Dear Heloise:
When I am cooking, I put a dish towel on my shoulder, or tuck it in my jeans. It’s much easier to rinse and wipe my hands than to keep looking for the right towel (dark blue), which we use only for wiping hands. Everyone knows not to use this blue towel for drying dishes. —
Mike H., Rosebud, Texas Pet pal Dear Readers:
Linda H., via email, sent a picture of her gorgeous black Lab, Midnight. He has two of the same tennis-ball chewies in his mouth! To see Midnight and other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com.
Would you like to share your Pet Pal? Email a picture and an amusing anecdote to: Heloise(at)Heloise.com. You also can mail a picture to: Heloise/Pet Pals, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279795000. Woof, woof. —
Heloise Gunky microwave Dear Readers:
Microwaves get a real workout, and often don’t get cleaned well. Here is an easy and safe way to do so: Use a large microwavesafe bowl; add 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda to 1 cup of water. Add a dash of cinnamon and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Don’t open the door! Let the water and the steam soften the gunk for about 15 minutes to cool and loosen the food buildup.
Wipe the inside with a cloth or paper towel. Clean, without chemicals! Today is Saturday, July 23.
in one of the best remembered moments of the Atlanta Olympics, Kerri Strug made a heroic final vault despite torn ligaments in her sprained left ankle as the U.S. women gymnasts clinched their first-ever Olympic team gold medal.
Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, died in Mount McGregor, N.Y., at age 63.
a legend — or myth — was born as Steve Brodie claimed to have made a daredevil plunge from the Brooklyn Bridge into New York’s East River. (However, there are doubts about whether the dive had actually taken place.)
Austria-Hungary presented a list of demands to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serb assassin; Serbia’s refusal to agree to the entire ultimatum led to the outbreak of World War I.
French Marshal Henri Petain (ahn-REE’ payTAN’), who had headed the pro-Axis Vichy (vee-shee) government during World War II, went on trial, charged with treason. (He was convicted and condemned to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison. On this date in 1951, Petain died in prison.)
Egyptian military officers led by Gamal Abdel Nasser launched a successful coup against King Farouk I.
the first public TV transmissions over Telstar 1 took place during a special program featuring live shots beamed from the United States to Europe, and vice versa.
a week of deadly race-related rioting that claimed 43 lives erupted in Detroit. Would you like more money-saving and safe homemade cleaning solutions? I’ve put together a pamphlet of my favorites. If you’d like to order one, visit www.Heloise.com, or send a stamped (68 cents), self-addressed, businesssize envelope, along with $5, to: Heloise HCS, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Of course, baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge is wonderful for spot-cleaning all around the house: kitchen, bathroom and other counters. —
Rack ‘em up Dear Heloise: Heloise
The maintenance men at my apartment put an old oven out for bulky trash pickup. I grabbed the racks out of it.
I spray-painted them, hung them on the wall and use to organize my earrings, hair ribbons, belts, scarves, hosiery, etc. —
Liz T. in San Diego New medication Dear Heloise:
I was prescribed a new medication. The nurse went over how to take it, and gave me a sheet with the instructions. They called it in to my pharmacy. When I picked it up, the pharmacist asked if I wanted to go over the instructions. I said, “No thanks, I have this sheet from my doctor.” Well, the directions were a little different. One said three times a day; the other, every eight hours. It was a little confusing to me. Am I supposed to wake up to take it? The pharmacist explained it, and now I’m not worried. —
C.E. in Salt Lake City Glove love Dear Heloise:
I always keep vinyl gloves in my vehicle. I use them while pumping gas, and when washing or vacuuming my car at the carwash. This reduces my risk of getting unwanted germs. —
via email Pat F.,
a jury in Washington, D.C., convicted 12 Hanafi Muslims of charges stemming from the hostage siege at three buildings the previous March.
actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen, were killed when a helicopter crashed on top of them during filming of a Vietnam War scene for“Twilight Zone: The Movie.” (Director John Landis and four associates were later acquitted of manslaughter.)
Vanessa Williams became the first Miss America to resign her title, after nude photographs of her taken in 1982 were published in Penthouse magazine.
Britain’s Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London. (The couple divorced in 1996.)
President George H.W. Bush announced his choice of Judge David Souter of New Hampshire to succeed the retiring Justice William J. Brennan on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tiger Woods became the first player since Tom Watson in 1982-83 to win consecutive British Open titles.
Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, was found dead in her London home from accidental alcohol poisonings.
A gunman opened fire in a Lafayette, La., theater during a screening of the film “Trainwreck,” killing two people and wounding nine before fatally shooting himself. “Science and technology revolutionize our lives, but memory, tradition and myth frame our response.” — Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., American historian (1917-2007)