Welcome to the first Spark! of a new week. Hope your weekends were full of enjoyable stuff.
Today in History: 13th June 1927 – Charles Lindbergh receives a ticker-tape parade in NYC
The US aviator Charles Lindbergh had recently returned from Europe having completed the first non-stop flight between New York and Paris in late May of that year, winning the Orteig prize worth $25,000. His flight covered 3,600 miles in 33.5 hours in his aircraft, “Spirit of St. Louis”.
The parade down 5th Avenue to honour his achievement was viewed by several million New Yorkers of whom over 200,000 gathered in Central Park Mall to see Lindbergh honoured by the Governor of New York.
For his achievement, “Lucky Lindie” was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by France and the Distinguished Flying Cross and Medal of Honor by the US.
In later years, Lindbergh was rarely out of the news owing to the kidnap and murder of his infant son and his controversial non-interventionist, America First views prior to WWII. He eventually passed away in Hawaii at the age of 72.
Read more Battle of Chancellorsville | Location, Date, Summary, & Facts | Britannica here .
Also on this day
1966 – US Supreme Court rule that police must inform suspects of their rights in Miranda vs Arizona
1967 – Thurgood Marshall is appointed the 1st Afro-American Supreme Court justice by LBJ
1997 – Timothy McVeigh sentenced to death for his part in the Oklahoma City Bombing
2005 – Michael Jackson acquitted of molestation charges dating back to 1993
2018 – Volkswagen fined 1 Billion Euros over the Diesel emissions scandal
Arrivals
1831 – James Clark Maxwell, Scottish physicist and mathematician
1865 – WB Yeats, Irish poet and playwright
1949 – Dennis Locorriere, US musician (Dr. Hook)
1951 – Stellan Skarsgard – Swedish actor (Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mamma Mia!)
1981 – Chris Evans, US Actor and producer (Captain America)
Departures
1861 – Henry Gray, British anatomist (author of Gray’s Anatomy)
1977 – Matthew Garber, British child actor (Mary Poppins)
1986 – Benny Goodman, US musician and bandleader
1993 – Deke Slayton, US pilot and astronaut
2006 – Charles Haughey, Irish politician and former Prime Minister of Ireland
The Funnies:
Recipe of the day: Dark Chocolate and Orange brownies
WARNING: I know it’s unusual for me but this recipe does not contain Bacon.
Inspired by a delicacy I was served at a charity event yesterday, this BBC Food recipe is indulgent and chocolatey. If you’re really missing the bacon, then just add some. I mean there’s marmalade in this recipe already and you eat that at breakfast, so what could possibly go wrong?
Ingredients
· 200g/7oz dark chocolate with orange, roughly chopped
· 100g/3½oz dark chocolate , roughly chopped
· 225g/8oz unsalted butter , diced, plus extra for greasing
· 25g/1oz cocoa powder
· 1 tbsp fine-shred orange marmalade
· 4 medium free-range eggs
· 200g/7oz soft light brown sugar
· 175g/6oz golden caster sugar
· 1 orange , zest finely grated
· 150g/5½oz plain flour
· ½ tsp baking powder
· pinch of salt
· 250g/9oz dark chocolate chips
Method
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Preheat the oven to 170C/150C Fan/Gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of a 30 x 20 x 4cm/12 x 8 x 1½in baking tin with a large sheet of baking paper.
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Combine the dark chocolate, orange-flavoured dark chocolate, diced butter and cocoa powder in a medium heat-proof bowl, and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring from time to time. When the mixture has melted, add the orange marmalade and mix everything together. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 3–4 minutes.
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Combine the eggs and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes until well-aerated and pale. Add the melted chocolate mixture and orange zest, and whisk again until just combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into the bowl and fold in using a rubber spatula until almost smooth. Add the chocolate chips and continue folding in until thoroughly combined.
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Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, spread level and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the top is lightly risen and starting to crack.
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Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Quote of the Day:
“It seems that when you have cancer you are a brave battler against the disease, but when you have Alzheimer’s you are an old fart. That’s how people see you. It makes you feel quite alone.”
– Sir Terry Pratchett
Comic of the Day:
Mouseover: *‘*They said after I got into a routine, I’d enjoy getting progressively stronger and stop whining so much about how hard exercise was. Well, they were half right!’.
Image Credit: https://xkcd.com/2631/
Explain XKCD: explain xkcd
Inspirobot Always Controversial, Occasionally Inspirational Quote of the Day:
Read @repairatrooper ’s sobering Spark! from Friday here :
( Spark! Pro Series - June 10th, 2022 )
