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Episode 43: Polio Vaccine
On April 12, 1955, the polio vaccine was declared safe and effective. Here are three things you may not have known about the polio vaccine: One: Dr. Jonas Salk became involved in the development of the vaccine because of the promise of increased research space, staffing and funding. Two: The declaration that the vaccine was…
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Episode 42: Tornado Outbreak
April 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the second Palm Sunday tornado outbreak in the Midwestern United States. Here are three things you may not have known about the outbreak: One: There were 47 tornadoes reported across the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa. Two: 271 people were killed and 1,500 injured.…
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Episode 41: The Great Gatsby
April 10 marks the 90th anniversary of the publication of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Here are three things you might not know about “The Great Gatsby”: First: Among the other titles Fitzgerald considered were: “Among the Ash-Heaps and Millionaires,” “Gatsby,” “Gold-Hatted Gatsby,” “The High-Bouncing Lover,” “On the Road to West Egg,” “Trimalchio,”…
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Episode 40: The Mercury Seven
On April 9, 1959 NASA announced the first seven American astronauts. Here are three things you might not know about Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton: ” The Mercury Seven” One: All candidates for the Mercury program were test pilots. All were five-foot-11 or shorter and…
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Episode 39: Times Square
On April 8, 1904, New York’s Longacre Square at the intercection of Seventh Avenue and Broadway was renamed Times Square. Here are three things you might not know about Times Square: 1. It was the center of New York’s horse and carriage industry. It got its former name after London’s Long Acre which was a…
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Episode 38: World Health Day
April 7 is World Health Day marking the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization in 1948. Here are some things you might not know about World Health Day and the WHO: First: It has a theme each year. This year’s theme is food safety. According to the WHO, 2 million people die…
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Episode 37: First Modern Olympics
April 6 marks the anniversary of the first modern Olympic games in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Here are three things you might not know about the first modern Olympics: First: Greece had the largest contingent of athletes with 169 participants. The next largest delegation was from Germany with 19 athletes, followed by the United States…
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Episode 36: Kurt Cobain and Nirvana
April 5 marks the 21st anniversary of the death of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain. Here are three things you might not know about Cobain and Nirvana: First: According to friends, the first concert he went to was a 1983 show at the Seattle Center Coliseum featuring Sammy Hagar and Quarterflash. Second: Cobain, along with…
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Episode 35: The Founding of Microsoft
April 4 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of Microsoft. Here are some things you may not know about the software giant. One: The company was not founded in the Seattle area. Bill Gates and Paul Allen started Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after they secured a contract to produce a programming language translator…
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Episode 34: First Handheld Mobile Phone Call
On April 3, 1973, the first handheld mobile phone call was made. Here are some things you might not know about early cellular phones: First, Martin Cooper of Motorola made that first call to his counterpart at AT&T and said, “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cell phone; a real handheld cell…