Marked This Day

On this day in 1935, canned beer transitioned from the brilliance of idea to reality, when the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company partnered with the American Can Company to roll out 2,000 cans of beer and cream ale. Look, I understand some people feel beer is better in bottles or mugs, but you know what else is great about beer. Beer. And cans are cheaper than glass. So when these brilliant bastards at Krueger and the American Can got together and decided to put beer in cans, what they were really doing is giving the gift of more beer. A glorious gift. Do you think bartenders are just naturally engaging people? Maybe. But the fact that they give you beer certainly doesn’t hurt matters. Cause you can’t argue with the gift of more beer. In fact, I’ve always wondered why there weren’t four wise men, with the fourth one bring sweet baby Jesus some suds. Or how in any movie/story that centers around a genie, no one asks for unlimited beer? Idiots. Krueger and American Can didn’t figure out ...

On this day in 1957, The Wham-O toy company created the 1st Frisbees. The humble origins of the Frisbee actually go back nearly 80 years prior to the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut which opened in 1871. Kids would toss their empty pie tins to each other and yell Frisbie! Which seems like the right way to enjoy a Frisbee--after eating a pie first. Not that tossing around a Frisbee isn’t a good time for all. And these days people can do some pretty amazing things with a Frisbee. Trick shots. Long throws. There is Ultimate Frisbee. And Frisbee Golf. And it’s all great fun. But I give the Frisbee some extra kudos for its history. Knowing that it comes from pie origins doesn’t make the Frisbee any more or less fun to play with, but damn if I don’t respect the toy just a little more. It’s like falling in love with somebody and then finding out he/she is super rich. It wasn’t the reason you fell in love with that person, but it certainly doesn’t hurt matters. I’m not saying th...

On this day in 1950, The Great Brinks Robbery in Boston was successfully executed by Fats Pino and ten other men. These dudes were dedicated. They started scoping out the armored car depot 18 months prior to find the time when it held the most cash. They stole plans for the alarm system and returned them before anyone knew they were missing. They copied keys. They dressed in uniforms similar to Brinks’ employees, wore masks, hurt no one at the scene, and left little physical evidence. The perfect crime. Except, people are stupid. Fats wasn’t stupid--he informed his crew to not touch any of the $2.7 million in cash, checks, and money orders they made off with that day until the statute of limitations on the crime ran out. And everyone was cool with that. Over 240K waiting for you if you just played it smart. But people are stupid. Like Specs O’Keefe. He left his share with another member while he served a sentence for an unrelated robbery. O’ Keefe started asking for his share and thre...

On this day in 1984, at the ripe young age of 81, Clara Peller first asked, “Where’s the beef?” for a Wendy’s commercial. Insert clichés about never being too old for new experiences. But as I’ve noted before, clichés are used for a reason--they tell the truth. And people place a high premium on the truth. Rightfully so. Because the truth will set you free--whoops, got caught in a Cliché Circle there. In truth, the truth can put you in a bind if you aren’t careful. Like when your best friend, who wants to be a singer, belts out “I Will Always Love You,” and asks for your critique. But it sounded like someone was choking a sick cat. You probably shouldn’t say, “Hey, that sounds like someone choking a sick cat.” Maybe just say, “It’s needs a little work.” The truth needs to be massaged sometimes. Like Clara’s commercial. Wendy’s burgers really weren’t all that different in beef-to-bun ratio than McDonald's or Burger King, but damn if that wasn’t a funny tagline. And there was truth t...

On this day in 1809, Boston put the kibosh on masquerade balls because they promoted free mingling and loose morals. And America in the 19th Century was not all about free mingling and loose morals. More like restricted, segregated mingling and stringent, tight morals. If limited mingling and strict morals are what you’re after then I understand the whole banning of masques. Have you seen Eyes Wide Shut ? I haven't but I'm pretty sure the basic premise was that things get freaky when masks are involved. Look at horror movies. The killer is usually wearing a mask. Not sure if stabbing people was what Boston was worried about back in 1809, but it would probably classify as “loose morals.” The whole current issue with people dressed in clown masks? Masks can make people a bit nutter. That anonymity can make people believe they can do whatever they please. Not to completely bag on masks. That liberation can be a good thing too. I can think of a few people who need a bit of a masque...

Next time you are feeling like you can’t do something, like life is hard, or there are too many obstacles standing in the way of your dreams remember Kitty O’ Neil. Kitty became deaf shortly after her birth. Didn’t stop her. She became a champion diver with Olympic hopes. Until spinal meningitis flared up. On top of that she had two bouts of cancer treatments to deal with. All before she turned 28. No crying. No moping. No woe is me. Instead, Kitty became a Hollywood stunt woman performing for a plethora of hit shows and popular movies. And on this day in 1976 she crushed the land-speed record for female drivers at the Alvord Desert in Oregon. Because people like Kitty O’ Neil are bad-asses. They don’t see problems as things that cannot be overcome. They see obstacles that make them work harder and get better. They live life full speed ahead, only looking in the rearview to see if anybody is gaining on them. This, of course, doesn’t mean that things come easy. Deaf. Spinal meningitis. ...

Most Americans understand how important the day of November 8th is in an election year. Tis when our country decides who shall lead us through the end of the decade. But being as our choices last year were, um, less than desirable, I have chosen to focus on another reason why November 8th is important. You see, on this day in 1789, Elijah Craig 1st distilled Bourbon Whiskey in Woodford County, Kentucky. Of course there are disputes as to whether this was the invention of Bourbon Whiskey or was only recorded as such. In any case, I don’t think I have to espouse the wonderments of bourbon whiskey. In fact, I’m guessing the vast majority of this country may be enjoying the virtues of bourbon whiskey at this very moment. Because bourbon whiskey is a good friend. It will help you celebrate, if say, you are extremely excited at the dunce-cap who was elected President. But Bourbon Whiskey isn’t just there for good times. No fair-weather friend is it. It will also commiserate, say, if you ar...