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Between 1914 and 1919, Ruth compiled an outstanding pitching record, but because pitchers do not play in every game, he was shifted to the outfield so that his powerful hitting could be used consistently. The following season, he was sold to the New York Yankees, and his batting feats and public personality helped salvage baseball's popularity, which had been damaged by the Black Sox scandal. According to legend, Ruth was sold by the owner of the Red Sox in order to finance what? More...
Historic Trivia pick - Ahmedabad
THE CAT WHO SPARKED AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT
At the beginning of the 1960s, famed U.S. diplomat John Kenneth Galbraith served for twenty-seven months as ambassador to India. During his tenure at that sensitive diplomatic station, he handled everything from the American response to the 1962 Sino-Indian war to disputes over his country's relationship with Pakistan. But those important developments pale in comparison to the embarrassing international incident touched off by a member of his own household - who wasn't even human. The greatest firestorm of Galbraith's tenure erupted over a misunderstanding involving his pet cat, Ahmedabad.
It began in 1962. During an official visit to the Indian state of Gujarat, Galbraith's two young sons were each given Siamese kittens. One received an utterly innocuous name and is forgotten by history. The other got what at the time must have seemed like an equally forgettable moniker - Ahmedabad, to commemorate the town in which it was born.
This probably would not have been a problem. Unfortunately, the Galbraith family shortened it to Ahmed. This, as they were soon to learn, is one of the many, many alternate names for the Muslim prophet Mohammed.
And that, as it turned out, was a big problem.
Shortly after the cat was innocently mentioned in a newspaper article, riots erupted across neighbouring Pakistan, where the feline's name was taken as an insult to Islam. American facilities were stone, U.S. personnel were attacked in the streets, and mullahs across the country called for Galbraith's head. "I do not think the Pakistanis were particularly sensitive", Galbraith wrote in his memoirs. "In the darker reaches of our Bible Belt, there would have been criticism of a Pakistan ambassador who, at a moment of friction between our two nations, had, however innocently, named his dog Jesus."
The crisis was finally ended when the diplomat explained, repeatedly and at great length, that the kitten was in no way, shape, or form named after a person - especially a religious prophet. Furthermore, to defuse any subsequent misunderstandings, it had been renamed Gujarat. Thus, with a meow rather than a roar, the incident faded away. "Amateurs will never understand how much can turn on the name of a kitten", an amused Galbraith wrote.
Boston Red Sox Sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees
Between 1914 and 1919, Ruth compiled an outstanding pitching record, but because pitchers do not play in every game, he was shifted to the outfield so that his powerful hitting could be used consistently. The following season, he was sold to the New York Yankees, and his batting feats and public personality helped salvage baseball's popularity, which had been damaged by the Black Sox scandal. According to legend, Ruth was sold by the owner of the Red Sox in order to finance what? More...
- 2004 - Massive tsunami causes damage and kills thousands in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand
The tsunami was precipitated by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake was the third strongest earthquake ever measured using the Richter scale in recorded history. The other two were the Valdivia earthquake in Chile in 1960, with a magnitude of 9.5 and the Prince William Sound earthquake in Alaska in 1964, with a magnitude of 9.2. The Indian Ocean earthquake killed about 200,000 people and is considered one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history. - 1982 - The December issue of Times magazine proclaimed the personal computer as the "Man of the Year"
The Man of the Year tradition began in 1927 at Time magazine as a way to identify and showcase those that influenced the year and its events significantly. In 1999, the feature was renamed Person of the Year. - 1966 - First Kwanzaa celebrations
The week-long cultural holiday is celebrated among African diaspora in the United States and was created by Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies and a key figure in the Black Power movement. The holiday is celebrated annually from December 26 to January 1, and it is a recognition of African culture and heritage. - 1941 - Fourth Thursday of November set as Thanksgiving Day in the US[/b]
The holiday has been celebrated officially in the United States since 1863. The first Thanksgiving is thought to have been observed by early settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony after their first harvest in 1621. - 1898 - The Curies announce the existence of Radium
The radioactive element has an atomic number of 88 and is known by the symbol Ra. In its pure form, it is a highly toxic element and is not used extensively for scientific purposes.
Historic Trivia pick - AhmedabadTHE CAT WHO SPARKED AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT
At the beginning of the 1960s, famed U.S. diplomat John Kenneth Galbraith served for twenty-seven months as ambassador to India. During his tenure at that sensitive diplomatic station, he handled everything from the American response to the 1962 Sino-Indian war to disputes over his country's relationship with Pakistan. But those important developments pale in comparison to the embarrassing international incident touched off by a member of his own household - who wasn't even human. The greatest firestorm of Galbraith's tenure erupted over a misunderstanding involving his pet cat, Ahmedabad.
It began in 1962. During an official visit to the Indian state of Gujarat, Galbraith's two young sons were each given Siamese kittens. One received an utterly innocuous name and is forgotten by history. The other got what at the time must have seemed like an equally forgettable moniker - Ahmedabad, to commemorate the town in which it was born.
This probably would not have been a problem. Unfortunately, the Galbraith family shortened it to Ahmed. This, as they were soon to learn, is one of the many, many alternate names for the Muslim prophet Mohammed.
And that, as it turned out, was a big problem.
Shortly after the cat was innocently mentioned in a newspaper article, riots erupted across neighbouring Pakistan, where the feline's name was taken as an insult to Islam. American facilities were stone, U.S. personnel were attacked in the streets, and mullahs across the country called for Galbraith's head. "I do not think the Pakistanis were particularly sensitive", Galbraith wrote in his memoirs. "In the darker reaches of our Bible Belt, there would have been criticism of a Pakistan ambassador who, at a moment of friction between our two nations, had, however innocently, named his dog Jesus."
The crisis was finally ended when the diplomat explained, repeatedly and at great length, that the kitten was in no way, shape, or form named after a person - especially a religious prophet. Furthermore, to defuse any subsequent misunderstandings, it had been renamed Gujarat. Thus, with a meow rather than a roar, the incident faded away. "Amateurs will never understand how much can turn on the name of a kitten", an amused Galbraith wrote.
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61-BLUES
