Old School Thursday: America Eff Yeah Edition

This week is not just All Great Grapes, All the Time. It’s also the week that includes Eat Your Vegetables Day and National Apple Streudel Day, and I couldn’t let those pass by without some recognition, could I?

The truth is, I just like writing these “old school” posts. That, and I compile the notes for them in one big document in January, so if I skip a week, I have to look at the unwritten week every Thursday for the rest of the year. So I don’t really skip many weeks.

But I digress.

A bunch of other crazy things happened today, including the birth of King Edward I in England (1239). The big day was celebrated with a feast that included, among other things 278 bacon hogs and 450 pigs…making it the kind of party I most certainly would enjoy.

Many centuries later, today in 1870, a leader of a different sort was born. George Cormack doesn’t have a readily recognizable name, but maybe he should, since he was the man who invented Wheaties cereal. And speaking of recognizable American foodstuffs, today is also Ruth Graves Wakefield’s birthday (1903). No, she’s not Elizabeth and Jessica’s grandmother. In fact, her contribution to American pop culture is even greater than if she was – she invented the Toll House Cookie.

Finally, while we’re on the subject of pop culture, today in 1978, Jimmy Buffett’s red meat anthem, Cheeseburger in Paradise, peaked on the Billboard charts – at a measly number 32. Which mostly suggests that a poor Billboard showing can’t stop a song from enjoying huge success…and definitely can’t keep a singer from his ampitheater tours and product line extensions (including restaurants).

So, today, to celebrate? Well, you could wake up and have a bowl of Wheaties, of course, but beyond that, it’s all chocolate chip cookies and bacon-topped cheeseburgers. Because America is just beautiful like that.

UPDATE: Discovery Doug emailed me this morning to tell me that today is also the 25th birthday of another American institution...the one that employs him. So happy birthday, Discovery Channel! Thanks for all the sharks and the busted myths and everything else...