That's because a couple of kids found our
wire and decided it would make a good
jump rope!
    It's been 49 years since "Agnes" paid
her visit and I suspect I'll be telling a few
more stories about those days.
   A lot has changed in those 49 years
including, as my photo will illustrate,
me!
   Hope you're high and dry and that all
your NEWS is good!

THE HOLE IN THE STORY!

    TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2021

  THE HOLE IN THE STORY!

   It's June 22nd everybody when we

celebrate the invention of the dounut.

At least the dounut as we know it now.

Dutch immigrants brought the dounut

to this country to New Amsterdam which,

of course, is now New York! But it wasn't

till June 22nd of 1847 that Harrison

Gregory, a 16-year-old sailor developed

the "modern day dounut." He was tired

of the greasy donuts he and his fellow

crew members were given to eat and with

the wasted center of the baked cakes. He

took the ship's Tin pepper and cut a circle

in the center of a wad of dough and baked.

or fried. a dounut! He passed the idea along

to his mother who continued to make

donuts that way and the idea caught on!

You can celebrate by having a dounut today.

And don't worry about putting on weight.

Remember, the center of every dounut is

100 percent fat free! Hope you'll enjoy one

and that all your NEWS is good! 

LEAVING YOUR MARK!

       MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021.

       LEAVING YOUR MARK!

    It's usually a good think to leave your

mark in the world as you live your life.

But that's not always the case. And an

incident on June 21st of 1877 offers an

interesting example. That's the date that

10 coal miners, members of the secret

organization the Molly Mcguires, were

hanged for crimes ranging from bombings

to murder! The "Mollies" committed acts

of sabatoge against mine operations in an

effort to force mine owners to improve working

conditions. One of the men convicted of 

killing two mine oficials was Alexander Campbell,

an Iris immigrant who owned and operated a

tavern. Campbell was hanged at the Carbon

County Prison in Mach Chunk...know Jim

Thorpe. Before he went po the gallows to

slammed his muddy hand onto the wall of

his cell and proclaimed the mark left behind

woud stay there forever as proof  of his

innocence! That old prison is a tourist

attraction these days and most visitors want

to see the cell where Campbell was held.

And, yes, the mark is still there!!! Hope 

you'll get to see it some time and that that

all your NEWS is good!

 

PLENTY TO CELEBRATE!

       SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021

     PLENTY TO CELEBRATE!

  Talk about a great day to celebrate! This

is it! First, of course, it's Father's Day. A day

to celebrate the Dad's that are with us and

remember those now gone. It's also the

start of Summer. And who wouldn't

want to celebrate that? But wait! There's

more! June 20th is also National Ice Cream

Soda  Day and National Turkey Lovers Day!

I'd suggest there's a way to mark them all.

Appreciate the start of summer by taking

your Dad out to a turkey dinner, topped off

with an Ice Cream Soda! Hope you enjoy

all of these special days in one and that all

your NEWS is good!

JUNETEENTH

    SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2020

             JUNETEENTH!

    I'm not at all found of the designation for

this particular holiday but, that said, June 19th

does mark an important event. The end of 

slavery in the United States. In reality it

was suppose to have ended, by law, on January

first of 1883. That's where the emancipation

proclamation, signed by President Lincoln,

was to go into effect. Nut, of course, the

Civil War was still ragging at that time and

slave holders were not about to observe

a law passed by the Union. On June 19th

of 1885, however, word of the proclamation

finally reached people in the deepest part

of the south in Galveston, Texas and the word

went out this was a legal directive across the

nation! Now, as of this year, Juneteeth has

become a Federal Holiday! I'm a little

concerned about that as my mail is already

running late and another postal day off

won't help! I would hope someone in

authority could come ou with a better

name for the observance and, while they're

at it, why not move it to a Monday permanent;y

so there's another long weekend to look forward

to?! Hope you're well, free as a bird, and that

all your NEWS is good!

BY THE SEA!

   FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021

         BY THE SEA!

   Summer is now just two days away

and those who haven't started already are

likely planning their summer vacation. For

many in our area that will include a trip to

the Jersey shore. Our familty goes every

year. But one of the attractions that use to

lure us to the shore is, essentially, gone now.

The world famous Steel Pier! The Steel

Pier opned on this day in  1898! It waasn't

the first pier at theJersey shore. But it was

certainly the biggest, reaching nearly a quarter

mile out to sea. The original Steel Pier was

damaged in a majur fire in 1924 bu the

refurbished pier attracted thousands of people!

It had three movie theaters, a giant ballroom, kids

programs, major displays, and a circus water show!

Big bands and rock stars played the Pier's huge

ballroom. There was a diving bell to take visitors

to the bottom of the sea beneath the pier and, of

course, the famous Diving Horses. One of the

riders was Della Fox, the mother of the Gennetti

hotel owners in our area. The pier started to

decline in the late 60's and severe damage from

a storm pretty much finished it off. There's still

a "Steel Pier" there. But it's a very small pier

housing amusement rides. Great memories

though of old times at the Steel Pier. Hope

you'll make wonderful memories during your

vacation, where ever it may be, and that all 

your NEWS is good!

THE GARBAGE GUYS!

   THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021

     THE GARBAGE  GUYS!

    Hallmark probably doesn't offer

cards for this occassion. But you should

know, June 17th is "Garbageman Day!"

Technically I suppose it's Refuse Workers

Day. But chance are most of us refer to

those pickup crews as the "garbagemen."

Here in Plains Township we have a great

DPW department. Just think about the

unpleasant task of driving or holding onto

a huge truck filled with garbale. And having

to go out in all kinds if weather to toss those

often too heavy bags of trask into the back

of that truck. Our 5-year-old grandson often

visits us on garbage pick up day. He loves

to watch the men and wave at the truck. And

there's always waves coming back at him and

usually a toot on the air horn as well. A couple

of the guys even stopped to show the little guy

how the ytruck's crusher works. And in spite

of their often difficult and usually smelly job

they always seem to have a smile on their

faces. I think perhaps we should be smiling,

and wavng to them! And offering a very big

Thank You for the job they do for all of us!

Hope they're all well and that their, and your,

NEWS is good!

THE DAY THE THRILLS ARRIVED!

       WEDNESDY, JUNE 16, 2021

THE DAY THE THRILLS ARRIVED!

  It was June 16th., 1884! A new amusement

ride opened to the public at Coney Island

Park. It was called the Switchback Railroad.

It was the first American roller coaster! But

both the name and the idea came from the

coal fields of Pennsylvania.  Back in 1882

the Summit and Mach Chunk Railroad built

a rail line betweek Summit Hill and Mach

Chunk (you know it now as Jim Thorpe).

I operated strictly by gravity. And it was used

to haul coal. Eventually people started to pay

a nickle to ride the coasting cars over the nearly

9-mile-stretch. Lamarkus Thompson saw the

success of the line as an attraction and brought

the idea to Coney Island. Eventually the track

was turned into a circular route so people didn't

have to get off at one end and reboard. The

Roller Coaster! Bone in Pennsylvania! Hope you're

well and that all your NEWS is good.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS!

      TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2021

       KNOW YOUR LIMITS!

       We all know of people who want

to live dangerously! Carlisle Graham is

a perfect example. On this day in 1888

Graham made his third successful trip

through the dangerous whirlpool rapids

at Niagara Falls...in a barrel! Graham

was born in England but migrated to the

United States setteling in Philadelphia.

He was a barrel maker and decided to tes

the quality of his own workmanship in the

ragging rapids below Niagara Falls. Although

he never attempted to go over the falls (he

had planned to sdo so)  he was

the first person to challange the river rapids in

a barrell. He eventually made a 4th successful

trip through the rapids but his 5th attempt

ended in near disaster as he nearly suffocated

in the barrel he was using! Even Grahm learned

you can only stick your neck out so many times!

Hope you're not taking too many chances, that

you're well, and that all your NEWS is good!

  

THE FLAG and ARLINGTON!

    MONDAY, JUNE 14, 2021

THE FLAG and ARLINGTON!

    It's Flag Day! A day to commenorate

the time in 1777 when our country officially

adopted the stars and stripes as our national

flag. Old Glory will be displayed nearly

everywhere on this special day. And one

hallowed place where you'll find it flying

is at Arlington National Cemetary. There

are more that 400,000 graves at Arlington.

More than half of them, about  270,000.

mark the final resting place of men and

women who have served our country in the

miltary.  The remains of several Presidents

are buried there including John F. Kennedy.

It is also the site of the Tomb of the Unknown

Soldier.  It was established as a National

Cemetary in 1884 towards the end of the

Civil War. And here's a couple things you

might not know about Arlington Cemetary.

The first  person buried there was William

Henry Christman, a 20-year-old Union

soldier who died of the measles! His home

was at Pocono Lake Pennsylvania! And the

first 200 acres of land for the Arlington

Cemetary was actually confiscated from

the estate of a General! A Confederate

General. Robert E. Lee! Before the land

was seized by the government Lee's wife

buried some family valuables there! Hope

you're flying the flag today, that you're

well, and that all your NEWS is good>

ONE LAST LESSON~

    SUNDAY, JUNE 13, 2021

      ONE LAST LESSON!

  Well for most all of the 2021 Graduating

classes, school is out. I found myself at a

graduation party Saturday. Mickey Flynn,

a good friend of our grandson Ryan Boub,

invited my wife and I along with Ryan's

family to join a lot of other friends and

family members to celebrate the occassion.

I'm sure there are many other similar

parties this week. At commencement graduates

are usually told to be ready to face life's

challanges that they'll come across in the

future. What what I've seen most of these

young people are ready to do just that. But

allow me one final lesson or reminded. The

people who came to those commencement

excerises and graduation parties are the

same family and friends who have supported

your graduates throughout the years. With a

little luck they'll be there for you as you face

whatever challanges life may offer. And you

just can't go wrong with support like that!

To the graduates and their families,

congratulations. I hope all your NEWS is

good! 

 

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR!

     SATURDAY, JUNE 12, 2021

     A BREATH OF FRESH AIR!

   Since the pandemic behan in 2020

we've all become use to carrying a face

mask with us where ever we go and

putting one one most everywhere we

went inside. Fortunately the need for

them has deminished although there

are still some places requiring they be

worn. It;s made most of us more aware

of the dangers that can be lurking in the

air that surrounds us. That would probably

be of no surprise toLewis Haslett. On this

vary day in 1849 Lewis patened a mask of

his own. It was called "the Inhaler" or the

"Lung Protector." You might know it

better as "the Gas Mask!" Hope you never

need one or even our standard face maskes

for that matter. Hope you;re well and that

all your NEWS is good!

air

RIGHT IN THE END!

    FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

     RIGHT IN THE END!

   Sometimes we take a stand in life

on an issue with whitch others

disagree. And sometimes that

stand can get us in trouble! It can

happen to anyone. Even very prominent

people. Take the man we consider to be

the father of modern astronomy. The man

many consider to be the father of modern

physics. Galileo! He was the man who 

discovered the rings around Saturn. He

subscribed to the theory that the earth

rotated around the sun, rather than the

sun rotating around earth. That belief 

got him into hot water with the Catholic

Church. On this very date in 1615

Galileo was brought before an

inqusition and was found to be

"vehemently suspect of heresy."

and was forced to recant. He spent

the rest of his life under house arrrest.

Of course the Vatican eventyally

admitted Galileo was right, On October

31sr of 1992 Pope John Paul II acknowledged

the Church had erred in condemning Galileo.

Hope you stick by your guns and that all

your NEWS is good!

erting that

WRITE ON!

   THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2021

              WRITE ON!

     Writing has gone through a lot of

evolution over the years.
    I don't mean "style." I'm writing
about the mechanics of writing.
    From drawings on the walls of
caves to the quill which penned our
Declaration of Independence.
    But one of the biggest revolutions
 in writing happened 77-years-ago
today!
    That's the day the Bíró brothers,
 László and György, got Patent
 # 2,390,636 for their invention....
the Ball Point Pen!
     It's hard to believe it was only
available to the wealthy initially.
     These days most of us have
lost or misplaced more Ball Point
Pens than all the quills that ever
existed.
     Many companies hand them out
as promotional items. Although
most banks still chain them to those
platforms where you endorse your
checks!
      Personally I favored the fountain
pen.....up until I ruined my 4th white
shirt with leaking ink! I believe it was
my wife who suggested I switch to a
Ball Point!
      I generally have about 3 or 4 Ball
Point Pens within ten feet. I use them
till they won't write anymore.
       Of course the advent of the Lap
Top has me doing most of my writing
on line these days.
        But when it comes to personal letters,
thank you notes, Birthday Cards and such,
I still turn to the Bíró boy's invention to
get my message out!
      Now if we can just find a way to make
sure there's one close by to take down a
message or number when someone's
trying to rattle off that stuff on the
telephone!
       Hope you've got one somewhere
where you can find it and that all your
NEWS is good!

A BIG BIRTHDAY!

    WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021

          A BIG BIRTHDAY!

  No. It's not my birthday. Although I

did go by the radio name Double Dee
during my few years as a DJ.
  The Double D we're congratulating
today is a lot more famous than I'll
ever be!
   He is Donald Duck!
   I spotted "Donald Duck Day" on
two separate listings of unusual
June holidays.
   I was surprised to find one of those
sites filled with conflicting information
about Donald's actual birthday. I guess
that's because he's a Cartoon character!
   June 9th is listed because that's the
date he first appeared in a Disney
Cartoon. That was in 1934. But the same
site suggests that Donald was actually
born one March 13th., probably in 1914.
   So he may actually be a bit older!
   Either way he's one lucky duck to be
around for so long and still be so
popular! And most of he time you
can't understand a word he's saying!
   Of course that hasn't hindered some
of our current TV reporters!
    And just about the time you think you
know a character that's been around for
so long you learn something new!
    Did you know, for instance that Donald
has a middle name?
     Well he does! Donald Duck's middle
name is "Fauntleroy".  Boy this on
line information stuff is really cool!
     So Happy Birthday Donald!
    Hope you'll all be celebrating, and that
all your NEWS is good!

A SWEEPING CHANGE!

   TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

   A SWEEPING CHANGE!

     June 8th is a big day in household

history! This is the day that the

Whirlwind hit the United States.

Not a trnado or a dust storm! This

is the day that Ives Gaffey patened

his new invention...the vacumn cleaner!

Up until Gaffey's invention the ony way

to clean your floor was by usuing a broom.

Of course you might say his invention 

wasn't a heck of a lot better. You had to

push it along and turn a handle while you

do so. The handle you were turning

provided the vacumn that sucked up the

dust. Ives didn't exactly clean up with

his new invention. That might have been

because the steep price tag! The Whirlwind

sold for 25 dollars! Hope your home is

neat and clean and that all your NEWS

is good!    

DANIEL'S DAY!

   MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

      DANIEL'S DAY!

  June 7th is "Daniel Boone 

Day!' This great American

frontier figure is known around 

the world for blazing trails through

the wilderness of Kentucky and then

beyond into areas that would eventually

become part of the United States, He

carried a long rifle on his quest. Sometimes

known as a Kentucky or a Pennsylvania

rifle. They're both the same thing although

most f  of those firearms were manufactured

in Pennsylvania, Turns out that Daniel

Boone was a Pennsylvanian too!!! He

was born in a town near Birds Borough

His homestead is there and it's open

to the public! Hope you'll stop is sometime

and remember the famous woodsman from

Pennsylvania! Hope you're well and that

all your NEWS is good!

THE OTHER "D DAY!"

   SUNDAY, JUNE 6, 2021

   THE OTHER 'D DAY!"

    June 6th is know by most people

as "D Day!" It recalls the beginning

of the end of World War II as allied

forces landed in Normandy to begin

the liberation of France. But there's

another D Day always observed on

June 6th. It's Drive In Movies day.

It recalls the day in 1933 when Richard

Hollingshead  opened the first drive in

theater in Camden, New Jersey! During

their peak in the 1950's there were some

4,000 drive ins in the United States.

Over the years competition from TV

and land value saw many close. Ironically

the pandemic saw people rediscovering

drive ins as a way to get out of the house

while maintaining social distancing. A few

things have changed. Those poles that once held

speakers so you could hear the movie are

now used to help space parking. The movie

sound now comes through your car radio.

The screens are still giant. Far bigger that

even the largess home tv screen.  And just

like in the 50's it good to enjoy a night out

with your date. The other change that comes

to mine is the elimination of  bench seat in

most cars. And my Miata doesn't even have a

back seat. So...enjoy the show! Hope you're

well and that all your NEWS is good.

TOP THIS ONE!

   SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2021

         TOP THIS ONE!

  June 5th is an important day in

the field of medicine! It was on June

the 5th of 1984 when Roger Kay

patented his invention. One that

would impact a lot of our lives.

Admittedly Kay's name isn't as well

know as some other prominent figures

in the world od medicine. But you're

likely to be very familiar with his

invention. It was the Safety Cap for

medicine bottles. Up until his

creation anyone, including kids,

could open a prescription bottle with

a simple twist of the cap. Now 

everyone, from ids to adult patients,

can struggle for minutes to get those

bottle open! There was even a story 

of an individual who died..unable to

open his prescription bottle! I'll bet

a kid could have helped him. They can get

into anything! Hope you;re taking your

medication and that all your NEWS is

good!  

A CAPITOL IDEA!

   FRIDAY. JUNE 4, 2021

    A  CAPITOL  IDEA!

  Think about industry in

northeastern Pennsylvania and

you're likely to think about coal.

That's logical. Coal was "King" in

the area for many years. But it wasn't

the only industry! For many years

our area was at the center of the

entertainment industry! Capitol

Records opened its doors on this

date in 1942. A few years later, in

1946. the company opened a major

record pressing plant in Scranton!

Artists like The Beach Boys, the

Beatles, Peggy Lee, and Nat King

Cole, just to name a few, had their

records pressed there! Scranton closed

the plant in the 1970's but for nearly

30 years Scranton was the center of

the music industry! And on that note

I wish you well and hope all your NEWS

is good! 

STRING EM' UP!

    THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2021

        STRING EM' UP!

   Don't panic. I'm not writing about

a lynching today. But, you could call

it a hanging! This is "International

Clothes Line Week." It's an effort

to get more people to use nature rather

than power to dry their clothes. I've

addressed this subject in previous blogs

but it's worth revisiting!  I remember the

back yard clothes line very well. But

sometime over the years housing

developments of various kinds decided

it didn't look good to have laundry hanging

outside your home. So, they banned

clotheslines! I remember seeing laundry

hanging from the windows of homes in

Italy. It didn't offend me in the least.

I still see clothes lines from time to time

but they're usually at homes out in the

country. In most communities the clothesline

has gone the way of the burn barrel. How

ironic that's the case at a time we're pushing

for conservation and more "living green."

Hope the clothesline makes a comeback

and that all your NEWS is good! 

EDISON'S FIRST!

    WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2021

           EDISON'S FIRST!

       It's June 2nd and today I am remembering

one of America's most prolific inventors. Thomas

Edison. It was on during this week, in 1868 when.

at 21-years-old, he received his first patent! Edison

eventually held 1,093 patents under his name. He

was working on between 500 and 600 more but

either didn't finish the projects or had them

rejected for one reason or another. He's probably

best remembered as the inventor of the light bulb,

the phonograph, and the movie camera. But his

first, the one receiving a patent this week 153

years ago is still being re-invented! Nearly every

year! It was a machine to count votes!!!!

Hope you're well and that all of your NEWS is

good!