Spy Cats, Einstein’s Relativity & a Diva’s Flower Power – Have YOU Heard?
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Have YOU heard about the day the CIA spent $20 MILLION dollars trying to train CATS as spies?! …STAY TUNED!
On March 20, 1967, the CIA officially abandoned “Operation Acoustic Kitty,” one of the strangest Cold War spy programs ever conceived! For five years, the agency had been trying to turn ordinary house cats into four-legged spies by surgically implanting microphones in their ear canals, radio transmitters in their skulls, and antenna wires along their tails! The idea was to release these feline James Bonds near Soviet embassies, where they would casually wander around and eavesdrop on secret conversations. After spending over $20 MILLION (that’s about $172 million in today’s money), the project’s first field test was a CAT-astrophic failure when their inaugural spy cat was immediately hit by a taxi after being released near the Soviet embassy in Washington D.C.! The declassified CIA memo dryly concluded: “The program was not successful.” I guess you could say the operation didn’t have nine lives after all!
[SOURCE: theatlantic.com and nsarchive2.gwu.edu]
Today we’re celebrating National Proposal Day! That’s right – it’s a day dedicated to popping the big question, strategically positioned on the Spring Equinox when day and night are of equal length, symbolizing the equal partnership that makes successful relationships work! The tradition was started by John Michael O’Loughlin after his cousin waited years for a proposal that never came. Fun fact: About 40% of all marriage proposals happen between November and February, with Christmas Eve being the most popular day to get down on one knee! And here’s a quirky statistic – 20% of women are secretly disappointed with HOW they were proposed to! So fellas, maybe skip the jumbotron at the baseball game unless you’re REALLY sure that’s her style! Remember, the goal is to hear “I do,” not “I don’t think so!”
[SOURCE: nationaldaycalendar.com]
On this day in 1916, Albert Einstein published his groundbreaking General Theory of Relativity! This revolutionary paper explained that what we perceive as gravity is actually the warping of space and time by massive objects – kind of like how a bowling ball would bend a trampoline if you placed it in the center! The theory was so ahead of its time that when it was confirmed by observations during a solar eclipse in 1919, The New York Times ran the headline: “Lights All Askew in the Heavens; Einstein Theory Triumphs.” Despite being one of history’s greatest geniuses, Einstein failed his university entrance exams on his first attempt and struggled to find an academic job after graduation. So the next time you mess up, just remember – even Einstein had his off days! That’s relatively comforting, isn’t it?
[SOURCE: onthisday.com]
Today I found out that “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” one of Broadway’s most famous songs from the musical “Gypsy,” was originally written as “Everything’s Coming Up DAISIES”! Composer Stephen Sondheim and playwright Arthur Laurents wrote the song for Ethel Merman, who was set to play Mama Rose in the original 1959 production. But when Merman first saw the lyrics, she reportedly said, “What am I? A florist?” and demanded the change to “roses” because it was easier to belt out dramatically! The song became Merman’s signature number and has since been covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bette Midler. So the next time you hear this iconic tune, remember that we were just a few stubborn diva moments away from everything coming up completely different flowers! I guess when Ethel Merman makes a suggestion, you’d better “rose” to the occasion!
[SOURCE: todayifoundout.com]
Watch, Learn and Enjoy!
Troy W. Hudson
💚🎤 #haveyouheard