Papa T Books

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1873 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans. 1998 Frank Sinatra is laid to rest. 2007 “The Simpsons” airs 400th episode. A bolt of lightning can reach 53,540 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun, which is 10,340 degrees Fahrenheit. (wow!) “The best advice I've ever received is, ‘No one else knows what they're doing either.’”—Ricky Gervais Just thinking out loud! Have a great day out there! Painted Bunting by Jim O'Neil jimmydreamzphotography.com

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1928 51 frogs enter the first annual "Frog Jumping Jubilee" in Angels Camp, California. 1943 FDR and Winston Churchill plot D-Day. 1952 "Time" magazine features "Theseus," an electrical learning machine built by American scientist Claude Shannon, as the first example of Artificial Intelligence. There are only two countries in the world that have the color purple in their flags: Nicaragua and Dominica. “Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.” — Robert Benchley Just thinking out loud! Have a spectacular day out there, everybody! Myanmar by @zayyarlin84

Mischief Macaw Monday! In our fifth adventure, Mischief is trying out for baseball. He and his dad have practiced, and now the day has arrived for tryouts!

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1917 U.S. Congress passes Selective Service Act. 1972 American pop rock band Looking Glass release their single "Brandy". ("You're a fine girl...") 1980 Mount St. Helens erupts. 1995 "Braveheart" directed by and starring Mel Gibson and Sophie Marceau premieres. ("Freedom!"). Over 290 people have died climbing Mount Everest since 1922. Most deaths occur because of avalanches, and not all bodies have been recovered. “Does it disturb anyone else that ‘The Los Angeles Angels’ baseball team translates directly to ‘The The Angels Angels’?” — Neil DeGrasse Tyson Just thinking out loud! Have a great day out there! Spitskoppe, Namib Desert, Namibia by @withluke

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic weekly recap and extra stuff! Hope you had a great week! On to the next one!

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1841 First emigrant wagon train to reach California leaves Independence, Missouri, on a 1,730-mile journey over the Sierra Nevada. 2010 Jessica Watson at age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. In the 1880s, a baboon worked as a signalman for nine years on a South African railroad. He was paid in brandy and never made a mistake. “Only the half-mad are wholly alive.”—Edward Abbey Just thinking out loud! Have a great day and a great weekend, everybody! Daku, Siargao Island, Philippines.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1904 First American Olympiad opens in St. Louis, Missouri. 1973America’s first space station, Skylab, is launched. 1998 Frank Sinatra dies. (Legend!) Helen Keller was related to Robert E. Lee. Her paternal grandmother was second-cousins with him. (Hmm, just found that interesting for no particular reason.) “You know you’ve reached middle age when you’re cautioned to slow down by your doctor, instead of by the police.” — Joan Rivers Just thinking out loud! Have a fantastic day out there! Koala in New South Wales, Australia by @freeilli. (Everybody says "Aww".)

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1958 The trademark Velcro is registered. (Where would we be without Velcro, duct tape, and WD-40?) 2004 The final episode of "Frasier" on NBC is watched by 33 million people. (Good show!) 2021 World's largest iceberg 'A-76' at 1,667-square-miles (4,320 square km) calves off the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica. (That's one big ice cube.) Gaming-related accidents increased by 26.5% during the first 5 months of Pokémon Go being released. This included 2 deaths and $25.5 million in damages. (It's a game, people!) “As you get older, three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two.” — Sir Norman Wisdom Just thinking out loud! Have a great day, everybody. (p.s. Happy Birthday, Mom.) Water Lily by Jim O'Neil jimmydreamzphotography.com

Historical Facts, Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1215 English barons serve an ultimatum on King John which eventually leads to the creation and signing of the Magna Carta. (Into the wayback machine!) 1967 Pink Floyd holds the first quadraphonic concert at the Games for May event in London. 1994 "Pulp Fiction" premieres at the Cannes Film Festival. It’s not just humans who are right or left-handed. Most female cats prefer using their right paw, and males are more likely to be left-pawed. “I love airports because the rules of society don’t apply. Eat a pizza and have a glass of wine at 7 a.m. while in track pants. Nobody cares.” — Anonymous Just thinking out loud! Have a fantastic day out there! Male Wood Duck by Kevin Fleming

Mischief Macaw Monday! In our fifth adventure, Mischief decides to try out for Little League Baseball. His dad decides to coach him to improve his chances.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1947 B.F. Goodrich Co. announces development of tubeless tire. 1963 "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" single by Peter, Paul & Mary hits #2; Peter Yarrow adapted a poem that college classmate Lenny Lipton had left behind after borrowing Yarrow's typewriter. 1997 Chess-playing computer Deep Blue developed by IBM defeats Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov 3.5-2.5 in chess. The majority of blind people in the U.S. and the U.K. cannot read Braille. Statistically, less than 1% of blind in the U.K. and under 10% in the U.S. “Love is all, it gives all, and it takes all.” --Soren Kierkegaard (Very true.) Just thinking out loud! Have a great day out there! A Greyhound bus crossing the Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys, 1948.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic weekly recap and extra stuff. Happy Mother's Day out there! Hope everyone had a great week and weekend! On to the next!

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1945 Allied nations worldwide celebrate V-E Day. 1976 The theme song from “Welcome Back, Kotter” is the #1 song in America. 2010 Betty White becomes oldest “Saturday Night Live” host. There is a company in the U.K. that offers “being hungover” as a valid reason for calling off work. They are allotted four hungover days per year. (LOL). “Most people have the will to win; few have the will to prepare to win.” Bobby Knight Just thinking out loud! Have a great day and a fantastic weekend out there! Plage De L'île Vierge – Morgat western Brittany, France by @ofodo

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1824 Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, often regarded as his greatest work, with a choral finale based on Friedrich Schiller's poem "Ode to Joy," premieres. 1984 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange win $180 million settlement. (Should've been a LOT more!) 2004 Marine biologist Richard Thompson coins the term “microplastics”. Both of the drummers from Queen and Duran Duran had the same name – Roger Taylor. “Success is the sum of small efforts - repeated day in and day out.” Robert Collier Just thinking out loud! Have a great day, everybody! The Louvre, Paris, France.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1954 Roger Bannister runs first four-minute mile. 1991 Harry Gant is the oldest NASCAR winner—again. (Race Car spelled backward is Race Car!) 1994 English Channel tunnel opens. (The Chunnel!) Up until January 1, 2026, 50% of apartments in Los Angeles don’t come with a fridge. This is legal because fridges are considered an “amenity,” and therefore, landlords are not required to provide one. “Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't, they'd be married too.”--H. L. Mencken (Lol) Just thinking out loud! Have a spectacular day today! Costa Rica sunrise over the clouds.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1494 On his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sights Jamaica and lands at Discovery Bay. 1862 Outnumbered Mexican army defeats French at Battle of Puebla. (This is the basis for Cinco de Mayo). 1961 Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space. The space between your nostrils is called the columella nasi. “There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” --Victor Hugo Just thinking out loud! Have a great day out there! Cinco de Mayo on Taco Tuesday! What could possibly go wrong? Sunset over the marsh by Jim O'Neil at jimmydreamzphotography.com

Mischief Macaw Monday! Returning to the Adventures of Mischief Macaw in the order of publication. The fifth adventure finds Mischief Macaw wanting to try out for a Little League team! Mischief Macaw Makes the Team! Available at the usual spots, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and papatbooks.com

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1956Gene Vincent records “Be-Bop-A-Lula”. (Catchy little tune). 1970 National Guard ki!!s four students in Kent State shootings. (🙏). 1994 A lawmaker introduces the pun “May the Fourth be with you” on the floor of U.K. Parliament. (Happy Star Wars Day!!!). The sick feeling you get after eating or drinking too much is called crapulence. (That's appropriate). “Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem.” --John Galsworthy Just thinking out loud! Have a great day, everybody! A section of The Baths, Virgin Gorda, BVI.

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic weekly recap and extra stuff! Hope everyone had a great week and weekend! On to the next one. Oh, and what an incredible stretch run by Derby winner, Golden Tempo! That was awesome!

Historical Facts, a Random Stat, a Quote, and a Pic. On this day... 1908 World's most intense rainfall (2.47 inches in 3 minutes) occurs in Portobelo, Panama. 1941 "Citizen Kane," directed by Orson Welles and starring himself, premieres at the Palace Theater in New York City. 1971 Rolling Stones release single "Brown Sugar". According to Mac McAnally, he and Jimmy Buffett, while flying on JB's plane, wrote a sequel to "Come Monday." It is "Coast of Carolina". (I did NOT know that.) “I learn something every time I go into the mountains.” Michael Kennedy Just thinking out loud! Have a great day, a great Derby Day, and a fantastic weekend! Since it's the 152nd Kentucky Derby tomorrow, here's its greatest champion, Secretariat, with Ron Turcotte aboard.