TIDBITS® CONSIDERS
Do-It-Yourself History
by Janet Spencer
“If you want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself!” This is the motto of many inventive people who got tired of waiting around for someone to “do something!” and ended up changing history by doing it themselves!
LAMBORGHINI
• In 1948, an Italian mechanic named Ferruccio Lamborghini opened a factory in Italy to manufacture agricultural equipment, particularly tractors. In 1958, he bought a Ferrari, the first of several. However, the cars consistently had issues with the clutch, requiring many trips back to the factory to be repaired. He grew so frustrated with this flaw that he complained to the company founder, Enzo Ferrari, and suggested improvements. Ferrari brushed him off curtly, “What does a tractor guy know about sports cars?” and dismissed his concerns.
• The next time a clutch went out, Lamborghini decided to repair it himself and was shocked to find that the identical clutch he used for his tractors was also used in a Ferrari. With money, manpower, and facilities at his disposal, Lamborghini decided to build a better sports car, a high
performance touring car, to give Ferrari a run for his money.
• The Lamborghini 350GT was subsequently introduced at the Geneva Auto Show in 1964. (cont.)
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AUTOMATED SWITCHBOARD
• Almon Strowger was an undertaker in Kansas City who suspected he was losing business to a rival. The rival’s wife worked as a switchboard operator, and he thought she was diverting calls to her husband. One morning in 1886 his suspicions were confirmed as he read in the newspaper that his close friend had passed away and been buried by this rival. This was his incentive to replace human operators with an automatic switchboard. He invented the Strowger Automatic Telephone System, called the “girlless, cuss-less, out-of-order-less, wait-less telephone.” It made the job of switchboard operator obsolete.
HEART CATHETERS
• Werner Forssmann was a German cardiologist. He thought it would be possible to thread a catheter through the body’s main veins directly into the heart to allow doctors to deliver drugs straight to the heart. Higher -ups forbade him from performing any such experiments, certain it would be deadly.
• Late one night in 1929, Forssmann went to the X-ray lab with a colleague determined to try it. His co-worker insisted she be the test subject, which Forssmann agreed to. However, he tricked her by tying her to the table for “stability” before quickly cutting open the main vein in his own arm and threading a plastic urinary catheter into it. He released his colleague so she could operate the X-ray machine as he threaded the catheter 23 inches (60 cm) to his right ventricle.
• When shown the X-ray proof, the head of the hospital was annoyed at this duplicity, but within days, the first official heart catheterization had saved a life. In spite of this, Forssmann was fired, though he was later reinstated. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1956. By the time he died in 1979- ironically of heart failure- catheterization was a safe routine medical procedure. (cont)
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Danielle C From Parkersburg Found Tammy In Issue 1295
KON TIKI
• Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian researcher who had unconventional ideas about the spread of humanity from continents to islands. He specialized in Polynesian culture and history, visiting many Pacific island groups where he collected lore from the natives. While living among natives on a remote island, he developed his own unique theories of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact between pre-European Polynesians, and the people of South America.
• His ideas were roundly ridiculed by the experts who proclaimed that contact between such widely spaced cultures would be impossible prior to the invention of more modern sailing ships. Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove them wrong.
• In 1947, Thor and five other men constructed a raft out of native materials collected in Peru, with balsa forming the base of the boat. The boat was patterned after sketches made by early Spanish conquistadors of crafts the natives had used. They named the boat the Kon-Tiki after an Incan god.
• Together, the six men sailed the Kon Tiki from Peru to Polynesia, a distance of 5,000 miles (8,000 km) over the course of 101 days as they crossed the entire Pacific Ocean.
• In 1970, he and a crew of six managed to sail a boat made of papyrus across the breadth of the Atlantic Ocean, starting in Morocco in Africa and making it to Barbados in the West Indies of the Caribbean Sea. The raft, patterned after ancient Egyptian boats, was dubbed the Ra II.
• Though many of Thor Heyerdahl’s theories of cross-ocean immigration were later disproved through DNA studies of natives, his nautical feats remain unparalleled and revised the theories of how early humans might have spread across the globe. (cont)
GUIDE DOGS
• Joseph Jones worked for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for his entire career (IAMAW). In 1947, he went blind. He considered the options available for assistance, and concluded he needed a guide dog. He put in an application for a guide dog to every service available. Every single one turned him down. Why? Because he was “too old.” He was 57. Jones turned to the IAMAW for help. The Executive Council agreed to assist. They contributed enough money to found International Guiding Eyes in 1948 with Joseph Jones at the helm. In 1992 the name was changed to Guide Dogs of America. It’s still going strong, with continuing support from IAMAW. Because of Joseph Jones, there is no upper age limit.
HIGHWAY SIGN MAKER
• Richard Ankrom was a professional sign maker in Los Angeles. He had frequently missed an exit off I-110 because the exit to the northbound Interstate 5 was not marked at the confusing interchange. Despite years of complaints to the California State Department of Transportation, the problem still had not been corrected.
• Finally, Ankrom was disgusted enough to fix the problem himself. He took 8 months to construct the sign. The final product was identical to the highway signs already in use. In 2001, he installed it himself. The California DOT never noticed. Eight months later, Ankrom alerted the media to his feat. The story blitzed around the country and Ankrom got his 15 minutes of fame which “lasted about two hours,” according to Ankrom.
• Eight years later, the California State Department of Transportation finally got around to installing a “real” identical sign at the exit to I-5 Northbound.
1816
Get Ready to Fiesta with Elotes: Mexican Street Corn
Next Monday marks Cinco de Mayo. While the day has deep historical roots, it's also an opportunity to gather with friends and family, savor the flavors of Mexico, and celebrate the arrival of warmer days. And what better way to do that than with Mexican street corn also known as elotes?
If you've ever strolled the streets of Mexico, you've likely encountered the irresistible aroma of grilled corn smothered in a creamy, cheesy savory sauce a true taste of heaven on a cob! Elotes are the quintessential street food, loved for their perfect balance of smokiness, creaminess and a hint of spice.
When I visited my local grocery store for the ingredients, I was taken aback by the rising prices of Mexican imports. Authentic Mexican crema was unexpectedly expensive, so I opted for sour cream as a more affordable substitute. While I missed the subtle sweetness it would have added, the dish was still delicious. I did splurge on cotija cheese, and it was worth every penny.
MEXICAN STREET CORN - ELOTES
Yield: 4 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes
4 ears of corn on the cob
1/4 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream for a budget-friendly swap)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled, divided (or feta or Parmesan if that's cheaper)
2 tablespoons cilantro, minced, plus more to garnish
2 limes
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, plus extra for sprinkling
Optional: Cayenne pepper for an extra kick
Your first decision: husk on or off. For Corn with Husk On: Soak the corn in its husk for 20 minutes. This helps steam the corn as it grills and prevents the husk from burning too quickly.
Place the soaked corn directly on the grill, turning occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. The husk will char, but the corn inside will stay tender and juicy.
Once done, carefully remove the husk (it's hot, so be careful) or pull it into a handle and tie it with twine.
For Corn without the Husk: Remove the husk and silk from the corn.
Brush the corn lightly with olive oil or butter.
Grill the corn directly on the grates, turning every 2-3 minutes, for about 10-12 minutes, until the kernels are golden and charred in spots.
While the corn is grilling, mix the mayo, crema (or sour cream), 1/2 cup of cotija cheese, cilantro, chili powder, and the juice and zest of half a lime in a bowl. When the corn is cool enough to touch, generously apply the sauce to the corn using a brush or spoon. Sprinkle with the reserved cotija cheese. For a final touch, top with more cilantro, dust with chili powder and, if you like a little heat, a dash of cayenne pepper. Squeeze the remaining lime juice over everything and serve with extra lime wedges on the side.
Diva Tip: If you're hosting a Cinco de Mayo celebration on a budget, consider making elotes the star of your meal. Pair them with smaller portions of shrimp or
steak tacos to keep the celebration festive without breaking the bank. This way, you can splurge on a few special ingredients without overspending.
As we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, let's support local businesses, especially Mexicanowned ones. By supporting them, you're helping preserve and honor the cultural heritage that this day represents. Whether for Cinco de Mayo or any celebration, elotes bring the spirit of fiesta to any meal. Serve them at your next barbecue, picnic or taco night, and watch everyone savor every bite.
***
Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com (c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc. Grilled to perfection, these elotes bring the
Professional Business Accounting
SPIRIT & OPPORTUNITY
• Mars is the only planet in our solar system that is inhabited entirely by robots.
• There have been ten successful missions to Mars ending with a craft on the surface of the planet. Of those, the most successful were NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
• Spirit and Opportunity were identical twin robots that rewrote our understanding of the geological history of Mars. They were each the size of a golf cart, traveling on six wheels, while carrying a lot of scientific equipment. They served in the role of robot field geologists.
• The two craft were launched a month apart, on June 10 and July 8, 2003. Spirit landed on Mars on January 4, 2004, and Opportunity followed on January 25. They landed on opposite sides of the planet, with each landing in a place that looked like it had a history of water in the area. Spirit landed in a crater that may have once held a lake at the bottom. Opportunity landed in a place where mineral deposits indicated the area had seen incursions of water over time.
• Both rovers provided abundant proof that Mars had a long history of water in its past.
• Each of these Rovers was expected to operate for 90 days. Both far exceeded expectations.
• Spirit functioned until it got stuck in soft sand in 2009. It expended much of its energy struggling to get free. By 2010, it no longer had enough energy to communicate with Earth. Its mission was declared over in 2011, having lasted 20 times longer than expected. It had sent back over 100,000 pictures and traveled 4.8 miles (7.7 km)
• Because of a planet-wide dust storm in 2018, Opportunity’s solar-powered batteries lost much of their charge as the panels were covered with dust. (Continued page #7)
SPIRIT & OPPORTUNITY (cont)
• On June 12, 2018, Opportunity entered hibernation. The storm on Mars lasted from June through October. Scientists hoped that wind storms would clear the panels, allowing the rover to recharge, but it didn’t happen.
• Opportunity was operational on Mars for the equivalent of 14 years and 138 days, which was 57 times longer than expected.
• By June 10, 2018, when it last contacted NASA, Opportunity had sent back over 200,000 pictures. It had traveled a recordsetting distance of 28.06 miles (45.16 km). Its mission is one of NASA’s most successful ventures.
• On February 13, 2019, NASA officials declared that the Opportunity mission was complete, after the spacecraft had failed to respond to over 1,000 signals sent since August of 2018.
• One journalist, Jacob Margolis, tweeted his interpretation of the last data transmission sent by Opportunity on June 10, 2018, as “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.”
The phrase plucked the heart strings of the public, who mourned the loss of the lonely little robot. However, Margolis had romanticized what amounted to bits of data sent by the craft: “Battery power: low. Current temperature: Dropping.”
• Still, however, as NASA ended their attempts to contact the rover, the last data sent was the song “I’ll Be Seeing You” as performed by noted blues singer Billie Holiday.
• Since the launch of Opportunity, there have been more successful missions to Mars. The Phoenix Mars Lander touched down in 2008, Curiosity landed in 2012, and InSight landed in 2018. Yet the accomplishments of Opportunity, the little rover with the big attitude, will never be forgotten.
Tips for camping safely with your dog
DEAR PAW'S COR-
NER: My partner and I are first-time campers, planning to go on our first outing in late May at a state park. We have an adult dog, "JayJay," who will come along with us. What tips do you have to keep him safe and having fun all weekend? Kerry in Atlanta
DEAR KERRY: Camping with your dog can be a lot of fun if you prepare correctly. Keep some key points in mind:
Make sure your dog doesn't bother other campers.
Ensure that your dog is leashed and under control at all times.
Clean up after your dog.
Make sure your dog has ample water, food and bedding.
One way to prepare is to set up a test camp in your backyard, if you can. Set up your tent and set out all of the items you'll be using during the outing cooler, chairs, stoves, etc. Put JayJay on his leash and walk him all through the mock campsite, and into the tent, so that he gets familiar with all of these things. Then roll out your sleeping mat and bedding inside the tent, including JayJay's bedding, and climb in. Let JayJay roam the tent interior and have him lie down on his bedding. (This is also the perfect time to test all your new gear, put sealer on the tent seams, and shake things down.)
Once at camp, follow the campsite rules about pets. JayJay will need to be on a leash anytime he's outside. It's important that he comes back when you call him, if he gets loose. If you're worried about your dog barking at night, try to book a campsite that is farther away from others. Send your tips, comments or questions to ask@pawscorner.com.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
