Today We Celebrate Having "All The Right Stuff."

Welcome to September 18th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate legends in the sky and on the ground.

When Chuck Yeager enlisted into the United States Army he knew nothing about airplanes, and had little interest in finding out more.  He learned that the Army Air Forces were looking for pilots and the position paid far better than his own at the time.  Yeager applied for and got the job, then went on to become a highly decorated fighter pilot, earning the rank of Brigadier General.  Most famously, he was the first person to break the speed of sound.  But the event almost didn’t include Yeager.  Two days before the test flight, he broke his ribs, but rather than notifying his superiors, he taped his chest and rigged a device to help him close the plane’s hatch. The rest is legend.  As we celebrate the Air Force Birthday, may we honor the men and women who follow the path carved by this flying ace, who had all the “right stuff.”

Some foods are just plain perfect.  And when that happens, everyone wants to take credit for inventing them.  In the case of the cheeseburger we aren’t looking to settle that score, but here are some honorable mentions.  In 1926, Lionel Sternberger was working at his dad’s restaurant, The Rite Spot in Pasadena, CA, when he dropped a slice of cheese on a sizzling burger.  He claims to have been the first.  But Gus Belt of the Steak n’ Shake and Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In both filed for a trademark on the word ‘cheeseburger’ in 1935.  And the winner was Louis Ballast from Denver, Colorado.  On National Cheeseburger Day, everyone’s a winner, especially if they serve it up with grilled onions.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.