Quote of the Week:
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” –Albert Einstein
Fact of the Week:
Credit for the invention of the rear view mirror goes to Ray Harroun, who won the first Indianapolis 500 on the same day he put his invention to use.
Back in the early 1900s, car racers had another person in their automobile to tell them the whereabouts of the other drivers. Harroun, however, had found inspiration from years earlier when he’d seen a horse-drawn buggy with a similar invention. He attached the mirror to his car, thus making him the lone one-man car in the field of 40 vehicles. Besides ditching the extra weight, Harroun also drove slow and steady, averaging 75 miles an hour over the nearly seven hour drive, preserving his tires and allowing him to snatch victory. But, did he really win?
Ray Harroun at the Indy 500. Via Automotive History
The inaugural Indianapolis 500 was not without controversy. Ralph Mulford led much of the race and believed he crossed the finish line first. His team then urged him to complete three extra “insurance laps,” a common theme of the time in case drivers accidentally miscounted their laps. Yet by the time Mulford got back to the finish line, someone else was there celebrating “victory”: Harroun.
Mulford and his team argued that they’d won, and the scorekeepers went back to check the books to see how many laps he’d driven. The problem was that around the 240 mile-mark, a nasty crash caused mass confusion, and nearly all the scorekeepers left their books to help with the clean up. During the ensuing investigation, everyone had different marks to when Harroun might have passed Mulford. Also, Jalopnik reports that “the race’s founder, Carl Fisher, reportedly wanted a Hoosier to win, preferably in a Marmon. Mulford drove a Lozier and hailed from Brooklyn, which may explain why his post-race protests fell on deaf ears.”
The results stayed the same and Harroun was crowned champion. His rear view mirror did not play an integral part, however, for he later admitted he couldn’t see a thing with it—it was shaking badly thanks to the 3.2 million freshly paved bricks on which they raced.
Jalopnik and The North American Motorsports Journal contributed to this article.
News Update:
Keyon Luff, 21. Via Daily Voice. Credit: BACKGROUND: MSU / MUGSHOT: ECSO
A second Montclair State University student was charged with child pornography offenses this week.
On the morning of May 3rd, state Division of Criminal Justice detectives raided the dorm of Keyon Luff, 21, and arrested him after finding that he not only possessed child pornography, but “created fictitious social media accounts to contact underage children and engage in sexually explicit conversations,” according to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin.
Then, on Monday, 21-year-old Keyon Luff was arrested on campus for allegedly possessing and creating child sexual abuse and exploitation material involving children he contacted online and sending 72 videos of child sexual abuse to other individuals.
“Lynch appeared in Newark federal court on Tuesday and was released on $100,000 unsecured bond, with home detention and electronic monitoring, the district attorney said. [He] could face up to 20 years behind bars if convicted,” according to New Jersey News 12.
“Luff remained held in the Essex County Jail on Monday, charged with first-degree child endangerment, along with lesser counts of sexual assault and false impersonation, among other offenses, records show,” Daily Voice reports.
New Jersey News 12 and Daily Voice contributed to this article.
Sports Update:
The Georgia Bulldogs football team, the 2023 FBS champions, declined an invitation to visit the White House next month.
The statement from the University of Georgia Athletic Association said, “Unfortunately, the date suggested is not feasible given the student-athlete calendar and time of year. However, we are appreciative of the invitation and look forward to other opportunities for Georgia teams moving forward.”
Georgia did not give specifics to their conflicting schedule. It is rare for the invitation date to be so long after the championship, as they have now begun summer workouts and 25 players have left from graduation or the transfer portal.
Georgia and Alabama, the last two champions, did not receive invitations to the White House due to Covid-19 reasons.
CNN contributed to this article.
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How do you make “seven” even without addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division?
110 years ago and their cars went faster than my car can go
You make a "7" by drawing a horizontal line across from left to right and then from the stopping point, draw a diagonal line down and back even with the start spot of the horizontal line...did I get this right? I want my prize!!!!