Did You Know?…Noir Edition

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Susannah Bianchi

During the editing of Ken Burns’s epic film, The Civil War, when they came to the part where Abraham Lincoln gets shot at Ford’s Theater, he and his colleagues sat there, not wanting to lay the track for the sound of Booth’s bullet, so they could keep Abe alive, a little while longer.

Elephants make friends, bury their dead, and travel for funerals. 

Beatle, George Harrison’s last words were,

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

OJ Simpson, whenever he earns money, insists on being paid in cash, so he doesn’t have to pay the $58 million in damages awarded to the victim’s families who won a civil suit against him for the murders, of Nicole and Ron. 

Beneath Manhattan’s Washington Square Park built in 1871 over the city’s Potter’s Field, 20,000 bodies are buried, mostly dead from the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1795. For ID purposes, they’d  wrap you in a yellow blanket, so still on occasion, a Con Edison worker will find a shred of yellow, peeking from down below.  

When the late comedian, David Brenner, at the height of his fame ate at a restaurant, he’d often order a Chef’s Salad, because being besieged by autograph seekers, his food would get cold.

Anything left in remembrance at the Vietnam Wall, in Washington D.C., gets collected and archived, be it a Flag, Teddy bear or note from the grandchild he never knew.  

 Unknown-1.jpeg Bruce Springsteen’s signature song, Born in the U.S.A., was about his anger towards the ill way we, at the time, were treating Vietnam Veterans.

Writers, W. H. Auden (66), Brendan Behan, age (41), Truman Capote (59), Raymond Chandler (70), F. Scott Fitzgerald (44), Patricia Highsmith (74), Jack Kerouac (47), Sinclair Lewis (65), Carson McCullers (50), O’Henry (47), Dorothy Parker (73), Edger Allan Poe (40), Dylan Thomas (39) and  James Thurber (66), all died from the effects of alcoholism.  Unknown.jpeg

During William Tecumseh Sherman’s famous March to the Sea, his men mangled all the railroad tracks, coined Sherman’s neckties, so the starving south couldn’t get their food. 

William Howard Taft, 5’11, at 350 pounds, Grover Cleveland, also 5’11 weighing 275 pounds, and Donald Trump, 6’3 at 243 pounds, are listed as the three fattest U.S. Presidents to date, the weight of one and two, contributing to their demise.

In 1961, when the U.S. had a new glamorous First Lady, Gucci named a handbag after her called, The Jackie, becoming an instant bestseller, tripling in worth, after her death.   unknown-7

 The late, great Carrie Fisher, often worked as a script doctor on other writer’s screenplays, including Steven Spielberg’s Hook, and Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg.

Some still think, Walt Disney, who in 1966, at 65, died of lung cancer, was freeze dried in liquid nitrogen to be preserved till they found a cure, though there is no documentary evidence to be true. What is well documented, is what a first class prick the father of Donald, Goofy, Micky and Minnie was. 

What Joe Biden, Carol Burnett, Vanessa Bryant, Johnny Carson, Eric Clapton, Judy Collins, Jerry Lewis, Abraham Lincoln, Loretta Lynn, Mary Tyler Moore, Paul Newman, Sylvester Stallone, Mike Tyson and Gloria Vanderbilt have in common is, they all suffered the loss of children. 

John F. Kennedy was the only U.S. President to receive a Purple Heart.  

In 1948, when Babe Ruth died of cancer at 53, his two day wake was held at Yankee Stadium, where 100,000 fans came to pay their last respects to the Bambino, resting nobly, in his pinstripes.

This may be my favorite.

In 1963, 34 year-old, Jacqueline Kennedy, after replicating Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 funeral to honor her late husband, made the decision to walk behind his casket from the U.S. Capitol where he lain in state, to Saint Matthews Church where his funeral mass would be held.

The Secret Service, after just losing their Commander-in-Chief, on their watch, asked her not to, worried for the distinguished group of dignitaries who came to pay their respects, since they still had no idea, who had killed our President.

Mrs. Kennedy kindly but firmly said, “They can do whatever they want, but I’m walking behind my husband.”

When the likes of now President, Lyndon Johnson and French President, Charles de Gaulle, among others, were asked to ride in cars, collectively said…

if she walks, we walk…and they did, and a stirring sight it was.   images-3.jpeg  Unknown.jpeg

SB

About Susannah Bianchi

I'm just a girl who likes to write slightly on slant. I've had a career in fashion, dabbled in film and to be honest, I don't like talking about myself. Now my posts are another matter so I will let them speak for themselves. My eBooks, A New York Diary, Model Behavior: Friends For Life and Notes From A Working Cat can be found on Amazon.com. Thanks.
This entry was posted in alcohol, animals, Culture, Family, History, humanity, humor, inspiration, New York City, Politics, violence, war, words, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

52 Responses to Did You Know?…Noir Edition

  1. skinnyuz2b says:
    September 27, 2020 at 6:48 am

    Jackie was an amazing first lady in more ways than one … or two or three. As for the A-holes that agree to pay OJ in cash, knowing the reason for the request, I have no words, only disgust.
    Another enjoyable post, Susannah, as always.

    Like

    Reply
    • Susannah Bianchi says:
      September 27, 2020 at 6:55 am

      It’s funny when you read, what stays with you, what sticks to your bones if you will. They pile up like a plump, historical annuity. I’m always touched that you still read me Skinny, after all this time. 🙂

      Like

      Reply
  2. Anne Mehrling says:
    September 27, 2020 at 7:11 am

    I always enjoy your stunning lists.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Kate Howell says:
    September 27, 2020 at 7:28 am

    Really amazing info, very interesting.

    ~Hal Rubenstein from my iPhone

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Dale says:
    September 27, 2020 at 8:21 am

    You know I love these historical tidbits of information. I was sure Trump weighed more than that… mind you, he’s still working on it. 😏
    So many good pieces, I can’t choose my favourite. But I’ll say, keep ’em coming!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Sorryless says:
    September 27, 2020 at 8:45 am

    It took Ken Burns five years to produce his epic doc on the Civil War, which was longer than the actual war. The historian Shelby Foote wrote to Burns during this time and reminded him that “God is the greatest dramatist”. Burn cleaned up various parts of the doc after this, allowing for history to use its own voice.

    As per Trump, so what you’re saying is that when he calls himself “Huge” he means it literally . . .

    I didn’t know that about the Vietnam Wall.

    And “if she walks, we walk . .”. is a lesson we might have been wise to learn from.

    Like

    Reply
  6. kingmidget says:
    September 27, 2020 at 9:31 am

    It kind of says something about the men who have risen to the Presidency that only one of them ever received a Purple Heart.

    If Donald Trump only weighs 243 pounds, I’m a 110 pound ballerina.

    I’ve always loved the hypocrisy of Republicans trying to hijack Born in the USA for their campaigns. Or is it just ignorance that they don’t know what the song is about.

    And finally, what a shame that they bulldozed over their Potter’s Field.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. John W. Howell says:
    September 27, 2020 at 2:18 pm

    A super post, Susannah. I still tear up remembering the sight of Jackie, Robert, and Teddy all walking behind the cortege. It was an unbelievable scene broadcast live. I don’t think there was anyone watching who didn’t need a pound of tissue. I know I did.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. David Stewart says:
    October 4, 2020 at 8:56 pm

    I always love your history and trivia pieces. Can you imagine how unsettling it must be to be construction or utility worker and come across a piece of cloth from a centuries old disease victim? They must have stories.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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