Old Sailors' Almanac

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Week 29, 2019

Previous Week   July 15, 2019 - July 21, 2019  Next Week

NASA's New Horizons probe performs the first flyby of Pluto, and thus completes the initial survey of the Solar System on July 14, 2015

Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon on July 21, 1969

Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon: Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon.

Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Neil Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC; Buzz Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later.

“One Giant Leap For Mankind”

Neil Armstrong was a NASA astronaut most famous for being the first person to walk on the moon, on July 20, 1969. An accomplished test pilot, Armstrong also flew on the Gemini 8 mission in 1966. He retired from NASA in 1971 and remained active in the aerospace community, although he chose to keep mostly out of the public spotlight. Armstrong died August 25, 2012, at age 82.

The crew was not fully certain they would be the first on the moon; NASA had a tight sequence of missions happening every few months, and all mission objectives needed to be accomplished for each one to get Apollo 11 to the moon in time. Missions before Apollo 11 included the first crewed trip around the moon (Apollo 8, December 1968), the first test of the lunar module in space (Apollo 9, March 1969) and the first simulated lunar landing (Apollo 10, May 1969).

However, the crewmembers were cognizant that their trip was planned to be the first landing, and designed their mission patch with that in mind. It featured an eagle holding an olive branch in its talons; the crew also left their names off of the mission patch to make the mission more representative of humans in general, according to Collins' book "Carrying the Fire" (1974).

Apollo 11 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral in sight of vast crowds of people who camped there to watch the launch on July 16, 1969. The crew journeyed to the moon for four days, achieved lunar orbit, and separated the two spacecraft on July 20.

As the crew descended to the surface, they could see landmarks below passing by several seconds early, and they reported to Mission Control that they would be several miles away from their planned landing area. Subsequently, the Eagle's computer displayed several program alarms due to the computer being “overloaded” with tasks and needing to restart.

Armstrong took over the landing himself when he saw that the computer was guiding them to a boulder-filled landing zone. Landing was achieved at 4:14 p.m. EDT (2014 GMT) with only 25 seconds of fuel left. Armstrong announced, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

The schedule called for the astronauts to sleep before the first moonwalk, but they elected to go outside early because they felt they would not be able to sleep. In view of a black-and-white television camera transmitting his movements live to Earth, Armstrong descended Eagle's lander and touched his left foot upon the surface at 10:56 p.m. EDT July 20 (0256 GMT July 21).

His first words were “That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” (The “a” was lost to radio static, but later analysis of the sound wave showed that Armstrong did say it.)

Armstrong and Aldrin together explored the surface during a moonwalk that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes. They collected 48.5 pounds (22 kilograms) of material from the surface - including 50 moon rocks — as well as deploying experiments, planting the U.S. flag and taking a moment to speak with then - U.S. president Richard Nixon.

The Eagle's crew lifted off safely from the moon on July 21, docked with Columbia, and voyaged back to Earth for a successful ocean landing on July 24. The astronauts went into quarantine to mitigate the (unlikely) risk that they were carrying some sort of moon germs back with them, and then embarked on a world tour to celebrate the mission.

Space.com / NASA / History.com / Wikipedia / EearthSky.org / United States Senate.gov / Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to walk on the Moon on July 21, 1969 (YouTube) video


The First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861

The First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861

The First Battle of Bull Run: In the first major land battle of the Civil War, a large Union force under General Irvin McDowell is routed by a Confederate army under General Pierre G.T. Beauregard.

Three months after the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter, Union military command still believed that the Confederacy could be crushed quickly and with little loss of life. In July, this overconfidence led to a premature offensive into northern Virginia by General McDowell. Searching out the Confederate forces, McDowell led 34,000 troops–mostly inexperienced and poorly trained militiamen–toward the railroad junction of Manassas, located just 30 miles from Washington, D.C. Alerted to the Union advance, General Beauregard massed some 20,000 troops there and was soon joined by General Joseph Johnston, who brought some 9,000 more troops by railroad.

On the morning of July 21, hearing of the proximity of the two opposing forces, hundreds of civilians–men, women, and children–turned out to watch the first major battle of the Civil War. The fighting commenced with three Union divisions crossing the Bull Run stream, and the Confederate flank was driven back to Henry House Hill. However, at this strategic location, Beauregard had fashioned a strong defensive line anchored by a brigade of Virginia infantry under General Thomas J. Jackson. Firing from a concealed slope, Jackson’s men repulsed a series of Federal charges, winning Jackson his famous nickname “Stonewall”.

Meanwhile, Confederate cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart captured the Union artillery, and Beauregard ordered a counterattack on the exposed Union right flank. The rebels came charging down the hill, yelling furiously, and McDowell’s line was broken, forcing his troops in a hasty retreat across Bull Run. The retreat soon became an unorganized flight, and supplies littered the road back to Washington. Union forces endured a loss of 3,000 men killed, wounded, or missing in action while the Confederates suffered 2,000 casualties. The scale of this bloodshed horrified not only the frightened spectators at Bull Run but also the U.S. government in Washington, which was faced with an uncertain military strategy in quelling the “Southern insurrection”.

History.com / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / Battlefields.org / National Park Service.gov / Library Of Congress.gov / The First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861 (YouTube) video


“Poor Honest Men”

The Old Salt’s Corner

“Poor Honest Men” (continued)

“Twix” the Forties and Fifties,

South-eastward the drift is,

And so, when we think we are making Land's End

Alas, it is Ushant

With half the King's Navy

Blockading French ports against poor honest men!

But they may not quit station

(Which is our salvation)

So swiftly we stand to the Nor'ard again;

And finding the tail of

A homeward-bound convoy,

We slip past the Scillies like poor honest men.

W“Twix” the Lizard and Dover

We hand our stuff over,

Though I may not inform how we do it, nor when.

But a light on each quarter,

Low down on the water,

Is well understanded by poor honest men.

With no heart for fight,

We take refuge in flight,

But fire as we run, our retreat to defend;

Until our stern-chasers

Cut up her fore-braces,

And she flies off the wind from us poor honest men!

Even then we have dangers,

From meddlesome strangers,

Who spy on our business and are not content

To take a smooth answer,

Except with a handspike .

And they say they are murdered by poor honest men!

To be drowned or be shot

Is our natural lot,

Why should we, moreover, be hanged in the end

After all our great pains

For to dangle in chains

As though we were smugglers, not poor honest men?

~ Rudyard Kipling (Part II)

Full Poem


“I’m Just Sayin’”

“I’m Just Sayin”

“Our lives are a sum total of the choices we have made.”

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

“ow people treat you is their karma;

how you react is yours.”

“When you dance,

your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor.

It's to enjoy each step along the way.”

~ Wayne Dyer


“Thought for the Day”

“Thought for the Day”

“Love is never lost.

If not reciprocated,

it will flow back and soften and purify the heart”

“There is a sacredness in tears.

They are not the mark of weakness,

but of power.

They are messengers of overwhelming grief and unspeakable love.”

~ Washington Irving


“What I Have Learned”

“What I Learned”

“The best friends you will ever have are the ones who are there when everything is not perfect.”

“The best prophet of the future is the past.”

~ Anonymous


Second Hand News

Second Hand News (Links to Articles from Week 29 - July 15, 2019 - July 21, 2019)

Top News Stories - Photos (Washington Examiner) Ilhan Omar refuses to answer reporter asking if she condemns antifa firebomb attackWATCH: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) says Trump ordered raids 'without warrants'WATCH: Ilhan Omar declines to respond to Trump claiming she supports al QaedaTrump condemns 'radical Democrats' as 'pro Al-Qaeda'Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib call for Trump impeachmentIlhan Omar claims Trump 'credibly accused' of colluding with Russia, contradicting Mueller

Dozens of strangers honor WW2 vet with no familyWATCH: Ayanna Pressley says 'the squad' is more than four peopleDislike for Ilhan Omar and AOC could tip House to Republicans in 2020: Internal Democratic pollNew tariffs threatened over tax on big tech companiesJeffrey Epstein's money mystery deepens

Editor's Picks: The Green New Deal was never about climate change; it's just AOC's excuse to destroy America's economyTwitter exec: ‘Jail,’ ‘impeachment’ for Trump, calls social media chief ‘racist d--k’AOC 'squad' revolts: Ayanna Pressley says no more 'black faces that don’t want to be a black

Commentary - Washington Secrets - Red Alert: Ousted UK ambassador leaked U.S. intelligenceCNN uses Obama-era official to defend Obama-era deportationsThe Green New Deal was never about climate change; it's just Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)'s excuse to destroy America's economyThe tragic murder of Bianca Devins shows the dangers of the internet for women Washington Examiner

Top News Stories - Photos (Daily Mail) THE MIGRANT CRISIS: Trump administration announces massive overhaul of asylum system that will only accept Central Americans who were denied help in the first 'safe' country they enteredTrump red-baits the Democrats' most radical quartet into being their party's public face as he says AOC and other first-term congresswomen might be COMMUNISTS - after Lindsey Graham rebrands them on TV'If someone doesn't like our country, if someone doesn't want to be in our country, they should LEAVE!' Trump denies his tweets were racist as he blasts AOC and Omar and claims they 'hate' AmericaTrump opens new attack on AOC's 'squad' as he blasts Tlaib for vowing AGAIN to 'impeach the motherf***er' - and claims far-left lawmakers made Israel 'feel abandoned'

'It is time for us to impeach this president': Omar, AOC and radical 'squad' fire back after Trump tells them to leave America if they don't like it – but he's thrilled the Democratic Party is 'embracing them'Nancy Pelosi will force a vote to condemn Trump for saying four minority congresswomen should go 'back where they came from' - just months after Democrats watered down a resolution denouncing one of them for anti-Semitism

Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein had stash of cash, diamonds and a fake Saudi passport at his $77M New York City mansion, prosecutors reveal - as he brazenly stares down his victims in court while they beg judge to deny him bailMan charged in the disappearance of Savannah Spurlock appears in court as it's revealed the mother-of-four's body was found folded in half, naked, bound and wrapped in trash bags and thrown in a shallow graveTexas Air Force major is charged with murdering his wife and using gasoline, an ax and a burn barrel to dispose of her body in front of their young daughterGeorgia man becomes 13th U.S. citizen to die on vacation in the Dominican Republic

Former ICE director says he wanted to give Latino congressman 'a beating' in the middle of Capitol Hill hearing when the lawmaker said he didn't care about dying children Trump tariffs bruise China's economy with it growing at the slowest pace on recordChina to conduct 'large-scale military exercises involving its land, naval, air and rocket forces near Taiwan' after the US approves $2.2 billion arms sale to the self-ruled island

MANHATTAN BLACKOUT: 'Bill de Blasio must go - now': NY Post demands Governor Cuomo REMOVES the Mayor because he 'does not care about New York City', is responsible for 'dead kids' and wasted $850m on wife's failed projectCon Edison warns more blackouts may be on the way because of New York City heatwave but fail to explain what caused weekend outage

The real LA Confidential: Forensic photographs from police archives stretching back 100 years reveal the seedy underbelly of La La land Amazon protests erupt worldwide as employees use Prime Day to raise awareness about poor working conditions, inadequate pay and the e-commerce giant's links to ICE Daily Mail UK

Top News Stories - Photos (John Batchelor) China's worst economy in 27 years & What is to be done? audio

A funny thing happened on China's way to world hegemony: Hong Kong and Taiwan. audio

Does the Royal Navy have enough ships to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz? audio

Biden promises you can keep your doctor for $750 Billion in new taxes. audio

Congress much prefers name-calling to immigration-fixing. audio

After victory in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda plans to make war on the Subcontinent as well as Central Asia. audio John Batchelor (07/15/2019)

CORRUPTION CHRONICLES - Mainstream Media Scream: (Watch Dog On-Line Publications) CORRUPTION CHRONICLES: KENTUCKY SET TO REMOVE UP TO 250,000 INACTIVE VOTERS AS PART OF COURT CONSENT JUDGMENT WITH JUDICIAL WATCH‘Investigating the Investigators:’ In Case You Missed It - What You Need to Know About Mueller and the Illicit Targeting of President Trump!A Massive Hole in TSA SecurityDHS Lets Airlines Rush Security to Keep Traffic Moving - “Red Carpet” for Middle Eastern Carriers State Department was WARNED about Hillary Clinton’s Illicit Email Use & Did NOTHING!

Obama State Department Warned about Clinton Email Issues, Questions for Mueller, Left Attacks Rule of Law on BorderNew York Mayor’s Communist Roots Shine in Florida. Presidential Campaign Rally - Judicial Watch Exposed Sandinista Ties in 2013Nicaraguan Military Arrests Four ISIS Terrorists Planning to Enter U.S. Via Mexico Top Government Media Network Official, Author of &ldVying for Allah’s Vote”, Guilty of Stealing $40,000 Judicial Watch


Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon?

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon?

Presidential pardons have been in the news, which has led to an onslaught of questions about just how far a president's pardoning powers extend—and what would happen if the person being offered the pardon declined it altogether? Is such a thing even possible, or does the pardoned individual in question have no choice in the matter? Believe it or not, it's an issue that has come up a few times over the past two centuries—and the answer isn't exactly a clear-cut one.

To fully answer the question, first an important distinction has to be made between commutation and pardoning. Both are part of the pardoning powers given to the president, but differ in levels. Speaking to ABC News, Randy Barnett, a professor at Georgetown University, explained that “Pardon is an 'executive forgiveness of crime'; commutation is an ‘executive lowering of the penalty.'” And the answer to the question depends on that distinction.

Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon?

UNITED STATES V. WILSON

In 1833, the Supreme Court heard the case of the United States v. George Wilson. On May 27, 1830, Wilson and co-conspirator James Porter were both sentenced to death after being convicted of robbing a U.S. postal worker and putting the carrier’s life in jeopardy. While Porter was executed just over a month later, on July 2, 1830, Wilson managed to escape the sentence. President Andrew Jackson decided to pardon Wilson for the death penalty charge on the understanding that he had yet to be sentenced for other crimes (for which he was looking at a minimum of 20 years). For some reason Wilson waived the pardon, possibly because of confusion about what case he was being tried for at the time and what cases the pardon was for.

In 1833, the Supreme Court ultimately weighed in on the issue, ruling “A pardon is a deed, to the validity of which delivery is essential, and delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered, and if it be rejected, we have discovered no power in a court to force it on him.” (Strangely, the details of whether or not Wilson was ever executed are lost to time.)

Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon?

BURDICK V. UNITED STATES

This right of refusal was affirmed in 1915. George Burdick, city editor of the New York Tribune, refused to testify regarding sources for articles on alleged custom fraud by invoking his Fifth Amendment rights [PDF]. President Woodrow Wilson then gave a pardon to Burdick, protecting him from any charge he may incriminate himself of during his testimony. The idea behind the pardon was to force Burdick to testify, under the theory that he could no longer be convicted for any acts he may reveal. But Burdick rejected the pardon, continued to invoke his rights, and was found guilty of contempt.

The Supreme Court ruled that Burdick was within his rights to refuse the pardon and as such he did not lose his Fifth Amendment rights.

Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon?

BIDDLE V. PEROVICH

A 1927 ruling added a new wrinkle to the pardoning issue. In 1905, Vuco Perovich was sentenced to hang for murder, which President Taft commuted to life imprisonment a few years later. Perovich was then transferred from Alaska to Washington, and later to Leavenworth. Perovich eventually filed an application for writ of habeas corpus, claiming that his commutation was done without his consent. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that “the convict’s consent is not required”.

This ruling has led decades of legal scholars to wonder if the Perovich ruling overturned these earlier cases, with Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. arguing

“Whether these words sound the death knell of the acceptance doctrine is perhaps doubtful. They seem clearly to indicate that by substantiating a commutation order for a deed of pardon, a President can always have his way in such matters, provided the substituted penalty is authorized by law and does not in common understanding exceed the original penalty” [Pardoning Power of Article II of the Constitution (continued), PDF].

In other words: You may be able to refuse a pardon, but you would not be able to refuse a commutation.

By Austin Thompson - Mental FlossBrookings.eduWilliam & Mary Law Review - Scholarship.law.wm.eduUnited States Department of Justice.govWikipedia / Can a Person Refuse a Presidential Pardon? (YouTube) video


NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang - U.S. Navy

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Ed's Motel: Navy filmmakers' acronym for Editorials, Motion Picture and Television Department.

EIDWS: Enlisted Information Dominance Warfare Specialist.

Emerald Shellback: One who crossed the Equator at the Greenwich Meridian.

Emergency Blow: When a sub rapidly blows all of the ballast out of the ballast tanks, resulting in a rapid ascent and an impressive display as the sub breaks the surface.

EMO: Electronic Materiel Officer, line officer or electronics CWO or LDO responsible for maintenance of the unit's radar, radio, and command and control equipment. Extra Man Onboard.

Enlisted Puke: Derogatory term used sparingly and very privately among junior officers to describe a particularly worthless and disliked enlisted subordinate. The opposite of a highly respected and particularly valuable “Good Man.” “Gadoozlefrank is an enlisted puke. Schmuckatelli is a Good Man.”

Wiktionary.org


Just for MARINES - The Few. The Proud.

Just for you MARINE

Einstein: A derogatory term for a Marine who is found to be responsible for a particularly notable unwise action or plan.

EM: Enlisted Marine/Man, very inappropriate to use today.

Elephant Hat: Pith helmet first issued in 1940 and worn by rifle range coaches today.

Embed: To place within, or fix in place.

(National) Ensign: A.k.a. colors, national flag.

Wikipedia.org


Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

VT-3 Training Squadron Three (VT-3) - nicknamed the “Red Knights”

United States Navy - Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Florida - Corpus Christi, Texas - Established May 1, 1960.


Where Did That Saying Come From

Where Did That Saying Come From?

Where Did That Saying Come From? “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer:

 Meaning:

• to be vigilant about the actions taken by enemies

• it’s not a good idea to bother your enemies, be friendly with them but stay alert

• another meaning could be, don’t hurt for your enemies by speech or behaviour to keep them calm and harmless

History: It is common practice for people to be aware of what their friends are up to but most people ignore what their enemies are doing. This phrase acts as an advice for people, especially who are in a competitive business to be mindful of their enemies to ensure that they are not doing anything untoward. This vigilance would help people overcome any strategy that might have been planned against them.

Some trust it was Sun-tzu, a Chinese general and military strategist, attributed to “The Art of War” - however his citation was different. He said:

“Know your enemy and know yourself and you will always be victorious.”

Quoted in “The Godfather Part II” a 1974 film that portrays the early life & career of Vito Corleone, while his son Michael expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate in the 1950's.

Keep Your Friends Close, But Enemies Closer.video

Often attributed to Sun Tzu and sometimes to Niccolò Machiavelli, but there are no published sources yet found which predate its use in this film. There is, however, an Italian proverb that follows closely:

“Dagli amici mi guardi Iddio, che dai nemici mi guardo io!”

(“May God protect me from my friends, I protect myself from my enemies.”)

Voltaire said,

“God protect me from my friends, I'll take care of my enemies”

The Idioms / Wikiquote.org


Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Sometimes This Comb Jelly Has An Anus. And Sometimes It Doesn't.

Sometimes This Comb Jelly Has An Anus. And Sometimes It Doesn't.

Like a rainbow or a sunset, the anus of the warty comb jelly is a fleeting marvel.

An anus is a gateway for solid-waste removal from an animal's digestive system; in most animals, the anus is reliably found in one location all the time. But Mnemiopsis leidyi, a jellyfish relative that is also known as a warty comb jelly or sea walnut, is not “most animals”.

M. leidyi's anus isn't fixed in place on its gelatinous body. Instead of a permanent opening, a so-called anal pore appears when the jelly needs to defecate and then disappears immediately afterward, leaving unblemished skin behind, according to a new study. [Image Gallery: Jellyfish Rule!]

M. leidyi belongs to a group of marine invertebrates called ctenophores (TEEN-oh-fours). Unlike such close relatives as sponges and jellyfish, ctenophores — especially their bodily functions — are poorly understood, Sidney Tamm, a researcher with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, wrote in the study.

Sometimes This Comb Jelly Has An Anus. And Sometimes It Doesn't.

Now you see it; now you don't

After M. leidyi gulps down prey, the meal travels through a six-part digestive system. Eventually, the food ends up in a central stomach that feeds into canals for pooping, which dead-end at the body's surface as lobes, Tamm wrote in the study.

Tamm observed that when a jelly was ready to defecate, the shape of its stomach would change - narrowing into a rectangular box - and its anal canals would widen. Two minutes later, the esophagus "crumpled," preventing more food from entering the stomach. Lobes at the ends of paired anal canals filled with waste particles and began to swell, with one lobe protruding significantly.

As that lobe reached “maximum volume”, a pore opened and released a stream of poo as particles and clumps, Tamm reported. But before the pore opened, the skin of that lobe appeared "uniformly smooth," and there was no sign that the pore had opened there before.

Then, when all the waste had been released, “the pore closed completely and disappeared”, Tamm wrote. From start to finish, the entire process lasted from 2 to 3 minutes in M. leidyi larvae and juveniles measuring up to 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) long, and 4 to 6 minutes in adults with body lengths between 1.2 and 2 inches (3 and 5 cm).

M. leidyi is to date the only known animal with a “now-you-see-it-now-you-don't” anal pore. Further investigations of its elusive anus may help to explain how permanent anuses evolved in other animals, according to the study.

The findings were published online in the journal Invertebrate Biology.

Photos: See the World's Cutest Sea Creatures

Dangers in the Deep: 10 Scariest Sea Creatures

Image Gallery: Rich Life Under the Sea

Live Science (03/08/2019) video


© CEASAR CHOPPY by cartoonist Marty Gavin - archives Ceasar Choppy's Navy! “© CEASAR CHOPPY” by Marty Gavin

SONG FACTS

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” - Def Leppard 1987

“Pour Some Sugar On Me” - Def Leppard
Album: Hysteria
Released 1987 video

There are a mash-up of influences on this song, which is typical of Def Leppard, whose frontman Joe Elliott told us, “Everything I've ever listened to seeps in”.

Joe can't always identify the specific influences, but the first record he bought was “Sugar, Sugar”, which was a huge hit for the cartoon band The Archies in 1969. Near the end of that song, there is a line that goes “Pour a little sugar on me, baby”, which Elliott says was at least subconscious inspiration for this song.

The lyrics started out as phonetic sounds to fit the music, which they refined later into actual words. Joe says that this was done in the style of “Bang A Gong (Get It On)video by T. Rex, which contains vaguely lascivious lyrics that don't make any sense (“a hubcap, diamond star halo”) but sound great.

The lyrics are clearly about sex - Elliott says “Pour Some Sugar On Me” is “The metaphor for whatever sexual preference you enjoy” - but they are shrouded in enough metaphors to make the song safe for radio and MTV. Def Leppard, with Mutt Lange producing, were one of the best-selling bands of the '80s, succeeding with a formula of polished songs perfect for pop radio but with enough rock swagger to keep guys interested - which is where lyrics about sex and drums and rock and roll come in.

The massive commercial success for the band did not translate into credibility, but songwriters tend to write about life experiences, and lead singer Joe Elliott had no interest in writing about an assembly line. He explained to Q magazine in 1988:

“I used to work on the treadmill making knives and forks; it don't cross over into a lyric. There's nothing in Sheffield (England) to write songs about - you can't write, 'This is Steel City!' and mean it. It's come across like bloody heavy metal Hovis ad! It's a great place with great people, but in my upbringing there was a lack of community spirit. I'm an only child; I found my own entertainment. The whole idea of being in a band is to escape boredom, so you create escapism.”

Hysteria was the follow up to Def Leppard's 1983 album Pyromania, which was also a huge hit. Both albums were produced by Mutt Lange, who is known as a perfectionist in the studio. Hysteria was also delayed because drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a car accident in 1984. He had to learn to play with one arm.

As detailed in the VH1 Classic Albums episode on Hysteria, producer Mutt Lange kept pushing the band for more songs for the album. They working on “Armageddon It” when they took a break and Joe Elliott started playing his basic idea of “Pour Some Sugar On Me” on an acoustic guitar in the control room. Lange heard it and thought it was a great hook, so he had them record the song, which was done quickly. To compose the lyrics, Elliott and Lange each took recorders and dictated lyric ideas. They listened to each other's recordings, and Elliott picked something Lange said for the opening line: “Love is like a bomb”. This line was the basis for the rest of the lyrics.

Notice the rap influence on the verses Elliott sings? He explained to Kaos2000 magazine:

“When we did 'Pour Some Sugar On Me,' it was only written because Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith had done 'Walk This Way' video. All of the sudden, rock and rap did mix, so we wrote our own.”

Joe Elliott recalled the story of the song to Artist Direct:

“We were working on the vocals for I believe it was 'Armageddon' when Mutt disappeared to get coffee or whatever, and I just picked up this acoustic guitar in the corner of the control room and started playing these three chords around in a circle and singing this hook over the top, and he came back in unbeknownst to me. You kind of feel the eyes burning in the back of your head after a while and you turn around, 'What are you doing?' And he's like, 'What are you playing?' I honestly think to this day he thought I was just playing some Stone or Kinks song or something, I said, 'It's just an idea I had, it doesn't matter, we've got 11 songs on this record, two years into it, I know we're done,' and he goes, 'Oh no, we're not. That's the best hook I've heard in over five years. Play it again.' So I played it and he literally stopped the tape and he took the tape off and put a brand new piece of tape on and said, 'Right, we're going to do this,' and between me and him, we just mapped out what turned into 'Pour Some Sugar On Me.'”

“When the rest of the guys came back in, I believe it was a weekend, and they all came back in around Monday lunchtime and we've got the guts of this thing done in rough form, drum machine, bass, some bad guitar playing by him or me or both, banged out rough vocals on chorus and stuff like that, and said, 'Guys, we've got an idea for a song,' and they kind of went, 'Oh God,' everybody's eyes are rolling. We said, 'No, wait, wait, listen,' and literally about a minute in, they're all going, 'Holy crap, yeah!' And it was the fastest thing we did. We banged the whole thing out in two days, really. By comparison to the record, that was nanoseconds. That was because it took us that long to get comfortable.”

In America, this was kept off the #1 spot by Richard Marx, with “Hold On To The Nightsvideo. The next Def Leppard single, “Love Bitesvideo, reached the top, giving them their only #1 on the Hot 100.

Def Leppard, official website / Billboard / All Music / Song Facts / Ultimate Classic Rock / Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame / Def Leppard

Image: “Hysteria (album)” by Def Leppard


Trivia

Trivia

● What do we call the black circular opening in the center of the iris of the eye that light passes through?

Answer to Trivia

● What type of musical composition is named after a state of ecstasy?

Answer to Trivia

● This marial art has existed for 2,000 years, but was never an olympic medal event until the Sydney Olympics, in the year 2000. Generally speaking, Korean athletes excel at this sport. What is it?

Answer to Trivia

● What U.S. president would be called Odysseus if he lived in ancient Greece?

Answer to Trivia


Jeopardy

A Test for People Who Know Everything

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “HODGEPODGE” ($200)

“It's the person named in a will to administer the disposition of an estate, not to impose capital punishment.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Legal Zoom

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “HODGEPODGE” ($400)

“Like Matthew, Luke includes these blessings such as 'Blessed are ye that weep now; for ye shall laugh'.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Wikipedia.org

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “HODGEPODGE” ($1,000)

“Around the time of the American revolution a 'Brown Bess', weighing about 10 pounds, was this type of firearm.”

Answer for People Who Do Not Know Everything, or Want to Verify Their Answer Encyclopedia Britannica


Answer to Last Week's Test

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “EVERYBODY 'PAY'S” ($200)

“PPV for short, it's the way many UFC fans watch the big fight on TV.”

● Answer: Pay-per-view. Wikipedia.org

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “EVERYBODY 'PAY'S” ($600)

“The politically controversial idea of basically creating Medicare for everyone is known as this type of health care.”

● Answer: Single-payer. PNHP.org

From the Jeopardy Archives Category - “EVERYBODY 'PAY'S” ($800)

“To keep up your good standing in the Teamsters, or to earn your position by hard work & tough times.”

● Answer: Pay Your Dues. Cambridge Dictionary.org


Joke of the Day

Joke of the Day

“Change For A Homeless Man”

Joke of the Day

“Change For A Homeless Man”

A man was walking down the street when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner.

The man took out his wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, “If I giveyou this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?”

“No, I had to stop drinking years ago”, the homeless man replied.

“Will you use it to gamble instead of buying food?” the man asked.

“No, I don't gamble”, the homeless man said. “I need everything I can getjust to stay alive.”

“Will you spend this on greens fees at a golf course instead of food?” the man asked.

“Are you NUTS!” replied the homeless man. “I haven't played golf in 20 years!”

“Will you spend the money on a woman in the red light district instead of food?” the man asked.

“What disease would I get for ten lousy bucks?” exclaimed the homeless man.

“Well”, said the man, “I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife.”

The homeless man was astounded. “Won't your wife be furious with you fordoing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.”

The man replied, “That's okay. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, gambling, golf, and sex.”