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571: Salad Dressing Names
Let’s start with salad, specifically salad dressing, even more specifically salad dressing names. We’ll start with the king of salad dressings in the United States: ranch. Ranch dressing was first created in 1954 by Steve Henson, who owned a dude ranch called Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara, California. His customers liked the dressing so…
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569: We’re Back and We’re Going to Disneyland!
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Big Ben: The Story Behind the Bell
On this date in 1858, the bell known as Big Ben was cast in London. Here are some things you may not have known about Big Ben. The nickname Big Ben refers to the bell only. The clock is called the Great Clock, while the tower is named Elizabeth Tower. The namesake of the bell…
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1806: America’s First Highway
On this date in in 1806, the first major improved highway in the United States was authorized. Here are some things you might not know about The National Road. The National Road began in 1751 as the Braddock Road, which ran from Fort Cumberland, Maryland, which is navigable limit of the Potomac River, to Fort…
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1977: Tenerife Airport Disaster
On this date in 1977, 583 people died in the deadliest accident in aviation history. Here are some things you may not have known about the Tenerife Airport Disaster. KLM Flight 4805 from Amsterdam, and Pan Am Flight 1736 from Los Angeles via New York, were both traveling to Gran Canaria Airport at Las Palmas…
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1894: The First Stanley Cup Playoff
On this date in 1894, the first Stanley Cup playoff game was held. Here are a few things you may not have known about the oldest trophy in North American professional team sports. The cup was commissioned as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup by Lord Stanley of Preston, who was then the governor general of…
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Iditarod: Racing Across Alaska
On this date in 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail sled dog race. Here are some things you might not have known about the annual tradition. The Iditarod is run in honor of the 1925 serum run, which was a sled dog relay to deliver a diphtheria antitoxin to…
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St. Patrick’s Day: Common Misconceptions
Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Here are some things you should know. While a four-leaf clover may be lucky, it’s not a shamrock. Shamrocks have three leaves and are more common than their quad-leaved brethren. It’s said that St. Patrick used the three leaves of the shamrock to help explain the Christian Holy Trinity to…
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1820: Maine, America’s Vacationland
On this date in 1820, Maine was admitted to the Union. Here are some things you may not have known about the 23rd state. The first inhabitants of what would become Maine was a loose confederacy of Algonquin-speaking people, called the Wabanaki. The first European contact came about 800 years ago when Norwegians arrived on…
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1930: Pluto Discovered, Controversy Ensues
On this date in 1930, the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered. Here are some things you may not have known about what was once considered the ninth planet in the solar system. Although it wasn’t discovered until 1930, astronomers had predicted in the late 19th century that something besides the newly discovered Neptune was disturbing…