I liked the world better when the news came on for 30 minutes and then we did other shit for 23 1/2 hours. Now the news follows you around all day like a hobo begging for change.
The biggest German defeat in Normandy was the Falaise Pocket.
The actual closing of the Pocket was largely done by the Poles and Canadians, who had also done a lot of the hard attritional fighting around Caen, alongside the Brits.
I like it when these "minor" nations pull off decisive victories that decide the fate of a campaign.
And this wasn't the only example.
Poles and Canadians were top-class soldiers in WW2. Fought well in Holland, in Italy, in France and in many other campaigns.
Does anyone remember this amazing story? On July 2, 1982, a truck driver from California flew 16,000 feet into the sky in a lawn chair. Larry Walters, 33, from San Pedro, had dreamed of flying his whole life. He bought 42 eight-foot helium weather balloons, tied them to a regular Sears lawn chair, strapped on a parachute, packed a BB gun to pop balloons to descend, a CB radio, sandwiches, and a six-pack of beer.
He expected to float a few hundred feet above his backyard. He cut the rope and shot up like a rocket — to 16,000 feet. He drifted directly into the main approach path for LAX. Two airline pilots radioed the tower: they had just passed a man in a lawn chair holding a gun at 16,000 feet. For 45 minutes, he floated over Los Angeles, freezing cold, too scared to shoot balloons because he might fall. Finally, he started popping balloons one by one and slowly descended.
He landed tangled in power lines in Long Beach, California, causing a blackout. When police arrested him, they asked why he did it. He said, "A man can't just sit around." The FAA fined him $4,000. He became a national folk hero — Lawnchair Larry — and inspired the movie Up.
“A dollar ninety-nine? I believe I have the ninety-nine secured safely inside this tiny rubber purse if you can just give me seven minutes to count it out.”
- Me, 1979
Just as Timmy’s boat began to move, the carnie looked into his eyes solemnly with a mixture of sorrow and regret and whispered gently “We call this one the Little Edmund Fitzgerald. I’ll tell your mother you loved her.”
The Miami Marlins had “Bring Your Pup to the Park” day and one dog got caught on TV casually enjoying a hot dog, while the dog behind him stared like he was witnessing the greatest injustice of his life