DJ Allyn - A Soundtrack for my Life

Here is an incomplete list of things that are younger than Senator and Presidential Hopeful, John McCain. Gleefully “borrowed” from the Things Younger Than McCain website.  If you want more, run on over there.

1. Penicillin is younger than John McCain.
   
2. The Minimum Wage is younger the John McCain.
   (While there had been some legislative efforts to create a minimum wage, they were all vetoed.  In 1938 a federal minimum wage was re-established by the Fair Labor Standards Act.)
3. The Lincoln Tunnel is younger than John McCain.
4. War of the Worlds is younger than John McCain.
5. 49 of our 50 Governors are younger than John McCain.
   (Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware is the exception)
6. Scrabble is younger than John McCain.
7. The Area Code is younger than John McCain.
8. Baskin Robbins is younger than John McCain.
9. The TV Dinner is younger than John McCain.
10. The Chocolate Chip Cookie is younger than John McCain.
    (The Chocolate Chip Cookie was invented in 1937 by Ruth Graves Wakefield of Whitman Massachusetts, who ran the Toll House Restaurant)
11. The Cobb Salad is younger than John McCain
    (Created in 1937 by the Brown Derby owner Bob Cobb)
12. Nachos is younger than John McCain.
    (Nachos started out as an hors d’oeuvre in a Mexican restuarant in the small town of Piedras Neigras, Mexico in 1943.  Ignacio Anaya whose nickname — “Nacho” — became the household word for this apetizer)
13. Krispy Kreme Donuts is younger than John McCain
    (Founded in 1937)
14. Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is younger than John McCain
    (it has been “The Cheesiest” since 1937)
15. The Shopping Cart is younger than John McCain.
    (The first shopping cart was introduced on June 4, 1937, the invention of Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Piggly-Wiggly supermarket chain in Oklahoma City.)
16. Nylon is younger than John McCain.
    (While first produced in 1935, the first nylon product sold commercially was a nylon-bristled toothbrush in 1938, followed by “nylons” stockings in 1940.)
17. The Grapes of Wrath is younger than John McCain.
    (John Steinbeck published this classic in 1939)
18. The Marijuana Tax Act is younger than John McCain
    (While marijuana has been around forever, and even our Constitution is written on paper made from hemp, — and yes, the Constitution IS older than John McCain — the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 levied a tax of $1 on anyone who dealt in cannabis or hemp.)
19. Velcro is younger than John McCain.
    (Invented in 1941 by  Swiss engineer, George de Mestral after a hunting trip with his dog in the Alps.  He took a close look at the burrs (seeds) of burdock that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog’s fur. He examined them under a microscope, and noted their hundreds of “hooks” that caught on anything with a loop, such as clothing, animal fur, or hair. He saw the possibility of binding two materials reversibly in a simple fashion, if he could figure out how to duplicate the hooks and loops.)
20. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are younger than John McCain.
    (This was the first full-length animated feature produced by Walt Disney in 1937)
21. The ZIP code is younger than John McCain.
    (More technically, McCain is older than the Postal Code that preceded the ZIP Code.  The United States Post Office implemented “postal zones” for large cities in 1943. These were two-digit numbers that corresponded to that particular zone the address was located in.  The five-digit ZIP code (Zone Improvement Plan) was implemented on a non-manditory basis in 1963 and became manditory in 1967.)
22. Duct tape is younger than John McCain.
    (Originally developed during World War II in 1942 as a waterresistant sealing tape for ammunition cases.  After the WWII, the housing industry boomed and people started using duct tape for many other purposes. The name “duct tape” came from its use on heating and air conditioning ducts, a purpose for which it, ironically, has been deemed ineffective. Its strength, low cost, and remarkable versatility make it a household staple throughout North America for temporary repairs and general-purpose use — including, apparently, protection from terrorist attacks.
23. Ninety-one percent of you are younger than John McCain.
    (According to Census Department estimates for July 1st, 2007, there are 301,621,157 people currently living in the United States - and 274,485,639 (or 91%) of them are younger than 70.)
24. Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous are younger than John McCain.
    (The AA “Big Book” was first published in 1938)
25. The first TV commercial is younger than John McCain.
    (A twenty-second spot that appeared on WNBC before a Brooklyn Dodgers game in 1941)
26. Cheerios are younger than John McCain.
    (General Mills created this breakfast cereal in 1941.)
27. LSD is younger than John McCain
    (Lysergic acid diethylamide , LSD, LSD-25, or acid was first synthesized on November 16, 1938 by a Swiss chemist named Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.)
28. The Golden Gate Bridge is younger than John McCain.
    (Completed in 1937, and is the second longest suspension bridge main span in the US.)
29. Scientology is younger than John McCain.
    (L. Ron Hubbard established the Church of Scientology in 1953.  People like Tom Cruise made it even crazier)
30. The Slinky is younger than John McCain.
    (In 1943, Richard James, his assistant Coleman Barber, a US marine engineer stationed at the Cramp shipyards in Philadelphia, and half brother Dylan Gedig, a Canadian engineer, observed a torsion spring fall off a table and roll around on the deck. He told his wife: “I think there could be a toy in this.”  During the Vietnam War, Slinkys were also used as mobile radio antennas.)
31. Spam is younger than John McCain.
    (The meat byproduct which contains “Something Posing As Meat”, was first introduced as “Spam” in 1937. It had been sold as Hormel Spiced Ham prior to that but never really caught on.)
32. The State of Alaska is younger than John McCain.
    (Okay, I am older than the State of Alaska, which became a state on January 3, 1959)
33. The State of Hawaii is younger than John McCain
    (Again, I am also older than the 50th state.  Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959)
34. Plutonium is younger than John McCain.
    (Without Plutonium, Homer Simpson wouldn’t have a job.  It was first produced and isolated on December 14, 1940)
35. Bugs Bunny is younger than John McCain.
    (”Naaaa, What’s up Doc?”  Bugs was “born” in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York and the product of many creators: Ben “Bugs” Hardaway — who created a prototypical version of Bugs Bunny known around Termite Terrace as Bugs’ Bunny –  Bob Clampett, Tex Avery  — who directed A Wild Hare, considered Bugs’ formal film debut — , Robert McKimson  — who created the definitive Bugs Bunny character design –, Chuck Jones, and Friz Freleng.)
36. Both of Barack Obama’s parents were younger than John McCain
    (His father, Barack Obama, Sr, died in 1982 and his mother, Ann Dunham died in 1999)
37. The Polio Vaccine is younter that John McCain.
    (Developed in 1952 by Jonas Salk, announced in 1955, and licensed in 1962)
38. McDonald’s is younger than John McCain.
    (Started as a restaurant in 1940 by Dick and Mac McDonald, their introduction of the “Speedee Service System” in 1948 established the principles of the modern fast-food restaurant.  Franchised by Ray Kroc in 1955, he later bought out the brothers and took the company worldwide.)
39. AARP is younger than John McCain.
    (Ironically, since McCain is a member, AARP was founded in 1958.)
40. Mount Rushmore is younger than John McCain.
    (Okay, techically Mount Rushmore IS older than McCain.  It was originally known to the Lakota Sioux as Six Grandfathers, the mountain was renamed after Charles E. Rushmore, a prominent New York lawyer, during an expedition in 1885. Historian Doane Robinson conceived the idea for Mount Rushmore in 1923 to promote tourism in South Dakota.  Congress authorized the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission on March 3, 1925.  Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60-foot carvings of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history.)
41. Teflon is younger than John McCain.
    (Ronald Reagan was called “The Teflon President” by Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder in 1983 because “Nothing sticks to him. He is responsible for nothing“.  But I digress.  Teflon was developed in 1938)
42. Israel is younger than John McCain.
    (The  State of Israel, that is.  Of course there are jokes that he was around during the time of Moses.
    Israel became a nation in 1948.)
43. Superman is younger than John McCain.
    (Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in June, 1938)
44. Batman is younger than John McCain
    (Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May, 1939)
45. The Hindenburg Disaster is younger than John McCain.
    (May 6, 1937)
46. Keith Richards is younger than John McCain.
    (I know he looks older than dirt, but he was born on December 18, 1943.  Even Charlie Watts, who looks like he died ten years ago and someone forgot to tell him is younger than McCain, being born on June 2, 1941)
47. The ballpoint pen is younger than John McCain.
    (While the first patent for the ballpoint pen was filed in 1888, the first viable and commercially sold “Biro” pen made it to the market in the United States in 1945)
48. Ultrasound imaging (sonogram) is younger than John McCain
    (Ultrasonic energy was first applied to the human body for medical purposes by Dr. George Ludwig at the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland in the late 1940s.)
49. Turboprop Engine is younger than John McCain
    (The world’s first turboprop was the ‘Jendrassik Cs-1′ designed by the Hungarian mechanical engineer Gyorgy Jendrassik. It was produced and tested in the Ganz factory in Budapest between 1939 and 1942.)
50. Aqualung or SCUBA is younger than John McCain.
    (Aqualung was the original name for the first open-circuit scuba diving equipment, developed by Emile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau in 1943)
51. Copy Machines are younger than John McCain
    (Xerography, the technology that eventually became the Xerox machine, and later found in virtually every office, was invented in 1938)
52. Silly Putty is younger than John McCain
    (Discovered by accident in 1943 by an engineer at GE, it wasn’t until 1949 when the putty reached the owner of a toy store.  Initially it was sold in a clear case for $2, and it outsold everything in the store.  They then got the idea of packaging one ounce in plastic eggs and selling it for a buck.  They sold 250,000 eggs in three days)
53. Clue is younger than John McCain
    (Anthony Pratt invents the board game called Cluedo in 1944.  Parker Brothers buys the US rights and renames it Clue in 1949)
54. Tupperware is younger than John McCain
    (Earl Tupper started manufacturing Tupperware in 1945, thanks to the development of Polyethylene in 1942.)
55. Kitty Litter is younger than John McCain
    (I don’t know how my cat would have lived without it, but in 1947 Ed Lowe worked in his father’s company selling industrial absobents.  One day a neighbor asked him if he could recommend something better than ashes in her cat’s box, because she was tired of having to deal with sooty paw prints.  She asked for sand, but Ed suggested an absorbent clay called “Fullers Earth”.  He started packaging this clay in brown bags with the name “Kitty Litter” on them and started selling them to pet stores.  The Kitty Litter Brand eventually became Tidy Cat in 1964, and the rest is history.)
    
56. The Transistor is younger than John McCain
    (The transistor was invented in 1947 at Bell Telephone Laboratories, and almost immediately found its way into every cheap Japanese radio sold here in the US)
57. Lego Bricks are younger than John McCain
    (Originally developed in Denmark and sold as “Automatic Binding Bricks” in 1949, by 1955 they become the “LEGO System of Play” with 28 sets and 8 vehicles.  In 1962, they are introduced into the United States)
58. The Frisbee® is younger than John McCain.
    (A baker named William Russel Frisbie, of Warren, Connecticut, and later of Bridgeport, came up with a clever marketing idea back in the 1870s.  He put the family name in relief on the bottom of the light tin pans in which his company’s homemade pies were sold.  The pans were reusable, but every time a housewife started to bake a pie in one, she would see the name Frisbie and, it was hoped, think, “How much easier to buy one”.  Eventually Mr. Frisbie’s pies were sold throughout much of Connecticut, including New Haven.

    There, sometime in the 1940s, Yale students began sailing the pie tins through the air and catching them.  In 1950, out in California, a flying-saucer enthusiast named Walter Frederick Morrison designed a saucer-like disk for playing catch.  It was produced by a company named Wham-O® On a promotional tour of college campuses, the president of Wham-O encountered the pie-plate-tossing craze at Yale.  And so the flying saucer from California was renamed after the pie plate from Connecticut. Of course the name was changed from Frisbie to Frisbee to avoid any legal problems.)

59. Mr. Potato Head is younger than John McCain.
    (Mr. Potato Head, one of the world’s most adored “personalities,” was “born” in 1952, at the Pawtucket, RI - based toy company, Hasbro, Inc., and began making history at an early age as the very first toy to be advertised on television. The original Mr. Potato Head contained only parts, such as eyes, ears, noses and mouths, and parents had to supply children with real potatoes for face-changing fun!)
    
60. Play-Doh® is younger than John McCain.
    (Originally developed as a non-toxic compound to clean wall paper, it was repackaged and sold as Play-Doh in 1956)

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