Meme Scholar with Madness (PhD)

[EndtheMadnessNow]

July 1, 1908: SOS was adopted as the international distress signal. In Morse code, SOS, is signified by 3 dots, 3 dashes, then 3 dots (· · · – – – · · ·). SOS was chosen because it could not be misinterpreted as being a message for anything else.



I don't know when/who started it, but when I was in the Navy, "SOS" stood for "Shit On a Shingle", military slang for chipped beef on toast. It sucked, I hated it, we all did. I always opted for peanut butter & jam sandwiches.


July 1, 1914: the ships of the U.S. Navy officially became DRY under General Order No. 99 signed by Secretary of the Nay Josephus Daniels. Most ships spent the previous night having parties and mock funerals. British, French, German, and Dutch sailors rushed to any nearby American ship to help consume the last of the booze.


Grape juice was once the unofficial drink of the Navy


Editorial cartoon that appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune on July 1, 1946. Cartoon by Casey Orr [1890-1967].




PHOTO OF THE DAY: The Ice Cube Mask, used as a hangover cure in America (1947).


You might need one for summer nuclear politics. Originally invented by none other than Max Factor Jr., to cool down hot Hollywood actresses.

For the HOT summer I recommend the dunk & diet regiment...




July 1, 1989: Cher began shooting the video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" on board USS Missouri (BB-63). The Navy's hopes of using it as a recruiting tool were dashed when Cher changed into a revealing leather strap outfit that caused the video to be banned by several TV networks and the Navy admirals decided no more thinly dressed celebrities onboard warships.




Well, with their recruitment quotas at a historical low, maybe they should rethink that idea.


Today is Indiana Jones Day! The Indiana Jones franchise began when George Lucas and Steven Spielberg met to discuss making a movie based on the classic adventure serial DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY. Lucas wanted to make a B movie modeled on those serials and conceived The Adventures of Indiana Smith, featuring a daring archaeologist named after his Alaskan Malamute dog. Spielberg hated the name Indiana Smith. Lucas shelved the Indiana Smith project to focus on creating his own space opera, Star Wars (1977). Lucas and Spielberg ultimately decided to create the original character of Indy.


Don Winslow of the Navy is a 1942 Universal Pictures Serial film based on the comic strip Don Winslow of the Navy by Commander Frank V. Martinek. It was theatrically released in January 1942. IMDB | The 4 hour film is on Youtube.

Don Winslow of the Navy (comic strip) was an American comic strip created by Frank Victor Martinek and was distributed mostly by the Bell Syndicate from 1934 to 1955. The title character was a spy-chasing lieutenant commander in Naval intelligence. The comic strip led to a radio adventure serial that began in 1937, as well as film serials that began in 1942. Original comic book stories also appeared in Fawcett Comics titles starting in 1943. Although created primarily as a Navy recruitment and propaganda tool, the strip received high marks from Coulton Waugh for “excellent suspense, and ingenious, spine-joggling situations.” Ron Goulart credits Don Winslow with "intrigue, spychasing, beautiful women, and villains with names like Dr. Centaur, the Dwarf, and the Scorpion."

Maybe the Navy should resurrect this comic as a recruitment tool!

You can read the Feb 1943 comic issue here

Don Winslow of the Navy (radio program) was an American old-time radio juvenile adventure serial. It was broadcast on the Blue Network from October 19, 1937, until May 26, 1939, and was revived for a second run from October 5, 1942, until January 1, 1943.


July 1, 2007: Smoking in England was banned in all public indoor spaces, including, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs, and most workplaces. The smoking ban had already been introduced in Scotland (March 2006), and Wales and Northern Ireland (April 2007). Naturally, Australia implements a similar ban in 2007.




It's July, but look what Frieja's sis across the pond made me do...


July 1, 1972: The 1st Gay Pride march in England took place in London. The date was chosen as it was the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the Stonewall riots of 1969. The crowd taking part was estimated as 200 people. In 2022, Royal Mail issued stamps in commemoration.
You can view the Royal Mail Pride stamps here.


"Thought the internet needed a better copy of this quote from the 1977 Nixon-Frost interviews. We've kept the video rolling after the quote for you to see the rest of Nixon's argument defending his statement."

Nixon - "When the president does it, that means it is not illegal" (7 min):




Look, this is progress... before, only the directors of the CIA and FBI could sign off on that.


The Nation |  Supreme Court Rules on Presidential Immunity, Requiring a New Hearing to Determine Which Acts of Trump's Were "Official" Acts

This I think will push the DC trial way past the election.


Monday's Joe Boketto Biden on regime vorfreude words...