Julia child is an icon of modern life. She gleefully tossed potato pancakes in the air only to see them land on the stove instead of the pan, and made millions of us feel comfortable and adventurous in the kitchen. From a spoiled rich kid in Pasadena to a spy (not really, but the OSS was the predecessor to the CIA), to chef, author, television personality, even hosting chats on AOL. That anyone can cook with that much butter and cream and live as long as the irrepressible Julia Child is an inspiration - "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" has certainly been important in keeping me in perfect shape. If you believe that round is the perfect shape!
More than 400,000 traveled to Bethel, New York on this day in 1969 to attend a music festival named for a nearby town. Several million people now claim to have been there, it's possible that some who were there don't remember it.
1519 - Panama City was founded by Pedro Arias de Ávila on the site of an Indian fishing village, the first European City on the Pacific coast. Served as base for Pizaro's assault on the Incas, transhipment port for the gold he looted. The gold attracted pirates, when attacked by Henry Morgan in 1671 the governor torched the powder magazine and burned the whole city.
1534 - The Society of Jesus, generally known as the Jesuits, was founded by Ignatius of Loyola, 43. Created to foster reform within Catholicism, and to undertake education and missionary work, this colorful religious order was formally approved by Pope Paul III in 1540.
1914 - The Panama Canal was officially opened as an American ship passed from the Atlantic to Pacific. The canal comprised 50 miles of locks and channels, 5,609 construction workers died.
1935 - On a flight to the Orient by way of Alaska and Siberia, aviation pioneer Wiley Post and humorist Will Rogers died in a plane crash. After landing at Point Barrow, Alaska due to mechanical problems, Post made some repairs, but the plane only rose about fifty feet before plunging into icy water.
1969 - The Woodstock Music & Art Fair opens for three days on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York. Admission procedures broke down quickly, estimates are that over 400,000 attend the festival featuring Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Sly & the Family Stone, The Who, the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, Joe Cocker, Canned Heat, Crosby, Still Nash & Young & the Jefferson Airplane among others. Also featuring drug use, nudity, inadequate food and sanitation, three deaths and two births.
Independence Day, India - Celebrates the 1947 independence from Great Britain. The Indian Independence Act of 1947, passed on 18 July, created India and Pakistan effective on this day. Frequent occasion for violent demonstrations related to Kashmir and Sikh independence.
1912 - Julia Child, US chef - Born Julia McWilliams at Pasadena, California, mischievous youth included smoking father's cigars - he offered her a $1,000 bond to quit smoking until she was 21. Played on the basketball team, partied, and studied just enough to graduate from Smith College 1934, collected on the bond and started smoking two packs a day for thirty years. Served as a clerk with the Office of Strategic Services in Washington City, researcher and then administrator of OSS office in Ceylon, fell in with an OSS field agent and gourmand named Paul Child, both were assigned to Kunming, China, they married on return to the US. After World War II Julia left the OSS, Paul was assigned to the US Information Service at Paris late in 1948. Julia trained at Cordon Bleu, started her own cooking school "L'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes" with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle to teach French cooking to American wives in Paris, with them wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking in 1961. Returningto US, televised interview on WGBH Boston led to TV cooking show "The French Chef," followed (after 200 programs) with several other series ending with "Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home" with Jacques Pepin, first of a wide array of TV chefs. Popularized the "master recipe" in cookbooks, a base recipe with multiple uses. Co-founder of the American Institute of Wine and Food, published nine cookbooks, has a multimedia CD-ROM out.
Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there
must be a beverage.
- Woody Allen
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.
- Fran Lebowitz
Anyone who eats three meals a day should understand why cookbooks outsell
sex books three to one.
- L. M. Boyd
In heaven, the cooks are French, the lovers are Italian, the police are
English, and the whole thing is organized by the Germans. In hell the
cooks are English, the lovers are German, the police are French, and the
whole thing is organized by the Italians.
- Anonymous
I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food.
- Erma Louise Bombeck
Twisted History is sent daily, absolutely free, to our subscribers who understand that the events of the past centuries have shaped our lives today - and are probably less depressing than the events on today's TV news. Both an HTML version (which looks just like this) and a text version that is compatible with all mail clients are available.
Manage your subscription
Tell a friend
about Twisted History
Leave
Feedback
Copyright 2000 G. Armour Van Horn, all rights reserved. This document may be distributed freely. Please forward the complete message including this copyright notice.