Just when you thought it was safe to distrust all politicians.

It seems a New Jersey man wanted to open a convenience store, and tried to bribe Hanover Mayor Ronald Francioli with $20,000. Mr. Francioli not only wouldn't have it, he turned Michael Sesera in, and Sesera is facing a year in jail for 3rd degree bribery.


Today is:

Bartholomew Fair, UK

Coast to Coast Young Reunion, Lincolnville, Maine

Hot and Spicy Food Festival, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Independence Day, Ukraine

Knife Day

Mania Begins (Really? I thought it had been around forever, especially from watching the behavior of politicians all my life.)

National Peach Pie Day

National Waffle Day

Schaferlauf, Germany (Festival to honor St. Bartholomew, Patron of Herdsmen)

St. Bartholomew's Day

St. Owen of Rouen's Day (Patron Saint of Innkeepers, and against Deafness)

Vesuvius Day


Birthday's Today:

Rupert Grint, 1988
Marlee Matlin, 1965
Cal Ripken, Jr., 1962
Steve Guttenberg, 1958
Yasser Arafat, 1929
Duke Kahanamoku, 1890
Daniel Gooch, 1816
William Wilberforce, 1759


Today in History:

The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius buries Pompeii and Herculaneum, 15,000 die, 79
King John of England, a/k/a Humpty Dumpty for having to issue the first Magna Carta, marries Isabella of Angoileme, 1200
The first English convoy lands at Surat, India, 1608
The Panic of 1857 begins, touching off one of the most severe economic crises in US history (Which just goes to show you, the more things change, the more they stay the same), 1857
Cornelius Swarthout patents the waffle iron, 1869
Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera, 1891
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly non-stop across the continent, 1932