Like most things, we Americans romanticize a day which probably wasn’t all that enjoyable for many at the table that day, but at least with Thanksgiving, we have turned the holiday into one with a positive message: give thanks for what you have.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Read on:

Scholastic.com – Thanksgiving Slideshow

CSMonitor.com – The first Thanksgiving

Buckles in 1917

Today’s Dinner Topic probably isn’t one you’re already hearing about because it’s hardly front page news, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an important AND interesting topic.  This past Sunday, the last survivor of World War I died at the amazing age of 110.

The last of the World War I doughboys, Frank W. Buckles lived his life in West Virginia many decades after driving an Army ambulance in France in 1918.¹  Regardless of one’s feelings about war and politics, Buckles was the last human historical connection for America and World War I.  If nothing else, the death of Mr. Buckles gives everyone a reason to revisit a little history and he now provides us with an interesting fact to tell our friends and family.

Speaking of interesting facts, the term “doughboy” is often used to describe military personnel, primarily infantry in World War I, but few people are aware of the term’s origins.  That’s because, despite many theories, the origination of “doughboy” can’t be proven. It’s simply a term that stuck with the American public until terms like G.I. took over in World War II.  Here’s what is known:

• The term was used as far back as the Mexican-American War in 1846-47.
• Some theories involve the Army’s cooking of its rations (doughy rice, etc.), the large round buttons on the uniforms, and the uniform’s “doughie” appearance when a button uniform polish called pipe clay got wet and muddy.

According to WorldWar1.com, the most sensible theory is the simplest: when the infantry trudged through the deserts of northern Mexico, they stirred up plenty of dust and clay, resulting in a powdery, dusty appearance after days in the Mexican desert.  Hence, the look could be considered a “doughboy” like appearance.  This was known as the Adobe Theory.²

There is no hard and fast proof for any of the theories above, so feel free to form your own opinion, and at least now when someone asks “What does ‘doughboy’ mean?,” you can give them several possibilities and bring up Buckles as well!

Read on:

NYTimes.com – Frank Buckles, Last World War I Doughboy, Is Dead at 110

FrankBuckles.org

Wikipedia – Doughboy

The truth is that Benjamin Franklin did NOT propose Daylight Saving Time but rather spoke of similar scenarios in jest in a satirical essay he wrote when he was 78 called An Economical Project.¹  Franklin jokingly suggested changing time schedules so he wouldn’t have to be woken up by daylight.  The essay eventually led to some real discussions, so while Franklin may have inspired the idea, crediting him with “inventing” Daylight Saving Time is a stretch.

Officially, it’s hard to pin down who first proposed the idea.  Some stick to Franklin, others attribute George Vernon Hudson from New Zealand, while many credit London builder William Willett.  While Franklin is credited with many things over his lifetime, I’m giving the nod to Hudson.  TimeAndDate.com offered up this perfect summary of the origin debate:

“Although many believe that Benjamin Franklin invented DST, some say that modern DST was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand. Hudson presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society that proposed a two-hour shift forward in October and a two-hour shift back in March. He followed up his proposal with an article in 1898, and although there was interest in the idea, it was never followed through.”²

Read on:

TimeAndDate.com – What is Daylight Saving Time?

The truth?  While Qantas has had near misses and emergency landings, it is true that the airline has never had a fatal accident since it began flying major commercial aircrafts. However, when Qantas was involved with the military forces and flying small planes, there were several fatal incidents, the last one occurring in 1951 when an engine propeller failed, causing the plane to crash and killing the seven people aboard the plane.²

So… the official answer to the age old statement is both true and false.  Qantas has had fatalities, but not in the modern sense of aircrafts to which we have become accustomed.

Read on:

Reuters.com – Factbox – Qantas, an airline that has never had fatal accident

Yahoo! News – Qantas jumbo makes emergency landing in Singapore

(image above from Wikimedia Commons)

Often referred to but only listened to by a passionate minority¹ of the radio listening public, NPR is short for National Public Radio, and it is likely on the airwaves where you live.  Boasting about 900 stations, NPR is syndicated throughout the United States and beyond.  The intent is to provide independent, unbiased coverage of the news, which is why Williams’ comments were considered a big deal by NPR’s CEO.  Coverage is preferred over opinion at NPR.

Public radio has been around for most of the 20th century, but NPR first became incorporated in 1970 and the weekly newscast known as All Things Considered began in 1971 and continues today.  NPR’s first foray into news reporting?  The Senate hearings for the Vietnam War.²

Read on:

NPR.org

(image above taken from: MusicQuestOne.com)

COMPULSORY CREDIT: UPPA/Photoshot

It’s the weekend – what better time for a frosty cold one, and what better time of year to enjoy that cold one than during Oktoberfest?  Today’s Dinner Topic tells you everything you want to know about Oktoberfest, including the age old question: why is Oktoberfest in September?

Oktoberfest as defined by:

Encyclopedia Britannica
(n.) – Annual festival in Munich, Germany, held over a two-week period and ending on the first Sunday in October. ¹

The Free Dictionary Online
(n.) – An autumn festival that usually emphasizes merrymaking and the consumption of beer.

Once upon a time (200 years ago), in a land far away (Bavaria), a prince and princess got married and had a royal, 5-day celebration.  Little did Prince Ludwig (who later became King Louis I) and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen know their anniversary party would become the largest festival in the world, ² drawing 6 million visitors each year and estimated to bring in one billion Euros ($1.3 billion USD) in revenues by its conclusion in a few weeks (approx 2% of Munich’s GDP). ³

Although Oktoberfest originated on Oct 12, 1810, this 200th anniversary only marks the 177th festival, since it wasn’t held during the World Wars and cholera outbreak. ⁴

To have  enough beer to fill +6 million 1-liter steins, no wonder Oktoberfest accounts for almost 30% of Munich’s yearly beer production.  With over 1,300 breweries, Germany has more than any other country.⁵ However, in terms of global market volume–Germany occupies the 5th place spot behind China, US, Brazil, and Russia. ⁶

So why does Oktoberfest start in September anyway? Some say it was to enjoy the better weather, but there’s another very practical reason to consider.  In the days before refrigeration, they stopped making beer around March before it got warm.  By the time September rolled around, the locals needed to “drink up the old stocks of beer to make room for the new brew that would be made after harvest.”⁷

Just how far back does beer go? “Beer is one of the world’s oldest beverages, with the history of beer dating back to the 6th millennium BC, and being recorded in the written history of Ancient Iraq.  The earliest Sumerian writings contain references to beer.” ⁸

To learn more about Oktoberfest:

Oktoberfest.de – FAQs

Ramadan is a 30-day period of fasting for Muslims.  They abstain from eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset.  The reason is similar to fasting during Lent or Yom Kippur: to bring themselves closer to Allah by getting rid of less important things and focusing on more important things like reading the Quran.  The only times to eat are in the early morning and at night.  Young children and people who might be negatively affected by not eating are exempt from fasting.

Tradition states that Ramadan was when Muhammad the prophet received the first texts from the Quran, a very momentous event for Islam.  It also marks the anniversary of the Battle of Badr, a decisive victory for the Muslims against the idol-worshippers.

The day after Ramadan is Eid ul-Fitr. The holiday celebrates the end of the fasting period by eating a good meal and wearing new clothes. For 2010, Ramadan starts on August 11, and Eid ul-Fitr is on September 10.  Each year the month moves forward eleven or twelve days because the Islamic calendar is that much shorter. So in 2011, Ramadan will start on August 1.

So there you have it: a history lesson and a cultural experience all rolled into one post.  And maybe next year the holiday will show up on more and more calendars.

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Read on:

Funmuch.com – Ramadan

BBC – An Idiot’s Guide to Ramadan

Ramadan Awareness Campaign – Ramadan FAQ