020910: Water Cooler News
Water Cooler News – February 9/10
Welcome to the Tuesday Edition of the Water Cooler News!
Making sure you’re not left empty mouthed at the water cooler as you look for idle chit-chat topics, you will of course find some great conversation starters here. In this edition of the WC News you will find a list of birthdays for this date and some fun historical facts to wow your friends with.
Of course there’s also a collection of off-beat news…
- Grumpy Old Men Charged With Kidnapping
- Stop Shoveling Or I’ll Shoot
- Cops Pretend To Be Robbers, May Soon Be Unemployed
Daily Mindbender Question
Last year pet owners in the U.S. spent more than 200 million dollars on this for their pets. What is it?
Off-Beat News
“Grumpy Old Men Charged With Kidnapping”
Four senior citizens went on trial in Germany, accused of kidnapping their financial adviser and holding him hostage in order to recover 3.4 million dollars in lost savings. Prosecutors say the elderly gang, ranging in ages from 60 to 79, grabbed the 56-year-old adviser outside his apartment, bound and gagged him, and tossed him into the trunk of a car. The seniors then drove 300 miles to another town and hid their hostage in a basement where they attempted to force him to electronically transfer money to them.
“Stop Shoveling Or I’ll Shoot”
A Delaware man suffered a case of snow rage as more than a foot of the white stuff came down on his state. Authorities say a man was shoveling snow at the Hampton Walk apartments in the town of New Castle when a neighbor came out, pointed a gun at the man and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t stop shoveling snow onto his car. The man with the gun, an unnamed 43-year-old, was arrested and charged with aggravated menacing.
“Cops Pretend To Be Robbers, May Soon Be Unemployed”
Police officials in Australia say four officers are facing disciplinary action for pulling a prank in which they disguised themselves as robbers and broke into a pharmacy they knew was under police surveillance. The prank came close to becoming deadly serious when surveillance detectives confronted the fake robbers at gunpoint. When the pranksters announced it was all a joke, the detectives announced they were filing a formal complaint.
Historical Notes
Today is…
The Beatles Appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show – 1964
World Ag Expo – The largest farm equipment show in North America in Tulare, CA.
Notable Birthdays…
Roger Mudd, 82, journalist
Carole King, 68, singer / songwriter
Joe Pesci, 67, actor
Mia Farrow, 65, actress
Judith Light, 61, actress (Who’s The Boss)
Charles Shaughnessy, 55, actor (The Nanny)
A.J. Buckley, 33, actor (CSI: NY)
David Gallagher, 25, actor (Seventh Heaven)
Born on this date…also known as the late…
Ernest Tubb – 1914-1984 – Country Music Hall of Fame member
William Henry Harrison – 1773 – Bill is known as being the president who served the shortest term in office, because of a cold he caught on inauguration day in 1841. The cold turned into pneumonia and, 31 days later, Bill also became the first president to die in office.
Music History
1993 – Paul McCartney released the album Off the Ground.
1993 – Reba picked up her fifth gold album with the self-titled project, Reba.
1993 – Mick Jagger released the solo album Wandering Spirit.
1983 – Prince released “Little Red Corvette.”
1981 – Bill Haley of Bill Haley and the Comets died of a heart attack at his Texas home.
1980 – The Oak Ridge Boys reached number one with “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.”
1976 – The number one Billboard pop hit was “Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon.
1975 – Willie Nelson recorded “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in Garland, Texas.
General History
1825 – The House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president. No candidate had received a majority of electoral votes.
1870 – The United States Weather Bureau was authorized by Congress. The bureau is now officially known as the National Weather Service.
1949 – The first daytime soap opera, These Are My Children, debuted on NBC. It was only 15 minutes long.
1960 – The first star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was for Joanne Woodward.
1969 – The Boeing 747 flew its inaugural flight.
1971 – The Apollo 14 spacecraft returned to Earth after mankind’s third landing on the moon.
1975 – The Russian Soyuz 17 returned to Earth.
1997 – The Simpsons became the longest-running primetime animated series, overtaking The Flintstones.
Daily Mindbender Answer
Last year pet owners in the U.S. spent more than $200 million on “pet health insurance”.
Yours in Water Cooler News fun!
Dr. Rus
