Yabba Dabba

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I looooooooooove the Flintstones!!!!!  :))))))))))))))))))))

Ah, childhood memories. Most of them are just great. Like most families, many of my childhood memories revolved around the TV.  Afternoon cartoons, westerns, even space themes. Growing up, I can remember my brothers and sisters watching a whole bunch of movies and shows.  One of my favorites was/is The Flintstones.  Who can forget Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty. And the kids. What great names – Peebles and Bamm-Bamm. I can still remember Fred on his tip toes bowling. I have to admit that a group of my friends often remind me of the Flintstones, especially on the golf course! “The Flintstones” went on to become an iconic American animated television series that aired from 1960 to 1966, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. Here’s some fun trivia, and some memories I hope you’ll enjoy.  And, yes, I had to include a clip of the theme song. Thanks to YouTube, google and interestingfacts.com for the info. Enjoy!

“The Flintstones” holds the distinction of being the first animated series to air during primetime on American television. Premiering on ABC in 1960, it was initially broadcast in the evening, a slot traditionally reserved for live-action programs.

The creators of “The Flintstones,” William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, drew inspiration from the popular live-action sitcom “The Honeymooners,” starring Jackie Gleason. The character dynamics between Fred Flintstone and his best friend Barney Rubble mirror those of Ralph Kramden and his best buddy Ed Norton.

The catchy theme song of “The Flintstones” is instantly recognizable to many. Written by Hoyt Curtin, William Hanna, and Joseph Barbera, the song features the memorable refrain, “Flintstones, meet the Flintstones, they’re the modern Stone Age family.” Video clip: CLICK

Each episode typically ran for about 25 minutes, with a standard animation production process. Unlike modern animation techniques, which often involve computer-generated imagery (CGI), the show relied on traditional cell animation, a technique used prior to computers.

The original voice cast included Alan Reed as Fred Flintstone, Jean Vander Pyl as Wilma Flintstone, Mel Blanc as Barney Rubble, and Bea Benaderet as Betty Rubble. Alan Reed’s gravelly voice perfectly captured Fred’s personality, while Mel Blanc, famous for voicing many Looney Tunes characters, brought Barney to life.

Throughout its six-season run, “The Flintstones” featured numerous guest appearances by celebrities of the era. Notable guests included Ann-Margret (Ann Margrock), Tony Curtis (Stoney Curtis) , Gina Lollobrigida (Gina Loadabricks), James Darren (James Darrock) and even The Beach Boys, who played themselves and performed a concert in Bedrock.

Despite ending its original run in 1966, “The Flintstones” remains popular to this day. It continues to be syndicated worldwide and has been released on various home media formats,

“The Flintstones” became a cultural phenomenon, influencing various aspects of popular culture, including advertising, merchandise, and even language. Phrases like “Yabba Dabba Doo!” (Fred’s catchphrase) and “Bedrock” (a term for something old-fashioned) entered the vernacular.

Extra Trivia:
Harvey Korman: Known for his comedic roles on “The Carol Burnett Show” and in films like “Blazing Saddles,” Harvey Korman voiced various characters in “The Flintstones,” including The Great Gazoo, a little green alien exiled to Earth.

William Hanna and Joseph Barbera met when they were in their late 20s, as new hires in MGM’s fledgling animation department. Discovering that they shared similar comic sensibilities, they teamed up on 15 years of Tom and Jerry antics (clips: HERE ), earning two Oscar nominations for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. When MGM shuttered its animation department in 1957, the duo — intent on segueing into television — formed Hanna-Barbera Productions, and created the first animated half-hour series, The Huckleberry Hound Show. The president of distributor Screen Gems asked Hanna and Barbera if they wanted to collaborate on a primetime television cartoon — even though standalone cartoons had only been successful thus far as morning or afternoon kids’ programming. They accepted the challenge.

To engineer a hit with the viewership potential of Father Knows Best or Leave It to Beaver, Hanna-Barbera decided to focus their show on a suburban family — with some sort of unique twist. They brainstormed central characters who were Romans, Indigenous People, pilgrims, Appalachian people, and nomads. Then, animator Dan Gordon doodled two cavemen dressed in animal skins. His figures flanked a record player that had a live bird’s beak as its needle. Character designer Ed Benedict tried to add more features present in early humans, but at Barbera’s urging, he made the physiques more refined, even giving Wilma a stone necklace that resembled oversized pearls. The series was named after the primary caveman couple, then named The Flagstones.

Once, when asked to say, “Yahoo!” in Fred’s voice, Reed ad-libbed a replacement that became the character’s signature. “Yabba dabba do!” was inspired by the 1950s jingle for men’s hair product, Brylcreem (“A little dab’ll do ya”).

In 1961, Blanc survived a head-on car crash but spent two weeks in a coma and 70 days in the hospital. During this period, Barney was voiced by Daws Butler, the performer who voiced Fred in The Flagstones pilot, as well as Huckleberry Hound and Yogi Bear on The Huckleberry Hound Show. Upon Blanc’s release, he was temporarily confined to a body cast, and series recording sessions relocated to his home for about 40 episodes. Rounding out the core cast was Bea Benaderet, who had been Lucille Ball’s first choice to play Ethel on I Love Lucy. For four seasons, Benaderet took on The Flintstones’ second female lead, Betty Rubble, until she exited to star in Petticoat Junction. Geraldine “Gerry” Johnson portrayed Betty for the remaining seasons.

Despite its laugh track, The Flintstones embarked on nuanced storylines in its middle seasons about routes to parenthood. After Fred and Wilma became U.S. television’s first animated couple to sleep in the same bed, nine episodes were devoted to Wilma’s pregnancy with their daughter, Pebbles. During the following season, with Barney and Betty, the series acknowledged the plight of infertility, a rarely addressed topic on screen or in society at the time. The Rubbles eventually adopted a son, Bamm-Bamm. The Flintstones proved that there was a grown-up audience for animation.  Watching the reruns today with the grandkids certainly brings back great memories.

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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Windy

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This…is a post about wind. Don’t forget your hair brush!  :)))))))))

As we’re enjoying the somewhat spring like weather around here these days, an idea for a Friday blog hit me, literally!   I had stepped out for a walk around the  KHT campus, and had my hat blown off my head by a gust of wind.  Don’t worry I didn’t lose my trusty KHT hat!  I noticed how the wind changes throughout the day.  Often when I arrive at work in the wee hours of the morning, everything is calm, especially the lake.  Then as the day progresses, things pick up – it’s visible from my office, how the clouds then move west to east, or sometimes east to west. It is absolutely amazing how the wind reacts here in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, especially when it follows the lakeshore!   One of the most basic atmospheric forces on Earth, wind powers farms, carves landscapes, carries ships, and holds up kites. I loved taking the girls to the park or beach and launching a kite, letting it rise until there was no line left then watching it dive and dart across the sky . Biking with the wind is wonderful, against the wind not so much!  Here’s some fun info on wind, and surprising info on the windiest cities (Wellington New Zealand wins on the world front).  So, hang on to your hat, be sure to click the music links, and enjoy!  Special thanks to google.com, scifi.com. scientificamerica.com and YouTube for the info and tunes.

Some Wind Music to listen to as you read:
HERE
HERE
and HERE

Wind Is Caused by Uneven Heating on the Earth
Ever wonder where the breeze on the beach comes from? It happens because during the day, the water warms up more slowly than the land next to it. This uneven heating causes changes in atmospheric pressure; warm air expands and rises, and the cool air from the water blows in to take its place. This is a smaller-scale example of how wind works throughout the world — on a grander scale, the difference in temperature between the equator and the North and South poles cause large, powerfully windy areas banding across the Earth. For my “scientific” friends reading, visit HERE for the specific explanation – all about colliding molecules.

Some Winds Reverse Course at Night
When wind rushes between water and land, the pattern is different depending on what time it is. During the day, the wind rushes inland — but at night, the land cools faster than the water, causing the wind to head back in the direction of the water. Pay attention to this phenomenon on your next long walk on the beach.

Can You Guess the Windiest US Cities?
Most would guess Chicago – and some Cleveland … but here’s the top 10 from top to bottom.  Boston, Oklahoma City, Buffalo, Milwaukee, Dallas, Kansas City, San Fran, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Virginia Beach…(Chicago is #12!)

There Are Five Major Wind Zones on Earth
Prevailing winds, such as trade winds, blow in one direction without stopping. There are five major wind zones on the planet, each with their own behaviors of prevailing winds: Polar easterlies are winds that blow from the east around the North and South poles. Westerlies blow in the other directions at midlatitudes, around the middle points between the poles and the equator — strongest at around 40 to 50 degrees latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, blowing past New Zealand and the lower edges of Australia and South America. Horse latitudes, at about 30 degrees on either side of the equator, are warm areas with calm winds. Trade winds are incredibly predictable, powerful, easterly winds that run through the tropics, named because of how vital they’ve been to seafaring, including trading ships, throughout history.  The doldrums, also known as the intertropical convergence zone, is a calm area where two bands of trade winds meet. The winds here are weak, and ships have been known to get stuck there.  (MAP of the zones)

Wind Energy Is Ancient Tech
Wind energy doesn’t just refer to turbine-generated wind power — it also refers to the sails of ships and the windmills that pump water or mill grain. Thousands of years ago, wind energy was propelling boats along the Nile River; ancient Egyptian art shows images of sailboats as early as 3300  BC. Before that, sails made from animal hide still probably powered single-log rafts.

The First Windmills Were in Asia
Windmills may conjure images of rural European areas, but the earliest windmills were water pumps in ancient China and grain mills in ancient Persia around 200 BC. Windmills were in heavy use in the Middle East in the 11th century AD, when traders brought the technology up north to Europe The iconic windmills in the Netherlands started cropping up around 1200 AD.   – Video of Windmills working in the Netherlands.

The Fastest Recorded Wind Was 253 MPH
In 1996, during Hurricane Olivia, an Australian wind meter recorded a wind speed of a whopping 253 miles per hour.. The previous record-holder was a 231-mile-per-hour gust in New Hampshire.

Wind Carries Dust From the Sahara Desert All Over the World
The Sahara Desert is unfathomably massive, covering 3.3 million square miles in northern Africa — but its impact spreads even farther. Pushed by powerful trade winds, dust from the desert can hit halfway around the world in Texas and Florida (among other states), usually in the summertime. It arrives in quantities large enough to cause health problems, especially in people with asthma or other respiratory conditions. (remember last summer’s air quality from the Canadian forest fires??).

Wind-Created Geographical Features Are Called Aeolian Landforms
The best-known landscape features caused by wind are dunes, mounds of sand that are critical to the ecosystems in coastal areas. But dunes are only one example of aeolian landforms (named for the Greek god of wind, Aeolus). Some are soft, like loess, collections of yellow or tan sediment usually deposited by wind, such as the notable loess deposits along the Missouri River in Iowa. Others are more dramatic, like ventifacts, which are rocks that are shaped by the wind and can form amazing shapes and structures.

And for your viewing Pleasure:
Wind VS Pedestrian Video 1
Wind VS Pedestrian Video 2
Man with Balloons vs Wind
Man & Hot Air Balloon vs Wind
Home Trampolines vs Wind
How One Man Flies Hundreds of Miles Using Balloons

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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I’m Board

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Board games are soooo much fun. And their history is pretty darn interesting! Look at the image at second from bottom. That IS the oldest game in the world!! The Royal Game of UR is about 5,000 years old. And the guy at the bottom with the greatest beard in the world? Dr.Irving Finkel. He’s the guy from the British Museum who deciphered the rules of that game from clay tablets. Here’s a link to his video.  :))))))) And you can even get the oldest game in the world at Target. Click Here!

Every once in a while, we have one of those days were when Jackie and I decide it’s a good time to just stay in and play some board games.  Sometimes it’s raining, or we’ve had enough running around and just want to relax and play some games, or better yet, when the grandkids come over.  If you want to be humbled, try to beat a five-year-old in Chutes and Ladders … seems every time I make it up the board, old grandpa is sliding down the slide to begin my climb again. I of course had my favorites growing up – chess, checkers, Operation (talk about PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs!), and of course Monopoly (I liked to be the race car piece) Sometimes I would end up owning everything and sometimes I would quickly be watching everyone else from jail!).  I love  when the family crowds around a game and get all excited playing. One of my kid’s favorites is Settlers of Catan, but I have to admit I haven’t caught the bug for that one yet!  It got me to thinking about the history of games (phew-there’s a ton!). So, I jumped online and found some info I think you’ll enjoy.  Special thanks to medium.com,  thesprucecrafts.com, meeplemountain.com, fun.com and pastemagazine.com for the info. Have fun playing!

Board games are tabletop games that typically use pieces. Many board games feature a competition between two or more players. A player can win by capturing all opposing pieces, completing a course, or ending with a calculation of final scores or captured pieces/mone

The First Board Game (5000 BC)
Most people don’t realize board games are actually pre-historic, meaning we had board games before we had written language. So, what was the very first game?… most likely Dice! A piece that’s essential in most board games today was the basis of humanity’s oldest games. A series of 49 small carved painted stones were found at the 5,000-year-old Başur Höyük burial mound in southeast Turkey. These are the earliest gaming pieces ever found. Dice were eventually made from a large variety of materials, including brass, copper, glass, ivory, and marble. Dice from the Roman Era look very similar to the six-sided dice we use today.

A Royal Pastime (3100 BC)
Board games became popular among pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Primarily, the game of Senet. The game has been found in predynastic and First Dynasty burials. Senet is featured in several illustrations from Ancient Egyptian tombs. By the time of the New Kingdom in Egypt (1550–1077 BC), it had become a kind of talisman for the journey of the dead. The game is even referred to in Chapter XVII of the Book of the Dead.

Tied into Religion (3000 BC)
With the popular growth of board games amongst royalty, they quickly became adopted by the working class. Soon after, they became tied into religious beliefs. One such game being Mehen. While a complete set of rules on how to play the game have never been found, we do know the game represents the deity, Mehen. The Sun Cult envisioned the god Mehen as a huge serpent who wrapped the Sun God Re in its coils (the game board itself mimics this). Players each begin with six marbles and one lion. Stick dice as depicted above determine movement. Players start at the tail, along the outer edge of the board, and move towards the center where the snake’s head rests. The players race to the center with their marble pieces. Once a marble reaches center, movement reverses and players move towards the start again. The lion piece is then put into play. This predatory piece is used to capture (eat) an opponent’s marble pieces.

Humanity’s Longest Running Board Game (2650 BC)
Many people think Backgammon has been played the longest out of all board games, however it’s actually The Royal Game of Ur. The game had been thought long-dead, superseded by backgammon 2000 years ago. However, game enthusiast and curator at the British Museum, Irving Finkel discovered the game’s rules carved into an ancient stone tablet. This makes The Royal Game of Ur the game that has been played longer than any other in world history. The game gets its name from its founding within the Royal Tombs of Ur in Iraq. There was also a set found in Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb. The Royal Game of Ur was played with two sets, one black and one white, of seven markers and three tetrahedral dice (4-sided dice).

The First Evidence of Backgammon (2000 BC)
Ludus duodecim scriptorum was a board game popular during the time of the Roman Empire. The name translates as “game of twelve markings”, likely referring to the three rows of 12 markings found on surviving boards. The game tabula is thought to be a descendant of this game, and both are similar to modern backgammon.

The oldest game with rules known to be nearly identical to backgammon described it as a board with the same 24 points, 12 on each side. As today each player had 15 checkers and used cubical six-sided dice. The object of the game, to be the first to bear off all of one’s checkers, was also the same. The popularity of backgammon surged in the mid-1960s, in part due to the charisma of Prince Alexis Obolensky who became known as “The Father of Modern Backgammon”. He co-founded the International Backgammon Association, which published a set of official rules. Backgammon clubs were formed and tournaments were held, resulting in a World Championship, which was promoted in Las Vegas in 1967.

Becoming Part of Childhood (500 BC)
Board games were primarily played by adults in ancient cultures and with their deep roots in society, were quickly adopted by children. Although not technically a board game, one of the first games centered towards kids was Hop-Scotch. That’s right, it’s much older than you thought! The first references of Hop-Scotch date back to Roman Children around 500 BC. The game’s first recorded references in English-speaking world date back to the late 17th century, usually under the name “scotch-hop” or “scotch-hopper”. According to the Oxford English Dictionary the etymology of hopscotch is a formation from the words “hop” and “scotch”, the latter in the sense of “an incised line or scratch”

Chaturanga set
Chaturanga was played on an 8×8 uncheckered board, called Ashtāpada. The board sometimes had special markings, the meaning of which is unknown today. Soon after, the game was turned into its European variant, Chess emerged, which is played on the same 8×8 tile board. The earliest evidence of chess is found in Sassanid Persia around 600 AD. The game reached Western Europe and Russia by at least three routes, the earliest being in the 9th century. By the year 1000 it had spread throughout Europe. Introduced into the Iberian Peninsula by the Moors in the 10th century, it was described in a famous 13th-century manuscript covering shatranj, backgammon, and dice named the Libro de los juegos. These modern rules for the basic moves had been adopted in Italy and Spain. Pawns gained the option of advancing two squares on their first move, while bishops, and queens acquired their modern abilities. The queen replaced the earlier vizier chess piece towards the end of the 10th century and by the 15th century had become the most powerful piece. Consequently, modern chess was referred to as “Queen’s Chess” or “Mad Queen Chess”.

The Landlord’s Game (1903)
The Landlord’s Game was invented by Lizzie Magie, one of America’s very first board game designers. The game board consisted of a square track, with a row of properties around the outside that players could buy. The game board had four railroads, two utilities, a jail, and a corner named “Labor Upon Mother Earth Produces Wages,” which earned players $100 each time they passed it… Sound familiar? See board here

Magie had invented and patented The Landlord’s Game in 1904 and designed the game to be a practical demonstration of land grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences. She based the game on the economic principles of Georgism, a system proposed by Henry George, with the object of demonstrating how rents enrich property owners and impoverish tenants. Magie also hoped that when played by children the game would provoke their natural suspicion of unfairness, and that they might carry this awareness into adulthood.

In 1935 Magie sold her patent for The Landlords Game to Parker Brothers, which is now what we know as Monopoly. This game, which launched Parker Brothers into a massive success, was originally rejected by them. After their success with Monopoly, They went on to produce Risk, Sorry, Trivial Pursuit, and more. Lizzie Magie sold her original patent of the original game for $500.

There is so much more to know about board games:
History since the 1800’s
Tabletop gaming
Top games of all times
Since 2010

Now, it’s your turn.

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 

 

Oh Patrick

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200+ year old paintings and drawings of our great revolutionary hero Patrick Henry. You can get prints of those paintings and plenty of Patrick Henry gear online. 

I love it when I can recall famous lines from movies, and thoughts or phrases from speeches. Now a buddy of mine has an almost encyclopedic memory so for him this is easy! Me not so much! Throughout mankind’s history, there have been many catchphrases that are still relevant today.  (“I have a dream, The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, Tear down this wall!” to name just a few). One of my favorites are the words from Patrick Henry, best known as a brilliant orator and major figure in the American Revolution. His famous words “Give me liberty or give me death!” were delivered nearly 250 years ago today and stand the test of time. Born May 29th 1736, he was an influential voice in the founding of our nation. What should still resonate with all of us today is / was the ability of one individual to stand up to governmental overreach!  Here’s to all the writers out there, and to those who drive themselves by conviction.  I salute you.  Special thanks to oxfordreference.com, redhill.org and Wikipedia.org for the info.  And be sure to click on the links and read a bit deeper – cool stuff!! Enjoy!

Patrick Henry was the son of John Henry, a well-educated Scotsman who served in the colony as a surveyor, colonel, and justice of the Hanover County Court.

As a youth, he failed twice in seven years as a storekeeper and once as a farmer. During this period he increased his responsibilities by marriage, in 1754, to Sarah Shelton. The demands of a growing family spurred him to study for the practice of law, and in this profession, he soon displayed remarkable ability. Within a few years after his admission to the bar in 1760 he had a large and profitable clientele.

His oratorical genius was revealed in the trial known as the Parson’s Cause (1763). This suit grew out of the Virginia law, disallowed by King George III, that permitted payment of the Anglican clergy in money instead of tobacco when the tobacco crop was poor. Henry astonished the audience in the courtroom with his eloquence in invoking the doctrine of natural rights, the political theory that man is born with certain inalienable rights.

Two years later, at the capitol in Williamsburg, where he had just been seated as a member of the House of Burgesses (the lower house of the colonial legislature), he delivered a speech opposing the British Stamp Act, a revenue law requiring certain colonial publications and documents to bear a legal stamp. Henry offered a series of resolutions asserting the right of the colonies to legislate independently of the British Parliament, and he supported these resolutions with great eloquence: “Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George III…” when he was interrupted by cries of “Treason! treason!” But he concluded, according to a likely version, “…may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it.”

During the next decade Henry was an influential leader in the radical opposition to the British government. At the second Virginia Convention, on March 23, 1775, in St. John’s Church, Richmond, he delivered the speech that assured his fame as one of the great advocates of liberty. Convinced that war with Great Britain was inevitable, he presented strong resolutions for equipping the Virginia militia to fight against the British and defended them in a fiery speech with the famed peroration, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

The resolutions passed, and Henry was appointed commander of the Virginia forces, but his actions were curbed by the Committee of Safety; in reaction, he resigned on February 28, 1776. Henry served on the committee in the Virginia Convention of 1776 that drafted the first constitution for the state. He was elected governor the same year and was reelected in 1777 and 1778 for one-year terms, As wartime governor, he gave Gen. George Washington able support, and during his second term he authorized the expedition to invade the Illinois country under the leadership of George Rogers Clark.

After the death of his first wife, Henry married Dorothea Dandridge and retired to life on his estate in Henry county. He was recalled to public service as a leading member of the state legislature from 1780 to 1784 and again from 1787 to 1790. From 1784 to 1786 he served as governor. He declined to attend the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787 and in 1788 was the leading opponent of ratification of the U.S. Constitution at the Virginia Convention. This action, which has aroused much controversy ever since, resulted from his fear that the original document did not secure either the rights of the states or those of individuals

Henry was reconciled, however, to the new federal government, especially after the passage of the Bill of Rights, for which contributions assisted in creating lasting protections for individuals. Because of family responsibilities and ill health, he declined a series of offers of high posts in the new federal government.

In 1799, however, he consented to run again for the state legislature, where he wished to oppose the Kentucky and Virginia resolutions, which claimed that the states could determine the constitutionality of federal laws. During his successful electoral campaign, he made his last speech, a moving plea for American unity. He died at his home, Red Hill, before he was to have taken the seat.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

OMG BFF

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What do OMG, BFF, SKU, USB, OU, YKK, PVC, OTIS and LOL have in common? Read on.

 

OMG BFF

By now, many of you know about our favorite saying here at KHT Headquarters… We Love Your PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs! Like many acronyms, for us, and our customers, it’s become our mantra – got an issue with a part… keeping you up at night? – send it our way and we’ll get right on it, saving you time and money… and headaches. Now my wife Jackie is absolutely amazing with acronyms, not my strength!  Some words and letters are such a familiar part of everyday life that they often go unnoticed. From markings on your electronics, food packaging, and clothes to the words you see on water bottles and inside elevators, here are the meanings behind some mysterious letters you might see every day, along with some everyday leaders from social media.  Enjoy, and thanks to interestingfacts.com and infocons.org for the info.

UL

The letters “UL” can be found on many things, including electric plugs, heaters, smoke alarms, and personal flotation devices. UL stands for “Underwriters Laboratories,” a company that’s been conducting product safety testing for more than a century. If an item meets UL’s safety standards, it earns the right to bear a “UL” mark.  The man who founded what became UL, William Henry Merrill Jr., got the idea to set up an electrical testing laboratory after being dispatched to check fire risks at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The Underwriters Electrical Bureau was founded in 1894, and Underwriters Laboratories was incorporated in 1901. UL began offering its label service to certify products it had tested in 1906.

CE

You may have spotted a “CE” on eyeglass frames, mobile phones (or their packaging), appliances, electronics, and more. CE stands for the French phrase “Conformité Européenne,” which means “European compliance.” The CE designation indicates an item has met the standards to be sold in the European Economic Area..

FCC

Mobile phones, earbuds, television stations, and other communication devices operate on radio frequencies. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission checks to make sure these devices can function with no harmful interference. The FCC also ensures a device won’t overexpose users to radiofrequency (RF) energy.,

OTIS

OTIS refers to the Otis Elevator Company.  In the 1830s and ’40s, passengers regularly died in elevators when lifting cables broke. Inventor Elisha Graves Otis created an elevator safety brake, and in 1853, showed off his invention at New York City’s Crystal Palace Convention by ascending on an open platform, cutting the hoisting rope with an ax, and not falling thanks to the safety brake. Four years later, E.V. Haughwout and Company’s department store in Manhattan became the first business to use elevators equipped with this special brake.  After the Otis Elevator Company was founded in 1853 and Otis patented his invention in 1861, Otis elevators helped transform cities. (they made an elevator for the Eiffel Tower!) Today, the company continues to make elevators with the name “Otis” displayed inside, sticking to the same basic engineering principles that Otis originally used.

OU

For folks around here, it means Ohio University, and OSU is of course Ohio State University. But for people who don’t “keep kosher” they may have seen the letter “U” inside a circle on some food items and not have known this indicated the item was processed according to Jewish dietary laws. This letter “U” is actually inside an “O,” not a circle; “OU” stands for “Orthodox Union Kosher.” Some products may be marked with “OU-D” to indicate that they contain dairy or were made on equipment that handled dairy. “OU-P” tells people an item is kosher for Passover. “OU” isn’t the only way to signal that a food item is Kosher. A “K” inside a circle or a star are other well-known marks for kosher foods.

PET

You can find the letters “PET” on many plastic bottles. . PET is an acronym for the plastic “polyethylene terephthalate,” which is part of the polyester family of polymers. Above the word “PET” on these bottles, you’ll also usually see a 1 in a triangle made up of arrows. This is a recycling code. PET bottles can successfully be recycled, To see all the plastic codes/icons, click here: https://infocons.org/blog/2023/06/06/the-7-symbols-of-plastic-and-their-meanings/

USB

USB is such a familiar term that you may not be aware it’s an acronym for “universal serial bus.” USB really did live up to the “universal” part of its name. Before USB, serial ports, parallel ports, and more were used to connect external devices like keyboards, mice, and printers. USB made it possible for these different devices to hook up to computers via the same connection.

YKK

Zippers are part of our daily lives, whether on our jeans, coats, or bags, and as long as they work, they usually don’t receive intense scrutiny. However, a closer look at various zippers will likely reveal that many of them are inscribed with the letters “YKK.”  YKK stands for “Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha,” which roughly translates to “Yoshida Manufacturing Shareholding Company.” This company, founded in 1934, uses its own brass, polyester, threads, and even zipper machines. By controlling so much of the process, YKK can deliver high-quality zippers, and explains why half of the world’s zippers have YKK zippers.

QR

QR codes are those pixelated-looking black-and-white squares that you can scan with your phone for more information about something, whether it’s an advertisement or a piece of art. They’ve become ubiquitous, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic popularized contactless menus and payment. However, they’re very rarely called by their full name.

“QR” actually stands for “quick response,”. The technology was first developed by a Toyota subsidiary in the mid-’90s as a way to track auto parts.

UPC

You’ve probably noticed a UPC while out shopping, especially if you use self-checkout. It stands for “universal product code.” UPCs have two parts, both of which communicate information to a computer: a barcode, and a 12-digit product code called a Global Trade Item Number, or GTIN, includes a company code for the manufacturer and a product code for the item itself. Manufacturers have to buy each individual code from GS1, a nonprofit industry group that tracks everything.

SKU

You’ll most commonly see “SKU” in online shopping carts, but occasionally someone will use it as a synonym for “product.” It stands for “stock keeping unit,” and like UPCs, it keeps track of products for sale. Unlike UPCs, which are universal across different companies, a SKU refers to an inventory item internally within one company.

PVC

If you’re a crafter or handyperson, you’ve probably come across PVC pipe. Typically, it’s used in water systems from home plumbing to city utilities, but clever DIYers have used it for everything from storage to cosplay, because it’s waterproof, sturdy, durable, and cheap. PVC stands for “polyvinyl chloride.” One of the most-used plastics in the world.

 

VR and AR

You’ve probably seen the terms “VR” and “AR” in arcades, science fiction, and buzzy new technology products. VR stands for “virtual reality,” and refers to an environment that’s entirely simulated. Some gamers use VR headsets to immerse themselves fully in a video game with a full, 360-degree view of a digital world (check out the new Apple headset: https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/  AR, or “augmented reality,” adds simulated digital elements to the actual world around you. If you’ve played Pokemon Go — which superimposes Pokemon characters and other game elements on top of your surroundings using a smartphone camera — you’ve experienced an augmented reality application.

GIF

GIF images — that’s Graphics Interchange Format — have been used for more than three decades, although these days they’re mostly used for brief animations. The format was invented in 1987 by the CompuServe internet service provider, and once upon a time it was often used for still images. Because it uses limited colors, it kept file sizes low, which was especially critical when internet speeds were much slower.,

PU

You may have seen “PU” a lot recently to describe PU leather, a material used to create clothing, accessories, and upholstery. PU stands for polyurethane, a kind of artificial material commonly used in spandex.

JPEG

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, which is the name of the committee that created the standard in 1983. It is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for photographs. The JPEG compression algorithm works by reducing the file size of an image by selectively discarding certain information that the human eye is less likely to notice. This compression makes JPEG an efficient format for storing and transmitting digital images, as it reduces file sizes while still maintaining reasonable image quality.

And some favorite social media abbreviations:

LOL        – Laugh Out Loud

BRB       – Be Right Back

OMG     – Oh My God

FYI          – For Your Information

IMO       – In My Opinion/In My Humble Opinion

TBH       – To Be Honest

SMH      – Shaking My Head

BTW      – By The Way

ASAP    – As Soon As Possible

TFW       – That Feeling When

BFF        – Best Friends Forever (me and my loving wife Jackie!!)

The Acronym Song

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 

40 Percent

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Being a manufacturing geek, and lover of working on and solving PIA (Pain in the @%$) Jobs! I got to thinking about all the products that move about the world, especially shipping vessels afloat. With the high-volume straits in the news, I went online and tried to get a handle on volume, time travel on the water, and “who ships what where”. Something I didn’t know is that the US is the largest user of the Panama Canal – yep, about 40 percent of the traffic. I did some history digging and found some cool history – with US construction beginning on May 4th, 1904.  Clearly, the construction of the Panama Canal was a monumental engineering achievement that’s had a significant impact on global trade and transportation. To this day, the Panama Canal stands as a testament to human ingenuity and engineering prowess, playing a crucial role in global maritime trade and navigation. All of us need to realize that this was construction with 1920’s technology!  Special thanks to history.com and Wikipedia.com.

Read more

Hibernate

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I bet some of you yawned at least once getting to this caption. :)))  We all yawn. We all sleep. But only some of us hibernate. Read on.  

Ahhhh. March 1st. The turning point for me. No matter what the temperature or weather is, mentally I begin my reemergence from winter’s dormancy – my release from hibernation so to speak.  The signs are all here – the birds returning, the small flowers starting to pop, and the sun shining longer and longer each day. Although I don’t put away the snowbrush just yet since I am in Cleveland!, I push aside my sweaters and reach for my spring GQ wear (yep, more KHT originals of course), put the driver’s window down and enjoy the beginnings of spring. I find the morning air is fresh with that certain smell which we all know, and the thought of playing golf again fills my head. For me, it’s sort of a transition from my cooped-up winter state to just feeling better – especially when the sun out! Jackie even lets me sing a bit – but mostly in the car when I’m alone and far away! Curious, I went online to learn more about hibernation and what animals go through to survive and emerge.  Here’s some fun stuff I learned.  Thanks to interestingfacts.com, Wikipedia and openai for the info and YouTube for the videos.  Enjoy!

Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate, most commonly occurring during winter months.  This was certainly a mouth full!

Although traditionally reserved for “deep” hibernators such as rodents, the term has been redefined to include animals such as bears and is now applied based on active metabolic suppression rather than any absolute decline in body temperature..

Hibernation functions to conserve energy when sufficient food is not available, and can last for days, weeks, or months.

Larger species become hyperphagic, eating a large amount of food and storing the energy in their bodies in the form of fat deposits. (if you saw me with knife and fork in hand over the holidays, you’d think I was planning on sleeping and never waking up!) In many small species, food caching replaces eating and becoming fat. (‘another piece of pie you ask? – of course, I’m just food caching”).

Some species of mammals hibernate while gestating young, which are born either while the mother hibernates or shortly afterwards. For example, female black bears go into hibernation during the winter months in order to give birth to their offspring.

Here are some additional fun facts and trivia about hibernation:

  1. Not True Hibernators: While some animals, like groundhogs and bears, are commonly associated with hibernation, not all animals that seem to “sleep” during winter are true hibernators. True hibernators experience a significant drop in body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism.
  2. Hibernation Prolongs Life: Hibernation helps some animals conserve energy and survive through periods of scarcity. It can also extend their lifespan. Bats, for instance, can live longer when they hibernate.
  3. Breathing and Heart Rate: Hibernating animals have significantly reduced rates of breathing and heartbeats. Some can even go for minutes or hours without taking a breath.
  4. Fat Reserves: Animals that hibernate build up fat reserves during the warmer months to sustain them through the winter. These reserves serve as their primary source of energy while hibernating.
  5. Hibernation is a Light Sleep: Hibernation is not a deep, uninterrupted sleep. Animals can wake up periodically during hibernation to adjust their position, urinate, or even eat a small amount of stored food.
  6. Wood Frogs and Antifreeze: Wood frogs are known for their ability to survive freezing temperatures during hibernation. They enter a state of suspended animation, and their bodies produce a natural antifreeze that prevents ice crystals from forming inside their cells.
  7. There Have Been a Few Cases of Human “Hibernation”: You may have noticed one mammal that doesn’t hibernate — us. But there are a handful of cases in which humans have endured a lethally low body temperature and lived, with no lasting effects. The most famous is the ordeal of Mitsutaka Uchikoshi, a 35-year-old Japanese civil servant, who slipped on a mountain trail and broke his hip in October 2006. He was rescued after 24 days suffering from extreme hypothermia “similar to hibernation,” his doctors said. After nearly two months in the hospital, he emerged with no residual injury.
  8. Getting To Mars: Research into animal hibernation has the potential to help humans. Understanding why hibernators can withstand extremely low body temperatures and slowed metabolism without injury might give us clues for recovering from heart attacks, preserving human organs for transplant, or conducting complex surgeries. Scientists are even experimenting with “induced hibernation” as a way to conserve astronauts’ energy on long journeys through space, and to reduce the amount of resources needed on future missions to Mars. (Just like in the movies!)

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

That’s Bananas

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Have you heard any of these?  1. Why do bananas have to wear sunscreen? If not, they’ll peel. 2. Why don’t bananas snore? They don’t want to wake up the rest of the bunch. 3. How does a banana answer the phone? Yellow. 4. Where do bananas go to get educated? Sundae school. 5. Why was the monkey attracted to the banana? Because it had appeal. 6. What type of key opens a banana? A monkey. 7. Why was the banana sent to the hospital? Because it had yellow fever. 9. What is a sheep’s favourite fruit? Baaa-nana. 12. What to do if you see a blue banana? Try to cheer it up. 13. Why did the banana go out with a walnut? Because he couldn’t find a date. 14. What do you call two bananas? A pair of slippers. 15.What was Beethoven’s favourite fruit? Ba-na-na-naaa.  Ok, I’ll stop now..  :))))))))))))

I have a whole bunch of habits and favorites (wearing crazy socks, sausage gravy, baked beans – I could go on). One of my favorite breakfast meals is a fresh smoothie.  As an early bird, it’s perfect for me – open the fridge, find some ingredients, into the blender with yogurt, frozen berries, orange juice a little spinach and finally peanut butter!  Bingo, I’m set. Of course, I have my favorite ingredients (list), including a fresh banana.  The banana gives it a wonderful smooth flavor and it’s packed with vitamins and potassium I need to keep my KHT energy engine going. It got me to thinking about smoothie ingredients, and especially bananas.  I found some fun facts online and wanted to share. Thanks to facinatingfacts.com, chat.openai.com and foodnetwork.com for the info.  And be sure to click on the smoothie recipe below.

Starter recipe

A banana is the common name for a type of fruit and also the name for the herbaceous plants that grow it. These plants belong to the genus Musa. They are native to the tropical region of southeast Asia. Historians think the first people to grow bananas for food lived in Papua New Guinea.

There’s no wrong way to eat a banana — in a smoothie, underneath a mountain of ice cream, or even green (according to a 2019 poll, 5% of Americans prefer bananas in that unripened state). This grocery store staple is one that humans have been eating for at least 6,000 years, with no sign of slowing anytime soon; on average, people around the globe eat 130 bananas per year. Here are facts to highlight a few things you may not know about one of the planet’s most beloved fruits.

Bananas are one of the oldest cultivated fruits. Evidence suggests that they have been cultivated for over 7,000 years. Bananas are typically harvested green and ripen as they age. The ripening process can be accelerated by exposing bananas to ethene gas.

Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of bananas.

The term “banana republic” originated from the economic and political dominance of banana-exporting countries in Central America. It was first coined by the American author O. Henry in the early 20th century.

Bananas made their U.S. debut in Philadelphia in 1876, sold to fairgoers attending the Centennial Exhibition (the first world’s fair held in America). For 10 cents, visitors could purchase a foil-wrapped banana and get a taste of a fruit many had never seen before. Today, bananas are one of the most popular fruits among American snackers, who consume an average of 13.2 pounds per person each year.

While banana trees can reach upwards of 40 feet tall, these lumbering plants technically aren’t trees — they’re instead considered giant herbs.

The way scientists classify berries doesn’t always jive with how fruit eaters categorize them. That’s certainly the case for bananas, which are botanically berries. To be considered a true berry, a fruit must develop from a flower that contains an ovary; bananas form from nearly foot-long flowers that meet this criteria.

Bananas are radioactive (you won’t need a Geiger counter to pick out a bunch of bananas at the supermarket). The potassium in bananas contains trace amounts of radioactive atoms, though because our bodies regularly flush the nutrient out, it’s unable to build up to dangerous levels in our system. Bananas aren’t the only radioactive food: spinach, potatoes, and oranges are, too.

Banana peels are not just waste; Some people use them as a natural fertilizer, polish shoes with the inside of the peel, or even use them to whiten teeth. Bananas can also purify water – researchers experimenting with ways to remove heavy metals from water have found that banana peels can get the job done. a 2011 study found that minced banana peels were able to quickly remove lead and copper from water. (you are all set next time you’re marooned on an island).

There are more than 1,000 species in the banana family, though it’s rare to see more than one kind at the grocery store. More than 55 million tons of Cavendish bananas are harvested each year, making them the most popularly grown and consumed species. Cavendish bananas get their name from William Spencer Cavendish, Britain’s sixth Duke of Devonshire, whose estate was home to numerous exotic plants. The duke’s eponymous banana stalks would eventually play a huge role in worldwide banana production — all modern Cavendish banana plants are descendants from those grown at the U.K. estate in the 1830s.

Contrary to popular belief, not all monkeys and apes love bananas. In the wild, they eat a variety of fruits, and bananas are just one of many options.

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 

 

 

 

Railsplitter

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Abe Lincoln. What a guy.  Hey, in the bottom image, if you can tell me what the significance of the penny is to KHT, shoot me an email. You could win a nifty KHT prize!   :)))

Each year about this time, we pause to honor and remember our past Presidents. For me, that best falls on George and Abe. Much has been written about these gentlemen – George’s time as a farmer, soldier and commander and his unlikely path to the presidency and Abe’s gradual climb to the top after so many setbacks.  I enjoyed reading about both of them, their ability to overcome obstacles and yep … and you guessed it, solving those PIA (Pain In The @%$) Jobs! Like many people, I’m still amazed by Abe Lincoln – his upbringing, determination, and problem-solving ability.  Stoic. Steadyhanded. Never give up or give in attitude. And still one of the best speechwriters ever.  Here’s some fun info about him, a little history, and a whole lot of respect.  Thanks to Wikipedia, Google, Microsoft and alamy.com for the insights and info.  Enjoy.

Abraham Lincoln earned the nickname “Railsplitter” due to his early career as a rail-splitter. The term refers to the manual labor job of splitting wooden rails from logs, which were then used in the construction of fences.

The narrative of Lincoln as a rail-splitter was intended to highlight him as a hardworking, honest, and rugged individual who understood the challenges faced by ordinary Americans.

While Lincoln’s rail-splitting days were in his youth and represented a small part of his overall life experience, the symbolism became a powerful and enduring aspect of his political persona.
In 1858, Lincoln engaged in a series of famous debates with Stephen A. Douglas during their campaign for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. Although Lincoln lost the election, these debates raised his national profile and set the stage for his presidential run in 1860. Read more

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected sixteenth president of the United States. He won as “The Railsplitter” candidate. He was the tallest President, at 6 feet, 4 inches and he had the largest feet of any President, at a size 14. Consequently, Lincoln’s political opponents frequently took absurd shots at his appearance:

Lincoln took it all with characteristic good humor and was not above the occasional self-deprecating joke. He once recounted a story in which someone called him a “self-made man,” to which he replied, “Well, all I’ve got to say is that it was a damned bad job.” And when Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas called him “two-faced” in a debate, Lincoln famously replied, “If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?”

In a letter from a supporter that led to him becoming the first fully bearded President, an 11-year-old named Grace Bedell saw a poster of a clean-shaven Lincoln that her father brought home from a county fair and decided she needed to encourage the candidate to go for a glow-up. Bedell wrote Lincoln, “I have yet got four brothers and part of them will vote for you any way and if you let your whiskers grow, I will try and get the rest of them to vote for you. He ultimately grew out his beard after being elected President in November 1860. Just a few months later, Lincoln met Bedell when his train tour stopped in New York and let her know that she was behind his makeover: “You see,” Lincoln told her, “I let these whiskers grow for you, Grace.”

The stovepipe hat was one of Lincoln’s signature accessories, and the final hat he ever wore is now kept at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The top hat helped the President tower over crowds even more than he naturally did, but the adornment wasn’t just used for looks: The President actually kept documents in the hat while he was wearing it. According to some historians, the phrase “keep it under your hat” — meaning to keep something secret — comes from Lincoln’s habit. (how cool -now you know!!).

In May 1849, right after the end of his term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Lincoln was granted a patent for “adjustable buoyant air chambers,” which were meant to help buoy boats over shoals. He got the idea from his time working as a ferryman, when on two different occasions he was on a riverboat that got stuck after running aground on the Mississippi River., Lincoln remains the only U.S. President ever to receive a patent.

Lincoln is probably best known for issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which declared that all slaves in Confederate states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” This was a significant step towards the abolition of slavery.

Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. He died the following day, making him the first U.S. president to be assassinated.

Throughout his political career, Lincoln adhered to a set of principles and beliefs, including a commitment to justice and equality, during his time as a lawyer and beyond. His stance on issues such as slavery reflected his moral convictions, and he maintained his honesty in advocating for these principles.  His legacy as a leader, emancipator, and the preserver of the Union continues to be celebrated in American history.

Enjoy President’s Day.

 

 

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rather Sporting

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Albert Spalding created some serious fun for all of us!!!!!!!

As I prepare my weekly posts, I love to find a topic I know little about, go internet and history digging, and come out way smarter than when I started.  (my lovely wife Jackie reminds me just how many things can make me “way smarter”, but I’ll leave that to another post). Driving around my neighborhood over the holidays. I noticed a bunch of kids playing ball. As a kid, I loved my sports, especially football, basketball and baseball. I found out that on this day, back in 1876, is when Albert Spaulding actually founded the Spalding company.,  I remember having Spaulding gloves and bats!  At the time, Albert was a pitcher and manager of an early professional baseball team in Chicago called the Chicago White Stockings. His company, the A.G. Spalding & Brothers sporting goods company, standardized early baseballs and developed the modern baseball bat, a derivation of the cricket bat, along with all sorts of sports play equipment.  Here’s some history about Spaulding and his companies, and how a small company grew throughout the years, and remains a strong brand still today.  Thanks to Google, YouTube and Wikipedia for the info.  Enjoy!

Albert Spalding (1850–1915) was an American athlete, sports executive, and entrepreneur, best known for his contributions to the world of baseball. As a professional baseball player, primarily a pitcher, he played for the Boston Red Stockings, Chicago White Stockings, and later for the Buffalo Bisons.  In 1876, Spalding founded his sporting goods company, and became one of the leading manufacturers of sports equipment, particularly baseballs and baseball gloves.

The Spalding “League Ball” was adopted by the National League and used by the league beginning in 1880, as well as by the American Association of Professional Base Ball Clubs for the seasons of 1892–1896. It sold for $1.50.  – HOW a baseball is made.

In 1888-1889, Spalding organized a world baseball tour known as the “Spalding World Tour.” The tour featured a team of baseball players from the United States, including Spalding, traveling around the world, and playing exhibition games to promote the sport. The tour helped popularize baseball internationally.

In 1892 Spalding created the Spalding Athletic Library, which sold sports and exercise books through its American Sports Publishing Company, also founded that year. The first book published was Life and Battles of James J. Corbett. See sample book. The Spalding Athletic Library covered a variety of sports, exercises, and organizations. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper stated regarding this collection, “devoted to all athletics pastimes, indoor and outdoor, and is the recognized American cyclopedia of sport”.  (they didn’t miss much…) 1892 – 1941 these are still collectibles today!

Spalding developed its first basketball in 1894 based on the design of a baseball, and is currently a leading producer. How it’s made. As their business grew, A.G. Spalding & Brothers purchased the Lamb Knitting Machine Company of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, and renamed it the Lamb Manufacturing Company.. Spalding chose Chicopee because it was the home of the Overman Wheel Company and acted as their distributor in the Western US.

In 1899 Spalding sold its bicycle division to a massive trust called the American Bicycle Company which controlled 65% of the bicycle business in the US.
In the early 1900’s Spalding was selling dumbbells, Indian clubs, and punching bags and a wide variety of sports-related items, including clothing (athletic shirts, belts, pads, hats, jackets, jerseys, pants, shoes, and swimming suits), barbells, fencing blades and foils, golf clubs, guy robes, measuring tapes, pulleys and weights, rowing machines, and track equipment – discus, hurdles, hammers, javelins, poles for vaulting, shotputs, and stop watches, and whistles. It’s cool how 100 years later, many of these items still carry the Spaulding brand name.

During World War II, the company joined five other firms to form the New England Small Arms Corporation to help support the war effort, manufacturing the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifles.

From the early 1930s through the mid-1940s Spalding produced the official game pucks for the National Hockey League. Spalding also produced the well-known “Spaldeen” high-bounce rubber ball, said to be a re-use of defective tennis ball cores, sold to city children beginning in 1949. You can still buy these Spalding High Bounce balls today!

In baseball, Spalding manufactured the official ball of the Major Leagues through the 1976 season, using the Reach brand on American League balls and the Spalding trademark on the National League’s. Since 1977 the official ball has been made by Rawlings.

In 2003, Spalding became a division of the Russell Corporation, exclusive of its golf operations (which included the Top-Flite, Ben Hogan and Strata brands), which were eventually bought by the Callaway Golf Company later the same year.

Spalding produced a mail-order catalog that provided a description, price, and picture of their sports equipment, sports books, and exercise books. A couple of examples are “How to Play Golf” for 25 cents, “How to Play Basketball” at 10 cents, and “How to Train for Bicycling” at 10 cents. – See one of the original catalogs

Spalding served as the president of the Chicago White Stockings and later became the president of the NL. In 1902, he was appointed as the first chairman of the National Commission, a position similar to the modern role of the Commissioner of Baseball.  Spalding was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939 as a pioneer/executive. His contributions to the early development and popularization of baseball played a significant role in the history of the sport.

It’s amazing what this one man could accomplish in his lifetime!

 

 

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DO YOU LIKE CONTESTS?
Me, too.
As you may know the Kowalski Heat Treating logo finds its way
into the visuals of my Friday posts.
I.  Love.  My.  Logo.
One week there could be three logos.
The next week there could be 15 logos.
And sometimes the logo is very small or just a partial logo showing.
But there are always logos in some of the pictures.
So, I challenge you, my beloved readers, to count them and send me a
quick email with the total number of logos in the Friday post.
On the following Tuesday I’ll pick a winner from the correct answers
and send that lucky person some great KHT swag.
So, start counting and good luck!  
Oh, and the logos at the very top header don’t count.
Got it? Good.  :-))))
Have fun!!

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