Friday, August 31, 2012

August 31 - More Cake





More Cake





Overheard
[M&D are talking about a computer game]
E: Are there girls in it or boys in it?
D: Well, both.
E: And the girls are nice, and the boys are not nice?

This Day In History
1314
King Håkon V Magnusson moves the capital of Norway from Bergen to Oslo.
1803
Lewis and Clark start their expedition to the west by leaving Pittsburgh at 11 in the morning.
1895
German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his Navigable Balloon.
1897
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector.
1965
The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy makes its first flight.
2006
Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream, stolen on August 22, 2004, is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police.


Famous Birthdays
12
Gaius Caligula, Roman Emperor (d. 41)
1663
Guillaume Amontons, French physicist and instrument maker (d. 1705)
1870
Maria Montessori, Italian educator (d. 1952)
1913
Bernard Lovell, English astronomer (d. 2012)
1918
Alan Jay Lerner, American lyricist (d. 1986)
1924
Buddy Hackett, American actor and comedian (d. 2003)
1928
James Coburn, American actor (d. 2002)
1945
Van Morrison, Northern Irish singer-songwriter
Itzhak Perlman, Israeli violinist
1957
Glenn Tilbrook, English singer and guitarist (Squeeze)

Thursday, August 30, 2012

August 30 - Let There Be Cake





Let There Be Cake






Family Birthdays
Cousin Nick Krewson

This Day In History
526
King Theodoric the Great dies at Ravenna; his daughter Amalasuntha takes power as regent for her 10-year old son Athalaric.
1873
Austrian explorers Julius von Payer and Karl Weyprecht discover the archipelago of Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic Sea.
1909
Burgess Shale fossils are discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott.
1956
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway opens.
1963
The Hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union goes into operation.
1984
The Space Shuttle Discovery takes off on its maiden voyage.


Famous Birthdays
1720
Samuel Whitbread, English brewer (d. 1796)
1748
Jacques-Louis David, French painter (d. 1825)
1797
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English writer (d. 1851)
1860
Isaac Levitan, Russian artist (d. 1900)
1908
Fred MacMurray, American actor (d. 1991)
1918
Ted Williams, American baseball player (d. 2002)
1931
John Leonard "Jack" Swigert, Jr., American astronaut (d. 1982)
1943
Jean-Claude Killy, French skier
1944
Tug McGraw, American baseball player (d. 2004)
1963
Michael Chiklis, American actor
1978
Cliff Lee, American baseball player
1982
Andy Roddick, American tennis player

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

August 29 - Happy Birthday, Mommy!





Happy Birthday, Mommy!





Family Birthdays
Michele Schurr

This Day In History
708
Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).
1758
The first American Indian Reservation is established, at Indian Mills, New Jersey.
1831
Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction.
1869
The Mount Washington Cog Railway opens, the world's first rack railway.
1922
The first radio advertisement is broadcast on WEAF-AM in New York City.
1930
The last 36 remaining inhabitants of St Kilda are voluntarily evacuated to other parts of Scotland.
1958
United States Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1982
The synthetic chemical element Meitnerium, atomic number 109, is first synthesized at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt, Germany.


Famous Birthdays
1632
John Locke, English philosopher (d. 1704)
1724
Giovanni Battista Casti, Italian poet, satirist, and author of comic opera librettos (d. 1803)
1809
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., American physician and writer (d. 1894)
1876
Charles F. Kettering, American inventor (d. 1958)
1915
Ingrid Bergman, Swedish actress (d. 1982)
1938
Elliott Gould, American actor
1954
Michael P. Kube-McDowell, American science fiction novelist
1958
Lenny Henry, British writer, comedian and actor
1959
Rebecca De Mornay, American actress
1973
Adam Sessler, American TV show host
1977
Roy Oswalt, American baseball player
1986
Lea Michele, American actress and singer

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August 28 - Star





Star





This Day In History
1565
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés sights land near St. Augustine, Florida and founds the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States.
1609
Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay.
1789
William Herschel discovers a new moon of Saturn: Enceladus.
1830
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's new Tom Thumb steam locomotive races a horse-drawn car, presaging steam's role in US railroading.
1845
The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published.
1898
Caleb Bradham invents the carbonated soft drink that will later be called "Pepsi-Cola".
1953
Nippon Television broadcasts Japan's first television show, including its first TV advertisement.


Famous Birthdays
1749
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and scientist (d. 1832)
1774
Elizabeth Ann Seton, American-born Catholic saint (d. 1821)
1828
Leo Tolstoy, Russian author (birthdate according to O.S.) (d. 1910)
1859
Matilda Howell, American archer (d. 1938)
1908
Roger Tory Peterson, American ornithologist (d. 1996)
1915
Tasha Tudor, American illustrator (d. 2008)
1916
Jack Vance, American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author
1917
Jack Kirby, American comic book artist (d. 1994)
1925
Donald O'Connor, American singer, dancer, and actor (d. 2003)
1948
Vonda McIntyre, American science fiction author
1958
Scott Hamilton, American figure skater
1965
Amanda Tapping, English-born Canadian actress, director and producer
Shania Twain, Canadian country singer
1968
Billy Boyd, Scottish actor
1969
Jason Priestley, Canadian-born actor
1982
LeAnn Rimes, American singer

Monday, August 27, 2012

August 27 - Who, Us? Nothing.





Who, Us? Nothing.




This Day In History
410
The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days.
1859
Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well.
1892
The Metropolitan Opera House on 39th Street in New York City is gutted by a fire, causing the 1892-3 season to be cancelled.
1896
The shortest war in world history (09:00 to 09:45) takes place between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.
1939
First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft.
1962
The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA.
2003
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, coming within 34,646,418 miles.


Famous Birthdays
1637
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore, English governor (d. 1715)
1770
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher (d. 1831)
1871
Theodore Dreiser, American author (d. 1945)
1877
Charles Rolls, English automotive engineer (d. 1910)
1890
Man Ray, American photographer and artist (d. 1976)
1899
C. S. Forester, English author (d. 1966)
1904
Norah Lofts, Englis author (d. 1983)
1932
Antonia Fraser, English author
1939
William Least Heat-Moon, American author
1947
Barbara Bach, American actress
1952
Paul Reubens, American actor
1959
Downtown Julie Brown, Welsh TV personality and MTV VJ
1970
Jim Thome, American baseball player

Sunday, August 26, 2012

August 26 - Pilot





Pilot


At the controls




Overheard
[E is in a time-out]
D: ...and you know better.
E [in tears]: Actually I don't!


This Day In History
1346
The military supremacy of the English longbow over the French combination of crossbow and armoured knights is established at the Battle of Crécy.
1498
Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pietà.
1791
John Fitch is granted a United States patent for the steamboat.
1883
The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa begins its final, paroxysmal, stage.
1920
The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.
1978
Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy.


Famous Birthdays
1728
Johann Heinrich Lambert, Swiss scientist (d. 1777)
1740
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, French inventor (d. 1810)
1743
Antoine Lavoisier, French chemist (d. 1794)
1873
Lee DeForest, American inventor (d. 1961)
1898
Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (d. 1979)
1910
Mother Teresa, Macedonian-born Indian missionary; Nobel Peace Prize recipient (d. 1997)
1952
Will Shortz, American crossword editor
1960
Branford Marsalis, American saxophonist and bandleader
1970
Melissa McCarthy American actor
1980
Chris Pine, American actor
1981
Jesse Martin, Australian yachtsman

Saturday, August 25, 2012

August 25 - Rockin'





Rockin'





Family Birthdays
Uncle Matt Ukers

This Day In History
1537
The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed.
1609
Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers.
1768
James Cook begins his first voyage.
1835
The New York Sun perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax.
1875
Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 22 hours.
1894
Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet.
1916
The United States National Park Service is created.
1981
Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Saturn.
1989
Voyager 2 makes its closest approach to Neptune.
1991
Linus Torvalds announces the first version of what will become Linux.


Famous Birthdays
1724
George Stubbs, British painter (d. 1806)
1758
Franz Teyber, Austrian Kapellmeister, organist and composer (d. 1810)
1836
Bret Harte, American writer (d. 1902)
1905
Saint Faustina, Polish mystic (d. 1938)
1910
Ruby Keeler, Canadian singer and actress (d. 1993)
1916
Van Johnson, American actor (d. 2008)
1917
Mel Ferrer, Cuban-American actor, film director and film producer (d. 2008)
1918
Leonard Bernstein, American conductor and composer (d. 1990)
1930
Sir Thomas Sean Connery, Scottish actor
1933
Patrick McManus, American outdoor humor writer
1954
Elvis Costello, English musician
1958
Tim Burton, American film director
1964
Joanne Whalley, British actress
1968
Rachael Ray, American chef and television personality
1970
Jo Dee Messina, American country music singer
1976
Alexander Skarsgård, Swedish actor

Friday, August 24, 2012

August 24 - At the Helm





At the Helm




This Day In History
79
Mount Vesuvius erupts. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae are buried in volcanic ash (note: this traditional date has been challenged, and many scholars believe that the event occurred on October 24).
410
The Visigoths under king Alaric I begin to pillage Rome.
455
The Vandals, led by king Genseric, begin to plunder Rome. 
1456
The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed.
1682
William Penn receives the area that is now the state of Delaware, and adds it to his colony of Pennsylvania.
1831
Charles Darwin is asked to travel on HMS Beagle.
1875
Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim the English Channel.
1891
Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.
1912
New York City ticker tape parade for Jim Thorpe & victorious US olympians.
1932
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey).
1989
Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose is banned from baseball for gambling by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.
2006
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a Dwarf Planet.


Famous Birthdays
1198
King Alexander II of Scotland (d. 1249)
1552
Lavinia Fontana, Italian painter (d. 1614)
1578
John Taylor, English poet (d. 1653)
1787
James Weddell, English explorer of Antarctica (d. 1834)
1824
Antonio Stoppani, Italian geologist and scholar (d. 1891)
1880
Joshua Lionel Cowen, American entrepreneur, creator of Lionel Trains (d. 1965)
1899
Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine writer (d. 1986)
1915
James Tiptree, Jr., American writer (d. 1987)
1920
Alex Colville, Canadian painter
1932
W. Morgan Sheppard, English actor
1934
Kenny Baker, English actor and musician
1938
Mason Williams, American guitarist and composer
1947
Anne Archer, American actress
1951
Orson Scott Card, American writer
1957
Stephen Fry, English comedian and actor
1965
Marlee Matlin, American actress
1973
Carmine Giovinazzo, American actor
1976
Alex O'Loughlin, Australian actor
1978
Beth Riesgraf, American actress
1984
Kyle Schmid, Canadian actor
1988
Rupert Grint, English actor

Thursday, August 23, 2012

August 23 - Scarf





Scarf





Overheard
[As this picture was being taken]
E: Hey! No flash photography!


Family Birthdays
Uncle George Ukers

This Day In History
79
Mount Vesuvius begins stirring, on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
1305
Sir William Wallace is executed for High Treason at Smithfield in London.
1541
French explorer Jacques Cartier lands near Quebec City in his third voyage to Canada.
1650
Colonel George Monck of the English Army forms Monck's Regiment of Foot, which will later become the Coldstream Guards.
1784
Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it wasn’t accepted into the United States, and only lasted for four years.
1904
The automobile tire chain is patented.
1966
Lunar Orbiter 1 takes the first photograph of Earth from orbit around the Moon.
1977
The Gossamer Condor wins the Kremer prize for human powered flight.
2007
The skeletal remains of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia, and his sister Anastasia are found near Yekaterinburg, Russia.


Famous Birthdays
1741
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse, French explorer (d. 1788)
1783
William Tierney Clark, English civil engineer (d. 1852)
1785
Oliver Hazard Perry, American naval officer (d. 1819)
1846
Alexander Milne Calder, American sculptor (d. 1923)
1847
Sarah Frances Whiting, American physicist and astronomer (d. 1927)
1912
Gene Kelly, American dancer and actor (d. 1996)
1923
Edgar F. Codd, English computer scientist (d. 2003)
1929
Vera Miles, American actress
1934
Sonny Jurgensen, American football player
1949
Rick Springfield, Australian singer and actor
1951
Queen Noor of Jordan
1970
Jay Mohr, American actor and comedian
1974
Ray Park, Scottish actor

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

August 22 - Reading





Reading






Family Birthdays
Uncle John Hoyos


This Day In History
565
Columba reports seeing a monster in Loch Ness, Scotland.
1485
The Battle of Bosworth Field, the death of Richard III and the end of the House of Plantagenet.
1780
James Cook's ship HMS Resolution returns to England (Cook having been killed on Hawaii during the voyage).
1849
The first air raid in history. Austria launches pilotless balloons against the city of Venice.
1851
The first America's Cup is won by the yacht America.
1864
Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention. The Red Cross is formed.
1902
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to ride in an automobile.
1932
The BBC first experiments with television broadcasting.
1968
Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the first visit of a pope to Latin America.
1989
The first ring of Neptune is discovered.
2004
A version of The Scream and Madonna, two paintings by Edvard Munch, are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Oslo, Norway.
2007
The Texas Rangers rout the Baltimore Orioles 30–3, the most runs scored by a team in modern MLB history.


Famous Birthdays
1647
Denis Papin, French physicist and inventor (d. 1712)
1771
Henry Maudslay, English inventor (d. 1831)
1822
Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe, wife of Edgar Allan Poe (d. 1847)
1834
Samuel Pierpont Langley, American astronomer (d. 1906)
1862
Claude Debussy, French composer (d. 1918)
1891
Jacques Lipchitz, Lithuanian/American sculptor (d. 1973)
1893
Dorothy Parker, American writer (d. 1967)
1902
Leni Riefenstahl, German film director (d. 2003)
1912
John Lee Hooker, American musician (d. 2001)
1920
Ray Bradbury, American writer (d. 2012)
1925
Honor Blackman, English actress
1936
Werner Stengel, German roller coaster designer and engineer
1958
Vernon Reid, American musician (Living Colour)
1959
Mark Williams, English actor
1970
Giada De Laurentiis, Italian-born American chef and television host
1971
Richard Armitage, English actor

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

August 21 - Oldie





Oldie


IMG_2996
(3/29/2011)


This Day In History
1770
James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
1810
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France, is elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.
1863
Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by Confederate guerrillas Quantrill's Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre.
1888
The first successful adding machine in the United States is patented by William Seward Burroughs.
1911
The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.
1961
Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes.
1993
NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.


Famous Birthdays
1567
Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva and saint (d. 1622)
1665
Giacomo F. Maraldi, French-Italian astronomer (d. 1729)
1754
William Murdoch, Scottish inventor (d. 1839)
1765
William IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1837)
1872
Aubrey Beardsley, English illustrator (d. 1898)
1904
William "Count" Basie, American bandleader (d. 1984)
1906
Friz Freleng, American movie animator (d. 1995)
1920
Christopher Robin Milne, inspiration for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories (d. 1996)
1936
Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (d. 1999)
1938
Kenny Rogers, American singer and actor
1944
Peter Weir, Australian film director
1952
Joe Strummer, British musician and singer (The Clash) (d. 2002)
1956
Kim Cattrall, English-born actress
1959
Jim McMahon, American football player
1973
Sergey Brin, Co-founder of Google
1975
Alicia Witt, American actress
1986
Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter
1989
Hayden Panettiere, American actress, model and singer