Just 24 hours after it went live, Breitbart’s Jon Kahn’s stirring tribute to former President Donald Trump went to #1 on the iTunes charts across all genres. And 48 hours later, it’s still #1. Fueled by intense grassroots support, the song which is accompanied by a stirring video, caught the attention of Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, who implored his viewers to keep “Fighter” #1.
Monthly Archives: September 2024
Punch Day
Punch Day
September 20 is Punch Day. Celebrate this unofficial holiday of unknown origins by drinking a tall glass of this delicious party beverage.
Typically made by mixing a variety of fruit juices, a punch can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Food historians believe that the beverage originated in India – its name comes from the Hindi word paanch meaning five. It is thought that the original punch in India included five ingredients.
From India
In the 17th century, the drink made its way to England via those who worked for the British East India Company and then spread all over Europe, soon becoming a popular drink served at parties and family gatherings. While no longer a popular drink, punch is still served occasionally at college parties and large events.
Punch is served in a large bowl called a punch bowl. In 17th and 18th century Europe, punch bowls were a common household item. Many bowls came with ornate stands and were passed down as heirlooms.
FYI…
…that a similar sounding drink, punsch, is a traditional liqueur in Sweden? Unlike punch, which is a mixture of multiple fruit juices and alcoholic beverages, punsch is made from arak – the fermented sap of coco palm or rice. Arak was brought to Sweden by the Swedish East India Company through Indonesia. Like punch, the name punsch also comes from the Hindi word paanch meaning five.
On this day September 19
Today in History
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2010 Oil rig Deepwater Horizon is declared sealed after a 5-month long spill in the Gulf of Mexico
Thought to be one of the biggest accidents in the oil and gas industry, the Deepwater Horizon spill or the BP oil spill began on April 20, 2010, when an explosion destroyed the rig and killed 11 people.
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2006 A Military coup overthrows the elected government in Thailand
Forces loyal to General Sonthi Boonyaratglin overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and dissolved the parliament and the constitution.
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1983 Saint Kitts and Nevis gain their Independence from the British Crown
The first Europeans set foot on the Island country in the West Indies in the late 15th century during an expedition led by Columbus. In 1713, the control over the islands was passed from the French to the British.
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1973 Carl XVI Gustaf succeeds his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf as the King of Sweden
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch is the ceremonial head of state. In 1980, Swedish law was changed to allow the firstborn of a monarch to become the crown’s heir apparent, irrespective of their gender.
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1944 The Moscow Armistice ends the Continuation War
The peace treaty was signed between the Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and Finland. It put an end to the conflict between the USSR and Finland between 1941 and 1944.
Talk Like a Pirate Day
International Talk Like A Pirate Day is a parody holiday annually held on September 19. Celebrated for the first time in 1995, the fun holiday encourages people to talk and dress like the sea plunderers of yesteryears.
John Baur (“Ol’ Chumbucket”) and Mark Summers (“Cap’n Slappy”) created this holiday on June 6, 1995. Out of respect for World War II’s D-Day, Baur and Summers chose to move the date of the holiday to September 19.
International Talk Like A Pirate Day was a low-key event until 2002 when it received media attention via syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry. Today, it is celebrated around the world as a way to raise funds for charity organizations, such as Childhood Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Criminals at Sea
Pirates are people who commit acts of robbery and violence at sea. Pirates have been around ever since the open seas have been used to transport goods and people from one part of the world to the other. Even Julius Caesar was captured by pirates twice.
Historically, pirates were considered contemptible human beings. In many societies, acts of piracy were punishable by torture and death. Even today, piracy is considered an egregious crime at par with other heinous crimes such as treason.
Parodied Version
In the 18th century, the image of pirates got a makeover – from being violent criminals to being somewhat caricatured. They were shown sporting eye patches, a bandana or a tricorne hat, and were always accompanied by a pet, usually a parrot or a monkey. They were also shown to speak a special version of the English language, which is grammatically incorrect, and often interspersed with growls.
FYI…
…that William Dampier, an English pirate, was responsible for introducing many words in the English language, still in use today? Some of these include: caress, chopsticks, posse, barbecue and snug. An amateur natural historian, he was also the first person in the world to circumnavigate the world thrice.