Diva/Mensch pair for June 25, 2025

Do my eyes deceive me or did Brian Wilson win a Grammy in 2004...? He won the Best Instrumental Rock Performance for a whacked out little ditty from Smile called "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow."

Do you know about said cow? An enterprising journalist (Michael Ahern, Chicago Republican) made up a story about the origin of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He said that the fire started when farmer Catherine O'Leary was milking her (unnamed) cow. The cow kicked over a lantern, the barn caught on fire, you can figure out the rest. The story took hold, we're still talking about over 150 years later it but it was (wait for it)....

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...fake news.

This story checks a lot of boxes: anti-Irish, anti-agriculture, anti-woman, anti-bovine! Poor old girl. That's aimed at both Mrs. O'Leary and her (unnamed) cow.

Diva: the myth

Mensch: the cow