To All
. Good Sunday morning June 7. It started out overcast and cloudy and it has cleared up with a high of 75 around 2.
50 ears ago my brother in Law and I were working on a patio cover for the back of the house we had recently moved into. My wife came home from a doctor appointment and was sitting on a stool when she started laughing. It turned out her water had broken and she was 5 weeks early. I rushed her to the hospital at Balboa and entered the emergency room. The doctor delivered the baby girl who was very tiny. He was holding on to the cord as it was not releasing and was causing my wife a lot of pain. So much so that she went off the table and hurt her back. I had visions of causing him some great bodily harm when a real doctor came in and fixed everything. So I had my wife and daughter each in intensive care for a few weeks. This all happened on my birthday.
Skip
Just got to talk to my son who is in a place I can not mention
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director’s corner for all 97 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
June 7
1898 During the Spanish-American War, USS Marblehead (C 11), along with auxiliary cruisers USS Yankee and USS St. Louis, engage the Spanish gunboat Sandoval and the shore batteries at Guantanamo, Cuba for 2 1/2 hours.
1917 During World War I, U.S. submarine chasers arrive at Corfu, Greece, for anti-submarine patrols.
1942 Just after dawn, USS Yorktown (CV 5) sinks after being torpedoed the previous day by Japanese submarine (I 168).
1944 The construction of artificial harbors and sheltered anchorages, also known as Mulberries, begins off the Normandy coast.
1944 USS Mingo (SS 261) torpedoes and sinks Japanese destroyer Tamanami, 150 miles west-southwest of Manila while USS Skate (SS 305) attacks a Japanese convoy in the southern Sea of Okhotsk and sinks destroyer Usugumo, 160 miles north of Etorofu, Kuril Islands. Additionally, USS Sunfish (SS 281) attacks Japanese fishing boats en route from Matsuwa to Uruppu, Kuril Islands, shelling and sinking No.105 Hokuyo Maru, No.5 Kannon Maru, Ebisu Maru, and Kinei Maru while USS Flasher (SS 249) sinks Japanese transport No.2 Koto Maru off Cape Varella, French Indochina. Lastly, USS Bonefish (SS 223) shells and sinks Japanese guardboat Ryuei Maru at the mouth of Tarakan Harbor, Borneo.
1945 During the Okinawa Campaign, while serving with the Third Marine Battalion, Twenty-Ninth Marines, Sixth Marine Division, Pvt. Robert M. McTureous's company suffers casualties after capturing a hill on Oroku Peninsula, and the wounded can't be evacuated due to heavy Japanese fire. Waging a one-man assault to redirect enemy fire away from the wounded, McTureous attacks numerous times and suffers severe wounds in the process. He crawls 200 yards back to safety before asking for aid. His actions confuse the enemy and enable his company to complete its mission. He dies on June 11 on board USS Relief. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" on this occasion, McTureous is posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
1987 USS Antietam (CG 54) is commissioned at Baltimore, Md. The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser is named after the 1862 Battle of Antietam in Baltimore during the Civil War. The cruisers first homeport is Long Beach, Calif.
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Today in World History June 7
1498 Christopher Columbus leaves on his third voyage of exploration.
1546 The Peace of Ardes ends the war between France and England.
1654 Louis XIV is crowned king of France.
1712 The Pennsylvania Assembly bans the importation of slaves.
1767 Daniel Boone sights present-day Kentucky.
1775 The United Colonies change their name to the United States.
1863 Mexico City is captured by French troops.
1900 The Boxer rebels cut the rail links between Peking and Tientsin in China.
1903 Professor Pierre Curie reveals the discovery of Polonium.
1914 The first vessel passes through the Panama Canal.
1932 Over 7,000 war veterans march on Washington, D.C., demanding their bonus pay for service in World War I.
1942 The Japanese invade Attu and Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.
1968 In Operation Swift Saber, U.S. Marines sweep an area 10 miles northwest of Da Nang in South Vietnam.
1981 Israeli F-16 fighter-bombers destroy Iraq's only nuclear reactor.
1994 The Organization of African Unity formally admits South Africa as its fifty-third member.
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June 7
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
June 7: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2909
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady’s work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in “search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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From the Bear’s archives worth the repeat…
1969… Old men send young men to die in wars. What lesson are we to learn from their deaths? What responsibility do we have to those brave young men?
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
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Some bits from Nice News
Culture
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Boy’s Viral “Toy Story” Photo From 2020 Gets Him Invited to Sequel’s Premiere
William Lailey / SWNS
A young boy who went viral in 2020 after his dad re-created a tear-jerking movie moment on his first day of school has finally met his Hollywood heroes — on the red carpet. Vinny Donnelly was just 4 when proud dad Sean Donnelly lined up his son’s favorite toys at the front door to see him off, a sweet nod to the emotional goodbye scene from Toy Story 3.
The adorable image, taken at the family’s home in Leicestershire, England, melted hearts worldwide when Vinny’s mom, Charlotte, shared it online six years ago. Fast forward to today, and Vinny, now 10, is in the spotlight again. Disney Pixar tracked him down and invited him to be a guest of honor at last month’s London premiere of Toy Story 5, where he met Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the legendary voices behind Woody and Buzz Lightyear.
“To be honest, we’d kind of forgotten about the photo because it was so long ago,” Sean, 38, told SWNS. “At the time it was bonkers, we were getting calls and messages from people all over the world. Suddenly a few weeks ago Disney got in contact out of the blue and invited Vinny to the premiere.” Check out the original viral photos.
Humanity
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Kindness 101: Nice News-Coded Classroom Curriculum Teaches Kids to Be Kind
Kawee Srital-on—Moment/Getty Images
We couldn’t write this lesson plan better ourselves! CBS correspondent Steve Hartman is known for his “On the Road” series, which shines a light on inspiring people and places across the country. The stories are often featured in this very newsletter — and they also take on another life in classrooms through a free nationwide program called Kindness 101.
Hartman and the nonprofit Character Counts! teamed up to create a curriculum that uses “On the Road” as a jumping-off point to get kids talking about everything from respect and responsibility to self-awareness and problem-solving. To facilitate those conversations, discussion topics, journal prompts, and activities are all outlined in free lesson plans on Kindness101.com.
Then comes the ripple effect, wherein talking about kindness turns into kind acts. “I see the students duplicating what they’re seeing in the videos, and as a teacher, that’s gold,” third grade teacher Neil Lahammer told CBS News. Lahammer won the first-ever Kindness 101 Teacher of the Year Award and leads a Kindness Club at his school in Red Wing, Minnesota.
The best review of the program comes from none other than one of the students, who said, “It just makes me want to be a better person.” Watch Hartman visit the kiddos in the Kindness Club.
Culture
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The “Dig of the Century” Is Happening Underneath Notre Dame Right Now
VCG—VCG/Getty Images
In what’s being called the “dig of the century,” a team of archaeologists is excavating beneath Notre Dame Cathedral, offering a rare peek into Roman Paris 2,000 years ago.
The historic dig comes about 18 months after the cathedral reopened its doors following a 2019 fire. Officials want to add trees and updates to the surrounding area, but first, archeologists must ensure the city’s underground remnants are protected, thereby sparking the need for an excavation. “It’s a rare opportunity for us to work on something that’s tangibly going to make a difference to the history of Paris,” Lucie Altenburg, a conservator with the Paris archaeology unit, told the Associated Press.
A trove of treasures has already been found — including a fourth-century coin stamped with the face of the Roman Emperor Constantine and pieces of medieval pottery with mysterious markings that experts are trying to decipher. Other findings include animal bones and fully intact jugs and cups.
“It makes Notre Dame feel alive again,” said Emily Carter, a tourist from Manchester, England, waiting in line with her two children. “You come to see the cathedral, then realize there’s another city under your feet. That’s almost more moving.”
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Some bits from 1440
Good morning! It's Sunday, June 7, and welcome to our Sunday Edition, where we take a break from the news to explore the deeper context behind today's topics (our regular news digest will be back tomorrow).
The 79th Tony Awards will be held tonight in New York City, so we took a look at the history of theater's biggest awards ceremony. Next, we explored how the US manages its citizens' trash. Lastly, we examined the science behind sleep, with tips on how to improve your own.
Broadway's Big Night
What we learned about the Tony Awards
The Tonys—short for the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre—are the live theater version of other US prestigious creative industry awards like the Grammys, Oscars, and Emmys. Since the Tonys debuted in 1947, more than 1,000 actors, directors, playwrights, and others have received awards.
Although the number of award categories has increased over the years, they have always fallen into three general buckets: performance, show and technical, and special honors. The self-governing, 24-member board of the Tony Awards Administration Committee selects roughly 50 individuals—a mix of theater professionals—to serve staggered terms of up to three years on the nomination committee. They must see every Broadway show during the yearlong April-to-April season—typically 30 to 40 productions.
Ceremonies often feature songs from nominated musicals and scenes from nominated plays, a tradition particularly popular since the event was first televised in 1967.
Also, check out ...
> Twenty-two celebrities have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony—known as an EGOT.
Curb Appeal
Trash collection, explained
The United States generates more municipal solid waste per capita than any other nation on Earth: roughly 292 million tons per year, or about 4.9 pounds per person per day. Trash collection in the US is a local responsibility, managed by city and county governments, often with help from private companies.
Waste flows through an industrial ecosystem that spans garbage trucks, transfer stations, landfills, and waste-to-energy facilities. As of 2018, roughly half of all municipal solid waste is landfilled, about 32% is recycled or composted, and nearly 12% is burned for energy recovery.
New York City became the first US city to implement public-sector garbage management in 1895. Around that time, less than 25% of American cities had waste management systems, but by 1910, 80% did.
Catching Z's
Sleep, 101
Sleep is far more than just a period of rest—it’s a complex, active process during which the brain cycles through distinct stages, each marked by unique patterns of brain activity.
While scientists still debate sleep’s true purpose, research has proved it to be essential for survival. Both humans and animals suffer severe consequences without sleep, including cognitive decline, emotional instability, and eventual death. More than a third of adults regularly experience poor sleep, leading to increased risks of heart attack, Alzheimer’s disease, and motor vehicle accidents.
The drive to sleep is regulated by our internal circadian rhythms, body clocks mediated by cues including light and food, and directed by a master clock located in the hypothalamus. Once asleep, the human sleep cycle proceeds through four stages, each characterized by unique brainwave patterns and physiological changes.
During sleep, the brain performs several critical functions: consolidating short-term memories into long-term storage, preparing neurons for learning the following day, repairing tissues, and boosting the immune system.
⚽ 1440 Explores ... Soccer, the World Cup, and FIFA
Soccer is the world's most popular sport—and it's run by a Swiss organization with no real oversight, a tiny voting committee, and billions of dollars flowing in every four years. For decades, nobody looked too closely. Then came Qatar. And the FBI.
Historybook: Actress Jean Harlow dies (1937); Mathematician Alan Turing dies (1954); Musician Prince born (1958); US Supreme Court legalizes contraception use by married couples (1965); Writer Dorothy Parker dies (1967).
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
7 Amazing Facts About June
“June Is Bustin’ Out All Over,” as the song goes, and it’s one of the most fascinating months on the calendar. Filled with holidays and long days in the U.S., the month is known best for the arrival of summer, and it’s long awaited by the many sun lovers among us. Here are a few fascinating facts about the month of June, from its ancient Roman moniker to its role as host to the newest national holiday in the U.S.
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June Is Named After a Powerful Roman Goddess
Roman goddess Juno, wife and sister of Jupiter, Queen of Heaven. The inspiration behind the name of the month of June likely comes from a Roman deity — in this case, Juno. Roughly equivalent to the goddess Hera in Greek mythology, Juno is the goddess of marriage and childbirth. She is one of the most powerful deities in the Roman pantheon, being part of the Capitoline Triad along with her husband Jupiter and Jupiter’s daughter Minerva. Although Juno is the leading theory behind June’s ancient etymology, another idea, from the Roman poet Ovid, suggests that the month’s name could come from the Latin word iuvenes or iuniores, meaning “younger ones.” This theory also states that the preceding month of May could come from the Latin word maiores, meaning “the elders.” A third hypothesis is that June could be named after the semilegendary figure Lucius Junius Brutus, founder of the Roman Republic in the sixth century BCE.
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June Is a Month of Solar Extremes
June is famous for being the transition month between spring and summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Every year, this seasonal switch occurs between June 20 and June 21, otherwise known as the summer solstice. This solstice (from the Latin solstitium, meaning “stationary sun”) takes place the exact moment the sun finally reaches the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5 degrees latitude north. Because this is the farthest the sun travels northward, this particular day in June has more daylight than any other day on the calendar.
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Pride Month in June Commemorates a Historic Moment in LGBTQIA+ History
Many places around the world commemorate the month of June as Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community while highlighting the many struggles yet to be overcome. The month of June wasn’t arbitrarily chosen, but grew out of a famous uprising in New York City in the summer of 1969. During the late 1960s, anti-gay legislation and policing policies were widespread, and gay bars such as New York’s Stonewall Inn served as some of the few refuges where LGBTQIA+ people could be themselves. Yet these urban havens were also the target of police raids, and on June 28, 1969, the NYPD came for Stonewall Inn. The bar’s patrons had finally had enough, and the raid ignited six days of protests on Christopher Street in NYC’s Greenwich Village. The energy unleashed that June night also fueled a gay rights march weeks later, and led to the formation of groups like the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance. To remember the Stonewall Uprising a year later, on June 28, 1970, protesters created the annual Christopher Street Liberation Day march, which eventually evolved into the worldwide Pride parades and month long celebrations we know today.
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June 7 Is the Wettest Day on Average in the U.S.
Everyone’s heard of April showers, but it turns out June is the wettest month of the year in the U.S., though results vary by location. Alaska-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider analyzed 30 years of data from 8,535 official National Climatic Data Center weather stations and found that 2,053 of those sites reported June as their wettest month (only 76 sites reported April as the wettest). Not only did he discover that June is the wettest month on average in the contiguous U.S., but Brettschneider also calculated that June 7 was the wettest day overall.
June produces so much rain because warm, humid air travels up through the Gulf of Mexico, creating an uptick in thunderstorms that unleash rain across the Great Plains, the Midwest, and the Northeast. That’s why June is often the wettest month in cities such as Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, and Kansas City. June heat also instigates downpours along the Gulf Coast in places like Houston, New Orleans, and Orlando. Things start to dry out as spring turns to summer, but June makes sure that seasonal transition is a tempestuous one.
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The Full Moon in June Is Called the “Strawberry Moon”
The full moon in June is known as a “Strawberry Moon,” but don’t expect a ripe red lunar hue. Instead, the name originates from Algonquin tribes living in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, because the full moon often coincides with the region’s June strawberry harvest. In other parts of the world, the June full moon goes by different monikers. Some Europeans, for example, call this moon the “rose moon,” as the flower usually blooms in the month of June, while other regions use the name “hot moon,” in reference to the hot months that follow its appearance.
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June Is Host to the Nation’s Newest Federal Holiday
June is already full of holidays — both cultural and astrophysical — but in 2021, the U.S. government recognized another one: Juneteenth. Months after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, U.S. Major General Gordon Granger issued “General Orders, Number 3” on June 19, 1865. The order proclaimed to the “people of Texas” that “all slaves are free.” Arriving nearly two-and-a-half years after Abraham Lincoln’s initial proclamation, this general order is seen today as the moment when the last vestige of slavery in the U.S. was wiped away for good.
Although some former enslavers resisted the order, Granger backed up the command with 2,000 federal troops, and soon newly freed Americans began celebrating throughout the Lone Star State. The next year, the free people of Texas celebrated the anniversary of what they called “Emancipation Day” or “Jubilee Day”; the name “Juneteenth” (a blend of “June” and “19th”) began to be used by Black people during celebrations commemorating the day in the early 1890s. More than 150 years later, in 2021, the entire nation officially joined the celebrations when Juneteenth became a federal holiday.
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Spokane, Washington, Celebrated the First Father’s Day in June 1909
On May 9, 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd patiently listened to a Mother’s Day sermon at Central Methodist Episcopal Church in Spokane, Washington. As the preacher extolled the virtues of America’s mothers (the holiday was only created the previous year), Dodd thought about her own upbringing and how her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, raised her and her siblings alone after her mother died in childbirth 11 years earlier. Inspired by her father’s example, Dodd worked with the local YMCA to petition for the creation of a day to honor dads as well. Within a year, the mayor of Spokane, along with the governor of Washington, signed proclamations for celebrating the first Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. For more than 50 years, Dodd continued pushing for the holiday to become a national one. She finally got her wish in 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson recognized the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, and the holiday became a permanent one six years later.
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From the archives
Thanks to Mike who keeps us up to date on many things
New version
WHO IS JACK SCHITT?
For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt?
We find ourselves at a loss when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt'!
Well, thanks to genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way.
Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt. Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, who married O. Schitt, the owner of Needeep N. Schitt, Inc.
They had one son, Jack.
In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt. The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt.
Against her parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced. Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock.
Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, and they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt. Two of the other six children, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt, were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Horse.
Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt.
Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt', you can correct them.
Sincerely,
Crock O. Schitt
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Thanks to Dictionary Scoop
THE WORD FOR WORD IS WORD
12 fun language paradoxes and words that describe themselves
Published on November 13, 2023
Autological words? Language paradoxes? Join us in this article to explore the fun consequences of self-referential language.
Autological words or homological words are words that happen to express a property that they themselves possess. Like noun is a noun, or English is actually English, these examples of recursive meaning within a word can be quite fun to think about.
The opposite of an autological word would be a heterological word, meaning one that doesn’t apply to itself. For example, the word long isn’t a long word itself, and monosyllabic has more than one syllable.
A paradox arises when one tries to answer the question: "Is heterological a heterological word itself? Before reading further, try to make the math in your head, and you will soon find that giving a straight answer is almost impossible without modifying the original definitions of heterological and autological.
Before this starts giving you a headache, we are not here to rummage into borderline mathematical problems within the logical structure of modern English, so don’t worry! Autological words can be a lot of fun on their own, even without pesky paradoxes popping up. Here are some examples.
1
Embiggened
This is a real word present in the English dictionary, in case you are wondering. Humorously popularized by The Simpsons, embiggened is quite a fun example, since it is a sort of ungainly enlargement of itself.
2
Interesting
This could very much depend on context, but interesting derives from the Anglo-Norman word interesse, and a blend of an older Latin word that referred to something important and an Old French expression relating to damage or loss. So, interesting is a somewhat interesting word by itself, at least if you like etymologies. Arguably, one could also say that it is a heterological word, since interesting is the go-to word for most people when they don’t really have anything interesting to say about something.
3
Pronounceable
Not for you maybe, but pronounceable is a difficult word to pronounce for many people, particularly for people who aren’t native speakers of English.
4
Lexiphanic
Ever heard of this one before? Don’t worry, me neither. Lexiphanic means something - or someone - that uses pretentious or bombastic language.
5
Included
In this list! Ha!
6
Unhyphenated
Could we give unhyphenated a hyphen just for the sake of ruining this self-descriptive madness? Maybe. But it wouldn’t make too much sense. Hyphenated, on the other hand, is heterological, as it fails to describe itself.
7
Pentasyllabic
I love this one. If you don’t get it, count the syllables! Multisyllabic is also a related autological word.
8
Sesquipedalian
A long, unnecessary word that literally means "a long word". It also derives from the Latin root sēsquipedālis, which means "a foot and a half long".
9
Vowelled
Lots of vowels in this one, so… it passes the autological test.
10
Frankenword
Who even conceived this word? Just like the literary monster, this word is exactly what it means, a combination of two other words, or a portmanteau (that just happens to be autological too!).
11
Penultimate
In the context of this list. Don’t worry, we are almost at the end.
12
Buzzword
Funnily enough, this word also happens to be a buzzword. It may be even more popular than the actual buzzwords it refers to.
If you loved these autological words, check out our other articles! At Dictionary Scoop we explore all language-related topics and trivia, from words with strange properties like the ones in this list to untranslatable ones, or the history and etymology behind many English words.
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Thanks to History Facts
For many wordsmiths, crossword puzzles are a beloved daily ritual. Waking up, brewing a cup of coffee, and doing the crossword in the morning is considered by some to be the perfect way to start the day. Yet there was a time not so long ago when these puzzles were considered a novelty.
The modern crossword puzzle is barely over a century old, though it was inspired in part by word puzzles such as Sator squares that date back as far as ancient Pompeii. It wasn’t until 1913 that crossword puzzles as we know them today began to take shape, and their popularity only boomed from there. These brain teasers aren’t just a great way to challenge the mind — they also boast a fascinating history full of trivia that may surprise even the most avid puzzlers out there. Here are five fun facts about the history of crossword puzzles.
The First Modern Crossword Was Published in 1913
In 19th-century England, word games bearing similarities to crossword puzzles (though not quite as intricately designed) were published in regional periodicals and children’s books. Around that same time in the U.S., the term “cross word puzzle” first appeared in the Boston children’s magazine Our Young Folks, and by 1873, word-based “double diamond puzzles” began popping up in St. Nicholas, another popular children’s magazine. However, those early puzzles were primarily text-based, lacking the grid layout commonly seen today. Years later, on December 21, 1913, the New York World changed the game (literally), and published the very first modern crossword puzzle.Newspaper editor Arthur Wynne is credited with inventing the modern crossword, as he purportedly needed to fill space in that year’s Christmas edition of the paper. Using a relatively new grid-printing technology, Wynne produced a diamond-shaped crossword puzzle that featured the word “FUN” already written in the grid to help players get started. While the many similar puzzles that came before were marketed toward children, Wynne’s was also the first delivered directly to an older audience, piquing the interest of the newspaper’s adult readership. Many clues were simple, such as, “What bargain hunters enjoy” (answer: SALES). Others, however, weren’t as easy — for instance, “The fibre of the gomuti palm” (answer: “DOH”). Though Wynne didn’t realize it at the time, this was just the beginning of a new worldwide puzzling sensation.
“The New York Times” Once Labeled Crosswords as a “Sinful Waste”
Few modern-day crossword puzzles are more highly regarded than those from The New York Times, but the Gray Lady wasn’t always so crossword friendly. In fact, in 1924, the Times ran an op-ed column that derided crossword puzzles for being “a primitive sort of mental exercise” and “sinful waste.” As countless publications began including crosswords throughout the 1920s and ’30s, the Times dug in its heels and remained one of the only major metropolitan newspapers without a crossword puzzle.The New York Times maintained its anti-crossword stance until 1942, when the paper brought on Margaret Farrar to serve as its first official crossword editor. This shift came just months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II. The Times suddenly viewed these entertaining puzzles as a necessary distraction to help readers weather the increasingly bleak news stories emanating from Europe. Farrar helped usher in a new era that saw The New York Times’ crossword grow into a staple of households across the country.
Crosswords Caused Panic in Britain Leading Up to D-Day
While crosswords thrived in America during World War II, some in Britain feared that the games were being used to convey messages of secret espionage. In particular, the puzzles in The Daily Telegraph caught the eye of MI5, the British intelligence service. They feared that Leonard Dawe, the paper’s crossword editor, was secretly communicating with Nazi Germany through clues and answers in his puzzles. The first curious incident occurred on August 18, 1942, when the clue “French port (6)” appeared in the paper’s crossword. The answer turned out to be “DIEPPE,” which was the site of a failed raid that the Allied forces launched a day later. Though this was ultimately deemed a fluke, Dawe came under fire yet again two years later as the Allied invasion of Normandy approached. On May 2, 1944, the answer “UTAH” appeared in Dawe’s puzzle, with other answers such as “OMAHA,” “OVERLORD,” and “NEPTUNE” popping up shortly after. All of these terms were code names related to the impending D-Day invasion, which set off new alarms within MI5 that Dawe was guilty of what they believed all along. In the end, Dawe was cleared of intentional wrongdoing. Instead, it was determined that he had been accepting crossword suggestions from his students, who hung out at a nearby soldiers camp during recess and overheard the code words.
Stephen Sondheim Helped Popularize Cryptic Crosswords
Composer Stephen Sondheim is responsible for creating some of Broadway’s most beloved musicals, but he also played a key role in popularizing a unique type of puzzle known as the cryptic crossword. While normal crosswords are reliant on little bits of trivia, cryptic crosswords contain two main elements: the answer’s definition, plus a bit of wordplay meant to suggest the same result. Cryptic crosswords were first published in Britain in The Listener, a weekly magazine put out by the BBC. In the 1950s, Sondheim’s friend and future collaborator Burt Shevelove introduced him to these more difficult crosswords, and he became hooked. Years later, as the composer was rapidly becoming a Broadway legend, he was asked by New York magazine co-founder Clay Felker to contribute crosswords to the publication, and accepted. Sondheim wrote cryptic crosswords for New York magazine for the next year and a half, finally leaving the gig in 1969 to focus his efforts on his new musical, Company.
Crossword Editor Will Shortz Earned the Only Degree in Enigmatology
Few people have dedicated their lives to crosswords as much as Will Shortz, who has served as the crossword editor for The New York Times since 1993. Long before he assumed that role, Shortz attended Indiana University, where he created a one-of-a-kind college major. In 1974, he graduated with a degree in enigmatology — the scientific study of puzzles — and became the only person in history to hold a degree in the subject. Shortz went on to graduate from the University of Virginia Law School, but he realized his true passion was puzzles. Setting his law career aside, he founded the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 1978, the World Puzzle Championship in 1992, and the World Puzzle Federation in 1999. Without his singular dedication to enigmatology, crossword puzzles may be far less popular than they are today.
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This Day in U S Military History…….June 7
1942 – The Battle of Midway–one of the most decisive U.S. victories in its war against Japan–comes to an end. In the four-day sea and air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers with the loss of only one of its own, the Yorktown, thus reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy. In six months of offensives, the Japanese had triumphed in lands throughout the Pacific, including Malaysia, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and numerous island groups. The United States, however, was a growing threat, and Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto sought to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet before it was large enough to outmatch his own. A thousand miles northwest of Honolulu, the strategic island of Midway became the focus of his scheme to smash U.S. resistance to Japan’s imperial designs. Yamamoto’s plan consisted of a feint toward Alaska followed by an invasion of Midway by a Japanese strike force. When the U.S. Pacific Fleet arrived at Midway to respond to the invasion, it would be destroyed by the superior Japanese fleet waiting unseen to the west. If successful, the plan would eliminate the U.S. Pacific Fleet and provide a forward outpost from which the Japanese could eliminate any future American threat in the Central Pacific. Unfortunately for the Japanese, U.S. intelligence broke the Japanese naval code, and the Americans anticipated the surprise attack. Three heavy aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were mustered to challenge the four heavy Japanese carriers steaming toward Midway. In early June, U.S. command correctly recognized a Japanese movement against Alaska’s Aleutian Islands as a diversionary tactic and kept its forces massed around Midway. On June 3, the Japanese occupation force was spotted steaming toward the island, and B-17 Flying Fortresses were sent out from Midway to bomb the strike force but failed to inflict damage. Early in the morning on June 4, a PBY Catalina flying boat torpedoed a Japanese tanker transport, striking the first blow of the Battle of Midway. Later that morning, an advance Japanese squadron numbering more than 100 bombers and Zero fighters took off from the Japanese carriers to bomb Midway. Twenty-six Wildcat fighters were sent up to intercept the Japanese force and suffered heavy losses in their heroic defense of Midway’s air base. Soon after, bombers and torpedo planes based on Midway took off to attack the Japanese carriers but failed to inflict serious damage. The first phase of the battle was over by 7:00 a.m. In the meantime, 200 miles to the northeast, two U.S. attack fleets caught the Japanese force entirely by surprise. Beginning around 9:30 a.m., torpedo bombers from the three U.S. carriers descended on the Japanese carriers. Although nearly wiped out, they drew off enemy fighters, and U.S. dive bombers penetrated, catching the Japanese carriers while their decks were cluttered with aircraft and fuel. The dive-bombers quickly destroyed three of the heavy Japanese carriers and one heavy cruiser. The only Japanese carrier that initially escaped destruction, the Hiryu, loosed all its aircraft against the American task force and managed to seriously damage the U.S. carrier Yorktown, forcing its abandonment. At about 5:00 p.m., dive-bombers from the U.S. carrier Enterprise returned the favor, mortally damaging the Hiryu. It was scuttled the next morning. Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto still had numerous warships at his command, but without his carriers and aircraft he was forced to abandon his Midway invasion plans and begin a westward retreat. On June 5, a U.S. task force pursued his fleet, but bad weather saved it from further destruction. On June 6, the skies cleared, and U.S. aircraft resumed their assault, sinking a cruiser and damaging several other warships. After the planes returned to their carriers, the Americans broke off from the pursuit. Meanwhile, a Japanese submarine torpedoed and fatally wounded the Yorktown, which was in the process of being salvaged. It finally rolled over and sank at dawn on June 7, bringing an end to the battle. At the Battle of Midway, Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties. Japan’s losses in the hobbled its naval might–bringing Japanese and American sea power to approximate parity–and marked the turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. In August 1942, the great U.S. counteroffensive began at Guadalcanal and did not cease until Japan’s surrender three years later.
1942 – Japanese soldiers occupy the American islands of Attu and Kiska, in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska, as the Axis power continues to expand its defensive perimeter. Having been defeated at the battle of Midway–stopped by the United States from even landing on the Midway Islands–the Japanese nevertheless proved successful in their invasion of the Aleutians, which had been American territory since purchased from Russia in 1867. Killing 25 American troops upon landing in Attu, the Japanese proceeded to relocate and intern the inhabitants, as well as those at Kiska. America would finally invade and recapture the Aleutians one year later-killing most of the 2,300 Japanese troops defending it–in three weeks of fighting.
1943 – The worst of the L.A. Zoot Suit Riot violence occurs as soldiers, sailors, and marines from as far away as San Diego travel to Los Angeles to join in the fighting. Taxi drivers offer free rides to servicemen and civilians to the riot areas. Approximately 5,000 civilians and military men gather downtown. The riot spreads into the predominantly African American section of Watts.
1944 – Elements of US 5th Army capture Bacciano and Civitavecchia. The port facilities are serviceable. Elements of British 8th Army advance as well. Subiaco is taken. The South African 6th Armored Division captures Civita Castellana and advances to Orvieto.
1944 – On Biak Island, elements of US 41st Division capture Mokmer Airfield. Japanese resistance continues.
1945 – On Luzon forces from US 1st Corps take Bambang and move northeast toward the Cagayan Valley. Other units are moving around the coast from the northwest to the north of the island.
1945 – On Okinawa, in the Oroku peninsula, Japanese forces hold attacks by the US 6th Marine Division while the US 1st Marine Division advances southward and isolates the peninsula defenders. The US 24th Corps is engaged in artillery bombardments.
1945 – All German citizens in the zone occupied by the western Allies are ordered to watch films of Belsen and Buchenwald — former Nazi concentration camps.
1962 – Joseph A. Walker, NASA civilian test pilot, took the X-15 to 31,580 meters.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
DOODY, PATRICK
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company E., 164th New York Infantry. Place and date: At Cold Harbor, Va., 7 June 1864. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Birth: Ireland. Date of issue: 13 December 1893. Citation: After making a successful personal reconnaissance, he gallantly led the skirmishers in a night attack, charging the enemy, and thus enabling the pioneers to put up works.
*McTUREOUS, ROBERT MILLER, JR.
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 26 March 1924, Altoona, Fla. Accredited to: Florida. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 3d Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division, during action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa in the Ryukyu Chain, 7 June 1945. Alert and ready for any hostile counteraction following his company’s seizure of an important hill objective, Pvt. McTureous was quick to observe the plight of company stretcher bearers who were suddenly assailed by slashing machinegun fire as they attempted to evacuate wounded at the rear of the newly won position. Determined to prevent further casualties, he quickly filled his jacket with hand grenades and charged the enemy-occupied caves from which the concentrated barrage was emanating. Coolly disregarding all personal danger as he waged his furious 1-man assault, he smashed grenades into the cave entrances, thereby diverting the heaviest fire from the stretcher bearers to his own person and, resolutely returning to his own lines under a blanketing hail of rifle and machinegun fire to replenish his supply of grenades, dauntlessly continued his systematic reduction of Japanese strength until he himself sustained serious wounds after silencing a large number of the hostile guns. Aware of his own critical condition and unwilling to further endanger the lives of his comrades, he stoically crawled a distance of 200 yards to a sheltered position within friendly lines before calling for aid. By his fearless initiative and bold tactics, Pvt. McTureous had succeeded in neutralizing the enemy fire, killing 6 Japanese troops and effectively disorganizing the remainder of the savagely defending garrison. His outstanding valor and heroic spirit of self-sacrifice during a critical stage of operations reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service.
*HANSON, JACK G.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company F, 31st Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Near Pachi-dong, Korea, 7 June 1951. Entered service at: Galveston, Tex. Born: 18 September 1930, Escaptawpa, Miss. G.O. No.: 15, 1 February 1952. Citation: Pfc. Hanson, a machine gunner with the 1st Platoon, Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations. The company, in defensive positions on two strategic hills separated by a wide saddle, was ruthlessly attacked at approximately 0300 hours, the brunt of which centered on the approach to the divide within range of Pfc. Hanson’s machine gun. In the initial phase of the action, 4 riflemen were wounded and evacuated and the numerically superior enemy, advancing under cover of darkness, infiltrated and posed an imminent threat to the security of the command post and weapons platoon. Upon orders to move to key terrain above and to the right of Pfc. Hanson’s position, he voluntarily remained to provide protective fire for the withdrawal. Subsequent to the retiring elements fighting a rearguard action to the new location, it was learned that Pfc. Hanson’s assistant gunner and 3 riflemen had been wounded and had crawled to safety, and that he was maintaining a lone-man defense. After the 1st Platoon reorganized, counterattacked, and resecured its original positions at approximately 0530 hours, Pfc. Hanson’s body was found lying in front of his emplacement, his machine gun ammunition expended, his empty pistol in his right hand, and a machete with blood on the blade in his left hand, and approximately 22 enemy dead lay in the wake of his action. Pfc. Hanson’s consummate valor, inspirational conduct, and willing self-sacrifice enabled the company to contain the enemy and regain the commanding ground, and reflect lasting glory on himself and the noble traditions of the military service.
*McDONALD, PHILL G.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. place and date: Near Kontum City, Republic of Vietnam, 7 June 1968. Entered service at: Beckley, W . Va. Born: 13 September 1941. Avondale, W. Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Pfc. McDonald distinguished himself while serving as a team leader with the 1st platoon of Company A. While on a combat mission his platoon came under heavy barrage of automatic weapons fire from a well concealed company-size enemy force. Volunteering to escort 2 wounded comrades to an evacuation point, Pfc. McDonald crawled through intense fire to destroy with a grenade an enemy automatic weapon threatening the safety of the evacuation. Returning to his platoon, he again volunteered to provide covering fire for the maneuver of the platoon from its exposed position. Realizing the threat he posed, enemy gunners concentrated their fire on Pfc. McDonald’s position, seriously wounding him. Despite his painful wounds, Pfc. McDonald recovered the weapon of a wounded machine gunner to provide accurate covering fire for the gunner’s evacuation. When other soldiers were pinned down by a heavy volume of fire from a hostile machine gun to his front, Pfc. McDonald crawled toward the enemy position to destroy it with grenades. He was mortally wounded in this intrepid action. Pfc. McDonald’s gallantry at the risk of his life which resulted in the saving of the lives of his comrades, is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
*MURRAY, ROBERT C.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade, 23d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near the village of Hiep Duc, Republic of Vietnam, 7 June 1970. Entered service at: New York, N.Y. Born: 10 December 1946, Bronx, N.Y. Citation: S/Sgt. Murray distinguished himself while serving as a squad leader with Company B. S/Sgt. Murray’s squad was searching for an enemy mortar that had been threatening friendly positions when a member of the squad tripped an enemy grenade rigged as a booby trap. Realizing that he had activated the enemy booby trap, the soldier shouted for everybody to take cover. Instantly assessing the danger to the men of his squad, S/Sgt. Murray unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own safety, threw himself on the grenade absorbing the full and fatal impact of the explosion. By his gallant action and self sacrifice, he prevented the death or injury of the other members of his squad. S/Sgt. Murray’s extraordinary courage and gallantry, at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 7, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
7 June
1908: The first aviation column in an American newspaper began in the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer. John Trevor Curtis, managing editor, wrote the column. (24)
1911: Lt John P. Kelly, Medical Reserve Corps, the first air medical officer, assigned to Signal Corps Aviation Field at College Park. (24)
1912: With Lt Thomas DeWitt Milling flying a Wright B, Capt Charles DeForest Chandler became the first person to fire a machine gun from an airplane in the US. Colonel Isaac N. Lewis designed the ground-type gun for mounting on aircraft. (4) (12)
1923: US Navy pilots at San Diego, Calif., continued their assault on the record books with eight new world marks for Class C seaplanes as follows: Lt Earl B. Brix used a DT-2 to set an altitude record of 10,850 feet for planes carrying 250-kilograms; Lt Robert L. Fuller used an F-5L to set an altitude record of 8,438 feet for planes carrying 500-kilograms; Ensign Edward E. Dolecek used an F-5L to set an altitude record of 7,979 feet for planes with 1,000-kilograms; Lt Cecil F. Harper used a DT-2 to set the altitude record of 13,898 feet for planes with no payload; Lt Henry T. Stanley used an F-5L, with a 1,500-kilogram load, to set the duration mark at 2 hours, 18 minutes, and an altitude record of 5,682 feet; and Lt Herman E. Halland used an F-5L with a 2,000-kilogram load to set a duration record of 51 minutes and an altitude record of 4,885 feet. (25)
1932: At the request of the Guernsey County sheriff, 2Lt Karl E. Bushong (Ohio National Guard), flying a Douglas O-38, dropped 25 tear gas bombs on a group of protestors near a mine and sprayed machine gun fire on an adjacent hillside to scare them away. The protestors, mostly angry women who had been stoning working miners during a coal strike, dispersed. (32)
1944: Operation OVERLORD. Transport aircraft dropped 356 tons of supplies to Allied forces. (18)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Through 10 June, B-26 and B-29 aircraft made radar-directed area attacks against the Iron Triangle at night, raining 500-pound bombs set to explode over the heads of the enemy troops. These operations were in preparation for UN ground forces' assaults. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR/Operation HIGHTIDE. In an air refueling test, 35 F-84 Thunderjets took off from Japan, refueled from KB-29Ms over Korea, and attacked targets in the north. The 31st Fighter-Escort Wing from Misawa AB, Japan, finished the air refueling test on 31 August 1952. (28)
1958: SECDEF Donald A. Quarles approved the construction of the first Titan I squadrons. (6) At Francis E. Warren AFB, construction of the 706 SMW's Atlas launch and support facilities began. (6)
1966: The first successful launch of an Orbiting Geophysical Laboratory took place when OGO III went into orbit to perform 21 experiments, a record number for a US scientific spacecraft. Ryan’s XV-8A “Fleep” arrived at Edwards AFB for testing of its suitability as a flying jeep. (3)
1976: FIRST TEAM SPIRIT EXERCISE. Through 24 June, this joint/combined field-training event took place in Korea to exercise, test, and evaluate the Korean Tactical Air Control System. (16) (26)
1989: A C-5 set a world record by airdropping four Sheridan armed reconnaissance vehicles, weighing 42,000 pounds each, and 73 fully combat-equipped paratroopers. The total weight reached 190,346 pounds. (18)
1993: Operation CONTINUE HOPE. The USAF deployed AC-130 Spectre gunships to Somalia to suppress local warlords. The operation started on 5 May to provide a safe environment for the distribution of humanitarian supplies and to begin nation building in the wartorn country. A month later, armed conflict erupted between UN and Somali forces. (16) (23)
2002: A Predator UAV launched a mini-UAV while in flight over Edwards AFB. This was the first time that an operational UAV carried and launched another UAV. The Predator carried the mini-UAV, a 57-pound Navy Flight Inserted Detector Expendable for Reconnaissance (FINDER), on a wing pylon and released it at 10,000 feet. Following launch, the mini-UAV conducted a 25-minute preprogrammed mission before landing on the dry lakebed. (3)
2004: OPEN SKIES TREATY. A Russian TU-154 observation aircraft landed at Travis AFB, marking the first Russian Open Skies mission over the US. The Open Skies Treaty, which became effective on 1 January 2002, permitted unarmed aerial observation flights over the territories of the 30 participating nations. (22)
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