Abraham Lincoln created the model with his own hands out of wood. It is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.

President Abraham Lincoln was the only president to hold a patent.

Information & Photo via the National Museum of American History

It’s the newspaper in which George Washington placed an ad to lease part of his Mount Vernon land.

It’s where Noah Webster’s “Blue-Backed Speller” was first published.

Thomas Jefferson sued this newspaper for libel – and lost.

And Mark Twain tried to buy stock in this paper but his offer was turned down.

“Being president is like running a cemetery: you’ve got a lot of people under you and nobody’s listening.”

- President Bill Clinton

Cree Indians in camp, probably in Montana, ca. 1893

“Only after the last tree has been cut down, Only after the last river has been poisoned, Only after the last fish has been caught, Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

- Cree Indian Prophecy

Definition: To take from one to give to another.

Origins: The origins of this idiom is said to be from a popular 16th century legend. According to the legend, money was taken from the St. Peter Church in Westminster, London to pay for the repairs of the St. Paul’s Cathedral in Rome. The saying, however, was seen in print before the legend. Around 1382, the saying first appeared in “Select English Works” by John Wycliffe.

Ammer, Christine. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997, 542.
Cartoons via Cartoonstock.com

“There are no great men, just great challenges which ordinary men, out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet.”

- William Halsey, Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II, stated this after being asked about his contribution and role in the Pacific against Japan.

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is the first and oldest alligator farm in the United States. Located on Anastasia Island, Florida, the farm was created by George Reddington and Felix Fire in 1893.  And by the late 1910′s, St. Augustine Alligator Farm became an established Florida attraction. Around this time, they boasted that their farm had a “complete collection of deadly snakes found in Florida.” Advertisements issued in 1916 stated that the farm now included thousands of reptiles.

After a string of fires and storms in 1920-1921, Fire and Reddington relocated the Alligator Farm inland from Anastasia Island to the city of St. Augustine. Ownership changed in 1937 when Reddington, who by now had bought Fire’s interest, sold the Alligator Farm to W.I. Drysdale and F. Charles Usina. The new owners began actively promoting the attraction nationally. The farm also became known for other things besides alligators and reptiles. According to its website, the farm now included “ostriches, crocodiles, Galapagos Tortoises, a variety of monkeys and birds, and many examples of Florida wildlife. The museum also contained a number of mounted marine and terrestrial specimens.”

In the last few decades, St. Augustine Alligator Farm continued to grow and was accredited by The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AZA) in 1989. This accreditation meant that it was recognized for the quality and the good treatment the animals received and the honor showed in a slight name change – St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. The website sums it up best when it states that even through all the years and ownership changes, “St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is a successful example of a small, privately owned specialized zoo.”

St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park’s website.

“Being president is like being a jackass in a hailstorm. There’s nothing to do but to stand there and take it.”

- President Lyndon Johnson

The history of the Pacific war can never be written without telling the story of the U.S.S. O’Bannon. Time after time the O’Bannon and her gallant little sisters were called upon to turn back the enemy. They never disappointed me.

- Admiral William F. Halsey

In 1942 the USS O’Bannon, an American destroyer, was dispatched to the South Pacific to face off against Japan’s naval forces. By the end of the Second World War, the O’Bannon earned more service and battle stars, a total of 17, than any other American destroyer. Additionally, it also participated in one of the oddest and most perplexing incidents during the War.

The USS O'Bannon 450, an American destroyer used during WWII in the South Pacific.

The event, later known as “The Maine Potato Episode,” occurred on April 5, 1943 when the destroyer came across a large Japanese submarine, the RO-35, which was cruising on the surface and oblivious to the approaching ship (someone was obviously neglecting their lookout duty). The O’Bannon decided to ram the sub to sink it. At the last minute, however, they decided against it because some feared the sub was a minelayer, a ship/sub used to lay out sea mines, and if it was rammed it would blow up the destroyer as well.

Because of this quick withdrawal, the O’Bannon found itself moving directly parallel to the RO-35. On closer inspection, Ernest Herr, a sailor onboard the destroyer, stated that the Japanese sailors were sleeping on the deck. The sleeping crew quickly woke up and found themselves directly across from their enemy.  The O’Bannon was at a disadvantage because it was too close to the sub to lower its guns and the sub had 3-inch deck guns at the ready.

Faced with the sub’s guns, the O’Bannon crew began to use whatever they had at their disposal to fight the Japanese. Reaching inside nearby storage bins, the crew began to pelt the Japanese sailors with the barrels’ content. Inside the containers were potatoes and soon an epic potato battle began. Either the Japanese were not used to potatoes or were expecting the worst since they believed the potatoes were actually hand grenades. The sub’s sailors were too preoccupied with throwing these potato “grenades” overboard, or right back at the O’Bannon, that they were not manning their deck guns.

The O’Bannon took the opportunity to gain distance as their enemies were busy handling their potato issue. Once the O’Bannon was far enough away, they properly lower their guns and began firing at the sub, who, by now, started their decent. Before the RO-35 was fully submerge, the O’Bannon damaged the sub’s conning tower. After it disappeared from the surface, the destroyer maneuvered over the sub and delivered a depth charge attack. After the war, information was released that the Japanese RO-35 submarine did, in fact, sink as a result of O’Bannon‘s actions.

Upon hearing about the potato incident, the Association of Potato Growers of Maine sent a plague commemorating the event. It was mounted near the crew’s mess hall, since, as Herr noted, “it was the crew’s battle.”

Prisoner of war picking potatoes at Camp Houlton in Maine around 1945.

Further Reading
USS O’Bannon at the Destroyer History Foundation’s website.
Ernest A. Herr, “The Maine Potato Episode.”
USS O’Bannon‘s website. (Photos & Information)
Photo: Prisoner of War Picking Potatoes, Houlton, 1945 via Maine Memory Network.

Definition: Not everything that looks expensive or precious actually is.

Origins: If you, like me, were raised on 90’s one hit wonders and the first thing that this phrase brings to mind is the refrain from Smash Mouth’s 1999 song, “All Star,” than I applaud your memory. However, I hate to be the one to tell you that the actual song words mean the opposite of this idiom. The refrain actually goes like this: “Hey now you’re an All Star get your game on, go play/ Hey now you’re a Rock Star get the show on get paid/ And all that glitters is gold/ Only shooting stars break the mold.” The song leaves out “not,” which changes the entire meaning and implies that all shiny precious things are just that. The origins for the saying “all that glitters is not gold” can be traced as far back as the 12^th century where French theologian Alain de Lille wrote a variant of the saying: “Do not hold everything gold that shines like gold.” After de Lille, other authors, poets and playwrights such as Chaucer, Cervantes, and Shakespeare have taken on the saying in various forms. The present form of the phrase originated in 1687 when English author John Dryden stated, “All, as they say, that glitters is not gold,” in The Hind and the Panther.

Hendrickson, Robert. Words and Phrase Origins. 3rd ed. New York: Facts On File, 2004, 18.
(cartoon)

“I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency – even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.”

- President Ronald Reagan

This 1879 picture details a parade by Rex, an all-male krewe (semi-mythological creature) whose leader is known as the "King of Carnival." The Krewe of Rex established the official Mardi Gras colors of green, gold, and purple.

The earliest date given to the beginning of the Mardi Gras celebration in the United States is 1703. However, New Orleans was not its birth place, it was in fact Mobile, Alabama and was originally called Boef Gras (Fat Beef). [Zim's Side Note: New Orleans was not founded until 1718, fifteen years after the first Mardi Gras celebration.]

Joe Cain dressed as the make-believe Chickasaw chief Slacabamarinico

One of the earliest, well-known celebration occurred in 1830 on New Year’s Eve. It was begun by Michael Krafft and his friends who did not want to end a dinner party. After raiding a nearby hardware store, the group proceeded down the town streets with their stolen rakes, hoes and cowbells and woke the town up. Afterwards, the group formed Moblie’s first modern mystic organization called the Cowbellion de Rakin Society. Ten years later the Cowbellions presented their first parade with floats and a carnival theme.

During the Civil War, Mobile was under Union occupation and city soon became discouraged. The stress of the war had halted the Mardi Gras celebration until 1866 when Joseph Stillwell Cain dressed as “Chief Slacabamorinico” in full Chickasaw Indian regalia. Unbeknown to the Union army as well as the United States Government, Cain was making a political statement with his attire. It was meant to be a reminder that the Chickasaw never surrendered during the war and by suit, the people of Mobile should never surrender as well. Cain revived the celebration for future generations and while donning feathers and a skirt he rode the streets while encouraging the city. He was not punished because the government did not understand the meaning behind his costume. Because of his efforts in reviving Mardi Gras, the Sunday before Mardi Gras Day is called “Joe Cain Day,” where the city dresses in costume and celebrates him.

The date of Easter determines the date of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras Day also known as “Fat Tuesday,” takes place on the Tuesday before the Ash Wednesday.

Mobile Mardi Gras website.
Carpenter, Allan and Carl Provorse, compl. Facts About the Cities. 2nd ed. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1996, 5.
Photos via TIME and Alabama Heritage.