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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

December 27, 2012: Sweet Ada-liiiiiiiiiiiiinnneeeeee...


The lazy days of Christmas vacation, too bad they’re about six days fewer than usual. It’s okay, we’re enjoying what we’ve got and, being schoolteachers and students, we get more time off at Christmas than most. Enjoy what you time you have with your family and if Christmas is already over, I hope that you have some time together for New Year’s Day.

And now, as crazy and crowded as it gets this time of year, your WDW excuses…

December 27, 1903, “Sweet Adeline,” is first published and sung. Harry Armstrong had the tune since 1896 and Richard H. Gerard wrote the lyrics. Originally titled “You’re the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Rosalie,” no one was interested in publishing the song but after seeing a poster advertising the farewell tour of opera singer Adelina Patti, the song was retitled and picked up. “Sweet Adeline” became a hit in 1904 when performed by The Quaker City Four. The song has become a standard for barbershop quartets everywhere.

You can probably see where this is going… to the Magic Kingdom, to check out the Dapper Dans. But, in a “did you know?” moment: “Sweet Adeline” was used in Broadway Folly, a 1930 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon (after Walt lost the rights) and Mickey sings the song to Minnie in the 1929 cartoon, The Karnival Kid. Cool!



I’m a science teacher, which means I am a bit of a geek. So, from time to time I will give you a geeky excuse for visiting Walt Disney World. Today’s geeky excuse is, Louis Pasteur’s birthday (1822). If you were at WDW during the Food and Wine Festival, you should thank Louis Pasteur, if you have a glass of milk at breakfast, thank Louis Pasteur, and if you enjoy a nice, cool draught of beer, thank Louis Pasteur. Pasteurization makes all of this possible. Pasteur’s development of germ theory, led to vaccines for: chicken cholera, anthrax, cholera, tuberculosis and smallpox. In 1885, Pasteur vaccinated a 9-year-old boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog, the boy recovered and Pasteur’s fame increased exponentially.

Let’s just say this, if you’re alive today, it is possible that you live because of Pasteur’s contributions to the preparation and preservation of food or his contributions to medicine. So let’s go to EPCOT and explore the future of medicine in the post show attraction attached to Spaceship Earth.



Remember, your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.


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