Haaaappy Friday!
Well …. we made it through another week, so I think we’re doing OK. None of us got run down by an Emu, or exploded for eating too many sweeties. So we’ll score this week as a 10 out of 10. Yes, I know that some of you have had gremlins creep into your week, and I know that at least one of you has had a day or two of feeling really rather miserable. But … I’m here to put things on the right track again and do my job of not only Educationamalising you, but also going to fulfill my obligation to make you smile – even if you don’t want to!!!
So then … do you all have your pencils, crayons and books ready to take notes? Then we shall begin .. .. .. ..
On this Day in History
1858 – First ascent of the Eiger.
The Eiger is a mountain in the Swiss Alps. The peak is mentioned in records dating back to the 13th century but there is no clear indication of how exactly the peak gained its name. The three mountains of the ridge are sometimes referred to as the Virgin (German: Jungfrau, lit. “Young Woman” – translates to “Virgin” or “Maiden”), the Monk (Mönch) and the Ogre (Eiger). The name has been linked to the Greek term akros, meaning “sharp” or “pointed”, but more commonly to the German eigen, meaning “characteristic”.
The first ascent of the Eiger was made by Swiss guides Christian Almer and Peter Bohren and Irishman Charles Barrington who climbed the west flank on August 11, 1858.
1909 – The first recorded use of the new emergency wireless signal SOS.
1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio.
External Link:
Babe Ruth.com – The Official Website of the Sultan of Swat
1934 – Federal prison opened at Alcatraz Island.
Alcatraz Island, sometimes informally referred to as simply Alcatraz or by its pop-culture name, The Rock, is a small island located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, United States.
It served as a lighthouse, then a military fortification, then a military prison followed by a federal prison until 1963. It became a national recreation area in 1972 and received landmarking designations in 1976 and 1986.
Today, the island is a historic site operated by the National Park Service as part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is open to tours. Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.
External Link:
Alcatraz History
1941 – President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter, largely to demonstrate public solidarity between the Allies.
1942 – Great Britain’s Barnes Wallis patented his ‘bouncing bomb’, used successfully to destroy German dams in the 2nd World War.
1968 – The start of National Apple Week in England. … and …. The Beatles launched their new record label, Apple.
1968 – The last steam passenger train service runs in Britain.
A selection of British Rail steam locomotives make the 120-mile journey from Liverpool to Carlisle and returns to Liverpool before having their fires dropped for the last time – this working was known as the Fifteen Guinea Special.
I’m thrilled to bits to have found a short film that was taken from the window of the Fifteen Guinea Special, showing how people came out of their houses and ran to the railway lines to watch this final last journey of this wonderful locomotive.
1971 – The Prime Minister, (of the day) Edward Heath, steered the British yachting team to victory in the Admiral’s Cup.
1975 – The British Government took ownership of British Leyland, the only major British-owned car company.
1982 – The notorious East End gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray were allowed out of prison for the funeral of their mother.
1999 – Up to 350m people throughout Europe and Asia witnessed the last total solar eclipse of the century.
2003 – A heat wave in Paris resulted in temperatures rising to 112°F (44° C), leaving about 144 people dead.
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We have reached the limit of my brain cell. Please wait a moment while my user presses the re-set button.
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Now, although your edumacation for Friday School this week has been completed, please be aware that you will, at some point, be tested on these snippets of information, so if you skipped any dates you might want to go back and read them …. and even make notes in your book. After all… you don’t want to get a big F for FAIL in your test results. Noooo. Only those with passes over 8 (eight) will get an award [of a lollipop] and those with a score over 70 will get: a lollypop, a tube of fruit Polo’s AND …. a STICKER!!!
Ohhh ho ho ho (she laughs like Santa???) … we don’t skimp around here for prizes! We go way over the top, as you can clearly see!
And finally …. I have to fulfill my contract by making you laugh… so get your chuckle muscles ready . . . . . .
(this is just a teensy bit rude … but only a little bit … however, if you’re really easily offended then perhaps stop reading now)…
To celebrate their 7th anniversary, a man and his wife spend the weekend at an exclusive golf resort. He is a pretty good golfer, but she only just started. When they head down to the golf course after a lavish lunch and a bottle of champagne, they notice a beautiful mansion a couple of hundred yards behind the first hole.
“Let’s be extra careful, honey,” the husband says, “If we damage that house over there, it’ll cost us a fortune.”
The wife nods, tees off and – bang! – sends the ball right through the window of the mansion.
“Damn,” the husband says. “I told you to watch out for that house. Alright, let’s go up there, apologize and see what the damage is.”
They walk up to the house and knock on the door.
“Come on in,” a voice in the house says.
The couple open the door and enter the foyer. The living room is a mess. There are pieces of glass all over the floor and a broken bottle near the window. A man sits on the couch.
When the couple enter the room, he gets up and says, “Are you the guys who just broke my window?”
“Um, yeah,” the husband replies, “sorry about that.”
“Not at all, it’s me who has to thank you. I’m a genie and was trapped in that bottle for a thousand years. You’ve just released me. To show my gratitude, I’m allowed to grant each of you a wish. But – I’ll require one favour in return.”
“Really? That’s great!” the husband says. “I want a million dollars a year for the rest of my life.”
“No problem – that’s the least I can do. And you, what do you want?” the genie asks, looking at the wife.
“I want a house in every country of the world,” the wife says.
The genie smiles. “Consider it done.”
“And what’s this favour we must grant in return, genie?” the husband asks.
“Well, since I’ve been trapped in that stupid bottle for the last thousand years, I haven’t ‘been’ with a woman for a very long time. My wish is to sleep with your wife.”
The husband scratches his head, looks at the wife and says, “Well, we did get a lot of money and all these houses, honey. So I guess I’m fine if it’s alright with you.”
The genie and the wife disappear in a room upstairs for an hour, while the husband stays in the living room.
When they are done, the genie rolls over, looks at the wife and asks, “How old exactly is your husband?”
“31,” she replies.
“And he still believes in genies? That’s amazing!”
❤
Hey … don’t blame me, I’m just the deliverer of jokes. I don’t make ’em up!
Well, that’s me done and dusted. All that’s left for me to say is…..
Have a terrific Friday. Share your smile with everyone. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, try your best and you’ll soon see that having a smile plastered to your face actually does make you feel so much lighter and brighter inside.
Try it. You’ve got nothing to lose!
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
Sending love and squidges from my corner here, where I’m sat., to your corner there, where you’re sat.
The Art of Cobwebs 