Life is a Beach!
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History January 30- February 5.
Happy Monday from the beaches of my secluded island! I appreciate your support of Okay History, especially when I am away.
So I wrote this Maundy Monday Newsletter before I left with Anonymous on our honeymoon, but I can only imagine the first couple of days were fantastic. Most likely, I spent numerous hours in the water and took many long walks along the beach. Pool time has been a regular activity, and I still have another weekend of this stuff.
This is the sunrise from an earlier trip, and I’m probably reading this newsletter while another sunrise is happening in real-time.
Life is good.
Do you know who else has a good life? Alice Cooper.
I know he was the first person you thought of.
Alice Cooper was born Vincent Damon Furnier on February 4, 1948, which, if I did the math correctly, means the Godfather of Shock Rock turns 75. I believe he’s always looked 75 with his jet-black hair, and his jet-black eyeliner, and his jet-black outfits. The only time this guy added color was when he had some blood to throw around.
Alice was born to parents who were leaders in the Church of Ladder-Day Saints, which influenced his debut album Welcome to my Nightmare, which I have never listened to. In fact, I can’t name one Alice Cooper song.
I’m sure he’s a good guy, though.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. Here's what I got:
Explorer 1 was launched on January 31, 1958. The United States’ first satellite was blasted into space a year after the Soviet Union launched two of their own, setting the stage for the Space Race. It was the first spacecraft to detect a thing called the Van Allen radian belt, which I guess is important, and remained in orbit until 1970.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848. The peace agreement between the United States and Mexico ended the Mexican-American War, which I wrote about almost two years ago. My goodness, OKH is turning two soon!
The Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1913. The amendment allowed the federal government to tax citizens’ income, which replaced the idea that tariffs and a 30% sales tax are sound economic policies.
I plan on reading a bunch of books while I’m on my honeymoon. I’m taking a book on Andrew Johnson and the 1824 presidential election. I’m getting in some fiction, which means I’ll read a biography on Newt Gingrich (kidding- I’ll never read anything on Newt). I am finally reading this book, penned by a subscriber I wrote about here.
I hope you stay warm and get some sun for long periods. I’ll be back the following Monday, my final day away.
Have a great week, everyone!
Okay,
Chris
I have a good Alice Cooper story.
Ima fan of his work and have been for over 50 years. I knew his real name and the fact that Vince is an avid golfer in his spare time, as I am.
Anyway I was in Chicago for Company meetings a few years ago and our office was on Michigan Avenue in the Loop. A bunch of us decided to go to Shaw’s Crab House for dinner one night. I’m sitting at the end of the table facing, say, west. Next to us was another table with an end chair facing East, right next to mine. In walks a group of people and I immediately recognize Alice/Vince without his makeup on. As he’s walking by I say “Hi Vince, how’s your golf game?” He brightens up and responds and asks me if I’m a fan, and I quote back to him a couple of lyrics and some of my favorites of his songs.
He motions to his group to sit down at the table next to ours and he takes the East facing chair next to mine! We have a fantastic conversation during dinner while all my work friends are either impressed or jealous, I don’t know what. During it I mentioned that I was very happy that he didn’t have his head cut off in the show Guillotine when I saw him in Cincinnati in 1970. Vince got a hearty laugh out of that, and he remembered that show at Crosley Field. I only asked for his autograph on a napkin which he graciously provided. When we broke up we shook hands. A really great guy.
I will confirm that Alice Cooper is one of the greats who still puts on a fantastic show. If you love Rock, he is an icon! Thanks!
And have a great Honeymoon you Lovebirds!! 👍