The Geekly with a Twist: August 26th – September 1st

Alrighty everyone…I’m going to start this week’s Geekly with a pretty big apology.  I’ve had a lot of problems here in the real world lately, the least of which being the consistently broken technology.  My smartphone, the boyfriend’s laptop, and my PC all decided that they did not want to work any longer and, as such, I am slowly moving to replace said technological items.  Last week I was literally cut off from the world as of Wednesday.  Now, you may ask, “how do you reach us today?”  I am lucky enough to have computer access here at work and just enough downtime to try to get a few articles eked out…most important of which is my dear Geekly.  Again, I apologize to you all for my absence last week and I’ll look to not only make it up to you all but also make sure it does not happen again!  Onward with the history!

August 26th, 1743: Antoine Lavoisier, “the father of modern chemistry,” is born in Paris to a wealthy family.  He was guillotined during the Reign of Terror in 1794.

August 26th, 1873: Dr. Lee DeForest is born in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Besides being responsible for the name of an awesome future “doctor” (not a scientist), was an accomplished engineer and inventor (despite his father’s aspirations for his son to go into the ministry).

August 26th, 1906: Albert Sabin, the American medical researcher best known for his development of the oral polio vaccine, is born in Bialystok, Russia (the city now lies within Poland’s borders).  He immigrated to the US with his parents in 1921 and became a naturalized citizen 9 years later.

August 26th, 1978: Sigmund Jahn blasts off aboard the Russian Soyuz 31 to become the first German in space.

August 26th, 1998: The US government announces intent to investigate Microsoft for the possibility of corporate “bullying” of Intel.  (Microsoft?!  Neeeevvver. >.>)

August 27th, 1962: Mariner 2 is launched by the US.  When it flew past Venus in December, it became the first space probe to reach the vicinity of another planet.

August 27th, 1984: Ronald Reagan makes the announcement that the first citizen in space would be a teacher.  Christina McAuliffe was later chosen to fill this position.  She would die in the Challenger tragedy in 1986.

August 27th, 1953: Okay, before I start on this one…anyone who argues that this is not geeky enough for the Geekly ought to be beaten vigorously over the head with a dice bag.  Alex Lifeson, one of the founders of Rush (the creators of the ultimate gaming soundtracks ever), is born in Fernie, British Columbia.  In case you were wondering, that is his stage name and there’s no way I’m going to get his birth name correct even with copy and paste.  Look it up…it’s kind of cool looking.

August 27th, 1999: Crews depart the Russian space station Mir to return to Earth.  This would be the last time the station was manned as Russia had to abandon Mir for financial reasons.

August 28th, 1939: The first successful flight of a jet-propelled airplane takes place.  The plane?  A German Heinkel He 178.

August 29th, 1949: A nuclear device is used at the University of Illinois…this is the first time one is used to treat cancer.

August 30th, 1146: European leaders outlaw the crossbow.  Ask any D&D nerd…we can explain.

August 30th, 1979: Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, is born in London to Mary Wollstonecraft.  Later in life, she would not only give birth to The Modern Prometheus, but also several amazing works shadowed by her promotion of her husband’s work (these did not even get much attention until nearly a century after her death).  Also, if you didn’t realize it…we have Frankenstein in our library.

August 30th, 1983: Guion S. Bluford, Jr. blasts off aboard the space shuttle Challenger for the STS-8 mission.  With this, he is the first Black American to travel in space.

August 31st, 1887: The kinetoscope, used to produce moving pictures, is patented by Thomas Edison.

August 31st, 1946: The Man of Steel returns to the radio after being cancelled earlier in the year.

September 1st, 1979: Pioneer 11 becomes the first spacecraft to visit Saturn.

For a very Halloweeny Twist this week…The Frankenstein.

1/2 oz Green Melon Liqueur (such as Midori)
1/2 oz Blue Curaçao
1/2 oz Peach Schnapps
1/2 oz Jägermeister (or similar black licorice schnapps products)
Splash of Orange Juice

Mix all ingredients together in a shaker with ice.  Fun garnishes include fake body parts or people shaped fruit.

And, with a new segment this week, I’d like to present Annaleigh’s Find of the Week.  Each week I’ll share something fun, something cool, something inherently geeky and wonderful.  This week, I want to share the comedic stylings of some friends of mine…The Damsels of Dorkington.

Check out their Twitter Feed, their Facebook Page, their Youtube Page, or check them out at cons!  They’re hilarious, ridiculously nice, and absolute nerds.

See you all next week…I promise! -AJ