Today’s lesson is B for Bosco and Bucephalus.
Bosco was a black Labrador Retriever who was the mayor of Sunol, California from 1980 to 1991. Sunol is too small to have an actual city government but the citizens of the hamlet decided to have a mayor anyway and elected Bosco. He was a faithful city servant, never lied and never ripped off his citizens. The mayor was forced into retirement when his humans decided to move to a different town. I’m sure he enjoyed his retirement without civic worries. Amazingly, Bosco is not the only animal in the United States to have been mayor of a small town. We’ll meet more later on in the month!
Bosco, Mayor of Sunol. He looks like a very nice mayor, doesn’t he?
Bucephalus was the prized horse that belonged to Alexander the Great. Sometime around 344 BC King Philip II of Macedonia was offered a wild black stallion to purchase, but because no one could get near the horse, Philip turned the horse dealer down. Alexander, then only 12-years-old, made a deal with his father, King Philip, that if he could ride the horse, he could keep it. The King and his courtiers laughed at the thought of a 12-year-old boy taming such a wild creature. But Alexander was both smart and observant. He had observed that Bucephalus was fearful of shadows. So, he turned the stallion into the sun, petted him and softly talked to him – sort of like a horse whisperer. The wild beast grew calm and while continuing to talk to him, Alexander leapt on to the horses’ back. After that, only Alexander would ever be able to ride Bucephalus and they would go on to conquer the known world together.
I think Alexander lost his clothes somewhere a long the way!!
Bucephalus means “ox-head”, I suppose that is in reference to his size, which was supposed to be HUGE, but Wikipedia says it’s in reference to a branding mark depicting an ox’s head on his haunch. I like my explanation better! 
He even had his own coin!
Bucephalus is described as having an all-black coat with a large white star on his forehead and is supposed to have had one blue eye. He is reported to have died in 326 BC after the Battle of the Hydapes, which is modern Pakistan.
In this sculpture it seems Alexander found his clothes again!
An ancient fresco, partially lost to time.
That’s my “B”!!! Tomorrow is “C” and I can’t remember . . . I think it’s another horse!! Oops! I gave it away! See you tomorrow on Tuesday. Maybe I’ll let one of the tuxies present it!
Love you all, Toby
Toby In Charge 