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- January 27, 2026
- Grissom, White, and Chaffee died aboard Apollo 1 in 1967
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When I was on the cusp of twelve I recall the Apollo 1 disaster whereby three astronauts were killed in a fire which sprang up quickly and asphyxiated them before they could be rescued. I recall how horrible I thought it must be to die thusly — particularly in the hyperoxgenated engulfing type blaze described in the literature.
At that time I was exceedingly "pro NASA" and it was an incident which has stayed with me from then until now.
During a launch simulation US astronauts Virgil I Grissom, Edward H White, and Roger B Chaffee perished in a fire aboard Apollo 1. I was dismayed that a cabin fire during a launch rehearsal could even happen, much less kill three of our national heros.
The result of this tragedy was that significant safety changes were made that enabled the success of the Apollo program possible.
Virgil "Gus" Grissom was a veteran astronaut, and had already participated in the Mercury and Gemini programs.
Edward "Ed" White was The first American to walk in space during the Gemini IV mission.
Roger Chaffee was A naval aviator and aeronautical engineer, making his first spaceflight.
Elements of The Apollo 1 Tragedy
The tragedy was caused during a "plugs-out" test for the planned February 21, 1967 launch.
A fire erupted in the Apollo Command Module caused by a spark from damaged wiring ignited flammable materials in the pure oxygen environment.
There was a inward-opening hatch which trapped the astronauts.
The three men were asphyxiated.
See Also:
Apollo 1 Fire of 1967
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- January 27, 2026
- Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026
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The Holocaust refers to the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II. In Hebrew, the term Shoah which means catastrophe is often used to describe this genocide
It also targeted other groups deemed subhuman including Romani people, disabled individuals, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, gay men, and political opponents with numbers in the millions driven by Nazi racial ideology and the goal of racial purity and conquest.
It all began with discriminatory laws and harassment in Germany after 1933. Jews were forced into overcrowded ghettos. Millions of targeted individuals were shot by mobile killing squads called Einsatzgruppen and gassed in extermination camps like Auschwitz.
It included ghettos, mass shootings, and extermination camps, culminating in the Final Solution which was a plan to eliminate all Jewish people in Europe.
Slavs, Roma, people with disabilities, homosexuals, and others were also systematically murdered. Extreme antisemitism and racial supremacy were the order of the day. They aimed to create a racially pure German empire with abundant living room which they referred to as Lebensraum.
See Also:
Elie Wiesel
Yom HaShoah 2020
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
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- January 26, 2026
- Eddie Van Halen Happy Birthday in Heaven
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See Also:
Eddie Van Halen RIP
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- January 25, 2026
- Dominos Wings get a thumbs down
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No go on the Dominos Wings.
They have no aspect of crispy and taste like a big blob of the same thing. I was expecting FAR too much when I went there in the ice storm expecting a superior product.
I may or may not ever go back for Pizza being this chapped in general over their lack of quality in a product, namely hot buffalo and Honey BBQ wings.
Feel free to partake of a truly third rate ... or worse wing all you like. In all fairness, Mom liked hers but she is 87 years old.
I suppose I'll just have to suffer the consequence of my actions in silence for my poor selection decision yet again.
Boo and YUK.
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- January 25, 2026
- Rare planetary alignment 2026
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We have a somewhat rare celestial event consisting of the alignment of seven planets in the night sky.
They are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. All will be visible with the naked eye except Uranus and Neptune which will require telescopic viewing. It is touted as "a billion years" event while it is in actuality a regular visual occurrence.
Beautiful — but not as incredibly rare as some media outlets might lead you to believe.
Regardless, if you have interests in astronomical phenomena this event will provide a fantastic visual spectacle.
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- January 24, 2026
- National Compliment Day 2026
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I recall my cousin's young child Michael, who was just out of the toddler stage back then smiling as he said "Hello handsome" to me when I was a much younger man than I am today.
Now this took me quite aback and I realize he was only repeating that which had been said to him sometime earlier.
Anyway, all I could do is grin back at him, wave and somewhat sheepishly say "hello!".
Today is National Compliment Day.
It is observed each January 24th annually and is said to be a day dedicated to spreading positivity and kindness by giving real time compliments to others in an effort to improve everyone's mood and strengthens those interpersonal connections.
These ideas include praising someone's effort, character, or style, and sharing the positive impact as you see fit.
The day provides an opportunity to vocalize nice things you think about others, making people feel noticed and appreciated.
It instigates a ripple effect of kind words in the name of creating happiness and belonging.
So if you are so inclined share a compliment with some deserving other. It will provide improvement and mesh between you and your significant others.
Happy National Compliment Day.
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- January 23, 2026
- The Frisbee first created in 1957
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When I was young I was all about frisbee and tossing these plastic disks about. I learned that a flat flip flew straight and that an angled release made it curve.
I was by no means a competetor nor an expert but I did get out there and play with them when few other things caught my interest.
On January 23, 1957, the Wham-O toy company began rolling out the first batch of their plastic disks —
Now known to millions of fans all over the world as Frisbees.
This is primarily a story out of Bridgeport, Connecticut, where one William Frisbie opened the Frisbie Pie Company in 1871.
Students from nearby universities would throw the empty pie tins to each other, yelling "Frisbie!" as they let go.
In 1948, one Walter Frederick Morrison and his partner one Warren Franscioni invented a plastic version of the disk called the “Flying Saucer” that could fly further and more accurately than the tin pie plates.
After splitting with Franscioni, Morrison made an improved model in 1955 and sold it to a new toy company called Wham-O as the “Pluto Platter” in an attempt to cash in on the public craze over space and Unidentified Flying Objects aka "UFOs".
High school kids in Maplewood, New Jersey, invented a game known as Ultimate Frisbee which is a cross between football, soccer and basketball in 1967.
In the 1970s the late Edward Early Headrick, aka "Steady" Ed Headrick invented Frisbee Golf, in which disks are tossed into metal baskets; there are now hundreds of courses in the US with millions of devotees.
There is also Freestyle Frisbee, a choreographed version with routines set to music and multiple disks in play as well as and various Frisbee competitions for both humans and canines — which are the absolute best natural Frisbee players.
Today, at least 60 manufacturers produce the flying disks generally made out of plastic and measuring roughly 8-10 inches in diameter with a curved lip.
Nowadays the official Frisbee is owned by Mattel Toy Manufacturers, who bought the toy from Wham-O in 1994.
I'll likely never play with another but they certainly did have their heyday in my lifetime.
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- January 22, 2026
- 1968 Premiere of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
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When I was 13 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In was a regular television entity in my life.
The show was created by one Digby Wolfe and starred Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, and Gary Owens.
It popularized rapid fire vignette comedy including comedy sketches, punch-lines, musical numbers, and gags are edited together in a rapid and almost random format.
Their trademark elements included the joke wall, the dancing women painted with one-liners and the fickle finger of fate award.
It was here that I got my first good look at and listen to Mr Herbert Butros Khaury, aka Tiny Tim.
At the time it was all very entertaining to a fool boy such as myself. I'm glad to say I've grown past most of it by now.
The show as aka "Laugh In" and was a prime example of sketch comedy on teevee at the time. It ran from January 22, 1968, to July 23, 1973. It was even touted as the most popular television show in the United States for a time.
It supported a gaggle of writers including Lorne Michels before he became the producer of Saturday Night Live. Before he fired Charlie Rocket. Before he became a woke idiot.
All in all "Laugh In" was an enjoyable interlude in the life of this fool child and I never became so involved in any other comedy programs again.
See Also:
Remembering Judy Carne
Henry Gibson
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- January 21, 2026
- National Squirrel Appreciation Day 2026
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While I'm sure that National Squirrel Appreciation Day invokes images of gray, red, and black fuzzy woodland creatures with bushy tails cavorting to the delight of a bunch of children; it's their food value which makes them appreciated in the rural areas of the state in which I live.
Yes, I'm sure that one Christy Hargrove who created the observance back in 2001 never dreamed the crux of the day would be the slaughter and dressing of these rodents for the dinner table.
Don't get me wrong, rodents remain one of those things I won't eat, but my late daddy consumed them with great relish on a regular basis back on the farm in Aiken County.
He liked a bit of help while dressing them and sometimes I was commandeered for those operations.
So much for encouraging positive attitudes, teaching about their importance beyond their nutritional value, and providing winter relief to them when food is scarce.
Though I never knew if they were "falling off the bones tender" or "still with a little fight in them" I remember mama cooking them up in the frying pan. She would fry them then make a rich brown gravy from the drippings and I swear they looked like a bunch of swedish meatballs with arms and legs ...
So happy National Squirrel Appreciation Day to you and go out and devour a few rodents should you be so inclined.
See Also:
Things I won't Eat
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- January 20, 2026
- Twentieth Amendment 1933
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President Donald John Trump Vice President James David Vance 
The Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1933 and changed the start dates for presidential and congressional terms. It moved the presidential inauguration to January 20th and the start of congressional sessions to January 3rd.
This shortened the "lame duck" period between elections and new terms. It also established procedures for presidential succession if the President-elect or Vice President-elect dies or fails to qualify, outlining that the Vice President-elect serves until a President qualifies, and Congress can provide for other acting presidents.
This was in the name of modernization of the timeline and provisioning faster accounting for improved transportation and communication.Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
Section 1
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Section 2
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Section 3
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
Section 4
The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.
Section 5
Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.
Section 6
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.
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- January 19, 2026
- National Imagination Day 2026
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There is indeed a thing as "too much" imagination. This is where someone devolves into fantasy land for a period of time whereby these experiences they witness are totally internal confabulations of their minds.
I was subject to these things at one time early on in my young adult development.
So otherwise, the human ability to form mental images, concepts, or ideas of things not present is what we call imagination. Beyond fantasy land it is an ability to gain creativity, problem solving, and innovation by the envisioning of things not yet extant.
Today is National Imagination Day.
It is observed each January 19th since 2024 under the auspices of the National Day Calendar to promote unleashing our creative abilities, explore new things and ideas and to celebrate the power of imagination. This in the name of innovation and personal growth.
The crux is inventive thinking and those unseen concepts which exist but only in synapse resulting in a more creative brain.
I hope you'll take a moment to exercise your imagination. Temper it comparatively with what actually is and you'll go far toward honing that creativity which is within you.
Happy National Imagination Day.
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- January 18, 2026
- Whole Lot of Typos Going On
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So I've been finding typos in ye olde blog from years gone by lately.
This indicates my attention to detail is somewhat lacking in my rather advanced age.
I like to fancy myself as fairly accurate and I suppose given the sheer number of entries I encounter this may be true — typically I can count them all on one hand ...
However, I have low tolerance for these johnny come lately errors of typeface position all over the blog. So I have been eradicating them as I encounter them and I'm afraid that's likely the best that I can do.
Some of them are really hysterical too with their placement a function of various automation aspects of the interface moreso than an actual errant key press.
Be all this as it may it remains a misprint embarrassment.
I'll try to do better in the future.
See Also:
The Dreaded Typo
Fat Fingering
Typos, Server Farms, and You
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- January 17, 2026
- RFK Jr Birthday 2026
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Robert Francis Kennedy Jr was born January 17, 1954.
He is aka "RFK Jr" — an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, and circumspect vaccine activist and critic.
He now serves as the 26th United States secretary of health and human services since 2025.
A member of the Kennedy family, he is a son of Senator and US attorney general Robert F Kennedy and a nephew of US president John F Kennedy.
He has been dealt with severely in the overly biased main stream media and I am willing to cut him some slack for this reason.
I have grown weary of the fake news and leftist spin predominating the main stream media which has subsequently lost all credibility with me ...
I feel that those critics of Mr Kennedy's work are by and large supporting hidden agendas not made public like kick backs from companies and special interest groups as well as the apparent ineptitude which runs rampant in the political left these days.
RFK Jr is 72 years old today. Happy Birthday to you.
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- January 16, 2026
- National Religious Freedom Day 2026
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Today is National Religious Freedom Day.
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It is observed each year on January 16th in commemoration of the 1786 adoption of Virginia's Statute for Religious Freedom, which inspired the First Amendment's guarantee of religious liberty.
It resulted in various Presidential calls for events in homes, schools, and places of worship to honor this fundamental right.
Though it is not a federal holiday, POTUS issues a proclamation each year, urging Americans to observe the day through appropriate activities.
The statute served as a foundational for the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was a landmark legal act, ensuring that individuals could profess their religious beliefs without civil penalty, a principle that became central to American identity and law.
This has become overshadowed of late with various religions professing their superiority and attempting to legislate their own religious incarnations upon the United States.
When you immigrate to the United States you are supposedly to become one of us. You can not turn us into one of you.
There is ABSOLUTELY no place for Sharia in the United States of America. We should deport every person thinking they may attempt to take over the country in this manner.
IMHO American politicians who take their oaths with a hand on the Quran should be summarily executed on the spot.
The United States is a Christian nation now and forever.
Communists, Somalis, democrat socialists, activist judges and other purveyors of fraud and leftist turdbirds can begone from The Republic.
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