Features

DID YOU KNOW …? Who really said it?

By
●
Features
●
October 15, 2026

Okay, that’s enough celebrating for now. We’ve got my birthday out of the way, and we have the column’s birthday out of the way.  Halloween is coming up, but I’m still too exhausted from the previous celebrations to deal with it just yet. So let’s get into this week’s trivia - and it’s going to be a somewhat different kind of trivia.  This week, we’re looking at famous quotes attributed to famous people who actually didn’t say them. Get ready to have your mind dazzled, folks.

Latest in Features
This Week in American History: 1940 – Benjamin Davis Promoted to Brigadier General
By
●
Features
●
October 15, 2026

This week in 1940, US Army veteran Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. becomes the first black person to achieve the rank of Brigadier General in the US Army.

Andy’s Astronomy: Meteor Shower Peaks Next Week
By
●
Features
●
October 15, 2026

Put the phones down and go outside. The ongoing Orionids Meteor Shower is projected to reach peak activity during the overnight hours of Tuesday, Oct. 21 to Wednesday, Oct. 22.

DID YOU KNOW …? Ten Years of Trivia!
By
●
Features
●
October 8, 2026

I’ve told this before, but it’s definitely worth retelling now. In October of 2016, I had a problem - I was laying out the newspaper and had a pretty good-sized “hole” on one page, blank space with nothing in the folder with which to fill it. Remembering my days as a teacher, I recalled the trivia bits I used to post on the classroom bulletin board and thought, “Why not stick some of those in that hole on page six?” or whatever page it was. The reaction from the readers was immediate and positive, so I made it a column the following week. That was ten years ago.  This week, my little emergency solution turns ten years old, and I am amazed and gratified that it’s lasted so long, and is so popular with you, the readers. Thank you for the last decade of enjoyment that we have both derived from all of this. Let’s get to the tenth anniversary of trivia right now!

This Week in American History: 1910 – Airship America is Launched to Cross Atlantic
By
●
Features
●
October 8, 2026

Engines disabled, the crew of the non-rigid airship America abandon it near Bermuda to be rescued by the SS Trent. The hydrogen-filled balloon then drifted southward, out of sight, and was never seen again bringing an end to the first attempt at powered flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Andy’s Astronomy: Mystery Surrounds Old Spy Satellite
By
●
Features
●
October 8, 2026

Need to call Sherlock Holmes. Information released late last week indicates that a US satellite has mysteriously broken into pieces. Apparently the satellite, which has been in space for nearly 40 years, broke apart on Sept. 13, as reported by Space Force. However, why the satellite broke apart remains unknown.

DID YOU KNOW …? Did one of the lead actors in the 1980 comedy “Airplane!” initially refuse to be in the movie?
By
●
Features
●
October 1, 2026

Now that the nonsense about my birthday is over, let’s get ready for something really special. I won’t get into it here. Just be sure you’re back with the column one week from today.  It’s big.  It’s huge. It’s something I have been working to achieve for a very, very long time. So don’t miss it. Be here. In the meantime, I hope you have a great time with the silly stuff that follows.  Enjoy, as always!

This Week in American History: 1945 – Desmond Doss Awarded Medal of Honor
By
●
Features
●
October 1, 2026

A conscientious objector during World War II because his faith would not allow him to kill another person, Desmond Doss becomes a medic instead and provide heroic service to save wounded soldiers. President Harry Truman is shown presenting Doss with the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Andy’s Astronomy: Rogue Satellite Plunges Into Atmosphere
By
●
Features
●
October 1, 2026

As noted in a previous column the Link satellite returned to Earth, and did so last Friday. An uncontrolled re-entry, the satellite was reported to have entered the atmosphere over an ocean and posed no threat to anyone on the ground. The precise location was not reported.

Andy’s Astronomy: Gamma Cassiopeiae Now Visible
By
●
Features
●
September 28, 2026

High thin clouds at night made star gazing quite challenging during the week, but persistence pays off. The star Gamma Cassiopeiae has been visible, but it is one of those stars easier to spot when one does not look directly at it.

Sovrn Pixel