Today is...

[IceWizard]

30 May 2017


National Loomis Day



There is a man, as there is always a man (or woman), who is responsible for everything we take for granted today. Neither he nor we could have seen the long term effects of what he had done, for many things had to come after it for what he designed to come to pass. In the fullness of time, the creation of the ‘wireless telegraph’ has utterly changed the world, and it took an American dentist in 1886 to set it all in motion. Loomis Day celebrates Mahlon Loomis, a humble Washington, DC Dentist who created something amazing and changed the world.

The History of Loomis Day

As with many things, the history of Loomis Day is actually the history of a man, and an event, and how they changed the world to come. Mahlon Loomis was a dentist in the 1800’s who had an idea that had nothing to do with teeth. He knew about the electrical properties of the atmosphere, and like Tesla had conceived of an idea to transmit electricity through the air to a distant location. His idea was, perhaps, off a bit. He thought to ‘charge’ a layer of the atmosphere to create an electrical conduit between two metal towers set high on mountaintops (Sound familiar?).

What we find interesting about this entire process is that in the end, most if not all of Loomis’s theories on how the atmosphere worked and, indeed, how his own apparatus worked were completely wrong. Loomis was able to successfully transmit information from one location to another, but the reasons it worked were not the reasons he professed. He felt that two kites, however many miles apart, flown at the same altitude, would be able to establish a DC circuit through the ionosphere and transmit information thusly. The results were exactly what he expected.

The reason, however, was completely wrong. We know that his idea of creating an electrical circuit through the DC wouldn’t work as he described it, what was likely happening is, since the kites were at the same height the ‘kite wires’ that were being used to transmit and receive information would therefore be of the same size. This means the signal being sent from the transmitting kite would be at the correct frequency to be received on the other end. In short, it worked, but not how he thought it did.



And




National Mint Julep Day



Were you desperately hoping for a refreshing bourbon cocktail but frustrated that you didn’t have a good enough excuse? Thankfully for you, Mint Julep Day is here to pander to your wildest fantasies… just as long as those fantasies involved sipping this classic cocktail.

Mint julep originates in the southern USA and still counts this area as its heartland. This is especially true of Kentucky where the annual Kentucky Derby horse race sees around 120,000 juleps served each year. Premium versions of the drink are served in gold-plated cups with silver straws at a cost of $1000, but you don’t need to spend quite as much as that to enjoy the day. The ingredients are simple: bourbon, mint leaf, sugar and water. However, no two bartenders seem to make the drink in the same way, which is all the more reason to sample a few before this special day is over!

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May 30 Birthdays



Mel Blanc - (1908 - 1989) (81)




Jake "the Snake" Roberts - 62




Clint Walker - 90




Wynonna Judd - 53







May 30th

2003: Mickie Most, producer of artists such as The Animals, Jeff Beck & Herman’s Hermits died of cancer. He was 64 years old.

1997: Neil Young cancelled a European tour after Young cut his finger open while slicing a sandwich.

1994: Metallica kicked off the final leg of their tour in support of their self-titled fifth album at the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center outside of Buffalo.

1992: Paul Simon married Edie Brickell in a private civil ceremony at their home in Montauk, NY.

1992: The Black Crowes debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion which spent one week on top of the chart.

1980: Carl Radle, bassist of Derek and the Dominos died of a kidney ailment brought on by the effects of alcohol and narcotics. He was 37 years old.

1975: Alice Cooper’s first solo album Welcome to My Nightmare was certified Gold by the RIAA. It later went on to sell one million copies in the U.S.

1971: 36 people are hospitalized during a Grateful Dead concert at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco, CA after drinking apple drink spiked with LSD.

1968: The Beatles began recording their self-titled album at Abbey Road Studios in London.



Birthdays:

Topper Headon - Drummer for The Clash born in 1955