Blaine Bull

Some politics, a little public policy and always a dash of sports.

[Blaine Bull @bbull48]

My game of choice as a young teen in Houston. I think my version was called APBA.

[Jim Koenigsberger @Jimfrombaseball]

“Realistic! Scientific!”
The game that “puts you in the manager’s seat,” Strat-O-Matic Baseball was first issued in 1961. Gamers manage their teams using cards that list the actual season statistics of major leaguers from the previous year, & a roll of the dice advances play.
During the`81 MLB strike, sportswriters used Strat-O-Matic to simulate the cancelled games.

[Traces of Texas @TracesofTexas]

The Houston Astrodome opened 59 years ago today, on April 9 1965. It was the world's first multi-purpose domed sports stadium. The Astros played the New York Yankees in an exhibition game. Yankee star Mickey Mantle said, "It reminds me of what I imagine my first ride would be like in a flying saucer." Mantle hit a single and a home run in the game, which went into extra innings, but the Astros won 2-1. So many memories here!

[Baseball’s Greatest Moments @BBGreatMoments]

Nolan Ryan took 31 no-hitters into the 7th inning.

THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND 😳

https://t.co/NaHLRvG6uK

[Amazing Maps @amazingmap]

The entirety of continental South America lies east of Michigan

[Amazing Maps @amazingmap]

The United States and Canada at the same latitudes as Europe

[Blaine Bull @bbull48]

Totally agree!

[trey wingo @wingoz]

Nothing else comes close

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

Lucky people work hard, have high integrity, show up on time, fight against a sense of entitlement, hold doors open, forgive first, anticipate outcomes, give more than they take, have good manners, show high rate of learning, are self-aware, optimistic, kind and are generous.

[Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600]

Yet another way of showing just how big Brazil is! Source: https://t.co/YaeyiLajny

[Jim Koenigsberger @Jimfrombaseball]

“He’s listed as day to day, but then again, aren’t we all?”
Vin Scully

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

1660 map of New Amsterdam (renamed New York City by the British) superimposed over a current Google satellite image of the southern tip of Manhattan. We can see from the image that lower Manhattan was originally much narrower than it is today.

If we focus on just the 1660 map (swipe left), you'll notice the 12-foot wall running along the northern border (located on the right side of the image), which was constructed to keep the indigenous people out. Prior to the wall, the Dutch governor, Williams Kieft, had broken a treaty and had sent his men to massacre an entire tribe. The few that managed to escape alerted the other tribes, which increased hostilities towards the Dutch settlers.

Today there is no wall, but a street that is aptly named Wall Street. Broadway (the widest street) begins on the left at the star-shaped fortification, Fort Amsterdam, and goes beyond the wall. Pearl Street used to be on the island's eastern waterfront and was given its name because its shoreline was rife with oysters. Water Street is an extension of Pearl Street and used to be right by the water.

A century later, near the time of the American Revolution, the city began selling water lots, which were then filled up with landfill to create more usable land. Over the centuries, lower Manhattan morphed from a skinny marsh outcropping into a dense urban city.

[Amazing Maps @amazingmap]

A size comparison between Vatican City and Central Park.

[Pew Research Race and Ethnicity @pewidentity]

Three states saw their Hispanic populations increase by more than 1 million from 2010 to 2021: Texas (2.4 million increase), California (1.7 million) and Florida (1.6 million). https://t.co/wh42Ays0Xv

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

To be remembered, be the best at what you do and put a smile on people’s faces

[Amazing Maps @amazingmap]

Pluto: 1994 vs 2019.

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

This is just a bear... being a good citizen..

[Traces of Texas @TracesofTexas]

One of the best articles about Sam Houston you'll ever read.

https://t.co/vnCUscLo6z

The more I read about him the more amazed I am.
@TexasHighways

[Amazing Maps @amazingmap]

Brazil's northernmost point is closer to every country in the Americas than it is to Brazil's southernmost point

[Bill Gates @BillGates]

To achieve the world’s climate goals, we need all the tools in the tool kit. Direct Air Capture (DAC) is one of those critical tools, making today’s DOE announcement a major milestone. This piece by @AndreasenJack from @Breakthrough is a great explainer on DAC and why we’ll need it alongside the clean energy transition. https://t.co/FBNllVkCgQ

[Scott Braddock @scottbraddock]

On this day in 1950, a little burger joint opened in Corpus Christi, Texas