Today is...

[IceWizard]

24 Sept 2017


Pony Express Day



Pony Express Day celebrates those brave souls who made up the unique mail delivery system of the same name. Back in the days of the wild west, there was no Fed Ex, no Postal Service that ran that far west, no planes, and delivery by ship was likely to take months if it ever got there at all. Seeing this need for a specialized delivery service, Leavenworth and Pike’s Peak Express Company took an opportunity to expand into this void. From this important decision was born one of the most iconic pieces of American History, whose influence is felt in hundreds of Pony Express Day Festivals throughout the American Midwest.

History

The Pony Express existed for 18 months between the days of April 3, 1860 to October 1861. In these days there was no air mail, no great American Highway, all there was was hundreds of miles of wide open spaces with not much in between but animal filled wilderness and bandito filled hollows. During this time, if you wanted to send a letter or small package from anywhere East past the gateway of St. Joseph, Missouri, there was only one way to go. The Pony Express was a massive employer for it’s time, with up to 80 young riders employed at any given stage, with stringent requirements on their age, size, and weight.

The Pony Express preferred to employ the youngest riders they could, in part for their resilience, and in part for how light they were. The lighter a man was the longer the horse could run and the more cargo the rider could carry, and since the horses were put to go full tilt for 10 to 15 miles at a stretch before changing, this was of vital importance. The rider changed out every 75 to 100 miles, but the mail never so much as slowed even in the worst of weather. While the average trip from coast to coast (On Horseback!) took 10 days, when they delivered Lincoln’s Inaugural Address, the trip was made in a mere 7 days and 17 hours.




And




Punctuation Day

“Why does punctuation matter? Some people find inspiration in cooking their families and their dogs. Others find inspiration in cooking, their families, and their dogs.”

Let’s face it, punctuation saves lives. It may sound a little strange to say that, but when you think of the effect that just the humble comma can have on the meaning of a sentence, it becomes readily apparent that there are some really strong arguments for learning to use them properly. For instance, you really don’t want to say “Let’s eat Grandma!” when you mean “Let’s eat, Grandma!” The first means you’re suggesting you eat your sweet old granny, the second invites her to come dine with you, see the difference? Punctuation Day shares this wisdom with the world, as well as the wisdom of all the other forms of punctuation.

History of Punctuation Day

Punctuation Day was established by Jeff Rubin, founder of the day and organizer of www.nationalpunctuationday.com. Punctuation can be tricky for some people, those who struggle to know when it’s appropriate to use a colon, or a set of brackets, or even an ellipsis. You thought we were going to talk about the period, the comma, and the semi-colon? Of course we are, but these are commonly known about forms of punctuation, and not everyone knows that the world of grammatical structure spreads beyond these commonly used (though commonly misunderstood) forms.

Punctuation Day was established to help reinforce these lessons we learned in elementary school, and to reinforce their use and to show just how important they can be to ensure that what you write is properly interpreted as what you mean. That doesn’t mean that the world of punctuation is all peaceful and orderly though! Sometimes you run into rogue sectors that argue whether or not things like the Oxford Comma are valid. Believe us, it is, anyone who says otherwise is a heathen.

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September 24 Birthdays




Jim Henson - (1936 - 1990) (53)




F. Scott Fitzgerald - (1896 - 1940) (44)




Joe Greene - 71




Shawn Crahan - 48




Linda McCartney - (1941 - 1998) (56)










September 24th


1998: Steven Tyler threw out the first pitch at the Montreal Expos-St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

1998: Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler was sentenced to 150 days in jail for two counts of battery & probation violation from a conviction the previous year.

1994: Eric Clapton was the musical guest on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live where he performed “I’m Tore Down” and “Five Long Years”.

1993: Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler collected $2.5 million from his former band after suing them for wrongful dismissal. He claimed that he was thrown out due to his heroin habit after they encouraged him to start using it.

1991: Nirvana released Nevermind a record many say was responsible for bringing alternative rock to a large mainstream audience. It would enter the Billboard 200 Album Chart at 144, peaking at number one in January 1992.

1989: The group Chopped Liver performed on the L’Chai-To Life telethon in Los Angeles, which featured Bob Dylan on the recorder alongside actor Harry Dean Stanton.

1979: The Eagles released their sixth studio album The Long Run which would go to reach number one on the Billboard 200 album chart & sell seven million copies in the U.S.

1977: Styx released “Come Sail Away” which went on to peak at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart making it their second top ten single in the U.S.

1966: Jimi Hendrix arrived in London along with his manager Chas Chandler, formerly of The Animals. On the flight from New York City, Hendrix changed the spelling of his name from Jimmy to Jimi.



Birthdays:

Linda McCartney born in 1941

Jerry Donahue - Guitarist for Fairport Convention born in 1946

Shawn Crahan - Drummer for Slipknot born 1969