Despite the rain of Tuesday, the drought continues. While some areas, specifically Clark, Oldham and extreme northeast Jefferson (KY) counties got in excess of an inch in many cases, other areas got but a pittance. We tried the Dinka tribesman, now how about some Yankee ingenuity. In 1895, some boys with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Ry. Co. used the above gizmo mounted on a railcar to spew all sorts of stuff in the air. A Mr. Jewell was the inventor of the gadget that released three secret gases…gases said to be similar to the mysterious gases of the Arabian Nights…whatever that is. It is said that it worked…but I suppose if it did then we’d know more about it. And who knows what they were spewing into the atmosphere. Perhaps these are the dastardly fellows who began global warming! For more, check here:
We do need more rain and there is a shot on Saturday. I told you about the potential for an MCS moving down. The boys at the Severe Storms lab see the same thing and put us on the extreme eastern flank of a slight risk for severe thunderstorms Friday morning to Saturday morning. If the data is correct, it would appear a fair bet that they get some big storms to our northwest and as the complex moves into the Ohio Valley, the energy will be dispersed such that it doesn’t have as much oomph to produce big storms but would bring a chance for rain. However, it needs to be monitored because a good MCS can last a long time. Maybe if we conjure the ghosts of the old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific it will do some good.
Presidential Nuptial Date in History On this date in 1810, 26-year-old Zachary Taylor married 31-year-old Margaret Smith right here in Louisville! He became famous in the Mexican War as a big shot general and was then elected President in in 1848. But his term only lasted from 1849 to 1850 as he died of acute gastroenteritis. It is said he ate too many sweet potatoes and he was buried in Louisville. You can visit him on Brownsboro Road. His wife hated public life and insisted that their daughter perform all of the customary First Lady duties at the White House. 130 years later, Richard Nixon married Pat Ryan. While they weren’t in Louisville, perhaps we should look to see if there were any weddings today to see if we see a future first couple. Another coincidence of sorts… One of Taylor’s daughters married Confederate President Jefferson Davis. One of Nixon’s daughters married former President Dwight Eisenhower’s grandson. Perhaps June 20th presidential nuptials is a disease passed on to future generations.
One more thing…Sammy Sosa hit his 600th homerun tonight. I wonder if he is still crediting Flintstone Vitamins for his homerun prowess.
