Interesting Jewish Facts

Interesting Jewish Facts

Sep 20

Lillian Friedman married Cruz Rivera. They named their baby Geraldo Miguel Rivera (Funny, it doesn’t sound Jewish.) Since, according to Jewish Law, anyone born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, Geraldo Rivera is Jewish. As Were, among others: Fiorello Laguardia, Winston Churchill and Cary Grant, as Explained below. Fiorello Laguardia’s mother’s name was Jacobson. His father was not...

Some Interesting Jewish Trivia

Some Interesting Jewish Trivia

Sep 12

Some interesting facts – some you may already know but some were new to me. The Roosevelts were Dutch, arriving in NYC in 1682 (Originally name Claes Rosenvelt before name change to Nicholas Roosevelt) Sarah Delano, FDR’s mother, was descended from Sephardic Jews. Joseph Stalin was originally named Joseph David Djugashvili (translating into “son of a Jew.”) All 3 of the...

What does it mean to say “The Real McCoy”?

What does it mean to say “The Real McCoy”?

May 09

Obviously this is an expression that means the real thing, not a substitute.  But why does one call the real thing “The Real McCoy” There is not a clear single source for this expression.  While there are examples that date back to the early and mid 19th Century, I believe that its use in modern vernacular really doesn’t date back that far. The expression, “The real MacKay”, is a...

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Quick, name an Irish food favorite…

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Quick, name an Irish food favorite…

Mar 17

Today is St. Patrick’s Day.  Quick, name an Irish food favorite… You said Corned Beef and Cabbage, didn’t you?  Corned Beef and Cabbage is considered the quintessential Irish food.  But it isn’t exactly Irish in origin. When the Irish emigrated to the United States, like every other ethnic group to make that journey, they brought their favorite foods with them.  But what they brought...

Remembering Larry Hagman

Remembering Larry Hagman

Jan 02

A few weeks ago, on November 23rd of 2012, Larry Hagman died.  Unless you are of a “certain age”, or are one of the twelve people who started watching the resuscitated Dallas show on TNT, the name Larry Hagman probably means very little.  His mother, Mary Martin, even less (she was the original Peter Pan on TV in 1960).  But in the 1980s, Hagman, in his second successful TV show, was at...

QUICK, who was the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean?

QUICK, who was the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean?

Sep 26

              QUICK, who was the first to fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean? – – – – – – – – – WRONG! – I’m presuming that you answered Charles Lindbergh, Lucky Lindy.  This is the name associated as the Atlantic Ocean overflight record holder.  In fact, Lindbergh does hold an Atlantic Ocean...