Crabs and Beer!

Today is the birthday, in 1980, of Harry Potter. He is the protagonist of a series of seven novels which chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, among others, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Potter was an English half-blood wizard, and one of the most famous wizards of modern times. The only child and son of James and Lily Potter (née Evans), Harry’s birth was overshadowed by a prophecy, naming either himself or Neville Longbottom as the one with the power to vanquish his arch-enemy, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and feared Dark wizard in the world.

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Signage…

Today is the birthday, in 1963, of Norman Cook also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, English DJ, musician, multi-instrumentalist and record producer/mixer who with The Housemartins had the a cappella cover version of ‘Caravan of Love’ (originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley) which was a UK No.1 single. He was a member of Beats International who had the 1990 UK No.1 ‘Dub Be Good To Me’). Freak Power, who scored the hit ‘Turn On Tune In Cop Out’ and as as Fatboy Slim, had the 1999 UK No.1 single ‘Praise You’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCDIYvFmgW8

On this day in 1729, the General Assembly of Maryland passed an Act creating the Town of Baltimore on the north bank of the Patapsco River. Surveyors began laying out the town on January 12, 1730. By 1752 the town had just 27 homes, including a church and two taverns. Jonestown and Fells Point had been settled to the east. The three settlements, covering 60 acres (24 ha), became a commercial hub, and in 1768 were designated as the county seat.

Baltimore grew swiftly in the 18th century, its plantations producing grain and tobacco for sugar-producing colonies in the Caribbean. The profit from sugar encouraged the cultivation of cane in the Caribbean and the importation of food by planters there.

Baltimore established its public market system in 1763. Lexington Market, founded in 1782, is one of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the United States today. In 1774, Baltimore established the first post office system in what became the United States, and the first water company chartered in the newly independent nation, Baltimore Water Company, 1792. Baltimore, Jonestown, and Fells Point were incorporated as the City of Baltimore in 1796–1797.

The British bombardment of Baltimore in 1814 inspired the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. The construction of the federally funded National Road, which later became part of U.S. Route 40, and the private Baltimore and Ohio Railroad made Baltimore a major shipping and manufacturing center by linking the city with major markets in the Midwest.

A panoramic view of Baltimore in September 2016, including the Inner and Outer Harbors at dusk

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Nothing to add here…

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Jamaican ska and reggae musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer Jimmy Cliff who had the 1969 UK No.6 & US No.25 single ‘Wonderful World Beautiful People’, and the 1970 UK No.8 hit with his version of Cat Stevens’ ‘Wild World’. He starred in the film The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae across the world. He died of pneumonia on 24 November 2025 at the age of 81. At the time of his death, he was the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrHxhQPOO2c

On this day in 1932, In Washington, D.C., troops disperse the last of the “Bonus Army” of World War I veterans using arson, bayonets, sabers, tanks, tear gas, and vomit gas.

The Bonus Army, a group of 43,000 demonstrators—17,000 veterans of U.S. involvement in World War I, their families, and affiliated groups—gathered in Washington, D.C., in mid-1932 to demand early cash redemption of their service-bonus certificates. Many of the war veterans had been out of work during the early years of the Great Depression. The World War Adjusted Compensation Act of 1924 had awarded all U.S. World War I veterans “bonuses” in the form of certificates which they could not redeem until 1945. Each certificate, issued to a qualified veteran soldier, bore a face value equal to the soldier’s promised payment with compound interest. The principal demand of the Bonus Army was the immediate cash payment of their certificates.

At 4:45 pm, commanded by MacArthur, the 12th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, supported by five M1917 light tanks commanded by Patton, formed in Pennsylvania Avenue while thousands of civil service employees left work to line the street and watch. The Bonus Marchers, believing the troops were marching in their honor, cheered the troops until Patton ordered the cavalry to charge them.

The veterans fled across the Anacostia River to their largest camp, and Hoover ordered the assault stopped. MacArthur chose to ignore the president and ordered a new attack, claiming that the Bonus March was an attempt to overthrow the US government. 55 veterans were injured and 135 arrested.

The Bonus Army camp

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Today is the birthday, in 1933, of American musician, and singer-songwriter Randy Sparks. He was the founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. The New Christy Minstrels 1962 debut album, Presenting the New Christy Minstrels, won a Grammy Award and remained on the Billboard 200 albums chart for two years. Sparks also wrote ‘Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio’, which was recorded and made famous by John Denver. He died in San Diego on 11 February 2024 at the age of 90. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfxgbsXeTdE

On this day in 1794, Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 “enemies of the Revolution”. He was executed the following day without trial.

He was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognized as one of the most influential figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fervently campaigned for the voting rights of all men. Additionally, he advocated the right to petition, the right to bear arms in self-defense, and the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade.

A radical Jacobin leader, Robespierre was elected as a deputy to the National Convention in September 1792, and in July 1793, he was appointed a member of the Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre faced growing disillusionment with other revolutionaries which led him to argue for the harsh measures of the Reign of Terror.

A deeply divisive figure during his lifetime, Robespierre’s views and policies continue to evoke controversy. His legacy has been heavily influenced by his actual and perceived participation in repression of the Revolution’s opponents, but he is notable for his progressive views for the time.

Terracotta bust of Robespierre by Deseine, 1791 (Musée de la Révolution française)

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So true…

Amish win the lottery…

Fortune cookie…

Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Bobbie Gentry, US singer, songwriter, notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame with her intriguing Southern Gothic narrative ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ in 1967. The track spent four weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and sold over three million copies all over the world. Her album Fancy brought her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv33eaygVDQ

On this day in 1847, Brigham Young led 148 Mormon settlers into Salt Lake Valley, leading to the establishment of Salt Lake City. Once settled in Utah, he ordered the construction of numerous temples, including the Salt Lake Temple. He also formalized the prohibition of black men attaining priesthood.

After arriving in Utah, Young established the State of Deseret before being appointed Utah’s first territorial governor by President Millard Fillmore in 1850. As governor, Young allowed polygamy, supported slavery and its expansion into Utah, and led the efforts to legalize and regulate slavery in the 1852 Act in Relation to Service, based on his beliefs on slavery. He exerted considerable power over the territory through his theocratic political system, theodemocracy.

A polygamist, Young had 56 wives and 57 children. His teachings are contained in the 19 volumes of transcribed and edited sermons in the Journal of Discourses. His legacy and impact are seen throughout the American West, including numerous memorials, temples, and schools named in his honor. In 2016, Young was estimated to have around 30,000 descendants.

Young photographed by Charles Roscoe Savage, 1855

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Misogyny in ads from years gone by…mostly

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Here’s Santana! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc