Boxer (Sportsman)

BOXERS IN HISTORY

As a youngster, the Ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras was a fine boxer. He applied science to boxing knocking out men with upper cuts. He philosophised that a sharp blow delivered from the hip was the most effective method.

Bonnie Prince Charlie was a skilled boxer and physically fit. Whilst living in Avignon, he taught the local people how to box.

Daniel Mendoza, champion in the 1790s, introduced a new subtlety in the style of fighting and even wrote a book on the subject (The Art of Boxing, 1789). He was the first important fighter to combine scientific boxing with rapid, rather than hard, punching—a great change from the mauling style used until his time. Mendoza lost his title in 1795 to Gentleman Jackson.  

John Jackson, also known as Gentleman Jackson, was a renowned English bare-knuckle boxer who reigned as the champion of England from 1795 to 1800. He was born in London on September 28, 1769, and is considered one of the pioneers of modern boxing, establishing rules and techniques that would shape the sport for years to come.

Jackson's boxing career began in the late 1780s, and he quickly rose to prominence due to his exceptional skills and gentlemanly demeanor. He was known for his scientific approach to boxing, developing innovative strategies and techniques that emphasized defense, footwork, and timing. These methods set him apart from his more brutish contemporaries, earning him the moniker "Gentleman Jackson."

Jackson at his boxing academy

The poet Lord Byron was a useful boxer, he once sparred with John "Gentleman" Jackson, the former bare knuckled champion in the boxer's Bond Street gym. He was a pupil at the boxing school there.

George Bernard Shaw was fond of prize fighting and indeed he had an expert interest in boxing. The Irish music and drama critic entered the Queensbury amateur boxing championship. He got as far as the programme but not the ring.

The last ever championship bare-knuckle boxing match was held in 1889 when John L. Sullivan defeated Jack Kilrain after 75 rounds. Sullivan never lost a bareknuckle bout.

John L Sullivan was not only the last bare-knuckle boxing champion, he was also the first one to use gloves.

Theodore Roosevelt was a member of the Harvard University boxing team. He was runner-up for the Harvard boxing championship, losing to C.S. Hanks. The sportsmanship Roosevelt showed in that fight was long remembered.

Theodore Roosevelt regularly staged boxing matches in the White House, taking on anyone he could - including professional boxers. He only stopped boxing in 1904 when he was struck in the eye by a punch from his military aide, Col. Daniel T. Moore. His eyesight gradually diminished and by 1908 he was totally blind in one eye.

In the United States the first professional to win national recognition as catch-as-catch-can champion was a heavyweight, Tom Jenkins, of Cleveland, Ohio. He ruled as king of his division from the 1890s until 1908, when he lost to Frank Gotch of Iowa.

The US welterweight boxing champion “Kid” McCoy was once challenged by a man in a bar to prove he really is the boxing champion. McCoy flattened him and when the man came round he declared that he was indeed the real McCoy. From this comes the phrase “the real McCoy”.

Galveston “Jack” Johnson became the first black world heavyweight boxing champion in 1908 when he beat Tommy Burns over 14 rounds in Sydney, Australia. Two years, on July 4, 1910, Jack Johnson knocked out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match, sparking race riots across the United States.

Jack Johnson patented a wrench (U.S. patent #1,413,121) on April 18, 1922. His invention, known as the "Johnson Adjustable Wrench," was designed to be more versatile and user-friendly than existing wrenches. It featured a sliding jaw that could be adjusted to fit different sizes of nuts and bolts, and it also had a built-in ratchet mechanism that made it easier to tighten and loosen fasteners.

With his first professional bout at age 14, Georges Carpentier became welterweight champion of France and of Europe in 1911. He then became middleweight champion of Europe in 1912, and light heavyweight champion of Europe in 1913. On June 1, 1913, he became heavyweight champion of Europe.

In his youth, the French entertainer Maurice Chevalier was a sparring partner to Georges Carpentier.

Sam Langford and Harry Wills were two of the most formidable heavyweight boxers of the early 20th century. Despite their skills and accomplishments, they never received a chance to fight for the world heavyweight championship due to the color bar that was prevalent in boxing at the time. Sam Langford and Harry Wills fought each other 22 times. Wills won 6 times, Langford 2 times and 14 fights ended in no decisions..

Bob Hope, the renowned comedian and actor, had a brief stint as a professional boxer under the pseudonym "Packy East" in 1919. He reportedly fought a handful of bouts, but his boxing career was overshadowed by his comedic talents. Hope's experience as a boxer would later serve as inspiration for his comedic persona. He would often joke about his boxing days, poking fun at his own lack of success in the sport.

The author Ernest Hemingway was an avid boxer. He frequently engaged in sparring matches with local Key West residents, demonstrating his passion for the sport and his desire to hone his boxing skills.

Hemingway's boxing experiences also influenced his writing. He incorporated boxing terminology and concepts into his works, often using boxing metaphors to convey themes of strength, courage, and endurance. His stories often featured characters who were boxers or who embodied the spirit of boxing.

The American boxer Henry Armstrong, (1912-88) is the only professional boxer ever to hold three world titles simultaneously in three different weight classifications: He won the featherweight crown in 1937, and in 1938 he added both the welterweight and lightweight championship.

Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the Worl,d Max Baer, wore a Star of David during his title match against Hitler's favorite fighter, Max Schmeling. Baer won the bout and continued wearing the Star of David throughout the remainder of his career.

Preparing to take on Al Couture at Lewiston, Maine in 1946, boxer Ralph Walton was knocked out while still adjusting his gum shield. The fight officially ended after ten-and-a-half seconds - that included the 10-second count.

Rocky Marciano began his professional boxing career at the relatively late age of 22, which is considered unusual for heavyweight boxers who typically start their careers in their late teens or early twenties. Despite this late start, Marciano went on to achieve remarkable success in the sport, becoming one of the greatest heavyweight champions of all time. His undefeated record of 49-0, with 43 knockouts, stands as a testament to his exceptional talent, determination, and work ethic.

Idi Amin was the Ugandan light heavyweight boxing champion from 1951 to 1960. He was a skilled and powerful boxer, and his boxing career helped him to gain recognition and respect in Uganda. His athleticism also helped him to rise through the ranks of the Ugandan army, and he eventually became the president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.

Archie Moore (December 13, 1916 – December 9, 1998) was the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time at nine years, four months and 24 days (December 1952 – May 1962). Moore was a highly skilled and strategic boxer known for his defensive prowess and powerful counterpunches. He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, fighting professionally for almost 30 years.

Sugar Ray Robinson became the first five-time middleweight winner in 1958. He accomplished this feat by defeating Carmen Basilio to regain the title after previously holding it from 1946 to 1948, 1951 to 1952, 1955 to 1956, and 1957 to 1958.

Nikolai Valuev, nicknamed "The Beast from the East," is the tallest and heaviest world champion in boxing history. Standing at an impressive height of 2.13 meters (7 feet) and weighing in at a peak of 149 kilograms (328 pounds), Valuev's imposing stature gave him a significant physical advantage over most of his opponents. His exceptional reach, combined with his powerful punches, made him a formidable force in the ring. Valuev competed in boxing from 1993 to 2009, and held the WBA heavyweight title twice between 2005 and 2009.

BOXER FUN FACTS

In boxing, a championship belt is awarded to a fighter who wins a British title fight. If he wins three fights in one weight division, he is allowed to keep the belt permanently. The British heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper is the only man to have won three Lonsdale Belts outright.

Joe Frazier is said to have cut his Olympic boxing gold medal into 11 pieces and given a piece to each of his 11 children.

Leon Spinks won the Heavyweight title in only his eighth pro fight.

Puerto Rican fighter Wilfred Benitez was the youngest professional world champion when he won the light welterweight title in 1976 aged 17.

Because of his slight build and strong accent as a boy, Riverdance star Michael Flatley's father enrolled him in boxing lessons so he could learn self-defense. He excelled at the sport and held the Golden Gloves Championship in the featherweight division in 1977.

When Mike Tyson knocked-out Trevor Berbick in the second round on November 22, 1986, he became the youngest ever world heavyweight-boxing champion. (Tyson was 20 years, 4 months old).

Forty-five year old George Foreman became boxing's oldest heavyweight champion on November 5, 1994 when he knocked out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of a Las Vegas fight.  Foreman dedicated his upset win to "all my buddies in the nursing home and all the guys in jail."

Evander Holyfield turned down a role in the movie Rocky 5 purely because his character would be knocked out.

Sources Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia © 1998 The Learning Company, Inc, Europress Family Encyclopedia 1999, 606v2.com/t12024-strange-funny-and-interesting-boxing-facts

Boxer (dog)

The Boxer is a medium-to-large, short-haired dog breed of mastiff-type. They are known for their intelligence, loyalty, and playful nature. 

The boxer originated in Germany, perhaps as a cross between Great Danes and English Bulldogs. The breed was brought to prominence in the 1890s.

The boxer breed was not known outside of Germany until after the Second World War when many American and British returning soldiers took them home.

Boxers were named after their habit of playing. At the beginning of play with another dog, a Boxer will stand on his hind legs and bat at his opponent, appearing to "box" with his front paws.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall both adored Boxers and were given their first, called Harvey, as a wedding present. They would go on to have two more Boxers, named Baby and George. 

Boxers are muscular, athletic dogs with a square head and short, smooth coat. They come in a variety of colors, including fawn, brindle, and white. Boxers are known for their distinctive black mask, which covers their muzzle and eyes. 

There are about 20 to 25% Boxers who are born white. They are not considered to be albino dogs either. They are white due to presence of the extreme piebald gene.

It has been found that majority of white Boxers are deaf in one or both ears.

Boxers are born without upright ears and many people choose not to have the surgery done to make them stand upright.

They are generally healthy dogs, but they are prone to a few health problems, such as hip dysplasia, cancer, and bloat. 

Boxers are intelligent, loyal, and playful dogs. They are good with children and make excellent family pets. Boxers are also very energetic dogs, and they need plenty of exercise. They are good at a variety of activities, such as running, playing fetch, and obedience training.

Boxers aren't considered fully mature until they are three years old, making their puppyhoods one of the longest in the dog world.

The American Kennel Club categorizes the boxer as the largest breed (50-70 pounds) in the “working dog” category.

Boxers are known to snore. Their brachycephalic facial structure, which is characterized by a short muzzle and flat face, can contribute to snoring. This is because their soft palate, which is the tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth, can obstruct their airway when they relax during sleep.

Bowls

"Bowls" generally refers to a game played with biased balls on a rectangular pitch called a bowling green. The objective of the game is to roll the bowls so that they come to rest close to a smaller target ball known as the "jack" or "kitty." Players or teams score points based on the proximity of their bowls to the jack.

It is an indoor and outdoor game played as singles, pairs, triples, or fours. 

The origin of the game is still a matter of conjecture. Even Stone Age man must have enjoyed a very crude version of the bowls. Probably all he did was aim stones at other stones to pass his time.

Finds in Egyptian tombs, proved the existence as early as 5200 BC of a game that consisted of rolling balls or other rounded objects such as a coconut, a clay ball, or a stone) toward a chosen mark.

The sport of bowls spread to ancient Greece and Rome. The Caesars knew some type of the game, calling it boccie, a term that still survives in Italy.

Bowling was popularized by German churchgoers in the third and fourth century who would roll a ball at a kegel, a club used for protection, and if hit they would be absolved from sin.

The earliest recorded reference to a bowling green relates to Southampton, England in 1299. As the Southampton Town Bowling Club, it is still in existence and its members play on the original green.

Somehow bowls became a game closely associated with gambling. People played it not as much as a pastime, but to place wagers and enrich themselves "the easy way." Edicts, as issued by the governments of Edward III and Richard II, made bowling illegal. An Act of 1511 still forbade the playing of bowls to "artificers, labourers, apprentices, servants and the like - at any time except Christmas and then only in their master's house and presence."

In 1513, Henry VIII of England and Emperor Maximilian I of the Holy Roman Empire joined forces to fight against France in the War of the League of Cambrai. Henry VIII took with him a 90ft by 8ft indoor bowling shed.

In 1541, Henry VIII forbid the working class from bowling—except on Christmas, when they were allowed to bowl in their master's house.

In 1555, Queen Mary again cancelled the permits as the game of bowls had become "an excuse for unlawful assemblies, conventicles, seditions, and conspiracies."

Francis Drake and other commanders were playing bowls in Plymouth Hoe when news was bought that the Spanish Armada was sailing up the channel. Drake insisted on finishing the game before setting sail.

Dutch settlers brought lawn bowls and ninepins to the New World in the early 17th century.

Glasgow solicitor William Mitchell (1803-84) was credited with developing the rules for modern bowls in 1848. Mitchell's rules addressed various aspects of the game, including the size and weight of the bowls, the dimensions of the bowling green, and the scoring system. These standardized rules ensured consistency and fairness across different bowling clubs and competitions. 

The English cricketer W.G. Grace was fond of lawn bowls and founded the English Bowling Association in 1903.

Sources Europress Encyclopedia 

Bowler Hat

The bowler is a low-crowned, stiff-brimmed felt hat. The first bowler hat was sold on December 17, 1849. It was designed by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler for Lock and Co of St James, London, and was ordered by the British soldier and politician Edward Coke for hunting. According to legend, when Coke arrived to pick up his hat he placed it on the floor and stood on it to test its strength. Satisfied, he paid his 12 shillings (60p).

Bowler hat By Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation 

The Bowler hat was called billycock for a time, after William Coke.

General Gordon hardly spent anything on himself and he often wore shabby clothes. The general left China to head to England in his gunboat towing his new suit in the water to make it look old and crumpled to go with his bashed-in bowler hat.

It was Queen Victoria's oldest son Prince Edward who popularized the bowler hat to wear in town.

It became in the 20th century (and remained until the 1970s) the indispensable headgear for English men working in the City. 

The bowler hat transcended British shores and gained popularity worldwide, particularly in the American West and South America. It was favored by cowboys, railroad workers, and even women in Bolivia and Peru.

The bowler hat has become deeply embedded in popular culture, appearing in countless films, television shows, and literature. It's often associated with characters like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and the Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the bowler hat was adopted by subcultures like mods and skinheads, who reinterpreted it as a symbol of rebellion against traditional norms and fashion.

David Bowie

David Bowie was born David Robert Jones in Brixton, London, on January 8, 1947 to Margaret Mary "Peggy" Jones, a cinema usherette, and Haywood Stenton "John" Jones, a publicity director for an orphanage.

David's family moved to Bromley when he was six years old and he attended Bromley Technical School in London, where he was taught art by Peter Frampton's father, Owen. David got just one O Level... in art.

David started playing the saxophone at the age of 12 after his mom gave him a cream-colored plastic alto sax as a Christmas present. He got himself a part-time job as a butcher's delivery boy to pay for the cost of tuition.

The pupil of Bowie's left eye became enlarged and frozen after a fist fight with his best friend in school, George Underwood (it was over a girl). Underwood and Bowie remained good friends with Underwood doing artwork for some of Bowie's earlier albums.

His first ever release was "Liza Jane" /"Louie Louie Go Home" on June 5, 1964, under the name of Davie Jones with The King-Bees. Despite promoting the single on Juke Box Jury, Ready Steady Go! and The Beat Room it failed to chart.

David Bowie's first television appearance was in November 1964, when he gave an interview on BBC's Tonight show as spokesman for The Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Boys.

He later changed his name to Bowie to avoid confusion with Monkee Davy Jones. Bowie told Rolling Stone the name comes from the Bowie knife: "I was into a kind of heavy philosophy thing when I was 16 years old, and I wanted a truism about cutting through the lies and all that."

David Bowie was turned down by a BBC talent selection group in November 1965, who stated “amateur sounding vocalist who sings wrong notes and out of tune”.

Beginning in early 1967, David Bowie became interested in Buddhism and he briefly considered becoming a Buddhist monk. After a few months' study at Tibet House in London, he was told by a Lama, "You don't want to be Buddhist. ... You should follow music."

Bowie met his first wife, Angela, at a King Crimson concert in 1969. The relationship didn't end well, and she would later sue Bowie for $56 million. They had one child, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, in 1971. Jones has since gone on to become a successful film director and is the brain behind Moon (2009) and Source Code (2011). 

Bowie's first hit in his native UK - 1969's "Space Oddity" - was used by the BBC in its coverage of the moon landing. 

Three years later, Bowie released "Starman" on Apas as a single in the UK. It became his first hit after "Space Oddity."

When Bowie performed "Starman" on the British TV show, Top of the Pops, he appeared as the flame-haired Ziggy Stardust dressed in a multicolored jump suit. Bowie strummed a blue guitar while he moved flirtatiously alongside his guitarist, Mick Ronson. It was the first time many had seen Bowie and people were fascinated by his stage presence. This performance would catapult Bowie to stardom and prove wildly influential on the next generation of English rockers. 

 David Bowie during the Ziggy Stardust Tour http://www.flickr.com/http://www.rikwalton.com 

The band Simple Minds took their name from the line “He’s so simple minded he can’t drive his module” in "The Jean Genie."

Bowie's first United States #1 was his single "Fame" in 1975. It was co-written by John Lennon and featured the late former Beatle on backing vocals.

David Bowie introduced his Thin White Duke persona at a show in Vancouver on February 2, 1976. It was the first stop on his Isotar Tour.

Director Nicolas Roeg cast Bowie in his first movie leading role, as a stranded alien in The Man Who Fell to Earth, in 1976. 

Among the film roles Bowie has turned down include the Bond villain Max Zorin in A View To A Kill and that of Captain Hook in the movie Hook.

David Bowie took the part of Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, on Broadway. He wore no stage make-up, and earned high praise for his expressive performance.  Bowie played the part 157 times between 1980 and 1981.

David Bowie was next on Mark Chapman's hitlist, after John Lennon. Chapman had a front-row ticket to The Elephant Man for the night after he shot Lennon.

Bowie's half-brother, Terry Burns, was severely schizophrenic. Having previously attempted suicide by jumping from a window in the hospital in which he lived, Burns succeeded in killing himself in 1985 after escaping the grounds of the hospital and laying down on some railroad tracks. Terry was the inspiration for songs including "All The Madmen," "The Bewlay Brothers" and "Jump They Say."

In  1987, David Bowie traveled to West Berlin, where he once lived and with his back to the Berlin Wall, he belted out “Heroes” with his band, crying out for liberty to the crowd in German. Thousands of East Berliners subsequently began vigorously protesting against the Communist regime. One week later Ronald Reagan stood near that same place and uttered the now unforgettable words: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

On January 11, 2016, the German Foreign Office officially recognized Bowie’s contribution in helping bring down the wall. Below is the apartment building on Hauptstraße 155 in Berlin Schöneberg where Bowie lived from 1976 to 1978.

Apartment building on Hauptstraße 155 in Berlin Schöneberg where Bowie lived from 1976 to 1978. By Detmar Owen - 

Bowie married Somalian supermodel Iman in 1992. She has a Bowie knife tattooed on her ankle in tribute to her husband. They have a daughter Alexandria Zahra Jones, born in 2000.

Bowie turned down a knighthood in 2003.

David Bowie in 2002 By Photographer: Photobra|Adam Bielawski. Wikipedia

Bowie attended art school and exhibited some of his own paintings. Painting "was about problem solving," he told the New York Times in 1998. "I’d find that if I had some creative obstacle in the music that I was working on, I would often revert to drawing it out or painting it out."

Bowie was one of the first musicians to realize the power of the internet. In 1997 he broke new ground with the internet-only release of his single "Telling Lies." Bowie once programmed three internet radio stations on to his website. Two were available to members only, while the other played kids' songs inspired by his daughter Alexandria.

"Changes" was the last song Bowie performed live on stage before his retirement from live performances at the end of 2006 when he joined Alicia Keys at the Black Ball fundraiser at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.

Bowie was asked by director Danny Boyle to sing his song "Heroes" at the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony, but refused. "He sadly didn’t want to do anything live," said Boyle.

At 9:57 Bowie's 2015 single "Blackstar" was the longest song ever to reach the US Hot 100 until Tool's 10:22-running time tune "Fear Inoculum" entered the chart dated August 17, 2019 at #93.

David Bowie died from cancer following an eighteen-month battle with the disease on January 10, 2016. He had celebrated his 69th birthday two days earlier.

In the "Lazarus" music video, Bowie sings from a hospital bed, a wrap covering his eyes. Doctors reportedly informed the singer the cancer was terminal and that they were ending treatment during the week of shooting the visual in November 2015

Bowie was privately cremated shortly after his death without any friends and family present, as per his wishes.

Because of Bowie's interest in Buddhism, his ashes were scattered in Bali in accordance with Buddhist rituals. 

David Bowie's only Grammy win during his lifetime was for Best Video ("Jazzin' for Blue Jean" in 1985). He got four at the 2017 awards.

Sources Artistfacts, News.bbc.co.uk, Songfacts

Bow and Arrow

The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of a long curved stick and an elastic string which is tied to both ends (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows).

The major preoccupation for pre-historic man was killing whatever moved, and devising ever more efficient means to do it. For centuries hunters relied only on what missiles they had the strength to throw, breaking bones with sticks and stones. That changed somewhere in Africa, sometime more than 30,000 years ago, when the earliest archers emerged with bows and arrows.

The earliest recovered weapons, dating from around 9,000 BC, were unearthed near Hamburg. with the bow made of pine and points of flint on the arrows.

The crossbow was invented by the Chinese and records of its usage goes back to as far as the Three Kingdom Period (220 AD-280 AD).

Crossbows were built in Europe about 800 years ago. The bow had a rifle-like stock and was held sideways. It was so strong that sometimes it took two men to hook the string and arrow to the trigger. The arrow was fired by pulling the trig­ger.

During the Middle Ages, Oxford University in England had rules that specifically forbid students from bringing bows and arrows to class.

In 1403, Prince Henry, the 15-year-old son of England’s Henry IV was in command of the English forces battling the Percys and Neville at Shrewsbury. Unfortunately an arrow hit the prince and an arrowhead was lodged in his cheekbone. His father’s surgeon, Bradmore stretched the gash in his cheek with sticks wrapped in linen dipped in white wine, a natural disinfectant. Then a pair of special tongs was inserted, the arrowhead found and withdrawn. The wound was washed with more white wine and covered with honey. Six weeks later the prince’s face had healed.

The English longbow was a formidable weapon that played a crucial role in England's military victories during the Middle Ages. A good archer could shoot it accurately for 400 yards (364 meters).

Longbows were made from durable wood, making them relatively easy to maintain compared to other weapons of the time, such as crossbows.

In 1415, a medieval knight Sir Dafydd Gam was hit by an arrow in his eye at Agincourt. From this unfortunate incident comes the expression “gammy” meaning “lame or crippled”.

The arrows used by English longbowmen at Agincourt were a ‘clothyard’ long, about 94cm (just over 3ft).

After about 1500, guns became more useful than bows and arrows for hunting and war.

The modern recurve bow used in the Olympic archery competition is based on a design from 1500 BC.

The compound bow is the most popular type of bow today. Compound bows use a system of pulleys and cables to store energy, which makes them more powerful and easier to draw than traditional recurve bows. Compound bows are also more accurate than recurve bows, making them a popular choice for both target shooting and hunting.

A Japanese bow is about 7 to 9 feet in length, much longer than Western bows.

The bag that archers use to hold their arrows is called a quiver.

The part of the arrow that is fitted to the bowstring is called the nock.

Sources The Independent 3/11/07, Factspage.blogspot.co.uk

Clara Bow

Hollywood silent movie actress Clara Bow was born on July 29, 1905 in a run-down tenement in old Brooklyn, to a schizophrenic mother and a chronically destitute, physically abusive father.

Her last name "Bow" was short for her actual last name "Bowtinelli".

As a child, Clara was a tomboy and played games in the streets with the boys; since her clothes were so ragged and dirty other girls wouldn't play with her.

Her best friend Johnny burned to death in her arms when she was 10 years old. Years later, she could make herself cry at will on a movie set by listening to the lullaby "Rock-A-Bye Baby". She claimed it reminded her of her small friend.

She arrived in Hollywood in 1923, by way of winning a beauty contest while she was still in high school.

Young Gary Cooper had a crush on Clara Bow.

From 1927 to 1930 she was one of the top five Hollywood box-office attractions.

Scanned and cropped publicity shot from lost Clara Bow movie Rough House Rosie 1927

She was called ‘Jazz Baby’ and the ‘It Girl’ after her portrayal of a glamorous flapper in the silent film It (1927).

After achieving stardom in the 1920s, Bow became one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She commanded enormous salaries and enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle, indulging in expensive cars, lavish parties, and extravagant clothing. However, beneath the surface of her glamorous persona, Bow harbored a deep-seated sense of insecurity and a desire for normalcy.

Bow choose to live in a relatively modest bungalow rather than a lavish mansion, despite her immense popularity and wealth during her Hollywood heyday. This decision reflected her down-to-earth personality and her preference for a simpler lifestyle.

In the late 1920s, Bow's popularity began to wane as the film industry transitioned from silent films to talkies. She struggled to adapt to the new medium mostly because of her thick Brooklyn accent. Additionally, her personal life was marred by a series of scandals, including a tumultuous relationship with actor Gilbert Roland and a controversial nude photoshoot for the magazine Modern Youth.

Clara married cowboy actor and rancher, Rex Bell, on December 3, 1931 in Las Vegas. They had a private ceremony at the home of a friend, and the news of their marriage was not released to the public until the following day. They lived in Nevada where Rex Bell eventually became lieutenant governor.

She retired from acting in 1933. Clara Bow's decision to step away from Hollywood was attributed to a combination of factors, including her struggles with mental health.

Clara Bow's last public performance, albeit fleeting, came in 1947 on the radio show Truth or Consequences. 

She was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the 1940s, and never returned home to her family. Instead, Bow lived out the rest of her days in a bungalow in Los Angeles under the constant care of a nurse. 

Clara Bow died on September 27, 1965, at the age of 60. She passed away in her Los Angeles bungalow from a heart attack.

Sources Adore-vintage.blogspot.co.uk, IMDB

Bovril

Bovril is the trade name of a concentrated extract of beef, the basis for a hot drink but also used as a flavouring or for gravy.

The beefy drink was invented in 1873 by John Lawson Johnston, who was producing tinned beef in Canada for the French military. It was originally known as Johnston’s Fluid Beef.'

Johnston was a Scot who had studied with a view to entering the medical profession but who instead turned his attention to dietetics.

Johnson launched his drink in Britain in the 1880s under a new name based on the Latin for a cow (bos, bovis) plus the word vril – a magic force (described as the 'unity in natural energic agencies') which had featured in Edward Bulwer-Lytton's 1871 sci-fi novel The Coming Race. A very successful advertising campaign later recommended Bovril to avoid 'that sinking feeling.'

By 1888, over 3,000 British public houses, grocers and chemists were selling Bovril. In 1889, the Bovril Company was formed.

Bovril holds the unusual position of having been advertised with Papal approval. An advertising campaign of the early 20th Century in Britain depicted the Pope seated on his throne, bearing a mug of Bovril. The campaign slogan ran: "The Two Infallible Powers - The Pope & Bovril".

In 1902 Captain Robert Scott went on an expedition to the Antarctic and on Christmas Day his colleague, Ernest Shackleton, brewed up a big tub of Bovril for Scott’s team.

In 1971, Cavenham Foods acquired the Bovril Company but then sold most of its dairies and South American operations to finance further take-overs. The brand is now owned by Unilever.

Bovril can be made into a drink by diluting with hot water, or less commonly with milk. It can also be used as a flavouring for soups, stews or porridge, or spread on bread, especially toast, rather like Marmite.

Sources Wikipedia, History World

Boules

Boules is a game similar to lawn bowls and bocce ball. It is a popular game in many countries around the world, especially in France. Boules is a relatively simple game to learn, but it can be very challenging to master.

Boules can be played by two teams of one, two, or three players. The game is played on a flat surface, such as a park, beach, or car park. The objective of the game is to throw or roll heavy balls nearer to a small target ball, called the jack, than the opposing player or team. 

Boules played in southern France

Points are scored when everyone is out of boules: one point for each boule closer to the jack than the best-placed boule of your opponents. First team to 13 wins

The history of boules is long and complex, but it is thought to have originated in ancient Greece or Egypt. The game was later adopted by the Romans, who spread it throughout their empire.

Boules became so popular in Europe during the Middle Ages that King Henry III of England had to ban his archers from playing it due to it becoming such a distraction. King Charles IV of France even made a law to ban commoners from playing it, which lasted nearly 300 years until the 17th century.

A French boules game called  Pétanque was invented in 1910 in the town of La Ciotat, near Marseille. It was originally designed for people with disabilities, as it could be played from a standing position.

The name "pétanque" comes from the Provençal word "pès tancats," which means "feet together."

The only really essential equipment is a set of six steel boules. A set costs anywhere from US$5 for a rusty old set you may be lucky enough to come across to US$150-200 to a set of La Boule Bleue Obut steel boules

A case of six boules, plus cochonnet (the small jack), will weigh between four and five kilos.

The book L'esprit de la pétanque (The Spirit of Pétanque) by Buddhist monk Maître Kaisen advocates the game as an aid to meditation. Kaisen argues that pétanque requires similar qualities to Buddhist prayer, such as focus, concentration, and the ability to ignore distractions. To support his argument, Kaisen draws on his own experience as a Buddhist monk and pétanque player. He describes how pétanque has helped him to develop his concentration and mindfulness, and how it has taught him to let go of negative emotions.

Maître Kaisen - who was born Alain Krystaszek to a family of Polish immigrants in northern France and now lives in the Dordogne - has practised the game for decades and still plays once a week.

Source Marseille-provence.info

Boudicca

Boudicca or Boudica (d60AD) has been known by several versions of her name. William Cowper's poem, Boadicea, an ode (1782) popularized an alternate version of the name. From the 19th century and much of the late 20th century, "Boadicea" was the most common version of the name, which is probably derived from a mistranscription when a manuscript of Tacitus was copied in the Middle Ages. Her name was clearly spelled Boudicca in the best manuscripts of Tacitus.

Boadicea Haranguing the Britons by John Opie

According to Roman historian Dio Cassius, her appearance was "terrifying."  She was tall, grim faced, piercing eyes and harsh voiced with strawberry blonde hair tumbling down to her hips. Boudicca  used the leaves of the plant woad to dye her body blue. You can always check out the statue of Boudicca on Westminster Bridge in London.

Boudicca wore around her neck was a large golden necklace, and she was habitually clad in a many coloured tunic and a thick cloak fastened by a broach.

She spoke a Celtic dialect whose closest surviving language today is Welsh. Once the Romans came her tribe adopted the Latin script.

Boudicca's husband was Prasutagus, King of Iceni, which is sort of modern day East Anglia. He died around AD60 at the hands of the Romans. He'd bequeathed his property jointly to his two daughters and the Roman emperor Nero.

In 60AD taxation was introduced to Britain with the legions of the Roman army, when slaves were subject to a 4% sales tax and there was a 1% tax on everything else. But corruption among the tax collectors of East Angela was one of the factors in prompting Boudicca to lead a revolution.

She inspired the whole of South East England to revolt against the Romans almost forcing them out of Britain. Boudicca led an attack on Colchester whilst taking advantage of the Roman governor Suetonius' absence in Anglesey where he was putting down a revolt. She murdered its Roman inhabitants and seized its imperial temple.

When news of the rebellion reached him, Suetonius hurried along Watling Street and gathered enough troops to engage and they encountered Boudicca and her unruly army somewhere on Watling Street. The battle was watched by a sizable crowd of British women, children and ineligible men. They witnessed a shattering defeat and 80,000 British warriors and spectators died, including Boudicca. The Romans despite their army being stretched trying to subdue the Druids only lost 400.

According to Tacitus, Boudicca and her daughters all poisoned themselves; Dio Cassius says she fell sick and died, and was given a lavish burial. In 1988 archaeologists claimed to have located her grave under platform 8 at Kings Cross Station.

Boudicca's fame took on legendary proportion in Victorian Britain, and Queen Victoria was seen as her "namesake".

If it wasn't for Boudicca, the then-capital of England, Colchester, might have remained so. However after the Warrior Queen sacked Colchester, the relatively new town of London became England's capital and it has never looked back since.

Bottle

BOTTLE HISTORY

Prehistoric Germans and Austrians made clay baby bottles in the shape of cute animals. These bottles have been found in the graves of infants, indicating an importance greater than simply function.

Though the Romans developed glass blowing and the possibility of manufacturing wine bottles,  the selling of wine in bottles was not popular. Because glass is hand blown, the bottles therefore varied greatly in size. Because of this rather than never knowing exactly how much wine they were getting, consumers preferred to bring in their own containers, into which a measured amount of wine was poured.

The first commercial product manufactured in the United States and exported to Europe was a glass bottle made in Jamestown in 1608.

The first glassworks to specialize in making wine bottles was set up in Bordeaux in 1723 by an Irishman. By the eighteenth century, the development of more efficient methods for stoppering wine combined with the use of glass bottles with small bottlenecks were making airtight wine storage possible, thus aiding the controlled ageing of wine. Previously for many centuries, bottles had been imperfectly closed by a wooden stopper, a piece of rag or by topping the liquid with olive oil.

A German immigrant, Caspar Wistar, pioneered America’s first large-scale production of bottles for beer and wine at his New Jersey plant in 1739. It was the earliest successful workers' co-operative venture in the colonies.

In 1875 An American, Hiram Cod, invented a gas-tight bottle that preserved the fizz in lemonade. He only manufactured non-alcoholic drinks so because "wallop" was at the time a slang term for beer, the phrase "Cod’s wallop" started being  used to describe drinks that do not contain alcohol.

Milk was delivered in glass bottles for the first time in 1878 - by one Alexander Campbell, in New York. Up to that time, moo juice had been ladled out of a container by the milkman, right into the customer’s own container.

Dan Rylands of Hope Glass Works in Barnsley, England, patented the screw bottle top  on August 10, 1889. It provided a simple and more secure alternative to cork stoppers and wax seals. They also prevented leakage and contamination. Surprisingly the first screw caps were initially used for whiskey.

A Baltimore machine shop operator, William Painter invented the crown cap on February 2, 1892. Tiny in design, the "Crown Cork Bottle Seal" completely revolutionized the soft drink industry by preventing the escape of carbon dioxide that creates the bubbles, from bottled beverages. The stoppers that had been used in glass bottles were generally made of cork, metal or porcelain, which had the disadvantage of making the drink toxic, and therefore undrinkable, should they make contact with the bottles' contents.

The original glass Coca-Cola bottles were inspired by an illustration of a cocoa bean, which has elongated shape and grooves.

The record for the oldest message in a bottle was held for a time by one dropped into the North Sea in 1906. The bottle floated around for 108 years and 138 days until it was found by Marrianne Winkler on an island off Germany in 2015 The message, on a postcard, asked the recipient to send it back stating where it was found.

Perth, Australia resident Tonya Illman found the world’s oldest message in a bottle in 2018 after deciding to pick up some rubbish while on a walk with her family along the beach. She, together with her son’s girlfriend, tipped out the sand that had become lodged inside the bottle, and uncovered a piece of paper dated June 12, 1886 making it nearly 132 years old.

Beer bottles are usually brown. A shortage of brown glass after World War II meant higher quality beer makers chose green to distinguish themselves from the companies using clear glass.

Orangina's bottle, shaped like an orange, with a glass texture designed to mimic the fruit, was introduced by soft drink manufacturer's founder Jean-Claude Beton in 1951.

In 1963, the chairman of Heineken, Alfred Heineken  created a beer bottle that could also function as a brick to build houses in impoverished countries after he took a trip to the island of Curacao in the Caribbean Sea and discovered that he could barely walk 15 feet on the beach without stepping on a littered Heineken bottle. Though the brick bottles never saw the market, in 1965 a prototype glass house was built near Alfred Heineken’s villa in Noordwijk, outside Amsterdam.

Richard Nixon once called in staff to help him open an allergy-pill bottle. It was the childproof type of bottle, with instructions saying "Press down while turning." The cap had teeth marks on it where Nixon had apparently tried to gnaw it open.

The United States government set a requirement in 1979 that all bottles be exactly 750ml as part of the push to become metric. The European Union encouraged at the same time wine manufacturers to adopt the same size, to enable a worldwide standardization.

FUN BOTTLE FACTS

More steel in the United States is used to make bottle caps than to manufacture automobile bodies.

No one knows why there is a 33 on a Rolling Rock bottle... the secret died with the original brewer.

Glass bottles make significantly better containers for carbonated beverages due to the fact that air can diffuse through plastic, allowing the CO2 to escape. Thus, carbonated beverages stored in plastic containers have a much shorter shelf life than their glass counterparts.

By recycling just one glass bottle, the amount of energy that is being saved is enough to light a 100 watt bulb for four hours.

The impossible-to-remove-cleanly foil seal on medication bottles was developed because someone poisoned seven people by adding cyanide to Tylenol bottles in Chicago drug stores in 1982.

The reason why medicine bottles are orange or light brown is because of its ability to prevent ultraviolet light from degrading the contents through photochemical reactions, while still letting enough visible light through the bottle for the contents to be seen.

The glass of a beer bottle is usually brown or if not green to block harmful UV sunlight, preserving the taste.

The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple in Thailand was constructed with 1 million recycled beer bottles.

A labeophilist is a person who collects beer bottles.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma, it is against the law to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer.

Burglars opened 1,200 bottles of beer in a store in Germany and stole the bottle caps in an attempt to win promotional prizes.

The expiration date on bottled water is for the bottle, not the water.

The indent on the bottom of wine bottle is called a punt.

The world record for the largest cellar by number of bottles is held by Mileștii Mici in Moldova. It has nearly 2 million bottles of wine stored in its tunnels, which stretch for over 55 kilometers (34 miles). 

Mileștii Mici was originally a limestone mine, but it was converted into a wine cellar in the late 1960s. The tunnels are located deep underground, where the temperature and humidity are ideal for storing wine. The cellar is divided into streets and avenues, and each bottle of wine is carefully labeled and cataloged.

The world record for carrying a milk bottle on your head is held by Ashrita Furman of the United States. He walked 80.95 miles (130.3 km) with a milk bottle balanced on his head in 23 hours and 35 minutes on April 22-23, 1998.

The world record for the most beer bottle caps removed with the teeth in one minute is 68 and was achieved by Murali K.C (India) at Country Club Mysore, in Bangalore, India, on September 17, 2011.

Source Greatfacts.com,Todayifoundout.com