Television History




Television History Item #270

 

Hi Puzzlers,

It looks like our Television History puzzle has made it into our top 50 again this month.  I have to say it is one of my favorites too!  Looking at it is like looking through an old photo album filled with pictures of family and friends.  Wow! So much of how we conduct ourselves as a family and a society has change as a result of its invention. 

Studies reveal most people are so attached to the “tube” that they wouldn’t give it up even for a million dollars!  Most feel it’s their best resource for information and entertainment.   According to the Nielsen’s Television Audience Report more than half the homes in America have 3 or more televisions sets and in 2009 the average U.S. home had only 2.5 people verse 2.86 television sets.  Televisions have made their way into our bedrooms, bathrooms and even our kitchens.

One of televisions best buddies is the TV dinner.  Many claim it was invented by Gerry Thomas in 1954.  Gerry is also credited with inventing the name; he called them Swanson TV Dinners.  These handy little frozen meals could be cooked with no fuss or hassle in the oven and cleaned up was a snap because of that disposable aluminum tray.  Early choices included Meatloaf, Salisbury Steak, Turkey and Fried Chicken; each meal included mashed potatoes, carrots or green peas.  The yummy deserts were not added until later to increase customer appeal.  Imagine all that for just 98¢ each.

In 1987, the Smithsonian Institution placed a TV dinner tray on display to commemorate its impact on American society.   How many of you remember the whole family seated in a semicircle around the television eating these?  Maybe Gun Smoke, I Love Lucy, or The Jackie Gleason Show was on.

My old friends include Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman and Star Trek.   I just loved seeing these smart, take charge, and get the job done, kind of women week after week.  And if that wasn’t enough they proved you could look great doing it!  Star Trek offered me to boldly go where no man has gone before.  Places were men, women and people of all races and religions worked together for a unified goal. Thanks Gene!

My new favorites include some reality television shows like American Idol’s tell it like it is or was, Simon Cowell and Dancing with the Stars Len Goodman…uhm maybe we should do a reality television puzzle, what do you think?

Happy Puzzling!

Memorial Day



Civil War Puzzle Item #107



Hi Puzzlers,

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day.  Many people across the country take this time to visit and honor their deceased relatives.  Church services are held, parades, fireworks and fairs also take place during this three-day period.   For others it marks the beginning of summer and the start of beach trips, barbeques and the camping season.   National events like the world famous Indianapolis 500 auto race are also scheduled annually for this weekend.  Factoid: The Indi 500 has been held on the Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend, since 1911.  WOW! Talk about a hodgepodge of events all encompassing one three-day weekend.  It leaves me wondering about the true significance of this national holiday.  Why was it really established?

Memorial Day is an American federal holiday held annually on the last Monday of May.  In its earliest days it was known as Decoration Day, a day to remember the soldiers who had died in battle during the Civil War.   Many records exist on the holiday origins and here we will examine three. 

Our first record begins with evidence found in a hymn published in 1867 which suggests various groups of southern woman were already decorating the graves of fallen soldiers prior to the war ending. The hymn titled "Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping", by Nella L. Sweet contained the following dedication: "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920).

Next we will examine records from a site now known as Hampton Park located in Charlestown, South Carolina.   The park was once used as a Union prisoner-of-war camp and estimates suggest that as many as 200 soldiers died here.   In an effort to pay tribute to the Union soldiers the local Freedmen (freed slaves) in conjunction with the area teachers and missionaries organized a celebration that was held on May 1, 1865.  Prior to the celebration the newly Freedmen beautified the area and burial ground and erected an enclosure and arch with the inscription “Martyrs of the Race Course.”  Nearly 10,000 people attended the event which was covered by the New York Tribune.  The celebration included a parade, speech, decorations, lying of flowers at the burial site and area picnics.

 In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day to be Waterloo N.Y.   Records indicate a druggist named Henry C. Welles of Waterloo, was the first to suggest honoring the fallen soldiers of the Civil War by adorning their graves with flowers in 1865.   In 1866 Welles approached General John B. Murray with his idea.  With Murray’s and the towns support a committee was developed to organize the day’s events.  Various bouquets, wreaths and crosses were made for each soldier’s grave and the village was decorated with evergreen boughs and black streamers and all flags were flown at half mast.  Ceremonies included lengthy speeches and religious services held in the local cemetery as a way to honor the fallen soldiers.

After WWI, Memorial Day was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military service act.

Happy Puzzling!

Pencils



Pencil Collage Puzzle Item #730



Hi Puzzlers,

Recently my family and I watched an episode of “How It’s Made” on the Discovery Channel; it was a feature piece on how pencils are made. I immediately thought of our Pencils puzzle by artist Maureen Rupprecht. I remember her bringing the original artwork into the office and asking everyone what we thought of it. It was love at first sight! Brightly colored and intriguing to look at, we just had to make it into a puzzle.

Upon closer examination of the pencils, I noticed some were very old and unique. Intrigued by this, I asked her where she found the collection. Maureen said that it was her own collection and she has been collecting pencils for as long as she could remember. Her love of pencils and her desire to preserve them is what inspired her to make the piece. I loved that answer and it made perfect sense that an artist would collect pencils.

Pencils can be traced back to ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt. Small lead discs were used to make guide lines on papyrus (ancient paper) to keep writings straight. Before long someone realized that a thin rod of lead could be used to draw fine lines and detailed images. The word “pencil” derived from the Latin word penicillus, meaning tiny brush.

In 1564 a large deposit of graphite was found in Borrowdale, England and local farmers began using it to mark their sheep. They called this new substance plumbago, Latin for “lead ore”, because the substance was believed to be a type of lead. It would be known as lead until the eighteenth-century when geologist, Abraham Werner, identified and named it graphite after the Greek word meaning “write.” Early graphite rods were wrapped in various encasements including wax, string and sheepskin, to prevent breakage and dirty hands. By the early 1600’s many began inserting the graphite rods into hollowed-out wooden sticks, resulting in the classic wood-cased pencil!

The pencil as we know it today was invented by Nicolas-Jacques Conté in 1794 at the request of Napoleon. France at the time was under economic embargo due to the French Revolution and a substitute for graphite was needed. Conté developed this new lead in just eight days. He discovered that if he mixed clay with a low quality graphite powder and then baked it he could produce “leads” in varying degrees of hardness. A similar recipe is still in use today making Conté the father of the modern pencil.

So how did the pencil get the bad lead rap you may wonder? Well, it had to do with the paint being used to coat the wood. Those beautifully colored paints were loaded with lead! And if you are like many people who chew or suck on the tip of your pencil you would ingest the lead!

Personally I prefer a brightly colored pencil to a pen any day.  They never explode, and if they do happen to mark something it can easily be washed away.

Happy Puzzling!

Yard Sales




Yard Sale Item # 534

 

Hi Puzzlers,

The end of May is fast approaching and you know what that brings don’t you?  The season of the yard sale!  I have to admit I’m addicted to them.  I have been scouring the local free dump store all year looking for wonderful treasures to keep and sell.  You know the old saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  But this little tradition is also an eco friendly way to find new homes for perfectly good items that would otherwise end up in a land fill.  Below is a plan I developed for hosting a successful annual yard sale. 

*Collect, collect and keep collecting. When you have an item you no longer need or use, store it in a clearly marked “yard sale” box and keep the box in a closest until it is full.  Once it is full move it to the basement, attic or garage for long term storage and repeat as necessary.  I also like to make a list and tape it to the top of the box so I know what is in it.  This will make organizing the sale easier too. 

*Prepare and have a plan, do not wait until the last minute.  Start preparing a few     weeks in advance with a to-do-list.

*Check to make sure that there are no restrictions on having a yard sale in your area or neighborhood.  Do you need to buy a permit?

*Think about how you’ll be displaying your items, do you need extra tables and clothes-racks.  Remember to make your displays look attractive and not overly cluttered.

*Price every item; do not have a table that says everything is a dollar.  I like to purchase the pre-priced stickers in vibrant colors.  The size of the price tag should match the size of the item.  If you are selling a lazy boy recliner use a 3X5 index card.  Also, price these items to sell.  The appeal of a yard sale is to find a deal. When pricing, ask yourself, “Is this a good bargain?” 

*Advertise your sale. Clearly marked signs can make or break your sale.  If you live in a tough to find location make sure to use brightly colored signs and lots of them.  Once you have staked your signs do a drive-by to check how visible they are.  Advertise your sale in the local newspaper and post it daily on Craigslist which is free!

*Have plenty of change and keep back up in the house.  Keep your money secure in a fanny pack and never pull out a wad of cash.  Also keep a calculator handy for totaling merchandise.

*Have plenty of plastic grocery bags; they are perfect to put sold items in.  Also have newspaper available to wrap breakables and fragile items.

*Be ready and waiting for the early birds.  They come can up to an hour early.  I always welcome these people because they want to beat the crowd and have first dibs.  So don’t negotiate a price with these people, stand firm, you have the rest of the day to sell the item.

If you have a yard sale tip please share it with us.

Happy Puzzling!

Lily of the Valley

 

Perennials Puzzle Item #368



Hi Puzzlers,

The official flower of May is the Lily of the Valley.  This tiny fragrant flower, also known as the May lily, has captivated people for centuries.  There is so much legend and lore associated with this flower I just had to share with you.  But first let’s examine the flower.

The Lily of the Valley is an old-fashioned, shade-loving perennial with tiny delicate bell shaped flowers.  But don’t let that fool you, this flower is anything but delicate, it is a tough-as-nails perennial that keeps growing after many others fail, and it spreads quickly. It is also important to note that these tiny beauties are very poisonous. 

According to the Language of Flowers, the Lily of the Valley represents a return of happiness.  The May lily also serves as a symbol of love, purity of heart, modesty and kindness.  

The popularity of the Lily of the Valley as a wedding flower began during the Middle Ages and for some brides it is the fifth item to be carried along with something old, new, borrowed and blue.  Many brides including Kate Middleton designed their wedding bouquets by selecting flowers not only for their aesthetic appeal, but for their meaning. Click here for more on Princess Kate’s wedding bouquet and its meaning.

In ancient times the Lily of the Valley was planted by gardens to protect them from evil spirits and it was also used as an amulet against witches' spells.  Many considered the May lily to be the flower of the fairies and it was thought to give men the power to envision a better world.  In Europe, the Lily of the Valley was thought to bolster one’s visions of heaven and to bring a brighter future.  In Germany and Scandinavia this tiny flower is considered a symbol of good luck. 

The Lily of the Valley has a deep rich history with the Catholic faith and its mention can be found in the Bible 15 times.  The flower, also known as Our Lady's tears or Mary's tears, serves as symbol of the Virgin Mary tears during the crucifixion of Jesus and the tears of Eve after she was banished for the Garden of Eden.

King Charles IX is said to have received the Lily of the Valley as a gift of luck on May 1, 1561.  He was so taken with the gester that he continued the tradition of giving the Lily of the Valley to the ladies of his court each year on May 1st.  Today in France, any Lily of the Valley sold on May 1st can be sold tax free. 


So here’s to the Lily of the Valley and the return of happiness!

Happy Puzzling!