Trevor WholohanA Day in History, Jokes, World Records, Wisconsin Weather and News January 3rd
January 3rd 2007 02:04
This Day in History Wednesday, January 3rd
1496 - Leonardo da Vinci tested his flying machine. The test didn't succeed and he didn't try to fly again for several years.
1777 - George Washington defeats British at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey
1861 - Delaware legislature rejects proposal to join Confederacy
1865 - Con Orem & Hugh O'Neill box 193 rounds before darkness ends match
1870 - Brooklyn Bridge construction begins; completed May 24, 1883
1920 - The Boston Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to the N.Y. Yankees for a sum of $125,000
1924 - English explorer Howard Carter discovers the sarcophagus of King Tut
1925 - Benito Mussolini announces he is taking dictatorial powers over Italy.
1938 - The March of Dimes is established by Franklin D. Roosevelt, for Polio.
1943 - 1st missing persons telecast (New York City NY)
1947 - Proceedings of the U.S. Congress are televised for the first time.
1952 - "Dragnet" with Jack Webb premieres on NBC TV
1957 - Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
1959 - Alaska is admitted as the 49th U.S. state.
1961 - The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.
1961 - The SL-1, a government-run reactor near Idaho Falls, Idaho, leaks radiation, killing three workers.
1962 - Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro.
1967 - Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys is indicted for draft evasion
1969 - John Lennon's "2 Virgins" album declared pornographic in New Jersey
1973 - George Steinbrenner III buys Yankees from CBS for $12 million
1977 - Lindy McDaniel retires with 2nd most pitching appearances (987 games)
1980 - Gold hits record $634 an ounce
1983 - Tony Dorsett sets NFL record with 99-yard rush, Dallas vs Minnesota
1984 - Syria frees captured US pilot after appeal from Jesse Jackson
1987 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducts 1st female artist Aretha Franklin
1988 - Margaret Thatcher becomes longest-serving British PM this century
1990 - Ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega surrendered to U.S. forces, 10 days after taking refuge in the Vatican's diplomatic mission.
1992 - 32 Cubans defect to the US via helicopter
1995 - The U.S. Postal Service raised the price of the first-class stamp to 32 cents.
1997 - Bryant Gumbel signed off for the last time as host of NBC's "Today" show.
2000 - Charles M. Schulz's final original daily comic strip appeared in newspapers.
2004 - NASA's Spirit rover landed on Mars. The craft was able to send back black and white images three hours after landing.
Famous Birthday’s
1918 - Maxene Andrews Minnesota, singer (Andrew Sisters-Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy)
1921 - John Russell Los Angeles CA, actor (Pale Rider, Rio Bravo)
1946 - John Paul Jones rocker (Led Zeppelin-Stairway to Heaven) 1956 - Mel Gibson Peekskill NY, actor (Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart)
Famous Death’s
1967 - Jack Ruby assassin who killed assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, dies at 55
1979 - Conrad Hilton US founder (Hilton Hotels), dies at 91
Joke of the Day
The Power of Women
There were 11 people - ten men and one woman - hanging onto a rope that came down from a helicopter.
They all decided that one person should get off, because if they didn't, the rope would break and everyone would die.
No one could decide who should go, so finally, the woman gave a really touching speech saying how she would give up her life to save the others, because women were used to giving up things for their husbands and children, giving in to men, and not receiving anything in return.
When she finished speaking, all the men started clapping.
Unpaid Bill
A customer sent an order to a distributor for a large amount of goods totaling a great deal of money.
The distributor noticed that the previous bill hadn't been paid. The collections manager left a voice-mail for them saying, "We can't ship your new order until you pay for the last one."
The next day the collections manager received a collect phone call, "Please cancel the order. We can't wait that long."
World Records
Longest Motorcycle
The record for the longest motorcycle is 31.5 feet and was achieved by Oleg Rogov (Russia) in Tver (Russia) on December 19, 2005.
Longest Motorcycle Ride Through a Tunnel of Fire
Stephen Brown (UK) rode a motorcycle through a tunnel of fire 51 m (167.3 ft) long at Knockhill Racing Circuit, near Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, on August 7, 2003.
Most aircraft flown in as a passenger
By July 2004, Edwin A Shackleton (UK) had flown in a total of 806 different types of aircraft. His first flight was in 1943.
Wisconsin Weather
Wednesday: Partly cloudy skies. High 44F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Wednesday Night: A few clouds. Low 32F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High 41F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Friday: Occasional showers possible. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 30s. Saturday: Snow showers at times. Highs in the mid 30s and lows in the upper 20s.
Sports
(9) Boise St. Broncos 43, (7) Oklahoma Sooners 42, OT
The ninth-ranked Broncos completed a perfect season with an exhilarating 43-42 overtime victory over No. 7 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Monday night, leaving Boise State and top-ranked Ohio State as the only teams with perfect records.
The Buckeyes will play No. 2 Florida for the BCS national championship on the same field Jan. 8, but the Broncos (13-0) believe they belong in that game.
And why not? Boise State showed plenty of heart and resilience in edging the Sooners (11-3) in one of the more amazing games in recent memory.
"We went 13-0 and beat everyone on our schedule," said quarterback Jared Zabransky, selected the offensive MVP after completing 19 of 29 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. "We deserve a chance at the national title."
The Sooners endorse the Broncos.
"They should be up there playing for a national championship -- 12-0, finish the season 13-0 -- and hopefully they get some more looks in the future," linebacker Zach Latimer said. "At least a chance. That's all you ask for is a chance. You never know what can happen." If the Fiesta Bowl was any indication, it would certainly be fun to watch.
In one of the most dramatic finishes in BCS history, the Sooners and the Broncos combined for 22 points in the final 86 seconds of regulation. Boise State blew an 18-point lead midway through the third quarter, then twice rallied from seven-point deficits. "Yeah, another day at the office, huh?" said Boise State coach Chris Petersen, who remains undefeated as a head coach. The Broncos appeared to be finished when Oklahoma cornerback Marcus Walker intercepted Zabransky's pass and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown to put the Sooners ahead 35-28 with 1:02 remaining. "It would have been easy to give up on us with a minute left, but we had a lot of magic left," Zabransky said. The magic came on a stunning 50-yard touchdown play on fourth-and-18 in the final seconds of regulation. Zabransky hit Drisan James at Oklahoma's 35, and James pitched the ball to Jerard Rabb, who raced into the end zone with 7 seconds to play. Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson opened the overtime with a 25-yard touchdown run. It may have been the final college play for Peterson, who ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns in his first game since breaking his left collarbone Oct. 14.
The Broncos answered with Vinny Perretta's fourth-down touchdown pass to Derek Schouman. With Boise State down by a point, Petersen decided to go for the victory.
On the decisive play, Zabransky looked at three wide receivers to his right, then handed the ball behind his back to tailback Ian Johnson, who raced untouched into the end zone.
Wisconsin News
Wisconsin's 709 traffic deaths fewest since 1998
Traffic crashes in Wisconsin in 2006 killed the fewest number of people since 1998.
The state Department of Transportation says 709 people died last year _ 43 fewer than 2005. The 709 traffic deaths represent a ten percent drop from the average number of fatalities each year over the past five years. The deaths occurred in 657 accidents.
Highway safety officials have attributed the downward spiral in traffic deaths to several factors, including more use of seat belts by motorists and drivers slowing down because of higher gas costs. But 2007 has started off more deadly on the state's roads and highways. The Transportation Department says there are five fatalities through this morning, compared with four at the same time a year ago.
The deaths occurred in Saint Croix, Sheboygan and Milwaukee counties. The Transportation Department says three of the victims were in their 20s, one was 47 and one was a seven-year-old girl.
Hospitals ban smoking, even outside
Two La Crosse hospitals are taking their smoking ban outdoors.
Franciscan Skemp and Gundersen Lutheran are making their entire properties smoke-free in this new year.
Employees, patients and visitors will no longer be able to step outside to smoke.
The buildings at the hospitals have been smoke free since the early 1990s.
Gundersen Lutheran spokesman Jim Engh says the new policy has encouraged some people to quit smoking. Both hospitals are offering programs to help smokers kick the habit. In addition to the hospitals, Western Technical College is also smoke free starting this year. Viterbo has a campus-wide smoking ban, but has a few designated areas for lighting up.
Thousands of dead fish wash ashore on Lake Winnebago
OSHKOSH, Wis. A walk along the shores of Lake Winnebago and Little lake Butte Des Morts can be a stinky proposition.
Thousands of dead fish have washed ashore over the past three weeks.
D-N-R conservation wardens say the fish kill naturally happens this time of year. They call it a regular "cold water occurrence" for a species known as gizzard shads, or mud shads. D-N-R warden supervisor Todd Schaller says the species is vulnerable to sudden changes in temperatures.
The small fish will decompose or will be eaten by birds and sturgeon.
News January 3rd
Man rescued from inside garbage truck
OAK PARK, Mich. Nine-one-one operators get some unusual calls, and this sure fits the bill. A guy on a cell phone dialed in to say he'd dozed off in a trash container and woke up in a garbage truck that was about to compact its load.
That call really came in to police in Oak Park, Michigan, outside Detroit. An officer says the guy didn't know where he was. As police began checking on garbage trucks, they lost contact with the man, whose cell phone battery fell out. But in the nick of time, one officer spotted a truck that was stopped, with the driver compacting a load. The officer banged on the side -- and someone responded.
The driver emptied his trash into the parking lot and out fell the man, who says he'd been looking for bottles to collect the deposit on. Amazingly, he wasn't hurt.
Mobile home owners could become instant millionaires
BRINY BREEZES, Fla. Joke all you want about living in a mobile home. A group of Floridians doing just that may soon be having the last laugh -- all the way to the bank.
Their community sits on oceanfront land just south of Palm Beach. It's the kind of land that makes developers drool -- so much so that an offer is on the table that could make the trailer owners overnight millionaires.
The nearly 500 owners have until next week to decide whether to accept or reject a 510 million dollar offer. A two-thirds majority is needed. Many residents are all for it -- like the guy who paid 37-grand for his trailer nine years ago and would now make about 800-thousand. But several say they'll be sorry to see their little community go.
Iraqi government to investigate conduct of Saddam hanging, leak of video
BAGHDAD, Iraq In the last minutes of his life, as Saddam Hussein awaited death by hanging, he was taunted by some onlookers.
Now, Iraq's prime minister has ordered an investigation into the way that hanging was conducted. He wants to learn who among the witnesses harassed the former Iraqi leader, and who leaked a cell phone video of the exchange.
In the video, some people are heard chanting "Muqtada." Saddam is heard responding that his tormentors are being unmanly. The taunts referred to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a main backer of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the Shiite leader who pushed for a quick execution of Saddam. Saddam was hanged Saturday.
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