Day Tripping: April 20

A day for firsts

Long Slow Track

The world’s first motor race was held in1887 from Paris Marseilles and was completed in 1 hour and 14 minutes over the twenty-kilometre course. Organized by the French newspaper, Le velocipede was won by Georges Bouton and his partner, Count de Dion rode their La Marquise, a steam-engined quadricycle.

Bouton won the race handily, but he was also last to finish as he was the only competitor. The machine named for the Count’s mother was run in the event as a test of its capabilities.

Speedy Lady

At the Japanese Indycar race in 2008, Danica Patrick became the first woman to win an Indy race. With three laps remaining the veteran driver moved her Andretti-Green car to the front of the pack and took the checkered flag. The victory represented the first time a female driver had won a high-level sanctioned open-wheel racing event.

Danica’s previous best was sixth at the beginning of the same season. She went on to score enough points to finish the season sixth overall, the highest-ranking for any American during the 2008 season.

Coining A Radical Phrase

Ok, dude! It’s 1971 and these five guys from San Raphael High School in Cali, man. They want to smoke up after school, you know, share some ganja man, but class doesn’t let until 4:20.

Far out!

So like, don’t believe the stoners that tell you ‘marijuana culture’ comes from a song like Dylan’s Rainy Day Woman #12 and #35 just because when multiplied, that equals 420.

Heavy!

Musical Milestones

A close friend of the members of Monty Python’s Flying Circus joins the troupe on stage in New York for their skit about Canadian Mounties called The Lumberjack Song in 1976. George Harrison dresses as a mountie and unannounced, he joins the chorus. Hardly anyone recognizes the former Beatle.

Harry Nilsson tries the same stunt the next night, but he’s so inebriated, he falls off stage and breaks his arm. Check it out. It’s a classic bit.

Narratives

Doctor Simon Forman writes in his diary that he has attended a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at the Globe Theatre of London in…1611.

It is the first known performance of Bard’s play.

Remembrance

Another British funnyman who kept fans laughing for many years Benny Hill died in 1992.

Wrongly accused of mass murder and former champion boxer, ‘Hurricane’ Rubin Carter passed away in 2014. Another Dylan song documents his story.

Notable Births

1937 — After playing Mr. Sulu on Star Trek for many years, George Takei has been a vocal proponent for LGBT rights.

K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan ScienceDuuude Marcus Liam Ireland Claire Kelly Noorain Hassan, BMS Amy Pierovich David Acaster Nora

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