TheList 7459

To All.

Good Friday Morning February 27, 2026.

.The weather is another good day here with mostly clear skies and temps climbing to 84 by 1 today.

.

.Regards .

.Skip

.HAGD 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

. Request from Craig AKA Tweety  If anyone has an answer please send to me and I will forward…skip

Fingers and Skip,

I'm trying to get a telephone and email for Yank Rutherford, east coast fighter guy who was a Topgun grad in 1979. He followed me a couple of years later on USS Seattle as CO and the USS Seattle Veteran's Assn is interested in having him as a speaker at a reunion this September.

Do either of you have an email address or telephone number or both for him?

Craig

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)

Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/.    Go here to see the director's corner for all 94 H-Grams. 

February. 27

 1928—Pilot Cmdr. Theodore G. Ellyson (Naval Aviator No. 1) and crewmembers Lt. Cmdr. Hugo Schmidt and Lt. Roger S. Ransehousen died when their XOL-7 observation amphibian, BuNo A-7335, crashed into the Chesapeake Bay while en route from NAS Hampton Roads, Virginia, to Annapolis, Maryland.

1942—Seaplane tender USS Langley (AV 3), carrying 32 U.S. Army Air Force P-40 aircraft for the defense of Java, is bombed by Japanese naval land attack planes 75 miles south of Tjilatjap, Java. Due to the damage, Langley is shelled and torpedoed by USS Whipple (DD 217). 

1942—The Battle of the Java Sea begins, where the 14-ship Allied forces (American, Dutch, British and Australian) attempt to stop the 28-ship Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies colony of Java. The Japanese, during battles over three days, decimates the Allied forces, sinking at least 11 ships, killing more than 3,370 and taking nearly 1,500 prisoners.

1944—Three U.S. Navy submarines sink three Japanese cargo ships: Grayback (SS 208) sinks Ceylon Maru in the East China Sea; Cod (SS 244) sinks Taisoku Maru west of Halmahera while Trout (SS 202) sinks Aki Maru.

 1945—Submarine USS Scabbardfish (SS 397) sinks Japanese guardboat No. 6 Kikau Maru, 100 miles northeast of Keelung, Formosa, while USS Blenny (SS 324) attacks a Japanese convoy off French Indochina and sinks merchant tanker Amato Maru off Cape Padaran.

1945—Land-based patrol aircraft from VPB 112, along with others from three British vessels, HMS Labaun and HMS Loch Fada and HMS Wild Goose, sink German submarine U 327 in the English Channel.

1973—First airborne mine sweep in a live minefield takes place in the Haiphong, Vietnam ship channel by helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Twelve on board USS New Orleans (LPH 11).

 2017—The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Albuquerque (SSN 706) is decommissioned after 33 years of service during a ceremony held at Keyport Undersea Museum.

 1942   U.S. aircraft carrier Langley is sunk »  in the Battle of the Java Sea

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This day in World history

 February 27

425  Theodosius effectively founds a university in Constantinople.

1531     German Protestants form the League of Schmalkalden to resist the power of the emperor.

1700    The Pacific Island of New Britain is discovered.

1814     Napoleon's Marshal Nicholas Oudinot is pushed back at Barsur-Aube by the Emperor's allied enemies shortly before his abdication.

1827     The first Mardi-Gras celebration is held in New Orleans.

1864     The first Union prisoners arrive at Andersonville Prison in Georgia.

1865     Confederate raider William Quantrill and his bushwackers attack Hickman, Kentucky, shooting women and children.

1905     The Japanese push Russians back in Manchuria and cross the Sha River.

1908     The forty-sixth star is added to the U.S. flag, signifying Oklahoma's admission to statehood.

1920     The United States rejects a Soviet peace offer as propaganda.

1925     Glacier Bay National Monument is dedicated in Alaska.

1933     The burning down of the Reichstag building in Berlin gives the Nazis the opportunity to suspend personal liberty with increased power.

1939     The Supreme Court outlaws sit-down strikes.

1942     British Commandos raid a German radar station at Bruneval on the French coast.

1953     F-84 Thunderjets raid North Korean base on Yalu River.

1962     South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem is unharmed as two planes bomb the presidential palace in Saigon.

1963     The Soviet Union says that 10,000 troops will remain in Cuba.

1969     Thousands of students protest President Richard Nixon's arrival in Rome.

1973     U.S. Supreme Court rules that a Virginia pool club can't bar residents because of color.

1988     Debi Thomas becomes the first African American to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

1991     Coalition forces liberate Kuwait after seven months of occupation by the Iraqi army.

 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

1827

New Orleanians take to the streets for Mardi Gras

 On this day in 1827, a group of masked and costumed students dance through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city's famous Mardi Gras celebrations.

The celebration of Carnival–or the weeks between Twelfth Night on January 6 and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Christian period of Lent–spread from Rome across Europe and later to the Americas. Nowhere in the United States is Carnival celebrated as grandly as in New Orleans, famous for its over-the-top parades and parties for Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday), the last day of the Carnival season.

Though early French settlers brought the tradition of Mardi Gras to Louisiana at the end of the 17th century, Spanish governors of the province later banned the celebrations. After Louisiana Territory became part of the United States in 1803, New Orleanians managed to convince the city council to lift the ban on wearing masks and partying in the streets. The city's new Mardi Gras tradition began in 1827 when the group of students, inspired by their experiences studying in Paris, donned masks and jester costumes and staged their own Fat Tuesday festivities.

The parties grew more and more popular, and in 1833 a rich plantation owner named Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville raised money to fund an official Mardi Gras celebration. After rowdy revelers began to get violent during the 1850s, a secret society called the Mistick Krewe of Comus staged the first large-scale, well-organized Mardi Gras parade in 1857.

Over time, hundreds of krewes formed, building elaborate and colorful floats for parades held over the two weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. Riders on the floats are usually local citizens who toss "throws" at passersby, including metal coins, stuffed toys or those now-infamous strands of beads. Though many tourists mistakenly believe Bourbon Street and the historic French Quarter are the heart of Mardi Gras festivities, none of the major parades have been allowed to enter the area since 1979 because of its narrow streets.

In February 2006, New Orleans held its Mardi Gras celebrations despite the fact that Hurricane Katrina had devastated much of the city with massive flooding the previous August. Attendance was at only 60-70 percent of the 300,000-400,000 visitors who usually attend Mardi Gras, but the celebration marked an important step in the recovery of the city, which counts on hospitality and tourism as its single largest industry.

When I was in flight training at Meridian Mississippi  1967 our weekend  jaunts would take us to Pensacola or Biloxi or New Orleans. Or some other watering hole just to get out of Meridian. Mardi Gras was a fun time.

.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.

 

Thanks to the Bear and Dan Heller. We will always have the url for you to search items in Rolling Thunder

OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER …

. rollingthunderremembered.com .

.

 

 Thanks to Micro

From Vietnam Air Losses site for ..February 27 . .

February 27: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=1620 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Thanks to Nice News

 

Celebrate International Polar Bear Day by Tracking Moms and Cubs

 Steven C. Amstrup / Polar Bears International

 

A sweet scene is currently taking place in the Arctic. Polar bear moms are cuddled up in dens with their newborn cubs, preparing to venture out onto the ice and get the serious child-rearing started. But the vulnerable youngsters — fewer than half of which may reach adulthood — need more than just their mothers' protection. That's why International Polar Bear Day was launched.

 

Hosted by nonprofit Polar Bears International and now in its 21st year, today's event both celebrates the species and raises awareness of its biggest threat: climate change. The overall objective is "to bring attention to polar bears and the importance of conserving their Arctic sea ice home," Director of Science Alysa McCall tells Nice News, "but we also founded the day to coincide with the time period when polar bear moms and cubs are snug in their dens."

 

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

Taking Leisure to a High Level Can Be Good for Your Well-Being

 Ariana van den Akker—Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

 

This article was written by Emily Messina, an associate professor of rehabilitation and recreational therapy at Florida International University, for The Conversation.

 

What do collecting old editions of Dungeons & Dragons monster manuals, securing the same tailgate spot for over 20 years, and mastering yoga postures have in common? They are all forms of "serious leisure."

 

These pursuits are different from casual hobbies in several ways. They require participation over longer periods, which makes people who practice them more skilled and more connected with the activity over time. The driving force for casual leisure is having fun; when a participant becomes more focused on accomplishment and improving their skills, the pursuit can gradually become more serious.

 

The idea of serious leisure was coined in 1982 by sociologist Robert Stebbins, who described the unique characteristics of more structured leisure pursuits. The more we understand about why people do the things they do, the more they can benefit from their pursuits. Even fringe or supposedly nerdy activities like D&D offer insight into the connections people form when they delve into a nonwork activity.

 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

.

Thanks to 1440

Good morning. It's Friday, Feb. 27, and we're covering the Pentagon's deadline for Anthropic, the speedboat incident in Cuba, and much more. .

 Need To Know

 

 

Claude Deadline Looms

Anthropic has until this evening to meet the terms of use demands by the Defense Department. If not, the artificial intelligence company risks losing its contract and being labeled a supply chain risk.

Last year, the Pentagon granted Anthropic a $200M contract to develop tools for the military. Since then, the US reportedly relied on Anthropic's large language model, Claude, in its raid to capture Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro. Anthropic has pushed for guarantees that Claude will not be used for autonomous weapons or domestic surveillance. In response, the Pentagon says it will use the tool lawfully and has threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act (see explainer) to compel Anthropic to remove guardrails.

The Pentagon has reached out to Boeing and Lockheed Martin to assess their use of Anthropic. A supply chain risk designation would force those and other companies to choose between doing business with Anthropic and the US military. The designation is typically reserved for foreign entities working with US adversaries.

 

 

Speedboat Shootout Suspects

The 10 people who opened fire on Cuban soldiers from a Florida-registered speedboat this week were Cuban nationals living in the US, the Cuban government alleges. Four passengers were killed and six were wounded; one Cuban soldier was also wounded.

Cuban officials claimed most of the seven passengers identified have criminal histories and two were wanted in connection with terrorism. One passenger lived in the US for over two decades and was committed to freeing Cuba from its communist government, according to his brother. Another had called for regime change in an interview with a US-based news outlet last year. As of this writing, the US has confirmed that at least two US citizens and one US visa holder were aboard the boat.

Separately, the US on Wednesday eased an embargo imposed last month, now allowing Venezuelan oil sales to Cuba's private sector. Sales to the government and military remain sanctioned as the US pushes for political reform.

 

 

Epstein Fallout Continues

The Justice Department yesterday denied allegations that it intentionally withheld files related to President Donald Trump in the recent release of Jeffrey Epstein records mandated by federal law.

The materials in question include reported FBI memos from 2019 interviews about a woman's alleged claims that she was sexually assaulted decades earlier by Epstein and Trump when she was a minor. An FBI index reportedly shows four interview summaries were created, but only one has been released. DOJ officials say the remaining documents are being withheld under laws protecting victims' identities and ongoing investigations, not for political reasons. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee say the gaps suggest illegal withholding. The woman later joined and withdrew a lawsuit against Epstein's estate and was denied compensation from a victims fund without specified reasons.

Separately, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers yesterday she was unaware of crimes committed by Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Former President Bill Clinton is set to appear before the committee today.

 

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Bill

Enjoy!

Two guys grew up together, but after college one moves to Georgia and the other to Texas. They agreed to meet every ten years in Florida to play golf and catch up with each other.

At age 32 they meet, finish their round of golf and head for lunch.

"Where you wanna go?"

"Hooters."

"Why Hooters?"

"They have those servers with the big boobs, the tight shorts and the gorgeous legs."

"You're on."

 

At age 42, they meet and play golf again.

"Where you wanna go for lunch?"

"Hooters."

"Again?  Why?"

"They have cold beer, big screen TVs, and side action on the games."

"OK."

 

At age 52 they meet and play again.

"So, where you wanna go for lunch?"

"Hooters.

"Why?"

"The food is pretty good and there's plenty of parking."

"OK."

 

At age 62 they meet again.

After a round of golf, one says, "Where you wanna go?"

"Hooters."

"Why?"

"Wings are half price and the food isn't too spicy."

"Good choice"

 

At age 72 they meet again.

Once again, after a round of golf, one says,

"Where shall we go for lunch?"

"Hooters."

"Why?"

"They have six handicapped parking spaces right by the door and they have senior discounts."

"Great choice."

 

At age 82 they meet and play again.

"Where should we go for lunch?"

"Hooters."

"Why?"

"Because we've never been there before."

"Okay, let's give it a try."

 

 And that my friends is the circle of life...

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

Thanks to Brett and the Daily Signal

Kelly Loeffler

@SBA_Kelly

Kelly Loeffler, a conservative businesswoman, was a U.S. senator for the state of Georgia. She serves as the 28th administrator the Small Business Administration.

 

The American story is one of resilient comebacks. And as we celebrate our 250th year as a nation under the leadership of President Donald Trump, we're witnessing perhaps the greatest comeback of them all—especially for Main Street USA. 

 

As the president illustrated last night at his State of the Union address, America is awakening from a yearslong winter of managed decline under the heavy hand of big government. Today, we're glimpsing the rekindled lights of our nation's greatness on the horizon by putting America First—and reigniting the free enterprise system that powers opportunity.

 

During the Biden administration, the flame of our nation's towering economic strength, rooted in capitalism and exceptionalism, was nearly extinguished. Under the crushing weight of Bidenomics and socialist welfare policies, massive inflation, red tape, bad trade deals, and a growing bureaucracy, families and small businesses faced devastating setbacks in earnings, savings, and homeownership. 

 

The Daily Signal depends on the support of readers like you. Donate now

 

Wasteful government spending drove consumer prices to 40-year highs. Green New Deal regulations added $6 trillion in new costs for households and business owners. Unfair trade deals shuttered thousands of factories and made us dependent on adversaries. Stark images of fraudsters receiving billions in taxpayer benefits only added insult to injury for every American job creator, worker, and family who was left behind. 

 

In just over 12 months, Trump has restored confidence and opportunity to Main Street with a commonsense economic agenda designed to put hardworking families and small businesses—not Washington bureaucrats, illegal aliens, or coastal elites—in the driver's seat. 

 

Four years of broken policies won't dissipate overnight. But with pro-worker, pro-growth incentives like tax cuts, deregulation, and fair trade, Main Street business owners are beginning to hire, expand, and invest again. These are the early rays of light dawning for workers and communities across America.

 

The data speaks for itself. Despite the continuous mainstream media doomcasting, core inflation has reached its lowest level in nearly five years. In the last three months of 2025, the average rate was just 1.7%—compared to the average 5% during the last administration.

 

As importantly, wages are finally rising faster than inflation, and interest rates have come down. In Trump's first year, real earnings outpaced inflation by nearly $1,400.

 

American families and workers have more money in their pockets with higher hourly earnings and lower prices.

 

Job growth is accelerating where it matters most—in the private sector. The economy added 172,000 new private-sector jobs in January, particularly in construction and specialty trade jobs. Growth is coming from the builders, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and innovators—not bureaucratic expansion.

 

The America First agenda is also restoring industrial strength. With $18 trillion in outside investment commitments secured by Trump thanks to fair trade and tax incentives, manufacturing activity expanded at its fastest pace since 2022. More businesses are building and producing domestically—lowering prices, securing our supply chains, and restoring Made in America.

 

Growth is driving the comeback on Main Street. Small business sales recently hit a six-month high and small business optimism remains above the 52-year average. Over 70% of small business owners expect higher revenues this year, 55% plan to create new jobs, and over half say that Working Family Tax Cuts will materially boost their business and growth projections. 

 

These historic tax cuts represent the next chapter of our nation's economic turnaround, with long-term incentives designed to break job creators free from the clutches of socialist government and empower the private sector—kickstarting the engine of free enterprise that creates jobs, drives expansion, and promises generational wealth.

 

The Working Family Tax Cuts make the 20% small business pass-through deduction permanent, generating an estimated $750 billion in economic activity and supporting over one million new jobs.

 

It allows full expensing for factories, equipment, and research and development—accelerating domestic production. It substantially eliminates taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits, boosting take-home pay by thousands of dollars per year for millions of Americans. It strengthens health savings accounts, expands child care access, and creates new Trump Accounts, Workforce Pell Grants, and 529 plans.

 

Families and workers are just beginning to see their largest tax refunds in history. Small businesses are hiring, expanding, and investing again when just a couple of years ago they were cutting shifts and closing shop. 

 

Last week at an event with Trump in Georgia, Coosa Steel owner Andrew Saville thanked him for the tariffs and tax cuts that saved his business: "Your first term, we saw some things come back just a little bit here and there. The second term, about July, the quotes, the orders … I couldn't keep up. They were coming nonstop." 

 

There is more work to do to right the world's largest economy, but the facts are undeniable: the America First economic agenda is working for U.S. workers and job creators. The ship is no longer foundering under the weight of Democrat socialist policies; under Trump, the forecast for Main Streets across America is a new Golden Age, and it is just beginning to dawn.

 

As Trump highlighted last night, the state of our union is finally strong again, and the best is yet to come.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

. From the archives

Thanks to Interesting Facts

The Real Stories Behind 7 Classic Nursery Rhymes

From women's prisons and peep shows to wholesome tales of beloved pets, here are the origins of some beloved nursery rhymes.

Nursery rhymes, some dating back centuries, have left a strong mark on many of our childhoods, but we often don't realize where they came from. Some have evolved over centuries, bringing a whole new version to modern children, while others have remained tried and true since their inception. From women's prisons and peep shows to wholesome tales of beloved pets, here are the origins of some beloved nursery rhymes.

 

1 of 7

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" Is About a Real Schoolgirl

Mary Had a Little Lamb, illustration by Blanche Fisher Wright.Credit: Culture Club/ Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Mary had a little lamb

Little lamb, little lamb

Mary had a little lamb

Its fleece was white as snow

Poet Sarah Josepha Hale first published a version of this poem in 1830. Around 50 years later, an elderly woman named Mary Sawyer stepped forward as the real Mary.

Sawyer's story goes pretty much like the version we know and love today. She rescued a little lamb that had been abandoned by its mother and hand-fed it until it regained its health. One morning, she and her brother decided to bring the lamb to school. The lamb hid in a basket by Mary's feet until it bleated, drawing attention from the teacher, who gently let the lamb outside so Mary could bring it home at lunch. The other kids did, indeed, laugh.

In a letter included in a 1928 book detailing the story, Sawyer says that the lamb grew up and had a few lambs of its own.

 

2 of 7

"Ring Around the Rosie" May Be About the Plague … or a Dancing Ban

Girls in Circle - Ring Around the Rosie.Credit: Buyenlarge/ Archive Photos via Getty Images

Ring around the rosie

A pocket full of posies

Ashes, ashes

We all fall down

You may have heard the popular Black Plague origin story for this rhyme, with the titular "ring" representing the red rings that would appear on the skin of people with the disease. However, there are other variations of the rhyme, such as 1883's "Ring a ring a rosie/A bottle full of posie/All the girls in our town/Ring for little Josie," that present different theories.

When he analyzed this version, folklorist Philip Hiscock offered a less deadly translation. Religious bans on dancing in Britain and North America in the 19th century led to "play parties," with ring games that were similar to square dancing but without music, so the events quietly flew under the radar.

"The rings referred to in the rhymes are literally the rings formed by the playing children," explains Hiscock. "'Ashes, ashes' probably comes from something like 'Husha, husha,' another common variant which refers to stopping the ring and falling silent. And the falling down refers to the jumble of bodies in that ring when they let go of each other and throw themselves into the circle."

 

3 of 7

"Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" Came From a Women's Prison

Here we Go Round The Mulberry Bush, Mother Goose Rhymes Illustration.Credit: Universal History Archive/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Here we go round the mulberry bush

The mulberry bush

The mulberry bush

Here we go round the mulberry bush

On a cold and frosty morning

Although this rhyme likely started out using Bramble Bush (mulberries actually grow on trees), historian R. S. Duncan suggests this version came about at Wakefield Prison in England. The facility has been home to an extremely recognizable mulberry tree for centuries, and the theory goes that Victorian female prisoners used to dance around it and made up the rhyme to keep their kids amused. (Back then, men, women, and children were often confined together.) The tree eventually died in 2017, but it was replaced with a cutting from the original.

 

4 of 7

"Rub a Dub Dub" Is About a Peep Show

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Three Men in a Tub.Credit: Buyenlarge/ Archive Photos via Getty Images

Rub-a-dub-dub,

Three men in a tub,

And who do you think they be?

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker,

And all of them out to sea

Most American children know a heavily revised version of this rhyme with only men in a tub. But you need the original version to understand the origins of this 14th-century phrase:

 

Hey, rub-a-dub

Ho, rub-a-dub

Three maids in a tub

And who do you think were there?

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker

And all of them going to the fair

According to author Chris Roberts, the "tub" here refers to a bawdy fairground attraction. "Today it would be perhaps a lap-dancing venue," Roberts said in 2005. "The upper-class, the respectable tradesfolk — the candlestick maker and the butcher and the baker — are ogling, getting an eyeful of some naked young ladies in a tub."

 

5of 7

"There Was a Little Girl" Was Written by a Famous Poet About His Daughter

Engraved portrait shows three daughters of American poet Henry Wadsworth.Credit: Kean Collection/ Archive Photos via Getty Images

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid

Many curly-haired troublesome children heard this short-and-sweet rhyme growing up — but perhaps didn't know about its relatively prestigious origins. Famed American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, known for works like "Paul Revere's Ride," wrote this goofy little verse about his own daughter. His son Ernest Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his book, Random Memories, that "it was while walking up and down with his second daughter, then a baby in his arms, that my father composed and sang to her the well-known lines."

 

6of 7

"Humpty Dumpty" Isn't About an Egg

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.Credit: Antiquarian Images/ Alamy Stock Photo

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again

There's nothing that makes Humpty an egg in this rhyme! That image was popularized by Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass in 1871, decades after the rhyme's inception. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "humpty dumpty" had a few meanings before the wall came into it, including a drink with brandy and a short, dumpy, clumsy person. An 1881 book even features images of Humpty as a clown.

A popular theory is that "humpty dumpty" refers to a cannon used during the Siege of Colchester in 1648. The idea that this rhyme is some kind of wartime ballad is pretty common. Before the cannon theory got traction, many believed the rhyme was about the usurpation of Richard III in 1483.

However, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, the root of this nursery rhyme could be more innocent. While it's unclear whether this game predates the rhyme, Humpty Dumpty was a popular game in the 19th century where girls would tuck their legs into their skirts, fall back, and then try to regain balance without letting go of their skirts. "Eggs do not sit on walls," authors Peter and Iona Opie write. "But the verse becomes intelligible if it describes human beings who are impersonating eggs."

7of 7

"Hickory Dickory Dock" Is Actually About a Mouse and a Clock

Hickory, Dickory, Dock!Credit: Buyenlarge/ Archive Photos via Getty Images

Hickory dickory dock

The mouse went up the clock

The clock struck one

The mouse went down

Hickory dickory dock

Some believe this counting rhyme was inspired by the astronomical clock at Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England, which was plagued by mice. Around 1600, the presiding bishop directed carpenters to cut a hole in the door to the clock room — or, as the records said at the time, "Paid ye carpenters 8d for cutting ye hole in ye north transept door for ye Bishop's cat." The cathedral's cats got easy access to prey, cutting down the vermin population. Centuries later, the door is still there.

But there's a reason mice were so common around the clockwork: Animal fat was often used to lubricate clock parts during that time. It's possible it was just written about a pretty normal thing to be happening on a clock at the time, but that's not as fun.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

This Day in U S Military History

1942 – The U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, the Langley, is sunk by Japanese warplanes (with a little help from U.S. destroyers), and all of its 32 aircraft are lost. 

1912 as the naval collier (coal transport ship) Jupiter. After World War I, the Jupiter was converted into the Navy's first aircraft carrier and rechristened the Langley, after aviation pioneer Samuel Pierpoint Langley. It was also the Navy's first electrically propelled ship, capable of speeds of 15 knots. On October 17, 1922, Lt. Virgil C. Griffin piloted the first plane, a VE-7-SF, launched from the Langley's decks. Although planes had taken off from ships before, it was nevertheless a historic moment. After 1937, the Langley lost the forward 40 percent of her flight deck as part of a conversion to seaplane tender, a mobile base for squadrons of patrol bombers. On December 8, 1941, the Langley was part of the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. She immediately set sail for Australia, arriving on New Year's Day, 1942. On February 22, commanded by Robert P. McConnell, the Langley, carrying 32 Warhawk fighters, left as part of a convoy to aid the Allies in their battle against the Japanese in the Dutch East Indies. On February 27, the Langley parted company from the convoy and headed straight for the port at Tjilatjap, Java. About 74 miles south of Java, the carrier met up with two U.S. escort destroyers when nine Japanese twin-engine bombers attacked. Although the Langley had requested a fighter escort from Java for cover, none could be spared. The first two Japanese bomber runs missed their target, as they were flying too high, but the Langley's luck ran out the third time around and it was hit three times, setting the planes on her flight deck aflame. The carrier began to list. Commander McConnell lost his ability to navigate the ship. McConnell ordered the Langley abandoned, and the escort destroyers were able to take his crew to safety. Of the 300 crewmen, only 16 were lost. The destroyers then to sank the Langley before the Japanese were able to capture it.

1948 – The Federal Trade Commission issued a restraining order, preventing the Willys-Overland Company from representing that it had developed the Jeep. Willys-Overland did, in fact, end up producing the Army vehicle that would come to be known as the Jeep; but it was the Bantam Motor Company that first presented the innovative design to the Army.

1953 – F-84 Thunderjets raided North Korean base on Yalu River. A year after leaving West Point, Lt. Joe Kingston was en route to Korea, where he, like a lot of others, found himself retreating and advancing in a single day.

1953 – The USCGC Coos Bay, on Ocean Station Echo, about half-way between Bermuda and the Azores, rescued the entire crew of 10 from the US Navy patrol plane that was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean.

1968 – CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite's commentary on the progress of the Vietnam War solidified President Lyndon B. Johnson's decision not to seek reelection in 1968. Cronkite, who had been at Hue in the midst of the Tet Offensive earlier in February, said: "Who won and who lost in the great Tet Offensive against the cities? I'm not sure." He concluded: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out…will be to negotiate, not as victors but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could." Johnson called the commentary a "turning point," saying that if he had "lost Cronkite," he'd "lost Mr. Average Citizen." On March 31, Johnson announced he would not seek reelection.

My opinion of Cronkite along with a number of the News folks is not for publication because of the Profane manner of my description….Skip

1969 – Communist forces shell 30 military installations and nine towns in South Vietnam, in what becomes known as the "Post-Tet Offensive." U.S. sources in Saigon put American losses in this latest offensive at between 250 and 300, compared with enemy casualties totaling 5,300. South Vietnamese officials report 200 civilians killed and 12,700 made homeless.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

SHUTES, HENRY

Rank and organization: Captain of the Forecastle, U.S. Navy. Born: 1804, Baltimore, Md. Accredited to: Maryland. G.O. No.: 71, 15 January 1866. Citation: Served as captain of the forecastle on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon during the battle of New Orleans, 24 and 25 April 1862; and in the engagement at Fort McAllister, 27 February 1863. Going on board the U.S.S. Wissahickon from the U.S.S. Don where his seamanlike qualities as gunner's mate were outstanding, Shutes performed his duties with skill and courage. Showing a presence of mind and prompt action when a shot from Fort McAllister penetrated the Wissahickon below the water line and entered the powder magazine, Shutes contributed materially to the preservation of the powder and safety of the ship.

*WALLACE, HERMAN C.

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company B, 301st Engineer Combat Battalion, 76th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Prumzurley, Germany, 27 February 1945. Entered service at: Lubbock, Tex. Birth: Marlow, Okla. G.O. No.: 92, 25 October 1945. Citation: He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity. While helping clear enemy mines from a road, he stepped on a well-concealed S-type antipersonnel mine. Hearing the characteristic noise indicating that the mine had been activated and, if he stepped aside, would be thrown upward to explode above ground and spray the area with fragments, surely killing 2 comrades directly behind him and endangering other members of his squad, he deliberately placed his other foot on the mine even though his best chance for survival was to fall prone. Pvt. Wallace was killed when the charge detonated, but his supreme heroism at the cost of his life confined the blast to the ground and his own body and saved his fellow soldiers from death or injury.

*WALSH, WILLIAM GARY

Rank and organization: Gunnery Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 7 April 1922, Roxbury, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Citation: For extraordinary gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as leader of an assault platoon, attached to Company G, 3d Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands on 27 February 1945. With the advance of his company toward Hill 362 disrupted by vicious machinegun fire from a forward position which guarded the approaches to this key enemy stronghold, G/Sgt. Walsh fearlessly charged at the head of his platoon against the Japanese entrenched on the ridge above him, utterly oblivious to the unrelenting fury of hostile automatic weapons fire and handgrenades employed with fanatic desperation to smash his daring assault. Thrown back by the enemy's savage resistance, he once again led his men in a seemingly impossible attack up the steep, rocky slope, boldly defiant of the annihilating streams of bullets which saturated the area. Despite his own casualty losses and the overwhelming advantage held by the Japanese in superior numbers and dominant position, he gained the ridge's top only to be subjected to an intense barrage of handgrenades thrown by the remaining Japanese staging a suicidal last stand on the reverse slope. When 1 of the grenades fell in the midst of his surviving men, huddled together in a small trench, G/Sgt. Walsh, in a final valiant act of complete self-sacrifice, instantly threw himself upon the deadly bomb, absorbing with his own body the full and terrific force of the explosion. Through his extraordinary initiative and inspiring valor in the face of almost certain death, he saved his comrades from injury and possible loss of life and enabled his company to seize and hold this vital enemy position. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

WATSON, WILSON DOUGLAS

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. Entered service at: Arkansas. Born: 18 February 1921, Tuscumbia, Ala. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as automatic rifleman serving with the 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 and 27 February 1945. With his squad abruptly halted by intense fire from enemy fortifications in the high rocky ridges and crags commanding the line of advance, Pvt. Watson boldly rushed 1 pillbox and fired into the embrasure with his weapon, keeping the enemy pinned down single-handedly until he was in a position to hurl in a grenade, and then running to the rear of the emplacement to destroy the retreating Japanese and enable his platoon to take its objective. Again pinned down at the foot of a small hill, he dauntlessly scaled the jagged incline under fierce mortar and machinegun barrages and, with his assistant BAR man, charged the crest of the hill, firing from his hip. Fighting furiously against Japanese troops attacking with grenades and knee mortars from the reverse slope, he stood fearlessly erect in his exposed position to cover the hostile entrenchments and held the hill under savage fire for 15 minutes, killing 60 Japanese before his ammunition was exhausted and his platoon was able to join him. His courageous initiative and valiant fighting spirit against devastating odds were directly responsible for the continued advance of his platoon, and his inspiring leadership throughout this bitterly fought action reflects the highest credit upon Pvt. Watson and the U.S. Naval Service.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 27, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

27 February

1911: At North Island, Lt Theodore G. Ellyson (USN) flew with Glenn Curtiss in a Curtiss seaplane to become the first seaplane passenger. (24) On the Mexican border near Fort McIntosh at Laredo, Texas, Lt Benjamin D. Foulois and Phillip O. Parmalee, a Wright instructor pilot, demonstrated the use of an airplane in coordination with ground maneuvers for the first time. They used a Wright B. (21)

1920: Maj Rudolph W. "Shorty" Schroeder used a Packard-Lepere LUSAC-11 biplane with a Liberty 400 engine at McCook Field near Dayton to set an FAI altitude record of 33,113 feet. (24)

1928: Cmdr Theodore G. Ellyson, the first naval aviator, and two companions crashed to their deaths in Chesapeake Bay. (24)

1942: Japanese airplanes sank the seaplane tender Langley, once the Navy's first aircraft carrier, near Java. (24)

1943: Eighth Air Force sent B-17s and B-24s to attack the harbor and naval facilities at Brest, France. (4)

1951: Boeing delivered the first C-97C to the Air Force. (5)

1958: Missile Director William M. Holaday approved the Minuteman project to build a 500-mile to 5,500-mile, solid-fuel ballistic missile that could be launched from underground silos. (6)

1960: The 4135 SW at Eglin AFB received SAC's first GAM-72A Quail missile. (1)

1961: Max Conrad set an FAI solo record for light planes by flying around the world in 8 days 18 hours 35 minutes 57 seconds. His flight ended on 8 March. (9) (24)

1970: First F-111E arrived at Edwards AFB for flight testing. (12) The DoD selected Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company in West Palm Beach and East Hartford, Conn., to produce the F-100 engine for USAF's F-15 and the Navy's F-14B. (12)

1971: Operation HAYLIFT. The USAF launched this operation in response to blizzards in Kansas. Aircraft dropped 35,000 bales of hay (nearly a million pounds) for 275,000 cattle stranded in deep snow. The American Humane Society provided the Hay. (16)

1976: Vandenberg AFB launched the advanced nosetip test vehicle (ANT-1) to study how four objects of various materials and shapes, with fine-weave carbon- carbon nosetips, performed in high stagnation pressure and clean air. (5) The Minuteman integrated program at Minot AFB's Wing III completed and turned over to SAC. This program included silo modifications, dust hardening, electromagnetic pulse protection, and a conversion to the command data buffer system. (6)

1990 The combined Lockheed and USAF F-117A Stealth Fighter design team received the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1989. This "most prestigious award in American aviation" recognized the team for the greatest achievement in aeronautics. (8: May 90)

2001: The USAF successfully launched a Titan IV-B rocket from Cape Canaveral. It carried a MILSTAR satellite to its intended orbit 22,300 miles above the equator. (AFNEWS Article 0289, 1 Mar 2001)

2004: Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The 107 FS, Michigan ANG, deployed 10 F-16Cs on an Air Expeditionary Force rotation to Iraq. Thus, the 107th became the first F-16 unit under the Total Air Force concept to operate from Kirkuk AB, a former Iraqi Air Force installation. The unit employed the ANG's Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System pod in actual combat conditions. (32)

A bit of USAF history from Brett

The U.S. Nuclear Propulsion Program (or Manned Nuclear Aircraft Program) began in May 1946. Fairchild Engine and Aircraft Corporation received the first formal study contract. The objective, to determine the feasibility of nuclear energy for the propulsion of aircraft. The Fairchild project known as the Nuclear Energy for Propulsion of Aircraft (NEPA) began at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN. Work at Oak Ridge proved building a nuclear aircraft was feasible and defined the major approaches to the program. As a result, the Air Force and Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) joined forces in the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion (ANP) Program. In 1951, they contracted with the General Electric (GE) Company at Evendale, Ohio to, "…develop a nuclear aircraft propulsion system through an exacting research, development, design and component-test program on reactors, materials, shielding and an over-all nuclear power plant."

Maj. Gen. Donald L. Keirn served from 1950 to 1959 as the AEC assistant director for its aircraft reactors branch and in the Air Force as Deputy Chief of Staff/Development for Nuclear Systems. Gen. Keirn, a major at the time, was tasked by Gen. Hap Arnold in 1941, to lead the Air Force Project Office developing the first U.S. turbojet engine developed by GE.  The objective of the ANP Program expanded to include the demonstration of nuclear-powered flight. Still in 1952, the Air Force decided that direct nuclear cycle engine developments were progressing well and began construction of a power plant for the Convair B-36 flight testing and targeted for 1956 for the first flight. In 1953 the Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson abruptly cancelled the B-36 experimental flight program, contending "that experimental "proof-of-principle" flights were worthless unless they were performed by a prototype as an actual weapon systems."

Air Force leaders managed to keep GE's direct cycle developments moving forward and Pratt and Whitney continued their progress. Though Air Force leaders cancelled the B-36 nuclear powered aircraft, a Convair B-36, designated as the NB5-36H was refit to contain a fully operational nuclear reactor. The NB-36H did not use the reactor for propulsion.

In January 1961, as President John F. Kennedy directed a review of all military projects. GE, P&W and Convair all received official contract termination notices in March 1961. With space as a priority, the Atomic Energy Commission began working with companies to develop nuclear rocket engines (Project Rover) and a nuclear ramjet (Project Pluto). These programs had potential here on earth and in space for both military and civilian applications.

 

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

 

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SkipsList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/CACTjsm3jRgyQYxAtsoyzgKZSJsi05ikq6kyMgpf1L4pn-MbjGA%40mail.gmail.com.