any time of year, you can find it here

It’s hard to believe another week is upon us. This past week I had a cold, so my sincerest hope for this week is that it’s cold-free. I slept an obscene amount yesterday, though, so hopefully I’m starting the week off with my immunity as strong as can be. But enough about the present. What about the past?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 11
Man, today was a crazy day with all sorts of weird historical events to write about. I’m feeling a little indecisive, so I tried to pick something fairly boring just so I wouldn’t have to deal with it. And so I tell you that on this day in 1779, Ching-Thang Khomba was crowned King of Manipur. Wait a tic, now that I write that out, it doesn’t seem boring at all. Wait, now I just did a little research on Ching-Thang Khomba and apparently he’s awesome. So Jan. 11 I guess is just an awesome day overall. They started delivering milk in bottles, y’all!

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 12
Today is the date of birth for actress Texas Guinan. I’d never heard of her, but I liked the name, so I did a little extra research. Unfortunately, Texas is not her given name; Mary Louise Cecilia is. But she was a firecracker nevertheless. She walked around saying “hello suckers!” and starred in movies as a cowgirl and opened a speakeasy during Prohibition. Also born today: Tex Ritter. So Jan. 12 = great day to give someone a Lone Star State nickname.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 13
On this day in 1968, Johnny Cash performed live at Folsom Prison, giving the movie “Walk the Line” a way to frame their story. As much as I like Reese Witherspoon, I want to say that I think Joaquin Phoenix should have won an Oscar instead (if only one of them could have won). I think it’s interesting to imagine an alternate universe where Joaquin Phoenix did win—would he have gone all crazy and retired from acting like he did last year? Or would something like that have happened even earlier? It’s fun to think about. Joaquin Phoenix’s birthday is October 28, so imagine more speculation on the subject around that date.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 14
I was scanning through the notable births of the day, which include writer Tillie Olson being born this day in 1912. But I guess I was reading too fast, and I thought it said Nellie Olson, as in the character from Little House on the Prairie. I did a little more research on the subject and the last name is actually spelled Oleson, something I don’t remember from the books. Plus Nellie Oleson is just an composite of several people, named Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters and Stella Gilbert. So once I read all that, and realized that the day should really be all about Tillie Olson anyways, I felt fairly… disappointed.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 15
Wikipedia went online on this day in 2001! On the same day, Ted Mann died. Ted Mann was an American businessman who bought movie theaters; he changed the name of Grauman’s Chinese Theater to Mann’s Chinese Theater once he bought that theater chain. Did the spirit of the newlyTed Mann enter into the newly born Wikipedia? Impossible to prove, but I’m starting that rumor now. If I were less lazy, I’d try to add it to Ted Mann’s Wikipedia page.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 16
People with interesting names that were born on this date:
-Edmund Crouchback
-Dorthe Engelbrechtsdatter
-Irving Rapper
-Dizzy Dean
-Stirling Silliphant
-Dalvanius Prime

People with interesting names that died on this date:
-Charles Annibal Fabrot
-Amilcare Ponchielli
-Ike Quebec
-Ballard Berkeley
-Bobo Olson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: JANUARY 17
I have decided that this week in history should be Nevil Shute Week. He was born on January 17, 1899, and he died earlier this week, on January 12, 1960. One of the few books I had to read in high school was On the Beach. I say it in that passive-aggressive condescending way because I feel like I should have been made to read far more books in high school. I’m sure Nevil Shute would have agreed with me; after all, I named a whole week in history after him.