by B.L. Unkel | Feb 3, 2024 | Writing
Popeye the Sailor debuted in the comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929. Here’s a look behind the scenes at one of the most loved and iconic cartoon characters of all time. The Creator As a youngster, Chester, IL native, Elzie Crisler Segar showed a...
by B.L. Unkel | Jan 27, 2024 | Writing
Popeye the Sailor Man is one of the most loved and iconic cartoon characters ever. This month he turned ninety-five years old, and I thought it would be fun to write a Did You Know? about him. I never imagined there’d be so many interesting things to share, though....
by B.L. Unkel | Jan 6, 2024 | Everything Else
On January 1, I did something I hadn’t done since I was a child. I watched part of the Rose Parade, before watching the day’s slate of football bowl games. History It all began with tourism. In the winter of 1890, Pasadena, California’s illustrious Valley Hunt...
by B.L. Unkel | Nov 4, 2023 | Writing
November is a special month for authors, both because of NaNoWriMo and because of National Author’s Day. NaNoWriMo NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It started in 1999 as a challenge: Write 50,000 words of a novel in thirty days—writing only,...
by B.L. Unkel | Oct 28, 2023 | Holidays
Another Halloween is almost upon us. History Halloween began more than 2,000 years ago as a pre-Christian Celtic festival called “Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in” and meaning summer’s end). It marked the changing seasons and the final day of the...