He’s short with big ears, a big nose and a skinny tail. He’s nattily attired in red shorts with two big buttons, big yellow shoes and white gloves. He hails from Florida 
these days where he has his own kingdom and is a woke Robin Hood to the state’s evil governor. Back in 1930 when he made his debut he wasn’t quite so colorful, his venue being a black and white comic strip. Mickey Mouse was already well known when his comic strip first appeared, having been a film star since his first appearance in 1928 in the cartoon Plane Crazy. Created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, he has grown in stature through the years to become the face of the Walt Disney organization.
The first comic strip sequence was a reprise of the Plane Crazy cartoon in which Mickey dreams of following in the footsteps of his idol Charles Lindbergh, flying into adventure in his own homemade plane, along with his girlfriend Minnie.
The governor of Florida would probably fare better against a less formidable Disney character. A DeSantis/Donald Duck debate would be priceless.
If Only It Had Wings
On January 13, 1854, musical inventor Anthony Foss received a patent for his accordion, a strange device shaped like a box with a bellows that is compressed or expanded while pressing buttons or keys which cause pallets to open and air to flow across strips of brass or steel, creating something that vaguely resembles music. It is sometimes called a squeezebox. The person playing it is called an accordionist (or squeezeboxer?)
The harmonium and concertina are cousins. And, yes, there is a World Accordion Day.
If Only She’d Had a Squeezebox
Born in Russia on January 13, 1887, “the Last of the Red Hot Mamas,” Sophie Tucker immigrated to the United States as an infant and began her long career shortly afterward, singing for tips in her parents’ restaurant. Between taking orders and serving customers, Sophie would stand in a narrow space by the door and belt out songs with all the drama she could muster. “At the end of the last chorus,” she remembered, “between me and the onions, there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”
She gained stardom using a combination of comic risque and “fat girl” songs such as “Nobody Loves a Fat Girl, But Oh How a Fat Girl Can Love.” Her signature song, however, was “Some of These Days.” She became one of the most popular entertainers in America, following her vaudeville and burlesque career with movies through the 30’s and 40’s and television in the 50’s and 60’s. She influenced many female performers, including such larger than life performers as Mae West and Bette Midler.
Sophie Tucker continued performing until her death in 1966.
Wretched Richard's Almanac 