OCTOBER 31 — 1864 Nevada joins the Union; 1893 Dr. Timothy Smith is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in New haven, VT; Halloween in America
OCTOBER 31
1864—Nevada becomes the 36th state.
…It was important to get a Republican led Territory to help with President Lincoln’s reelection. Even though the territory had a population of 40,000, 20,000 shy of the 60,000 needed to be eligible for US statehood, the discovery of silver showed up at the Comstock Lode. That was the boost the area needed. The territory was also encouraged by Lincoln’s proposal for the 13th amendment, which would abolish slavery. The people of the Nevada territory got to work and the state constitution was drawn up and sent to Washington DC in a telegram. Just in time for the election.
Now some more facts about Nevada, courtesy of 50states.com. If you drive from Los Angeles, CA to Reno, NV, you’ll actually be heading west. Las Vegas has more large hotels than anywhere on Earth. Frank Sinatra once owned the Cal-Neva at Lake Tahoe’s Crystal Bay. When you’re inside the building you can stand in Nevada and California at the same time. Assuming you have two legs.
Hoover Dam is made with enough concrete to build a two lane highway from New York to San Francisco. In Austin’s oldest church, St. Augustine, if you want to ring the bells, you’ll find the rope to do so located in the men’s bathroom. In 1931, the Pair-o-Dice club opened on highway 91, which would later become the Vegas strip. In Death Valley, the kangaroo rat can go an entire lifetime without drinking one drop of water. Nevada is Spanish for snow-clad. Finally, Bugsy Siegel named his hotel the Flamingo after the long legs of showgirl sweetheart, Virginia Hill.
1776—King George speaks to Parliament about American Independence.
…He stated, regarding the Americans who signed the Declaration, for daring and desperate is the spirit of those leaders whose object has always been dominion and power, that they have now openly renounced all allegiance to the crown, and all political connection with this country. The King would actually get his revenge on America exactly 187 years to the day on October 31, 1963, with a full blown British invasion of America. John, Paul, George and Ringo came to the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1963, sang I Want to Hold Your Hand, and pandemonium hit America. Americans have been hooked to the Beatles ever since.
1933 – Happy birthday Hobie. Hobart Alter from Ontario, CA, surf and sailing entrepreneur and founder of the Hobie Company.
1893 – Dr. Timothy Clark Smith is buried at Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, VT.
But was he dead? He has a window on his grave if you want to check it out and see for yourself! Go ahead! Buwahaha. Taphephobia, or Sleeping Sickness, or the fear of being buried alive, was fairly common during the 18th and 19th centuries. The ghastly thought of savagely being buried prompted potential coffin inhibitors to handle a specially installed trigger in hand that led to a bell upside earth to signal an improper burial. You gotta figure back in those days, proof of death through autopsies didn’t happen. If you’re buried alive, you just don’t get a second chance. Right? Clark would take no chances, and arranged for a safety coffin, which took another morbid step further at Evergreen.
He died on Halloween, yes he did. His body. It was buried.
There.
There Dr. Smith is buried a huge slab of granite over his grave, with a 6 foot window that shines death from his viewpoint. These days the window is scratched and hazed through years of condensation. Go see for yourself. If you’re looking through the window and he rings that bell, you better answer. Dr. Smith still has his skeletal hand on the bell, for who it tolls.
Buwhahahahaha!!!
10/31 – The Scottish and Irish brought All Hallows Eve to the U.S. in the 1800s and it has become one of the most celebrated holidays of the year, right behind New Year’s Day and the Super Bowl as the holiday with the largest number of parties. It’s second only to Christmas in terms of money spent. And it’s great for kids. Wait, you’re saying I get to dress up as a zombie and collect candy from my neighbors? Life couldn’t get any better.
My three favorite holidays are, in no particular order, are Halloween, New Year’s Day and the 4th of July. I love New Years because I don’t have to do nothing except chill, clean up the mess from the night before, and watch college football all day long. The 4th of July is an obvious favorite of mine, I’m sure you saw that coming.
Speaking of seeing things coming, you won’t want to watch a horror movie with me because I will ruin it for you. They don’t scare me because I already know without ever seeing the movie that the freak with the ax, or the monster, or whatever blood sucker is involved, is either under the bed, behind the door, through the window, or any other obvious prop that in the heavily intense scene. In these movies, it actually cracks me up, figuratively speaking of course, to see that intense moment as Michael Myers, Jason, or Freddy leap out from seemingly nowhere and bludgeon the unaware victim with a machete in the eye. I think it’s hilarious. That’s why you won’t want to watch a horror movie with me. Why are you jumping out of your chair? How did you not see that coming? C’mon!
Same thing with those silly haunted houses that charge $27 to get in. I already know an actor with a goofy costume is behind the door in the next room waiting to jump at me as soon as I walk in, so what I like to do, since I’m already anticipating this, is jump into the room with a blood thirsty scream, and scare the poor actor. Nice try.
The only thing about Halloween that scares me is the fact that it’s election season.
Now that scares me.