History Schmistory: November 4. So long ago…

2008: Barack Obama becomes the first African-American President of the United States. Despite his near superhero status, his hair quickly goes gray like all the others.

 

By Official White House Photo by Pete Souza (P120612PS-0463 (direct link)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By Official White House Photo by Pete Souza (P120612PS-0463 (direct link)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Being President is tough on the hair.

GO THERE! More monkey business…

November 27th is the date for this year’s Monkey Buffet Festival  in Lopburi, Thailand, a Hindu festival where hundreds of free roaming long-tailed macaques are set loose on a mountainous smorgasbord of delectables. The offering symbolizes an ancient story from the Ramayana in which the hero, Rama, offers a gift of land, the very land on which Lopburi sits, to his friend Hanuman, the Monkey King. Perfect excuse to monkey around for a day.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Monkey_Buffet_Lopburi_02.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Monkey_Buffet_Lopburi_02.jpg

 

History Schmistory: November 3. Say hello to our little friend!

1913: The United States introduces permanent income taxes to it’s citizens, via the Sixteenth Amendment, securing the latter of only two certainties in life. Luckily, “Death” wasn’t on the table for this one.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Exit-income-taxes-coffin.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Exit-income-taxes-coffin.jpg

Did you remember?

Take those skeletons back out of the closet… literally! You still have time to observe Mexico’s Day of the Dead. And you thought Halloween was over!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Catrinas_2.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Catrinas_2.jpg

History Schmistory: November 2. The Perfect Cheer!

1898: Cheerleading is born at a University of Minnesota football game. Here’

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Early_women_cheerleaders_at_UW_Madison_%282246608893%29.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Early_women_cheerleaders_at_UW_Madison_%282246608893%29.jpg

s what some of the fist cheerleaders looked like…

 

MarcoWord: Elezione

Yesterday’s MarcoWord (Italian): “elezione.” Election. “Whoa, dude that tea partier totally messed up the elezione.”

History Schmistory: November 1. “Is that all we’ve got?”

1861: In the early stages of the American Civil war, US President Abraham Lincoln appoints George B. McClellan as the commander of the Union Army. Proof that even histories greatest leaders can make huge mistakes. Sometimes even twice.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Gen._George_B._McClellan_-_NARA_-_528744.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Gen._George_B._McClellan_-_NARA_-_528744.jpg

History Schmistory: October 31. Wait a minute, where’s Joe?

1961: In the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin’s body is removed from Lenin’s Tomb. OR WAS IT?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Vladimir_Lenin_and_Joseph_Stalin,_1919.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Vladimir_Lenin_and_Joseph_Stalin,_1919.jpg

History Schmistory: October 30. Syke!

1938: Orson Welles broadcasts an adaptation of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, performed as the Halloween episode of a radio drama series called Mercury Theatre on the Air. The first two thirds of the story is retold through a series of fake news bulletins, informing listeners that Martians have attacked the Earth and will probably kill all of us. This causes a majority of listeners to completely freak out. The hoax is basically what made Orson Welles a household name.

By CBS Radio and photographer unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

By CBS Radio and photographer unknown [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Not your everyday zombies…

Every year around this time, Marco has the dreaded “zombie dream”, specifically, zombie emperors from ancient Rome. Yeah, totally weird. Hopefully it’s not some kind of doomsday premonition. Sweet dreams!

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