Monthly Archives: May 2019

May 21, 1471

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 21, 1471, King Henry VI was killed in the Tower of London. His cousin Edward IV became his successor. With all the kings, princes, queens, princesses, and other nobility killed in the Tower of London, you’d think that England’s insurance companies would require the place to have a written warning at all entrances. … Continue reading →

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May 20, 1774

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 20, 1774, Britain passed the Coercive Acts to punish the American colonists for their increasingly anti-British behavior. All American colonists were immediately prohibited from drinking coffee. Tea was to be the caffeinated beverage of choice. Also, rum was to be only allowed for the lower classes. The higher caste colonials were told to … Continue reading →

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May 19, 1935

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 19, 1935, T. E. Lawrence, famed British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer died in England from the injuries he received in a motorcycle crash. Before his accident, he had received international fame for the books written about his activities in Arabia during the First World War and became known as Lawrence of … Continue reading →

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May 18, 1949

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 18, 1949, Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA) was incorporated. Members of the Association agreed to self-police in the selling of certain manuscripts to the general public. It was agreed that all works by Abdul Alhazred were to be sold only to certified representatives of an accredited university that had a library certified … Continue reading →

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May 17, 1964

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 17, 1964, the first Tim Horton’s coffee and donut shop opened in Hamilton, Ontario by NHL player Tim Horton. This was a big deal in Canada. It is like when the first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington, or, duh duh DUH, the first Krispy Kreme opened in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In Canada, Tim … Continue reading →

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May 16, 1914

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 16, 1914, the American Horseshoe Pitchers Association (AHPA) was formed in Kansas City, Kansas. Also, in 1914, the first hand-grenades were used during World War I by the British. But it took almost 60 years before the two would team-up together to form a true American saying. It was in 1973 that Superstar … Continue reading →

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May 15, 2018

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 15, 2018, the “Laurel versus Yanney” disagreement hit social media. An audio file went global as people argued over what was being said. Intelligent people with jobs and who were proven to be responsible and could be trusted with pets and small children heard “Laurel”. The rest heard “Yanney” and asked if there … Continue reading →

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May 14, 1853

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 14, 1853, Gail Borden, land surveyor, newspaper publisher and inventor, patented his process for condensed milk. That’s right, his process. In 1853, Gail was a boy’s name. Well, it really wasn’t, but he was Gail Borden, Jr. Which means that his dad, Gail Borden, Sr., was determined to not be the only boy … Continue reading →

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May 13, 2017

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 13, 2017, 22 year-old United Kingdoms blogger, Marcus Hutchins, halted the spread of a global ransomware cyber-attack by accidentally activating the “kill switch”. This malicious software was wreaking havoc on several organizations in the UK. On the day the news of the attack went live, Hutchins found a sample of the malware and … Continue reading →

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May 12, 1950

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Joel Byers

On May 12, 1950, the American Bowling Congress decided that enough was enough and abolished its white males-only membership restriction after 34 years. It was brought to their attention that there were a large, untapped population of women and African-Americans that were slightly overweight, ex-athletes who liked to drink beer and lie about their bowling … Continue reading →

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