There are several versions of who thought up National Clown week and who got Congress to pass the Proclamation. Here are the two versions of what happened.
Version I: Frank "Kelly the Clown" Kelly
In 1966 the first International Clown Week chairman, Frank "Kelly the Clown" Kelly, was appointed by Ray Bickford, president of Clown Club of America. In 1967 Clown Club of America members were urged to write to their congressmen and senators requesting a presidential proclamation naming August 1-7 as National Clown Week. In 1969 a resolution was introduced. After clowns met with Senator John McClellan of Arkansas who was chairman of the Senate subcommittee on Observances and Holidays success was finally achieved.
Version II. BILL "BOOM-BOOM" BAILY
Bill was an original member of Clowns of America when it was founded in 1967 and held membership number 81. He was named the U.S. Chairman of National Clown Week. Because each year a chairman had to be chosen in each state to ask their governor to issue a proclamation honoring National Clown Week, Bill pushed for National Clown Week publicity. He convinced Congressman Garmatz of Maryland and Congressman Myers of Indiana to introduce a joint resolution in Congress establishing National Clown Week as an annual event. He lobbied congress and organized a visit by clowns to the senate building in Washington, D.C. The joint resolution was signed into law by President Nixon on August 2, 1971.
For more, see the homepage for International Clown Week.
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
If It's In the News It Can Be On the Blog...
* Gu Gu, a beloved Giant Panda who lives at the Beijing Zoo, just bit his third visitor.
* His most recent victim was 28-year-old Zhang Jiao, who entered the panda pen to try and retrieve his son's toy on January 7th.
* Amazingly, when Gu Gu attacked and sunk his teeth into Zhang's left and right legs, the man did not fight back out of respect for the national treasure.
* Gu Gu first came to fame (or infamy) on September 19, 2006 when he bit an inebriated Chinese man who jumped into his enclosure and tried to hug him.
* Zhang Xinyan, 35, did retaliate by biting the panda on its back. However, he found he fur here was too thick for the bear to take notice.
* A second incident occurred on Tuesday October 23, 2007, when 15 year old Li Xitao jumped the barrier and climbed into the panda exercise area while Gu Gu and another bear were being fed.
* The bear was startled and bit the boy on both legs, ripping chunks from both of them.
* According to medical officials, Li was so viciously attacked that his bones were showing, and chunks of flesh were left behind in the ambulance.
* The attack was reported by witnesses to have lasted 3 to 4 minutes.
Want more on Giant Pandas?
* His most recent victim was 28-year-old Zhang Jiao, who entered the panda pen to try and retrieve his son's toy on January 7th.
* Amazingly, when Gu Gu attacked and sunk his teeth into Zhang's left and right legs, the man did not fight back out of respect for the national treasure.
* Gu Gu first came to fame (or infamy) on September 19, 2006 when he bit an inebriated Chinese man who jumped into his enclosure and tried to hug him. * Zhang Xinyan, 35, did retaliate by biting the panda on its back. However, he found he fur here was too thick for the bear to take notice.
* A second incident occurred on Tuesday October 23, 2007, when 15 year old Li Xitao jumped the barrier and climbed into the panda exercise area while Gu Gu and another bear were being fed.
* The bear was startled and bit the boy on both legs, ripping chunks from both of them.
* According to medical officials, Li was so viciously attacked that his bones were showing, and chunks of flesh were left behind in the ambulance.
* The attack was reported by witnesses to have lasted 3 to 4 minutes.
Want more on Giant Pandas?
Sunday, December 7, 2008
67th Annivesary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
* The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation) was a surprise strike by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
* The attack occurred on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941.
* The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
* In total, four U.S. Navy battleships sank (two of which were raised and returned to service late in the war) and damaged four more. In addition three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer sank or were damaged and 188 aircraft were destroyed. 2,402 persons were killed and 1,282 were wounded.
* Japanese losses included 29 aircraft and five small submarines, with 65 servicemen killed or wounded.
* The strike was intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet thereby protecting Japan's advance into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies.
* Prior to the attack, the U.S. had first halted shipments of airplanes, parts, machine tools, and aviation gasoline then all oil exports to Japan.
* The attack unintentionally occurred before a formal declaration of war which had been scheduled for delivery shortly prior to the attack beginning. While the attack ultimately took place first, Admiral Yamamoto originally stipulated the attack begin thirty minutes after Japan had informed the United States she considered the peace negotiations at an end thus allowing the Japanese to uphold the conventions of war while still holding on to an element of surprise.
* 14 officers and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor. A special military award, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal, was later authorized for all military veterans of the attack.
For more, see Wikipedia.
* The attack occurred on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941.
* The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.
* In total, four U.S. Navy battleships sank (two of which were raised and returned to service late in the war) and damaged four more. In addition three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer sank or were damaged and 188 aircraft were destroyed. 2,402 persons were killed and 1,282 were wounded.
* Japanese losses included 29 aircraft and five small submarines, with 65 servicemen killed or wounded.
* The strike was intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet thereby protecting Japan's advance into Malaya and the Dutch East Indies.
* Prior to the attack, the U.S. had first halted shipments of airplanes, parts, machine tools, and aviation gasoline then all oil exports to Japan.
* The attack unintentionally occurred before a formal declaration of war which had been scheduled for delivery shortly prior to the attack beginning. While the attack ultimately took place first, Admiral Yamamoto originally stipulated the attack begin thirty minutes after Japan had informed the United States she considered the peace negotiations at an end thus allowing the Japanese to uphold the conventions of war while still holding on to an element of surprise.
* 14 officers and sailors were awarded the Medal of Honor. A special military award, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Medal, was later authorized for all military veterans of the attack.
For more, see Wikipedia.
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