February 23 2014: The Bible, tootsie rolls, and Aziz Ansari: what more do you need?

February 23: this day in history (from Wikipedia)

1455 – "Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western book printed with movable type." You'd think they'd have chosen something shorter for the first one.

1836 – "The Battle of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas." What was this about? I don't remember it.

1896 – "The Tootsie Roll is invented." To the delight of dentists, who began to get more business.

1903 – "Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States 'in perpetuity.'" I'm sure Cuba regrets that. (As if it had any choice in the matter.)

1927 – "President Calvin Coolidge signs a bill by Congress establishing the Federal Radio Commission (later replaced by the Federal Communications Commission) which was to regulate the use of radio frequencies in the United States." Unneeded from the start, and now a hindrance, the FCC is evidence useless bureaucracies never die.

Notable quotes (from BrainyQuote unless otherwise noted)

 "Money is not an invention of the state. It is not the product of a legislative act. The sanction of political authority is not necessary for its existence." - Carl Menger (February 23, 1840 – February 26, 1921)

"I'm not really good at retiring. I tried that one time and Nancy ran me out of the house." - Tom Osborne, football coach (born February 23, 1937)

And then there's Aziz Ansari (born February 23, 1983):




Song of the Day:

Happy Birthday to Poco's Rusty Young, turning 68 today and wrote this 1979 hit: