Author Archives: penquin

It was on this day in 1957 that 100 Mafia members from all over the US, as well as Canada and Italy, held a meeting in Apalachin NY. They were gathering in order to settle some issues arising over a … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1982 that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated. Thousands of veterans marched to attend the dedication ceremony,  Located in Washington DC, the memorial (which was chosen out of over 1,400 submissions) is a simple design: two black stone … Continue reading →

While digging through some old CDs I was quickly reminded how much fun the Beastie Boys are. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any live performances of ’em that I liked, so instead you get these “fan-made” videos to enjoy…  .    

It was on this day in 1970 that the Oregon Highway Division blew up a Sperm whale with dynamite. Officials thought that the 8-ton dead whale, which had beached itself, was too big to bury so they used 20 cases of explosives in an attempt … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1978 that the General Lee made the jump featured at the end of the opening credits for The Dukes of Hazzard. More than 300 different cars, which was a ’69 Dodge Charger, were used … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1871 that Henry Stanley finds the missionary he was searching for, greeting him with “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” He was working as a correspondent in Africa for the New York Herald when he was asked to lead an expedition … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1938 that the Night of the Broken Glass took place in Germany and Austria. The day before a German diplomat had been murdered by a Jewish refugee, and the Nazis used that as an excuse to … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1971 that Led Zeppelin released their untitled album. Commonly called “Led Zeppelin IV”, the cover had no mention at all of the band. Inside were four different symbols, each one picked out by a member of the group. … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1872 that the Mary Celeste left Staten Island. Bound for Italy, the sailing ship carried a crew of seven (plus the Captain, his wife and their two-year old child) and a cargo of alcohol. Almost a month … Continue reading →

It was on this day in 1928 that Colonel Jacob Schick applied for a patent for the first electric razor. And yeah, that’s pretty much all I got to say about that.       Antidepressants can cause developmental problems – … Continue reading →