Tuesday, January 31, 2012

January 31 - Self-Portrait



Self-Portrait




This Day In History
1846
After the Milwaukee Bridge War, Juneautown and Kilbourntown unify as the City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
1862
Alvan Graham Clark discovers the white dwarf star Sirius B, a companion of Sirius, through an 18.5-inch (47 cm) telescope now located at Northwestern University.
1865
The United States Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, abolishing slavery, submitting it to the states for ratification.
1930
3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.
1958
Explorer 1 – The first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.
1961
Mercury-Redstone 2 – Ham the Chimp travels into outer space.
1971
Apollo 14 – Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.


Famous Birthdays
1543
Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun of Japan (d. 1616)
1673
Louis de Montfort, French Catholic priest and saint (d. 1716)
1797
Franz Schubert, Austrian composer (d. 1828)
1872
Zane Grey, American novelist (d. 1939)
1892
Eddie Cantor, American actor and singer (d. 1964)
1915
Thomas Merton, American author and monk (d. 1968)
1919
Jackie Robinson, American baseball player (d. 1972)
1921
Mario Lanza, American singer (d. 1959)
1923
Norman Mailer, American writer and journalist (d. 2007)
1937
Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008)
1947
Nolan Ryan, American baseball player
1959
Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor





Monday, January 30, 2012

January 30 - Hatt


Hatt

IMG_4288
Stylish hat by a lady named Elizabeth. Thanks Aunt Sarah!

This Day In History
1649
King Charles I of England is beheaded.
1703
The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Ōishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master.
1790
The first boat specializing as a lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne.
1826
The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales, is opened.
1862
The first American ironclad warship, the USS Monitor is launched.
1964
Ranger 6 is launched.
1995
Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease.

Famous Birthdays
1615
Thomas Rolfe, American colonial settler; son of Pocahontas and John Rolfe (d. 1675)
1882
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (d. 1945)
1912
Barbara W. Tuchman, American historian (d. 1989)
1924
Lloyd Alexander (d. 2007)
1930
Gene Hackman, American actor
1937
Boris Spassky, Russian chess player
1941
Gregory Benford, American author and scientist
1951
Phil Collins, English musician
1955
Judith Tarr, American fantasy author


* - why yes, in Swedish it does have two T's.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

January 29 - Pirate-in-training

Pirate-in-training


Now he needs a parrot, and a cutlass...



This Day In History
1819
Stamford Raffles lands on the island of Singapore.
1845
Edgar Allen Poe's "Raven" first published in New York City
1856
Queen Victoria institutes the Victoria Cross.
1861
Kansas is admitted as the 34th U.S. state.
1886
Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
1907
Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American U.S. Senator.
1936
The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced.
1963
The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced.

Famous Birthdays
1737
Thomas Paine, English-born American patriot (d. 1809)
1756
Henry Lee III, American General (d. 1818)
1801
Horatia Nelson, daughter of Emma Hamilton and Horatio Nelson (d. 1881)
1860
Anton Chekhov, Russian writer (d. 1904)
1880
W. C. Fields, American actor (d. 1946)
1913
Victor Mature, American actor (d. 1999)
1943
Rosemary Wells, American childrens' author (Max & Ruby)
1945
Tom Selleck, American actor, screenwriter and film producer
1952
Tommy Ramone, Hungarian-born musician and record producer (The Ramones)
1960
Greg Louganis, American diver

Saturday, January 28, 2012

January 28 - Happy Birthday, Gram!

Happy Birthday, Gram!

Hi Gram!

IMG_1379


Family Birthdays
Gram
Aunt Meredith

This Day In History
1521
The Diet of Worms begins, lasting until May 25.
1547
Henry VIII dies. His nine year old son, Edward VI becomes King, and the first Protestant ruler of England.
1754
Horace Walpole coins the word serendipity in a letter to Horace Mann.
1813
Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom.
1887
In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick.
1896
Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent became the first person to be convicted of speeding. He is fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph, thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph.
1902
The Carnegie Institution of Washington is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie.
1915
An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard.
1934
The first ski tow in the United States begins operation in Vermont.
1958
The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today.
1986
Space Shuttle program: STS-51-L mission – Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board.

Famous Birthdays

1225
1611
Johannes Hevelius, Polish-born astronomer (d. 1687)
1833
Charles George 'Chinese' Gordon, British soldier and administrator (d. 1885)
1841
Henry Morton Stanley, Welsh-born explorer and journalist (d. 1904)
1864
Charles W. Nash, American automobile entrepreneur (d. 1948)
1884
Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist (d. 1962)
1887
Arthur Rubinstein, Polish pianist (d. 1982)
1890
Robert Stroud, American convict, the Birdman of Alcatraz (d. 1963)
1912
Jackson Pollock, American Expressionist painter
1919
Francis Gabreski, American fighter pilot (d. 2002)
1936
Alan Alda, American actor, writer, and director
1955
Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France
1959
Megan McDonald, American children's literature author
1981
Elijah Wood, American actor

Friday, January 27, 2012

January 27 - Mozart's Birthday

Mozart's Birthday

2012-01-24_15-36-15_663


Family Birthdays
Aunt Mary Parsons

This Day In History
1593
The Vatican opens seven year trial of scholar Giordano Bruno.
1606
Gunpowder Plot: The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31.
1785
The University of Georgia is founded, the first public university in the United States.
1888
The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C.
1939
First flight of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
1945
The Red Army liberates the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp built by the Nazi Germans on the territory of Poland.
1967
The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign the Outer Space Treaty in Washington, D.C., banning deployment of nuclear weapons in space, and limiting use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes.
2006
Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services.

Famous Birthdays
1756
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Austrian composer (d. 1791)
1832
Lewis Carroll, English author (d. 1898)
1850
Edward J. Smith, English captain of the RMS Titanic (d. 1912)
1859
Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany (d. 1941)
1885
Jerome Kern, American composer (d. 1945)
1900
Hyman Rickover, American admiral (d. 1986)
1921
Donna Reed, American actress (d. 1986)
1948
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Russian ballet dancer
1955
John G. Roberts, American jurist and the 17th Chief Justice of the United States
1957
Frank Miller, American comic book author and film director
1965
Alan Cumming, Scottish actor
1974
Ole Einar Bjørndalen, Nordic biathlete

Thursday, January 26, 2012

January 26 - Co-conspirators

Co-conspirators

2012-01-13_17-06-11_547

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure they're up to something.

This Day In History
1788
The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent. Commemorated as Australia Day 
1802
Congress passed an act calling for establishment of a library within the US Capitol
1905
The world's largest diamond, the Cullinan, weighing 3,106.75 carats (0.62135 kg), is found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria in South Africa 
1911
Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane. 
1962
Ranger program: Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon. The space probe later misses the moon by 22,000 miles (35,400 km). 
1978
The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph. 
1980
Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.
1988
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. It would go on to become the longest-running Broadway show.

Famous Birthdays
1887
Marc Mitscher, American admiral (d. 1947)
1892
Bessie Coleman, American pioneer aviator (d. 1926)
1905
Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer (d. 1987)
1918
Philip José Farmer, American writer (d. 2009)
1925
Paul Newman, American actor, philanthropist, race car driver and race team owner (d. 2008)
1946
Gene Siskel, American film critic (d. 1999)
1963
Andrew Ridgeley, English musician

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

January 25 - Blackberries


Blackberries

Blackberries


This Day In History
1533

Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn and is excommunicated by Pope Clement VII
1787
American Daniel Shays leads a rebellion to seize Federal arsenal to protest debtor's prisons
1915
Alexander Graham Bell in New York calls Thomas Watson in SF  
1924
The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, France, inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games.
1961
Walt Disney's "101 Dalmations" released
1992
Hubble space telescope optics finds NGC3862/3C26

Famous Birthdays
1736
Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Italian-born mathematician (d. 1813)
1759
Robert Burns, Scottish poet (d. 1796)
1841
Jackie Fisher, British First Sea Lord (d. 1920)
1882
Virginia Woolf, English writer (d. 1941)
1938
Etta James, American singer (d. 2012)


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

January 24 - Baltimore Zoo


Baltimore Zoo

Baltimore Zoo


This Day In History
1848
Gold was first discovered in California, in Sutter's mill. When President Polk announced the news in December, the gold rush began.
1908
Robert Baden-Powell organized the first Boy Scout troop in England
1922
Eskimo Pie patented by Christian K Nelson of Iowa (not an Eskimo)
1984
The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale
2004
NASA's Opportunity rover landed on Mars three weeks after its identical twin, Spirit

Famous Birthdays
1888
Ernst Heinkel, German aircraft designer (d. 1958)
1917
Ernest Borgnine
1947
Warren Zevon, American musician (d. 2003)
1948
Michael Des Barres, British actor and rock singer 
1955
Jools Holland
1968
Mary Lou Retton, Olympic gymnast
?
Franklin Habit, Knitter & Cartoonist


Monday, January 23, 2012

January 23 - Vacation


Vacation

"...a refuge for the weary and the oppressed, and a treasury of good counsel and wise lore." (The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien, pg. 298)

This Day In History
971
In China, the war elephant corps of the Southern Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song Dynasty troops.
1533
Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII of England, discovers herself pregnant
1570
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, regent for the infant King James VI of Scotland, is assassinated by firearm, the first recorded instance of such
1789
Georgetown College, the first Catholic University in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland
1849
Elizabeth Blackwell is awarded her M.D. by the Geneva Medical College of Geneva, New York, becoming the United States' first female doctor
1897
Elva Zona Heaster is found dead in Greenbrier County, West Virginia. The resulting murder trial of her husband is perhaps the only case in United States history where the alleged testimony of a ghost helped secure a conviction
1943
Duke Ellington plays at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time
1957
American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison sells the rights to his flying disc to the Wham-O toy company, who later rename it the "Frisbee"
2003
Final communication between Earth and Pioneer 10
Famous Birthdays
1737
John Hancock, American patriot (d. 1793)
1832
Édouard Manet, French artist (d. 1883)

1855
John Moses Browning, American inventor (d. 1926)
1897
Sir William Samuel Stephenson, Canadian soldier, W.W.II codename, Intrepid. Inspiration for James Bond. (d. 1989)
1923
Walter Michael Miller, Jr., American science fiction author 
1933
Chita Rivera, Puerto Rican actress and dancer
1950
Richard Dean Anderson, American actor


Sunday, January 22, 2012

January 22 - Yum! (2)


Yum!

Birthday Cake!
Elanor demolishes her birthday cake.


This Day In History
1506
The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican.
1879
Battle of Rorke's Drift – 139 British soldiers successfully defend their garrison against an intense assault by four to five thousand Zulu warriors.

1927
First live radio commentary of a football match anywhere in the world, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury.
1968
Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space.

1970
The Boeing 747, the world's first "jumbo jet", enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.
1984
The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous "1984" television commercial.

Famous Birthdays
1561
Sir Francis Bacon, English philosopher (d. 1626)
1788
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (Lord Byron), English poet (d. 1824)
1869
Grigori Rasputin, Russian monk (d. 1916)
1904
George Balanchine, Russian choreographer (d. 1983)
1906
Robert E. Howard, American author (d. 1936)
1907
Douglas Corrigan, American pilot (d. 1995)
1931
Sam Cooke, American singer (d. 1964)
1939
Jeff Smith, American chef (d. 2004)
1948
Steve Perry, American singer and musician
1953
Jim Jarmusch, American director
1987
Ray Rice, American football player




Saturday, January 21, 2012

January 21 - Yum!


Yum!

2012-01-15 025

Will tries out his sister's clementines. Mmmmm...

This Day In History
1789
The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts.
1911
The first Monte Carlo Rally takes place.
1919
Meeting of the First Dáil Éireann in the Mansion House Dublin.
1954
The first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, is launched in Groton, Connecticut
1960
Little Joe 1B, a Mercury spacecraft, lifts off from Wallops Island, Virginia with Miss Sam, a female rhesus monkey, on board.

Famous Birthdays
1813
John C. Frémont, American army officer, explorer and presidential candidate (d. 1890)
1824
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, American, Confederate army general (d. 1863)
1885
Umberto Nobile, Italian aeronautical engineer (d. 1978)
1905
Karl Wallenda, German acrobat (d. 1978)
1922
Telly Savalas, American actor (d. 1994)
1932
John Chaney, American basketball coach
1938
Wolfman Jack, American disk jockey and actor (d. 1995)
1940
Jack Nicklaus, American golfer
1953
Paul Allen, American entrepreneur, co-founder of Microsoft



Friday, January 20, 2012

January 20 - Any excuse to get dressed up


Any excuse to get dressed up!

Fun with Costumes



This Day In History
1265
1st English Parliament called into session by Earl of Leicester.
1809
First U.S. geology book published by William Maclure 
1870
"City of Boston" vanishes at sea with all aboard
1885
L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster
1887
U.S. Senate approves naval base lease of Pearl Harbor
1892
First basketball game played in Massachusetts.
1921
British submarine K5 leaves with man and mouse.
1936
Edward VIII succeeds British king George V.
1990
U.S. 64th manned space mission STS-32 (Columbia 10) returns from space.
1995
"Love! Valor! Compassion!" opens at Walter Kerr New York City for 276 performances
1997
Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit

Famous Birthdays
1586
Johannes Schein, German composer
1732
Richard Henry Lee, American farmer, statesman, orator, & signer of Declaration of Independence
"Here a Lee, There a Lee..."
1820
Anne Jemima Clough, English suffragist & promoter of higher education for women
 1884
A. Merritt, American editor and author of works of fantastic fiction.
1894
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., American composer of classical music
1896
George Burns, American comedian & actor




Thursday, January 19, 2012

January 19 - Baby in a box


Baby in a box



This Day In History
1419
French city of Rouen surrenders to Henry V in Hundred Years War.
1770
The Battle of Golden Hill took place between British soldiers and colonists in New York City.
1808
Louis Napoleon signs 1st Dutch aviation law.
1903
New bicycle race "Tour de France" announced (leading to the Tour de Fleece...)
1915
The electric neon sign was patented in the United States by George Claude of Paris, France.
1937
Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. 
1944
The federal government relinquished control of the nation's railroads after settling a wage dispute.
1955
"Scrabble" debuts on board game market
1992
"City of Angels" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 878 performances.
1993
Production begins on Toy Story.

Famous Birthdays
1736
James Watt, Scottish inventor of the steam engine
1749
Isaiah Thomas, American printer, editor, publisher & historian 
1807
Robert E. Lee, Confederate general
1809
Edgar Allan Poe, American author, poet, editor & literary critic
1839
Paul Cézanne, French painter
1921
Patricia Highsmith, American crime novelist
1954
Cindy Sherman, American photographer & film director



Wednesday, January 18, 2012

January 18 - Serious Business


Serious Business

IMG_4225



This Day In History
336
St. Mark elected Catholic Pope.
1486
King Henry VII of England marries Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV. 
1671
Pirate Henry Morgan defeats Spanish defenders, captures Panama
1733  
The first polar bear was exhibited in America, in Boston.
1778
Captain James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) 
1788
The first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony.
1896
First demonstration of an X-ray machine in US takes place in New York City. 
1911
The first landing of an aircraft on a ship took place as pilot Eugene B. Ely flew onto the deck of the USS Pennsylvania in San Francisco harbor.
 1912
English explorer Robert F. Scott and his expedition reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had gotten there first.
1973
John Cleese's final episode on "Monty Python's Flying Circus," on BBC.
1985
Coen brothers release debut film, "Blood Simple."
 

Famous Birthdays
1779
Peter Mark Roget, British physician and thesaurus developer
1782 
Daniel Webster, American lawyer and statesman
1813
Joseph Farwell Glidden, American farmer who patented barbed wire
1854
Thomas Watson, the American telephone pioneer and shipbuilder
1882
A. A. Milne, children's author of Winnie-the-Pooh 
1888
Sir Thomas Sopwith, English WW1 aircraft designer 
1913
Danny Kaye, American entertainer
1950
John Hughes, American director


Tuesday, January 17, 2012

January 17 - Thanks, Nesvolds!


Thanks, Nesvolds!


Aunt Tee & Uncle Rodney got us a membership to the Baltimore Zoo! Thanks!


This Day In History
1377
Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
1584
Bohemia adopts Gregorian calendar.
1806
Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha, gave birth to James Madison Randolph, the first child born in the White House.
1912
Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.
1950
The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company's offices in Boston, Massachusetts.

Famous Birthdays
1706
Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and inventor (d. 1790)
1820
Anne Brontë, British author (d. 1849)
1880
Mack Sennett, Canadian film director (d. 1960)
1886
Glenn Luther Martin, American aviation pioneer
1899
Al Capone, American gangster
1927
Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (d. 2008)
1931
James Earl Jones, American actor 
1935 
Paul O. Williams, American science fiction author 
1938
John Bellairs, American science fiction & children author



Monday, January 16, 2012

January 16 - Out for a Walk


Out for a Walk

IMG_3078


Family Birthdays


Great Aunt Mary's Birthday

Holidays

Martin Luther King Day


This Day In History
27 BCE
Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus is granted the title 'Augustus' by the Roman Senate, marking the beginning of the Roman Empire.
1547
Ivan the Terrible was crowned Czar of Russia.
1605
The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid.
1759
British Museum opens in London.
1909
Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole.
1920
Prohibition began as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect.
1962
Shooting begins on "Dr. No".
1969
Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in Low Earth Orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk.
1973
U.S.S.R.'s Lunakhod 2 begins radio-controlled exploration of Moon. 
1989
  "Romance/Romance" closes at Helen Hayes Theater NYC after 297 performances.


Famous Birthdays
1811
Samuel McIntyre, American architect and craftsman
1821
John C. Breckinridge, American lawyer and politician; 14th Vice President of the United States and Confederate general (d. 1875)
1874
Robert W. Service, Canadian poet (d. 1958)
1901
Frank Zamboni, American inventor (d. 1988)
1908
Ethel Merman, American entertainer.
1928
John William Fozard, aircraft designer 
1933
Susan Sontag, American writer, author, filmmaker, philosopher & political activist