Stories: Old West & Beyond 05.20.25
“To look at something as though we had never seen it before requires great courage.” —Henri Matisse
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Good morning. Today is Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
One of our stories today centers on an old, but now refurbished, London hotel that served as a base for spies. Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, spent time at St. Ermin’s as part of his wartime naval intelligence role. I happened to live in England when the first Bond film debuted in Oct. 1962. I didn’t know much about 007 at the time, but a friend of mine highly recommended the flick
“What’s so good about it?” I asked.
“Everything. But the best thing is that this James Bond has a license to kill.”
“And who gave it to him?”
“The British government,” he said. “He can kill anyone and won’t get into trouble.”
“Sounds like your kind of guy, Freddie.”
He smiled. “Sure is.”
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1. THE OLD WEST: AND TO DIE BY THE GUN
Zip Wyatt, born on a farm in Indiana, made his way to the American frontier and before turning his back on the law. Wyatt carried out his life of crime under the aliases Zip, Wild Charlie, and Dick Yaeger, and never hestated to use his gun. “To Live by the Gun.”
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2. THE OLD WEST: THE LAST LAUGH
It wasn’t only outlaws who never hesitated to draw their guns. On the night of Sept. 27, 1869, Sheriff Bill Hickok tried to restore order inside a Hays City, Kansas, saloon, but a drunken teamster laughed at him. "Wild Bill’s Quick Gun."
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3. DON’T READ THIS IF YOU HAVE A FEAR OF LONG WORDS
Merriam-Webster has compiled a list of the longest words in the English language. The longest one in most dictionaries has 45 letters.
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4. MELTED CHOCOLATE AND THE MICROWAVE OVEN
When Percy Spencer discovered that a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted while at work, he needed to know why. His search for the solution inadvertently led him to invent the microwave oven.
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5. TURKEY & TELEVISION LEAD TO BIRTH OF TV DINNER
In 1953, several refrigerated train cars carrying over 250 tons of leftover Thanksgiving turkey created a dilemma for Swanson company executives who wondered what to do with such a surplus. The answer came from a company salesman who presented an idea for a new product.
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6. A LONDON HOTEL ONCE SERVED AS A BASE FOR SPIES
Tucked away at the end of a tree-lined courtyard in London is a historic building with a colorful past. The 4-star St. Ermin’s Hotel once served as London’s hotel of spies.
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7. THE “PEOPLE’S AIRLINE” NOW JUST ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD
Free checked bags, open seating, and the ability to change flights without financial punishment are all the things that drew me to Southwest Airlines over the years. But now, those perks are in the dustbin of customer service.
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8. WHAT THE HECK IS A “POPE-ERRONI”?
During a visit with his family last year, Robert Francis Prevost—now Pope Leo XIV— visited a local Chicago-area pizzeria and ordered a pepperoni pizza. The restaurant decided the best way to honor him was to name a menu item after him.
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“What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.” —George Saunders
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