* It was Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to serve in both houses of the U.S. Congress, who made the following sage observation: “Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism: The right to criticize; The right to hold unpopular beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought.”

* According to historians, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill slept on silk sheets and wore silk underwear. It seems he had very s...