TODAY: On this day in 1789, George Washington took office as the first elected U.S. president.
What a remarkable day in history April 30 has been.
In 1803, the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. And on this day in 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state.
On this day in 1900, Hawaii was organized as an official U.S. territory, and Casey Jones was killed while trying to save the runaway train “Cannonball Express.”
In 1938, Happy Rabbit appeared in the cartoon “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” This rabbit would later evolve into Bugs Bunny.
In 1952, Mr. Potato Head became the first toy to be advertised on network television.
In 1993, Monica Seles was stabbed in the back during a tennis match in Hamburg, Germany.
In 1998, NATO was expanded to include Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
_____
WORDS: We are revisiting the topic of strange words, in honor of the upcoming performance of Gallagher in Bradford on May 16 as part of the Bradford Creative and Performing Arts Center’s season.
Clip: this can mean to cut something out, or to attach things together
Bat: as a noun, this could be referring to a piece of sports equipment, or the flying mammal; as a verb, it could mean to swat something away or to wink in surprise or emotion
Mouse or mice; house or houses; ox or oxen; fox or foxes; tooth or teeth; foot or feet; boot or boots — there aren’t consistent rules for making words plural.
And words with the same pronunciation and different meanings are sure to puzzle many folks: palate, pallet, palette; colonel and kernel; complement and compliment.
We’re sure to bring readers more on this topic in the near future.
