Today in History: June 23, 2020

1868 – Christopher Latham Sholes receives a patent for the “Type-Writer.” Although the idea of a writing machine had been proposed as early as 1714, The Sholes patent was bought and championed by Densmore and Yost, two entrepreneurs who convinced Remington to develop it into a commercial product.

1969 – The modern software industry is created when IBM announced it will market software and services separately from hardware. It may be coincidence, but in January 1969, the US Justice Department filed a landmark suit again IBM, charging it with monopolizing “interstate trade and commerce in general-purpose digital computers.”

1985 – Air India flight 182 is downed by a terrorist bomb off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard.

2013 – Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tightrope. The 20+ minute walk was watched by 23 million in the US and more worldwide.

2016 – The United Kingdom votes 52% to 48% to leave the European Union.

Births:

47 BC Pharaoh Ptolemy XV of Egypt

1894 Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India (Jan 20th, 1936 until his abdication on Dec 11th, 1936), born in Richmond, England

1912 Alan Turing, British mathematician and computer scientist pioneer (Turing Machine), born in London

1929 – June Carter Cash, American singer, songwriter, actress and wife of Johnny Cash (Carter Family and The Carter Sisters)

1948 Clarence Thomas, 108th US Supreme Court Justice (1991- ), born in Savannah, Georgia

1964 Joss Whedon, director, screenwriter and producer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Avengers), born in NYC, New York

1980 – Melissa Rauch, TV actress who plays Bernadette on The Big Bang Theory.

Deaths:

79 Vespasian, Roman Emperor

1916 Victor Chapman, French-American pilot renowned during WW1 (1st American pilot to die in WW1), succumbs to wounds at age 26

1995 – Jonas Salk, American physician and biologist who developed one of the first successful polio vaccinations

1998 Maureen O’Sullivan, Irish actress (Tarzan, Pride & Prejudice, Hannah and Her Sisters), dies at 87

2009 – Ed McMahon, American comedian, actor and announcer on The Tonight Show for 30 years with Johnny Carson

2011 Peter Falk, American actor (Colombo, Scared Straight), dies at 83

2015 Richard “Dick” Van Patten, American actor (Tom Bradford in 8 is Enough), dies at 86

The Funnies:

On the Menu Today – Ground Beef Stroganoff

When I cooked for four hungry kids, one of my objectives was to find a few meals that could be prepared quickly and inexpensively. This was one of their favorites and had the benefit of making tasty leftovers.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb pasta
2-3 large onions
2-3 garlic cloves
1 pt sour cream
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 beef bouillon cubes
crushed red pepper

Start a large pot of water on the boil to cook the pasta. Tradition says to use egg noodles, but my kids preferred elbow macaroni. (This has the added benefit of being the cheapest at 79 cents for a 1 lb box.) As the pasta is cooking, continue with the preparation.

Dice 2-3 large onions into a deep skillet. Wet with olive oil. Add 2-3 minced fresh cloves of garlic (or 2 tbsp from a jar). Sprinkle with crushed red pepper (about 1/2 tbsp). Blend in the two beef bouillon cubes. Saute over medium heat until the onions are transparent. Scoop off into a bowl.

In the same pan, add 2 lbs of ground beef. It doesn’t matter if its 75% or 90% as you’ll cook out all the fat anyway. Brown the beef, stirring and chopping frequently until the beef is finely broken up and no pink is showing. Drain the beef thoroughly.

Add back to the pan the beef and the onion/garlic mixture. Over low heat, stir in a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup. (You can use cream-of-whatever is on hand.) As there isn’t a lot of liquid in the mix, keep the heat low and stir constantly. Stir in a pint of sour cream. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

At this point, if you wish, you can add any leftovers to the mix. We’d stir in peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, or whatever was in the fridge both to use it up and to add color.

Pour the mixture over the drained pasta (or add the pasta to the pan, if you have a big pan) and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately in big heaping bowls.

Quote of the Day

You may talk of the tyranny of Nero and Tiberius; but the real tyranny is the tyranny of your next-door neighbor. – Walter Bagehot (1826-1877)

Comic of the Day

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