June 30 - His Turn

His Turn

Today is the first day of the Tour de Fleece.

Overheard

[E is working on her laptop, and looks at the lid.]
E: Somebody took a bite out of the apple. Why?

This Day In History

1859

French acrobat Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

1864

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln grants Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort and recreation".

1886

The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal. It arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4.

1905

Albert Einstein publishes the article On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies, in which he introduces special relativity.

1908

The Tunguska event occurs in remote Siberia.

1921

U.S. President Warren G. Harding appoints former President William Howard Taft Chief Justice of the United States.

1937

The world's first emergency telephone number, 999, is introduced in London.

1987

The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the $1 coin, known as the Loonie.

1997

The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China.

Famous Birthdays

1588

Giovanni Maria Sabino, Italian composer, organist and teacher (d. 1649)

1803

Thomas Lovell Beddoes, English poet (d. 1849)

1912

Ludwig Bölkow, German aeronautical engineer (d. 2003)

1917

Lena Horne, American singer and actress (d. 2010)

1930

Thomas Sowell, American economist

1934

Harry Blackstone Jr., American stage magician (d. 1997)

1942

Robert Ballard, American oceanographer

1947

Barry Bremen, American sports imposter

1963

Yngwie Malmsteen, Swedish guitarist

1966

Marton Csokas, New Zealand actor

1971

Monica Potter, American actress

1973

Chan-ho Park, South Korean baseball player

1985

Michael Phelps, American swimmer

June 29 - Working

Working

*

This Day In History

1534

Jacques Cartier is the first European to reach Prince Edward Island.

1613

The Globe Theatre in London, England burns to the ground.

1786

Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario.

1888

George Edward Gouraud records Handel's Israel in Egypt onto a phonograph cylinder, thought for many years to be the oldest known recording of music.

1927

The Bird of Paradise, a U.S. Army Air Corps Fokker tri-motor, completes the first transpacific flight, from the mainland United States to Hawaii.

1974

Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union to Canada while on tour with Bolshoi Ballet.

1995

STS-71 Mission (Atlantis) docks with the Russian space station Mir for the first time.

Famous Birthdays

1517

Rembert Dodoens, Flemish physician (d. 1585)

1818

Angelo Secchi, Italian astronomer (d. 1878)

1858

George Washington Goethals, American army engineer (d. 1928)

1861

William James Mayo, American physician (d. 1939)

1868

George Ellery Hale, American astronomer (d. 1938)

1900

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer, poet and pioneering aviator (d. 1944)

1901

Nelson Eddy, American singer and actor (d. 1967)

1903

Alan Blumlein, English electronics engineer (d. 1942)

1910

Frank Loesser, American composer (d. 1969)

1919

Slim Pickens, American actor (d. 1983)

1920

Ray Harryhausen, American filmmaker

1962

Amanda Donohoe, British actress

1985

Quintin Demps, American football player

* - Uncle Devin: It's an iBook G4, 2004-ish.

June 28 - Choo

Choo

Overheard

[In the car]
E: I really want to go roller skating. Maybe someone will give me roller 
skates, so I can practice. How do you roller skate?

This Day In History

1461

Edward IV is crowned King of England.

1838

Coronation of Victoria of the United Kingdom.

1846

The saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax in Paris, France.

1859

The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.

1894

Labor Day becomes an official US holiday.

1919

The Treaty of Versailles is signed in Paris, bringing fighting to an end in between Germany and the Allies of World War I.

1969

Stonewall Riots begin in New York City, marking the start of the gay rights movement.

1997

Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield II – Tyson is disqualified in the 3rd round for biting a piece off Holyfield's ear.

2004

Sovereign power is handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.

Famous Birthdays

1491

Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England and France, Defender of the Faith and Lord of Ireland (d. 1547)

1577

Sir Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish Baroque painter (d. 1640)

1703

John Wesley, English founder of Methodism (d. 1791)

1712

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher and polymath (d. 1778)

1824

Paul Broca, French physician (d. 1880)

1891

Carl Spaatz, American Air Force general (d. 1974)

1902

Richard Rodgers, American composer (d. 1979)

1909

Eric Ambler, English writer (d. 1998)

1926

Mel Brooks, American filmmaker

1932

Pat Morita, American actor (d. 2005)

1946

Bruce Davison, American actor
Gilda Radner, American comedienne (d. 1989)

1947

Mark Helprin, American writer

1966

John Cusack, American actor

1979

Felicia Day, American actress, writer, director, violinist, and singer

1986

Kellie Pickler, American singer

June 27 - Building

Building

This Day In History

1652

New Amsterdam (now NYC) passes 1st speed limit law in US.

1895

The inaugural run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from Washington, D.C., to New York, New York, the first U.S. passenger train to use electric locomotives.

1898

The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia.

1922

Newberry Medal 1st presented for kids literature to Hendrik Van Loon.

1923

Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane.

1954

The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow.

1967

The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield Town, England, United Kingdom.

1982

Space Shuttle Columbia launches from the Kennedy Space Center on the final research and development flight mission, STS-4.

Famous Birthdays

1805

Napoleon Coste, French guitarist and composer (d. 1883)

1838

Paul von Mauser, German weapon designer (d. 1914)

1880

Helen Keller, American deaf and blind activist (d. 1968)

1888

Antoinette Perry, American theater director (d. 1946)

1899

Juan Trippe, American airline entrepreneur (d. 1981)

1913

Willie Mosconi, American billiards player (d. 1993)

1932

Anna Moffo, American soprano (d. 2006)

1949

Vera Wang, American fashion designer

1956

Brad Childress, American football coach

1974

Christian Kane, American actor and singer

1975

Tobey Maguire, American actor

June 26 - Race Car

Race Car

This Day In History

699

En no Ozuno, a Japanese mystic and apothecary who will later be regarded as the founder of a folk religion Shugendō, is banished to Izu Ōshima.

1857

The first investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London.

1886

Henri Moissan isolated elemental Fluorine for the first time.

1909

The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity.

1927

The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island.

1936

Initial flight of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter.

1948

The Western allies begin an airlift to Berlin after the Soviet Union blockades West Berlin.

1959

The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships.

1974

A Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

2008

The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects an individual right, and that the District of Columbia handgun ban is unconstitutional.

Famous Birthdays

1685

Antonio Bernacchi, Italian castrato, composer, and teacher of singing (d. 1756)

1730

Charles Messier, French astronomer (d. 1817)

1819

Abner Doubleday, American Major General (d. 1893)

1892

Pearl S. Buck, American writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)

1898

Willy Messerschmitt, German aircraft designer (d. 1978)

1904

Peter Lorre, Hungarian actor (d. 1964)

1911

Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete (d. 1956)

1913

Maurice Wilkes, British computer scientist (d. 2010)

1915

Charlotte Zolotow, American author of children's books

1933

Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor

1957

Patty Smyth, American singer

1973

Gretchen Wilson, American country music singer and songwriter

1980

Michael Vick, American football player

June 25 - Happy Birthday, Aunt Tee!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Tee!

(10/21/11)

This Day In History

1530

At the Diet of Augsburg the Augsburg Confession is presented to the Holy Roman Emperor by the Lutheran princes and Electors of Germany.

1678

Venetian Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy when she graduates from the University of Padua.

1788

Virginia becomes the 10th state to ratify the United States Constitution.

1910

The United States Congress passes the Mann Act, which prohibits interstate transport of females for “immoral purposes”; the ambiguous language would be used to selectively prosecute people for years to come.

1947

The Diary of a Young Girl (better known as The Diary of Anne Frank) is published.

1949

Long-Haired Hare, starring Bugs Bunny, is released in theaters.

1967

Broadcasting of the first live global satellite television program: Our World

Famous Birthdays

1852

Antoni Gaudí, Spanish Catalan architect (Sagrada Familia) (d. 1926)

1886

Henry "Hap" Arnold, American general (d. 1950)

1894

Hermann Oberth, German physicist and engineer (d. 1989)

1903

George Orwell, British writer (d. 1950)

1925

June Lockhart, American actress

1929

Eric Carle, American author and illustrator of children's books

1945

Carly Simon, American singer and songwriter

1952

Tim Finn, New Zealand singer and songwriter

1954

David Paich, American keyboardist, singer and songwriter (Toto)

1956

Anthony Bourdain, American chef and author

1963

George Michael, English singer and songwriter

1975

Linda Cardellini, American actress

June 24 - Pretty

Pretty in Prunes

Overheard

[E has just been put back to bed. Again.] 
E: I'm not sleepy.
M: Well,  it's bedtime. Count sheep, or something.
E [holds up pacifier]: I can't count sheep, I have this in my mouth.

This Day In History

109

Roman emperor Trajan inaugurates the Aqua Traiana, an aqueduct that channels water from Lake Bracciano, 25 miles north-west of Rome.

1314

Battle of Bannockburn concludes with a decisive victory for Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce.

1497

John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland leading the first European exploration of the region since the Vikings.

1604

Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.

1880

First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français.

1916

Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to sign a million dollar contract.

1949

The first television western, Hopalong Cassidy, is aired on NBC starring William Boyd.

2010

John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in professional tennis history.

Famous Birthdays

1386

John of Capistrano, Italian saint (d. 1456)

1542

John of the Cross, Spanish mystic and poet (d. 1591)

1777

John Ross, English naval officer and explorer (d. 1856)

1842

Ambrose Bierce, American author (ca. 1914)

1893

Roy O. Disney, American businessman (d. 1971)

1901

Chuck Taylor, American basketball player and salesman (d. 1969)

1915

Sir Fred Hoyle, English astronomer (d. 2001)

1938

Lawrence Block, American crime writer

1950

Mercedes Lackey, American fantasy writer

1956

Joe Penny, English actor

1961

Iain Glen, Scottish actor
Curt Smith, English musician and songwriter (Tears for Fears)

1966

Adrienne Shelly, American actress and director (d. 2006)

1987

Lionel Messi, Argentine footballer

June 23 - Apples and O's

Apples and O's

This Day In History

1314

Battle of Bannockburn begins.

1611

The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again.

1683

William Penn signs a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Indians in Pennsylvania.

1810

John Jacob Astor forms the Pacific Fur Company.

1887

The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada creating the nation's first national park, Banff National Park.

1917

In a game against the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox pitcher Ernie Shore retires 26 batters in a row after replacing Babe Ruth, who had been ejected for punching the umpire.

1931

Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane.

1967

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin in Glassboro, New Jersey for the three-day Glassboro Summit Conference.

Famous Birthdays

1456

Margaret of Denmark, wife of James III of Scotland (d. 1486)

1711

Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Italian Emiliano luthier, regarded as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history (d. 1786)

1894

King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (d. 1972)

1912

Alan Turing, English mathematician (d. 1954)

1927

Bob Fosse, American choreographer (d. 1987)

1929

June Carter Cash, American singer (d. 2003)

1943

Vint Cerf, American computer scientist

1957

Frances McDormand, American actress

1963

Colin Montgomerie, Scottish golfer

1964

Joss Whedon, American producer, director, and screenwriter

June 22 - Hoodie

Hoodie

This Day In History

1633

The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galilei to recant his view that the Sun, not the Earth, is the center of the Universe.

1783

A poisonous cloud caused by the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France.

1907

The London Underground's Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway opens.

1944

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill.

1969

The Cuyahoga River catches fire, triggering a crack-down on pollution in the river.

1978

Charon, a satellite of the dwarf planet Pluto, is discovered by American astronomer James W. Christy.

2003

The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska

2009

Eastman Kodak Company announces that it will discontinue sales of the Kodachrome Color Film, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon.

Famous Birthdays

1757

George Vancouver, British explorer (d. 1798)

1856

H. Rider Haggard, English writer (d. 1925)

1861

Maximilian von Spee, Danish-born German admiral (d. 1914)

1898

Erich Maria Remarque, German writer (d. 1970)

1903

John Dillinger, American bank robber (d. 1934)

1906

Billy Wilder, Austrian-born American film director (d. 2002)

1919

Gower Champion, American dancer and choreographer (d. 1980)

1936

Kris Kristofferson, American singer and actor

1947

Octavia E. Butler, American science fiction author and Hugo & Nebula winner (d. 2006)

1949

Lindsay Wagner, American actress

1953

Cyndi Lauper, American singer

1958

Bruce Campbell, American actor

June 21 - PBJ

PB&J

This Day In History

1749

Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded.

1788

New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution of the United States and is admitted as the 9th state in the United States.

1854

The first Victoria Cross is awarded during the bombardment of Bomarsund in the Åland Islands.

1900

Baron Eduard Toll, leader of the Russian Polar Expedition of 1900, departs Saint Petersburg in Russia on the explorer ship Zarya, never to return.

1940

The first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage begins at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

1948

Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, New York.

2004

SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve manned spaceflight.

2006

Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix & Hydra.

Famous Birthdays

1639

Increase Mather, New England Puritan minister (d. 1723)

1791

Robert Napier, British engineer (d. 1876)

1850

Daniel Carter Beard, founder of the Boy Scouts of America (d. 1941)

1858

Medardo Rosso, Italian sculptor (d. 1928)

1882

Rockwell Kent, American painter, printmaker and illustrator (d. 1971)

1896

Charles B. Momsen, American inventor (d. 1967)

1903

Al Hirschfeld, American caricaturist (d. 2003)

1905

Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher and writer, Nobel laureate (declined) (d. 1980)

1921

Jane Russell, American actress (d. 2011)

1932

Lalo Schifrin, Argentine pianist and composer

1957

Berkeley Breathed, American cartoonist and author

1959

Kathy Mattea, American country singer and songwriter

June 20 - Book Break

Book Break

This Day In History

1214

The University of Oxford receives its charter.

1837

Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne.

1877

Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario.

1948

Toast of the Town, later The Ed Sullivan Show, makes its television debut.

1990

Asteroid Eureka is discovered.

2003

The WikiMedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Famous Birthdays

1723

Adam Ferguson, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1816)

1819

Jacques Offenbach, German-born French composer (d. 1880)

1875

Reginald Punnett, British geneticist (d. 1967)

1909

Errol Flynn, Australian actor (d. 1959)

1924

Chet Atkins, American guitar player and producer (d. 2001)
Audie Murphy, American Medal of Honor recipient and actor (d. 1971)

1933

Danny Aiello, American actor

1940

John Mahoney, English actor

1945

Anne Murray, Canadian singer

1952

John Goodman, American actor

1960

John Taylor, English musician (Duran Duran)

1967

Nicole Kidman, Australian-American actress