Word of the Day: Vulpine

 

Vulpine

[VUHL-pahyn]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

1.

Relating to a fox or foxes.

2.

Crafty; cunning.

Examples of Vulpine in a sentence

"The red dog had a small, vulpine face and black whiskers."

"The villain of the film was recognizable by his vulpine expression."

Popularity Over Time

About Vulpine

“Vulpine” is based on the Latin “vulpīnus” (meaning “fox-like”), which itself is based on the term “vulpēs,” meaning “fox.”

Did you Know?

“Vulpine” is used to invoke the image of the fox, a diligent predator known for its craftiness. In science, the word “vulpini” refers to the sub-species of dog-like creatures (“caninae”), including a variety of foxes. The sister word “lupine,” describing similarity to wolves, is used as frequently as “vulpine.” Even when not referring to animals, the adjectives invoke the traits associated with the wolf and the fox. “Lupine” often describes ravenous hunger, and “vulpine” describes a crafty cunning.

5 Latin Urban Legends

La Llorona

The most monstrous Mexican saga has to be the story of La Llorona—a tale that is told to children so they don’t misbehave. The essence of the story is that a woman, in a fit of rage, drowns her two young children in a river. She is immediately overcome with guilt and sadness, which leaves her roaming towns and villages crying out for her children. 

El Cucuy

You may have heard of the bogeyman or the boogie monster—but for us Latinos, he’s called “El Cucuy.” What makes El Cucuy scarier and more real than the boogie monster is that El Cucuy can be anyone. We all may have had a family member who spooked us at some point. For us, that meant they could be El Cucuy, which meant you were to never be alone with them. So when we were told, “If you don’t behave, El Cucuy is going to get you,” that could actually mean that your crazy tío Juan could snatch you up in the middle of the night. We took these threats very seriously. 

Chupacabra

Another famous Mexican legend that featured in Hollywood television shows such as “The X Files” and, most recently, the Hulu documentary “Sasquatch” is the chupacabra. The breakdown of the name is pretty simple: Chupa means “to suck” and cabra means “goat.” The tale of the chupacabra is that of an ugly animal (resembling a dog/human with an alien face and shark-like teeth) that kills goats (or other farm animals) by sucking out their blood—similar to the Loch Ness monster, except a chupacabra isn’t hiding below waters but could be lurking in the mountains, alleyways, or your backyard. If your dog or cat goes missing and suddenly turns up gutted on your doorstep, you can certainly bet the chupacabra killed it.

 

La Mano Peluda 

The story of La Mano Peluda is sort of a combo of Werewolf and Candyman. As a kid, I was told that if I didn’t go to sleep, La Mano Peluda (“the hairy hand”) would grab me and made sure I stayed put. But where did this hairy hand come from? The legend is that the hand was the only remaining living part of a man who was killed during the Spanish Inquisition, and so he sought revenge by haunting Latino children, stealing us from our beds and taking us God knows where.

 

La Muerte 

The scariest Latin legend that is 100% real is La Muerte—the grim reaper, a.k.a death. Latinos probably pray to La Muerte just as much as they pray to Jesus, as in “please do not come and get me” or “La Muerte, it’s not my time.” Statues of La Muerte—often seen as a human skeleton in a hood and cape or just a human skeleton carrying a scythe—are sold in Latin grocery stores right alongside all the saint candles and Jesus pictures. One of the ways you can ward off death is by placing money and other treats, such as alcohol or food, at the feet of your La Muerte so you can keep him happy.

 

Canada Urban Legends: British Columbia on TPKs Stories

 https://anchor.fm/valerie-harvey/episodes/Canada-Urban-Legends-British-Columbia-e1pvlq7

 

History of Barney & Friends

Barney & Friends is an American children's television series targeted at young children aged 2–7, created by Sheryl Leach. The series premiered on PBS on April 6, 1992. The series features the title character Barney, a purple anthropomorphic Tyrannosaurus rex who conveys educational messages through songs and small dance routines with a friendly, huggable and optimistic attitude. The series ended on November 2, 2010, although new videos were still released on various dates after the last episode aired. Reruns aired on Sprout from 2005 until 2015, and from December 17, 2018, onward on Sprout's successor network, Universal Kids.

In 2015, a revival was announced to premiere in 2017 but was delayed into an undated launch.[11] On October 18, 2019, Mattel Films announced that a second Barney film was to be produced; British actor Daniel Kaluuya's production company was involved.

While popular with its intended audience, Barney drew severe negative reaction from the older set, who mocked the main character in popular culture through song parodies and comedy routines such as being beaten up by NBA star Charles Barkley on an episode of Saturday Night Live. The anti-Barney phenomenon is the basis of the 2022 Peacock documentary I Love You, You Hate Me. Barney has also received lots of praise from parents for being a wholesome yet engaging show for children that delves into common, kid-friendly topics.

Origin and development

Barney was created by Sheryl Leach of Dallas, Texas. She came up with the idea of a children's program after noticing that her son outgrew Wee Sing Together, and then recognizing that there were no videos to appeal to her son. Leach then brought together a team who created a series of home videos, Barney and the Backyard Gang, initially released in 1988. The first three videos starred actress Sandy Duncan.

One day in 1991, the daughter of Connecticut Public Television executive Larry Rifkin rented one of the videos and was "mesmerized" by it. Rifkin thought the concept could be developed for PBS. Rifkin thought Barney had appeal because he was not as neurotic as Big Bird. He pitched it to CPTV president Jerry Franklin, whose preschool son also fell in love with it. Franklin and Rifkin pitched the idea to all of their colleagues with preschoolers, and they all agreed that kids would love a Barney show. Franklin and Rifkin convinced Leach to let CPTV revamp the concept for television. The show debuted as Barney & Friends in 1992. The series was produced by CPTV and Lyrick Studios (later bought by HIT Entertainment).

Although the show was a runaway hit, PBS initially opted not to provide funding beyond the initial 30-episode run. When Rifkin and other CPTV executives learned this, they wrote letters to their fellow PBS member stations urging them to get PBS to reconsider. The Lyons Group, meanwhile, sent out notices through the Barney Fan Club, telling parents to write letters and make phone calls to their local PBS stations to show their support for Barney & Friends. By the time of the yearly member stations' meeting, station executives across the country were up in arms over the prospect of one of their most popular shows being canceled. Faced with an atmosphere that Rifkin later described as "like an insurrection", PBS ultimately relented.

For several years, the show was taped at the Color Dynamics Studios facility at Greenville Avenue & Bethany Drive in Allen, Texas, after which it moved to The Studios at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, and then Carrollton, a suburb of Dallas. The TV series and videos are currently distributed by 9 Story Media Group, HIT Entertainment and Universal Studios, while the TV series was produced by WNET from 2006 to 2010.

Episode format

Opening sequence

The series opens with the theme song (over clips from various episodes) and the title card before it dissolves into the school. The children are seen doing an activity, occasionally relating to the episode's topic. The children imagine something and Barney comes to life from a plush doll, transforming into the "real" Barney, how he appears in the children's imaginations.

Main sequence

Here, the main plot of the episode takes place. Barney and the children learn about the main topic of the episode, with Baby Bop, BJ, or Riff appearing during the episode and numerous songs themed relating to the subject featured in the series. The roles of Baby Bop, BJ, and Riff have grown larger in later seasons and later episodes venture outside of the school to other places within the neighborhood, and in season 13, to other countries around the world.

Closing sequence

Barney concludes with "I Love You" before he dissolves back into his original stuffed form and winks to the audience. After the children discuss what they have learned, the sequence cuts to Barney Says (in seasons 1 to 8 and 12 only) where Barney, who is off-screen, narrates what he and his friends had done that day, along with still snapshots from the episode. Then Barney signs off before the credits roll. In seasons 3 to 8 and 12, he later appeared on-screen by saying, "And remember, I love you," as the first three notes of "I Love You" plays out, and waved goodbye before the credits roll.

Characters and cast

Dinosaurs

Barney (voiced by Bob West 1992–2000, and Dean Wendt 2001–2010; people who wore the Barney suit included David Joyner 1991-2001 and Carey Stinson:) The main character is a purple and green Tyrannosaurus in stuffed animal likeness, who comes to life through a child's imagination. His theme song is "Barney is a Dinosaur", whose tune is based on "Yankee Doodle". Barney often quotes things as being "Super dee-duper". Episodes frequently end with the song "I Love You", sung to the tune of "This Old Man", which happens to be one of Barney's favorite songs. Despite being a carnivorous type dinosaur, Barney does not have a carnivore's fearsome teeth. He likes many different foods such as fruits and vegetables, but his main favorite is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a glass of milk.

Baby Bop (voiced by Julie Johnson): A green Triceratops, who was originally two years old, but turned three in "Look at Me, I'm 3!". Baby Bop has been on the show since her debut in "Barney in Concert" on July 29, 1991. She wears a pink bow and pink ballet slippers and carries a yellow security blanket. She sings the song "My Yellow Blankey" to show how much her security blanket means to her. She likes to eat macaroni and cheese and pizza. She is the younger sister of BJ.

BJ (voiced by Patty Wirtz): A seven-year-old yellow Protoceratops, BJ has been on the show since September 27, 1993. He is the older brother of Baby Bop, whom he frequently calls "Sissy" and occasionally calls by her name. He sings "BJ's Song" about himself. He wears a red baseball cap and red sneakers. He lost his hat in the episode "Hats Off to BJ!". Pickles are his favorite food and he has tried them in various ways, such as on pizza.

Riff (voiced by Michaela Dietz): An orange six-year-old Hadrosaur, who is Baby Bop and BJ's cousin, Riff has been on the show since September 18, 2006. He wears green sneakers. His theme music is "I Hear Music Everywhere". Riff loves music and it is in almost everything he does. In the episode "Barney: Let's Go to the Firehouse", it was revealed that Riff also likes to invent things; he created a four-sound smoke detector (the first three were different alarm sounds and the final one his voice). He is shown to have an interest in marching bands and parades.

Adults and children

The adults and children on the show often appear as teachers, storytellers, or other characters.

Multiple appearances

Mother Goose Sandy Walper, Michelle McCarel,

Julie Johnson The rhyme master herself appears in the episodes "Let's Help Mother Goose", "Honk! Honk! A Goose on the Loose", "A Little Mother Goose", "Barney's Big Surprise", and "Mother Goose/Fairy Tales".

Stella the Storyteller Phyllis Cicero Stella travels all around the world, collecting new stories to tell Barney and friends, among other people. She appeared in several episodes from seasons 3 to 6 but reappeared in the video The Best of Barney, where she gave Barney a photo album of his friends over the years she made herself.

Professor Tinkerputt Barry Pearl He appeared in Barney's Imagination Island and in the Barney's Big Surprise stage show tour. Professor Tinkerputt did not want to share his invented toys, until Barney and the kids showed him that good things happen when you share. For this reason, Tinkerputt left Imagination Island with Barney and the others and started a new toy factory.

Tomie dePaola Himself The famous children's author is also a good friend of Barney and usually meets his friends in the episodes he appeared in, which are "Picture This", "It's Raining, It's Pouring", and "Oh Brother, She's my Sister".

Mom Sandy Duncan Michael and Amy's mother in the first three Barney & the Backyard Gang videos.

Duncan also appeared as Molly the Mermaid in A Day at the Beach.

Dad Bob Reed Michael and Amy's father in the first three Barney & the Backyard Gang videos.

Mr. Boyd Robert Sweatman His full name is Grady Boyd and he has a niece named Colleen and a dog named Bingo. He worked as a musician in "Classical Cleanup", "Barney's Band", "Come Blow Your Horn!", "Play Piano with Me!", a janitor in seasons 3 to 6 and a park keeper in seasons 7 and 8. He later reappeared in The Best of Barney.

Colleen Claire Burdett Colleen is Mr. Boyd's niece, who comes to town for a visit and is introduced to Barney and the Children. She is a congenital amputee born without her right hand, as is her actress. She appeared in two episodes, "A New Friend!" and "A Perfectly Purple Day".

David Robert Hurtekant David is a boy in a wheelchair who appeared at the beginning of two episodes: "Falling for Autumn!" and "Shawn and the Beanstalk".

Puppets

A lot of puppets appeared in many seasons. The most notable puppets were:

Scooter McNutty, a brown squirrel (seasons: 4–6, 1997–2000) performed and voiced by Todd Duffey

Miss Etta Kette, a purple bird (seasons: 4–6, 1997–2000) performed and voiced by Brice Armstrong; Armstrong also voices Beauregard the Cat in the video It's Time for Counting.

Booker T. Bookworm, an orange worm with interests in books (season 5: 1998–1999) performed and voiced by Earl Fisher

Children

Throughout the series' run, over 100 children have appeared in the series, with most of them from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Only a small portion of these actors have made notable appearances in media since their roles, including:

Danielle Vega: played Kim in seasons 3 to 6

Demi Lovato: played Angela in seasons 7 to 8

Selena Gomez: played Gianna in seasons 7 to 8

Debby Ryan: played Debby in season 10

Madison Pettis: played Bridget in season 10

Jaren Lewison: played Joshua in seasons 12 to 13

Movies and specials

Barney in Concert (1991)

Barney's Imagination Island (1994)

Barney Live in New York City (1994)

Barney's Great Adventure (1998) (theatrical movie starring Trevor Morgan and Kyla Pratt)

Barney's Big Surprise (1998)

Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo (2001)

Barney's Musical Castle (2001)

Barney's Colorful World (2004)

Untitled Barney movie (TBA) (theatrical movie produced by Daniel Kaluuya)

Airings

Other than the United States, the series has aired in Canada, Mexico and Latin America, France, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan (On English-based DVDs under the name "Let's Play with Barney in English! (バーニーと英語であそぼう！, Bānī to Eigo de asobō!)" and on television as simply "Barney & Friends (バーニー&フレンズ, Bānī ando Furenzu!)"), the Philippines, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Australian based company and distributor Southern Star handled non-US rights to the series from the mid-'90s until 2001 when HIT revoked the deal after acquiring Lyrick.

Two known co-productions of Barney & Friends have been produced outside of the US. The Israeli co-production Hebrew: החברים של ברני Hachaverim shel Barney (The Friends of Barney) produced from 1997 to 1999 in Tel Aviv, Israel, was the first of these. Rather than dubbing the original American episodes in seasons 1 to 3, the episodes were adapted with a unique set and exclusive child actors. The second co-production was broadcast in South Korea from 2001 to 2003 on KBS (under the name "바니와 친구들" (Baniwa Chingudeul (Barney and Friends))). This one, however, adapted the first six seasons (including the first three that the Israel co-production did).

Music

A majority of the albums of Barney & Friends feature Bob West as the voice of Barney; however, the recent album The Land of Make-Believe has Dean Wendt's voice.

Barney's song "I Love You" was among those used by interrogators at Guantanamo Bay detention camp to coerce detainees.

Awards and nominations

1993 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker, Dennis DeShazer Nominated

1993 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series Stephen White, Mark S. Bernthal Nominated

1994 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Tape Sound Mixing and Sound Effects Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe Nominated

1994 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Kathy Parker, Dennis DeShazer Nominated

1996 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Pre-School Children's Series Sheryl Leach, Dennis DeShazer, Jim Rowley Nominated

1998 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lighting Direction Ken Craig, Murray K. Campbell Nominated

1998 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

1999 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing Jim Rowley, Fred Holmes, Steve Feldman Nominated

1999 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

2000 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Nominated

2001 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Live and Direct to Tape Sound Mixing Ron Balantine, David M. Boothe, Gary French Won (tied with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)

2003 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Sound Mixing – Live Action and Animation Patrick Sellars, Neal Anderson Nominated

2006 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing Jim Rowley, Fred Holmes, Steve Feldman Nominated

2008 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling Lisa Odette Albertson, Traci Hutton, Lyle Huchton Nominated

2009 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling Lisa Odette Albertson, Traci Hutton, Lyle Huchton Nominated

Reception and legacy

Several people have concluded that episodes contain a great deal of age-appropriate educational material, including Yale University researchers Dorothy and Jerome Singer, who called the program a "model of what preschool television should be". Others have criticized the show for a lack of educational value, as well as being repetitive.

The show is often cited as a contributing factor to the perceived sense of entitlement seen in millennials, who grew up watching the show. One specific criticism is:

His shows do not assist children in learning to deal with negative feelings and emotions. As one commentator puts it, the real danger from Barney is "denial: the refusal to recognize the existence of unpleasant realities. For along with his steady diet of giggles and unconditional love, Barney offers our children a one-dimensional world where everyone must be happy and everything must be resolved right away."

In 1992, the Barney franchise generated $500 million in retail sales.

The creator and performer of the San Diego Chicken mascot, Ted Giannoulas, called Barney a "ubiquitous and insipid creature" in a 1999 court case.

Barney & Friends ranked No. 50 on TV Guide's 2002 list of the 50 worst TV shows of all time.

In a 1993 newspaper article, Jerry Franklin, the head of Connecticut Public Television, which co-produced Barney at the time, was quoted thus:

When adults say they do not like Barney, Franklin says, 'in a way, we take that as a compliment. Barney is not designed for parents, whereas Sesame Street is designed for parents and children. We made a conscious decision to make Barney simple. It is not a program for parents. Barney relates to preschoolers. We think he speaks to them at their level, which is in simple terms and with music.

Howard Blumenthal, producer of Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, said "Even the most knowledgeable people … can't really understand why that [Barney] phenomenon happened and another didn't".

Barney is a purple dinosaur and the main protagonist of the television series Barney & Friends, and its home video predecessor Barney & The Backyard Gang. A two hundred million year (two dinosaur years) old, six-foot (sometimes seven-foot) tall purple tyrannosaurus-rex with a green tummy and green spots on his back and his tail and yellow toes, he comes to life through a child's imagination, springing up from a doll to full size. In turn, Barney opens children's eyes to the joys of learning and discovery, to the wonders of make-believe, and to the beauty of unconditional love. Dubbed as the "Elvis for Toddlers" in the early days, he is best known for his silly and optimistic attitude.

His birthplace is Dallas, Texas (as he was created there by the creators), however, he lives and resides in one's imagination. His place of residence would later be expanded in the video Come on Over to Barney's House (2000).

Created by former teacher Sheryl Stamps Leach, Barney first appeared in the video titled The Backyard Show (1988), which was the first episode of the Barney & The Backyard Gang home video series.

David Voss originally performed as the costume for Barney from 1988 to 1990, and was succeeded by David Joyner, who would later define the costume mannerisms of the character. The character has been succeeded by many other costume performers during Joyner's time and after his resignation. The Barney character was originally voiced by Bob West from 1988 until 2000, but since his resignation has been voiced by many other voice actors.

Barney generally appears with his dino pals, Baby Bop, BJ and or Riff among others.

History

Creation

Barney was first created in 1987 by Sheryl Leach, who was looking for a way to entertain her then two year old son, Patrick. Originally, Barney was going to be a blanket. When that was proven to be too hard, he became a teddy bear who came to life. Patrick was fascinated by a dinosaur exhibit at a museum, particularly the Tyrannosaurus rex. In response, Sheryl made Barney a T. Rex. Kathy Parker, a fellow teacher-turned-mother who had helped Sheryl create the character, agreed to the change, but on the condition that he was not to appear menacing (a realistic t-rex would have scared her daughter Kaitlin). The original design attemps of Barney by Irene Corey depicted a fierce T-Rex. After producers rejected her designs, she handed the construction of the costume over to her niece Suzanne Lockridge and moved on to other projects. John Grable, the director of the original Barney and the Backyard Gang series asked art director Jamie Ruth Conner to design a plush dinosaur that a child would easily be able to embrace. Her design for Barney was approved by the producers and creators. The colors purple, green, and yellow were selected by art director Jamie Ruth Conner simply because they were trendy colors in the late 1980s.

Naming

Some concept names for Barney were Cosby, Colby, and Danny. Co-creator Dennis DeShazer came up with the name Barney.

Costume

Around a table, the television show’s producers, creator, and then art director, Jamie Conner considered the possibilities for how the costume design would look, initially thinking of a plush dinosaur that closely resembled a Tyrannosaurus-Rex. The attributes first designed were approach-ability, “hug-ability,” and playfulness.

Barney was originally a dark purple color, however, on camera appeared blue. The color was adjusted, and was given a lighter purple / magenta color. The costume would weigh about seventy pounds, but was later shaved down to fifty pounds with the final costume. Inside the costume could get up to over 120 degrees. For the performer to walk around, the actor would look through Barney's mouth for vision. When the mouth was closed, the costume actor could not see anything, even for some variations of the costume, Barney would have its eye mechanism or blinking mechanism.

Portrayal

History

Body

Originally the character was intended to be performed by one person in terms of doing the voice and being in the costume (similar to Big Bird). Bob West was the first individual hired to portray the character, however he was too tall for the costume that was already made. David Voss was brought in to fulfill the costume performance. The Barney character was originally portrayed as the actor using their hand to move the mouth while another hand was in one arm of the dinosaur, hence leaving Barney's other arm unfilled. Sometimes, both arms were filled (if required).

In 1990, he entered the military as a Cavalry Scout where he was based in Mannheim, He was succeeded in the role by David Joyner. The night before the audition, Joyner had a dream that Barney passed out and that he (Joyner) gave the purple dino mouth-to-mouth CPR. While driving to the audition, he noticed a billboard that said "Breathe Life Into Your Vacation," which made him think about breathing life into Barney and he decided to be as energetic and animated as possible. Joyner took some of what David Voss had already instilled in Barney and tried to bring out more personality.

The Barney character was now performed with a newly re-designed costume mechanic: the body performer bites down on a bar padded with a sponge connected to Barney's bottom jaw to move his mouth up and down, while giving access to both hands of the costume. Each syllable the voice actor speaks is a movement for the costume actor's to move the mouth. Joyner's mannerisms would later be carried on into other Barney performers during his time with the character and after.

The character would eventually grow to over seven feet when performed by Carey Stinson as he was one of the taller performers.

Voice

Barney's voice was originally very low pitched when he debuted in Barney & The Backyard Gang as the creators thought that since Barney was a big guy, he needed to have a deep voice. The voice was hard to maintain for West, but it was made cheerful when Joyner came into the costume, and it proved to be a more friendly voice. Following West's retirement, Duncan Brannan, Tim Dever, were handed the role of the character, and soon after Dean Wendt, making the final result of the character's voice nasal on the television series.

Actors

Costume Actors

David Voss (1988–1990)

David Joyner (1991–2005, 2008)

Bob West (left) and David Joyner (right) with Barney the Dinosaur.

Carey Stinson (1991–2013, 2019)

Josh Martin (1996–2009)

Maurice Scott (1997-2004)

Antwaun Steele (1999-2001, 2010-2011)

Sarah Vernon Swartz (First leg of Barney's Colorful World!) (2003)

Corby Sullivan (First leg of Barney's Colorful World!) (2003)

Patrick Mcalister (2003-2008)

Rick Starkweather (2003-2007)

Voice Actors

Bob West (1988–2000, 2005)

David Franks (1996-1998)

Duncan Brannan (1997–2000)

Tim Dever (1999–2001)

Dean Wendt (2001–2013, 2019)

Achievements

Barney's star on Paseo de las Luminarias, located at the Plaza de las Estrellas in Mexico City.

Barney was ranked at #3 for the highest paid entertainer, a list compiled by Forbes Magazine, in 1993-1994, following Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Barney was named one of People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of 1992"

Barney received the 1994 ‘License of the Year’ Award from the Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association in honor of the sales and demand his products created.

In 2007, Barney received a star on Paseo de las Luminarias, the Mexican equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Music

From 1996-1998, Barney ranked as Billboard's top children's artist.

Barney become a Grammy nominated and a 3× Platinum artist due to his successful debut album, Barney's Favorites, Volume 1.

Trivia

In Barney & The Backyard Gang, Barney originally lived with Michael and Amy. In that series, Barney had to be kept a secret from the parents. That running gag lasted until Three Wishes where Michael and Amy's Mom is informed on who Barney is.

Although he celebrates his birthday in the Barney franchise, he remains over 200 million years old.

Barney first reached official pop culture status when he was parodied in a Saturday Night Live sketch in the fall of 1993. The Barney likeness played a game of one-on-one basketball against Phoenix Suns superstar Charles Barkley.

Voice

During the filming of season one of Barney & Friends, Bob West had laryngitis. Jeff Gittle, a crew member of the show, would step in to read for West, in which he eventually dubbed over.

Alan Bruce served as Barney's understudy in Barney Live! In New York City, however, he never filled in.

Like the voices of Baby Bop and BJ, Barney was voiced by an unknown stand-in for the live show of Barney Live! World Tour - A Celebration!. Similar to Baby Bop, he was voiced by another unknown stand-in for the Fisher-Price toys that were released in 2018.

 

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1714

John Shapp, English  Archbishop of New York

Maria Luisa of Savoy, Queen Consort of Spain to Philip V

Edmund Andrus

Anton Ulrich

Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, Queen of Denmark/Norway

Karel, Duke of Berry

Philipp Elliott, British General/Governor of Gibraltar

Sophia of Hanover, Princess Palatine/Electress of Saxony

Matthew Henry

Cornelis Chastelein

Daniel van Papenbroeck

Anne Stuart, Queen of Great Britain

Constantin Brancoveanu, Prince of Wallachia

Edward Fowler, English Bishop of Gloucester

Kaibara Ekiken

Pierre Le Pesant

Bernardino Ramazzini

 

Happy Birthday: October 26, 2022

 

Pat Sajak, 76

Bootsy Collins, 71

James Pickens, Jr., 70

Rita Wilson, 66

Dylan McDermott, 61

Natalie Merchant, 59

Keith Urban, 55

Seth McFarlane, 49

Jon Heder, 45

Jaclyn Smith, 77

David Was, 70

Keith Strickland, 69

Lauren Tewes, 69

D. W. Moffett, 68

Patrick Breen, 62

Cary Elwes, 60

Steve Valentine, 56

Tom Cavanaugh, 54

Rosemarie DeWitt, 51

Anthony Rapp, 51

Paula Faris, 47

Florence Kasumba, 46

Mark Barry, 44

Folake Olowofoyeku, 39

Schoolboy, 36

Beulah Koate, 31

Hilary Clinton, 31

Bob Golic, 65

CM Punk, 44

Sasha Cohen, 38

Charles Post (October 26, 1854-May 9, 1914)

John S. Knight (October 26, 1894-June 16, 1981)

Jackie Coogan (October 26, 1914-March 1, 1984)

Bob Hoskins (October 26, 1942-April 29, 2014)

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1715

Francois Fenelon

Gottfried Vopelius

Antoine Galland

Charles Culvert, 3rd Baltimore,Governor-Province of Maryland

Pu Songling

Jan-Erasmus Quellinus

Gilbert Barnet, Bishop of Salisbury

Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax

Jean-Baptiste du Casse

Charles Ancillon

Nahum Tate

Francois Girardon

Louis XIV, King of Francis

Constantin Christian Dedekind

Dom Perignon

Nicolas Malebranche

Humphry Ditton

Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury

George Hickes

William Carstares

 

Happy Birthday: October 25, 2022

 

Nancy Cartwright,  65

Adam Goldberg, 52

Craig Robinson, 51

Katy Perry, 38

Ciara, 37

Kristy Marie Yu, 34

Marion Ross, 94

Jon Anderson, 78

Taffy Nivert, 78

Glenn Tipton, 75

Brian Kerwin, 73

Matthias Jabs, 66

Mark Miller, 64

Chad  Smith, 61

Tracy Nelson, 59

Michael Boatman, 58

Kevin Michael Richardson, 58

Mathieu Amalric, 57

Speech, 54

Samantha Bee, 53

Adam Pascal, 52

Ed Robertson, 52

Persia White, 52

Chely Wright, 52

Leslie Grossman, 51

Midori, 51

Mehcad Brooks, 42

Josh Henderson, 41

Jerome Jones, 41

Austin Winkler, 38

Kelly Rose Missal, 29

Bobby Knight, 82

James Carville, 78

Georges Bizet (October 25, 1838-June 3, 1875)

Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881-April 8, 1973)

Minnie Pearl (October 25, 1912-March 4, 1996)

Jeanne Cooper (October 25, 1928-May 8, 2013)

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1716

William Wycherley

Marie Cosimire Louise de la Grange d'Arquien, Queen of Poland

Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatler

Harald Vallerius

Wenzel Ludwig von Radott

Georg Gabriel Schutz

Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington

John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, Lord Chancellor of England

Louis de Montfort

Ogata Korin

Roger Cotes

Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine

Banda Bahadur

George FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Northumberland

Robert South

Joseph Sauveur

Sebastian Duran

Johann Christoph Pez

Antoine Parent

Heinrich Georg Neuss

Stephen Fox

Engelbert Kaenpfer

Gottfried Wilhelm Liebniz

Gisbert Luper

Bendictus Buns

Charles de la Fosse

 

Happy Birthday: October 24, 2022

F. Murray Abraham, 83

Kevin Kline, 75

B. D. Wong, 62

Drake, 36

Shenae Grimes-Beech, 33

Bill Wyman, 86

Doug Davidson, 68

Zahn McClarnon, 56

Michael Trent, 45

Ben Gillies, 43

Monica, 42

Adrienne Bailon, 39

Tim Pocock, 37

Eliza Taylor, 33

Ashton Sanders, 27

Hudson Yang, 19

Domitian (October 24, 51 A.D.-September 18, 96 A.D.)

Dusty Rhodes (October 1945-June 11, 2015)

 

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1717

Pierce Allix

Abraham Darby I

John Campbell, 1st Earl of Brecdalbane/Holland

Jacques Ozanam

Jean Jouvenet

John King

Samuel Bellamy "Black Sam"

John Hathorne

John Trevor

Jeanne Guyon

Louis Le Quointe

Niccolo Amenta

Nicolaus Wilsen

Catherine Sedley

Johann Jacob Walther

Daniel Purcell

 

Happy Birthday: October 23, 2022

 

Ang Lee, 68

Dwight Yoakam, 66

Sam Raimi, 63

Weird Al Yankovic, 63

Cat Deeley, 46

Ryan Reynolds, 46

Emilia Clarke, 36

Margaret Qualley, 28

Amanda Stenberg, 24

Barbara Ann Hawkins, 79

Dianne Reeves, 66

Robert Trujillo, 58

David Thomas, 56

Brian Nevin, 56

Junior Bryant, 54

John Huertas, 53

Jimmy Wayne, 50

Eric Bass, 48

Saycon Sengbloh, 45

Matthew Shultz, 39

Meghan McCain, 38

Masiela Lusha, 37

Miguel, 37

Inbar Lavi, 36

Allen P. Branstetter, 32

Taylor Spreitler, 29

Pele, 82

Marcus Agrippa (October 23?, 63 B.C.-12 B.C.)

John Heisman (October 23, 1869-October 3, 1936)

Johnny Carson (October 23, 1925-January 23, 2005)

Michael Crichton (October 23, 1942-November 4, 2008)

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1718

Giovanni Vincenzo Gravino

Richard Hoare

Captain Benjamin Church

Charles Talbot, 1st Duke of Shrewsbury

Pierre Antoine Molleux

Francois Fagel, Dutch Field Marshal/Mayor of Nimegen

Mary of Modena, Queen of England

Arnold Joost van Keppel, Earl of Albemarle/General

Benard Nieuwentyt

Etienne Baluze

William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania

Rene Lepagede St.Claire, Lord/founder of Rimouski, New France

Jacob F.  Muller (Sjako/Jaco)

Blackbeard

Nicholas Rowe

Vincenzo Coronelli

Charles XII, King  of Sweden

 

Happy Birthday: October 22, 2022

 

Christopher Lloyd, 84

Jeff Goldblum, 70

Bob Odenkirk, 60

Shaggy, 54

Spike Jonze, 53

Jesse Tyler Ferguson, 47

Corey Hawkins, 34

Derek Jacobi, 84

Tony Roberts, 83

Catherine Deneuve, 79

Eddie Brigati, 77

Greg Hawkes, 70

Luis Guzman, 66

Cris Kirkwood, 62

TobyMac, 58

Wesley Stace (John Wesley Harding), 57

Valeria Golina, 56

Carlos Mencia, 55

Shelby Lynne, 54

Tracey Lee, 52

Saffron Burrows, 50

Carmen Ejogo, 49

Jon Foreman, 46

Michael Fishman, 41

Rickard Goransson, 39

Zac Hanson, 37

Jonathan Lipnicki, 32

Sofia Vassilieva, 30

Elias Harger, 15

Brian Boitano, 59

Hue Jackson, 57

Ichiro Suzuki, 49

Franz Liszt (October 22, 1811-July 31, 1886)

Daniel Boone (October 22, 1734-September 26, 1820)

Curly Howard (October 22, 1903-November 18, 1952)

Joan Fontaine (October 22, 1917-December 15, 2013)

Annette Funicello (October 22, 1942-April 8, 2013)

Washington DC Urban Legends on TPKs Stories

https://anchor.fm/valerie-harvey/episodes/Washington-DC-Urban-Legends-e1pmkt9 

 

Bermuda Triangle Mysteries

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The idea of the area as uniquely prone to disappearances arose in the mid-20th century, but most reputable sources dismiss the idea that there is any mystery.

Origins

The earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 17, 1950, article published in The Miami Herald (Associated Press) by Edward Van Winkle Jones. Two years later, Fate magazine published "Sea Mystery at Our Back Door", a short article by George Sand covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19, a group of five US Navy Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers on a training mission. Sand's article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place, as well as the first to suggest a supernatural element to the Flight 19 incident. Flight 19 alone would be covered again in the April 1962 issue of American Legion magazine. In it, author Allan W. Eckert wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying, "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." He also wrote that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes "flew off to Mars."

In February 1964, Vincent Gaddis wrote an article called "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" in the pulp magazine Argosy saying Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region. The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, Invisible Horizons.

Other writers elaborated on Gaddis' ideas: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the Lost, 1969, repr. 1973); Charles Berlitz (The Bermuda Triangle, 1974); Richard Winer (The Devil's Triangle, 1974), and many others, all keeping to some of the same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.

Triangle area

The Gaddis Argosy article delineated the boundaries of the triangle, giving its vertices as Miami; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Bermuda. Subsequent writers did not necessarily follow this definition. Some writers gave different boundaries and vertices to the triangle, with the total area varying from 1,300,000 to 3,900,000 km2 (500,000 to 1,510,000 sq mi). "Indeed, some writers even stretch it as far as the Irish coast.” Consequently, the determination of which accidents occurred inside the triangle depends on which writer reported them.

Criticism of the concept

Larry Kusche

Larry Kusche, author of The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved (1975), argued that many claims of Gaddis and subsequent writers were exaggerated, dubious or unverifiable. Kusche's research revealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents. Kusche noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Another example was the ore-carrier recounted by Berlitz as lost without trace three days out of an Atlantic port when it had been lost three days out of a port with the same name in the Pacific Ocean. Kusche also argued that a large percentage of the incidents that sparked allegations of the Triangle's mysterious influence actually occurred well outside it. Often his research was simple: he would review period newspapers of the dates of reported incidents and find reports on possibly relevant events like unusual weather, that were never mentioned in the disappearance stories.

Kusche concluded that:

The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.

In an area frequented by tropical cyclones, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious.

Furthermore, Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms or even represent the disappearance as having happened in calm conditions when meteorological records clearly contradict this.

The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat's disappearance, for example, would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not have been.

Some disappearances had, in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have taken place in 1937, off Daytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papers revealed nothing.

The legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism.

In a 2013 study, the World Wide Fund for Nature identified the world's 10 most dangerous waters for shipping, but the Bermuda Triangle was not among them.

Further responses

When the UK Channel 4 television program The Bermuda Triangle (1992) was being produced by John Simmons of Geofilms for the Equinox series, the marine insurance market Lloyd's of London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle area. Lloyd's determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there. Lloyd's does not charge higher rates for passing through this area. United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis.

The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker V. A. Fogg, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies, in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup. In addition, V. A. Fogg sank off the coast of Texas, nowhere near the commonly accepted boundaries of the Triangle.

The Nova/Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle, aired on June 27, 1976, was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."

Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves and Barry Singer, have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favor of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.

Benjamin Radford, an author and scientific paranormal investigator, noted in an interview on the Bermuda Triangle that it could be very difficult locating an aircraft lost at sea due to the vast search area, and although the disappearance might be mysterious, that did not make it paranormal or unexplainable. Radford further noted the importance of double-checking information as the mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle had been created by people who had neglected to do so.

Hypothetical explanation attempts

Persons accepting the Bermuda Triangle as a real phenomenon have offered a number of explanatory approaches.

Paranormal explanations

Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural concepts to explain the events. One explanation pins the blame on leftover technology from the mythical lost continent of Atlantis. Sometimes connected to the Atlantis story is the submerged rock formation known as the Bimini Road off the island of Bimini in the Bahamas, which is in the Triangle by some definitions. Followers of the purported psychic Edgar Cayce take his prediction that evidence of Atlantis would be found in 1968, as referring to the discovery of the Bimini Road. Believers describe the formation as a road, wall, or other structure, but the Bimini Road is of natural origin.

Some hypothesize that a parallel universe exists in the Bermuda Triangle region, causing a time/space warp that sucks the objects around it into a parallel universe. Others attribute the events to UFOs. Charles Berlitz, author of various books on anomalous phenomena, lists several theories attributing the losses in the Triangle to anomalous or unexplained forces.

Natural explanations

Compass variations

Compass problems are one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area, such anomalies have not been found. Compasses have natural magnetic variations in relation to the magnetic poles, a fact which navigators have known for centuries. Magnetic (compass) north and geographic (true) north are exactly the same only for a small number of places – for example, as of 2000, in the United States, only those places on a line running from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. But the public may not be as informed, and think there is something mysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as the Triangle, which it naturally will.

The Gulf Stream is a major surface current, primarily driven by thermohaline circulation that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and then flows through the Straits of Florida into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and, like a river, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a maximum surface velocity of about 2 m/s (6.6 ft/s). A small plane making a water landing or a boat having engine trouble can be carried away from its reported position by the current.

Human error

One of the most cited explanations in official inquiries as to the loss of any aircraft or vessel is human error. Human stubbornness may have caused businessman Harvey Conover to lose his sailing yacht, Revonoc, as he sailed into the teeth of a storm south of Florida on January 1, 1958.

Violent weather

Hurricanes are powerful storms that form in tropical waters and have historically cost thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of Francisco de Bobadilla's Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle. Many Atlantic hurricanes pass through the Triangle as they recurve off the Eastern Seaboard, and, before the advent of weather satellite, ships often had little to no warning of a hurricane's approach.

A powerful downdraft of cold air was suspected to be a cause in the sinking of Pride of Baltimore on May 14, 1986. The crew of the sunken vessel noted the wind suddenly shifted and increased velocity from 32 km/h (20 mph) to 97–145 km/h (60–90 mph). A National Hurricane Center satellite specialist, James Lushine, stated "during very unstable weather conditions the downburst of cold air from aloft can hit the surface like a bomb, exploding outward like a giant squall line of wind and water." A similar event occurred to Concordia in 2010, off the coast of Brazil.

Methane hydrates

An explanation for some of the disappearances has focused on the presence of large fields of methane hydrates (a form of natural gas) on the continental shelves. Laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water; any wreckage consequently rising to the surface would be rapidly dispersed by the Gulf Stream. It has been hypothesized that periodic methane eruptions (sometimes called "mud volcanoes") may produce regions of frothy water that are no longer capable of providing adequate buoyancy for ships. If this were the case, such an area forming around a ship could cause it to sink very rapidly and without warning.

Publications by the USGS describe large stores of undersea hydrates worldwide, including the Blake Ridge area, off the coast of the southeastern United States. However, according to the USGS, no large releases of gas hydrates are believed to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle for the past 15,000 years.

Notable incidents

HMS Atalanta

The sail training ship HMS Atalanta (originally named HMS Juno) disappeared with her entire crew after setting sail from the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda for Falmouth, England on 31 January 1880. It was presumed that she sank in a powerful storm which crossed her route a couple of weeks after she sailed, and that her crew being composed primarily of inexperienced trainees may have been a contributing factor. The search for evidence of her fate attracted worldwide attention at the time (connection is also often made to the 1878 loss of the training ship HMS Eurydice, which foundered after departing the Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda for Portsmouth on 6 March), and she was alleged decades later to have been a victim of the mysterious triangle, an allegation resoundingly refuted by the research of author David Francis Raine in 1997.

USS Cyclops

The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not related to combat occurred when the collier Cyclops, carrying a full load of manganese ore and with one engine out of action, went missing without a trace with a crew of 309 sometime after March 4, 1918, after departing the island of Barbados. Although there is no strong evidence for any single theory, many independent theories exist, some blaming storms, some capsizing, and some suggesting that wartime enemy activity was to blame for the loss. In addition, two of Cyclops's sister ships, Proteus and Nereus, were subsequently lost in the North Atlantic during World War II. Both ships were transporting heavy loads of metallic ore similar to that which was loaded on Cyclops during her fatal voyage. In all three cases structural failure due to overloading with a much denser cargo than designed is considered the most likely cause of sinking.

Carroll A. Deering

Carroll A. Deering, a five-masted schooner built in 1919, was found hard aground and abandoned at Diamond Shoals, near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, on January 31, 1921. FBI investigation into the Deering scrutinized, then ruled out, multiple theories as to why and how the ship was abandoned, including piracy, domestic Communist sabotage and the involvement of rum-runners.

Flight 19

Flight 19 was a training flight of five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared on December 5, 1945, while over the Atlantic. The squadron's flight plan was scheduled to take them due east from Fort Lauderdale for 141 mi (227 km), north for 73 mi (117 km), and then back over a final 140-mile (230-kilometre) leg to complete the exercise. The flight never returned to base. The disappearance was attributed by Navy investigators to navigational error leading to the aircraft running out of fuel.

One of the search and rescue aircraft deployed to look for them, a PBM Mariner with a 13-man crew, also disappeared. A tanker off the coast of Florida reported seeing an explosion and observing a widespread oil slick when fruitlessly searching for survivors. The weather was becoming stormy by the end of the incident. According to contemporaneous sources the Mariner had a history of explosions due to vapor leaks when heavily loaded with fuel, as it might have been for a potentially long search-and-rescue operation.

Star Tiger and Star Ariel

G-AHNP Star Tiger disappeared on January 30, 1948, on a flight from the Azores to Bermuda; G-AGRE Star Ariel disappeared on January 17, 1949, on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica. Both were Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft operated by British South American Airways. Both planes were operating at the very limits of their range and the slightest error or fault in the equipment could keep them from reaching the small island.

Douglas DC-3

On December 28, 1948, a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, number NC16002, disappeared while on a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Miami. No trace of the aircraft, or the 32 people on board, was ever found. A Civil Aeronautics Board investigation found there was insufficient information available on which to determine probable cause of the disappearance.

Connemara IV

A pleasure yacht was found adrift in the Atlantic south of Bermuda on September 26, 1955; it is usually stated in the stories (Berlitz, Winer) that the crew vanished while the yacht survived being at sea during three hurricanes. The 1955 Atlantic hurricane season shows Hurricane Ione passing nearby between 14 and 18 September, with Bermuda being affected by winds of almost gale force. In his second book on the Bermuda Triangle, Winer quoted from a letter he had received from Mr J.E. Challenor of Barbados:

On the morning of September 22, Connemara IV was lying to a heavy mooring in the open roadstead of Carlisle Bay. Because of the approaching hurricane, the owner strengthened the mooring ropes and put out two additional anchors. There was little else he could do, as the exposed mooring was the only available anchorage. ... In Carlisle Bay, the sea in the wake of Hurricane Janet was awe-inspiring and dangerous. The owner of Connemara IV observed that she had disappeared. An investigation revealed that she had dragged her moorings and gone to sea.

KC-135 Stratotankers

On August 28, 1963, a pair of US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft collided and crashed into the Atlantic 300 miles (480 km) west of Bermuda. Some writers say that while the two aircraft did collide there were two distinct crash sites, separated by over 160 miles (260 km) of water. However, Kusche's research showed that the unclassified version of the Air Force investigation report revealed that the debris field defining the second "crash site" was examined by a search and rescue ship, and found to be a mass of seaweed and driftwood tangled in an old buoy.

 

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1719

Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg

Giovanni Maria Casini

Steven Jacobz Vennekool

Jean-Baptiste de la Salle

Francoise d'Aubigne, Marquis de Maintenon

Johann Friedrich Treiber

Philippe de la Hire

Pierre Poiret

Joseph Addison

Meinhardt Schomberg, 3rd Duke of Schomberg

Johann Georg Christian Stori

Christoph Ludwig Agricola

Karl H. Freiherr von Canstein

John Harris

Frans Anneessens

Jan Weenix

 

Happy Birthday: October 21, 2022

Judge Judy Sheindlin, 80

Ken Watanbe, 63

Andrew Scott, 46

Kim Kardashian, 42

Glen Powell, 34

Natasha Bassett, 30

Doja Cat, 27

Manfred Mann, 82

Steve Cropper, 81

Lee Loughnane, 76

Dick Christie, 74

Charlotte Caffey, 69

Catherine Hardwicke, 67

Julian Cope, 65

Steve Lukather, 65

Melora Walters, 62

Nick Oliveri, 51

Charlie  Lowell, 49

Jeremy Miller, 46

Matthew Ramsey, 45

Will Estes, 44

Michael McMillian, 44

Charlotte Sullivan, 39

Kane Brown, 29

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (October 21, 1772-July 25, 1834)

Alfred Nobel (October 1833-December 19, 1896)

Georg Solti (October 21, 1912-September 5, 1997)

Dizzy Gillespie (October 21, 1917-January 6, 1993)

Carrie Fisher (October 21, 1956-December 27, 2016)

 

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1720

 

Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford

Samuel Parris

Pieter van Flowers

Georg Bonner

Joseph Dudley, colonial Governor-General of Massachusetts

Antoine Hamilton

Guillaume Amfrye de Chaulieu

Johann Samuel Welter

Anthonie Heinsius

Simon Ockley

Anne Lefevre Dacier

Henri de Massue, Marquis de Rivigny, 1st Viscount Galway

Antoine Coysevox

Peter Tordenskjold

Calico Jack

Willem van Outhoorn, Dutch governor-general, Dutch East Indies

Happy Birthday: October 20, 2022

Viggo Mortenson, 64

William Zabka, 57

Snoop Dogg, 51

John Krasinski, 43

Jennifer Freeman, 37

Wanda Jackson, 85

Delores Hart, 84

William Russ, 72

Melanie Mayron, 70

Danny Boyle, 66

Jim "Soni" Sonefield, 58

Doug Eldrige, 55

Sunny Hostin, 54

Kenneth Choi, 51

Jimi Westbrook, 51

Dan Fogler, 46

Jon Natchez, 46

Sam Witwer,  45

Daniel Tichenor, 43

Katie Featherston, 40

Connor Floyd, 29

Connie Chung, 77

Scott Hall, 64

Kamala Harris, U.S. Vice-President, 58

Bela Lugosi (October 20, 1882-August 16, 1956)

Mickey Mantle (October 20, 1931-August 13, 1995)

Jerry Orbach (October 20, 1935-December 28, 2004)

Tom Petty (October 20, 1950-October 2, 2017)

 

In Memoriam: Celebrities Lost 1721

Rochas Aerts

James Stanhope, 1st Earl of Stanhope

James Craggs, the Younger

John  Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham/Normanby

Jan Luyts

James Craggs, the Elder

Clement XII (Giovanni F. Albani)

Michael Chambillart

Mary Read

Elihu Yale

Jean-Antoine Walteau

Geleyn Evertsen

Grinling Gibbons

Jacques Lelong

Bernhard Albinus

Michael Brokoff

Rudolf J. Cumererius

Matthew Prior

Thomas Doggett

Benott Audran

Abraham Alewijn

Edward Colston

Alexander Selkirk

Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarborough

Nathaniel Hawes