Monthly Archives: January 2020

January 21, 2002

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 21, 2002, fifty people in Goma, Congo died stupidly. They were trying to steal gasoline from elevated fuel tanks at a gas station when lava ignited the tanks and killed them. That’s right, lava caused the fuel tanks to explode just like out of a bad “B” movie. Mount Nyiragongo had previously erupted … Continue reading →

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January 20, 1949

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 20, 1949, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover gave 20 year old movie star, Shirley Temple, a tear gas fountain pen. She was James Bond before Sean Connery was James Bond.

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January 19, 1861

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 19, 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union. They said all the cool kids were doing it. They weren’t. It was the usually quartet of troublemakers South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. You know, the ones that sit in the back of the classroom and refuse to do any homework and complain every time … Continue reading →

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January 18, 1997

Posted on January 18, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 18, 1997, Boerge Ousland of Norway became the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided. He did not find ‘the Ice Wall’, alien space ships, or an entrance in the ground that would enable him to access the caverns of Cadavra and find the lost skeleton. He did find a lot of … Continue reading →

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January 17, 1991

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 17, 1991, Harald V became king of Norway following the death of his father, Olav V. Harald is currently still the king. I know what you’re thinking, NORWAY HAS A KING?! He doesn’t have any real power in the administration of the government, but the fact that the progressive country of Norway having … Continue reading →

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January 16, 1981

Posted on January 16, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 16, 1981, Leon Spinks, former world heavyweight boxing champion was mugged. He told police that he was walking out of a bar in Detroit, Michigan when someone clocked him in the head. He claims that he never saw who or what hit him. He woke up in a motel about 5 miles from … Continue reading →

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January 15, 588 BCE

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 15, 588 BCE, Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and King Zedekiah. What makes this interesting was that Nebuchadrezzar II had eleven years earlier seiged and taken Jerusalem and installed Zedekiah as its king and made Judah a vassal state of Babylon. Eleven years go by and Zedekiah thought Nebudchadrezzar II … Continue reading →

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January 14, 1954

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 14, 1954, celebrity couple, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married. Unfortunately the marriage only lasted nine months as Joe was a reserved man who wanted his wife to be more of an actress and less of a sexy bombshell and Marilyn was very jealous of Joe’s celebrity in the world. It was … Continue reading →

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January 13, 1998

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 13, 1998, one of the 110 missing early episodes of “Doctor Who” was uncovered in New Zealand. This was a huge deal in the Nerd community. It was similar to finding a pristine Mickey Mantle rookie baseball card or an X-Men #94 that had been placed in the obligatory plastic cover and kept … Continue reading →

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January 12, 1946

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Joel Byers

On January 12, 1946, the National Football League champions, the Cleveland Rams, were given permission to escape and move to Los Angeles, California. Proving that even in 1946, nobody really wanted to live in Cleveland.

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