2021 Summary -- December 31, 2021

listal.com

2021 has been an interesting year. The pandemic continues with a more virulent strain. Many people have been vaccinated, but not enough. I lost my job and I volunteered to teach my wife's Third Graders about coding.  In 2022 they will pay me to teach Kindergarten though Fourth. 

cnn.com

In early January, our so-called president, who still claimed the election had been stolen from him, incited a mob which attacked the Capital building while Congress was accepting the votes from the Electoral College. Five people died. One seditionist was shot by a Secret Service agent. The Blue Lives Matter folks killed a Capitol police by beating him to death with a fire extinguisher. 

Joe Biden was inaugurated as president, despite the Big Lie from the Republicans. Our former so-called president was impeached for the second time, a new record. 

I talked about the Transcontinental railroad to my wife's third grade class at Good Shepherd School in Pacifica.

I noted that novelists F Scott Fitzgerald, John Dos Passos and AJ Cronin were born on the same day, 125 years ago. George Burns would also have been 125 this year. Dolly Parton turned 75.

Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda died. 

I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the baseball franchise that eventually became the Braves. I noted the 75th anniversary of the execution of Lord Haw Haw. 

I continued my monthly series about the TrumpVirus.

British Army Photo

In February, I wrote about the passing of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

Our former so-called president was again not convicted, despite overwhelming evidence against him. 

I noted the 75th anniversary of the public debut of ENIAC. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the racist beating and mutilation of Army Sergeant Isaac Woodard. 

I wrote about the 50th anniversary of Satchel Paige entering the Baseball Hall of Fame. I noted the beginning of the Year of the Ox. 

Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti died at 101. Boxer Leon Spinks died. Singer Mary Wilson died. Pianist Chick Corea and underground comix artist S Clay Wilson died. Rush Limbaugh died. 

I revived my monthly series of Coca Cola ads. 

San Francisco Wasp, 14-November-1883

In March I mentioned the ugly surge of hatred and violence against Asians and Pacific Islanders. Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. 

I posted a Moxie ad. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the opening of San Francisco's Sutro Baths. I noted the 50th anniversary of the cancellation of the Boeing SST project. I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the first Ali-Frazier fight. 

I noted the 200th birthday of General James Longstreet. I wrote about the 150th birthday of Giants pitcher Iron Man Joe McGinnity. Mad Magazine artist Al Jaffee turned 100. I noted the 100th birthday of musician Astor Piazzolla. Liza Minnelli turned 75. I noted the 75th birthday of Giants great Bobby Bonds. 

I received my first inoculation against the TrumpVirus.

kstp.com

In April, I wrote about the conviction of the policeman who murdered George Floyd. I started a new series of posts about jazz. I attended the tenth annual meeting of the Admiral Callaghan Society. 

I had my second injection of the Pfizer vaccine. One Pfunny side effect. 

I wrote about the 125th birthday of Rogers Hornsby and the 100th birthday of Warren Spahn. I noted the 75th birthdays of Al Green, 

Astronaut Michael Collins, former Vice President Walter Mondale and Prince Philip died. 

Guthrie Daily Leader, 01-June-1921

In May I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which may have been the worst single instance of racial violence in US history. I questioned why I had never heard it mentioned in a US history class. 

On 29-May-2021, an employee took guns and ammunition to the Santa Clara County  VTA's light rail shop and killed nine co-workers. There have been too many shootings. 

I wrote about the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Palo Alto, the first large fight in what became the Mexican-American War. Later I wrote about the anniversary of the US declaring war on Mexico. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversaries of the Plessy v Ferguson decision and the successful flight of Samuel Langley's Aerodrome Number 5. 

I noted the 25th anniversary of the Internet Archive. 

I wrote about what would have been the 150th birthday of pitcher Amos Rusie. I noted what would have been the 100th birthday of Father Daniel Berrigan, SJ. I wrote about the 75th birthdays of Donovan and Cher. 

I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the death of Audie Murphy. 

Singer/songwriter BJ Thomas died, but I did not write about him.

In June, much of California reopened, although the pandemic still lingered. The policeman who murdered George Floyd was convicted and sentenced to 22.5 years. The same week, a 13-story apartment building in Florida collapsed. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the second day of the Tulsa Race Massacre, which may have been the worst single instance of racial violence in US history.

I mentioned the 150th birthday of baseball star Bill Lange, the 125th birthday of aviator Douglas Campbell. 

I noted the 125th anniversary of the Ford Quadricycle. I wrote about the 75th anniversaries of the death of champion boxer Jack Johnson and the second Joe Louis-Billy Conn fight. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the death of flyer Laura Bromwell. 

In July, I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the Muhammad Ali-Jimmy Ellis fight. I also wrote about the 100th anniversary of the heavyweight championship fight between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier. I noted the 150th anniversary of a boiler explosion on a Staten Island ferry and the 125th anniversary of a collision between two trains near Atlantic City.

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the explosion of a US Navy blimp.

I wondered if American military activity in the Afghan War was really coming to an end.

I wrote about the 100th birthdays of John Glenn, Jean Shepherd and Dr Billy Taylor and the 75th birthdays of Cheech Marin and Linda Ronstadt.

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the death of Gertrude Stein and the 50th anniversaries of the deaths of Jim Morrison and Louis Armstrong.

I wrote about the death of Jackie Mason.

In August, I wrote about the 100th anniversaries of the crash of the zeppelin ZR-2 and the destruction of a US Navy dirigible hangar. 

The Delta variant of COVID-19 caused a spike in infections and deaths. Many of the deaths took people who had refused to get vaccinated. 

Huge wildfires continued to burn in California. Hurricane Ida caused widespread destruction in the south and east. 

Our part in the Afghan War ended on 31-August-2021. 

I found an example of Krazy Kat which mentioned Harold Lloyd, so I shared it on my movie blog. 

I noted the 100th anniversary of the first radio broadcast of a baseball game. I wrote about the 100th anniversary of FDR coming down with polio. 

I posted about the 150th birthday of Orville Wright and the 75th birthdays of Larry Graham, 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of Enrico Caruso's death. I noted the 125th anniversary of the death of Otto Lilienthal. 

I wrote about the deaths of Carl Payne, Charlie Watts, Don Everly and JR Richards. 

sfgiants.com

In September, the Giants became the first team to reach 100 wins this season. They went on to clinch a spot in the playoffs. 

We went to St Mary's Cathedral to see an exhibit of reproductions of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel paintings. 

I went to Good Shepherd School in Pacifica and talked to Junior High kids about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. They are participating in a DAR essay contest on the subject.

I voted no on the stupid, useless election to recall Governor Gavin Newsom. The recall failed.

I noted the 20th anniversary of 09/11. 

I wrote about the 125th anniversary of the Great Crash at Crush. 

F Scott Fitzgerald would have been 125 years old. Jon Hendricks would have been 100 years old. 

Filmmaker, author, musician and former cable car gripman Melvin van Peebles died. Dr Lonnie Smith and Commander Cody died. 

Rock Island Argus, 09-October-1871

In October I wrote about the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. 

After finishing with a franchise record 107 wins, the San Francisco Giants lost a closely fought playoff series against the Dodgers. The Atlanta Braves beat the Dodgers and went on to beat the Houston Astros in the World Series. 

One weekend, we had a rainstorm which nearly broke the all-time record. We had a five hour power outage in Pacifica. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Rowan. Among its passengers were Will Marion Cook's Southern Syncopated Orchestra. 

I noted the 75th anniversary of Barney Oldfield's death. 

Colin Powell and Mort Sahl died. 

In November, I wrote about 100th anniversary of the internment of the Unknown Solider in Artlington Cemetary. President Joe Biden signed the infrastructure bill that will do us all a lot of good.

The young kid who killed two people and wounded another at a rally in Kenosha got off scot free. Groups that organized of the 2016 alt-right rally in Charlottesville received big fines. The three white men who chased Ahmaud Arbery down and murdered him were convicted. 

Buster Posey announced his retirement. 

I wrote about the 25th birthday of my website about cable cars. I received my Pfeizer booster shot. 

I wrote about the introduction of the Intel 4004 chip. 

I wrote about what would have been Rodney Dangerfield's 100th birthday and Duane Allman's 75th birthday. 

I wrote about the death of Stephen Sondheim. 

In December the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection subpoenaed the former White House Chief of Staff and made a criminal referral when he refused to testify, even about things he had already spoken about and written a book about. 

On 14-December-2021, Stephen Curry of the Warriors broke the lifetime record for three-point goals. 

I posted a photo of a gas station sign, noting that prices are over $5 per gallon. 

I wrote about the 100th anniversary of the first flight by a helium-filled blimp. I also wrote about the 100th anniversary of the first flight on US soil of the Army airship Roma. I noted the 75th anniversary of the first flight of the Bell X-1. 

I noted Ira Gershwin's 125th birthday. 

I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the deaths of Walter Johnson and Damon Runyon. 

I noted the deaths of Senator Bob Dole, Michael Nesmith, Joan Didion, Desmond Tutu and John Madden. I didn't write about it in this blog, but Betty White died on New Year's Eve, just shy of 100 years old.

At the top of the page is actress Ann Dvorak, who made a big impression in Scarface.