Category: Omnibit

The French Blue was the prized possession of King Louis XIV. It was a diamond specially cut to produce an image of a sun when mounted on a gold background. Louie was the Sun King after all. It was stolen in the French Revolution, recut and found its way to England where it resurfaced in 1812.

Eventually it was purchased by Thomas Hope, a rich British/Dutch banker better known for writing the 19th century bestseller Anastasius. Hope willed it to his grandson Henry Francis Pelham-Clinton Hope who married May Yohe, an American concert hall singer who ran off on him after his bankruptcy.

Take note Prince Harry.

Hope sold the diamond in 1902 to pay off debts. It was owned by a Turkish diamond collector, and various jewelry merchants including Pierre Cartier who eventually sold it to Washington D.C. socialite Evalyn Walsh McLean, who as “Missus Ned McLean,” is name-checked in Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes”.

She died in 1947 after much tragedy and her trust sold it to jeweler Harry Winston who donated it to the Smithsonian Institution where it is displayed at the National Museum of Natural History.

French Blue William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-10-19

 Robocalls cost Americans at least $3 billion annually in lost time. Hat tip Wall Street Journal.

Robocalls William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-8-19

Some say the German King Tiger tank was the best tank of World War II. On April 21, 1945 it faced off in a one-on-one duel with an American T-26 Super Pershing in Dessau, Germany. Both crews saw each other at about the same time, and in fact, the German fired first.

The American tank responded with a high-explosive shell which hit it doing it little damage. The German tank apparently fired again — the Pershing was rattled by something — again with little effect. The Pershing then took its second shot with an armor piercing round and the Tiger went up in smoke.

So no, Anthony, the German King Tiger was not the top tank in World War II.

Super Pershing William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-7-19

Churchill Trump — On this 75th Anniversary of D-Day, we’d like to point out that Winston Churchill, the man who saved the world in 1940, was half American and half British. His dad was Lord Randolph Churchill, an English aristocrat and his mom was Jennie Jerome Spencer-Churchill, who was born in Brooklyn.

We’d also like to point out that President Donald J. Trump, who is saving the world right now, is also half-Yank/half-Brit. His father Fred was born in the Bronx. His mother Mary Anne, the daughter of a fisherman, was born on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.

It’s a pretty neat connection. Hopefully, pointing this out triggers someone.

By the way, Trump’s uncle John Trump was the brilliant physicist who developed radiation therapy as a cure for cancer and was tasked by the U.S. government to search the papers of the recently departed Nikola Tesla for potential secret weapons.

Stable genius must run in the family.

Churchill Trump William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-6-19

Dodgeball started in Africa. The participants did not use large rubber balls, however, but rocks.

Dodgeball started in Africa William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-5-19

The average weight for women was 128 pounds in 1941. Today, it’s closer to 150.

Average weight for women William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-3-19

June vs September — So June is summer and September is fall? Consider that September has twice as many summer days — the day is longer than night — than June.

June vs September William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 6-1-19

Once upon a time, our authorities knew how to handle public health. Mary Mallon, a.k.a. Typhoid Mary, was quarantined twice including the last 23 years of her life. She died in 1938 at the age of 69. She was reputedly a strong woman who put up a heck of a fight when she was finally arrested by police and health department officials after a long search.

Children, wash you hands before cooking.

Typhoid Mary William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-31-19

The frilled shark is thought to gestate for three and a half years, which would be the longest of any animal.

Frilled Shark William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-29-19

Memorial Day was generally known as Decoration Day until 1967 when the name was legally changed. It did not become a federal holiday until 1971.

Decoration Day William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 5-27-19