Pharaoh RutinTutin

I never met Mr Karloff. I told his people that I would ONLY be a technical advisor and the meeting had to remain under wraps.

29 December 1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. The King had Becket appointed as Archbishop because the King thought Thomas Becket was his friend and would do as the King wished. Upon becoming Archbishop, Thomas Becket committed the unforgivable sin of thinking for himself. 1812 – USS Constitution, under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle. If the Captain says he's going out for Java, it may not be just a coffee break. 1835 – The Treaty of New Echota is signed, ceding all the lands of the Cherokee east of the Mississippi River to the United States. And what were the Cherokee promised in return? It really doesn't matter. 1851 – The first American YMCA opens in Boston, Massachusetts. Young man, there's a place you can go (in Boston) / I said, young man, when you're short on your dough / You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find / Many ways to have a good time 1860 – The launch of HMS Warrior, with her combination of screw propeller, iron hull and iron armour, renders all previous warships obsolete. Almost all. Bushnell's Turtle remained jus as effective as it ever was. 1997 – Hong Kong begins to kill all the city's 1.25 million chickens to stop the spread of a potentially deadly influenza strain. This much killing sounds like a military operation. Is General Tso still on active duty? If not, they may need to reactivate Colonel Sanders. 2003 – Maria Sergina, the last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct. Her last words were... a complete mystery. No one else was left who knew what she was saying. 2006 – UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt. Wait a minute. Nations can actually settle their national debts? Do you think this idea might catch on? 2016 – US President Barack Obama retaliates against Russia for hacking American computer systems and trying to influence the 2016 presidential election by ejecting 35 Russian spies and imposing sanctions. These sanctions would be lifted about a month later.

28 December 169 BC – The Menorah is lit to rededicate the Holy Temple of Jerusalem after two centuries of foreign rule and religious oppression and a seven-year revolt. The Menorah burns for eight days without the sufficient fuel needed to do so, birthing the holiday Hanukkah. Thank You Judas Maccabeus. Oy, if he could only see us... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LslsgH3-UFU 1065 – Westminster Abbey is consecrated in England. The first coronation would be celebrated there less than a year later. Too bad the King getting crowned would not be related to the King who had the place built. 1832 – John C. Calhoun becomes the first Vice President of the United States to resign. Can we teach other politicians how to do that? 1849 – M Jolly-Bellin discovers dry-cleaning. He accidentally upsets a lamp containing turpentine & oil on his clothing then sees a cleaning effect. Someone had to put the "DRY" into LAUNDRY. 1867 – United States claims Midway Atoll, the first territory annexed outside Continental limits. Manifest Destiny was supposed to justify expanding from Sea to Shining Sea. What is the explanation for taking something half way across said shining sea? 1895 – Wilhelm Röntgen publishes a paper detailing his discovery of a new type of radiation, which later will be known as x-rays. This was such a publicity stunt. If you looked closely you could see right through it. 1922 – Birth of Stan Lee, American publisher, producer, and actor. Just once more, everyone. EXCELSIOR! 1934 – The film "Bright Eyes" premieres starring Shirley Temple and featuring the song "On the Good Ship Lollipop". I have not yet found an online travel service that will book passage for me on that ship. 1973 – The Endangered Species Act is passed in the United States. Uryuoms are not listed as a protected species... 2008 – The Detroit Lions crash in a 31-21 loss to Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field; first team in NFL history to go winless in a 16-game season. Of all the records the Lions could have set, it had to be THIS one.

I suppose it is rather more difficult for you to have similar consultations with your patients.

27 December 537 – The construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is completed. One of the largest buildings in the world, and largest Cathedral for almost one thousand years, its eventual pillage and conversion at the hands of Latin and Islamic conquerors was practically assured. 1814 – Destruction of schooner Carolina, the last of Commodore Daniel Patterson's make-shift fleet that fought a series of delaying actions that contributed to Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans. The delaying actions were so effective that Jackson's victory occurred after the war was already over. 1831 – The HMS Beagle departs England for a survey of South America. On board was a young Naturalist, Charles Darwin. He might get a few papers based on this trip published. 1845 – Journalist John L. O'Sullivan, writing in his newspaper the New York Morning News, argues that the United States had the right to claim the entire Oregon Country "by the right of our manifest destiny". It's in the newspapers so it must be true. 1922 – Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō becomes the first purpose built aircraft carrier to be commissioned in the world. Airplanes on boats? The only real measure of Naval power is artillery on battleships. This is a mere novelty. 1927 – Kern and Hammerstein's musical play Show Boat, considered to be the first true American musical play, opens at the Ziegfeld Theatre on Broadway. So it's a play? And it has singing and dancing? But it's not an opera? 1929 – Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the "liquidation of the kulaks as a class". Because nothing will get the poorest of the peasants on the side of the revolution like humiliating and destroying the slightly wealthier peasants. 1947 – First "Howdy Doody Show" (Puppet Playhouse), telecast on NBC. The beginning of American culture. 1979 – The Soviet Union invades the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. The United States strongly objects... This will not end well. Or should I say well, this will not end. 1983 – Pope John Paul II visits Mehmet Ali Ağca in Rebibbia's prison and personally forgives him for the 1981 attack on him in St. Peter's Square. How many Hail Mary's did that take?

http://egscomics.com/egsnp/nanasecraft-29 Do we have enough cookies for everyone who predicted this?

We need significantly more context to make the identity of the characters significant.

26 December Boxing Day! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKQioyQDowU 1492 – With the flagship of his fleet having run aground on a sand bank and damaged beyond repair the previous day, the first Spanish settlement in the New World, La Navidad (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas) in Haiti, is founded by Christopher Columbus. 1776 – American Revolutionary War: In the Battle of Trenton, the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces. General Washington trusts you had a Merry Christmas and hopes you will be comfortable as war prisoners in the New Year. 1790 – Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution. Because forcing the Clergy to swear loyalty to the State above the Church will certainly stop the revolutionary forces trying to destroy the Royalty... 1792 – Trial of French King Louis XVI. The court hears the kings defense brought by Raymond Desèze. Ok, new plan Monsieur XVI. Sit down and shut up. There is obviously nothing you can do at this point to sway the forces at the head of the revolution. And you can probably guess what the forces of the revolution will do to your head. 1860 – The first ever inter-club English association football match takes place between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England. So instead of competing against the other players with whom we practice every day, we can put a team of our best players up against a team of the best players from other clubs? 1861 – American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom. Don't even try out bully Britain on matters of diplomacy. 1862 – Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship. Four women working on a Naval vessel and it didn't sink immediately? We may need to rethink long established Naval doctrine. 1871 – Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years. No worries, they will eventually bring us that infernal nonsense, "Pinafore". 1898 – Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium. Too bad it took them longer to realize the need to keep radioactive materials isolated. 1919 – The contract for Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee, allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition. The "superstition" seems to suggest that if you give up the rights to the best player in the game, you deserve to lose. 1941 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Although some states would insist on observing the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving for some time afterward. Texas in 1956 would be the last state to observe Thanksgiving on a date different than the rest of the US government. 1963 – The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level. Human civilization has come to an end. Also, 26 December is the Feast of St Stephen. The date which in 1853, English hymnwriter John Mason Neale would set an apocryphal tale about a Bohemian Duke to a 13th century Nordic Spring-Carol, "Tempus Adest Floridum" ("The time is near for flowering"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv8PgukSLX0 Like St Stephen, Neale may have been stoned.

I thought I was aware of the dangers of invasive species. Like Rabbits in Australia, Zebra Muscles in the Great Lakes, or McDonald's in Europe. But recent strips in Mark Stanley's "Freefall" made me realize that I have not been worried about enough. Ducks. Who knew?

For more information regarding the inability of Immortals to cope with immortality, please refer to the legend of Wowbagger The Infinitely Prolonged. Or just ask him about it when he shows up to insult you.

But does she weigh the same as a Duck?

Edam, that was a gouda one.

Pretty good. But you missed some important events over the last two days. 1966 - A displaced Pharaoh reestablishes his royal presence in rural Michigan. He would later relocate to Florida where the Manatees greet his reign with respectful indifference. 1818 - A flood had damaged the organ of the St. Nikola parish church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria. Father Joseph Mohr, a young priest, gave a poem he wrote to a local schoolmaster and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Mohr asked Herr Gruber to arrange it for guitar... OK, if you aren't already familiar with this story you probably aren't interested in Christmas Music in general. This particular tale is told only slightly less often than the one about what happened when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Suffice to say that "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht" (in English "Silent Night") was performed publicly for the first time two hundred years ago today.

WHO? The World Health Organization? Why would they be operating Dungeons?

22 December 1807 – The Embargo Act, forbidding trade with all foreign countries, is passed by the U.S. Congress, at the urging of President Thomas Jefferson. France and Britain are fighting. Again. So to make sure the US doesn't look like we are taking sides, Jefferson declares that we won't trade with anyone. This will certainly hurt France and Britain far more than it hurts America. 1808 – Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano). The only thing missing was Lucy fawning over Schroder at his toy piano and Chuck Berry performing Roll Over Beethoven. 1891 – Asteroid 323 Brucia becomes the first asteroid discovered using photography. I KNEW those Asteroids were taking pictures of us. And they tried to tell me only humans could use photography. 1910 – US postal savings stamps 1st issued. That's right, the big banks effectively refused to accommodate small savers and investors, so individuals putting away money a little at a time had to deal with very small banks, or the Post Office. And a lot of Americans preferred the Post Office. 1932 – "The Mummy" directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff is released in the US - 1st Mummy horror film. A cinematic masterpiece and a perennial family favourite. 1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjDEsGZLbio 1944 – World War II: Battle of the Bulge: German troops demand the surrender of United States troops at Bastogne, Belgium, prompting the famous one word reply by General Anthony McAuliffe: "Nuts!" A speech that will live forever in the history of American rhetoric. Right along side Lincoln at Gettysburg, FDR's "Fear Itself", and Clinton's "It depends on what your definition of 'Is' is." 1958 – "Chipmunk Song" reaches #1. So is this what happens when you give a songwriting comedian a variable speed tape player?

If there is something you vaguely remember from years past, there is a decent chance that it can be found on the internet

21 December 1582 - Ever get so frustrated with Christmas that you want to skip it? Flanders adopts Gregorian calendar, tomorrow is Jan 1 1583 1849 - First US skating club formed in Philadelphia. The club used against Nancy Kerrigan was in Detroit. 1866 - Fetterman Massacre: Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians kill all 81 US Army soldiers in the worst military disaster ever suffered by the U.S. Army on the Great Plains. Never heard of this battle? Well, about ten years later, a bigger "worst military disaster" would be led by George Armstrong Custer. 1872 - According to Jules Verne, this is when Phileas Fogg completed his round the world trip in 80 days, in "Around the World in Eighty Days". 1891 - First game of basketball, based on rules created by James Naismith, played by 18 students in Springfield, Massachusetts. No dribbling, dunking, three-pointers, shot clock, or players of color. 1913 – Arthur Wynne's "word-cross", the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World. Thirty two clues leading to a world wide obsession. 1914 – First feature-length silent film comedy "Tillie's Punctured Romance" released starring Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand and Charlie Chaplin. Comedy in movies? This will never catch on. 1933 – Fox Films signs Shirley Temple aged 5, to a studio contract. Pretty girls in movies? This will never catch on. 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premieres at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Animation in movies? This will never catch on. 1968 – Apollo program: Apollo 8 is launched from the Kennedy Space Center, placing its crew on a lunar trajectory for the first visit to another celestial body by humans. Bear in mind that the most famous image of the mission, Earthrise, was an illusion. A result of the spacecraft being in motion around the Moon. From the Lunar surface, the Earth appears to remain at the same point in the sky at all times. 1970 – Elvis Presley meets US President Richard Nixon in the White House - the image of this meeting is the most requested photo from the entire National Archives. Prominent figures of the 50s who faded somewhat but came back in the 60s only to become national embarrassments in the 70s. 21 December is normally the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, south of the Arctic Circle. It is the traditional feast day of St Thomas The Apostle, aka Thomas the Doubter. Combining the long night with the remembrance of the Apostle who doubted the Resurrection, some Christian congregations observe the night of 21 December as "Blue Christmas". A service, not for the departed, but for those who have lost someone in the previous year.

Only once per month? I had not thought about that. But now that I have read it, it seems so obvious.

Yes

It has long been an occasional plotline in Superman stories about how his X-Ray Vision, hearing, or other super senses can become so overwhelming to him that he is effectively immobilized. Grace has super senses of her own, but because she has a way of turning them off entirely by retracting the antennae, she has not learned how to ignore the background noise.

19 December 1686 – According to Daniel Defoe, this was the date Robinson Crusoe left his island after 28 years. Because everyone wants to leave the tropics and return to Britain in December. 1732 – Benjamin Franklin under the name Richard Saunders begins publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack". As the publisher, Franklin can take all the credit if the people like the almanack. And if it is not well received, he can blame the whole thing on "Poor Richard". 1776 – Although the exact date is disputed, around this time Thomas Paine publishes his first "American Crisis" essay beginning "These are the times that try men's souls". If he's writing about time, couldn't he be a little more specific about the date? 1777 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. A forge is hot. Right? This should be a nice warm place for the Army to spend the winter. 1842 – US recognizes independence of Hawaii. This does not necessarily mean that the US would always regard Hawaii as independent. 1843 – God bless us, every one! "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens is published, but only 6,000 copies are sold. Bah, humbug! 1932 – London Calling. The BBC Empire Service, today the BBC World Service, begins broadcasting. Before we continue, please listen to some personal messages. Jean has a long moustache. The kennel is cold. Ivy eats little lambs. Little sister is lost in the woods. Don't buy the liverwurst. Brother John are you sleeping? The Pharaoh is in denial. 1972 – Apollo program: The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, crewed by Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt, returns to Earth. Are those annoying astronauts gone? Life can get back to normal for the Moon Men. 1983 – The original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Trophy, is stolen from the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A little less than eight kilograms of gold plated sterling silver on a lapis lazuli base. The scrap value of the trophy is sure to offset the risk of what would happen to the thieves if they were ever caught by angry soccer fans. 1984 – The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong and the United Kingdom would restore Hong Kong to China with effect from July 1, 1997 is signed in Beijing, China by Deng Xiaoping and Margaret Thatcher. By the end of the Twentieth Century, Britain had accepted that their dominions and colonies might become independent nations. But the thought of turning over a British colony to another country just isn't Cricket.

So as of the mugger incident, Grace had only used her telekinetic abilities on objects (other than herself) in moments of great emotional duress? It may be possible to imagine that the government scientists raising Shade Tail knew of her telekinesis, but some how managed to convince her that she wasn't as powerful or as accurate with that ability as they actually knew she was (or could be) in an attempt to keep her "under control" until they were convinced she really was the weapon they wanted.

18 December 218 BC – Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia: Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic. Yes, the defeat was quite humiliating for Rome. However, Hannibal did not defeat all of Rome's legions, capture or destroy the city of Rome, or establish a colony for Carthage in Italy. Rome will not make the same mistakes when they go to Carthage in the future. 1271 – Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan" (元 yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan dynasty of Mongolia and China. And I thought Kublai Khan ruled a place called Xanadu. Is it possible that the drug fevered dreams of English romantic poets shouldn't be my primary source for history? 1655 – The Whitehall Conference ends with the determination that there was no law preventing Jews from re-entering England after the Edict of Expulsion of 1290. For future reference, if you tell someone to leave you also need to tell them to not return. 1833 – The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", is first performed. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky would quote this work to represent the struggle of the Russian defenders of Moscow in the 1812 Overture, even though this anthem was written twenty one years after that battle. Keep a few of those cannons loaded and pointed at the critics. No one will complain. 1892 – Premiere performance of The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик, Балет-феерия) in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The libretto was adapted from a story by Alexandre Dumas, which itself was adapted from a story by E. T. A. Hoffmann. This performance was not well received. This ballet and its score would forever be an obscure footnote. 1917 – The resolution containing the language of the Eighteenth Amendment to enact Prohibition is passed by the United States Congress. Certainly nothing could go wrong with this. 1966 – Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" airs for 1st time on CBS. This was narrated by Boris Karloff in one of the best performances of his later years. Thurl Ravenscroft singing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" remained uncredited, even though his performance was gr-r-reat!

Isn't Grace supposed to do a quick-change for each die that lands randomly in the shop?

17 December 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome. Masters served their slaves. Gifts, usually small or humorous, were exchanged. Public gambling was permitted. And a sober person in Rome was the exception rather than the rule. 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Byzantine garrison. If you underpay your guards while everyone they are supposed to be guarding is partying, some of them just might take that bribe. 1526 – Pope Clemens VII publishes degree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition. I didn't expect this. 1538 – Pope Paul Excommunicates Henry VIII of England. Or as Mr VIII calls it, Tuesday. 1790 – The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City. This is actually the second time Europeans have discovered the stone. The first time it was buried next to the Cathedral hoping that people would forget it was there. Later, American troops would use it for target practice. So not particularly fond of preserving pre-Christian art in the New World? 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System. France can't fight Britain, so instead it won't permit anyone in Europe to do business with Britain. This ends up hurting the rest of Europe a lot more than Britain, eventually leading to the rest of Europe rejecting Napoleon's authority. So blockades and embargos may hurt you and your allies more than the intended target. I'm sure politicians will bear this in mind well into the future. 1862 – American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. It seems the General may have overstepped his authority. 1865 – First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert. The elusive end to that Symphony would eventually be found. 1903 – The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. And they still have not found my luggage. 1936 – Birth of Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires. He earns a degree in Chemistry and loses half a lung before taking a job with a religious group. Eventually, he is transferred to Rome where he works under the name Francis. 1957 – The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Cape Canaveral is on our side. Usually, at least. Why is the government launching ICBMs at it? 1969 – Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs. Out of over 12,000 investigations, only 701 (less than 6%) can not be explained. And none of them suggest a level of science or technology unknown to the Air Force, or an extraterrestrial origin. Of course, that is the OFFICIAL opinion... 1989 – The Simpsons first premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". George H W Bush was President. The Berlin Wall was down. And Tracy Ulman was trying to convince anyone in television that her style of comedy could be accepted as funny without cartoon shorts between the sketches.