Archives for July 2025

Have YOU heard that World War 1 started because of a wrong turn, a sandwich, and the worst luck in history?
STAY TUNED!

SEGMENT 1: THE FEATURE OF THE DAY

What if I told you that World War 1 – the war that killed 20 million people – started because an assassin stopped for lunch?

July 28th, 1914, exactly one month after the assassination that triggered WWI. Here’s the insane part: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was supposed to be safe. The first assassination attempt that day failed when a bomb bounced off his car. After that, Ferdinand was taking a different, secret route through Sarajevo.

But his driver got lost and made a wrong turn directly in front of a delicatessen where 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip was eating a sandwich! Princip couldn’t believe his luck – the target he’d failed to kill earlier literally drove right up to him. He stepped out, fired two shots, and accidentally started the deadliest conflict in human history.

So World War 1 happened because a teenager finished his lunch at exactly the wrong moment. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

SEGMENT 2: NATIONAL MILK CHOCOLATE DAY MADNESS

Did you know that chocolate was once so valuable it was used as currency, and milk chocolate was invented by accident?

July 28th is National Milk Chocolate Day! For over 3,000 years, chocolate was only available as a bitter drink. The Aztecs literally used cocoa beans as money – you could buy a turkey for 100 beans!

Milk chocolate was created in 1875 when Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter was trying to make chocolate last longer without spoiling. He accidentally mixed condensed milk into his chocolate formula, creating the creamy, sweet taste we love today. His neighbor Henri Nestlé helped perfect the process – yes, THAT Nestlé!

So every time you bite into a Hershey’s bar, you’re eating a 150-year-old “mistake” that became a billion-dollar industry!

SEGMENT 3: THE EIFFEL TOWER’S SECRET MISSION

What if France’s most famous landmark was actually built as a giant radio antenna and almost got torn down?

July 31st, 1889, the Eiffel Tower was completed for the Paris World’s Fair. It was supposed to be temporary – just a 20-year exhibit that would be demolished in 1909.

The only reason it wasn’t destroyed was because Gustave Eiffel secretly built a radio transmitter on top! When wireless communication became crucial for the military, the tower became too valuable to tear down. During World War 1, it intercepted enemy communications and helped win battles!

So Paris’s romantic symbol of love was actually a giant spy antenna that saved France from being demolished. Not exactly the love story you’d expect!

SEGMENT 4: NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY SURPRISE

Imagine serving cheesecake to Olympic athletes as a performance-enhancing superfood!

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day, and here’s something crazy – cheesecake is over 4,000 years old! Ancient Greeks served it to athletes during the first Olympic Games in 776 BC because they believed it gave them strength and energy.

The original “cheesecake” was actually made from goat cheese, flour, and honey, formed into patties and baked on hot stones. Greek athletes would eat it before competing because they thought it was the ultimate power food. They weren’t entirely wrong – it’s packed with protein and carbs!

So modern bodybuilders and ancient Olympians had the same idea about cheesecake being the perfect workout fuel. Some things never change!

SEGMENT 5: NATIONAL FRIENDSHIP DAY FLIP

What if I told you that Friendship Day was invented by a greeting card company and nobody wanted to celebrate it?

August 1st is National Friendship Day! It was created in 1930 by Hallmark founder Joyce Hall, who thought people needed a special day to buy cards for their friends.

The holiday was such an obvious cash grab that people boycotted it! Americans ignored it completely until the 1990s when social media made friendship celebration trendy again. Now it’s huge in other countries – India alone has over 100 million Friendship Day posts annually!

So a holiday that Americans rejected as too commercial became one of the world’s biggest social media phenomena. That’s friendship for you – it finds a way!

OUTRO: And that’s all for today’s edition of Have YOU heard? PLEASE leave a comment if you learned something absolutely mind-boggling today! 🧐
I’m Troy W. Hudson, the voice over with personality! Until next time, STAY CURIOUS!

SOURCES:
* Historical Records: World War I timeline and Franz Ferdinand assassination (June 28, 1914 – exactly one month before July 28)
* National Day Calendar: National Milk Chocolate Day (July 28), National Cheesecake Day (July 30), National Friendship Day (August 1)
* Paris Historical Archives: Eiffel Tower completion (July 31, 1889)
* Ancient Olympic records and food history sources
* Various historical fact-checking sources for verification

Watch, Learn and Enjoy!

Troy W. Hudson

💚🎤 #haveyouheard

Have YOU heard that Neil Armstrong almost didn’t make it back from the moon because of a broken switch and a felt-tip pen? STAY TUNED!

## SEGMENT 1: THE FEATURE OF THE DAY

What if I told you that humanity’s greatest achievement almost became our greatest disaster because of a tiny broken switch?

July 21st, 1969 – after Neil Armstrong took his famous first steps on the moon, he and Buzz Aldrin discovered their lunar module’s engine switch was broken. They were literally stranded on the moon with no way to fire up their rockets to get home. Mission Control was in panic mode.

Buzz Aldrin saved the entire mission with a felt-tip pen! He jammed the pen into the broken switch mechanism and it worked perfectly. That 39-cent pen prevented the two astronauts from being stuck on the moon forever.

So the most expensive space mission in history was saved by office supplies! Talk about thinking outside the rocket ship!

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## SEGMENT 2: JUNK FOOD JACKPOT

Imagine a day where eating terrible food for you is actually encouraged by the government!

July 21st is National Junk Food Day, and here’s the crazy part – it was actually created by food companies in the 1980s to boost sales during the summer slump. But it backfired spectacularly!

Instead of increasing junk food sales, the day made people more aware of how much processed food they were eating. Health advocates hijacked the day to promote awareness about nutrition, turning it into the opposite of what companies wanted!

So National Junk Food Day actually made people eat LESS junk food. That’s what you call a delicious irony!

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## SEGMENT 3: AMELIA EARHART’S FINAL FLIGHT

What if the world’s most famous missing person actually survived her crash and lived under a different identity?

July 24th, 1897, Amelia Earhart was born. Her mysterious disappearance in 1937 remains unsolved, but recent evidence suggests she didn’t die in the Pacific Ocean as everyone thought.

In 2012, a photo was discovered in the National Archives showing a woman and man on a Japanese dock that forensic experts believe could be Earhart and her navigator. The photo was taken after their supposed death date, suggesting they were captured and held prisoner.

So aviation’s greatest mystery might not be about a crash, but about a rescue that never happened!

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## SEGMENT 4: NATIONAL HAMMOCK DAY MADNESS

Did you know that hammocks were originally military equipment that accidentally created the perfect nap?

July 22nd is National Hammock Day! Hammocks were invented by the Mayans over 1,000 years ago, but they became famous when Christopher Columbus brought them back to Europe as ship equipment.

Sailors slept in hammocks because they prevented you from falling out of bed during storms. But here’s the kicker – hammocks naturally rock with a ship’s motion, which triggers the same brain response as being rocked as a baby, making you fall asleep faster!

So Columbus accidentally imported the ultimate sleep hack while trying to solve a practical problem. No wonder everyone wants a hammock in their backyard!

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## SEGMENT 5: THE SCOPES TRIAL SHOCKER

Picture this: A teacher gets arrested for teaching science, and it launches the trial of the century!

July 21st, 1925, the Scopes “Monkey Trial” ended in Tennessee. John Scopes was prosecuted for teaching evolution in school, which was illegal at the time.

Here’s the twist – Scopes never actually taught evolution! The whole trial was a publicity stunt. Local businessmen convinced Scopes to get arrested to bring attention and money to their small town. He agreed to be the fall guy even though he was just a substitute gym teacher who barely knew the biology curriculum!

So the most famous science vs. religion trial in American history was actually just a marketing scheme that got way out of hand!

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**OUTRO:**

And that’s all for this week’s edition of Have YOU heard? PLEASE leave a comment if you learned something absolutely bananas today! 🧐

I’m Troy W. Hudson, the voice over with personality! Until next time, STAY CURIOUS!

—

## SOURCES:
– NASA Archives: Apollo 11 moon landing details (July 21, 1969)
– National Day Calendar: National Junk Food Day (July 21), National Hammock Day (July 22)
– Historical Records: Amelia Earhart birth (July 24, 1897) and disappearance theories
– Court Records: Scopes Trial conclusion (July 21, 1925)
– Various historical fact-checking sources for verification

Watch, Learn and Enjoy!

Troy W. Hudson

💚🎤 #haveyouheard

Have YOU heard that a 21-year-old outlaw’s death sparked one of America’s greatest legends, but the truth might shock you? STAY TUNED!

SEGMENT 1: THE FEATURE OF THE DAY
What if I told you that Billy the Kid, America’s most famous outlaw, might have faked his own death?
On July 14th, 1881, Sheriff Pat Garrett claimed he shot and killed the notorious Billy the Kid in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The 21-year-old had allegedly killed eight men and terrorized the Southwest. But here’s where it gets wild – the room was pitch black, Garrett couldn’t see who he was shooting, and the body was buried immediately without proper identification.
Multiple witnesses later claimed Billy the Kid survived and lived under a different name for decades. Some historians believe Garrett and Billy staged the whole thing because they were actually friends, and Billy wanted out of his life of crime.
So that legendary gunfight that made Billy the Kid a Wild West icon? It might have been the greatest hoax in American history!

SEGMENT 2: BASTILLE DAY BONKERS
Picture this: A medieval fortress falls to angry French citizens, but they only found seven prisoners inside – and most of them didn’t even want to leave!
July 14th, 1789 – Bastille Day! Hundreds of Parisians stormed the infamous Bastille prison, expecting to free hundreds of political prisoners suffering under the king’s tyranny.
When they broke down the doors, they found exactly seven prisoners: four forgers, two lunatics, and one aristocrat who had been imprisoned at his family’s request. The “lunatics” were actually quite comfortable and didn’t want to leave their cozy cells!
So France’s greatest symbol of revolution was basically an expensive old-folks home with questionable residents!

SEGMENT 3: MAC AND CHEESE MADNESS
What do Thomas Jefferson, a missing cookbook, and your favorite comfort food have in common?
July 14th is National Mac and Cheese Day, but this cheesy celebration has presidential origins! Thomas Jefferson became obsessed with a pasta dish he tried in Paris and brought a pasta machine back to America in 1789.
Jefferson’s enslaved chef, James Hemings, was actually the mastermind behind adapting the recipe. Hemings trained in French cuisine and created what we now know as mac and cheese by combining Jefferson’s pasta obsession with American cheese-making techniques.
So every time you dig into that creamy, cheesy goodness, you’re eating a dish that helped make America… well, America!

SEGMENT 4: SPACE SPECTACULAR
Imagine taking a photo that changes how humanity sees an entire planet forever.
July 14th, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft did something incredible – it took the first close-up photos of Pluto after traveling 3 billion miles over nine years.
Those images revealed Pluto has a giant heart-shaped feature on its surface! Scientists nicknamed it “Tombaugh Regio” after Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered Pluto in 1930. The heart is actually two different colored regions that just happen to look like the perfect Valentine!
Who knew the most distant “planet” in our solar system was literally wearing its heart on its sleeve… or surface!

SEGMENT 5: GERALD FORD’S WILD RIDE
What if the man who became President never wanted to be President, never wanted to be Vice President, and only ran for one office in his entire political career?
July 14th, 1913, Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska. He’s the only person in U.S. history to serve as both President and Vice President without being elected to either position!
Ford only ever ran for one office – House Representative – which he won 13 times! He became Vice President when Spiro Agnew resigned, then became President when Nixon resigned. Talk about being in the right place at the right time… twice!
Gerald Ford: America’s ultimate accidental politician who stumbled his way to the top job!

Watch, Learn and Enjoy!

Troy W. Hudson

💚🎤 #haveyouheard

Have YOU heard that July 11th is the one day a year when grown adults will literally line up around the block to get a free cup of artificially colored ice that makes their tongues turn purple? STAY TUNED!

SEGMENT 1: FEATURE OF THE DAY – The Great Slurpee Phenomenon

Hold onto your brain freeze, folks! July 11th is National 7-Eleven Day, and here’s what makes this absolutely bonkers: Since 2002, 7-Eleven has given away FREE Slurpees on their birthday, and people go COMPLETELY INSANE for it!

We’re talking about a frozen drink that’s basically sugar water, artificial flavoring, and enough food coloring to paint a small house. But every July 11th, millions of adults abandon all dignity and stand in lines longer than Black Friday shoppers – just to get a free cup of liquid that will turn their tongue the color of a cartoon character!

7-Eleven was founded in 1927 as an icehouse storefront in Dallas, Texas, and was originally called “Tote’m Stores” – which sounds like something you’d name a storage unit! Now they’re celebrating their 98th birthday by convincing the entire country that brain freeze is a good thing. The psychology is brilliant: take something that costs 99 cents, make it free for one day, and watch grown humans lose their minds over frozen corn syrup!

Source: 7-Eleven official website, National Today

SEGMENT 2: NATIONAL DAY CELEBRATION – National French Fry Day (July 13th)

July 13th is National French Fry Day! Here’s the kicker: Americans eat more than 4.5 billion pounds of French fries each year – that’s enough fries to build a golden, crispy mountain that would make Mount Rushmore jealous!

But wait, it gets better! French fries aren’t even French! They were actually invented in Belgium, but American soldiers during World War I called them “French fries” because the Belgian army spoke French. So we’ve been calling them by the wrong name for over 100 years! It’s like if we called hamburgers “German patties” because we first had them from a German-speaking chef!

Source: National Day Calendar, Fox News

SEGMENT 3: THIS DAY IN HISTORY – Live Aid: The World’s Biggest Concert (July 13, 1985)

July 13, 1985, was the day Live Aid made history! This massive benefit concert happened simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London AND JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, with an estimated 1.5 billion people watching on TV worldwide.

Here’s what’s absolutely mind-blowing: Live Aid was basically the world’s first global streaming event, except instead of Netflix, it was live satellite feeds! The concert featured everyone from Queen to Madonna to Led Zeppelin, and it raised over $100 million for Ethiopian famine relief. Phil Collins literally performed at BOTH venues by flying on the Concorde jet between London and Philadelphia on the same day. Talk about frequent flyer miles!

Source: OnThisDay.com, Britannica, History.com

SEGMENT 4: QUIRKY FACT – The Pina Colada’s Secret History

July 10th is also National Pina Colada Day! But here’s the twist – nobody can agree on who actually invented this tropical drink. Puerto Rico has THREE different bartenders who all claim to have created it in the 1950s!

The most famous story involves bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero, who supposedly spent three months perfecting the recipe in 1954. That’s dedication! He was basically the Thomas Edison of tropical cocktails, except instead of light bulbs, he was perfecting the perfect blend of coconut, pineapple, and rum!

Source: TodayIFoundOut.com research

SEGMENT 5: DAYS OF THE YEAR SPECIAL – World Population Day (July 11th)

July 11th is World Population Day! This day was established to focus attention on the urgency of population issues. Here’s a mind-boggling fact: the world’s population grows by about 83 million people every year!

To put that in perspective, that’s like adding an entire Germany to Earth every single year! At current growth rates, we’re adding about 227,000 new people to the planet every day. That’s a lot of birthday parties to keep track of!

Source: DaysOfTheYear.com

SEGMENT 6: BONUS HISTORICAL TIDBIT – The Birth of Wyoming (July 10, 1890)

July 10, 1890, was when Wyoming became the 44th state! But here’s what makes Wyoming special – it was the first state to grant women the right to vote, earning it the nickname “The Equality State.”

Wyoming was so progressive about women’s rights that when they applied for statehood, Congress told them they had to take away women’s voting rights to join the Union. Wyoming’s response? “We’ll stay out of the Union for 100 years rather than come in without our women!” Now THAT’S standing up for what’s right!

Source: NationalToday.com and Wyoming State Archives

Watch, Learn and Enjoy!

Troy W. Hudson

💚🎤 #haveyouheard