Now the captain had started to flip
Hearing of this unorthodox trip
“I don’t sail on your plane!
I don’t bike on your train!
Why on earth would you fly off my ship?”

Event: Eugene Ely performs the first successful takeoff from a ship
Year: 1910
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Ely

In the wind, she would flutter a ton
Some may even have thought it looked fun
But poor Galloping Gertie
Never made it to thirty
Nor twenty, nor fifteen, nor one

Event: The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge (nicknamed Galloping Gertie) collapses
Year: 1940
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galloping_Gertie

The Pope thought his deal pretty neat
Those indulgences couldn’t be beat
But the ninety-five theses
Were as welcome as feces
To the man in the Vatican seat

Event: Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg
Year: 1517
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_theses

In a quest to seek fortune and fame
A most bold sixty-three-year-old dame
To the wonder of all
Took a rather wet fall
And the first barrel rider became

Event: Annie Edison Taylor is the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel
Year: 1901
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Edson_Taylor

“All we wanted to do was sell booze
But this Ness guy is hard to defuse
He won’t get off our backs
‘Cuz we didn’t pay tax
There’s no offer he cannot refuse!”

Event: Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion
Year: 1931
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone

Once the Boxers were done landing blows
To pay debts, the Qing Empire chose
To take over the rail
A plan destined to fail
When Wuchang hurled some very strong “Noes”

Event: The Wuchang Uprising, catalyst of the revolution that would end the Qing Dynasty and establish the Republic of China
Year: 1911
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuchang_Uprising

In mid-August, that seemed to be all
There was no way the Dodgers could fall
Then the Giants got hot
Still, the end it was not
Til the Shot cleared the low left-field wall

Event: Bobby Thomson hits a three-run walk-off home run, known as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” prompting Russ Hodges to declare in no uncertain terms that the Giants had won the pennant
Year: 1951
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_Heard_%27Round_the_World_%28baseball%29

Though a candidate may be quite smart
One must ask, “Well, does he look the part?”
Th’answer carries great weight
Since that famous debate
Redefined our campaigning art

Event: The first televised U.S. presidential election debate pits a tanned, confident, relaxed John F. Kennedy against a pale, sickly, underweight, tired Richard Nixon
Year: 1960
Learn more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election_debates

A. 兵马俑 B. 长城 C. 故宫 D. 黄鹤楼 E. 少林寺 F. 天坛 G. 颐和园

Okay, so it might take a few tries to really get back into the swing of things here.  The Wordsman has been busy with this and that the past few weeks.  But let’s see if we can gradually work our way from “once per season” to “once per month,” and then on to “once every couple weeks,” and maybe even better than that.

A has a definite martial feel to it, at least according to Theoman and Shirley (A Fan, despite his Wikipedic knowledge, got off track a little bit and ended up in the capital of Hubei Province).  That first one is a warrior, the second is a horse, and the third is . . . a kind of figure buried with the dead.  Oops.  Good idea, Theorley, but these warriors are more along the lines of motionless clay statues.  Welcome to the Terra Cotta Army, which some French guy called the Eighth Wonder of the World.  I guess he never got the chance to see King Kong.

A Fan comes the closest on B, as he cleverly knew (from Wiki, perhaps?) that the second character there can mean “city.”  But originally it meant a wall (as in the kind that goes around a city), and that first character means “long.”  So this is some sort of very long wall, apparently.  Not sure what that refers to.  Moving on . . .

Is C a home for birds?  Or Kung Fu masters?  Or is it intended to honor the heavens above?  We’ll give “closest” credit to Shirley on this one, as C is the former residence of the son of heaven, star of A Fan’s favorite movie, the 1987 Best Picture winner.

More consensus on D, as Theorley teamed up again to identify this as the Forbidden City (NOTE: no longer actually forbidden).  We’ll say that they’re close, because this is the Yellow Crane Tower.  The Yellow Crane Tower is not at all forbidden, but the elevator inside is supposed to be restricted to the elderly and the handicapped.  However, if your lovely assistant’s uncle knows a guy who knows a guy . . .

Not sure what sort of seasonal imagery Theoman spotted in E, as these characters mean “few,” “woods,” and “temple.”  Shirley had a good idea when she decided that the first one is a guy balancing on one foot, but instead of going for a clay guy (who are not known for their balance), she maybe should have tried to picture him as a monk instead.  You know, one of those monks from that temple.

Even though Theoman is technically correct (“The best kind of correct!”) in saying that F is the Temple to Heaven, we’re going to give credit to A Fan here for his statement that “We should all have a summer palace.”  Because really, we should.  Bonus points to Shirley for following his lead.

G seems to look an awful lot like the Great Wall, and even I can’t deny how many squares and rectangles there are in there, but don’t squares and rectangles deserve a Summer Palace too?  Doesn’t everyone?

So what exactly has the Wordsman been busy with?  Who can say?  But, for NO PARTICULAR REASON WHATSOEVER, let’s have a quiz about wedding words.  We’ve got some people (bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen) and some things (the ring, the dress, and the ceremony).  You may notice that a lot of these words have characters in common with each other.  Well, you may do with that knowledge as you will, and at your own risk.

A。新娘 B。新郎 C。伴娘 D。伴郎 E。 婚礼 F。婚戒 G。婚纱

Giles Corey to his wife was true
And in time he was called a witch, too
But, resigned to his fate
He just called out “More weight!”
Under stones, he to life bid adieu

Event: Giles Corey is tortured to death during the Salem Witch Trials
Year: 1692
Learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Corey