Today's Puzzle
After catching it in the woods,
I sat down to look for it,
but could not find it.
Because I couldn't find it,
I took it home with me.
What is it?
What Happened On
Designated Hitter
January 11, 1973
American League owners vote 8-4 to approve the designated hitter for a three-year trial run.
In Major League Baseball, the designated hitter is a player who does not play a position in the field, but instead replaces the pitcher in the batting order. The DH may only be used for the pitcher.
Surgeon General's Warning on Smoking
January 11, 1964
"Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States" is published by the Surgeon General's Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health warning of the health issues of tobacco smoking. Although not the first government report on the health effects of smoking, it is considered one of the most influential resulting in laws such as health warnings on cigarette packages.
I Love My Cigar Too, But…
January 11, 1950
Urban legend has it that Groucho Marx made the following quip on the January 11, 1950 episode of his radio show You Bet Your Life.
Groucho: "You have 17 children? Why do you have so many kids?"
Woman: "Because I love my husband."
Groucho: "I love my cigar too, but I take it out of my mouth every once in a while."
However, even though often attributed to him, Groucho denied the exchange ever occurred. The interview was with Charlotte and Marion Story, who at the time had 17 children. The actual exchange on the program was -
Groucho: "With each new kid, do you go around passing out cigars?"
Mr. Story: "I stopped at about a dozen."
Universal Diabetes Symbol
Universal Diabetes Symbol
First Human Use of Insulin to Treat Diabetes
January 11, 1922
A 14-year-old diabetic was given the first injection of insulin at Toronto General Hospital. He had been slipping in and out of a diabetic coma and was about to die. The injections immediately improved his symptoms. However, the insulin was so impure, he suffered a severe allergic reaction and treatment had to be canceled. An improved insulin was injected on January 23, which was completely successful. The insulin was from the pancreases of cattle.
Grand Canyon
January 11, 1908
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declares the Grand Canyon a national monument declaring, "Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. Do nothing to mar its grandeur, sublimity and loveliness. You cannot improve on it."
West German Disco Bombing
January 11, 1988
A German woman is arrested for the 1986 West Berlin Disco Bombing. The U.S. had originally blamed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and retaliated by bombing Libya, killing his infant daughter. She was aided by her Palestinian husband, another Palestinian, and a Libyan who worked at the German embassy.
Iran-Contra Affair
January 11, 1988
Vice-President George H. W. Bush gives a sworn deposition to prosecutors, including testimony indicating his involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair. This information was not made public until five days before he left office as president (1993).
Clarence the cross-eyed lion and Judy the chimp
Clarence the cross-eyed lion and Judy the chimp
Daktari
January 11, 1966
The TV show Daktari debuts on CBS. It became the first U.S. TV show to be shown in the Soviet Union. Daktari is Swahili for "doctor".
The TV series was based upon the 1965 film Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion.
CBN
January 11, 1960
Pat Robertson forms The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), the first Christian television network established in the United States. They would go on the air the following October using the call letters WYAH-TV, taken from the Hebrew name of God, Yahweh, which means "The One who causes (everything) to be."
In 1963, Robertson held a telethon in which he asked for 700 viewers to pledge $10 a month to sustain operations. In 1966, he formed the 700 Club after several successful "700 Club" telethons.
Amelia Earhart
January 11, 1935
The famed aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first person to fly from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California.
Civil War - Alabama Secedes
January 11, 1861
Alabama becomes the 4th state to secede from the Union.
First American Life Insurance Company
January 11, 1759
It is founded in Philadelphia. They issued their first policy in 1761.
Birthdays
Photo Credit: Siddharth Patil
Photo Credit: Siddharth Patil
Albert Hofmann
Born January 11, 1906 d. 2008
Swiss chemist, co-discoverer of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide, 1938). He experienced the first acid trip in 1943 when he accidentally rubbed against some LSD and experienced "…an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors." He would give himself an intentional dose several days later and experience the first bad acid trip.
He continued to take small doses of LSD throughout much of his life.
Hamilton on the U.S. $10 Bill
Hamilton on the U.S. $10 Bill
Killed in Duel With Vice President
Alexander Hamilton
Born January 11, 1757 d. 1804
American statesman, the first Secretary of the U.S. Treasury (1789-1795). He died of a gunshot wound from a duel with U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr. Burr was running for governor of New York State and Hamilton campaigned against him as unworthy. Burr took offense and challenged him to a duel in which Burr shot and mortally wounded Hamilton.
Hamilton also founded the U.S. Coast Guard (1790) and the first U.S. political party (1789, Federalist Party).
Letizia, Linda, Fabrizio, Francesco, Giorgio, and Roberto Giannini
Born January 11, 1980
Italian sextuplets. They were the second set of sextuplets in the world to survive past infancy.
First Surviving Sextuplets
David, Grant, Jason, Emma, Nicolette, and Elizabeth Rosenkowitz
Born January 11, 1974
South African sextuplets. They were the first recorded surviving sextuplets. Source: Guinness Book of World Records
Photo Credit: State Farm
Photo Credit: State Farm
Naomi Judd (Diana Ellen Judd)
Born January 11, 1946 d. 2022
American Grammy-winning country singer. She and her daughter Wynonna Judd formed the duo The Judds. Music: Mama He's Crazy (1984, #1) and Why Not Me (1984, #1).
Felix Silla
Born January 11, 1937 d. 2021
Italian actor, circus performer. At a height of 3 foot 11 inches (1.19 m) he often doubled for children in movies and TV.
TV: The Addams Family (Cousin Itt - voiced by Anthony Magro) and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-81, Twiki, physical performance - voiced by Mel Blanc and Bob Elyea). Film: Return of the Jedi (1983, one of the Ewoks).
At age 18, he toured with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, performing as a bareback horse rider, trapeze artist, and tumbler.
Rod Taylor
Born January 11, 1930 d. 2015
Australian actor. TV: Falcon Crest (1988-90, Frank Argretti). Film: The Time Machine (1960, H. George Wells), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961, voice of Pongo the dog), The Birds (1963, Mitch Brenner), and Inglourious Basterds (2009, Winston Churchill).
He was one of several who turned down the role of Bond in the James Bond series of movies, feeling that the role was beneath him.
The Naked Spy
Yevgeny Ivanov
Born January 11, 1926 d. 1994
Russian spy. In 1963, British secretary of state for war, John Profumo, resigned after it was discovered that he was having an affair with the same woman as Ivanov. This became known as the "Profumo Affair." In his memoirs, The Naked Spy (1992), he claimed he had been able to obtain significant military intelligence by accessing British political circles.
Lionel Stander
Born January 11, 1908 d. 1994
American actor. TV: Hart to Hart (Max the Chauffeur).
George Zucco
Born January 11, 1886 d. 1960
British actor, noted for his villainous roles. Film: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939, Prof. Moriarty), The Mummy's Hand (1940), The Mummy's Ghost (1944), House of Frankenstein (1944).
Harriet Maxwell Converse
Born January 11, 1836 d. 1903
American folklorist, historian of the Iroquois. She was the first white woman Indian chief. She became an honorary chief of the Six Nations Tribe in 1892, due to her advocacy for the rights of the Seneca and Iroquois tribes in New York state, helping them retain their lands and preserve their culture. Writings: Myths and Legends of the New York State Iroquois (1908, published posthumously).
Sir John Alexander Macdonald
Born January 11, 1815 d. 1891
Canadian politician, first prime minister of Canada (1857-58, 1868-73, 1878-91).
Ezra Cornell
Born January 11, 1807 d. 1874
American telegraph pioneer. Founder of Western Union Telegraph (1855) and Cornell University (1865).
Deaths
Mississippi Burning Killer
Edgar Ray Killen
Died January 11, 2018 b. 1925
American preacher, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) organizer. Killen was convicted of manslaughter in the 1964 "Mississippi Burning" killing. In 2005, he was found guilty of recruiting the mob that killed three civil rights activists (two white, one black) participating in the Freedom Summer of 1964 and sentenced to 60 years in prison, where he died. His conviction was on the 41st anniversary of the crime. His original 1966 trial ended in a hung jury, with the jurors deadlocked 11-1 in favor of conviction. The lone holdout said that she could not convict a preacher.
The film Mississippi Burning (1988) was based on these crimes.
Photo Credit: Eric Shaiman
Photo Credit: Eric Shaiman
Survivor of "The Day the Music Died"
Tommy Allsup
Died January 11, 2017 b. 1931
American musician. Survivor of "The Day the Music Died" (1959). He was touring with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson when he lost a coin toss with Valens for a seat on the plane. The plane crashed, killing Valens, Holly, Richardson, and the pilot. Allsup was originally one of the five people reported dead in the crash. Holly had Allsup's wallet on him at the time of the crash because Holly agreed to retrieve Allsup's mail at the post office.
Allsup was the lead guitarist in Buddy Holly and the Crickets and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation.
Hillary (left) with Norgay
Photo Credit: Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Hillary (left) with NorgayPhoto Credit: Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Sir Edmund Hillary (Edmund Percival Hillary)
Died January 11, 2008 b. 1919
New Zealander explorer. He and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit Mt. Everest (1953).
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
Died January 11, 1988 b. 1912
American World War II flying ace. His book Baa Baa Black Sheep (1958) chronicled his days with the Flying Tigers and The Black Sheep squadrons, during which he earned both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross. He and his squadron's experiences were the basis for the TV show Baa Baa Black Sheep (1976-78).
Commando Kelly - The One Man Army
Charles "Commando" Kelly
Died January 11, 1985 b. 1920
American soldier. Also known as "The One-Man-Army," he was the first WWII solider in the European war theater to receive the Medal of Honor. He had made several reconnaissance missions under fire. While protecting an ammo dump from the encroaching Germans, several of the automatic rifles he was firing jammed due to overheating. He then picked up 60mm mortar shells, pulled the safety pins, and used the shells as grenades, killing at least 5 of the enemy. After it became necessary to evacuate, Kelly volunteered to stay behind and hold off the Germans so the others could evacuate.
Prior to his military service, Kelly made his living with a street gang in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and frequently got in trouble with the law. After the war, he opened a gas station, but had to sell it after a downturn in business the following year. His wife was diagnosed with uterine cancer that same year, and died in 1951. The cost of her radiation treatments eventually resulted in Kelly losing his home in foreclosure. He remarried in 1952 and held a series of short-term jobs. Poor health, financial problems, and alcohol led to a divorce in 1962. In late 1984 Kelly was admitted to Veterans Hospital, suffering from kidney and liver failure and died a few months later.
Francis Scott Key
Died January 11, 1843 b. 1779
American lawyer, poet. He wrote The Star-Spangled Banner (1814) during the British bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.
Key wrote the song in 1814 after seeing the American flag flying following the British bombardment of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812.
In 1931, The Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the national anthem after a public outcry when a 1929 Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoon pointed out there was no American national anthem.
Anita Ekberg
Died January 11, 2015 b. 1931
Swedish-Italian voluptuous actress, Mrs. Sweden (1951). Film: La Dolce Vita (1959).
Ariel "Arik" Sharon
Died January 11, 2014 b. 1928
Israeli general, politician. 11th Prime Minister of Israel (2001-2006). He was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948.
David Nelson
Died January 11, 2011 b. 1936
American actor. TV: The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (as himself).
Lewis Nixon III
Died January 11, 1995 b. 1918
American WWII paratrooper. Known for his love of blended whiskey, he was portrayed by Ron Livingston in the HBO series Band of Brothers.
Carl David Anderson
Died January 11, 1991 b. 1905
American physicist. He discovered the positron (1932) for which he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize. He and his graduate student, Seth Neddermeyer, discovered the muon (1936, originally called mu-meson).
Beulah Bondi (Beulah Bondy)
Died January 11, 1981 b. 1889
American Emmy-winning actress She died from injuries caused by tripping over her cat. Film: It's a Wonderful Life (1946, George Bailey's mother).
Emanuel Lasker
Died January 11, 1941 b. 1868
German chess master, world chess champion (1894-1921).
Joseph Wharton
Died January 11, 1909 b. 1826
American steel magnate. He founded Bethlehem Steel Co. and the world's first business school: Wharton School of Finance and Political Economy at the Univ. of Pennsylvania (1881).
Georges Eugene Haussmann
Died January 11, 1891 b. 1809
French financier. He was responsible for the rebuilding of Paris in the mid 1800s and for building its underground sewer system.
Gail Borden
Died January 11, 1874 b. 1801
American inventor. He improved the process for making evaporated milk (1853).
Evaporated milk is a shelf-stable canned cow's milk that has had approximately 60% of the water removed. Condensed milk is evaporated milk with sugar added.
Sir Hans Sloane
Died January 11, 1753 b. 1660
English physician. Upon his death, he gave a collection of items which formed the nucleus of the British Museum.
John VI
Died January 11, 705 b. ????
Greek-born religious leader, 85th Pope (701-705).