Tidbits of Grand Forks - September 2, 2021

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Of Grand Forks • East Grand Forks September 2, 2021

Published by: Wick Publications

701-740-0968

Issue # 1,235

Chad@TidbitsGF.com

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THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

by Kathy Wolfe

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This week, Tidbits dives into the past to dig up facts on historical occurrences from this week.

• One of the world’s most famous companies got its start on August 29, 1898. Thirty-nine-yearold entrepreneur Frank Seiberling borrowed $3,500 from his brother-in-law to purchase an abandoned factory in Akron, Ohio to open a rubber factory with his brother. He called the company Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, honoring Charles Goodyear, who had perfected the vulcanization process in 1839. Charles Goodyear had died nearly penniless almost 40 years prior. The factory started out with just 13 workers manufacturing bicycle tires, carriage tires, horseshoe pads, and oddly enough, poker chips. First-month sales were $8,246. Two years later, Seiberling created the trademark still in use today, that of the winged foot of Mercury, the mythological Roman god of financial gain. A gifted inventor, Seiberling had already invented a twine binder that tied grain bundles with a bow knot before founding Goodyear, and went on to be awarded 19 patents afterward.

• This was a busy week in 1931 for baseball great Lou Gehrig. On September 1, he hit his third grand slam in four days, and his sixth home run in consecutive runs. Earlier in the week, he had wrapped up knocking in runs in ten consecutive games, a total of 27 RBIs.

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Quiz Bits

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. What is the name of Mork’s planet on “Mork & Mindy”?

What is the name of the 6.

On September 1 1939, what trouble-making fraternity in country was invaded by Hitler’s “National Lampoon’s Animal armies?

House”?

On September 4, 1609, what What word represents the let7. explorer discovered the island ter “U” in the NATO phonetic of Manhattan? alphabet code?

In the “Beetle Bailey” comic What was the name of the 8. strip, what is the name of Sgt. little boy in “Puff, the Snorkel’s bulldog?

Magic Dragon”?

What part of the brain deals with hearing and language?

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THIS WEEK IN HISTORY (cont.)

In 1932, he became the first player to hit four home runs in a game. Gehrig continued to play for the Yankees through the 1938 season, but in June of 1939 was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) on his 36th birthday. He retired two days later after a record-breaking 2,130 consecutive games. The team retired his uniform number “4,” the first player in baseball history to receive that honor. Gehrig lived with his condition nearly two more years, passing away 17 days before his 38th birthday.

• September 1 was a day of tragedy in two locations.

In 1894, a forest fire raged through Pine County, Minnesota, eventually destroying over 400 square miles, which included six entire towns. It became known as the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894, because well over 400 men, women, and children lost their lives in that community. Nearby towns of Mission Creek, Brook Park, Sandstone, Miller, Partridge, and Pokegama were also wiped out.

Twenty-nine years later, a massive 7.9 earthquake struck Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, which triggered a 40-foot-high tsunami that swept away thousands of people. Devastating fires in nearly 140 locations followed, fanned by high winds, nearly destroying the two cities. A total of 142,000 people were killed in the disaster.

• After 73 years of resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, on September 1, 1985, a team led by oceanographer Robert Ballard discovered the wreckage of the Titanic. The ship lay in two main pieces 12,415 feet below sea level and more than 13 miles from the location given by the ship’s radio operators on the fateful night of April 15, 1912. The two pieces were more than a third of a mile apart, 370 miles south of Newfoundland.

Ballard used an unmanned submersible craft fitted with cameras to locate the shipwreck. ...continued

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SPORTS QUIZ

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1. What Olympic athlete won 7 gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics?

2. What name did Muhammad Ali give to his strategy of tiring out an opponent by repeatedly absorbing or evading his punches?

3. Which two NFL teams played in last year’s 2020 Hall of Fame Game?

4. Name the NFL’s Tennessee Titans home stadium?

5. What sports equipment and sportswear manufacturer was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1906?

6. The United States led the medal table with a record 83 gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. What nation came in a distant second with 20 gold medals at those Games?

7. What is the name of the official mascot of the NBA’s Orlando Magic?

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THIS WEEK IN HISTORY (cont.)

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• President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote “Speak softly, and carry a big stick” is well-known in the political world. He delivered the remark for the first time in a speech on September 2, 1901 at the Minnesota State Fair when he was a vicepresidential candidate, just a few weeks before the assassination of President William McKinley. The philosophy behind the statement is that of “carefully mediated negotiation (speaking softly), supported by the unspoken threat of a powerful military (big stick).”

• The first automobile to exceed 300 mph was driven by Englishman Sir Malcolm Campbell. On September 3, 1935, Campbell was racing at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, when his car known as Blue Bird reached 301.337 mph. Campbell had been a motorcycle dispatch rider and infantry soldier in World War I before being drafted into the Royal Flying Corps as a ferry pilot. Bonneville wasn’t Campbell’s first record by any means. He first broke the land speed record in 1924 in a 350HP V12 Sunbeam, reaching a speed of 146.16 mph, and broke nine more records between 1924 and 1935. Campbell also set the water speed record four times, with the fastest speed being 141.74 mph in 1939.

• The Ford Motor Company introduced the Edsel on September 4, 1957, dubbing it “the car of the future.” Touted as “an entirely new kind of car,” it featured a remote-operated trunk opening and self-adjusting brakes. The mid-priced automobile was named for Edsel B. Ford, Henry Ford’s son who had died of cancer in 1943 and was launched in a massive advertising campaign. The company had spent $250 million on the development, manufacturing, and marketing of what most folks considered an ugly car! Four different models were produced the first year, experiencing sales of a measly 63,000 vehicles. ...continued

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY (cont.)

The following year there were just two Edsel models and sales had dropped to a level that led Ford to abandon the Edsel in November of 1959.

No one seemed to want Edsels back then, but today if you have a 1960 Edsel convertible, you might get as much as $200,000 for your collector’s item.

• Pick up your newspaper’s comics section and you can still chuckle at “Beetle Bailey,” a comic strip that debuted 71 years ago on September 4, 1950.

The story revolves around a lazy, work-shirking U.S. Army private stationed at the fictional Camp Swampy, near the town of Hurleyburg at Parris Island, South Carolina. Beetle is constantly harassed by his platoon sergeant, Sergeant First Class Orville P. Snorkel. The strip was the creation of cartoonist Mort Walker, who worked continually on the strip until his death in 2018 at age 94. Walker used his memories of Camp Crowder in Neosho, Missouri, where he had once been stationed in the Army, as the inspiration for Camp Swampy. In the early days of the comic, Carl James “Beetle” Bailey was a college student at Rockview University, and his pals were representative of Mort Walker’s fraternity brothers at the University of Missouri. Six months after the comic strip was introduced, Beetle dropped out of the school and enlisted in the Army. On its first day, “Beetle Bailey” appeared in 12 newspapers. Today, it’s syndicated in 1,800 papers, as Walker’s three sons and their assistants carry on the production.

NUGGET OF KNOWLEDGE

© 2021 King Features Synd., Inc.

Bob Barker began hosting “The Price is Right” on September 4, 1972. Drew Carey took over in June of 2007.

It’s the longest-running game show in television history.

*Answer located further back in this issue.

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Pays2Know

by Freddy Groves

VA Tells Health Staff They Must Get Vaccine

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announced that they will require their frontline medical staff to get the COVID vaccine. Specifically, they listed "physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants, expanded-function dental auxiliaries and chiropractors who work in Veterans Health Administration facilities, visit VHA facilities or provide direct care to those the VA serves."

In other words, anyone who touches you in a VA medical setting, breathes on you or handles something they're about to put in your mouth has to get the vaccine.

Thank you, VA. It was unnerving going to the VA and asking whatever medical person was about to touch me or breathe on me, "So, which vaccine did you get?" only to be told they hadn't had the vaccine and didn't intend to get it.

Even waiting for the vaccine was difficult. When my age group finally came along, I ended up at a civilian pharmacy because it was faster. Nobody there had gotten the vaccine either.

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And now, unfortunately, we discover that the vaccines don't work as we thought they would.

There are breakthrough cases where fully vaccinated people are still getting the virus, the variants have gained strength, and we're likely going back to Step One, complete with masks.

If you need to go to a VA facility for health care, call ahead or use the VA health appointment app.

You'll no doubt be met at the door, asked COVID screening questions and have your temperature taken. Have your vaccination card with you and wear a mask. You also might be able to get a telehealth appointment.

Meanwhile, if you've gotten lax about safety, get smart again. Do one full minute scrubbing your hands under warm water with an antibacterial soap, including your nails. Hang a mask on the front doorknob so you'll see it each time you go out.

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by Matilda Charles

Biggest Raise in Decades for Social Security?

.COM

© 2021 King Features Syndicate. All rights reserved.

TIDBITSGF

*Answer located further back in this issue.

Don't count your money before it's in hand, of course.

But word is that the Social Security increase we see in January could be as much as 6.1%, the largest since 1983.

For the average benefit recipient, currently receiving $1,543, that could amount to $94 per month. It's a few years too late for a serious increase, but certainly better than the 1.3% bump we saw for 2021 and the 1.6% the year before.

Social Security is calculated by the cost-of-living adjustment in the third quarter each year. For 2021, they calculated that a 1.3% increase should be plenty. We know that was wrong, as prices of everything had climbed. It's all in how and what they calculate. They use the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), which measures prices on certain goods and services.

But we're not wage earners, and we don't work in offices.

We spend our money on different things. We wonder why they don't use the index for the elderly (CPI-E), which takes into consideration the things we do buy, such as medical care, medical services, housing and health insurance. (There's a bill in the House of Representatives -- H.R.4315 -- to do that very thing.) We spend less than the CPI-W group on transportation, food, clothing, entertainment, education and communication.

The Federal Reserve Bank did a midsummer survey on what consumers are expecting for the rest of 2021. The expectation of responders is that we'll see a 4.8% increase on top of what we've already seen this year.

Keep an eye on the news in October, when the rate of next year's Social Security increase is finalized.

Meanwhile start planning for next year as soon as you can. Look for savings everywhere you can find them. ©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

WONDERFUL WORDS

• The Ancient Greek words for “scale” and “wing or feather” give us the word “lepidopterology,” a study There are all kinds of things that people collect, everything of moths and butterflies, making a collector of these from stamps to butterflies to umbrellas. This week, Tidbits a lepidopterist. The term was first used by the Swedfocuses on the origins of the words given to those who are ish botanist and physician Carolus Linnaeus who established the modern system of naming organisms. collectors.

COLLECTORS

Answer

Weekly SUDOKU

Answer

King CROSSWORD

• A numismatist spends his free time studying and collect- • A collector of flags is known as a vexillologist, taking coins. The name is derived from the Latin “numis- ing its origin from the Latin word “vexillum,” which matis,” meaning “coin.” The word “numismatiste” was translates “flag.” The word “vexillum” developed first used by the French in 1788, although the first book from another Latin word, “vellum,” which meant on coins had been issued in 1514. European royalty and “sail,” specifically on a ship. nobility were collecting coins as early as the 1300s. The • Combining the Greek word “arktos,” meaning London-based Royal Numismatic Society was founded “bear,” and “phile,” meaning “lover,” creates the in 1836 and published a journal for coin enthusiasts. A word “arctophilist,” a person who collects teddy group of New York City collectors founded the Ameri- bears. can Numismatic Society in 1866, and it is home to the • Lots of folks collect key rings from their various only American museum dedicated strictly to the presertravels. They are referred to as “copoclephiles,” vation and study of coins, housing nearly a million items. from the Greek words “kope,” meaning “handle,” • A numismatist shouldn’t be confused with a notaphilist, and “kleis,” which translates “key.” A related hobby one who collects paper money. is collecting keys, with that collector known as a ca• The official name for a stamp collector is “philatelist.” gophilist.

The term was coined in 1865 by a French collector, • During the 1800s, it became popular to become an Georges Herpin, who formed the word from the Greek oologist, one who collects birds’ eggs. The Greek “phil,” for “loving,” and “ateles,” translating “free from word “oion,” meaning “egg” is the source for the term. tax or charge.” Stamp collecting has been around since Because high-power binoculars were not yet availthey were first introduced in 1840 in London. The first able to bird lovers, the hobby of collecting eggs was international exhibition for philatelists was held in 1929. born. The British Oological Association was founded • The world’s third most popular hobby is that of deltiol- by naturalist Baron Rothschild in 1922. Many counogy, collecting picture postcards. The first postcard was tries, including the U.K. and the U.S., now outlaw printed in 1869 in Austria-Hungary, which sparked an the collection and possession of wild bird eggs, and interest in the commodity. An Ohio professor, Randall oologists can be criminally prosecuted.

Rhoades, came up with the term “deltiology” in 1945, • A phillumenist’s hobby is collecting matchbooks using the Greek word “deltos,” which means “writing and matchbook covers. The word is derived from tablet or letter.” the Latin word for “light” – “lumen” – combined • The Greek word for doll – “plangon” – lends its name to with the Greek “phile.” doll collectors -- plangonologists

by Lucie Winbourne

• Autism is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.

• A bizarre dream in which cannibals surrounded him and prepared to cook him as they waved spears helped inspire Elias Howe's invention of the sewing machine. When he awoke, he remembered that the spears had holes in their shafts and moved up and down.

• "Bhang lassi" is an Indian milkshake whose main ingredient is marijuana.

• According to British law, any unclaimed swan swimming in the open waters of England and Wales belongs to the queen. The law originated in medieval times when swans were a delicacy for the wealthy.

• "Gingerphobia" is a fear of redheads.

• The Russians arrived 12 days late to the 1908 Olympics because they were using the wrong (i.e., Julian) calendar.

• In 1995 a woman in Sweden lost her wedding ring while cooking for Christmas. Understandably distraught, she looked everywhere for it and even pulled up her kitchen floor, but didn't see it again until 16 years later, when, while gardening, she discovered it encircling a carrot that had sprouted in the middle of it.

• The amount of copper on the Arizona capitol building roof is equivalent to nearly 5 million pennies.

• Bumblebees can fly higher than Mt. Everest.

• Because he got a 25% profit share of merchandise, Elvis Presley manager Colonel Tom Parker was always in search of new ways to get fans to lay down some cash. One of the most notable was marketing to Presley's haters with badges that read "I Hate Elvis" and "Elvis is a Jerk." *** Thought for the Day: "The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one." -- J.D. Salinger ©2021 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

West Nile Virus Identified in Grand Forks!

Grand Forks Health Department has identified West Nile Virus (WNV) in the region. WNV is a serious disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

Most people infected with this disease will have no symptoms or mild symptoms but this is a serious disease and can be fatal. The Grand Forks Public Health Department urges citizens to take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites. The type of mosquito most common for transmitting WNV is present in our area and is most active from dusk until dawn.

Please take the necessary measures to avoid mosquito bites.

How do people get infected with WNV? Most people get infected with WNV by an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on infected birds. Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to humans and other animals. In a very small number of cases, West Nile virus has been spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, and from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding.

Can I get West Nile virus directly from birds?

There is no evidence that a person can get infected from handling live or dead infected birds. However, you should avoid bare-handed contact when handling any dead animal. If you must pick up a dead bird, use gloves or an inverted plastic bag to place the bird’s carcass (body) in a garbage bag.

Why do some states and local areas stop collecting dead birds to test for West Nile virus?

West Nile virus is found in all 48 contiguous states (not in Alaska and Hawaii) and the virus circulates in mosquitoes and birds every year. Because West Nile virus is well established, some states and local jurisdictions are no longer collecting dead birds for testing. Instead, they have chosen to shift staff and funding resources away from testing of dead birds to other areas of West Nile virus surveillance and control.

Who is at risk for serious illness if infected with WNV? Serious illness can occur in people of any age. However, people over 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease. People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk for serious illness.

For information about West Nile Virus and the Grand Forks mosquito control program visit our website at www.gfmosquito.com

King Features Weekly Service (Answers located further back)

August 23, 2021

• If you keep a couple of crackers in your sugar jar, they’ll keep the sugar from caking.

• Cucumber is a speedy diuretic. Try snacking on slices for a cool treat. Or deseed slices and slip a few in your glass of cold water.

• “When we go to the doctor with our youngest, we bring a few crayons. She’ll lie down on the exam table paper, and we draw her outline.

Then she can fill in her face and other details. This usually calms her while she is waiting. The doctor even has used the outline to talk about her body to her.” — E.S. in Georgia • “In older houses, you might have a problem with cracking drywall when trying to hang pictures. You can solve this by placing a bit of clear tape over the spot where you’re going to drive a nail. It goes right in. If you’re nailing into wood, drag your nail through some soap (bar soap is fine) before striking. It does the same thing, keeping the wood from splitting.” — P.K. in New Jersey • To prevent garbage cans from filling with water during rainstorms, drill several holes in the bottom, near the sides. This also will help bags to come out of the can easier.

• Boost your metabolism by drinking green tea ... hot or cold. Try it over ice with honey and a sprig of mint.

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• On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the "United States" of America. This replaced the term "United Colonies," which had been in general use.

• On Sept. 6, 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolls off the assembly line in England.

Far from an overnight success, it weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches, overheated and crawled over rough terrain at only 2 mph. With improvements, tanks would eventually transform military battlefields.

• On Sept. 11, 1930, Katherine Anne Porter's first collection of short stories, "Flowering Judas," is published. Porter went on to publish 25 stories and one novel, "Ship of Fools," which took her more than two decades to complete.

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• On Sept. 10, 1940, in light of the destruction and terror inflicted on Londoners by German bombing raids, called "the Blitz," the British War Cabinet instructs British bombers over Germany to drop their bombs "anywhere" if unable to reach their targets. One even landed in the garden of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Party's minister of propaganda.

• On Sept. 7, 1950, Julie Kavner, perhaps best known as the voice of Marge Simpson on "The Simpsons," the longestrunning animated show in TV history, is born in Los Angeles.

• On Sept. 8, 1974, in a controversial executive action, President Gerald Ford pardons his disgraced predecessor Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed or participated in while in office. Ford later explained that he wanted to end the national divisions created by the Watergate scandal.

• On Sept. 12, 1993, the rebuilt Lacey V. Murrow Bridge over Lake Washington opens in Seattle. The old bridge was almost 2 miles long, contained 100,000 tons of steel and floated on more than 20 hollow concrete pontoons.

During repairs in 1990, the bridge broke apart and sank in a flood.

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The majority of folks collect something, with some collections more unusual than others. A collector of umbrellas is known as a brolliologist, and this week, Tidbits turns its attention to the subject of that collection.

• The word “umbrella” has its origins in the Latin language. Because the umbrella is frequently used to shade its holder from the sun, the Latin word “umbra,” meaning “shade” or “shadow,” lends its name to this device.

• There is historical evidence that the Chinese were the first to create a collapsible fabric dome around the year 21 A.D. Chinese rulers used umbrellas to shade their carriages from the sun. Umbrellas and parasols were a symbol of royalty or status, and were held over heads by servants. The custom then spread, first to Japan and Korea, and on to Europe and Asia.

• Until the mid-1700s, European umbrellas were seen as a female fashion accessory and a symbol of femininity. Men who carried umbrellas were viewed as having a weak character. But that all changed when London merchant Jonas Hanway came along. Having returned from a buying trip to France, the eccentric and rather stubborn Hanway committed the social sin of carrying an umbrella, subjecting himself to verbal abuse, ridicule, and mocking. However, as time went on, and Englishmen saw him protected from London’s rainy weather, while they were soaked to the skin, the practice caught on, and umbrella usage began to rise.

• It was no easy task to hoist up an umbrella circa 1800. With a frame of wooden rods and whale bone, and fabric that was oiled or waxed for waterproofing, the apparatus weighed about 10 lbs. ...cont'd

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UMBRELLAS (continued):

• Steel-ribbed umbrellas came along in 1852, the invention of Samuel Fox, owner of a steel mill in South Yorkshire, England, that manufactured steel wire, steel ingots, steel tires and axles, and train rails. Fox’s “Paragon” umbrella featured a U-section of string steel, a much lighter but stronger contraption.

• With creative individuals always trying to improve on inventions, the U.S. Patent Office has received upwards of 3,000 sets of plans for umbrella design upgrades, including fiberglass framework, a flying umbrella, one that is riveted to the brim of a hat, and another that adds a pet leash.

DIFFERENCES:: DIFFERENCES 1. Stripe is added. 2. Pencil is removed.

3. Tent is smaller. 4. Shorts are different.

5. Rock is moved. 6. Cap is reversed. © 2020 King Features Synd., All rights reserved.

• Songxia, China, about two miles south of Shanghai, is considered the “umbrella capital of the world.” Annual production is about half a billion umbrellas manufactured in their 1,000+ factories. Each worker creates about 300 per day, making anything from rain umbrellas, fashion umbrellas, parasols, patio umbrellas, and promotional items.

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• Umbrellas have many uses, but who knew that one of them would be used as a murder weapon? In 1978, a Bulgarian journalist known for his controversial anti-communist writings was waiting for a bus in London when he was stabbed by an assassin associated with the KGB, who wielded an umbrella with a tip full of deadly poison. By evening, Georgi Markov had developed a fever, and died four days later.

• Runaway umbrellas have also been responsible for injuries and deaths when strong gusty winds have sent beach umbrellas flying.

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• You might call yours an umbrella, but others refer to it as a brolly, a gamp, parasol, parapluie, bumbershoot, or bumbersoll. Today, your umbrella is waterproof because it’s coated with Teflon.

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