Mine will be more fun!

I’ll let you find all about him on your own!

Happy Saturday.

Former Gator, present day Denver Bronco.

Born in 1987 while his parents were on the mission field in the Philippines, Tim’s mothers’ doctors recommended that she abort him to protect her life.  She declined to do so…whew!  What would the Gators have done?

Homeschooled with his siblings, Tim became a High School Football star at Nease High School, and went to the University of Florida becoming the star quarterback, and won the Heisman Trophy in 2007.  He was the first undeclassman to ever do so, and UP to now, the only one.  He was a double threat in football in that he could rush and throw with accuracy.

Bally-hooed AND boo-hooed, Tim eventually won out made the pros…we’ll see what happens next!

He changed football in that the NCAA adopted “The Tebow Rule” banning messages on eye paint.  Tim was know for his Bible verses on his eye paint during games.  Every time Tim put a Bible verse on his eye paint, there were millions of internet searches on each verse.  Other notable players such as Reggie Bush and Terrell Pryor have put messages on their eye paint as well.  The rule is sUPposed to enforce the orignal usage of eye black, which is to block the sun from the players’ eyes.  I’m just guessing here, but apparently the NCAA is way too politically correct, or just Godless!

And even though I’m not a Gator fan, and he led the Gators to victory in the national championship game over my beloved Buckeys of THE Ohio State University,  I’m sure this will make Shelby’s day!

Margaretha Geertruida Zelle was born in the Netherlands, was a “mail order” bride, a mistress, an exotic dancer, and a very crafty spy.

By 1905, she began to win fame as an exotic dancer, and she adopted the stage name Mata Hari.  She was a contemporary of Isadora Duncan.  Promiscuous, flirtatious, and openly flaunting her body, she captivated her audiences and was an overnight success from the debut of her act.

She also posed for nude pictures…pretty racy back in the early 1900s.

On 13 February 1917, Mata Hari was arrested in her room at the Hote Plaza Athenee in Paris. She was put on trial, accused of spying for Germany and consequently causing the deaths of at least 50,000 soldiers. She was found guilty and was executed by firing squad on 15 October 1917, at the age of 41.

Some reported that her dying words were, “A harlot yes, a traitor, never!”

No one in her family claimed her body, it was used for science and her head was embalmed and put in a museum.  It disappeared around 1954 and has never been found.

Has anyone looked at NeverLand Ranch?

Famous for writing the wildly popular Harry Potter series, Dame Rowling, is most noted for her rags to riches story.  She went from living on welfare to the 12th wealthiest woman in Great Britain in five years.

Seriously, now if I can just get my book published!  JK, Oprah, are you reading this?

Oh, well, Happy Birthday!

In 1701, Antoine de le Mothe Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit as a trading post.

After several changes of hands, Fort P became Detroit.

Thanks Detroit, for Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Motown, Diana Ross, Berry Gordy, Oscar Mayer, Sebastian Kresge (later K-mart), Roger Penske, James Scripps, Larry Page (founder of Google!), Thomas Dewey, Mitt Romney, Tim Allen, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ellen Burstyn, Francis Ford Coppola, Wally Cox (Mr. Peepers), Pam Dawber, Aretha Franklin, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Casey Kasem, Eminem, Ed McMahon, Harry Morgan, Gilda Radner, Della Reese, Soupy Sales, Tom Selleck, Danny Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Robin Williams, Alice Cooper, Marvin Gaye, Madonna, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Stevie Wonder, Ty Cobb, Gordie Howe, Mitch Albom, Sonny Bono, Jimmy Hoffa, and Charles Lindhberg.

Thanks Cadillac!

Her husband, Tsar Peter III was murdered three days later.

I guess it didn’t stay bloodless.

Catherine was out of town, and unavailable for comment at the time of Peter’s death.

You may not know who he was, but you know his work.

An American inventor, Harvey gave us this…

Harvey came UP with the design in  1963.  He was hired by The State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, MA which is now the Hanover Insurance company to boost morale.   Wouldn’t a bigger paycheck have done more?

It took him less than ten minutes to come Up with the design.

The company’s goal was to get people to smile when on the phone, talking to customers in person and a passing one another in the hallway.  (Back in the day, I had a mirror on my desk, and I smiled into it before picking Up the phone…oddly enough, it worked.)

By 1971, over 50 million were sold.

Ball never applied for a trademark or copyright of the smiley and made a whopping $45 for his efforts.  State Mutual didn’t make any money either.

The  “Have a Nice Day” associated with the smiley face, was not part of the original design. The Spain Brothers, Bernard and Murray,  later trademarked the line combined with a smiley face in the early 1970s.

I’m assuming that’s where the cash went.

Harvey wasn’t concerned.  Not a cash hound, he said “I can only drive one car at a time, how much money do I need?”

Since Harvey didn’t feel ripped of, I’ll smile today too.

His most famous role was of course, Red Foreman on That 70s Show, but Kurtwood Smith has a long “rap sheet” of movies you’ll recognize from A Time To Kill where he played a Klansman to Staying Alive in which he played a choreographer!  He’s done many more TV shows as well from the Family Guy to Medium!

But…

…he’s my favorite TV dad of all time, that’s right, you can forget Cosby, Danny Thomas, John Walton, and all the rest, Red Foreman is the best TV dad EVER!!

Here are some of his words of wisdom:

Bob’s always upset. He’s a little girl in big boy pants.

Eric, I’ve told you. Your job is to study hard, get good grades, get a scholarship, go to college and move away! End of discussion!

Without rules, we all might as well be up in a tree flinging our crap at each other!

What are you going to put put on your resume – dumbass?

That kid’s on dope!

Yes, I know it’s hard to hear with your head up your ass…

You morons just hung vacancy signs on your asses, and my foot is looking for a room!

And my favorite -

Son, you don’t have bad luck. The reason bad things happen to you? is because you’re a dumbass!

Happy Birthday Mr. Smith er Red!