The Daily Shirt

Tpyo

2007-03-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

On this date in 1983 the only known typo appears on Time Magazine's cover — contol instead of control. All copies were recalled.

This graphic Error Sign Value T-Shirt is from CafePress.com's Error Sign by Squared shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Gone fishin' - will update soon! Please return!

2007-03-14T21:03:00.000-04:00

On the Planet

2007-03-13T19:46:00.001-04:00

The planet Uranus is discovered on this day in 1781 by William Herschel.

This simple graphic representing that planet's alchemical astrological symbol (it appears on the back of the shirt, as well) — more Uranus Symbol wares here — is from the Space & Planetary Symbols zone of the CafePress.com self-explanatory Symbols on Stuff shop — "Logos, icons, avatars, emoticons."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Sign of the Times

2007-03-12T23:02:00.000-04:00

Today is the birthday of American Beat poet and novelist Jack Kerouac, born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1922. His seminal novel, On the Road, (written in 1951; published in 1957), was legendarily written in three weeks on one continuous roll of Teletype paper. His writing style has been the inspiration of countless writers and artists.

This wittily appropriate On The Road T-Shirt — further Road gear here — is from the Humorous Signs section in the Street Signs division of the CafePress.com Mike and Dan T-Shirts shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Spring Ahead, Fall Back

2007-03-11T20:05:00.000-04:00

Daylight Savings Time begins today.

Remind everyone with this sunny Save Daylight! Messenger Bag from the CafePress.com Save Daylight! shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Cash Money

2007-03-10T19:45:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1862 the United States issues the first paper money in $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 and $1000 denominations.

Flash a dollar sign around with this Long Sleeve T-Shirt from the singularly oriented CafePress.com Cash shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Press here...

2007-03-09T19:26:00.000-05:00

Today is Panic Day!

Make your panic portable with this Panic Button Mini Button — additional panic wares here — from the Random Shirts of Brilliance zone of the CafePress.com Tshirt d'Art shop — "Eclectic Designs and Humor Slogans."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Up Up and Away!

2007-03-08T18:41:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1972 the Goodyear blimp makes its first flight.

Mark the moment with this charming and colorful Zep Antique Cigar Label Kids T-Shirt — more ZEP wares here — from the Trains Planes Automobiles area of the expansive and lovely CafePress.com Lunagirl Victorian and Vintage Images shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Don't Start

2007-03-07T18:21:00.000-05:00

Today marks the end of National Procrastination Week, something that ordinarily would be celebrated in a day but in this case obviously has to take an entire week. For some the celebration will never end.

Show your tendencies with this clever Procrastinators Anonymous We Meet Later Baseball Jersey — additional procrastination goods here — from the All Sorts Of Funny Stuff department in the Humor division of CafePress.com's Blue House Shoppe — "Something for Everyone!"

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Arrghh!!

2007-03-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

Today in 1921 police in Sunbury, Pennsylvania issue an edict requiring women to wear skirts ending at least 4 inches below the knee. On this day in 1951 the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins. Both historical events make me want to shout. Perhaps Susan Birmingham felt the same way when on this date in 1982 she makes the loudest recorded human shout — 120 decibels.

Wear a silent scream with this Trompe L'mouth White T-Shirt — more shouting here — from the Trompe L'oeil department of the CafePress.com Vicevoices ("Online Jubilee of Wonderment!") shop — some adult humor available.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Staple

2007-03-05T19:11:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1868 the stapler is patented in England by C. H. Gould.

To mark the occasion you can wear this Milton's Stapler Yellow T-Shirt — more Stapler wares here — from CafePress.com's Jackass Tees! shop — "a ton of funny, offensive, and all around ridiculous tees for your wearing pleasure."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Service With a Smile

2007-03-04T22:13:00.001-05:00

WE ARE HAPPY
TO SERVE YOU

Today is Stop Bad Service Day.

Begin the campaign with this lovely We Are Happy To Serve You Mug displaying the Greek-inspired coffee cup found in a typical New York City diner — additional items bearing this image here — from the Party & Funny Gear department of the CafePress.com MySpace shirts, MySpace.com Lover Numa Numa Dance shop. Some adult items on board.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Baloney!

2007-03-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate National Cold Cuts Day!

Strut your luncheon meat stuff with this Bologna is my friend Baseball Jersey — more bologna-wear here — from the CafePress.com So-Wrong-Shirts shop — " T-Shirts So Wrong, They're Right!" Some offensive and/or adult humor items present. No bologna!

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Cat/Hat

2007-03-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Today is Read Across America Day. It is also the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel a k a Dr. Seuss, American writer and cartoonist renowned for his children's books including the beloved classics The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.

Celebrate with this I Read Messenger Bag from the very literate CafePress.com Reading is Cool shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Human

2007-03-01T19:01:00.000-05:00

Today marks the birthdays of two notable African-Americans — writer and scholar Ralph Ellison (1914), author of Invisible Man, and singer, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte (1927). On this date in 1790 the first US census is authorized.

This smackdown of a census question, a Race: Human Women's Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt — additional shirts along this line here — is from the Biracial Pride area of CafePress.com's racially proud Mo Said It — Now What? shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Pocketful

2007-02-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

Pockets were invented on this day in 1590.

Observe this earth-moving invention with a Pocket Protector Long Sleeve T-Shirt from the small but determined CafePress.com Pocket Protector shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Take Two

2007-02-27T20:53:00.001-05:00

Today we mark No Brainer Day. And, if your no-brainer happens to have a headache luckily you can remedy the situation with aspirin (a k a acetylsalicylic acid), the patent for which is received by German chemist Felix Hoffman on this date in 1900.

Scream your relief from the rooftops with this ASPIRIN Tablet Dark T-Shirt — more pain-soothing merchandise here — from the WACKY HUMOR, NON-CONFORMIST zone of the very large and often irreverent and naughty CafePress.com The Sticker Wizard shop — "candid, humorous, provocative."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Notes from the Underground

2007-02-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1870 the first New York City subway line opens.

Observe the occasion with this Vintage Subway Sign Mousepad, an example of the vintage transit designs found in the CafePress.com Take the A-Train shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Bang!

2007-02-25T23:55:00.000-05:00

It's Quiet Day. In an interesting counterpoint — on this date in 1836 Samuel Colt receives a patent for his "six-shooter" revolving gun.

This wittily designed Shh Women's V-Neck Dark T-Shirt — more Shh wares here (in the Black Tees corridor) and here (in the Attitude stuff, Part 1 area) — is from CafePress.com's The Shady Monkey shop. Shh! — don't tell anyone but it contains some adult items.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

White Teeth

2007-02-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

LOOSE LIPS MAY
SINK SHIPS,
BUT WHITE
TEETH CAN WIN
A WAR!

KEEP 'EM BRUSHED
and brushed right!

Today in 1938 DuPont introduces the first commercial product to be made with nylon yarn — a nylon bristled toothbrush. And, from the Department of Propaganda, on this date in 1942 The Voice of America begins its radio broadcasts.

These two events are mysteriously intertwined via the whimsical and surreal design on this Dental Hygiene Tote Bag, capturing "the feel of a WWII-era propaganda poster" — the entire series can be found here — from the Wacky Words division of the stuffed-to-the-gills CafePress.com Barry's World shop — "Wacky Surreal & Wholly Unique Gifts" — whose work I featured on November 10, 2006.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Doggie-Style

2007-02-23T00:31:00.000-05:00

Why, thank you!
a treat would
be perfect
just about now!

We celebrate International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day with this witty I would like a treat Dog T-Shirt — likeminded products for human beings here — from the Enter for Dog Merchandise dog run of the hiptastic CafePress.com Pocketlama Productions shop — some irreverent and adult humor wares to be found. Cave Canem!

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Nickel and Dime

2007-02-22T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today in 1879 Frank Winfield Woolworth opens his first "5¢ & 10¢" store in Utica, New York.

Woolworth's is long gone but you can still pay tribute to the concept of affordable goods with this 10 Cents Each Jr. Baby Doll T-Shirt — more 10 Cents Each gear here — from the Novelty Tees zone of the CafePress.com Humor Slogan Shirts shop — "Design You Can Wear." Some adult humor products on board and things will run you upwards of 5¢ & 10¢.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Plop Plop Fizz Fizz

2007-02-21T23:11:00.001-05:00

The stomach-soothing, headache and hangover remedy Alka Seltzer is introduced on this day in 1931.

Commemorate that glorious and indispensable invention with this Pop-Arty looking Alka Seltzer Baseball Jersey from the petite but ever so stylish CafePress.com Drip Drip Drip shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Hand Bag

2007-02-20T19:44:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1872 Luther Crowell patents a machine that manufactures paper bags.

This cartoony Paper Bag Hand Puppet Infant Bodysuit is from the small but well-designed CafePress.com Fun Knee Stuff shop — speaking of paper, I especially like their Pencils Journal.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

HB2uM!

2007-02-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today is cause for celebration — it's my best friend Marc's birthday!

Marc and I go back to when we both wore short pants. He is handsome, accomplished, brilliant, a creative genius, and one of the funniest people you'd be most happy to meet. He is a loving husband, a devoted father and a generous friend. He has always supported me, through thick and thin. Thank you Marc, for being my friend. I’m forever honored to be yours and ever grateful that we met. I love you! Have a groovy day! xoxoxo

This Super Marc Baseball Jersey — the entire Super Marc line here — is from the Super Boy division (you name him and he is there) of CafePress.com's chock-full of love and support Giggle Wiggles shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Oh Yoko!

2007-02-18T18:56:00.001-05:00

Today is the birthday of Japanese-born poet, performance/conceptual artist, happening-maker, experimental filmmaker, singer, peace and humanitarian activist Yoko Ono, known also for being married to John Lennon. Her seminal 1964 conceptual artwork Grapefruit, a book of instructions and drawings (reissued in 1971 by Simon & Shuster), was composed of surreal, Zen-like directives to be completed in the mind of the reader:

CLOUD PIECE
Imagine the clouds dripping.
Dig a hole in your garden to
put them in.

Pay homage to this influential artist with a Red Grapefruit T-Shirt from the small but sweet and juicy CafePress.com Red Grapefruit Fruit Art Painting Gift shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Pay it Forward

2007-02-17T21:55:00.001-05:00

It's Random Acts of Kindness Day!

Start spreading the word with the very young through this Be Nice Bib — more products conveying this sentiment here — from the B listings of the full, fun and very frolicking CafePress.com LabelMakers shop — "no introductions are necessary, when you're already wearing a label."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Saluton!

2007-02-16T21:09:00.000-05:00

I speak Esperanto like a native.

Today in 1905 the first Esperanto club organizes in Boston. Developed by Polish ophthalmologist Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, Esperanto is the most widely spoken constructed international language. The word itself means 'one who hopes' — Dr. Zamenhof's goal was to create an easy flexible language to be used as a universal second language, in the process fostering peace and international understanding. No country has officially adopted Esperanto though there are approximately one thousand native speakers.

This tongue-in-cheek I speak Esperanto like a native Yellow T-Shirt — other items on this theme here — is from the Work, School, Life In General section of the sassy CafePress.com T's Me NOW! shop — "Irreverent Imprints For Individuals."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Dreams

2007-02-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1967 Bill Carskadon of Chicago has the longest dream on record during REM sleep — two hours and twenty-three minutes. Speaking of dreamers, today in 1967 John Lennon passes his driving test. And, speaking of driving, on this day in 1936 Adolf Hitler announces the building of Volkswagens, which allegedly started the Slug Bug game — an in-the-car pastime of VWs and hitting: upon spotting a VW Beetle you punch everyone close to you and yell "Slug Bug! No returns!!" meaning the slugged party cannot return the gesture and if they break that rule you get to hit them again. The person who slugs the most people wins. Nice. I'm sure Mr. Hitler would have liked that.

I found this Dream about: Slugbug White T-Shirt — variations here — in the I Dream About area of the CafePress.com Hobby Hut shop, where you can dream about any hobby, within and well beyond the imagination. Have fun!

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Big Red Heart

2007-02-14T17:02:00.000-05:00

Can I
DE"PEND"
on you
VALENTINE?

Today is Valentine's Day!

Celebrate with this sweet De"Pend" On You Baseball Jersey showing a romantically inclined and propped on his nib Mr. Fountain Pen with his sweetheart Miss Inkwell (Freud, anyone?) — more items with this beautifully colored antique postcard image here — from the VALENTINES FOR WRITERS drawer of the groovily retro writer-oriented CafePress.com Please Write shop — "Proclaim your passion with cool gear and gifts especially for writers!" I have featured their awesome output previously, on January 1, 2007.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Going Up

2007-02-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1935 a Flemington, New Jersey jury finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty in the 1932 kidnapping and first-degree murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's 21-month old son. A key piece of evidence in the trial was a handmade ladder, supposedly used in the kidnapping, which matched wood and carpentry equipment found in Hauptmann's home.

This Ladder Journal 1, perfect for writing ransom notes — the image is also on a Green T-Shirt — is from the resplendent and well-designed CafePress.com Peacemeal shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

1 cent

2007-02-12T21:29:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln is born on this day in 1809. Not so coincidentally today is also National Lost Penny Day, where everyone frantically chases down small copper coins bearing President Lincoln's image.

Show you're made of money with this nicely designed Lincoln Wheat Double-Sided Baseball Jersey (heads on the front; tails on the back) — additional items with this coin-flip here — from the Lincoln Wheat Penny department in the Simply Coins division of the to-the-point CafePress.com NumisGear shop — "premiere products for the coin hobbyist." Save your loose change for their nice offerings.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Wahhhhh!

2007-02-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrate Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day as well as White T-Shirt Day!

Kill two birdies with one stone with this charming Cry Over Spilled Milk Infant/Toddler T-Shirt — other crying gear here — from the New Designs area of CafePress.com's Baby Core Clothing shop which does, in fact, contain some adult humor wares. It's also National Shut-in Visitation Day, if you'd like to come see me.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

It's Raining Men

2007-02-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Today is Umbrella Day. On this date in 1863 P.T. Barnum stages the wedding of Tom Thumb and his tiny bride, Mercy Lavinia Warren, in New York City.

This beautiful and surreal Rainy Day Tote Bag, depicting an umbrella shielding a house whose size befits Mr. and Mrs. Thumb — more items for a Rainy Day here — is from the super groovy and colorful CafePress.com Pop Krispies Pop Art T-Shirts shop which describes this image as "perfect for a rainy day visit to the Magritte Museum. Take an umbrella."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Open Mouths

2007-02-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

Toothache Fiends Move Out Quickly

Today is Toothache Day! Perhaps because this date also marks the founding of Hershey's Chocolate in 1894. Speaking of things going into or coming out of the oral cavity: On this day in 1891 the first shipment of asparagus arrives in San Francisco from Sacramento; Thomas School of Germany becomes the fastest yodeler — 22 tones/15 falsetto in one second — on this date in 1992; The Beatles make their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show today in 1964 and the Portuguese singer and movie star Carmen Miranda, of banana-hat wearing fame, is born on this date in 1909.

Celebrate with a Tooth Decay Devils Tote Bag — more like-minded products here — from the deliciously noirish, weird, fabulously cartoony and impossible to categorize CafePress.com 1947project Odd & Sundries emporium. I'm especially fond of their Suffocation Device Tile Coaster, too.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Bang zoom!

2007-02-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

A day of coinkidinks! We mark the 1828 birthday of Frenchman Jules Verne, Science-Fiction pioneer — known as the "Father" of that genre — author of From the Earth to the Moon (1865), among many other writings. Audrey Meadows, who played Ralph Kramden's tough but long-suffering wife Alice on the 1950s TV series The Honeymooners, is born on this date in 1924. Today in 1984 is the first time eight people are launched into space. That's several sets of Honeymooners.

This TO THE MOON ALICE! Ringer T, presenting the "sweet nothing" Ralph Kramden oft' expressed to his darling wife — variations here — can be found in the Just Plain Funny section of the vintage humor-oriented CafePress.com Retro Café shop. Their slogan: "This is the stuff your Grandma warned you about!" — '50s Offensive Humor T-shirts & Gifts.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

:(

2007-02-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Today is Pinocchio Day, likely because on this date in 1940 Walt Disney premieres his movie of the same name — adapted from the well-known children’s book by Italian writer Carlo Collodi — in which a cobbler named Geppeto carves a puppet from a piece of wood, which subsequently turns into a real boy. Speaking of shoes, today in 1943 the United States begins rationing of same. Feeling stepped on? This day marks the 1870 birthday of Austrian psychiatrist Alfred Adler, who pioneered the concept of the inferiority complex.

Flaunt your neurosis with this Inferiority Complex Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt — more such products here — from the Slogans G to L files of the CafePress.com T-shirt humor Store.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Just a Number

2007-02-06T00:25:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1911 the first "old-age" home is opened in Prescott, Arizona.

Express the sentiment of that event while wearing this I'm not 70 Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt — additional items with this phrase here — from the Seniors, Retired & Aging wing of CafePress.com's Irony Design Fun Shop. Some adult humor products on board, and I don't exactly mean Senior Citizens, though they can enjoy them, too.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Help!

2007-02-05T03:22:00.001-05:00

It's Disaster Day!

Perhaps, not so coincidentally, on this date in 1663 an earthquake occurs in Canada and on the same day in 1783 earthquakes devastate Calabria, Italy, killing 30,000 people. Today in 1887 snow falls on San Francisco — disaster of a different scale, and on this day in 1952, perhaps to avert disaster from happening, New York is the first city to install a "WALK/DON'T WALK" sign for pedestrians.

Mark the occasions in style with this Help Me Baseball Jersey — more Help Me goods here — from the Wearable section in the Etcetera zone of the very lovely CafePress.com Cannibal Rose Creations shop. Some items for adults only. No disaster.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

The Color of Gumby

2007-02-04T23:23:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1955 Art Clokey creates the clay humanoid figure Gumby via a theatrical short entitled Gumbasia, a surreal stop-motion animation of moving and expanding lumps of clay. Gumby immediately became a much sought-after television personality and was given his own series in 1957.

Today in 1998 Microsoft boss Bill Gates receives a pie in the face in Brussels, Belgium.

These seemingly unrelated events converge in this Gumby Faced
Mousepad where the simple facial essence of Gumby provides a smooth sailing surface for your computer's mouse. For optimum usage keep the cream pie away. More Gumby items in CafePress.com's The Official Gumby Website Merchandise shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

a rose is a rose is a rose...

2007-02-03T19:54:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 1874 birthday of writer Gertrude Stein, who, among many pithy sayings, wrote the memorable a rose is a rose is a rose. It is also by coincidence Wear Red Day.

Commemorate both events with this attractive Rose 1 Kids Baseball Jersey — more Rose 1 wears and wares here — from the Kukat-Flowers area of the CafePress.com Marianne's Art Shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Yes.

2007-02-02T23:37:00.000-05:00

yes I said yes I will
Yes.

Today marks the 1882 birthday of Irish writer James Joyce, whose tome Ulysses was published in Paris — 1000 copies — on this date in 1922.

Ulysses' Molly Bloom's sexy soliloquy of carnal submission is the memorable last line of that famous novel and is here, appropriately, on a yes I will thong. Other wares and wear with this phrase can be uncovered in the small but certain CafePress.com Hellgate Astoria shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Right on!

2007-02-01T21:47:00.000-05:00

February is Black History Month and there are many related historical events which occurred on this very date. Langston Hughes, the African–American poet, novelist, playwright and newspaper columnist, is born today in 1902 and dies on the same date — his 65th birthday, in 1967. In 1865 on this day J.S. Rock, the first black lawyer to practice in the Supreme Court, is admitted to the bar. Today in 1871 Jefferson Long of Georgia becomes the first black person to make an official speech in the House of Representatives. P.H. Young is the first black pilot to fly an American scheduled passenger airline, on this date in 1957. Today in 1960 four black college students in Greensboro, North Carolina are denied service at a white-only Woolworth's lunch counter and refuse to leave, thus staging the first civil-rights sit-in. On this date in 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. and 700 other civil-rights demonstrators are arrested in Selma, Alabama and today in 1978 Harriet Tubman is the first black woman to be honored on a US postage stamp. South African president F.W. de Klerk announces plans to repeal all apartheid laws on this date in 1991.

Celebrate with pride by wearing this Black is beautiful Long Sleeve Dark T-Shirt — more products sporting this motif here — from the Special Issues department of the prolific CafePress.com Star Shop America.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

neerG adniK gnileeF

2007-01-31T23:38:00.000-05:00

Today's offering brings together several notable events. It's Backwards Day (!nuF giB) as well as Brussels Sprouts Day! Speaking of a certain color, on this date in 1936 the Green Hornet radio program debuts on WXYZ Radio (and how perfect is that?) in Detroit, Michigan. And lastly but certainly not leastly, today in 1747 London's Lock Hospital opens the first venereal-disease clinic.

(We hope your venereal disease does not progress to the point where you need an ambulance - better to avoid getting VD in the first place.)

This Ambulance, backwards Green T-Shirt — additional wares with the same design here — is from the safety-conscious EMS/EMT/Fire Rescue area of the eclectic CafePress.com Terry Kepner's Design Oddities shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

...after the beep...

2007-01-30T20:43:00.000-05:00

I'M NOT HERE
RIGHT NOW!
Leave a message and
I'll get back to you.

It's National Inane Answering Machine Message Day, a necessary holiday if ever there was one. Whoever invented it deserves a Pulitzer Prize, notification of which should not involve leaving a message on said electronic device.

To observe today's momentous occasion we feature this I'm Not Here, Leave Message T-shirt. More of these items for men and women can be plucked from the respective men's and women's Attitude (PG-13) sections within the abundantly arrayed CafePress.com Personali-Tees shop which contains some adult-only items.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

On the Road

2007-01-29T00:55:00.000-05:00

Enjoy Your Travels

On this date in 1886 Karl Benz, of Karlsruhe, Germany, patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

We honor his achievement with this stunning Enjoy Your Travels Tote Bag — more Enjoy Your Travels items here — an example of the delightfully retro offerings found in the Places to Go department of the colorful and delicious CafePress.com Our Krazy Kulture Shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

P-O-P

2007-01-28T01:24:00.000-05:00

We celebrate the birthdays of two cultural icons today: Sesame Street's Rubber-Ducky-loving Muppet, Ernie (circa 1969), and the Swedish Pop-Artist Claes Oldenburg — known for his oversize sculptures of everyday objects — born in 1929.

This Pop-Arty I LUV ERNIE Infant/Toddler T-Shirt — the full panoply of Ernie-inspired wares here — is from the extensive Men's Names division of the CafePress.com Candy Heart Shop. Their adult themed area is decidedly not for Sesame Streeters.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Eureka!

2007-01-27T17:31:00.001-05:00

On this day in 1880 Thomas Alva Edison receives a patent (#223898) for his "electric lamp for giving light by incandescence." And today in 1948 the first tape recorder is sold. Two inventions that changed the world.

Commemorate these historical moments with this Future Inventor Kids T-Shirt — more products on this theme here — a discovery from the sharply designed (future) Occupations area of CafePress.com's The Odd Matter Gift Shop, whose goods were featured in the November 27th edition.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Edelweiss

2007-01-26T23:23:00.000-05:00

Mein Lederhosen bin at der Drycleaner

This date marks the 1905 birthday of Maria Augusta von Trapp, matriarch of the Austrian Trapp Family Singers, whose escape from the Nazis after the Anschluss served as inspiration for The Sound of Music.

This amusing Mein Lederhosen bin at der Drycleaner Long Sleeve T-Shirt — additional styles here — is from CafePress.com's Collisterwear! shop. The shirt would look very nice with a pair of lederhosen as well, once they came back from der Drycleaner.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Down

2007-01-25T20:49:00.000-05:00

Today is Opposite Day.

The theme is visually expressed most eloquently in this Up Logo Messenger Bag from the small but well-kept CafePress.com Drunken Jellyfish Co. shop — "Slightly off-key stuff for the slightly off-key person."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Rushing

2007-01-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

Two diverse events converge in today's offering: On this date in 1848 James Marshall finds gold in Sutter's Mill (Coloma, California) — marking the beginning of the Gold Rush — and on the same day in 1899 Humphrey O'Sullivan patents the rubber heel, a most useful invention.

This yellow Retro Empty Pockets T-Shirt with its beautiful vintage comic book style line drawing of a shoe moving purposefully forward at the expense of some very loose change — the complete Retro Empty Pocket series is here — can be found in the absolutely fabulous Retro Art section of CafePress.com's Digiart-Mall shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

'script

2007-01-23T00:00:00.000-05:00

My Handwriting
Is prescription
strength!

Today we observe National Handwriting Day!

On this date in 1849 Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her MD by the Medical Institute of Geneva, New York, thereby becoming the first woman physician in the United States.

Wrap up both events — doctors are known for their cryptic penmanship — with this Handwriting Baseball Jersey, found on the shelves of the small but serviceable CafePress.com nerdware shop.

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Dots

2007-01-22T00:06:00.000-05:00

We celebrate National Polka Dot Day!

And today in 1939 scientists at New York's Columbia University split an atom of Uranium for the first time. This date also marks the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion. In 1831 on this day Charles Darwin takes his Bachelor of Arts exam and on this date in 1992 Princess Sarah Ferguson wears a paper bag over her head during an airplane ride. One can only wonder if it sported polka dots.

This Red Flag T-Shirt — the design looks quite grand on a tote bag as well — is from the multicolored Dot Matrix zone in CafePress.com's mediatwistShop.

If a single dot simply will not suffice try this groovy 3-dotted Jr. Raglan — theme variations here — plucked from the three big dots area of the Ladies department in the CafePress.com So Quintessential shop.

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Sharp

2007-01-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today in 1793 King Louis XVI of France is executed for treason, his thick neck meeting a guillotine's blade before a cheering crowd. Speaking of sharp edges on this date in 1853 an envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This Letter Baby Doll T-Shirt is a selection from the Baby Doll T-Shirt area (it's especially nice on a messenger bag, too) of CafePress.com's LiveVillage Icon Store, whose quirkily drawn graphic-based output I wrote about on November 27th.

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Line Man

2007-01-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

On this date in 2003 caricaturist Al Hirschfeld dies at the age of 99 in New York City. Known for his inimitable ink line drawings of theatrical personalities and other celebrities, Hirschfeld's portraits usually incorporated the name of his 1945-born daughter Nina — sometimes multiple times — cleverly hidden in strands of hair, the folds of a garment, et cetera. He would add a number next to his signature, indicating the total NINA appearances in a given illustration, to aid his viewers, many of whom found NINA-scavenger-hunting to be an obsessive pastime. In 1991 the United States Postal Service commissioned the artist to create a series of commemorative postage stamps — waiving their rule forbidding hidden messages in US stamp designs by allowing the inclusion of the famous NINAs. Mr. Hirschfield was very disappointed to learn that the US Army had employed his cartoons to train bomber pilots, using the NINA insertions as instructional spotting devices. He told The Comics Journal in a late 1990's interview that he found the idea of his work being used to help kill people repulsive.

In a oddly related counterpoint, today in 1949 F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover gives actress Shirley Temple a tear-gas fountain pen.

This lovely got ink? Book Bag — more got ink? wares and wear here — is just one of many attractive and quite literate offerings to be found within the CafePress.com Bibliophile Bullpen shop.

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10 Ne

2007-01-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1915 the electric Neon discharge tube sign is patented in the United States for use in advertising by Frenchman George Claude. Today in 1955 the board game Scrabble debuts in Australia and the United Kingdom, being sold by J.W. Spear & and Sons — it had been available under various incarnations and via different manufacturers in the United States since 1938 when it was created by architect Alfred Mosher Butts. In 1948 he sold the rights to James Brunot who refined the game and called it Scrabble, a real word meaning "to grope frantically."

This bright Neon graphic Ringer T design from the Periodic Table of Elements — more Neon items here — seems like a kind of third cousin to a Scrabble tile. It can be found in the Elements section of the tidy and eclectic CafePress.com jvworldwide Online "Stuff" Store.

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Word.

2007-01-18T01:45:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1779 Peter Mark Roget, physician, inventor and lexicographer who created the Thesaurus, is born in London.

We commemorate this event with a shirt — more products from this line here — bearing a word unlikely to be found in Roget's book — kltpzyxm — a reference to a Superman comic book imp/villain named Mister Mxyzptlk who would be involuntarily transported back to his home — the fifth dimension — for a minimum of ninety days if he said or spelled his name backwards: Kltpzyxm. From the wide assortment of wares in the CafePress.com Celebrity Rocket shop. Some items for grownups only.

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!

2007-01-17T23:57:00.000-05:00

Oy! in Yiddish

Some odd convergences in the world of Jewish history... On this date in 1945 the Nazis begin the evacuation of Auschwitz as Soviet forces draw near. That same day Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Jews, is arrested by secret police in Hungary. Today in 1949 The Goldbergs airs; it is the first situation comedy on American television. Simon and Garfunkel, two nice Jewish boys, release their second album, Sounds of Silence, on this date in 1966 and today in 1975 Bob Dylan, another n.J.b. — with a brief foray into Christianity — releases Blood on the Tracks. Finally, on this day in 1992 Sarah Ferguson attends dinner at the Jew-excluding Everglades Club. Oy!

This delightful exclamation point graphic Oy! (in Yiddish) T-Shirt is from the Humor area of the small but Schmutz-free CafePress.com Yiddish Gift Shop.

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A Big Zero

2007-01-16T00:27:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1973 newspaperman Harold Coffin (Reno, Nevada) creates the first National Nothing Day to provide Americans with one day "when they could sit around without honoring anything."

So, we take a breather with this Pop-Arty Candice 3D 0 Baseball Jersey — more Candice 3D 0 items here — from the Candice 3D division within the Initials & Numbers section of the CafePress.com JacktheLads Store — "initial clothing and gifts."

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Sweet

2007-01-15T00:05:00.000-05:00

Today is Hat Day, during which you are encouraged to wear and enjoy a hat of your own personal choice and style. Coincidentally it is on this date in 1797 that the first top hat is worn — by John Etherington of London.

Speaking of making history — on this day in 1983 Thom Syles inexplicably manages to keep a Lifesaver candy intact in his mouth for over seven hours. In other news from the Sweet Department today marks the 1919 Boston Molasses Disaster wherein an enormous storage vat of Purity Brand Molasses ruptures, spilling a 15-foot high river (2 million gallons) of the viscous substance into the city streets, drowning twenty-one people and injuring 150. Ironically the flood was not slow as molasses, advancing as fast as 35 miles per hour. No life savers on that scene. Also, on this date in 1935 three hundred Dutch ice cream salesmen protest against the Italian competition and today in 1971 George Harrison releases My Sweet Lord.

This vibrant Smiling Thru Sailor Boy Pear Vintage Crate Label Art Infant/Toddler T-Shirt — more items with this motif here — is from the Vintage Labels Collection area of the CafePress.com Crazy Legs Gift Emporium.

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#

2007-01-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today is all about numbers. We mark the 1791 birthday of Calvin Philips, who became the shortest known adult male, measuring 2'2" (67 cm); on this date in 1967 20,000 people attend the Human Be-In in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park; today in 1973 tap dancer Ray Castle is clocked at 1440 taps per minute on BBC-TV; in 1980 on this day Shakuntala Devi mentally multiplies two thirteen-digit numbers in twenty-eight seconds; the FCC frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish on this date in 1981; TV-host David Letterman undergoes quintuple heart bypass surgery today in 2000 and that same day the Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches a record high of 11,722.98.

This Infinity Plus One Baseball Jersey — variations here — is one of numerous products in the CafePress.com Warehouse Larry shop. Some items suitable for persons over a certain age.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Shirt Happens

2007-01-13T03:34:00.000-05:00

Today is Blame Somebody Else Day, a notable occasion. On this date in 1863 English plumber and businessman Thomas Crapper pioneers (but does not invent) the one-piece pedestal flushing toilet. Mr. Crapper heavily promoted sanitary plumbing and popularized the concept of the bathroom fittings showroom at a time when the topic of such fixtures was virtually unspeakable. Despite obvious etymological associations with a certain minor four-letter-word beginning with C, Crapper is an old Yorkshire name meaning cropper and the noun in question was in use long before he was born. An unfortunate — dare I say crappy — coincidence for Mr. C.

These two momentous events are united visually in the Don't blame me! I was in the can! Ringer T-Shirt above — additional In the can products can be found here — which is from the Retro zone of the CafePress.com Tasty Apples Online Store. Some adult items on board.

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Daisy, Daisy...

2007-01-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

It is on this date that HAL, the deviant computer in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey — based on the same-titled book by Arthur C. Clarke — becomes operational. (In the movie the year is 1992; in the novel and screenplay it is given as 1997). A rumor, hotly denied by Mr. Clarke, was that the computer was so named because it played on the acronym IBM: H – A – L preceding I – B – M by one letter, indicating that HAL was one step ahead of International Business Machines.

Whatever the truth is this HAL Fitted T-Shirt, with its design most definitely spoofing the IBM logo, is pretty nice. It's from the CafePress.com Movierama shop.

Open the pod bay doors!

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Teats

2007-01-11T00:04:00.000-05:00

Drink more MILK for health

Today is Milk Day, most likely because on this date in 1878 a Brooklyn, New York dairy introduces deliveries of milk in glass bottles. This day also marks the 1988 births of the L'Esperance quintuplets and the 1974 births of the Rosenkowitz sextuplets — the world's first surviving set. If there wasn't enough breast milk to go around for all those hungry mouths perhaps the bovine variety was employed.

This lovely vintage print Drink more MILK for health Kids T-Shirt — more items with this image here — is among the delightful offerings of the Food & Drink aisle in the Retro Gear area of the Default page within CafePress.com's The Outfitter shop. There are some adult items amidst their wares.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Hosiery

2007-01-10T00:25:00.000-05:00

It's Volunteer Fireman's Day, something actor and dancer Ray Bolger — born today in 1904 — might have appreciated when the Wicked Witch of the West set his no-brain Scarecrow character aflame in The Wizard of Oz. This day also marks the 1883 fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which killed 71 people. General Tom Thumb — of P.T. Barnum fame — escapes unscathed. And, on this date in 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis' song Great Balls of Fire reaches number one on the pop-single charts. Around the corner from the burning sphere department today in 1994 Lorena Bobbitt goes on trial for cutting off her husband's penis while he sleeps. (Did I mention it is also Peculiar People Day?) To top things off, so to speak, it is the birthday of Linda Lovelace, Deep Throat porn-star/actress — and later anti-pornography activist.

This suggestive Really Long Hose T-Shirt — all variants here — can be pulled from the Safety department of the CafePress.com TessTees shop. Depending on your point of view and concept of levity there are numerous offensive and/or adult humor items to be found. No big surprise given that their motto is t-shirts... with balls.

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LQQK!

2007-01-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and on this date in 1929 The Seeing Eye is established in Nashville, Tennessee with the mission of training dogs to assist the blind.

In other vision news today in 1493 Christopher Columbus and crew are the first known Europeans to sight a manatee; on this day in 1839 France's Academy of Science announces the Daguerreotype photographic process, invented by artist and chemist Louis J. M. Daguerre; and Thomas Edison's Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze is released in movie theaters on this date in 1894.

The first issue of Look Magazine — a weekly general interest publication whose emphasis is more on photographs than articles — goes on sale in the United States today in 1937.

This Eye C U T-Shirt — and more products bearing the same watchful image — are on view in the CafePress.com Eye C U shop.

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A Little Bubbly

2007-01-08T01:05:00.000-05:00

It's Bubble Bath Day!

Celebrate with this Bubbles Infant/Toddler T-Shirt — more Bubbles items here — coming to the surface within CafePress.com's The Nonexistent Places Emporium & Gift Shop.

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Grub

2007-01-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

Today in 1896 Fannie Farmer publishes her first culinary effort, The Boston Cooking-School Cookbook, and on this date in 1901 Alferd Packer is released from prison in Colorado after serving 18 years for cannibalism. Dark-humored cartoonist Charles Addams, whose 1912 birthday we mark today, might have appreciated the coincidence.

The Food Ahead road sign symbol on the Dark T-Shirt above — all variations on wares and wears here — can be sighted in the Have Geek, Will Travel department of the expansive CafePress.com Ultra Geek Store, whose work I featured on November 24th.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

. . . _ _ _ . . .

2007-01-06T01:32:00.000-05:00

S.O.S. in Morse Code

Today in 1838 Samuel Morse makes his first public demonstration of the telegraph.

This S.O.S. T-Shirt is the lone offering of the CafePress.com exiclick shop. Sometimes simple is best. If you are going to carry only one item this is a very apt choice. You never know when you will need it and if that time should come there it is, your lifeline to safety!

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Birds & Birds & Bees

2007-01-05T21:01:00.000-05:00

It's National Bird Day, I suspect because on this date in 1905 The National Association of Audubon Society incorporates. It is also the last day of the Audubon Society's 107th annual Christmas Bird Count which began on December 14th and takes place with the help of tens of thousands of volunteer birders.

Today in 1825 Alexandre Dumas (père) fights his first duel during which his pants fall down. And — on the topic of lowered trousers — on this date in 1948 American biologist Alfred Kinsey, publishes Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, a bestselling tome known as The Kinsey Report. Regarded as the "father of sexology" — the systematic, scientific study of human sexuality — Kinsey developed a scale measuring sexual orientation which is now known as the Kinsey Scale, ranking from 0 to 6; 0 being exclusively heterosexual and 6 being exclusively homosexual.

The charming and chirpily cheerful Gay Bird Mousepad above can be found in the Fur and Feathers area of the CafePress.com Mondo Betty shop whose vintage-inspired "retro-velvety goodness" I recently featured on December 30th.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

I C

2007-01-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

"Danger" written in Braille

Today is Humiliation Day if you have a need for such a thing. And, although it is Trivia Day as well I don't particularly feel like going all over the place, despite the font of miscellanea at my fingertips. Speaking of which, this date marks the 1809 birthday of French educator Louis Braille, after whom the tactile reading system he developed for the blind is named. The first road signs appear today in 1901 and on this day in 1962 the first automated and unmanned subway train is set into motion in New York City.

Yesterday I happened to be in the subway and came to the assistance of a nice man with a white cane. I helped him down the stairs and we waited for the downtown R train until it arrived and then sat together in the subway car until it was my stop, the whole time his arm intertwined with mine. He had an open sense of humor and we talked about a lot of things, very frankly, as is my inclination, and I asked him if the signs posted in Braille at odd locations on the walls or metal columns within the subway system made any sense to him because to me as a sighted person they seemed absurd — how would a blind person know where such signs were, that they even existed, and thus be able to read them? He agreed and laughed and said "We in the blind community are greatly overlooked," the last word perhaps being a bit of an unintentional pun, I realized only after we parted.

This Braille Electric Danger Baseball Jersey — the entire line of apparel here — follows the same psychology. How would a sightless person note such a sign, and in the finding (and feeling) thereof would he not place himself in the very mortal electric danger that is the subject of the visual alert? I cannot think about this too much without getting upset. I do like the shirt, though. It can be found amidst the Electric Danger International collection within the International Signs division of the eclectic CafePress.com Park Crush shop.

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Nothing to Declare

2007-01-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today two celebrations converge, seemingly at odds — it is Jump Out of Bed Month and Festival of Sleep Day. Try managing both of those if you can.

On this date in 1624 William Tucker is born — the first Black child in America. In 1871 today Oleomargarine is patented by Henry Bradley of Binghamton, New York; Marvin C. Stone patents the first wax drinking straw on this date in 1888; the first electric watch is introduced by the Hamilton Watch Company of Lancaster, Pennsylvania today in 1957; twenty years later on this date Apple Computer is incorporated; in 1496 today Leonardo da Vinci unsuccessfully tests a flying machine and in 1938 on this date the atom is first split. Yes, a significant day for many great minds. Speaking of which, Irish playwright Oscar Wilde arrives in the United States today in 1882 and when asked by customs agents if he has anything to declare famously replies — "Nothing but my genius."

This Genius Kids T-Shirt — the full array of Genius wares here — is quite cleverly spelled using periodic table element symbols, found in the Periodic table zone of the absolutely geektastic CafePress.com Superbug shop. As it is also National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day you might want to avail yourself of their sweet periodic table styled chocolate goods.

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For Sale

2007-01-02T19:59:00.000-05:00

Today in 1859 Erastus Beadle publishes The Dime Book of Practical Etiquette and on this date in 1965 the obverse design of all Canadian coins is changed to depict the Queen with a slightly more mature look. Construction of the Brooklyn Bridge begins on this day in 1870. If you save up your coinage I'll sell it to you.

This vintage looking Coin Collector T-Shirt is from the Collecting department within the Hobby Gifts section of CafePress.com's The Gift Shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

HNY!

2007-01-01T00:23:00.000-05:00

A Happy New Year

The Daily Shirt wishes our readership a most happy, healthy and fruitful 2007.

This lovely antique postcard print on a New Year Muse Baseball Jersey — more choices here — is from the New Year Writer's T-Shirts And Warmers corridor inside the nostalgic CafePress.com Please Write shop — "postcard images on Gifts for Writers." What could be more inspiring for the days ahead!?

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New Year's Baby

2006-12-31T04:13:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1997, perhaps with the idea of looking both at the year behind and the one to come, South African and American surgeons separate Zambian Siamese twins joined at the head. Possibly to prevent contemplative gazing today in 1695 a window tax is imposed in England and many shopkeepers brick up their windows to avoid paying it.

In 1904 on this day the first New Year's Eve celebration is held in New York City's Times Square, then known as Longacre Square. Three years later it is the site of the famous ball-dropping herald and in 1929 Guy Lombardo plays Auld Lang Syne for the first time at the Roosevelt Hotel. For unsurprising reasons it is National Champagne Day and on this date in 1938 Indiana's Dr. R.N. Harger introduces the "drunkometer" — the first breath test. It is also Unlucky Day so please take it easy.

The No Resolutions infant bodysuit — more styles here — is from the Attitude area of the CafePress.com DadTShirts store.

This Club's Baby Tile Coaster (Goo!) — the entire line here — is from the Posters from Theatrical Plays division within the Vintage Poster Art section of the CafePress.com my disgusting art online store. (Their very wide selection of goods includes some items that are suitable for adults only.) If you play your cards right tonight you will be able to flaunt their I Survived Yesterday gear tomorrow.

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It's what's inside...

2006-12-30T00:22:00.000-05:00

NOW YOU KNOW!

Yet another day in which we must decide what to celebrate — will it be National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, Relaxation Day, Falling Needles Family Fest Day or Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Minute? Really, it is quite the dilemma.

On this date in 1817 the first coffee is planted in Hawaii and furthermore from the Department of Caffeine today in 1851 Coca-Cola is invented by Asa Griggs Candler. In more buzz, or rather buzz-kill news, wearing masks at balls is forbidden in Boston on this date in 1809. And, if ever there was a party to attend it would have been one in London held today in 1853 within a life-size model of an Iguanodon dinosaur, the work of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, a British sculptor who specialized in such objects, and British paleontologist/zoologist/dinosaur maven Sir Richard Owen, the first scientist to significantly bring dinosaurs to public attention. Imagine sitting down to dinner and filling your own belly whilst in that of such a beast? They were definitely enjoying Bicarbonate of Soda over there, I am sure. As for Enormous Changes at the Last Minute today in 1967 The Beatles' song Hello Goodbye goes to #1 on the pop charts.

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go, go, go

This stomach instructional T-Shirt is from the Mondo Betty Gets Edgy quarter of the groovily retro CafePress.com Mondo Betty shop.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Strike!

2006-12-29T01:16:00.000-05:00

Today is No Interruptions Day as well as Tick Tock Day so you have your choice of important celebrations.

In 1852 Emma Snodgrass is arrested in Boston on this day for wearing pants. On this date in 1862 the bowling ball is invented and in 1864 the Fire Department celebrates its first annual Ball. Today in 1965 United Artists releases the James Bond film Thunderball. Speaking of gravity and flames on this day in 1940 the German Luftwaffe begins dropping incendiary bombs on London. And in death of a different kind today in 1972 LIFE Magazine ceases publication.

This practical and attractive Bowl For Health tote bag sports an evocative vintage 1930s line drawing and can be found in the CafePress.com Bowl for Health emporium.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Creative Juice

2006-12-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

Today marks the 1922 birthday of Stan Lee, creator of such comic book characters as Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk. Rod Serling, of Twilight Zone fame also appeared on this planet today in 1924 as did Elizabeth Jordan Carr — in 1981 — the first American test-tube baby, produced without the physical union of a man and a woman. We wish her a happy 25th birthday! The Doors release their hit single Touch Me today in 1968. On this date in 1849 M Jolly-Bellin discovers dry-cleaning when he accidentally tips a lamp containing turpentine and oil onto his clothing and sees stains vanish.

This hand print T — other variations here — is from the Humor area of the outspoken and well designed CafePress.com Bitch Pride Tees shop. Some items for adults only.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Pure

2006-12-27T03:41:00.000-05:00

This date marks the 1822 birth of Louis Pasteur, the French bacteriologist, microbiologist and chemist, who invented a process which became known as pasteurization in which liquids such as milk are heated to kill most bacteria and molds present within them.

On this day in 1845 ether is used as an anesthetic in childbirth for the first time. The doctor is Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia and the patient is his wife, who successfully brings a baby girl into the world.

Today in 1937 Mae West — who once remarked "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted" — performs an Adam and Eve skit that gets her banned from NBC radio. And, on this date in 1900 prohibitionist Carrie Nation a k a Carry A. Nation smashes her first saloon, the Hotel Carry Annex Bar in Wichita, Kansas. She did not carry an ax but was, in fact, known to employ a hatchet during such activities.

This got snow? "infant creeper" — the same phrase is available on other wares here — is in the Holidays section of the Got Parodies? zone (poking fun at the famed milk advertisement campaign — some "Rated X" designs on board) within the quite varied inventory of the CafePress.com Rinkydinks shop.

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Light and Shadow

2006-12-26T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today is National Whiners Day. I'm all for it.

On this date in 1891 Henry Miller is born, author of Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer and Sexus, among many other fine books well worth reading. This day also marks the 1893 birthdate of Mao Tse-Tung, who wrote a small book which, while not quite as hot as Henry Miller's output, was indeed red. Today in 1878 the first store in the United States — in Philadelphia — installs electric lights. From the opposite corner, on this date in 1954 The Shadow airs the last episode of its radio program series (the FM radio is patented today in 1933). Time Magazine names its man of the year on this date in 1982: a computer.

This vintage-looking Idea Bulbs T-Shirt is inspiration waiting to happen within the Cartoon Equipment area of the entertaining and animated CafePress.com SCOTTOONS Store.

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

WWAD?

2006-12-25T02:03:00.000-05:00

What would Atticus do?

Today is Children's Day in the Republic of Congo and on this date in 1962 Universal Pictures releases one of my favorite childhood films — To Kill a Mockingbird — starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, consummate father and lawyer with a sense of integrity beyond reproach as exemplified in his quotidian activities and by his earnest and awe-inspiring defense of an innocent man. Today in 1874 The Lambs Club is established in New York City — the first professional theatrical social organization in the United States. In 1959 on this date a synagogue in Cologne, Germany is desecrated with swastikas.

:(

Indeed, what would Atticus do?

This poetic WWAD? shirt provides food for thought — more items with the motif here — and in fact can be found in the Comfort Food For Your Head division of the eclectic CafePress.com k8company!Two shop, among their other fine wares.

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...roasting on an open fire...

2006-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

It is National Egg Nog Day. I wonder why. In a multi-kulti blending, on this date in 1997 a Chanukah candle is officially lit in Vatican City for the first time. While we are on the subject of flames today in 1851 the Library of Congress catches fire, burning 35,000 books in the process. One of them, perhaps, is the Bible, which on this day in 1968 is the printed matter aboard NASA's Apollo 8 Mission; astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell, Jr., and William Anders, the first men to orbit the Moon, recite passages from the Book of Genesis which are transmitted back to Earth on live television. Today also marks the first radio program broadcast, in 1906. It comprises a poetry reading, a violin solo and a speech. On a sad end note, it is on this date in 1991 that 1,025 pound Walter Hudson dies at the age of 46. Probably some of that extra weight was due to the over-consumption of egg nog and chestnuts.

Today we offer a duo of T-Shirts, representing those two seasonal culinary delights — the yellow Egg Nog T and the grey Chestnuts T, respectively from the CafePress.com Egg Nog and Chestnuts shops. They are stylistically so similar that I suspect the same designer is behind them, probably alternating between drinking and eating both substances at this very moment.

Peace.

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Take-Out

2006-12-23T01:06:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1852 the first Chinese theater in United States, the Celestial John, opens in San Francisco, California. Speaking of drama today in 1888 Vincent Van Gogh cuts off his left ear with a rusty razor whilst in a rage and brings it to a prostitute by the name of Rachel. Moving on to other body parts — on this date in 1954 doctors perform the first human organ transplant, of a kidney, at Boston's Peter Bent Brigham Hospital. This is also the day in 1938 when Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West costume catches fire during filming of The Wizard of Oz; she is severely burned. In a morbid segue today marks the 1972 rescue of the last of 16 airplane crash victims who spent 70 days high in the South American Andes surviving by cannibalism. Yum. Fava beans and a nice Chianti.

This lovely Chopstick Instructions Hoodie (this is the back view) — more styles here — is from the Randomness on T-Shirts & Gifts department of the highly aesthetically-tuned and prolific CafePress.com Lekker Designs shop, whose beautiful works I have featured before. (Lekker happens to mean "tasty" in Dutch and unlike today's edition their creative production is not disgusting at all.)

[To purchase items click on the photograph or colored text links.]

Labels

2006-12-22T03:10:00.000-05:00

Today marks the first day of Capricorn, the tenth astrological sign — one of the few groups to which I happen to belong. According to Wikipedia Capricorns are associated with hard work (yes), business affairs (no) and are characterized as ambitious (in theory), patient (yes and no), responsible (yes), stable (my therapist thinks so), trustworthy (absolutely), shrewd (depending on your definition thereof) and persistent (most definitely) but also prone to coldness (not me), conservatism (no way!), rigidity (only when my control freaking strikes), materialism (worthless glittery things that would appeal to a magpie — unless you count hoarding newspapers), and dullness (I think not!). Anatomically speaking, Capricorn is said to rule the knees (ok so far), bones (I think mine are composed of blackboard chalk sticks but I have yet to break one — knock wood) and skin (true but currently dry — Oilcan!). In terms of geography, Capricorn is linked with Albania, Bulgaria, India, and Mexico. (Who knew? Four places I've never seen.) Physically — still per Wikipedia — individuals born under the sign of Capricorn tend to have straight and dark hair (yes and yes), steady eyes (very), a dark complexion (sorry, white as snow over here), capable hands (if only you knew just how!), and prominent cheekbones (yes, both of them).

This colorful vintage retro Capricornio Oranges Fruit Crate Label T-Shirt — the entire Carpricornio division here — is just one of many beautiful designs in the Fruit Crate Label Art section of the overflowing CafePress.com W2Arts Gift Mall shop. (They also specialize in flags, should you need to represent Albania, Bulgaria, India or Mexico).

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Black, White and Red All Over

2006-12-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

It's a very black and white kind of day. Today marks the first day of the harshest of seasons. Darkness falls early. Spirits can ride low. Conversely, or maybe because of, this is also Look at the Bright Side Day and National Flashlight Day — surely there is a relationship there. It is also Humbug Day (no kidding).

On this date in 1937 Walt Disney's Snow White, the first feature length color and sound cartoon, premieres. Miss White, as I remember, didn't have much coloring herself, being mostly black and white except for her ruby lips. Speaking of red on this day in 1933 dried human blood serum is first prepared at the University of Pennsylvania, and — back to black and white — today in 1913 the New York World publishes the first crossword puzzle, Arthur Wynne's Word Cross, which contains 32 clues.

This Crossword Puzzle Baseball Jersey is part of the expressive yet wordless output of the CafePress.com Crossword Puzzle shop.

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'nuf said...

2006-12-20T23:31:00.000-05:00

All I can manage today. Sorry. Workers on strike.

This I'm Having a Bad Shirt Day T-Shirt — the complete panoply of Bad Shirt Day options here — sums up my bad attitude quite nicely. The design is within the Other Pop Culture Funny T-Shirts department of the CafePress.com Funny T-Shirts shop. Offensive and adult humored products can be found among the wide array of their offerings.

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Yes or No?

2006-12-19T23:38:00.000-05:00

Today is the birthday of French chanteuse Édith Piaf, known as The Little Sparrow due to her petite stature — she was 4' 8" (142 cm) tall — and famous for many songs, notably Non, je ne regrette rien (No, I regret nothing) and La Vie en rose — poignant ballads sung with a voice that broke hearts around the globe. Her work reflected a tragic and short life — she died of cancer at the age of 47 — which included a troubled childhood filled with disease and parental abandonment, a baby born when she was sixteen — the product of her first love — who died in infancy of meningitis. Her greatest amour, a boxer named Marcel Cerdan, was killed in a 1949 plane crash. She was married twice — her second husband twenty years her junior. The Little Sparrow's funeral procession in 1963 drew hundreds of thousands of mourners onto the Parisian streets and more than 40,000 fans attended the ceremony at the Père Lachaise Cemetery. Fellow singer and friend Charles Aznavour noted that it was the only time since the end of the Second World War he'd seen Paris traffic brought to a complete halt.

On this date in 1922, in England, Theresa Vaughn, age 24, goes on trial for bigamy. She confesses in court to having 62 husbands.

Thinking of loves loved and loves lost we offer this sweet do you like me? yes no Notes in Class T-Shirt — the full line is here — reminiscent of the folded missives passed secretly between boys and girls in school. It can be found in The Main Section of the abundant and sassy CafePress.com Lynda's Studio Designs shop. Some products suitable for adults only.

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A Mixed Bag

2006-12-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today is Wear a Plunger On Your Head Day. Really, people, I don't make this stuff up. And we are in the midst of Chanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, so a big high-five to our fellow Hebrew nationals. In an unfortunate coincidence on this date in 1892 Rabbi H. Rosenberg is expelled from Temple Beth Jacob in Brooklyn for eating pork! Speaking instead of tongue, on this day in 1996 "Ebonics" is declared a language or dialect by the school board of Oakland, California. In more news from the Communications Lab today in 1997 HTML 4.0 — without which we could not be publishing this daily enterprise on anything other than paper — is released by the World Wide Web Consortium. On this date in 1968 John Lennon and Yoko Ono arrive for a London press conference whilst canoodling inside a large paper bag — the first Bagism performance. Finally, one last tidbit from the World of Wood — on this day in 1999 Julia "Butterfly" Hill ends her two-year, anti-logging protest called the Luna Tree Sit wherein she lives atop a redwood tree. I wonder if she had a plunger in her perch.

This Plunger iconTee — No, I will not fix your toilet is the product description — can be pulled from the groovy Terrific! Tees room of the Cafe Press.com Big Star Shirts shop.

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Toast!

2006-12-17T23:50:00.000-05:00

Today The Daily Shirt ruminates on things which ignite, in more ways than one. On this date in 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first powered-airplane flight (the Wright Flyer held a gasoline engine) in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Today in 1880 Thomas Alva Edison incorporates the Edison Electric Illuminating Company to provide electric light to New York City. Also on this day in 1924 the first diesel-electric locomotive goes into service in the Bronx, New York. This was also a popular date for going up in flames: In 1938 the Utrecht Central Station (the Netherlands) is destroyed this way and on this day in 1961 a disgruntled employee — I'm thinking it has to be a clown — sets fire to a circus tent in Niteroi, Brazil. Continuing in the vein of combustible materials and flammability today in 1892, also in North Carolina, federal agents destroy 5,000 gallons of moonshine (a record at the time), in 1936 on this date Edgar Bergen debuts over network radio with his flammable wooden friend Charlie McCarthy, in 1895 George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine in Massachusetts and today in 1965 the Sunday New York Times — which sells for 50 cents — reaches a record 946 pages. That's a lot of kindling! This day also marks the 1875 Bread Riot in Montreal. I'm not exactly sure what happened there but perhaps the event included some heated incidents of toast.

This simple shirt, with its minimalist statement, is the lone offering — the single slice — of the CafePress.com Toast Shop.

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Fowl Line

2006-12-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

Today in 1859 Wilhelm Grimm — of the fairy tale collecting Brothers of fame — dies at the age of 73; The Golden Goose (Die goldene Gans) is but one example of their ouvre. And, of the oeufs which hatch that particular bird — this day in 1976 is also the last for George, a goose that lives to be 49 years and 8 months old. Yet more sorry news from the World of Fowl — on this date in 1980 "Colonel" Harland Sanders, founder of the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast-food chain, takes his last breath. He is 90. Continuing with chicks, albeit of a different variety, on this day in 1903 New York's Majestic Theater becomes the first in the United States to employ women ushers. And on the very subject of variety today in 1905 the show-biz rag of that name publishes its initial edition. Back not to fowl, but rather to fouls, on this date in 1983 Yogi Berra is named manager of the New York Yankees baseball team for the second time. It's déjà vu all over again. In our last segue and with that sport's playing field shape in mind, today in 1954 General Electric Research Laboratories first produces synthetic diamonds.

This GOOD EGG Kids T — the complete oeuf ouvre here — is from the Vegan + Veggie aisle of the small but strong CafePress.com Veggie's Shop!

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I Enjoy Being a Girl!

2006-12-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

This edition of The Daily Shirt is dedicated to reportage on things of a sexual nature, at times obliquely defined. We observe the 1832 birthday of Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who — ahem — erected his eponymous Tower. Continuing our tumble with international phallic symbols of architecture today in 2001 a newly upright Torre di Pisa reopens in Italy, after being closed for ten years.

Christine Jorgensen is the first person to undergo a sex-change operation (gender reassignment) on this day in 1952. Born 1926 as George William Jorgensen, Jr. in New York City, Jorgensen endures an unhappy childhood and after much research has the history-making surgery done in Copenhagen. She chooses the name Christine to honor the Danish surgeon who performs the operation and supervises her hormone therapy, Dr. Christian Hamburger. Previously a noted photographer, Miss Jorgensen finds herself an instant celebrity post-op and, among other things, tours university campuses during the 1970s and 1980s to talk about her experiences. Years later she parlays her natural abilities as a performer into a nightclub act, singing several songs, including I Enjoy Being a Girl and is also an active spokesperson for transsexual and transgender people.

On this day in 1973 Charlie Rich's song The Most Beautiful Girl climbs to the top of the pop-singles charts and the American Psychiatric Association declares that homosexuality is not a mental illness. In a somewhat related aside today is Underdog Day. On this date in 1939 nylon yarn is commercially manufactured for the first time in Seaford, Delaware and today in 1995 Playboy Magazine goes back on sale in Ireland after a 36-year ban. I don't know precisely where this fits in but I know it goes somewhere — today in 1969 the San Francisco Fire Department replaces leather helmets with ones made of plastic.

Perhaps Christine Jorgensen would have flaunted this shirt — the complete I'm not a Boy assortment is here — from the New & Soon-to-Be Parents department of the expansive CafePress.com American Angst shop. Adult humor on board hither and thither.

And no boudoir would be complete without this Brunette Babe Throw Pillow, beautifully displaying a saucy men's magazine cover from bygone days — the bevy of Brunette Babes here — from the Vintage Babes section of the World War 2 Christmas Gifts zone in CafePress.com's overflowing SagArt shop. Some spicy items here as well for adults of all ages.

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Small Round Things

2006-12-14T01:56:00.000-05:00

Today is the birthday of French Astrologer and publisher of dubious prophecies, Nostradamus, who was born Michel de Nostredame on this date in 1503. Also trained as an apothecary, he became famous for creating a "rose pill" that supposedly protected against the Plague. In other orb news allegedly on this day either in 1925 or 1929 — more ambiguity — the first American miniature golf course opens in Florida. In a parallel hobby and diameter universe today in 1901 the London Royal Aquarium hosts the first table-tennis tournament and, speaking of poisson, on this date in 1656 Parisian rosary-bead maker M. Jacquin first produces artificial pearls — made of gypsum pellets, they are covered with fish scales. From the Cross-Section Department — on this day in 1902 the first telegraph cable is laid across the Pacific Ocean. And, in our last ode to small round things, today in 1968 American singer Marvin Gaye's I Heard it Through the Grapevine reaches number one on the pop-singles charts.

This idiosyncratic comic expression pink pin (one inch Ø) — an object selected in homage to today's topic — is from the small but tidy CafePress.com Ink Blot Comics shop.

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Buon Compleanno!

2006-12-13T00:13:00.000-05:00

A day filled with music, festivity and sweets: It's Ice Cream and Violins Day! It's National Cocoa Day! Today in 1759 the first US music store opens in Philadelphia. On this day in 1928 George Gershwin premieres An American in Paris at New York's Carnegie Hall. We also mark the birthday of a brilliantly inventive and prolific American composer, Alvin Curran — born 1938 in Providence, Rhode Island, he has lived most of his life in Rome, Italy; un'Americano a Roma. To celebrate the occasion we are serving ice cream — on this date in 1903 Italo Marcioni patents the ice cream cone in New Jersey — and dressing up in our Wednesday best (today in 1928 the clip-on tie is introduced).

With this Harmonica/Blues Harp Baseball Jersey we offer up a sartorial and virtual rendition of Happy Birthday. The design appears on other wares and wear in the Misc. Musical Instruments area within the mellifluous Music Instrument Graphics section inside the MUSIC Merchandise zone of CafePress.com's CHM Design Store - Music Stuff & More. We hope we manage to stay in tune.

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Whoosssh!

2006-12-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

The Daily Shirt dedicates today's edition to movement of all kinds. On this date in 1925 Arthur Heinman coins the term motel (motor hotel) and opens the first — the Motel Inn, in San Luis Obispo, California. More transportation news, out of the Going from Point A to Point B (in this case to Point #26) Department, today in 1988 the New York City subway system adds a new network of stations, the Z line. We also mark the 1913 birthdate of African-American track star Jesse Owens, who spoils Mr. Hitler's "Aryan"-centric 1936 Berlin Olympics by winning four gold medals. In other sport velocity news on this day in 1949 baseball's American League owners reject a rule that would have legalized the "spitball" pitch. Finally, in movement of a different, more invisible sort, today in 1901 Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal — Cornwall, England to Newfoundland, Canada. The distance between the two points is about 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles). The transmission consists of the three dots of the Morse code letter S sent repeatedly.

This La Llanta - The Tire Loteria Card Tote Bag (for when you're on the move), bearing a beautiful illustration of that circular band of rubber, not seemingly in motion — see it on other products here — is from the fabulous and colorful Loteria division of the wondrous CafePress.com Screaming Screens shop whose abundant output includes things offensive and adult. If it's not your bag you can simply move on.

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Oy!

2006-12-11T23:57:00.000-05:00

Today is National Noodle Ring Day. Kugel, a noodly dessert, is traditionally served on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays. Originally ring-shaped, Kugel means "ball" or "globe" in German.

This Kugel T-Shirt — all the design variations are here — a visual spoof on the Google logo (Kugel rhymes with Google), is one of the many Jewish-themed products from the CafePress.com Everything's Jewish shop. I particularly like their Oy! line as well — perfect for everyday use.

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Rumblings

2006-12-10T23:36:00.000-05:00

Periodic Table of Elements

On this day in 1896 Swedish Chemist Alfred Nobel dies. In his honor, and as stipulated in his will, Nobel Prizes are awarded today (since 1901) in fields including physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. It may seem ironic that a prize dedicated to peace should be founded by the man who created dynamite but it was precisely Nobel's unease with the military usage of his explosive inventions — he was condemned by a French newspaper as a "merchant of death" — that motivated him to establish the five prizes using interest from the invested capital of his formidable estate.

In other seismic news — on this date in 1966 the Beach Boys' song Good Vibrations tops the pop-singles charts in the United States.

This educational Periodic Table of Elements Infant/Toddler T-Shirt — discover the entire line here — is from the productive and versatile CafePress.com Plastic Earlobe shop. If you'd prefer a similar simple black and white Periodic Table in Lithuanian, they have that, too! Plastic Earlobe's wide array of offerings include some items for adult use only, just like dynamite.

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Self Service

2006-12-09T23:53:00.000-05:00

Today in 1994 US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is forced to resign after making comments in support of masturbation, another Dark Day in American history.

And today I went on a date, which I am going to stop doing because it seriously interferes with my masturbation schedule.

The Snicker Bar offers this user-friendly throw pillow — "For those who have earned it... Place it proudly! Great icebreaker for your dorm or bedroom!" — among the goods in their CafePress.com shop. Peruse the entire collection of "spanking new wares on an old theme" — shirts for men, women and dogs (my own personal favorite), bags and a bumper sticker — all visual puns on martial arts ranking belts. Let everyone know just how good you are with your own equipment and therefore how great you would be with theirs. ;)

Here is an example of the design on apparel. "Best visual impact when worn under an open jacket, shirt, sweater, et cetera. Quite the provocative nightshirt, too!" You get the general idea. If the text is not legible here click on the shirt and then on "View Larger" and "Zoom In On Image" and you will see things in full swing, so to speak.

Enjoy yourself!

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Cradle to Grave

2006-12-08T23:50:00.000-05:00

Hello My Name Is Going To Be...

Today Christians worldwide celebrate the "Immaculate Conception" — in 1854 on this day Pope Pius IX proclaims its dogma in an apostolic letter, Ineffabilis Deus. Obtusely related — on this date in 1952 pregnancy is acknowledged for the first time on television, during an I Love Lucy episode.

On the flip side of the mortal coil today in 1980 the former Beatle John Lennon is murdered in front of his Manhattan apartment building and in 1792 on this day the first human cremation takes place in the United States.

This Hello My Name Is Going To Be Ricky shirt is from the Someone's Pregnant wing of the My Name Club (a k a Name Fan Club) CafePress.com shop. I wrote about their wares November 9th.

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?

2006-12-07T21:05:00.000-05:00

Sometimes things happen that just make you want to scratch your head and ask Why? Why is today National Cotton Candy Day? Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor on this date in 1941? Why did Richard Dodd return a book to the University of Cincinnati Medical Library today in 1968 that his great-grandfather James Curie had checked out in 1823? And why did he not pay the $22,646 fine? The book, by the way, was Medical Reports of the Effects of Water, Cold & Warm, Remedy in Fever & Febrile Diseases. Why not something by, say, Cicero, who is assassinated on this day in 43 BC — Roman soldiers decapitating him and cutting off his right hand? He certainly could not have scratched his head at that point and asked Why or, maybe that was all he could have done.

This question mark T is for thinkers with many questions and no answers. It's from the Strange and Unique division of the CafePress.com Yazooy shop, whose work I have praised here before.

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Paper Trail

2006-12-06T23:58:00.000-05:00

On this day in 1822 John Eberhard builds the first large-scale pencil factory in the United States. It is also the birthday (1886) of Joyce Kilmer, an American poet whose poem Trees — perhaps written with an Eberhard Faber yellow pencil — was recited by generations of schoolchildren. And how many of those wooden writing implements would one tree yield? Or reams of paper? Today in 1768 the first edition of Encyclopædia Britannica is published in Scotland as a weekly installment. To cap our literary theme, on this date in 1933 Federal Judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce's Ulysses is not obscene and the ban on the titillating tome is summarily lifted.

Appropriate wear for the day might be this READ BANNED BOOKS shirt, whose graphic looks like it was cranked out on a vintage vinyl label maker. A panoply of wares with the image can be browsed here amidst the department of Education stacks in CafePress.com's BigDogma Online Store.

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