On This Day in History...

...the year, 1917. The United States had about as big of an acquisition as the Cats will have later this evening. March 31, 1917 the US purchased (their portion) of the Virgin Islands from Denmark. With fear that the Germans (who bombed Pearl Harbor), would use the Islands as a submarine base, the United States started wooing Denmark to sell them their Islands. With Denmark between a rock and a hard place, they were more-or-less obligated to sell them with fear the US would seize them in the event Germany invaded Denmark. With a check written out to Denmark, the US purchased the [US] Virgin Islands for a cool $25 Million. First question to ask yourself, "If it weren't for inflation, would I rather have Coach Cal, or the US Virgin Islands?" both being around the same price. Next question you should ask, "RonnieB, how did the Islands get their name?" Well children, Christopher Columbus named them, Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes, after St. Ursula and her 11,000 virgins...11,000 VIRGINS?!?!? Niiiiiiiiiiice. I was lucky enough to sail both the US and the British Virgin Islands in the summer of '04 and can vouch that there definitely aren't 11,000 virgins walking the shores of the beach on any island.

Birthday's today - pretty much the only one of importance - Christopher Walken, 66, a great actor featured playing great roles in great movies such as : Wedding Crashers, Man on Fire, Joe Dirt, Pulp Fiction, Wayne's World 2, Batman Returns, and countless episodes of Saturday Night Live craving more Cal-Bell.