Jim's Stuff
Jim's Stuff
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1951, The year I was born.
• Sugar Pops is introduced.
• Earl Tupper introduces Tupperware.
• "The Roy Rogers Show," "I Love Lucy" and
"Mr. Wizard" start their television runs.
• "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brentson was released.
This is often considered to be the first-ever
rock and roll record.
• The FBI issues the first Ten Most Wanted
Criminals list.
• Top movies: "The African Queen," "Alice In
Wonderland" and "A Streetcar Named Desire."
• Oscar for Best Picture: "An American in Paris"
• Oscar for Best Actor: Humphrey Bogart
("African Queen")
• Oscar for Best Actress: Vivien Leigh
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Supporting Actor: Karl Malden
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: Kim Hunter
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Director: George Stevens
("A Place in the Sun")
• Tony Award for Best Play: "The Rose Tattoo"
• Tony Award for Best Musical: "Guys and Dolls"
• The UNIVAC 1 was sold to the U.S. Census
Bureau by the Eckert and Mauchly Computer Co.
of Philadelphia. This is the first commercial
computer to be sold.
• Super glue is invented.
• Francis W. Davis invents power steering.
• Charles Ginsburg invents the first videotape
recorder.
• Topps Company issues it's first baseball card
series which consisted of two sets with 52
cards each.
• "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his duties
by President Truman, bids farewell to Congress.
• Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel
from England to France in 16 hours.
• Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, NJ calls
mayor Frank Osborn of Alameda, California thus
starting direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone
service.
• A.E.C. produces electricity from atomic energy.
• Swanson introduces beef, chicken, turkey pot
pies. (A mainstay of my teenage diet.)
• "Catcher in the Rye." by J.D. Salinger is
published.
• J. Andre-Thomas invents the first heart-lung
machine thus allowing advanced life support
during open heart surgery.
• Gerber Products starts using MSG in its baby
foods to make them taste better.
• In San Diego, California, the first Jack-in-the-Box
opens.
• S&H Green Stamps are introduced in a Denver
chain, King Sooper.
• The U.S. Congress ratifies the Twenty-second
Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms in
office.
• Still cameras gets built-in flash units.
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of
selling atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.
• Baseball says goodbye to Joe DiMaggio, and
says hello to 20-year-old Willie Mays of the
Giants. The Yankees go on to win the Series
against the Giants.
• The Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cleveland
Browns for the NFL title.
• Emmanuel MacDonald sets a new record for the
100-meter dash.
• Swiss cyclist Hugo Koblet wins Tour de France.
• Rochester wins over New York for the NBA title.
• Ezzard Charles defeats Joe Walcott in 15
rounds. Later in 1951 he is KO'd by Walcott in 7.
• "Count Turf," ridden by C. McCreary, wins the
Kentucky Derby.
• And most importantly (at least to me)
I was born May 30 at about 4:45 pm in
Long Beach, California.
Celebrities born in 1951
• Kirstie Alley
• Jeff Altman
• Timothy Bottoms
• Phil Collins
• Tony Danza
• Crystal Gayle
• Mark Harmon
• Anjelica Huston
• Dan Fogelberg
• Al Franken
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Janis Ian
• Ed "Too Tall" Jones
• Cheryl Ladd
• Melissa Manchester
• John Mellencamp
("Cougar" Mellencamp was given to him by
a record label exec...)
• Jay North
• Ray Oldham
• Joe Piscopo
• Johnny Ramone
• Kurt Russell
• Yakov Smirnoff
• Sting
• Luther Vandross
• Jessie Ventura
• Treat Williams
• Tom Wopat
• "Fuzzy" Zoeller
• Sugar Pops is introduced.
• Earl Tupper introduces Tupperware.
• "The Roy Rogers Show," "I Love Lucy" and
"Mr. Wizard" start their television runs.
• "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brentson was released.
This is often considered to be the first-ever
rock and roll record.
• The FBI issues the first Ten Most Wanted
Criminals list.
• Top movies: "The African Queen," "Alice In
Wonderland" and "A Streetcar Named Desire."
• Oscar for Best Picture: "An American in Paris"
• Oscar for Best Actor: Humphrey Bogart
("African Queen")
• Oscar for Best Actress: Vivien Leigh
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Supporting Actor: Karl Malden
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Supporting Actress: Kim Hunter
("A Streetcar Named Desire")
• Oscar for Best Director: George Stevens
("A Place in the Sun")
• Tony Award for Best Play: "The Rose Tattoo"
• Tony Award for Best Musical: "Guys and Dolls"
• The UNIVAC 1 was sold to the U.S. Census
Bureau by the Eckert and Mauchly Computer Co.
of Philadelphia. This is the first commercial
computer to be sold.
• Super glue is invented.
• Francis W. Davis invents power steering.
• Charles Ginsburg invents the first videotape
recorder.
• Topps Company issues it's first baseball card
series which consisted of two sets with 52
cards each.
• "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, relieved of his duties
by President Truman, bids farewell to Congress.
• Florence Chadwick swims the English Channel
from England to France in 16 hours.
• Mayor M. Leslie Denning of Englewood, NJ calls
mayor Frank Osborn of Alameda, California thus
starting direct-dial, coast-to-coast telephone
service.
• A.E.C. produces electricity from atomic energy.
• Swanson introduces beef, chicken, turkey pot
pies. (A mainstay of my teenage diet.)
• "Catcher in the Rye." by J.D. Salinger is
published.
• J. Andre-Thomas invents the first heart-lung
machine thus allowing advanced life support
during open heart surgery.
• Gerber Products starts using MSG in its baby
foods to make them taste better.
• In San Diego, California, the first Jack-in-the-Box
opens.
• S&H Green Stamps are introduced in a Denver
chain, King Sooper.
• The U.S. Congress ratifies the Twenty-second
Amendment, limiting presidents to two terms in
office.
• Still cameras gets built-in flash units.
• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are convicted of
selling atomic secrets to the Soviet Union.
• Baseball says goodbye to Joe DiMaggio, and
says hello to 20-year-old Willie Mays of the
Giants. The Yankees go on to win the Series
against the Giants.
• The Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cleveland
Browns for the NFL title.
• Emmanuel MacDonald sets a new record for the
100-meter dash.
• Swiss cyclist Hugo Koblet wins Tour de France.
• Rochester wins over New York for the NBA title.
• Ezzard Charles defeats Joe Walcott in 15
rounds. Later in 1951 he is KO'd by Walcott in 7.
• "Count Turf," ridden by C. McCreary, wins the
Kentucky Derby.
• And most importantly (at least to me)
I was born May 30 at about 4:45 pm in
Long Beach, California.
Celebrities born in 1951
• Kirstie Alley
• Jeff Altman
• Timothy Bottoms
• Phil Collins
• Tony Danza
• Crystal Gayle
• Mark Harmon
• Anjelica Huston
• Dan Fogelberg
• Al Franken
• Tommy Hilfiger
• Janis Ian
• Ed "Too Tall" Jones
• Cheryl Ladd
• Melissa Manchester
• John Mellencamp
("Cougar" Mellencamp was given to him by
a record label exec...)
• Jay North
• Ray Oldham
• Joe Piscopo
• Johnny Ramone
• Kurt Russell
• Yakov Smirnoff
• Sting
• Luther Vandross
• Jessie Ventura
• Treat Williams
• Tom Wopat
• "Fuzzy" Zoeller
Prelude
I was finishing up my bike ride in Johnson Valley some 50 miles east of Victorville, California. It was late October, and the daytime high reached just over 80 degrees. But now, with the sun just below the horizon, the temperature was just 72 degrees and dropping.
I said I was finishing my bike ride, but in fact my bike ride was finished a couple miles back when I got a flat. My newly restocked repair kit didn't help me at all since it was sitting on the front passenger seat of my Toyota pickup. So, I was walking the last few miles of my trek, pushing my useless bicycle.
Johnson Valley is normally a pretty busy place. It is a major off highway vehicle recreation area frequented my thousands of people in the greater Southern California area, especially during the cooler months of
(Continued on page 3)
I was finishing up my bike ride in Johnson Valley some 50 miles east of Victorville, California. It was late October, and the daytime high reached just over 80 degrees. But now, with the sun just below the horizon, the temperature was just 72 degrees and dropping.
I said I was finishing my bike ride, but in fact my bike ride was finished a couple miles back when I got a flat. My newly restocked repair kit didn't help me at all since it was sitting on the front passenger seat of my Toyota pickup. So, I was walking the last few miles of my trek, pushing my useless bicycle.
Johnson Valley is normally a pretty busy place. It is a major off highway vehicle recreation area frequented my thousands of people in the greater Southern California area, especially during the cooler months of
(Continued on page 3)
OK, you gotta imagine a coffee house in the 1950's. Beatniks sitting around tables; a darkened stage with a spotlight on the performer; bongos playing:
ALL IS BUT DEW.
Where is the voice of reason?
I am so tired; I need something,
But what?
There is just so much.
And yet
The dew dries when the sun rises.
Now, these are the words from a song that some find annoying. I'm not annoyed by the song, but I admint that I never really listened to the words.
When I finally did listen to the words, I was floored. OK, you're still in that coffee house:
When I finally did listen to the words, I was floored. OK, you're still in that coffee house:
It's a world of laughter,
A world of tears.
It's a world of hope,
And a world of fears.
There's so much that we share,
That it's time we're aware...
It's a small world after all.
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of Empire building' by George Bush.
Colin Powell said, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."
The meaning of this sign:
Slow To Observe Police
Slow To Observe Police