Colonel Sanders Shot A Guy
- Humpday
- Mar 19, 2019
- 6 min read
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Technology
Sometimes you get a craving for a snack and you are lucky enough to have a few bucks in your wallet so, you stop by a vending machine and pick up something to hold you over. You’d think a machine that supplies you with food at the push of a button would be a modern invention but, the vending machine is actually over 2000 years old.
Ancient Greeks around the year 10 A.D. invented the first coin operated vending machine to dispense holy water in their temples. Customers could drop a coin in the top of the machine and a small, measured amount of holy water would be dispensed immediately.
The machine looked very similar to the Gatorade jugs that you see on the sidelines of football games with a large tank a spout at the bottom. When the coin was dropped in the top, it would land on a plate inside the tank that would be lowered by the weight of the coin, opening the valve that dispensed the holy water. Eventually the coin would fall off the plate and into the tank, closing the valve and stopping the flow of holy water.
Luckily, the ancient Greeks insisted on charging people for holy water because without them, we may not have the technology to get a bag of Doritos in the break room at work.
Fast Food
We all know the smiling face on every bucket of KFC chicken, Colonel Sanders. But have you ever wondered how he got the title of Colonel? Well, the story of Harlon Sanders’ rise to fried chicken dominance is a bizarre and fascinating one.
Harlon grew up poor in Kentucky where he learned to cook from members of his family. By age 10 he started work as a farm hand and would go on to have several odd jobs throughout his teenage years. At age 16, Harlon forged documents to enlist in the army. Logically, you would think that Harlon had a long and successful military career that eventually earned him the rank of Colonel but, in fact, he only lasted 3 months in the army before being sent home.
Harlon Sanders had a hard life after the army, working dozens of different jobs that all lasted just a few months. In the 1930’s the great depression made survival even more difficult and destroyed the one stable job that he had ever had as a gas station attendant. At age 40, Sanders finally got his big break running a gas station in Kentucky.
His gas station was successful as cars became more popular in America. Harlon was proud of the small business that he built. So proud, that when the clerk of a rival gas station challenged him, he got into a gun fight with the man and eventually ended up killing him. Yup, good old colonel sanders shot a guy in a gangster style gas station turf war.
Eventually, Sanders began selling food to customers at his gas station and he found that people really liked his fried chicken recipe. He opened a restaurant next to his gas station and began selling fried chicken to hundreds of people a day, eventually earning the respect of the Kentucky Governor.
The Governor decided that Harlon deserved the honor of being named a Kentucky Colonel. The title of Kentucky Colonel is an honorary title given out by the Commonwealth of Kentucky that recognizes Kentucky citizens for their great contributions to Kentucky culture. Since the governor was a recurring customer, Harlon Sanders was given the title of Colonel for his contributions to Kentucky cuisine. Other famous people who have received the honor include Muhammad Ali and Betty White. Most people don’t use the title of Colonel, but Harlon Sanders was proud of his award and used it for the rest of his life.
Next time you order a 10-piece bucket and see Colonel Sanders smiling at you from the side of the packaging, just remember that he was a man who fought through hard times and finally found success at ripe old age of 65. Also remember that Colonel Sanders totally shot a guy to death.
Art
The Mona Lisa is widely considered to be the most famous painting in the world. Her coy smile and mesmerizing gaze has fascinated people for centuries. For 500 years, art historians have studied the painting to decode the meaning behind Mona’s mysterious smile. Theories have emerged claiming that Mona Lisa is pregnant in the painting or that she suffered from high cholesterol (people don’t seem to get that it’s just a painting). Although, many casual art fans who have seen the famous painting in person have been underwhelmed with the small, subdued portrait of an unknown woman, causing many to wonder, “why is the Mona Lisa so famous”?
The painting was completed in 1519 and was originally part of the private gallery of Francis I, King of France, where it stayed before it was smuggled out of the French palace during the French revolution. For a time, the painting was kept over Napoleon’s bed before eventually being moved to the famous Parisian art museum, the Louvre. Mona sat in the Louvre for over 100 years without much fanfare or renown. The painting was known as one of Davinci’s best, but it wasn’t nearly as famous as it is today.
It wasn’t until 1911 when the painting was stolen off the wall in the Louvre that the Mona Lisa became the art icon that it is today. A man named Vincenzo Peruggia, who was an employee of the Louvre, stayed late after work one day and simply took the Mona Lisa off the wall. He simply took the painting out of its frame and hid it under his trench coat as he walked out of the building unnoticed. Worst of all, officials at the Louvre went 2 whole days before realizing that the painting was missing. Apparently they failed to notice the blank space on the wall where a masterpiece used to hang.
Once the media heard that the painting was missing they began building up the legend of the Mona Lisa, saying that it was the most amazing painting in the world and that the daring art thief ran off with a one of a kind masterpiece. Because there were no photographs of the painting, most people reading the news didn’t know what the painting looked like and just took the media’s word that it was an amazing portrait. The buzz over the missing painting was so strong that people lined up just to see the empty spot on the wall where the Mona Lisa used to hang.
The search for the Mona Lisa lasted 2 years until Vincenzo Peruggia tried to pawn it for cash in Italy. Once the painting was found and returned to Paris, it became the main attraction at the Louvre and today 80% of all visitors to the museum come just to see the painting.
The Mona Lisa is a mysterious work of art that portrays a sneaky looking, possibly pregnant woman with high cholesterol but, due to its two-year disappearance, it is seen as one of the greatest paintings ever put on canvas.
HumpDay Healthy Helpings
Meatloaf may get a bad wrap in TV and movies but for those in the know, it is delicious. Try this healthy version of Momma's classic dish.
Calories Per Serving: 377 I Servings: 4 I Cook Time: 1 Hour
This Week in History
On this week in 1931, the state of Nevada was in the grips of the devastation caused by the great depression. In an effort to spur the economy of the state, Nevada approved a new law that would legalize gambling state wide. Since then, Las Vegas has become the most popular gambling destination in the world and the hospitality industry has flourished in the cities hotels, restaurants and night clubs. This week is effectively the 88th birthday of the Sin City, Las Vegas.
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