RenoVous

  Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley were married on this day, 1565. I came across some others as well though. Actress, Gloria Stuart and screenwriter, Arthur Sheekman, 1934. They had the most successful marriage, until his death in 1978. Diego Rivera and his art dealer, Emma Hurtado, 1955. This was about a year after Frida Kahlo's death.  He had married her twice, in 1929 and again in 1940. Prince Charles and Lady Diana, 1981. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, 2000. We never really got a fuller look at her dress. That's what I like most about wedding retrospectives - we know some of these marriages were awful, ending in divorce, but Diana's is one of the most iconic gowns ever worn. And the dress Mary, Queen of Scots wore for her first wedding (in 1558) was in fact the first white wedding dress.  It was Queen Victoria who later popularized it though, in 1840.

  Sardine Valley. We're at the site of More's Station.  This was part of a lower route to the goldfields - after the Donner Party tragedy, people were more hesitant to use the higher pass. When silver was later found in Nevada, it remained a hub for back and forth travel, as well as a supply chain. The area later became Wheeler Sheep Camp, built and managed by a Basque immigrant.

  Casa Casuarina, the home of Gianni Versace, and the scene of his death. On this day in 1997, the fashion designer was shot on the front steps, twice in the head. Andrew Cunanan was in the midst of a killing spree. It started on April 27th in Minneapolis, where he bludgeoned Jeffrey Trail.  On May 3rd, he shot an ex-lover, David Madson.  Trail had been an acquaintance of his. Two days later in Chicago, he killed Lee Miglin and stole his car.  This was abandoned in New Jersey, after Cunanan killed William Reese for his pickup truck.  He then drove down to Florida. There was an FBI manhunt already underway, and a fast food worker in Miami Beach called the tip-line on July 11th.  Police arrived too late though. Cunanan was found on July 23rd, having broken into a houseboat less than 40 blocks away from the Versace mansion.  He had shot himself. It is now a hotel. The Villa

  The first known painting of Paris, from 1432, by Jean Fouquet. Today the city celebrates 2,075 years - having been founded around 250 BC. History can be traced back to the Gallic tribe known as the Parisii, who settled an island in the Seine River. By 52 BC, Julius Caesar had taken over, calling it Lutetia.  From the island, the city spread.  The name of the area gradually transitioned into being called Paris during the 4th century. The Arenas de Lutece are among the most important Roman remains in France. In the year 987, Paris became the official capital of France. The home of Nicolas Flamel, a French alchemist believed to have created the philosopher's stone, was built in 1407 and is recognized as the oldest surviving house in the city. It is now a restaurant. Auberge

 10 years ago, the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Florida became the deadliest attack on the gay community in this country.  Prior to that, it had been arson at the UpStairs Lounge in New Orleans in 1973. A fire was set in the stairway, which trapped and killed 32 people.  The cause was noted as "undetermined," however, so no one was ever arrested. Fifteen people who jumped from the second story reported smelling gasoline before the blaze. Churches in the area reportedly refused to host funerals, and a bishop even rebuked one reverend who held a prayer service for the victims. In 2013, the Catholic Archdiocese apologized.

  One of my favorite shots from the Statue of Liberty, which arrived in New York Harbor on this day, 1885. Designed by sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, with assistance from Gustave Eiffel, the project began in 1870.  Construction started in 1875 and was completed in the summer of 1884.  It had to be shipped in pieces, in more than 200 cases. It was named, "Liberty Enlightening the World." The corner stone of the pedestal was laid August 5, 1884. The completed dedication ceremony took place October 28, 1886. Ellis Island opened in 1892, serving as America's chief immigration station, where many saw Lady Liberty as a symbol of a new beginning. The famous poem by Emma Lazarus was added in 1903. This is part of the old Fort Wood (on which the pedestal was built), a star shaped fortress built in 1808 to protect the harbor during the War of 1812.  It remained an active military post until 1937.

  Released fully in 1922, James Joyce's Ulysses  takes place in a single day - June 16, 1904. It is considered one of the greatest and most influential books in the English language, and it is especially celebrated in Dublin. I have a cousin Molly Bloom, her mother's a big fan, and a few years ago they were in Ireland for this day.  They attended a reading and had lunch at the Davy Byrnes pub. In the book, Leopold Bloom has a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy there. Ulysses has been on banned lists for being "obscene."  In fact, there was a trial in the United States when a literary magazine, The Little Review, published a chapter in April 1920.  The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice filed charges against the editors under the Comstock Act of 1873, which made it illegal to send obscene materials through the US Mail. The episode did include Leopold masturbating on the beach.  Sexual inner monologues are throughout the book, as well as d...

 The Salem Witch Trials began in February of 1692, following fits experienced by children in the village, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams.  A doctor concluded they were suffering from the effects of witchcraft, and the girls were pressured to name names. On this day in 1692, Bridget Bishop was found guilty and was the first to be hanged. She was not the first to be charged though.  That was Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba.  As an enslaved woman from Barbados, owned by Samuel Parris, she was the presumed main culprit, with her "Haitian Vodou."  She was allowed to contest at trial, and she helped point fingers at others. Bishop had been accused by more individuals than anyone else.  She didn't dress by Puritan standards, she had been married three times, and she was known to frequent taverns. HEATHEN! Many were found guilty based on the response of the "afflicted" during proceedings.  By October, the special court had been dissolved by the g...

  On this day in 1956, the city of Santa Cruz banned rock n' roll at public gatherings. By June 18, several other cities had followed suit. On the night of June 2, some 200 teenagers packed into an auditorium to hear Chuck Higgins and His Orchestra.  The police came to check on the event around midnight, and Lt. Richard Overton said the teens were "engaged in suggestive, stimulating and tantalizing motions induced by the provocative rhythms of an all-negro band." OH GOOD HEAVENS!! Fear of "frenzied music" and "undesirable elements," but more specifically, the racially integrated nature of the events. The ban only lasted a few days, following local and national backlash against the tourist town.   On June 5th of this same year, Elvis performed "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle Show, and the adults were outraged by his bumps and grinds, those gyrating hips!

  The Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public on this day, 1937. It was Pedestrian Day, an opportunity for everyone to enjoy before the cars took over the next day. For the time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, spanning 4,200 feet across the bay. Construction began in 1933, in the depths of the Great Depression.  Multiple counties in the area took out a large bond for funding, which would be paid back through bridge tolls.  Members of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District even put their homes up as collateral. The bond was repaid by July 1971. The project was led by engineer, Joseph Strauss, and consulting engineer, Leon Moiseff, along with the architect, Irving Morrow.  It was Morrow who selected the color, "International Orange." Upon completion, it was seen as a symbol of progress during a time of economic crisis. And today, it is one of the one the most recognizable architectural structures in the world.

  One of the most famous books in English literature was released on this day in 1897. While it has inspired numerous movies and vampire lore in general, it wasn't the first. Carmilla  came out in 1872, and heavily influenced later Gothic vampire fiction.  It may be that a female antagonist was less appealing to early film adaptations, but it's also noted that Stoker's "monster-hunting plot" was better for the stage and screen.  There's also some history that predates all of this, that of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad II joined the Order of the Dragon in 1431 and took the name Dracul.  His son, Vlad III, would then take the name Dracula, or son of the dragon. Bran Castle has become the tourist destination for the look that inspired Stoker, but his real home was Poenari Castle. Despite the fact that Stoker did not invent the name Dracula, his wife pursued copyright protections against the studio making Nosferatu.   They changed the vampire's name to Count Orlock, ...

  The patent was approved on this day, 1873, for work pants reinforced with metal rivets. But the idea started in 1870.  A customer approached Reno tailor, Jacob Davis, requesting a more durable pant for her husband.  Davis had settled in the area a couple years earlier, and opened a shop on Virginia Street. His fabric supplier was Levi Strauss, and he had been set up in San Francisco since 1853.  He followed the Gold Rush and ran a wholesale dry goods store. Strauss was very well off by 1872, so Davis reached out to him to partner up.  The first manufacturing facility was located on Fremont Street in San Francisco, and the first "waist overalls" were sold.  By 1880, Strauss had opened his own factory and showroom on Battery Street. The term "501" came into use in 1890, when the patent went into the public domain. "Blue jeans" didn't enter the vernacular until the 1960's.

 Very recently I came across a comment that said:  "Y'all don't know that the government straight up bombed West Virginia and it shows." (Battle of Blair Mountain, 1921) A response to that referred to a bombing in Philadelphia that I was also unaware of, and today happens to be the anniversary. On this day in 1985, Philadelphia police began evacuating homes on Osage Avenue.  They were preparing for an operation against MOVE, an organization that advocated for black liberation, natural laws and natural living. Following an incident in 1978, which resulted in the death of a police offer and the arrest of nine members, leader John Africa started planning a counterattack.  By 1983, they were staging protests outside the headquarters/home, as well as assembling a cache of weapons. The mayor ordered police to raid the address, but they were unable to remove members who had taken up positions.  There was gunfire back and forth throughout the day, but SWAT was unable to...

 April 29, 1992 Yes, Bradley sang the wrong date but the recording stuck. And what he sings about is the point. Rodney King was beaten by Los Angeles Police on March 3, 1991.  The trial against the officers began March 4, 1992 and they were acquitted on this day. Thus sparked the LA Riots. It was a final straw situation, from years of police brutality and racial discrimination.  In the end, 63 people were dead, 2,500 were injured, and more than 12,000 were arrested.  Property damage was estimated over $1 billion, which was heaviest in Koreatown. Those tensions stemmed from the killing of Latasha Harlins.  She was shot by a store owner, who was convicted of voluntary manslaughter.  She was initially sentenced to 10 years in prison, but that was reduced to 5 years probation and some restitution. The sense was that Black Lives don't mater....

Today commemorates the naming of the state - when Juan Ponce de Leon landed he was struck by the abundance of plant life, but he also wanted to honor the upcoming Easter holiday. "Pascua" on its own means Passover.  Pascua Florida is the Feast of Flowers.  Very Spring. The year was 1513, and when de Leon returned to Spain in 1514 he was knighted by King Ferdinand, named governor of Puerto Rico, and granted permission to settle in Florida.  He wasn't able to return until 1521, but the native population fiercely resisted the European presence, and he was fatally wounded. He is buried in Puerto Rico. The Calusa were people of the Caloosahatchee culture, which is now an extinct tribe. They were described more by Pedro Menendez de Aviles, who would establish St. Augustine in 1565.  He visited their capital, Calos, in 1566 and described the chief's house, their council, as well as their clothing. The chief offered his daughter in marriage, understanding this would secure a...

 I made a call to an insurance company in Hawaii and found out they're closed today. He was born on this day in 1871, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Overthrown in 1893, the prince became a delegate of the Territory of Hawaii in the United States Congress. He authored a bill in 1919 for statehood, which did not pass, but he succeeded with the Hawaiian Homes Act, setting aside 200,000 acres of land for Hawaiian homesteaders.  This was passed in 1921. During his time in politics, he helped shape the modern government structure of Hawaii.  He instituted the county system that is still in place today, which is unique to this country. There is only the State and four counties, each with a mayor and a council. *** Celebrations typically honor his love of surfing, particularly at his namesake beach in Waikiki.

 Born on this day in 1947, Sir Elton John (Reginald Dwight). His debut album was released in 1969.  The most popular song is "the first song Bernie and I ever got excited about that we wrote." His first hit in the UK came from his second album, in 1970. His first number one song in the US came in 1973. His most successful album was his seventh, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which included what would later become his best-selling single in 1997. In 2021, he recorded a song with Dua Lipa, leading to him becoming the first artist to secure a top 10 single in six different decades.

 On this day in 1990, two thieves posing as policemen stole 13 works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  It is the biggest art heist in history, and remains unsolved. The most valuable missing is Vermeer's The Concert. Three Rembrandt paintings were taken, which included A Lady and a Gentleman in Black. Chez Tortoni by Manet. Landscape with Obelisk  by Govaert Flinck. A French Napoleonic eagle finial.   Additionally, five sketches by Degas were taken. The total haul was estimated to be worth $500 million.

 On this St. Patrick's Day, I thought we'd look at the bigger picture. The Irish American Heritage Center is in Chicago, founded in 1976. Along with New York City and Boston, Chicago was a popular place for immigrants coming in.  Port cities were easier to stick around in, but many traveled West as well, where railroads and mining offered work. The Heritage Center offers a library, museum, art gallery, and archives.  Programming focuses on Irish dance, literature, language, music, and cultural contributions.  There's also a pub. The Fifth Province Pub was built by founding tradesmen - stonemasons, carpenters, woodworkers, tile-masters and pipe-fitters - built from materials from the former Mayfair School. It would be the place to party tonight! Featuring: Sláinte!

 Harriet Tubman Day honors the day of her death, 1913. She was born into slavery as Araminta Ross in 1822, but married a free man, John Tubman, in 1844.  Any children they would have would be enslaved though, and by 1849 she was in the process of being sold, so she decided to escape. She returned from Philadelphia to Maryland to help free her family.  One group at a time, she got them out of the state, guiding others as well.  They called her Moses. After the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, she had to travel farther north into Canada. In 1858, she met John Brown and helped him plan and recruit supporters for the raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859. During the Civil War, she was a cook and a nurse before becoming an armed scout and spy.  She guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated 700 enslaved people.  She is thus credited as the first woman to lead an armed military operation in the United States. After the war, she helped establish an elderly home for Af...