120809: Water Cooler News
Water Cooler News – December 8/09
Welcome to Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of the Water Cooler News! In this edition you will find the usual collection of historical fun tidbits and birthdays for today’s date to share with your co-workers, friends, family and neighbors. Aside from the fun factoids you will also find some off-beat news!
- Windshield Made Of Cardboard = FAIL
- Thirteen-Year-Old Leads Police on High-Speed Car Chase
- Cow Licking Damages Neighbor’s House
Off-Beat News
“Windshield Made Of Cardboard = FAIL”
Police in the Chinese province of Henan stopped a man who was driving with a broken windshield. While that’s not a crime in itself, authorities say the piece of cardboard covering his entire broken windshield was. Police say the man had poked tiny holes in the cardboard so he could see and had driven 400 miles by sticking his face out the side window, despite the freezing cold. The driver, whose face was purple when approached by officers, told them – quote – “I would drive with my head out the window until my neck got too sore and numb. Then I would drive by looking through the little holes in the cardboard.”
“Thirteen-Year-Old Leads Police on High-Speed Car Chase”
A 13-year-old girl led police on a high-speed chase after officers spotted her weaving in and out of her lane yesterday in Swatara Township, Pennsylvania. The girl refused to pull over when officers tried to get her to stop, so she decided to see how much juice her Pontiac Grand Am had by flooring it, reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour. Eventually, the girl pulled over near a rest stop, where police arrested her.
“Cow Licking Damages Neighbor’s House”
Jerry Lynn Davis of Rogersville, Tennessee called police last week to complain his neighbor’s cows caused approximately 100 dollars worth of damage to his house by licking it! Davis claims the cows ripped off a window screen, cracked some glass and tore down a gutter. Police called the cows’ owner, who promised to address the issue.
Historical Notes
Today is…
America Entered World War II – 1941
John Lennon Shot – 1980
Soviet Union Dissolved – 1991
Notable Birthdays…
Maximillion Schell, 79, actor/producer/director
James MacArthur, 72, actor (Hawaii Five-0)
Bobby Elliott 68/drummer, The Hollies, “Bus Stop”
Greg Allman, 62, singer
Kim Basinger, 56, actress
Teri Hatcher, 45, actress
Sinead O’Connor, 43, singer
Born on this date…also known as the late…
Jim Morrison–1943-1971/singer, The Doors
Sammy Davis Jr.–1925-1990/singer-actor, “Candy Man”
Flip Wilson–1933-1998/comedian-host, TV’s Flip Wilson Show
David Carradine–1936-2009/actor, TV’s Kung Fu, Kill Bill movies
Music History
1998 – It was announced that Bruce Springsteen would tour with the E-Street Band for the first time in nearly a decade.
1998 – The FBI released nearly 1,300 pages of the secret files it had kept on Frank Sinatra, which detailed Sinatra’s ties to organized crime, allegations he was a Communist sympathizer and that he had dodged the draft.
1980 – John Lennon was fatally shot by Mark David Chapman outside of his New York City apartment building, the Dakota.
1969 – Testifying at his trial for possession of hashish and heroin in the Toronto Supreme Court, Jimi Hendrix claimed he had now “outgrown” drugs. The jury found him not guilty after eight hours of deliberations.
General History
1776 – George Washington’s retreating army in the American Revolution crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.
1941 – The United States entered World War Two when it declared war against Japan. The act came one day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Britain and Canada also declared war on Japan.
1987 – President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty agreeing to destroy their nations’ arsenals of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
2000 – Mario Lemieux told the Pittsburgh Penguins he planned to return to the National Hockey League as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.
Yours in Water Cooler News Fun!
Dr. Rus
