On this day in 1937, Japanese bombers attacked and sank the U.S. Navy river gunboat Panay and three Standard Oil Company tankers on the Yangtze River near the Chinese capital of Nanjing. Japan and the United States were not at war at the time. The boats were part of an American naval operation called the Yangtze Patrol, which began following the joint British, French, and American victory in the Second Opium War.
Public reaction was mixed in the U.S., with Franklin D. Roosevelt weighing various diplomatic and military responses only to settle for an apology and compensation.
A flat-bottomed craft built in Shanghai specifically for river duty, Panay served as part of the US Navy’s Yangtze Patrol in the Asiatic Fleet, which was responsible for patrolling the Yangtze River to protect American lives and property in China. Since November, the Panay had been evacuating U.S. citizens from the battle zone around Nanjing. On 11 December, the Panay evacuated some of the last remaining Americans from the city, bringing the number of people aboard to five officers, 54 enlisted men, four US embassy staff, and 10 civilians.
USS Panay
Today is the birthday, in 1946, of Denny Dias, American guitarist, best known for being a founding member of Steely Dan. Dias placed an ad in The Village Voice in the summer of 1970 that read: “Looking for keyboardist and bassist. Must have jazz chops! Assholes need not apply”. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker responded to the advertisement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vptlTsgu9p0
Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Orewin Bridge in 1282. The English, led by the Marcher Lords, defeated the Welsh army under Llywelyn ap Gruffudd.
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was killed during the battle effectively ending the autonomy of Wales. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, also known as Llywelyn the Last, was thus the last native-born Prince of Wales.
A sixteenth-century depiction of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd at the parliament of Edward I, King of England, as depicted by the Wriothesley Garter Book.
They had ONE JOB!!
Seems reasonable…
This season of ‘EARTH’
Today is the birthday, in 1944, of American singer Brenda Lee who had the 1960 US No.1 single ‘I’m Sorry’, the UK No.4 single ‘Sweet Nothin’s’, plus 27 US & 18 other UK Top 40 singles. Lee is the oldest artist ever to top the Hot 100 at the age of 79 with ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’. The song also set the record for the longest period of time between an original release and its topping the Hot 100 (65 years). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFsZy9t-qDc
Today is the anniversary of the he Nyköping Banquet in the year 1317, King Birger’s Christmas banquet at Nyköping Castle in Sweden.Among the guests were his two brothers Duke Valdemar and Duke Eric.
King Magnus Ladulås of Sweden died in 1290 leaving three minor sons. Birger Magnusson was the successor to the throne, but was only ten years old. In 1302 Birger was crowned king and came into the inheritance of his father. His brothers Eric and Valdemar became dukes of Södermanland, and of parts of Uppland and Finland, respectively. The relations between king Birger and his two brothers were strained, since Eric in particular sought after the throne for himself.
Eric and Valdemar plotted a rebellion against Birger and carried out raids into Sweden. Despite receiving support from Norway, they had to admit defeat at the treaty of Kolsäter in 1305 after which the three brothers reconciled. However, Eric and Valdemar turned on Birger again and staged a coup against him and had King Birger imprisoned in Nyköping Castle. After an intervention by the Danish and Norwegian kings, a settlement was reached in 1310 and Sweden was divided among the brothers into three sovereign states.
During a journey to Kalmar in the autumn of 1317 duke Valdemar was invited to celebrate Christmas with king Birger and queen Martha at Nyköping Castle, together with the royal court. Duke Valdemar stayed overnight and was treated royally. He convinced his brother Eric to come to the Christmas feast.
The banquet was held on the night between 10 and 11 December 1317. When the dukes arrived at the castle, they were received by the king himself. He took them by the hand, and led them into the castle with fair words. Even queen Martha was happy and excited. The dukes’ retinues were lodged not in the castle, but in the town of Nyköping, the pretext being lack of space. When the last of the duke’s men had left the castle gate, it was locked shut.
After the dukes had retired to bed, the king’s drots Brunke (Johan von Brunkow) arrived with a company of crossbowmen and handcuffed them. The dukes were imprisoned in the castle’s dungeon, still extant today, with neck irons tethering them to the stone walls where they were starved to death.
Despite help from Denmark, Birger could not stop a rebellion that broke out in support of the dukes. According to legend, when he realized he had no way to prevail, king Birger threw the keys to the dungeon into the Nyköping river. Birger was forced to flee to Denmark.
Following a year of regency by his mother Duchess Ingeborg, the three-year-old son of Duke Eric, Magnus, was elected King in 1319 at the Stones of Mora in Uppland. The deposed king Birger died in 1321 in exile in Denmark.
Present-day appearance of Nyköping Castle, in which the Dukes were starved to death.
BADA BING BING BING
I am no longer allowed to go caroling at the psych hospital. I guess “Do you hear what I hear” was a bad song choice.
Doctor in packed waiting room: Due to new privacy regulations, we can no longer use patient names in the waiting room. Will the patient with the itchy vagina please follow me.
I was called into my managers office because of my dress code. He said, “You can’t wear pajamas for work.” I said, “Everyone else does.” He said: “That’s because they’re PATIENTS!”
It’s maddening when the ATM charges you $3 to get your own money, then tells you to cover your pin so you don’t get robbed.
A female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn’t, turned to the weatherman and asked, “So Bob, where’s that eight inches you promised me last night?”
My brain has 47 tabs open, 3 are frozen, 1 is playing music, and I have no idea where it’s coming from.
Interviewer: Why did you leave your last job? Me: The company relocated and didn’t tell me where.
I’ve reached the age where I drive around and say, “Dang, I remember when this was all woods!”
My circle is so small that when my phone rings I know it’s scammers.
In the 1950s carjacking had a totally different meaning.
Just had my phone incorrectly autocorrect ‘ducking’ to ‘fucking’, which means I’ve won! How does failure feel, demon box.
Where are all the flat earthers? They’re at home trying to figure out why it’s night time.
I started a dating site for chickens. It’s not my day job. I just do it to make hens meet.
If you believe a president who pardons drug dealers is fighting a war on drugs by sinking small boats, I don’t know how to help you.
I’ve been looking for my sanity, but I think it ran off with my motivation, the matching socks, and half of the Tupperware lids.
SIGNZZZZ
Today is the birthday, in 1941, of British musician Chad Stuart. He was one half of the duo Chad & Jeremy that began working in 1962 and had its first hit song in the UK with ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ followed by a string of successful records in the United States through the mid-60s. He died on 20 Dec 2020 died from pneumonia following a fall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfvL2oLeBYs
Today is the birthday, in 1886, of Clarence Birdseye. He is considered the founder of the modern frozen food industry. He founded the frozen food company Birds Eye. One of nine children, Birdseye grew up in New York City before heading to Amherst College and began his scientific career with the U.S. government.
He matriculated at Amherst College, where his father and elder brother had earned degrees. In the summer after his freshman year, Birdseye worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in New Mexico and Arizona as an “assistant naturalist”, at a time when the agency was concerned with helping farmers and ranchers get rid of predators.
He worked on a project surveying animals in the American West. He also worked with entomologist Willard Van Orsdel King (1888–1970) in Montana, where, in 1910 and 1911, he captured several hundred small mammals from which King removed several thousand ticks for research, isolating them as the cause of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a breakthrough. Birdseye’s next field assignment, intermittently from 1912 to 1915, was in Labrador in the Dominion of Newfoundland (now part of Canada), where he became further interested in food preservation by freezing, especially fast freezing.
He was taught by the Inuit how to ice fish under very thick ice. In -40 °C weather, the Inuit also demonstrated that freshly caught fish could be then instantly flash frozen when exposed to air, and when thawed, still tasted fresh. He recognized the potential that this traditional knowledge held if it were to be employed in production. His invention of the double belt fast freezer was issued US Patent #1,773,079, considered by some as the advent of flash freezing and the commercial frozen fresh foods market. Birdseye patented other machinery which cooled even more quickly. In 1927, he patented the multiplate freezing machine which was used as the basis for freezing food for several decades.
In 1929, Birdseye sold his company and patents to Goldman Sachs and the Postum Company which eventually became General Foods Corporation, when its owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post, offered him $22 million (approximately $335 million in 2021 dollars) and the vice president position after touring the facilities. General Foods founded the Birds Eye Frozen Food Company as Post pioneered the frozen fresh food market by providing commercial freezers to wholesalers and retailers.
Clarence Birdseye
A LONG BUT WORTHWHILE JOKE
So there’s this nurse, Margaret.
And the fact that she’s a nurse isn’t really relevant here, but that’s what she is so why leave it out.
She lives in Nebraska, which also isn’t all that relevant, except that it can be hard to find a good man when you live in Nebraska.
And this probably also isn’t particularly relevant but Margaret has seventeen younger sisters. Yes, seventeen. Julia, Heather, Kristen, Helene, Alexandria, Isabella, Mia, Charlotte, Harper, Evelyn, Abigail, Alice, Amara, Chloe, Eloise, Grace, and Hazel. She came from a big family there in Nebraska.
But she was the oldest, of course, and having recently graduated from nursing school there in Nebraska, she began — as young women sometimes do — to think about the less fair sex. You know. Men. And in particular Margaret, having been from such a large family, was eager to get started in the process of making her own family. She was, as they say, hoping for a baby. What’s more, her parents were pretty eager to have one as well, given that Margaret was the oldest and thus the likely first one to have a kid.
So after surveying the dating pool a bit, she landed upon Tom. Now, Tom was a farmer, as men in Nebraska often are. And he was very vigorous in that certain department that would be critical to the one particular goal of Margaret’s that we have of late discussed. But, sadly, Tom was, how do I put this, shooting blanks. As a result, Margaret sadly had to put him to the side, as she could not marry a man who couldn’t give her a family.
Back into the dating pool she went, and soon landed upon another stout man from the plains, who by chance was also named Tom. Sadly, however, this Tom could not even achieve the merits of the first Tom, as the rocket, you might say, could not even stand up on the launch pad.
So back into the dating pool she went, swearing never to date another Tom. However, as she was sitting in a bar with her seventeen sisters, lamenting not only her failure to have a child but also, for that matter, the fact that none of them had succeeded in that department, a man walked in with a rippling chest, massive shoulders, and a full head of hair. He noticed Margaret right away, and walked up to her. Soon they were talking, and he asked her out. First, though, she asked his name. Unfortunately, it was Tom. Nonetheless, after much discussion with her seventeen sisters, she went out with him. Soon enough, it was confirmed that he was capable in the department that was so important to Margaret, they married, and nine months later Margaret had a happy, bouncing baby boy.
Which only goes to show you that the third Tom’s the charm.
(Thanks, Mike)
Today is the birthday, in 1956, of American drummer Thommy Price. In 1986, he started drumming for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and was a member of the band for more than 28 years. He also played drums in Scandal and Blue Öyster Cult, performed with Billy Idol’s band and was in an in-demand session drummer and played on albums for Debbie Harry, Roger Daltrey, the Waterboys, Ronnie Spector, Ric Ocasek, Ronnie Wood, Mink DeVille, and the Psychedelic Furs. He died on 10 October 2025 age 68. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpNw7jYkbVc
On this day in 1922, two days after coming into existence, the Irish Free State executed four members of the Irish Republican Army, Dick Barrett, Joe McKelvey, Liam Mellows and Rory O’Connor. the four had been a part of Anti-Treaty IRA that was opposed to the Anglo-Irish Treaty that created the Irish Free State as a dominion of the British Empire. They believed that Ireland should have full independence as a republic. The executions had been explicitly ordered at a government cabinet meeting in reprisal for the Anti-Treaty IRA’s murder of Seán Hales.
The four were killed at 9am in a badly botched execution commanded by Hugo MacNeill, nephew of Eoin MacNeill. The women prisoners in the wing overlooking the yard counted a volley followed by nine revolver shots. In 2011, the Irish government acknowledged that the executions that took place without trial were murder: “People who were murdered or executed without trial by the Cumann na nGaedheal Government were murdered. It was an atrocity and those people killed without a trial by the first government were murdered.
Photograph of Joe McKelvey, a leading member of the anti-treaty IRA who was executed in 1922.
1. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus: subjecting minors to softcore porn.
2. The Christmas Song: Open fire?
Pollution. Folks dressed up like Eskimos? Cultural appropriation.
3. Holly Jolly Christmas: Kiss her once for me? Unwanted advances.
4. White Christmas: Racist.
5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Sees you when you’re sleeping? Knows when you’re awake? Peeping Tom/stalker.
6. Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Everyone telling you to be of good cheer? Forced to hide depression.
7. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Bullying.
8. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: Forced gender-specific gifts: dolls for Janice and Jen and boots and pistols (GUNS!) for Barney and Ben.
9. Santa Baby: Gold digger, blackmail.
10. Frosty the Snowman: Sexist; not a snow woman.
11. Do You Hear What I Hear: blatant disregard for the hearing impaired.
12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Make the yuletide GAY? Wow, just wow.
13. Jingle Bell Rock: Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet: animal abuse.
14. Mistletoe and Holly: Overeating, folks stealing a kiss or two? How did this song ever see the light of day?
15. Winter Wonderland: Parson Brown demanding they get married: forced partnership.
16. Grandma got run over by a reindeer: Elder abuse
Uh oh…flying over the Caribbean near Venezuela…
Today is the birthday, in 1966, of Irish singer, songwriter and activist Sinead O’Connor. She was best known for her single ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, released in 1990, which reached No.1 and brought her worldwide fame. O’Connor, who was outspoken in her social and political views, released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014. In 1991, she was was named artist of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and took home the Brit Award for international female solo artist. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), received glowing reviews upon release and became her biggest success, selling over seven million copies worldwide. She died on 26 July 2023 age 56. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EF60neguk
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