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Did You Know? Long Live the King: Did you know that Nov. 4 is King Tut day? This is a day we celebrate the discovery of King Tutankhamen's Tomb in 1922. King Tutankhamen became the King of Egypt at the age of nine but ruled only from 1333 B.C. to 1324 B.C., dying at the early age of 19. The cause of his death is not certain. Theories range from murder to an innocent accident. The amazing fact is that his tomb was discovered nearly intact in Egypt's Valley of Kings. This would be a fun day to read more about Egyptian history and the culture of Ancient Egypt. Fall Cleaning: Did you know that Nov. 15 is National Clean Your Refrigerator Day? Apparently, the holiday was originally attributed to a promotion of Whirlpool Home Appliances although a search of their website did not confirm this. The current rationale is that the day exists as a reminder to clean out the refrigerator prior to Thanksgiving preparations. Merry Thanksgiving: Did you know that "Jingle Bells" was originally intended by the writer James Lord Pierpoint as a Thanksgiving song? Written in 1857 and published under the name "One Horse Open Sleigh" it was a tribute to sleigh races Pierpoint had enjoyed as a young adult. The song was used at a Thanksgiving mass and received with such acclaim that it was repeated at the Christmas mass. Two years later, the name "Jingle Bells or One Horse Open Sleigh" was affixed to the publication. Mary Had a Little Turkey: Did you know that Sarah Josepha Hale, an American editor and author of the poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb," is considered the person most responsible for making Thanksgiving Day a national holiday? She campaigned through five presidents before she was able to convince one, President Lincoln, to proclaim the day a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. Pow-wow-er Grab: Did you know that many states were reluctant to adopt Thanksgiving because they did not want to give too much power to the national government? Franksgiving: Did you know that President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving to the next-to-the-last Thursday in November of 1941 to allow more shopping days before the Christmas holiday, thereby giving the country an economic boost? This did not set well with a divided Congress. The Republicans temporarily celebrated the holiday on the traditional annual date; the earlier date was satirically called "Franksgiving" or Democrat Thanksgiving. The Bold and Majestic... What?: Did you know that Benjamin Franklin proposed that the turkey become the official United States bird? He defended his position by commenting on the "bad moral character" of the eagle and the greater respectability of the turkey. Turkey Tom: Did you know that President Thomas Jefferson called the federal Thanksgiving proclamation "the most ridiculous idea ever conceived?" It has been suggested that Benjamin Franklin named the male turkey "Tom" to spite Jefferson. Technological Thanksgiving Trivia!: Did you know that if you have young adults with their ever-present electronic devices as Thanksgiving guests, you could suggest that they surf the internet for Unusual, Fun and Weird Thanksgiving facts. There are many websites eager to reveal the convoluted history of the holiday in the United States. Hopefully, your young guests will not only enjoy their searches, but will share the information with all of your company. ~ Bobbie Eckel Potrero Exit Gate Closed for Repairs The Potrero EXIT gate closure will be Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Friday, Nov. 8. This does not affect traffic entering the Potrero Gate, only exiting. The gate will continue to be manned during its normal schedule, there will be no disruption of gate attendant service. Exiting traffic will be routed to the Crooked Creek Gate. The purpose of the closure is to remove concrete and traffic spikes, install a new drain system, pour new concrete for traffic spikes, and replace approximately 14 springs on spikes. 12 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2013 | community News