Notable:
The Charlie Brown comic strip debuts. Today in 1950, “Li’l Folks,” created by Charles M. Schultz, launched in seven U.S. newspapers. The strip was later renamed “Peanuts,” and totalled 17,897 strips over the next 50 years.
The lifelong friendship between Bob Seger and Glen Frey. The late Eagles founder said meeting Bob was the best thing to happen to him.
For 62 years, Slippery Rock has received the biggest cheer at The Big House when they are winning. Here’s the unlikely backstory about how a small school with a cool name became a University of Michigan icon.
Can video games help kids with an attention deficit? We’re almost a year into the Adderall shortage. Wired reports some researchers say digital therapeutics could help fill the gap for people with ADHD.
104 years ago today, a woman became the de-facto, unelected President of the United States. Today in 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke that paralyzed his left side and impaired his vision. For the next 17 months, the public was not told that the president was bedridden, near death and barely able to write his own name. All communication with Wilson went through his wife, Edith, who effectively ran the country for the rest of Wilson’s term. He never fully recovered.
It’s that time of year when fresh Michigan produce fills farmers’ markets. Here are five ways to keep yours fresh from our friends at The Better Report:
- Dry Your Produce: After washing your fruits and vegetables, be sure to thoroughly dry them. While a bit of humidity is fine, excess moisture can lead to spoilage.
- Use Water Storage: Some produce, like spring onions, asparagus, and leafy herbs, benefit from being stored in water. Change the water daily to keep it fresh.
- Wrap Berries and Greens: Instead of leaving your produce in their original plastic containers, store washed berries and leafy greens in sealable bags or containers with a dry paper towel to prevent moisture and contaminants from ruining them.
- Be Aware of Ethylene: Certain fruits and veggies, like apples, bananas, and tomatoes, release ethylene gas, which can speed up ripening for other nearby produce. Keep them separate in your kitchen. Conversely, if you want to ripen unripe items quickly, store them with an apple or some potatoes in a bag.
- Freeze Extra Produce: Don’t overlook freezing as a preservation method. Chop and blanch vegetables, squeeze out excess moisture, and store them in sealed bags or containers in the freezer. This works well for items like zucchini and corn, which can be thawed and used almost like fresh, and frozen fruit is perfect for smoothies.
Today in History:
1955, Elvis Presley’s “I Forgot to Remember to Forget” reached #2 on the Memphis record charts, eventually becoming his first record to give him national exposure.
1955, The anthology series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” began a 10-year run on CBS-TV.
1957, At Coastal Studios in New York City, Connie Francis reluctantly recorded “Who’s Sorry Now,” a song she didn’t like. It became her first hit, reaching #4 on the pop singles chart the following spring.
1959, “The Twilight Zone,” hosted by Rod Serling, started a five-year stay on CBS-TV.
1960, “Stay” by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs entered the US chart on its way to becoming the shortest US chart-topper in Rock ‘n’ Roll history at just 1 minute and 37 seconds.
1962, The World War II series “Combat!” starring Rick Jason and Vic Morrow, began its five-season tenure on ABC-TV.
1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American on the U.S. Supreme Court.
1967, At EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles began recording the Paul McCartney composition “Hello, Goodbye.” They finished the track exactly one month later.
1968, Motown Records sued the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team for refusing to write more songs for the company until their royalty rate was increased. The three eventually were released by Motown and went on to start their own Invictus and Hot Wax labels.
1971, Rod Stewart enjoyed a two-sided, US number one record with “Maggie May / “Reason To Believe,” a song inspired by his first sexual experience.
1976, John Belushi joined Joe Cocker on Saturday Night Live, performing an exaggeratedly spastic imitation of Cocker during the performance of “Feeling Alright.”
1982, “Jack and Diane” by John Cougar (later known as John Mellencamp) led the Billboard singles chart. His earlier release, “Hurts So Good,” was also still getting major airplay at number ten.
Today’s Birthdays:
1939 – Lolly Vegas – guitar and lead vocals for Redbone (“Come And Get Your Love”) (d. 2010)
1941 – Ron Meagher – bassist for The Beau Burmmels (“Laugh, Laugh”) (d. 2017)
1945 – Don McLean (age 78) (“American Pie”)
1950 – Mike Rutherford (age 73) – guitarist for Genesis (“Throwing It All Away”)
1951 – Sting (age 72) – bassist and vocalist for Police (“Every Breath You Take”)
1955 – Phil Oakey (age 68) – lead vocalist for Human League (Don’t You Want Me”)
