The First Circus in America, 1793, Created by John Bill Ricketts

Damn everything but the circus.
~Corita Kent

The first circus in America took place in 1793 in Philadelphia. At the corner of Market and 12th Streets a crowd gathered to see the circus presented by John Bill Ricketts and company. The circus took place in a circular, roofless arena with approximately 800 seats available. The first circus performers in America included equestrians, a rope dancer, and some tumblers.

Ricketts circus was an immediate success and he spent the next 7 years traveling with his circus from South Carolina to Quebec. George Washington visited the circus, probably because he was a distinguished horseman, and the equestrian events comprised a large part of the circus. Or perhaps like all the others flocking to the circus, he simply enjoyed the entertainment.

 Ricketts opened a circus building (Art Pantheon and Amphitheatre) in Philadelphia which was round and had a conical roof. The number and types of acts expanded, juggling and tightrope were added, then clowns and singers. The repertoire of the circus continued to grow, and Ricketts opened another circus in New York and 2 in Canada.

In December of 1799 the Art Pantheon and Amphitheatre in Philadelphia burned down. He attempted move the circus to New York, but that circus building had fallen into disrepair. He tried again in Philadelphia, in a building that had no roof. It was not a success.

Ricketts set sail for the West Indies in 1800. He enjoyed good fortune there and decided to return to England (his home country). His ship was lost at sea.

Note: The circus became a firmly established entertainment in America in 1793 when John Bill RIcketts presented the first one. It quickly became a traveling affair, because cities were few and far between, and none would sustain a  permanent circus. In 1802, the circuses began using large canvas tents to house the circus rings.

Something else I learned: There is a Circus Hall of Fame.

The pattern of a Cat's Nose is Unique

A cat’s nose pad is ridged with a unique pattern, just like the fingerprint of a human.

Source: Juliet Clutton-Brock in the book Cat

Sacha Inchi Oil: Newest Miracle Health Food!

Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L) is an indigenous plant of the Amazon Forest that produces a seed that contains a high level of oil. It has been cultivated by the natives of Peru for centuries. The oil from the seed has very high amino acid composition, a generous  percentage protein, and is easily digestible.

Sacha Inchi oil is cold-pressed from the raw Sacha Inchi seeds.  It is lighter than olive oil and has a nuttier flavor.  It can be used in much the same way as olive oil. Sacha Inchi oil was rewarded a gold medal at the World Edible Oils competition in 2007.



Note: Other than sites that are selling Sacha Inchi oil, there is not a lot of information available on this new miracle health food. I do intend to try it, but I remain skeptical of the health benefit claims.

Something else I learned: There is a World Edible Oils competition.

Major Websites Are Offline Today in Protest of SOPA and PIPA

Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small.
~The White House 

**UPDATE** As of 7 AM both Wikipedia and Reddit seem to be available
**Update 2** 8:30 AM Neither Wikipedia or Reddit is accessible now


The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP ACT (PIPA) are bills currently in Congress intended to stop illegal copying and sharing of movies, music, and other copyrighted material on the Internet. Internet companies say the bills are blatant censorship of the internet and would require ISPs to be responsible for doing the censoring. Minecraft, Mozilla, Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing Boing, WordPress, and others are taking themselves offline on Wednesday, Jan 18 to protest the legislation.

The controversial bills, supported by music and movie companies, are opposed by nearly all major internet companies. Google, while not joining the blackout, has made it's opposition to the bill very clear and will highlight the issue with a link Wednesday on its home page in the U.S. Facebook, Twitter, and other internet heavyweights also oppose the legislation but will not be blacking out for the day.

Some links to sites about SOPA and PIPA (all online today as far as I know):

• What Is SOPA? (Very good article that details what SOPA would actually do to the internet)
• Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA
• Read the SOPA bill 
• Read the PIPA bill
• SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts

Note: I was vaguely aware of SOPA and knew that it was not popular, but I did more research and learned how threatening these bills are to a free and open internet. Please take time today to educate yourself about these bills. The internet as we know it is really what's on the line here.

Most of Your Body Heat is NOT Lost Through Your Head

Headwear: Up to 60 percent of your body's heat can escape from an uncovered head, so wearing a hat, headband or helmet is essential when it's cold. (Tip: If you wear a hat, you may be able to wear one less layer on your body.)
~The Weather Channel

The origin of my, until now unchallenged, belief that one loses most of one's body heat through the top of the head has roots in a US Army survival manual from 1970. The manual highly recommends wearing a hat in the cold because "40 to 45 percent of body heat is lost from the head."  For many years I have worn a hat thinking I am retaining all of my body heat with that simple accessory. I would feel incredibly silly about being duped like this if every one I know didn't believe the same thing!



There was an incorrect conclusion drawn from a military experiment done in the 50s. Volunteers were dressed in arctic survival gear and thrust into bitter cold. They did lose most of their body heat from their heads, but that was because their heads were the only part of their bodies exposed to the cold.

As it turns out, any exposed part of the human body will lose heat in the cold. So by all mean, put a hat on your head when going out in the cold. Just because you don't lose most of your body heat from your head doesn't mean you don't lose any.

Wearing a hat in conjunction with all other winter weather apparel will help retain body heat. Just make sure you have winter weather apparel for all of your body.

Note: Someone needs to tip off the Weather Channel about this.

Something else I learned: Studies by the British Medical Journal are not available online.

Monday Bonus Post! 1911 Predicts 2011!

There will be no C, X, or Q in our every day alphabet... English will be a language of condensed words expressing condensed ideas...
~John Elfreth Watkind, predicting 2011 in 1911

I guess there was no way to foresee how crucial the letter C would be to our condensed language.

He was really not too far off on some of these! Click image to enlarge.

Here is an analysis of 10 predcitions he got right: Ten 100-year predictions that came true.

How Martin Luther King Day Became a National Holiday

The time is always right to do the right thing. 
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

Legislation for a commemorative holiday honoring Reverend Martin Luther King Jr was first introduced by John Conyers (D - Michigan) 4 days after the reverend was assassinated in 1968. A petition with 6 million signatures was submitted to Congress in support of the proposed holiday. The legislation did not pass.

Rep Conyers and Shirley Chisolm (D- NY) continued to submit the legislation every session for years. Public pressure in the early 80s led to the eventual passage of the holiday legislation, signed into law by Reagan in 1983.  In the law, the date of the holiday was changed from January 15th (King's birthday) to the 3rd Monday in January. The holiday was first officially celebrated in 1986.

There was resistance to the holiday, particularly among the southern states. In 1987 the governor of Arizona rescinded the holiday which led to a boycott of the state, which was eventually successful - in 1992 Arizonans voted to enact the holiday. In 2000 Utah was the last state to recognize the Holiday by the name "Martin Luther King Day" and South Carolina was the final state to make it a paid holiday for state employees.

Stealth Advertising, Are You Watching the News Or An Advertisement?

The failure to disclose the relationship between the marketer and the consumer would be deceptive unless the relationship were otherwise clear from the context.
~Federal Trade Commission

A recent study shows that 90% of news shows contain stealth advertising. Stealth advertising - product placement,  "experts" giving positive reviews of products without disclosing that they are paid by the company that makes the product, commercially influenced content - basically commercials that are not presented to the viewer as advertising.

Article summarizing the study. 

Something else I learned:  Have you ever seen this video on YouTube?

Paid for by Levi Strauss, for a fraction of what they would have paid for a television commercial.