On This Day
1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited.
The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of allegiance to the Flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America. It was originally composed by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union Army Officer during the Civil War and later a teacher of patriotism in New York City schools.[5][6] The form of the pledge used today was largely devised by Francis Bellamy in 1892, and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942.[7] The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The most recent alteration of its wording came on Flag Day in 1954, when the words “under God” were added.[8]
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Born On This Day
1924 – Grace Metalious, American author (d. 1964)
Grace Metalious (September 8, 1924 – February 25, 1964) was an American author known for her controversial novel Peyton Place, one of the best-selling works in publishing history.
Early life
Marie Grace DeRepentigny was born into poverty and a broken home in the mill town of Manchester, New Hampshire. Writing from an early age, at Manchester Central High School, she acted in school plays. After graduation she married George Metalious in a Catholic church in Manchester in 1943, thus becoming a housewife and mother. The couple lived in near squalor but she continued to write. With one child, the couple moved to Durham, New Hampshire, where George attended the University of New Hampshire. In Durham, Grace Metalious began writing seriously. When George graduated, he took a position as principal at a school in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.[1]
Peyton Place
In the fall of 1954, at the age of 30, she began work on a manuscript about the dark secrets of a small New England town. The novel had the working title The Tree and the Blossom.[2] By the spring of 1955, she had finished a first draft. By her husband’s account, both Metaliouses regarded The Tree and the Blossom as an unwieldy title and decided to give the town a name which could be the book’s title. They first considered Potter Place (the name of a real community near Andover, New Hampshire). Realizing their town should have a fictional name, they looked through an atlas and found Payton (the name of a real town in Texas). They combined this with Place and changed the “a” to an “e”. Thus, Peyton Place was born, prompting her comment, “Wonderful—that’s it, George. Peyton Place. Peyton Place, New Hampshire. Peyton Place, New England. Peyton Place, USA. Truly a composite of all small towns where ugliness rears its head, and where the people try to hide all the skeletons in their closets.”[1] Other accounts cite her publishers as changing the name.[3]
Metalious found an agent, M. Jacques Chambrun, who submitted the draft manuscript to three major publishers. In the summer of 1955 Leona Nevler, a freelance manuscript reader, read it for Lippincott and liked it but knew it was too steamy for a major publisher to accept. She showed it to Kathryn G. (“Kitty”) Messner, president and editor in chief of the small firm Julian Messner. Messner immediately acquired the novel and asked Nevler to step in as a freelance editor for final polishing before publication.[4]
FYI
Install a Wireless Security System in 4 Easy Steps
1. Go to a second-hand store and buy a pair of men’s used work boots, a really big pair.
2. Put them outside your front door on top of a copy of Guns and Ammo magazine.
3. Put a really big dog dish beside it.
4. Leave a note on your front door that says: Bubba, Big Mike, and I have gone to get more ammunition. Back in 30 minutes. Don’t disturb the pit bulls. They’ve just been wormed, and they’re a little cranky.
By William Hughes: R.I.P. Bill Daily, from The Bob Newhart Show and I Dream Of Jeannie
William Edward Daily Jr. (August 30, 1927 – September 4, 2018)[2][3] was an American actor, comedian and best known for his performances in various sitcoms, most notably astronaut Roger Healey on I Dream of Jeannie and commercial airline navigator Howard Borden on The Bob Newhart Show.
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By Craig Jenkins: The Perfectionist Mac Miller is finally making the music he’s always wanted to make
Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018),[1] known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper, singer and record producer.
In early 2010, he signed a record deal with Pittsburgh-based indie record label Rostrum Records. He subsequently began recording his debut studio album Blue Slide Park, and released it on November 8, 2011. The album went on to debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, making it the first independently distributed debut album to top the chart since Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 album, Dogg Food.
In early 2013, Miller launched REMember Music, his own record label imprint, named after a friend who died. Miller’s second album, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, was released on June 18, 2013. In January 2014, Miller announced he was no longer signed to Rostrum Records. In October 2014, it was reported Miller signed a record deal for him and his label REMember, with Warner Bros. Records. He was also a noted record producer under the pseudonym Larry Fisherman, producing music for SZA, Vince Staples, Lil B, Ab-Soul, Riff Raff, Smoke DZA and himself.
Miller died of an apparent drug overdose on September 7, 2018.
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By Gabe Fernandez: Liberty Punter Ejected For Spearing Army Player Head-First Like A Human Bullet Bill
Comments!
By Melanie Ehrenkranz: Woman Ignites Stick of Dynamite While Trying to Light Candle During Blackout
By Lauren Davis: This 1910 brochure explained how to farm with dynamite
Great commentary!
By Michael Harriott: Cops Cuff Black Teen Riding With White Grandmother Because Someone Thought He Was Robbing Her
By George Dvorsky: Fishermen Find 10,000-Year-Old Skull and Antlers of Extinct Giant Elk
Darius Foroux: 10 Small Habits That Have A Huge Return On Life
Atlas Obscura: Enormous Camera In 1900, photographing an entire train required the world’s biggest camera, which weighed 1,400 pounds and required 15 people to operate.
Atlas Obscura: Ancient Egyptian Recipes, Hidden Gem of a Museum, Kvass a Slavic Favorite and more ->
Atlas Obscura: Decoding the Nepali Flag, Creating a Ghost, Escaped Pets in Florida and more ->
The Old Motor: Four Fun Friday Kodachrome Car Photograph Series No. 171
The Old Motor: Goodyear Four-Wheel-Steer-Four-Wheel-Drive Transit Bus
By Stella Guan: I Wanted Permanent Residency on My Own Terms — and Quickly How I navigated the green card process in eight months
By Josh S. Rose: Giving Back to the Community by Teaching the Trades
A welder and teacher, Jason Wasilewski runs the whole shop
By Tribune: Doctor uses CPR to save man’s life during their first date
By Janine Puhak: ‘Guac,’ ‘Zoodle,’ ‘Marg’ and ‘Hangry’ added to Merriam-Webster dictionary
Great!
By Emma Taggart: Man Comes Up With the Most Punderful Road Signs to Make Passersby Smile
The LeBron James Family Foundation teamed up with JPMorgan Chase to bring the latest technology into LeBron’s brand new public school in Akron.
By Adam Clarke: Mad Man’s Car: 1951 Muntz Jet Convertible
Ideas
Rebecca at Soap Deli News Blog: The 12 Best Outdoor Activities To Enjoy This Fall, Enjoy some fall fun with this DIY melt & pour soap, How to naturally manage fibromyalgia drug free and more ->
Missi Perez Hometalker Indianapolis, IN: Succulent Address or Welcome Sign Planter
By Hometalk Highlights: 11 Cleaners From Baking Soda To Make Your Home Sparkling Clean Try these amazing uses for baking soda in your home right now!
By Hometalk Highlights: 12 Bedroom Wall Ideas You’re SO Going to Fall For Grab a paint brush, or even a syringe, for these cool bedroom wall ideas.
By Hometalk Hits: 20 Easy Concrete Projects You Absolutely CAN Do! Who knew you could make beautiful home decor from concrete? And these are SO easy!
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 15 January 15, 2025Picture of the day Cluster of Breath roots (pneumatophores) of a Taxodium distichum at the water's edge. Focus stack of 4 photos.
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for January 14 January 14, 2025Picture of the day Mute swan (Cygnus olor) at Lake Geneva during the golden hour of sunset
Recipes
Everything Pretty – Pumpkin Spice: Latte’s, Soap, Face mask and more ->
My Recipes Treasures: Easy Chicken Pasta Primavera, Best Fudge Brownies and more->
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