Jessie Owens Tidbits from Wikipedia

A few things that caught my attention from his Wikipedia page.

  • His middle name is Cleveland.
  • His name wasn’t Jessie, but James and he went by J.C.  Eventually J.C. turned to Jessie.
  • Owens said, “Hitler didn’t snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.” On the other hand, Hitler sent Owens a commemorative inscribed cabinet photograph of himself.  Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor were honors bestowed upon him by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) or his successor Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower honored Owens by naming him an “Ambassador of Sports.”
  • After a New York City ticker-tape parade of Fifth Avenue in his honor, Owens had to ride the freight elevator at the Waldorf-Astoria to reach the reception honoring him.
Posted in Interesting, Pop Culture, Sports | 2 Comments

Skydiving Gone Bad – Grandma Falls Out of Tandem Harness

Just skip forward to the 2:20 mark unless you want the backstory and buildup . . .

Luckily this tandem instructor’s negligence ends without casualty. This 80 year-old grandma does a tandem skydive for her birthday and nearly falls out of the harness because it’s not properly adjusted prior to exit. 

Posted in Interesting | 1 Comment

Bag of Randomness

Posted in Personal | 1 Comment

Police Chief sends 10 officers to search for son’s missing iPhone

Denying that his son received preferential treatment, the Berkeley police chief Wednesday defended using 10 officers to knock on doors in search of the teen’s stolen cellphone.

Chief Michael Meehan distanced himself from the decision to use 10 officers, including four — three police detectives and a sergeant — who each logged two hours of overtime during the search in January that took them into Oakland. He said field supervisors decide how many officers to deploy based on how busy police are and available staff.

Full Article

Posted in Interesting | Comments Off on Police Chief sends 10 officers to search for son’s missing iPhone