News of the Week: Money Matters, Abraham Lincoln’s Coat, and Don’t You Dare Call Me Bald

First Bitcoins, Now …

I’ve already made peace with the fact that I’m never, ever, ever going to care about or understand Bitcoin. I just don’t want to take up any space in my brain with that information. And now there’s a new thing!

They’re called Stablecoins, I think because they’re like Bitcoins only more … stable. Or maybe they’re not! Again, I really don’t want to know, but you can read all about it at The Hustle.

I’ll just stick with, you know, coins.

50,000 Pennies

Sticking with coins is what this Chandler, Arizona, second grader is doing. He actually collected 50,000 pennies to donate to Kansas City Chiefs Patrick Mahomes’s charity foundation.

I’m not sure if people gave the kid pennies because of generosity or if they just wanted to get rid of the things because they had them in jars or found them in between their sofa cushions, but that’s an impressive collection.

You don’t see any Chandler, Arizona, second graders collecting Bitcoins, do you?

Check Your Coin Jars (or Sofas)

Continuing with our coin theme, I wonder if any of the 50,000 pennies above are the rare 1909-S VDB Lincoln penny worth $2,000?

Abraham Lincoln’s Coat

Speaking of Lincoln, CBS Sunday Morning had a feature on what happened to the coat he was wearing the night he was shot at Ford’s Theater.

Uploaded to YouTube by CBS Sunday Morning

Dorothy’s Dress

Back in April, I told you how a dress that Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz had been found in an old shoebox after many years and was going up for auction. But there’s now a plot twist! A woman claims she is the real owner of the dress and has filed a lawsuit. The auction has been put on hold and the hearing will take place this Monday.

It’s actually an interesting case. There aren’t many lawsuits that involve a Wizard of Oz prop, The Catholic University of America, and whether a priest’s vow of poverty makes him unable to accept gifts.

Headline of the Week

“Calling a Man ‘Bald’ Is Sex-Related Harassment, Employment Tribunal Rules”

(Finally, justice!)

RIP Fred Ward, Vangelis, Maggie Peterson, John Leo, Richard Wagner, Gino Cappelletti, Bruce MacVittie, June Preston, and Andra Martin Stein

Fred Ward appeared in many films, including The Right Stuff, Tremors, Remo Williams, Henry & June, Silkwood, Uncommon Valor, Miami Blues, and The Player. He died Sunday at the age of 79.

Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, who worked professionally under the name Vangelis — won an Oscar for the soundtrack to the classic film Chariots of Fire. He also did music for Blade Runner, Missing, Alexander, and The Bounty and recorded many albums with Yes singer Jon Anderson. He also composed music for documentaries, and several of his pieces have been used by NASA on space missions. He died Tuesday at the age of 79.

Maggie Peterson was a singer and actress who appeared in many TV shows and movies but is probably best remembered for her role as Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show and her rendition of the beautiful song “There Is a Time.” She later became a location scout for movies. She died Sunday at the age of 81.

Uploaded to YouTube by Bluegrass Preservation

John Leo was a longtime columnist for Time and U.S. News and World Report. He also wrote for The New York Times and The Village Voice and was the author of several books. He died last week at the age of 86.

Richard Wagner was a veteran correspondent and anchor for CBS News. He died last week at the age of 85.

Gino Cappelletti was a member of the Boston Patriots before they became the New England Patriots. He was the AFL’s all-time leading scorer. He died last week at the age of 88.

Bruce MacVittie appeared in such shows as The Sopranos, Bull, The Neighborhood, Waterfront, Miami Vice, and the Law & Order franchise. He was also an acclaimed stage actor. He died earlier this month at the age of 65.

June Preston was a child actress who appeared in such films as It Happened One Night, Anne of Green Gables, Christmas in July, and Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. She later became an acclaimed opera singer. She died Wednesday at the age of 93.

Andra Martin Stein appeared on such shows as Perry Mason, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, Wagon Train, Bronco, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. She died earlier this month at the age of 86.

This Week in History

First Mickey Mouse Film Screened (May 15, 1928)

It wasn’t Steamboat Willie. That was the first Mickey Mouse film released. The first film produced was the silent cartoon Plane Crazy. It was test screened but failed to find a distributor. After the success of Steamboat Willie, Plane Crazy was released with sound in 1929.

Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor (May 18, 1804)

The ceremony took place at Notre Dame Cathedral, and Napoleon took the crown from Pope Pius VII and crowned himself. He died in 1821 and the Post reported on it.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Lemonade for the Lawnboy (May 14, 1955)

The kid on this George Hughes cover is thinking: “Lemonade is great, Mom, but I’d rather have cash. Do you have 50,000 pennies?”

May Is National Vinegar Month

You don’t hear a lot of people talking about vinegar. Not that you ever did, of course. I don’t think there was any Seinfeld level of vinegar popularity many years ago or a Vinegar Institute that extolls the virtues of using vinegar.

Oh wait, there is a Vinegar Institute.

I guess what I’m saying is that vinegar isn’t a word usually used in a positive way. It’s seen as sharp and pungent, a word to describe something that’s the opposite of sweet.

I had a relative who used to dip his french fries in vinegar, which never made sense to me until I tried salt and vinegar potato chips. Here’s how you can make your own from Homemade in the Kitchen. Curtis Stone has a Classic Meatloaf recipe that uses a ketchup topping that includes vinegar. Food & Wine has a recipe for Chicken in Vinegar Sauce, and AllRecipes has Sauerbraten III.

And if you’re wondering, yes, there is a Sauerbraten I and a Sauerbraten II. The latter doesn’t include vinegar though.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

The Preakness (May 21)

Rich Strike, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, will not run in the second leg of the Triple Crown. NBC’s coverage starts at 4 p.m. ET.

The French Open (May 22)

Rafael Nadal has been dealing with a bad foot injury, but he’ll be in Paris to try to get his 14th title. The Tennis Channel will have all-day coverage starting at 6 a.m. ET.

Featured image: Shutterstock