Well,
we're nearly halfway through 2015, and I have to say that so far, it has been
one hell of a year! I can't wait to see
what the next six months (and a bit) are going to bring me, but I have to say
that when it comes down to it, 34 is looking like one of the greatest years
yet! Maybe it's not exactly how I
planned it or saw it, but things are going to be great!
I
won't go into much more detail than that...but I will say that sometime this
summer, I'll likely be going on a brief hiatus from this blog. Don't worry though. It'll only be for a week or two. I have to take care of some...business. Yeah, that's it. I will pre-warn you when I have to embark on my little adventure,
and if I can figure out how to postdate entries, I'll try to do so. I'll also provide you with a more detailed
reason why the hiatus is needed. For
now, I remain hidden underneath my cloak of secrecy.
But
it will definitely be weird taking a brief hiatus from this blog. I have been working on it for four years
straight. I don't even know if the guy
who started up the "Full House Reviewed" blog wrote for that
long. He certainly didn't write in it
every day like I did. But, it will all be
worth it.
For
now though, I will continue ahead with this blog until that day comes around. And look!
It's time for another Tuesday Timeline entry!
And
this week, I have a sweet entry for you.
Literally and figuratively.
But
before we get on with that story, let's go on with the rest of the Tuesday
Timeline fun, beginning with some of the historical happenings of June 16.
1745 - British troops take possession of Cape Breton
Island
1779 - The Great Siege of Gibraltal begins as Spain
declares war on Great Britain
1816 - A reading by Lord Byron of
"Fantasmagoriana" inspires Mary Shelley to write her novel
"Frankenstein" and John Polidori to write "The Vampyre".
1858 - In Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln
delivers his "House Divided" speech
1883 - At least 183 children tragically lose their lives
in the Victoria Hall Theatre panic in Sunderland, England
1884 - "Switchback Railway" - the world's
first purpose-built roller-coaster - opens up in New York City's Coney Island
Amusement Park
1890 - Comedic actor Stan Laurel (d. 1965) is born in
Ulverston, Lancashire, England
1903 - The Ford Motor Company is incorporated
1911 - Future computer company IBM is founded in
Endicott, New York
1944 - George Junius Stinney Jr., aged 14, becomes the
youngest person to be executed in the United States during the twentieth
century
1959 - James Brian Hellwig (d. 2014) - otherwise known
as "The Ultimate Warrior" - is born
1963 - Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman to
go into outer space
1967 - The Monterey Pop Festival begins
1971 - Rapper Tupac Shakur (d. 1996) is born in East
Harlem, New York
1978 - The motion picture "Grease" starring
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John debuts in theatres
1981 - Canadian Ken Taylor becomes the first
non-American to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for the role he played
in the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981 (in which he rescued six American
citizens)
2010 - Bhutan becomes the first nation in the world to
ban tobacco products
I
want to also take the time out to wish the following famous faces a very happy
birthday! Birthday greetings go out to James Bolam, Jim Dine, Joyce Carol Oates, Billy "Crash" Craddock, Joan Van Ark, Gino Vannelli, Laurie Metcalf, Ian Buchanan, Arnold Vosloo, James "The Sandman" Fullington, Danny Burstein, James Patrick Stuart, Clifton Collins Jr., Phil Mickelson, John Cho, Amanda Byram, Eddie Cibrian, Missy Peregrym, Olivia Hack, Diana DeGarmo, Keshia Chante, Nathan Parsons, John Newman, and Joe McElderry.
So,
now that we have all of that taken care of, it's time to take a look at what
today's date is that we'll be looking at.
Ah,
June 16, 1987.
That
would be right around the time that I graduated from kindergarten, and the time
that my mother enrolled me in the summer playground program that my town had in
place. Back in 1987, the cost was
fifteen bucks. By 1992, it was almost
seventy-five. Like, what the hell? No wonder the program didn't last ten years.
Fortunately,
the subject of today's Tuesday Timeline lasted longer than that. In fact, this year, this product celebrates
its twenty-eighth birthday. And for
some of you celebrating a birthday today, you might enjoy some of this stuff
along with your birthday cake.
And
to think that this product wouldn't have existed without a merger of sorts
taking place. A merger between an
American rock band...and an ice cream company?
Trust
me. It'll all make sense the more you
read.
First,
let's talk a little bit about the band.
How many of you have heard of the band "The Grateful
Dead"? I would imagine that for
those of you born in the 1990s or later, that name might not ring a bell. In fact, for people my age, I don't know too
many people who know who they are.
But
for those of you who do, you know that they were a band that formed in Palo
Alto, California in the mid-1960s, releasing a plethora of songs that blended
several different sounds and genres of music together. Seriously, you could hear bluegrass, rock,
folk, country, pop, jazz, and even space rock in the entire Grateful Dead
discography.
Of
course while several members of the band came and went over the band's three
decades that it was most active, one could say that the face of the band was
that of lead singer Jerry Garcia. His
unique vocals and his talent with a guitar were definitely noticed, and although
the band never did have a number one hit, they were one of the most respected
groups in rock history, earning a loyal group of fans who called themselves
"Deadheads" and even ranking #57 in Rolling Stone Magazine's
"Greatest Artists of All Time" list.
In
fact, one could say that 1987 was a banner year for the "Grateful
Dead", for it was during that year that the group scored their very first
(and only) Top 10 hit on the Billboard Charts!
Go on. Have a listen.
ARTIST: Grateful Dead
SONG: Touch of Grey
SONG: Touch of Grey
ALBUM: In The Dark
DATE RELEASED: May 1987
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #9
Could
you believe that this was the very first (and as far as I am aware, only) music
video the band ever made? The song
itself was first performed in 1982 as an encore song by the band, and was added
onto the tracklist of "In The Dark" five years later. Who knew that it would have such an impact
on Top 40 radio? And why not? It was a great song!
The
song also was a sort of a "comeback song" for Garcia, who almost died
one year earlier. He had been diagnosed
with diabetes, and fell into a diabetic coma for several days in 1986. But he did recover and changed his lifestyle
for a time afterwards.
So,
I suppose there's a little bit of irony in the fact that on June 16, 1987,
Garcia gave permission for use of his name to a very popular ice cream company
in regards to a certain flavour of ice cream.
Certainly
everyone has had at least one pint of the deliciously expensive Ben &
Jerry's ice cream. The company (founded
by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in May 1978) reinvented the way ice cream was
presented by adding in a variety of rich ingredients that packed in the
flavours (and calories and sugar). With
flavours such as "Caramel Hat Trick", "We Are Waffling", "Chocolate Chip Cookie
Dough", and my own personal favourite, "Half Baked", Ben and
Jerry's has thrived and they continue to come up with brand new flavour
combinations each year.
TRIVIA: The reason
why Ben & Jerry's ice cream is so rich?
Ben Cohen has a condition called anosmia, which prevents him from having
the sense of smell and reduced taste buds.
Making the ice cream rich in flavour was the only way that Cohen could
sample it.
Anyway,
back in 1987, Ben & Jerry had created a brand new flavour of ice cream that
was quite sweet and fruity. It was a
cherry ice cream base that had chunks of real cherries mixed in with it. Fudge flakes were also mixed in, to make
people believe that they were eating chocolate covered cherry ice cream. Both men believed in the flavour so much and
they really wanted to give it a name that stood out.
The
problem was that they needed Jerry Garcia to make it happen.
In
order for Ben and Jerry to have the name they wanted, Jerry Garcia had to agree
to let the company use his own name.
Luckily for the ice cream entrepreneurs, Garcia agreed to the terms and
formally gave Ben and Jerry the clearance to use his name in any way they saw
fit - on June 16, 1987.
And
three days later, "Cherry Garcia" ice cream first hit store
shelves. To this day, it remains one of
Ben & Jerry's most popular flavours.
I have to admit that while I am not a fan of fruit flavoured ice cream,
I don't mind this one. Though I limit
myself to only a spoonful or two. I
still prefer "Half Baked".
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