Saturday 9

 

Star Spangled Banner

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!
 
Saturday 9: The National Anthem (2016)
... because it's 4th of July

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) An early handwritten manuscript of "The Star Spangled Banner" (complete with scratch outs) is preserved at the Maryland Historical Society. Today, much of what we write is preserved in The Cloud. Do you often write down your thoughts with pen or pencil? Or do you do everything on your laptop, pad or phone? 

These days it's all  on the electronic devices.
 
2) It's well-known that the lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key. Not so well known is John Stafford Smith, the British composer who gave us the music. He is buried in England's Gloucester Cathedral, under both the US and UK flags. Where is the nearest United States flag waving near you right now? 

I am half a block from the middle school and high school (they are next to each other), and last time I looked flags were  waving in front of both schools.
 
3) This week's video features Lady Gaga singing The National Anthem before the 2016 Super Bowl. She also performed it at President Biden's Inauguration last January. When is the last time you sang it?

We were at a baseball game last week.

4) Our second and third Presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on July 4, 1826. OK, it's your turn. Share a Presidential fact. 

Ronald Reagan broke a chain.  William Henry Harrison, elected 1840, died in office of natural causes.  Abraham Lincoln, elected 1860, was assassinated. James Garfiled, elected 1880, was assassinated.  William McKinley, elected 1900, was assassinated.  Warren Harding, elected 1920, died in office of natural causes. FDR, re-elected 1940, died in office of natural causes.  JFK, elected1960, was assassnated.    JFK, elected1960, was assassnated.  Reagan, elected 1980, survived an assassination attempt, and retired after his second term in office.  So I have no fear for JOe Biden, elected 2020. 
 
5) John Hancock said his signature on the Declaration of Independence was intentionally large so King George could see it without his glasses. Do you need glasses to read? 

I have worn glasses since I was 13, I cannot see without them.

6) The Revolutionary War still raged during that summer of 1777. General George Washington allowed his soldiers to celebrate with a double ration of run on July 4. Will you be toasting the United States with an adult beverage this weekend? 

Possibly.  We are going out for Mexican tonight and we are having a barbecue tomorrow, so ... 

 

7) Since this year, July 4th falls on a Sunday, banks and post offices will be closed will be closed on Monday. Thanks to email and ATMs, Sam doesn't find this a hardship. How about you? Do you find it inconvenient to go three days without regular USPS delivery or access to a teller at the bank? 

No.
 
8) Celebrity chef Rachael Ray says she considers mini-hamburgers, or "sliders," the All-American food. What will you be eating this 4th of July? 

Burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob...
 
9) The 4th of July is a highlight of the summer season. Have you yet suffered the traditional warm weather maladies: sunburn or bug bites?

Both.