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              I've always loved reading about history ever since I can remember - but many people don't care for the subject, considering it dry, dusty and dull. The reason for this is, I think: too much emphasis placed on the date of the event (especially by teachers and scholars), rather than how the event served to shape the modern world we live in (case in point: In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue but WHY did he sail? The answer is: With the fall of Constantinople [modern day Istanbul], to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the land route to the east became more difficult. Byzantine Constantinople had been the safe gateway to India and China for Europeans. Columbus was commissioned to find a safe short water route to China in general and India in particular. India was a traditional caravan trade route for Chinese goods [such as spices, silks and pottery to name a few] that were highly prized in Spain and throughout Europe - and he was perhaps hoping to discover new territory for Spain to colonize as well - preferably a territory with immense riches to fill Spain's treasury coffers). Sure, historical dates are important to put them into a perspective context of how the world was affected then and now, but dates are not the be all and end all of history. Additionally, many images of historical figures show them stifly posing for portraits dressed in what we would consider today to be ridiculous or outlandish clothes. These paintings don't convey to us a sense that these individuals were living breathing movers and shakers of their day. And since we can't hear them speak or see them move on film, we don't have a true feeling for their humanity. So, from time to time I'll be putting up an archeological or a historical blog post focusing on the reason for the event and its significance, using dates only when I feel them to be absolutely necessary. However, I will include hyperlinks to articles that provide more in-depth detail of each event. I'll be posting these historical events to my blog on (or as close to) the anniversary date of each occurrance. After all, archeology and history go hand in hand telling us where we came from and who we are today.  Quote of the Day: For real excitement you just can’t beat blow-drying your pit bull  Time to bring out the BBQToday's BOTD:     Conclusion - Bridges need to be designed like bras:   How a Southern redneck stops tailgaters:   Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: To improve her memory, Eleanor Roosevelt ate three chocolate-covered garlic balls every day of her adult life. Today is: Today is Hummel Day, marking the birth in 1909 of Sister Maria Hummel, the German kindergarten art teacher whose watercolor drawings were transformed into the world’s finest figurines. Turn Beauty Inside-Out Day (tbio.org). I Need a Patch for That Day, sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, who suggest since there are patches for nicotine and heart patients, maybe someone could also come up with patches for runny noses or bad hair. Passion Play Day. The first Passion Play was staged in Oberammergau, Germany, on this date in 1634. National Waitstaff Day, a day to honor waiters and waitresses. National Strawberries and Cream Day. Navy Day in Chili.  C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1819: The first bicycles, imported from England, appeared on the streets of New York City. Within a month, the city banned the new-fangled machines as being hazardous to public safety. 1898: History’s first car with a bumper, the prototype of a Czech-built Präsident, rolled out of the Imperial Nesseldorf factory in Moravia. It had a front bumper. On the test run, the bumper fell off and was not replaced. 1934: Oskaloosa, Iowa, became the first U.S. city to fingerprint its residents. 1945: Hollywood’s Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married. Both cried during the 3-minute ceremony. Their movies together included To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, and The Big Sleep. 1990: In a classic final episode of the Newhart TV series, Bob Newhart woke up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, his wife on a previous series, The Bob Newhart Show. He had been dreaming since 1978. 1995: A Lakeland, Florida, man lost a thumb when a barber who came to his home bit it off. The 30-year-old barber became irate when his customer decided he didn’t want a haircut after all. Doctors were not able to reattach the thumb. 1996: Actor Lash LaRue died in Toluca Lake, California, at age 78. In the 1940s he was "King of the Bullwhip" in 18 feature western movies. 1997: Three British soldiers were fined $300 each for running through Ayia Napa, Cyprus, naked in the middle of the night singing "God Save the Queen." The judge didn’t think it was funny. 1998: A Fullerton, California, man finally paid off his 1958 divorce with a check for $180 to his attorney. The 70-year-old client said he always intended to pay the bill, but with six kids and health problems, it took him 40 years to get caught up. 1999: Soap opera star Susan Lucci won a Daytime Emmy Award for best actress on her 19th nomination. 2001: The Club of Idiots was founded in Saint-Gilles, France. Eighty members had to solemnly swear to be idiots and always carry their idiot I.D. card. At its first annual meeting the club set a new world record of 11.78 meters in olive-stone spitting. 2003: Ruben Studdard beat out Clay Aiken to win the second "American Idol" competition on the Fox network. 2006: The FBI accused Democratic U.S. Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and claimed to have found $90,000 in cold cash at his home in a freezer. Birthdays: (Click Here for More) Mr. T. (Lawrence Tero) is 56; actor Judge Reinhold 51; actress Fairuza Balk 34; actress Ashlie Brillault 21; jazz musician Christian McBride 36; Chicago’s Bill Champlin 61; singer Ron Isley 67; comedian Al Franken 57; football's Ricky Williams 31  Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: You be more likely to see honeybees on your dandelions at: (a) 9:00 a.m (b) 1:00 p.m (c) 4:00 p.m. For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *At 9:00 a.m. At 1:00 p.m. they’re calling on your red clover. Apparently, certain blossoms release more nectar at certain hours.* Question 2: Termites prefer: (a) country & western music (b) classical music (c) they could care less For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *They could care less -- termites can’t hear.* Question 3: You bought a sea lion on sale at 50% off, but now you can’t find its ears. Did you: (a) get a defective sea lion (b) get slipped a seal (c) get what you paid for For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *You got a seal. Sea lions have visible ears.* Question 4: In ancient Egypt women not only shaved their heads, they also: (a) colored their scalps to match their clothes (b) polished them to a mirror-like finish (c) had flowers tattooed on their scalps For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *Polished their scalps to a mirror-like finish* Question 5: The town of Babyhead is in: (a) Texas (b) Idaho (c) Arizona For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *Babyhead, Texas, the remains of a ghost town at the foot of Babyhead Mountain in Llano County. The post office closed in 1918. The cemetery and historical marker are all that remain.* Trivia Quiz by Joe Hickman    Joke of the Day: Little Sally:Little Sally came home from school with a smile on her face and told her mother, ‘Frankie Brown showed me his weenie today!’ Before the mother could raise a concern, Sally went on to say, ‘It reminded me of a peanut.’ Relaxing with a hidden smile, Sally’s Mom asked, ‘Really small, was it?’ Sally replied, ‘No… salty!’ Mom fainted.  Later on, Crouton     Colin at 4:02 AM Quote of the Day: My wife suggested a book for me to read to enhance our relationship. It's entitled, 'Women are From Venus, Men Are Wrong.'  Fun at the arcade.Today's BOTD:    Woo Hoo! It took 'em 7 games but the Boston Celtics finally put away the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, bring on the Detroit Pistons to Boston.  Speaking of basketball, here's a clever distraction attempt:   Free Fallin'  Crank up the printer  My kinda vending machine  A bathtub designed especially for girls? Them wacky, wacky Virginians:   No, not Cheers:   Hey darlin', your waiter's here with your surprise party cake: Clever Ad: In case you were wondering:  Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: Utah is the only state in the country where it's legal to carry guns on college campuses. Today is: Circus Day, marking the first performance of the Ringling Brothers Circus on this day in 1884. It was formed by four brothers from Baraboo, Wisconsin. May Ray Day, a time to celebrate the beginning of warm outdoor days. Youth and Sports Day in Turkey. Victoria Day in Canada, commemorating the birth of Queen Victoria in 1819. Two special weeks begin today: Work at Home Moms Week and National Backyard Games Week. C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1310: Shoes were designed specifically for the right and left foot for the first time since the fall of the Roman Empire. 1886: Eliza Donnithorne died in Sydney, Australia, 30 years after her fiancé left her waiting at the altar. In 30 years she never left her home and was still wearing her wedding dress when she died. 1896: The U.S. government issued patent #560,351 to Martin Goetz for the Dimple Maker. It was a standard brace-and-bit with a rounded tip on the bit to massage the spot round-and-round where you wanted to make the dimple. 1973: Singer Tanya Tucker got her first #1 country hit with "What’s Your Mama’s Name, Child?" 1977: Jean and Nicolette Besnard and their 3-year-old son left Montreal. They made the 2,800 miles to Vancouver in three months on a bicycle built for two. 1987: The movie "Ishtar," starring Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty, premiered throughout the U.S. to quickly become a national joke as one of Hollywood’s least exciting epics. 1991: A 31-year-old Cleveland skydiver survived a two-mile fall after her parachute failed to open. Jill Shields suffered spine and pelvic injuries when she landed in a swamp. 1992: U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the CBS sitcom "Murphy Brown" for having its title character decide to bear a child out of wedlock. 1994: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died from cancer at age 64. 1995: Balamurali Ambati was graduated from Mount Sinai Medical School to become the world’s youngest doctor at age 17. 1996: CBS aired the final episode of "Murder, She Wrote," starring Angela Lansbury. The show ran 12 seasons. 1997: In Rostock, Germany, Oskar the Stork took flight just one day after being fitted with an artificial leg. Five weeks earlier Oskar had landed in Rostock with one leg missing. The town adopted him, and the local prosthesis shop constructed a bright orange stork leg. 1997: Longtime couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were married. 1999: Beckley, West Virginia, police arrested a 32-year-old man for stealing the same tools he had been convicted of stealing two years before. The tools had not been claimed, so the police planted them in a vehicle stake-out, and the suspect stole them again. 2004: Two men threw purple flour at British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the House of Commons. 2005: The film "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" grossed $50-million in opening day box office sales. Birthdays: (Click Here for More) former TV host David Hartman is 72; TV journalist Jim Lehrer 74; singer Jenny Berggren (Ace of Base) 36; screen writer Nora Ephron 67; musician Peter Townshend 63; basketball's Bill Laimbeer Jr. 51; model-singer Grace Jones 56; actor Eric Lloyd 22; baseball's Rick Cerone 54; NBA forward Kevin Garnett 32; Nicole Brown Simpson would have been 49 Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: Which group is three times more likely to contract pneumonia? (a) smokers (b) drinkers (c) people who don’t exercise For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *Smokers (American College of Chest Physicians, Northbrook, Illinois).* Question 2: Actor Dennis Hopper’s shortest marriage was to: (a) Daria Halprin (b) Michelle Phillips (c) Katharine LaNasa For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *Dennis Hopper (also known as Alan Smithee) and Michelle Phillips were married only eight days in 1970. He married his current wife, Victoria Duffy, on April 13th 1996.* Question 3: If your scorpion is normal, it will have eight legs, and eight: (a) stingers (b) eyes (c) ears For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *Eyes. One eye for each leg.* Question 4: The original Cinderella was: (a) British (b) Polish (c) Egyptian For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *Egyptian. She wore fur slippers.* Question 5: In one of her first jobs at California’s Magic Mountain, actress Debra Winger was: (a) a troll (b) a vampire (c) a witch For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *A troll* Trivia Quiz by Joe Hickman  Some things you might find interesting:    ;  ;  Final Jokes of the Day: The Lie Detector:John was a salesman's delight when it came to any kind of unusual gimmick. His wife Marsha had long ago given up trying to get him to change. One day John came home with another one of his unusual purchases. It was a robot that John claimed was actually a lie detector. It was about 5:30 that afternoon when Tommy, Their 11 year old son, returned home from school. Tommy was over 2 hours late. "Where have you been? Why are you over 2 hours late getting home?" asked John. "Several of us went to the library to work on an extra credit project," said Tommy. The robot then walked around the table and slapped Tommy, knocking him completely out of his chair. "Son," said John, "this robot is a lie detector, now tell us where you really were after school." "We went to Bobby's house and watched a movie." said Tommy. "What did you watch?" asked Marsha. "The Ten Commandments." a nswered Tommy. The robot went around to Tommy and once again slapped him, knocking him off his chair once more. With his lip quivering, Tommy got up, sat down and said, "I am sorry I lied. We really watched a tape called Sex Queen." "I am ashamed of you son," said John. "When I was your age, I never lied to my parents." The robot then walked around to John and delivered a whack that nearly knocked him out of his chair. Marsha doubled over in laughter, almost in tears and said, "Boy, did you ever ask for that one! You can't be too mad with Tommy. After all, he is your son!" With that the robot immediately walked around to Marsha and knocked her out of her chair. ; Millions of years ago, there was no such thing as the wheel;  the only way to move things was by carrying or dragging.   One day, some primitive guys were watching their wives drag a dead mastodon and other food to the food preparation area.    It was exhausting work and the guys were getting tired just watching.   Then they noticed some large, smooth, rounded boulders,  and they had an idea: They could sit on the boulders and watch!  This was the first in a series of breakthroughs that ultimately led to television.  Later on, Crouton Colin at 3:43 AM Quote of the Day: The secret to a happy marriage to find a woman that cooks and cleans. It's also important to find a woman that earns good money. And it's important to find a woman that likes to have sex. It's very important that these three women never meet.  Soviet military gals. Today's BOTD: Soviet Union Military Women -Then:  Russian Federation Military Women - Now: Redneck Seafood Dinner:  Some Hillary Stuff: The Hillary Toilet Brush:   Maybe if she dressed like this:   I wonder what this butt tat will look like when gravity sets in:  How True:  A girl's door handle, a girlie girl's door handle: Hard (as a) Rock Cafe:   Toons:  Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: Octopus – Has its testicles in its head Scallop – Has 35 eyes Sea otter – Has up to a million hairs per square inch Electric eel – Its heart is in a small space behind its head Giant squid – It’s eyes are as big as a watermelon Shrimp – It’s heart is located in its head Today is: Donate a Day's Pay to Charity Day. National Receptionist's Day and National Night Shift Workers Day. National Dance Like a Chicken Day. Lewis & Clark Day. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark left St. Louis to find a route to the Pacific Ocean 201 years ago today. They arrived at the Pacific Coast of Oregon in November 1805. Underground America Day. Malcolm Wells of Brewster, Massachusetts, want everyone to think about designing and building stuff underground (malcolmwells.com). National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Root Canal Appreciation Day. Midnight Sun Day at North Cape, Norway. The sun will shine 24 hours a day in North Cape until July 30th. C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1804: The Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the Louisiana Territory left St. Louis. 1856: U.S. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis brought the first camels to America to test as military pack animals. The project was abandoned because the camels wouldn’t follow orders and they stunk. 1874: Harvard became the first to charge admission to a football game at Cambridge, Massachusetts, beating Canada’s McGill 3-0. In the same game, goalposts were used for the first time. 1878: Pennsylvania chemist Robert Chesebrough registered the trademark "Vaseline" for his petroleum jelly. 1904: The first Olympic games to be held in the U.S. opened in St. Louis. 1936: Walden Cassotto was born in the Bronx. As singer Bobby Darin, his hits were "Splish Splash," "Dream Lover," and "Mack the Knife." His first recording, "Early in the Morning," was released twice, using the group names the Ding Dongs and the Rinky Dinks. 1969: The last Chevrolet Corvair rolled off the Willow Run assembly line in Ypsilanti, Michigan. 1972: Fourteen years after the Giants left New York, in his first game back as a New York Met, 41-year-old Willie Mays walloped a game-winning home run to beat the Giants 5-4. 1987: Captain Frank Furillo hung up his badge in a final "Hill Street Blues" episode called "It Ain’t Over Until It’s Over." Daniel J. Travanti starred. His only other series was "General Hospital." 1998: NBC-TV aired the final episode of Seinfeld, the same day singer Frank Sinatra died in Los Angeles at age 82. 2003: Golfer Vinenzo Frascella in Peterborough, England, finished his round despite being hit by lightening twice within 30 minutes. Lightening struck the 50-year-old golfer's umbrella tip as he waited during a storm on 14th and 17th holes at Orton Meadows Golf Course. He said he felt tingles down his shoulder and arm both times, but wanted to finish the round. He would not divulge his score, but said it was a "stinker" of a day. 2006: Psychic Uri Geller and two partners bought the Tennessee house Elvis Presley lived in before moving to Graceland, with a winning bid of $905,100 on eBay. The trio hoped to restore the home and turn it into a museum. Presley bought the four-bedroom, two-bath house with an outdoor swimming pool at 1034 Audubon Drive in Memphis in 1956 with a down payment of $500. He lived there for 13 months before moving to Graceland, the now-famous Memphis estate where he died in 1977. During his time in the white, ranch-style house, Presley's career took off with hits such as "All Shook Up" and "Don't Be Cruel." Birthdays: (Click Here for More) director George Lucas is 64 director Robert Zemeckis 56 actress Cate Blanchett 39 actor Keram Malicki-Sanchez 34 actress Meg Foster 60 actress Amber Tamblyn 25 actor Tim Roth 47 singer Shanice (Wilson) 35 singer Natalie Appleton 35 singer David Byrne 56 New Kids' Danny Wood 39 Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: Actor Denver Pyle was a regular on seven TV series. On which series did he appear in the most episodes? (a) The Doris Day Show (b) Dallas (c) The Dukes of Hazzard For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *Uncle Jesse on "The Dukes of Hazzard," 1979-1985. Though because of reruns he may be remembered most as Briscoe Darling, a non-regular role on The Andy Griffith Show.* Question 2: In what country was the car invented and first became a reality? (a) the U.S. (Henry Ford) (b) Germany (Karl Benz) (c) France (Nicolas Joseph Cugnot) For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France built the first automobile in 1769 -Benz invented cars that looked and worked like the cars we use today. The U.S. created the "assembly line" method of producing cars.* Question 3: In a study of 500 pregnant women, the most craved food is: (a) Pickles (b) Nachos (c) Ice cream For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *Ice cream #1, fruit #2. (Muscle & Fitness magazine)* Question 4: You want a pet that wags its tail, but you’re allergic to dogs. You should get: (a) a smart goat (b) a pot-bellied pig (c) a Muscovy duck For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *Muscovy ducks wag their tails side to side just like a dog.* Question 5: According to British research, which can better identify the brand and year of wines: (a) a French pig (b) an artificial nose (c) a professional wine taster For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *An artificial nose, the AromaScanner, an electronic sniffer developed by a company in Crewe, England, can identify aromas with precision accuracy.* Trivia Quiz by Joe Hickman Final Jokes of the Day: The moon shown silver on the waters of the lake, and the waves that were beating on the shore were hardly equal in intensity to the waves of passion nearby.  One ardent couple paused long enough for the young man to whisper, "Darling am I the first man to make love to you?"  Her answer was: "Of course you are!" she said. "And the best too."  ; A man walked into a bank, got in line and when it was his turn he pulled out a gun ...and robs the bank! But just to make sure he leaves no witnesses ... he turns around and asks the next customer in line: "Did you see me Rob this Bank?" The customer replies "...Well, yes!" The bank robber raises his gun, points it at his head and BANG!!!... shoots him in the head and kills him!! He quickly moves to the next customer in line and says to the man, "DID ... YOU ... SEE ... ME ... ROB... THIS... BANK?" The man calmly responds, "No ...But my wife did!" Later on, Crouton Colin at 4:21 AM Just a very short post for today 'cause I've got a lot of things to do. I'll be back on Wednesday with a better post. Idiot Test:
Scoring guide: 20 Correct - Genius Questions: 1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
1. Yes. How’d you do? Later on, Crouton Colin at 4:55 AM  Quote of the Day: Remote controls are super. They let you see that there’s nothing worth watching on TV so much faster.  Cleveland fans must feel like they can't catch a break against Boston teams. First the Browns lost to the New England Patriots. Then the Boston Red Sox beat Cleveland in the ALCS 4-3. Now the Boston Celtics are giving the Cavaliers a run for the money.  Happy Mother's Day:  Perfect Mother's Day Gift:  A Mother's Day Toon (sorta):   Clever Bar Name:  School Daze:  More Marilyn: Nice Tops, Girls:       How to Fight Like a Girl: Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: NERF is short for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so the called themselves Motorola. During the 19th century, British soldiers in India tested their marksmanship by hunting a small elusive bird called a Snipe. Individuals who were adept at actually hitting sniper were referred to as "Snipers". The felt tip pen was invented by the American C.I.A. in an attempt to make a poison pen. The poison would not flow through a fountain pen. The paper used in making U.S. currency is made (70%) from blue jean pants remnants. Dubbed the "Wet Bike" in the movie, the Jet Ski debuted in the Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me". It's inventor, Ken Adam went on to create the industry. James Bond's home address is: 61, Horseferry Road Westminster, London S.K.I. "Don't hold your breath." The whole phrase is: "Don't hold your breath, save it for your porridge." Meaning, stop talking, your breath is better used to cool you porridge. Today is: Lost Sock Memorial Day. Root Canal Appreciation Day (TheSmileExperts.com). Donate a Day's Wages to Charity Day. National Nightshift Workers Day. National Butterscotch Brownie Day. Vast Wasteland Day, the day in 1961 when Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow challenged network TV executives to sit through an entire day of their own programming. Minow suggested they would observe a "vast wasteland." Pipsqueak Appreciation Day, a time to honor pipsqueaks everywhere. Victory Day in Russia and Day of Memory and Honor in Uzbekistan. C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1901: John Knight was born in Fairmont, West Virginia. Nicknamed "Fuzzy," he became Tex Ritter’s sidekick in dozens of western movies. Fuzzy died in 1976. 1903: Blacksmith Fred LaRose of Cobalt, Ontario, threw his hammer at a fox and struck the world's largest silver vein. 1913: The 17th amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, providing for the election of senators by popular vote rather than selection by state legislatures. 1944: Jimmy Davis became governor of Louisiana. He wrote and recorded the hit song "You Are My Sunshine," and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1972. 1960: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid, the first pill considered safe for birth control use. 1964: Louis Armstrong hit #1 on the Billboard pop chart with "Hello, Dolly!" It was Satchmo’s first #1 hit in his 41-year career. 1974: Three Detroit bandits set a record by stealing 32,500 used watches from a Goodwill Industries warehouse. 1984: In Chicago the White Sox beat Milwaukee 7-6 in the 25th inning of history's longest baseball game: 8 hours 6 minutes. The game had begun the night before but was suspended because of a 1:00 a.m. curfew. 1987: Tom Cruise and Mimi Rogers were married. 1990: Irish singer Sinead O'Connor refused to appear on "Saturday Night Live" after chauvinist comedian Andrew Dice Clay was named as host. 1991: The Congregational Church in Winnetka, Illinois, made $195,388.53, the largest sum ever raised at a one-day rummage sale. 1999: A truck carrying 20-million bees in 450 hives overturned in Falmouth, Maine. Firefighters quickly sprayed the dumped hives with water to make the bees think it was raining, so they’d stay home. Five firefighters were stung, but none seriously hurt. 2000: The owner of a small Dutch tobacco shop won $4.1 million in the lottery by mistake. Having accidentally printed up more tickets than he could sell, he was forced, by law, to buy the remainder himself. One of the extra tickets was a big winner. 2002: In Bahrain, voters were allowed to cast ballots for the first time in 30 years. Women voted for the first time in the nation's history. Birthdays: (Click Here for More) actress Candice Bergen is 62 singer Billy Joel is 59 singer Tamia 33 musician Sonny Curtis (The Crickets) 71 musician Richie Furay 64 actress-politician Glenda Jackson 72 actor Albert Finney 72 actress Rosario Dawson 29 journalist Mike Wallace 90 baseball's Tony Gwynn 48 former Attorney General John Ashcroft 66 Today is Dagwood Bumstead’s birthday, but no one seems to know how old he is Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: In 28 Blondie movies in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, was hubby Dagwood Bumstead played by actor: (a) Will Hutchins (b) Arthur Lake (c) Danny Mummert For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *Arthur Lake. Will Hutchins played Dagwood in a brief TV series in 1968. Danny Mummert played Alvin Fuddle in 23 Blondie films. Lake died a very wealthy man in 1987 at age 82.* Question 2: Mike Wallace once appeared in a TV commercial as a circus barker with a straw hat and cane.The product was: (a) Aunt Jemima Waffles (b) Sugar Smacks Cereal (c) Peter Pan Peanut Butter For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *Peter Pan Peanut Butter* Question 3: According to Jim Croce in "Don’t Mess With Jim," when his friends talk about Jim, they call him: (a) mister (b) boss (c) his highness For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *Boss* Question 4: Eddie Van Halen and brother Alex’s first group was called: (a) Box of Frogs (b) Rat Salade (c) Mammoth For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *First, Mammoth, then Rat Salade, then Van Halen* Question 5: In the 1983 film "The Big Chill," actor Kevin Costner played: (a) a mannequin (b) a statue (c) a corpse For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *A corpse, the suicide victim. But all anybody saw was his suit and tie during the opening credits. His only other scene was edited out on the final cut.* Trivia Quiz by Joe Hickman Some things you might find interesting:  A  Lebanese Girl: This is why she's so   ;  The Age of Consent by Country: Final Joke of the Day:After being married 25 years, one day I took a look at my wife and said,   "Honey, do you realize 25 years ago, I had a cheap apartment,  a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10 inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 25 year old blonde.  "Now, we have a nice house,  nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 50 year old woman.  It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things." Now my wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me if I went out and found a hot 25 year-old big boobed blonde bimbo,  that she would make sure I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car,  and sleeping on a sofa bed all alone with nobody to have sex with....  I shut up and took out the trash...  Aren't older women great? They really know how to solve your mid-life crisis.  Have a  GRR-ATE weekend Later on, Crouton Colin at 4:12 AM Quote of the Day: You ever notice that the word 'engaged' has the word 'gag' in the middle of it? Just something to think about. - Rosie O'Donnell  Pole Dancers are: Today's BOTD:  Poop Freeze chills your dog’s doo to minus 62° F. That’s cold!  Tired of playing solitaire? Teach yourself solo ping pong (solopong?):   Yup, you just know it:  I'm a doctor, not a ...Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: In Louisiana it’s against the law to gargle in public. On May 2, 1958, the last potato farm in Nassau County, NY was ploughed under for a new housing development. There are 16 municipalities in the United States that use the British spelling of "centre" in their name. In the past 35 years, colleges and universities in and around Boston have enrolled more students from New York than Massachusetts. Approximately two percent of female golfers are naturally right handed and play golf left handed. Among men, the rate is approximately .052 percent. In a recent survey of internet users who identified themselves as 'extremely heavy email users', 1.8 percent 'totally agreed' or 'mostly agreed' with the statement, "Spam is ruining my life." The weight supported by the average office-worker's desk peaked in 1992 with an average load of 14 lbs 8 oz. In 2006, 8 people in required overnight hospitalization due to being struck by falling coconuts in the Caribbean. Among those expressing any preference, 87 percent of men responding to a survey said they'd pick a backhoe as the piece of heavy equipment they'd most like to own. Among women, the most-selected equipment was a jackhammer. Fifty-seven percent of Americans over the age of 55 years, 3 months have more than one pair of eyeglasses. According to the U.S. Army training manual, a 'trench' must be at least 22 inches deep, otherwise it is a 'furrow'. Today is: The Great American Grump Out is today. Smilemania asks America to go 24 hours without being grumpy, crabby, or rude. National School Nurse Day. National Roast Leg of Lamb Day. Mother Ocean Day, a time to celebrate the wonder of the ocean. National Nuzzling Day. Experience the Awesome Stomach-Churning Wonder of a Thrill Ride Day. Day of the Soldier in El Salvador. C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1839: Elisha Hoffman was born. The American clergyman composed "I Must Tell Jesus," Are You Washed in the Blood?" "Glory to His Name," and "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms." 1927: Deejay Jim Lowe was born in Springfield, Ohio. At New York’s WNEW he was the "King of Trivia." He had one hit record, "The Green Door," which hit #1 in 1956. He played piano and recorded the song at his apartment. (Not to be confused with Dallas morning radio great "Ole" Jim Lowe, the voice of Big Tex, who died in 2002 at age 73.) 1941: Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo" for RCA Victor. 1949: Hank Williams made #1 on the country charts with his biggest hit, "Lovesick Blues." 1959: Some 93,103 baseball fans honored former star catcher Roy Campanella at a Dodger-Yankee exhibition game in the L.A. Coliseum. Campanella had been crippled by an auto accident two years earlier. The largest ever major-league crowd saw Sandy Koufax beat the Yankees 6-2. 1969: The Oakland Oaks won the ABA Championship, beating the Indiana Pacers four games to one. 1969: The Canadian Broadcasting Company stopped advertising tobacco products. 1985: The first pig racing season began in Tulsa, to culminate 10 weeks later with the Arnold Ziffel Sweepstakes. First-year favorites included Marvin Hogler and Bruce Pigsteen. 1986: Joan Rivers began a late-night TV talk show on the Fox Network. It flopped. 1991: A bandit tried to hold up a Jacksonville, Florida, supermarket wearing a paper bag over his head with eyeholes cut so he could see. But when he moved, the bag shifted and he couldn’t see. While he adjusted the bag it tore, exposing his face. Which a checker recognized as one of the store’s regular customers. 1998: The parent company of Mercedes-Benz agreed to buy Chrysler Corporation for more than $37 billion. 1998: A Pasadena, California, couple returned from vacation to find over a thousand birds inside their home. The flock of small migratory swifts had flown down the chimney. Firemen helped the couple clear the birds out in about two hours, but cleaning up the mess took a lot longer. 2000: Mike Hennessy of West Springrfield, Massachusetts, celebrated his 50th birthday by jumping out of an airplane 50 times. Hennessy had logged more than 5,800 jumps in his life, and spent 46 hours free-falling. But he had never done more than 19 jumps in a single day. 2002: Triple Crown winner "Seattle Slew" died at age 28. It was 25 years to the day after his victory in the Kentucky Derby. 2003: A man wanted for trafficking and possession of cocaine was arrested when his parole officer spotted him kissing his girlfriend in a live crowd shot displayed on the scoreboard at a Cincinnati Reds game. The suspect and his parole officer attended the same game when the smooching couple were caught by the "Kiss Cam" at Great American Ball Park. The parole officer and a police officer arrested the 24-year-old man in his front row seat. Birthdays: (Click Here for More) actress Tracy Lords 39 TV newsman Tim Russert 58 singer Eagle-Eye Cherry 36 daredevil Robbie Knievel 45 Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: You suffer from ergasiophobia. You have an abnormal fear of: (a) Mexican food (b) service stations (c) work For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *You’re afraid of any kind of work.* Question 2: What do hog farmers say is giving pigs a bad name: (a) the cops on "Law and Order" (b) turkey bacon (c) that little piece of fat in pork and beans For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *That little piece of fat in pork and beans. The Iowa Pork Producers Association says it’s fat, not lean pork, and the product should be called "fat and beans." Pork and beans canners say fat chance.* Question 3: In the world of TV adventure cartoons, actress Melissa Gilbert has "appeared" as the voice of: (a) Lois Lane (b) Batgirl (c) Mary Marvel For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *Batgirl on "Batman: The Animated Series."* Question 4: Actress Candice Bergen was asked to leave the University of Pennsylvania because (a) she insisted on sleeping with Mortimer Snerd (b) she violated curfew (c) she flunked For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *She flunked two courses and she was also tired of beer (Celebrity Setbacks by Ed Lucaire).* Question 5: The town of Hot Coffee is in: (a) Texas (b) West Virginia (c) Mississippi For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *Hot Coffee, Mississippi, on State Route 532 about 30 miles northwest of Hattiesburg.* Trivia Quiz by Joe Hickman Some things you might find interesting:  Say What? ;  Say It With Class: ;  Final Joke of the Day:This guy goes out with his buddies for a night on the town and they cap off the festivities by going to a house of ill repute. A week later, the guy visits his doctor complaining of a large green lump on the end of his penis. The doctor does a thorough exam, then pulls down a weighty medical book and flicks through it till he finds what he’s looking for. He looks up and says, “I’m afraid this is serious. We’ll have to operate!” “Operate?”, exclaims the fellow, “Why, Doc? What’s the problem?” “Well, you know how boxers can get a cauliflower ear? You’ve developed the same sort of thing. You’ve got a brothel sprout.” Later on, Crouton Colin at 4:27 AM  Happy Cinco de Mayo Quote of the Day: Travel is very educational. I can now ask for "Kaopectate" in seven different languages  Kitchen FunToday's BOTD:   Civilian-style ribbons: Clever restroom signs:   Monopoly for Men:  Ooh, things are looking up:     New Paris Hilton Doll:  Hey, Norm! Bar Trivia from Cliff: Today is: Cinco de Mayo in the U.S. and Mexico. Astronomy Week begins today. Totally Chipotle Day, a day to herald a popular new flavor in the U.S. A Chipotle (pronounced chee-POTE-lay), which most Americans mispronounce, is a smoked jalapeno pepper. National Boo Boo Day, a day to call someone "Boo Boo." National Chocolate Custard Day. Cartoonists Day, a day to honor all cartoonists, funny ones, poignant ones, and even the editorial cartoonists we don't agree with. Thanks for making us laugh and think. Children's Day in both Japan and South Korea. Patriot's Victory Day in Ethiopia. National Wildflower Week begins today (wildflowers.org). C'mon Mister Peabody. Crank Up The 'Wayback' Machine: On this date in: (Click Here for More) 1923: Syracuse University refused to let Phi Beta Kappa Bernice Goldstein graduate because she could not learn to swim. 1925: John Scopes was arrested in Tennessee for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. 1961: Commander Alan Shepard Jr. was rocketed 115 miles into space from Cape Canaveral to become America’s first space explorer. Fifteen minutes later in the Atlantic Ocean, he said, "Boy, what a ride!" 1962: The "Westside Story" soundtrack album reached #1 in Billboard and stayed there 54 weeks. 1978: Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds registered his 3,000th major league hit. 1982: Singer Vince Gill and wife Janis named their newborn daughter Jenny. 1986: Britain’s William Whorriskey set a world record by lifting five barrels filled with water totaling 771 pounds. With one arm. 1988: Anatomist Randall Susman reported that a South African archeological discovery shows ancient non-human creatures may have made and used tools. 1991: Yasuyuki Kudoh did a record nonstop wheelie on his motorcycle covering 205.7 miles at Tsukuba City, Japan. He was riding a Honda TLM220R. 1996: LeAnn Rimes’ first single "Blue" entered the Billboard music charts. 1999: A man who admitted making thousands of obscene phone calls over a 3-year-period was arrested in Vienna, Austria, after one of the women told him she was busy and would return his call. So he gave her his phone number. 1999: Garth Brooks was named artist of the decade at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards. 2000: The world's first cloned mouse, Cumulina, died of old age at 2 years, 7 months. 2002: Movie producer Michael Todd Jr. died in Ireland at age 72. He had produced the only feature film in "Smell-O-Vision," entitled "Scent of Mystery." 2002: A drunk teenager walked away virtually unscathed after a train ran over him when he collapsed on a railway line in Trondhiem, Norway. The 18-year-old passed out lengthways on the tracks and the 82-ton train went within inches of his head at 75 miles an hour. The teen slept through the entire episode and walked away with a small cut on the chin and a hole in the front of his shirt. 2004: Picasso's 1905 painting "Boy with a Pipe" sold for $104 million at Sotheby's in New York, setting a new record for an auctioned painting. Birthdays: (Click Here for More) actress Tina Yothers is 35 actress Ann B. Davis 82 actor Richard E. Grant 51 actor-comedian Michael Palin 65 actress Danielle Fishel 27 singer-musician Roni Stoneman 70 singer Craig David 27 TV journalist John Miller 50 news anchor Brian Williams 49 Hey Norm! Today's Trivia Quiz:Question 1: Who said, "If you were raised in Oklahoma, you were raised with all you need." (a) Will Rogers (b) Oral Roberts (c) Garth Brooks For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 1: *Garth Brooks* Question 2: You are middle-aged and average. So far, in equivalent steps, have you walked around the world: (a) two times (b) three times (c) four times For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 2: *Three times, about 75,000 miles just doing regular daily activities (Fitness magazine).* Question 3: At age 21, George Clooney took a shot at acting after blowing a try-out with: (a) the Cincinnati Reds (b) the Grand Ole Opry (c) the Dallas Ballet For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 3: *The Cincinnati Reds. He tried out for a centerfield slot.* Question 4: Sigmund Freud had a morbid fear of: (a) chiggers (b) short women (c) ferns For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 4: *Ferns (according to Uncle John’s Fifth Bathroom Reader).* Question 5: When actor LeVar Burton debuted as Kunta Kinte in the TV classic Roots, he was: (a) 19 years old (b) 21 years old (c) 23 years old For the answer click, hold and drag your mouse from star to star (below) Answer to Question 5: *He was a 19-year-old drama student at UCLA.* Trivia by Joe Hickman Some things you might find interesting:  C'mon Girls - admit it - you know that when you begin sprouting them boobies of your'n ('specially if'n you're a-growin' a pair of big 'uns), you know you've got all those those young horny boys by the balls:  ;  ;  ;  On the flip side, Justice Texas Style: Final Jokes of the Day:I play pinochle regularly with seven other women,  most of whom are 70 or older.  Recently we celebrated the birthday of our oldest member by taking her out to lunch.  When the waitress came to take our order,  one of the women said to her, "This is a very special occasion. It's Elsie's ninety-second birthday."  The waitress made seven instant enemies  and one fast friend by asking the question, "Which one is Elsie?"  ; A Russian woman married a Canadian man and they lived happily in Toronto.  However, the poor lady was not very proficient in English, but did manage to communicate with her husband. The real problem arose whenever she had to shop for groceries.  One day, she went to the butcher and wanted to buy chicken thighs.  She didn't know how to put forward her request, and in desperation, clucked like a chicken and lifted up her skirt to show her thighs.  Her butcher got the message, and gave her the chicken thighs. A few days later she needed to get chicken breasts. Again, she didn't know how to say it, so she clucked like a chicken, opened her blouse and slipped off her bra to show the butcher her breasts.  The butcher understood once again, and gave her some chicken breasts. On the 3rd day, the poor lady needed to buy sausages. Unable to find a way to communicate this, she dragged her husband to the store...  What were you thinking? Hellooooooo, her husband speaks English. I don't know about you sometimes ...  Later on, Crouton Colin at 5:07 AM
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