Darn right we're thankful for Mister Rogers. Wanna make somethin' out of it? Thanksgiving is, for better or worse, a holiday identified with abundance. It's only appropriate, then, that the week leading up to Turkey Day is chock-a-block with events, anniversaries, and just plain oddities. But what are we waiting for? Let's go! We begin Monday with a couple of icons of the 1930s. In 1899, composer Hoagy Carmichael was born. Though musically untrained, Carmichael became enamored of ragtime and jazz at an early age, and went on to write such standards as "Stardust," "Georgia On My Mind," "The Nearness of You," and "Heart and Soul." In 1980, Mae West died at the age of 87. West was an actress who specialized in a shocklingly overripe and aggressive sexuality - in fact, she was arrested in 1927 on morals charges for her Broadway play, "Sex." To her dying day, she insisted that she was as sexually alluring as ever, even starring as an octogenarian sex symbol in 1978's "Sextette." On the opposite end of the sexual spectrum was the gentle and avuncular Fred Rogers, who donated one of his "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" sweaters to the Smithsonian Institution on this date in 1984. There's no report on what happened to his sneakers. Perhaps they were stolen by one of the host of shady characters we'll note over the next two days. For example, Monday is the anniversary of the 1718 death in battle of Edward Teach - better known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard, who terrified the West Indies. If not Teach, perhaps the culprit was Henry McCarty (aka William Bonney), who terrorized the American West as the thieving Billy the Kid (born November 23, 1859). Or maybe it was William "Boss" Tweed, the uber-corrupt boss of Tammany Hall who ran New York City in the 1850s and '60s, and was arrested and returned to Manhattan in 1876 after fleeing to Europe. If one were of such a mind, one might see the death of Blackbeard or the jailing of Tweed as evolutionary "thinning of the herds;" an appropriate thought, since Monday is the 141st anniversary of  the publication of Charles Darwin's book, "On the Origin of Species." Darwin's ideas are pretty deep, and are best contemplated by either a Rhodes Scholar or a comics geek – both of whom are in luck Monday, as not only will the 2010 Rhodes Scholarships be announced, but (following a computer meltdown earlier this month), tickets for next summer's San Diego Comic-Con will go on sale. If history is any indication, they'll sell out within minutes, so you've probably already missed your chance. (Or you could have, if the computers hadn't crashed again.) If that's the case, you may want to salve your hurt feelings with some television, perhaps even sinking to watching tonight's premiere of "Skating with the Stars." (Because there's nothing we need more than another eccentric actress falling on the ice in another phony reality competition.) On a serious note, for those of us of a certain age, November 22 will always signify the 1963 death of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. Forty-seven years later, most of us still remember where we were when we heard the news. Suggested Sites... Hoagy Carmichael - an American original. Treasures of American Television - hi ho! It's where Kermit the Frog ended up. Crime Library: Henry McCarty: "Billy the Kid" - the Tru(TV) history. San Diego Comic-Con - maybe you can still get a ticket. National Archives: JFK Assassination Records - official documents related to the case.

Directory categories: Thanksgiving Recipes, Songwriters, Piracy, Evolution, U.S. Presidents

Archived under: 18th Century, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 19th Century, Actors, American History, Anniversaries, Assassinations, Awards, Birthdays, Books, California, Celebrities, Charles Darwin, Children´s TV, Comic Books, Comics, Composers, Contests, Conventions, Crime, Criminals, Dead Celebrities, Education, Events, Evolution, History, In Character, Legal Cases, Murder, Museums, Music, Music History, New York, Old West, Pirates, Presidents, Reality TV, Science, Sex and Sexuality, Sweaters, TV, Texas, Thanksgiving, The West

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John T. Scopes, the man who caused all the fuss It started out as a publicity stunt designed to bring tourists to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. By the time it was over, it had brought together three of the most famous men in the world, killed one of them, and left ripples that we still feel today. While the event we note today is the 85th anniversary of schoolteacher John T. Scopes being arrested for teaching evolution, the events that prompted that arrest go back to 1922, when the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act, which prohibited any teacher in a public school from teaching "any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The law had been written by a Tennessee farmer, who had "read in the papers that boys and girls were coming home from school and telling their fathers and mothers that the Bible was all nonsense." The law, which had a fatal flaw (the state's required biology text had a chapter about evolution) sat unchallenged for three years, while the American Civil Liberties Union hunted for a teacher willing to challenge the law, even announcing its willingness to pay for the trial and any fines (the penalty was $100). There were no takers. Finally, in 1925, a group of Dayton businessmen were sitting around Robinson's Drugstore, trying to come up with a scheme to draw tourists to their town of 1,800. Someone mentioned the Butler Act, and before Scopes knew it, he had agreed to become the sacrificial lamb (or perhaps, "ape"). On May 5th, Scopes was "arrested" and all hell broke loose. The local fathers, hoping to secure maximum publicity for the trial, contacted such notables as novelist H.G. Wells (who declined, stating that he wasn't a lawyer). The prosecution countered with William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate who was America's most respected public figure. Spurred by Bryan's presence, Clarence Darrow, the country's most famous defense attorney and defender of civil liberties, agreed to head Scopes' defense. Drawn by not only the spectacle of those two giants going head-to-head in the courtroom, but by the circus that developed around the trial, H.L. Mencken, the reporter who was one of the country's sharpest social commentators, came to report on the doings -- along with hundred of other reporters, an unprecedented national radio hookup, newsreel photographers, trained chimpanzees, and tens of thousands of spectators. The trial finally began on July 10 and things went badly for the defense. Witnesses were not allowed to testify and Darrow fought with the judge -- dodging more than one contempt citation. Finally, in a desperate stroke of genius, Darrow put Bryan himself on the stand -- or, rather, under the tree, since the judge moved matters outside to accommodate both the huge crowds and in an attempt to beat the stifling heat. Darrow cut him to ribbons, challenging his opponent's literal belief in the Good Book, and generally making a monkey of him. Bryan died five days after the trial, possibly the victim of his exertions. It was all for naught, though. The jury, deliberating only nine minutes, found Scopes guilty, and the judge fined him $100. That verdict was overturned on a technicality, but the law remained (unenforced) on the books until 1967. Even though no one else was every prosecuted under the Butler Act, its effects are felt today in controversies over Creationism, and the curricula proposed by the Kansas and Texas Boards of Education. And, for all the spectacle the trial provided, that kind of carnival atmosphere could never happen today... right? Suggested Sites... Tennessee vs. John Scopes - from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Full of facts, biographies, photos, transcripts, and more. "Inherit the Wind" - examines how the play and movies based on the trial have adapted the facts. Clarence Seward Darrow - summarizes many of Darrow's famous trials. Wikipedia: William Jennings Bryan - biography of Bryan, "The Great Commoner." American Experience: Monkey Trial - PBS site with background on 1925's "Trial of the Century."

Directory categories: Scopes Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, Evolution, Creation vs. Evolution

Archived under: 1920s, American History, Anniversaries, Apes, Biology, Clarence Darrow, Creationism, Education, Evolution, Law, Legal Cases, Primates, Religion, Science, Society and Culture, William Jennings Bryan

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Darwin and Lincoln: Together at Last Destiny plays funny tricks. We've mentioned our love of coincidence, and the fact that both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born 200 years ago today leapt at us like a hippo at a pumpkin. It was a challenge. To write about one and neglect the other wasn't an option, but since they never actually met, we couldn't write about their exchanges of profound thoughts on the meaning of man's place in the universe. We were stumped until someone proposed writing about "bromances;" that is, close friendships between men. So with that in mind, here’s our film pitch for the Hollywood buddy comedy "Abe and Chuck," all of which is 100% true and based on actual facts. We swear. FADE IN: March, 1831. Abraham Lincoln, 22 years old, strikes out to explore the mighty Mississippi River. He ends up in New Orleans, where the similarly 22-year-old Charles Darwin, a passenger on HMS Beagle, stops in the Crescent City while the ship restocks. Both men end up in a friendly saloon, and after a long night of drinking, they become blood brothers while inadvertently inventing Mardi Gras. Separating (each with a neckful of beads obtained in a PG-13 way), they agree to stay in touch. As the years pass, Darwin advances through the scientific community, advocating that by shaving monkeys and apes, they can be made useful members of Victorian society. Lincoln begins a legal and political career, first as a Whig, and then as one of the founders of the Republican Party -- which he unsuccessfully campaigns to be called the "Dude, What an Awesome!" Party. Because Transatlantic travel is rare in the mid-19th century, their encounters are few but memorable: In 1839, they find themselves in Philadelphia and invent the cheesesteak ("The next great evolution in sandwich-making!" "You'll eat four score and seven of them!") In Waterbury, Connecticut in 1850, their desperate attempts to consume a six-pack leads to the invention of the can opener, and a riotous 1853 weekend in Saratoga Springs, New York starts with hot-oil massages, but ends in the invention of the potato chip. As they gain notoriety, their in-person encounters decrease, but they do plan one last spring-break blowout during Easter, 1865. Darwin’s last letter to Lincoln is an invitation to Ford’s Theatre: "C'mon, Abey-baby!," he writes. "Would it kill you to go to the theatre?" Oops! FADE OUT. Suggested Sites... Lincoln Bicentennial - could even Honest Abe have blown out 200 candles? Darwin Day Celebration - well, maybe with Darwin's help. How Darwin and Lincoln Shaped Us - Newsweek's history may not be as complete than ours. News-weak: Darwin vs Lincoln - answering Newsweek's questions. How Lincoln and Darwin Shaped the Modern World - buddies or not, they still matter two centuries later.

Directory categories: Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin, Buddy Comedies, Evolution, U.S. Presidential History

Archived under: 19th Century, Abraham Lincoln, American History, Anniversaries, Assassinations, Biographies, Birthdays, Charles Darwin, Coincidence, Entertainment, Evolution, History, Hoaxes, Humor, Movies, Parody, Presidents, Republican Party, Science, Scientists

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Darwin ape If history does indeed repeat itself, then today we should be on the lookout for groundbreaking news in the study of evolution. Why? Well, it was on this day in 1859 that Charles Darwin published the revolutionary "On the Origin of Species," and 115 years later, Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discovered the Lucy skeleton at Hadar, Ethiopia. "On the Origin of Species" detailed the processes of natural selection and adaptive radiation. Though the work never explicitly claimed we were descended from apes, Darwin was nonetheless attacked for that proposition. Even today, he's still a polarizing figure, as creationists try to refute what biologists and the scientific community defend -- that man evolved over time from ancient hominid ancestors. The debate continues with no likely end in sight. So did Lucy's discovery lend a hand to Darwin and his proponents? Most certainly. The discovery of this 40%-complete skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis offered fossil evidence of a potential human ancestor that walked upright 3,000,000 years ago. Furthermore, this evidence was supported by Mary Leakey's amazing find of footprints from Lucy's time at Laetoli. While it may seem that debate over scientific theory is one best left to the experts, average Americans haven't been deterred from taking it to the streets. Nothing short of a silent evolutionary war is being waged on the backsides of automobiles. From the Jesus fish to the Darwin fish to the truth-eats-Darwin fish and beyond, this once-binary argument has given birth to unforeseen allegiances and a unique forum for debate. With such a contentious topic at hand, it seems as though it may be risky to make a call for one side or the other. However, based on the historical significance of this day in history, the 24th of November is going to have to be called in favor of the evolutionists. So go have a banana and go for a walk, you bipedal hominids of today! Suggested Sites... Literature.org: The Origin of Species - read Darwin's legendary work firsthand. The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online - when "On the Origin of Species" just isn't enough. BBC: The Evolution of Man - browse articles discussing the story of human evolution. The Darwin Awards - for those less interested in science and more interested in the idiocies of others.

Directory categories: Charles Darwin, Evolution, Creation vs. Evolution, Australopithecus Afarensis

Archived under: Anniversaries, Archaeology, Biology, Charles Darwin, Creationism, Evolution, Nature, Primates, Science, Scientists

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