Dinge en Goete (Things and Stuff)

Monday, November 7, 2011

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1994: George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ

November 5: 1994: George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ

On this day in 1994, George Foreman, age 45, becomes boxing's oldest heavyweight champion when he defeats 26-year-old Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their WBA fight in Las Vegas. More than 12,000 spectators at the MGM Grand Hotel watched Foreman dethrone Moorer, who went into the fight with a 35-0 record. Foreman dedicated his upset win to "all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail."

Born in 1949 in Marshal, Texas, Foreman had a troubled childhood and dropped out of high school. Eventually, he joined President Lyndon Johnson's Jobs Corps work program and discovered a talent for boxing. "Big George," as he was nicknamed, took home a gold medal for the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. In 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica, after winning his first 37 professional matches, 34 by knockout, Foreman KO'd "Smokin'" Joe Frazier after two rounds and was crowned heavyweight champ. At 1974's "Rumble in the Jungle" in Kinshasha, Zaire, the younger, stronger Foreman suffered a surprising loss to underdog Muhammad Ali and was forced to relinquish his championship title. Three years later, Big George morphed from pugilist into preacher, when he had a religious experience in his dressing room after losing a fight. He retired from boxing, became an ordained minister in Houston and founded a youth center.

A decade later, the millions he'd made as a boxer gone, Foreman returned to the ring at age 38 and staged a successful comeback. When he won his second heavyweight title in his 1994 fight against Moorer, becoming the WBA and IBF champ, Foreman was wearing the same red trunks he'd had on the night he lost to Ali.

Foreman didn't hang onto the heavyweight mantle for long. In March 1995, he was stripped of his WBA title after refusing to fight No. 1 contender Tony Tucker, and he gave up his IBF title in June 1995 rather than fight a rematch with Axel Schulz, whom he'd narrowly beat in a controversial judges' decision in April of that same year. Foreman's last fight was in 1997; he lost to Shannon Biggs. He retired with a lifetime record of 76-5.

Outside of the boxing ring, Foreman, who has five sons, all named George, and five daughters, has become enormously wealthy as an entrepreneur and genial TV pitchman for a variety of products, including the hugely popular George Foreman Grill.

American Revolution
1775 : Washington condemns Guy Fawkes festivities
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-condemns-guy-fawkes-festivities

Automotive
1895 : George Selden patents gas-powered car
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-selden-patents-gas-powered-car

Civil War
1862 : President Lincoln removes General McClellan
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-removes-mcclellan

Cold War
1968 : Richard Nixon elected president
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/richard-nixon-elected-president

Crime
2009 : Army major kills 13 people in Fort Hood shooting spree
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/army-major-kills-13-people-in-fort-hood-shooting-spree

Disaster
1991 : Philippines struggles with severe floodingd
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/philippines-struggles-with-severe-flooding

General Interest
1556 : Mughal victory assures Akbar's ascension
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mughal-victory-assures-akbars-ascension
1605 : King James learns of gunpowder plot
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/king-james-learns-of-gunpowder-plot
1912 : Wilson wins landslide victory
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wilson-wins-landslide-victory
1930 : An American Nobel Prize in Literature
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/an-american-nobel-prize-in-literature
1990 : Jewish extremist assassinated in New York
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jewish-extremist-assassinated-in-new-york

Hollywood
2007 : Writers strike stalls production of TV shows, movies
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/writers-strike-stalls-production-of-tv-shows-movies

Literary
1893 : Willa Cather starts writing for the Nebraska State Journal
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/willa-cather-starts-writing-for-the-nebraska-state-journal

Music
1938 : Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings receives its world premiere on NBC radio
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/samuel-barber39s-adagio-for-strings-receives-its-world-premiere-on-nbc-radio

Old West
1862 : 300 Santee Sioux sentenced to hang in Minnesota
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/300-santee-sioux-sentenced-to-hang-in-minnesota

Presidential
1977 : George W. Bush marries Laura Welch in Midland, Texas
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-w-bush-marries-laura-welch-in-midland-texas

Sports
1994 : George Foreman becomes oldest heavyweight champ in history
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/george-foreman-becomes-oldest-heavyweight-champ-in-history

Vietnam War
1968 : Nixon wins presidential election
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-wins-presidential-election
1970 : U.S. combat deaths down
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/us-combat-deaths-down

World War I
1914 : Battle of Tanga ends in defeat for British colonial troops
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-tanga-ends-in-defeat-for-british-colonial-troops

World War II
1940 : FDR re-elected president
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-re-elected-president

Thursday, November 3, 2011

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: November 3: 1957 : The Soviet space dog

November 3: 1957 : The Soviet space dog

The Soviet Union launches the first animal into space—a dog name Laika—aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft.
Laika, part Siberian husky, lived as a stray on the Moscow streets before being enlisted into the Soviet space program. Laika survived for several days as a passenger in the USSR's second artificial Earth satellite, kept alive by a sophisticated life-support system. Electrodes attached to her body provided scientists on the ground with important information about the biological effects of space travel. She died after the batteries of her life-support system ran down.
At least a dozen more Russian dogs were launched into space in preparation for the first manned Soviet space mission, and at least five of these dogs died in flight. On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1. He orbited Earth once before landing safely in the USSR.

12 Amazing Painting Tattoos

by Gracie Murano

Munch's The Scream

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" by tattoo artist 540.

(Link | Via)

Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is one of the most popular artworks in History, and it is not surprising people trying to imitate it in one form or another, but this huge Back Tattoo seems like a really painful way to show your love for art. Tattoo artist HeadOvMetal has posted this Mona Lisa back tattoo from the Seattle Tattoo convention of 1995. Even though it is a tattoo, it is still amazing that such detail, effort and patience was spent on recreating the historical masterpiece. (Link | Via)

Dali's Disintegration of The Persistence of Memory

Salvador Dali's Disintegration Of The Persistence Of Memory, and others. This amazing ink work was done by Salt Lake City Utah artist Vic Back. (Link | Photo)

Picasso's Guernica

Yann's style of tattooing completely ignore years of body ink tradition and it's almost as if he treats the people he tattoos like over-sized fleshy doodle pads for him to leave his considered scribbles all over. In this photo you can see his Picasso 'Guernica' Tattoo. (Link)

Van Gogh's Starry Night

(Link)

Beardley's The Peacock Skirt

Brandon Boyd's Aubrey Beardley tattoo. (Link)

Frida Kahlo's Self Portrait

Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser (1940) (Link)

Modigliani's Red Nude

Red Nude, 1917. Made in PLUMA SAGRADA STUDIO by artist Ely. (Link 1 | Link 2)

Michelangelo's Hand of God

The iconic image of the Hand of God giving life to Adam (God creates Adam).

Beckmann's Fisherwomen

Look at this tattoo of Max Beckmann's “Fisherwomen” on the arm of this guy named Sal. Not only is it huge, it's personalized: the two figures on the right have been made to look like him and his girlfriend! That is some serious devotion. Wow.

Note: this tattoo was also done by David Page from Nautilus Tattoo in Newington, CT. (Thanks, Stephanie D.). (Photo)

Klimt's The Kiss

This tattoo is a beautiful recreation of “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt with the colors, shapes and passion drawn from the painting. (Link)

Monet's Water Liles

Monet's tattoo by David Page @ Nautilus Tattoo, Newington, CT. ()