Wednesday, October 31, 2012

October 31 - Hooded





Hooded





This Day In History
1517
Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
1913
Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across United States.
1941
After 14 years of work, Mount Rushmore is completed.
1999
Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted.
2000
Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station. The ISS has been continuously crewed since.


Famous Birthdays
1622
Pierre Paul Puget, French painter, sculptor, architect and engineer (d. 1694)
1632
Johannes Vermeer, Flemish painter (d. 1675)
1711
Laura Bassi, Italian scholar (d. 1778)
1795
John Keats, British poet (d. 1821)
1856
Charles Leroux, American balloonist and parachutist (d. 1889)
1860
Juliette Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts (d. 1927)
1912
Dale Evans, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
1920
Dick Francis, British jockey-turned-novelist (d. 2010)
1936
Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
1942
David Ogden Stiers, American actor
1946
Stephen Rea, Irish actor
1959
Neal Stephenson, American author
1961
Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director
1963
Dermot Mulroney, American actor
1964
Darryl Worley, American country singer
1966
Annabella Lwin, British singer (Bow Wow Wow)
1976
Piper Perabo, American actress

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

October 30 - Shopping, Anyone?





Shopping, Anyone?





This Day In History
1470
Henry VI of England returns to the English throne after Earl of Warwick defeats the Yorkists in battle.
1864
Helena, Montana is founded after four prospectors discover gold at "Last Chance Gulch".
1900
First ever US auto show opens in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
1925
John Logie Baird creates Britain's first television transmitter.
1938
Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing anxiety in some of the audience in the United States.
1945
Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signs a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the baseball color barrier.
1960
Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
1985
Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off for mission STS-61-A, its final successful mission.


Famous Birthdays
1735
John Adams, second President of the United States (d. 1826)
1821
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian writer (d. 1881)
1882
William Halsey, Jr, American admiral (d. 1959)
1885
Ezra Pound, American poet (d. 1972)
1893
Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder (d. 1972)
1936
Dick Vermeil, American football coach
1945
Henry Winkler, American actor
1947
Timothy B. Schmit, American musician (Eagles)
1957
Kevin Pollak, American actor
1970
Ben Bailey, American game show host

Monday, October 29, 2012

October 29 - Under Water





Under Water





This Day In History
539 BC
Cyrus the Great enters the city of Babylon, detains Nabonidus and ends the Babylonian captivity. He gives the Jews permission to return to Yehud province and to rebuild the Temple; but most Jews choose to remain in Babylon.
1618
English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England.
1675
Leibniz makes the first use of the long s (∫) as a symbol of the integral in calculus.
1787
Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague.
1863
Eighteen countries meet in Geneva and agree to form the International Red Cross.
1886
The first ticker-tape parade takes place in New York City when office workers spontaneously throw ticker tape into the streets as the Statue of Liberty is dedicated.
1921
The Harvard University football team loses to Centre College, ending a 25 game winning streak. This is considered one of the biggest upsets in college football.
1929
The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression.
1964
A collection of irreplaceable gems, including the 565 carat (113 g) Star of India, is stolen by a group of thieves (among them Jack "Murph the Surf" Murphy) from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
1969
The first-ever computer-to-computer link is established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet.
1991
The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid.


Famous Birthdays
1704
John Byng, British admiral (d. 1757)
1740
James Boswell, Scottish biographer of Samuel Johnson (d. 1795)
1861
Andrei Ryabushkin, Russian painter (d. 1904)
1891
Fanny Brice, American singer (d. 1951)
1906
Fredric Brown, American science fiction and mystery writer (d. 1972)
1921
Bill Mauldin, American cartoonist (d. 2003)
1938
Ralph Bakshi, American cartoonist
1944
Denny Laine, English musician (Moody Blues, Ginger Baker's Air Force, Wings)
1948
Kate Jackson, American actress
1957
Dan Castellaneta, American voice actor
1967
Rufus Sewell, English actor

Sunday, October 28, 2012

October 28 - Cooperation





Cooperation




This Day In History
1061
Empress Agnes, acting as regent for her son, brings about the election of bishop Cadalus, the antipope Honorius II.
1538
The first university in the New World, the Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, is established.
1636
A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first college in what would become the United States, today known as Harvard University.
1886
In New York Harbor, President Grover Cleveland dedicates the Statue of Liberty.
1893
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Pathétique, receives its première performance in St. Petersburg, only nine days before the composer's death.
1915
Richard Strauss conducts the first performance of his tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie in Berlin.
1942
The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) is completed through Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska.
1958
John XXIII is elected Pope.
1971
Britain launches the satellite Prospero into low Earth orbit atop a Black Arrow carrier rocket, the only British satellite to date launched by a British rocket.
2009
NASA successfully launches the Ares I-X mission, the only rocket launch for its later-cancelled Constellation program.


Famous Birthdays
1697
Canaletto, Italian artist (d. 1768)
1793
Eliphalet Remington, American firearms manufacturer (d. 1861)
1846
Georges Auguste Escoffier, French chef (d. 1935)
1875
Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, American geographer and editor (d. 1966)
1891
Ormer Locklear, American movie stunt pilot (d. 1920)
1897
Edith Head, American costume designer (d. 1981)
1903
Evelyn Waugh, English writer (d. 1966)
1909
Francis Bacon, Irish painter (d. 1992)
1914
Jonas Salk, American biologist and physician (d. 1995)
1925
Ian Hamilton Finlay, Scottish poet, writer, artist and gardener (d. 2006)
1936
Charlie Daniels, American musician
1955
Bill Gates, American software executive
1957
Stephen Morris, British musician (Joy Division and New Order)
1963
Lauren Holly, American actress
1967
Julia Roberts, American actress
John Romero, American video game designer
1972
Brad Paisley, American musician
1982
Matt Smith, English actor

Saturday, October 27, 2012

October 27 - Princess Party





Princess Party




Happy Anniversary Aunt Tee & Uncle Rodney!


This Day In History
312
Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.
1275
Traditional date for the founding of the city of Amsterdam.
1682
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is founded.
1827
Bellini's third opera Il pirata is premiered at Teatro alla Scala di Milano
1904
The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in world. Fare is set at one nickel.
1961
NASA tests the first Saturn I rocket in Mission Saturn-Apollo 1.
1994
Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified.


Famous Birthdays
1401
Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England (d. 1437)
1728
James Cook, British naval captain and explorer (d. 1779)
1744
Mary Moser, English painter (d. 1819)
1811
Isaac Singer, American inventor (d. 1875)
1858
Theodore Roosevelt, American politician, 33rd Governor of New York, 25th Vice President of the United States, 26th President of the United States, and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1919)
1872
Emily Post, American etiquette author (d. 1960)
1914
Dylan Thomas, Welsh poet (d. 1953)
1920
Nanette Fabray, American actress
1923
Roy Lichtenstein, American Pop Art painter (d. 1997)
1932
Sylvia Plath, American poet (d. 1963)
1939
John Cleese, British actor and writer
1942
Lee Greenwood, American singer
1946
Ivan Reitman, Czechoslovakian-born Canadian film actor, producer and director
1953
Peter Firth, British actor
1958
Simon Le Bon, English singer (Duran Duran)
1984
Emilie Ullerup, Danish actress

Friday, October 26, 2012

October 26 - Blocks





Blocks





This Day In History
1689
General Piccolomini of Austria burned down Skopje to prevent the spread of cholera. He died of cholera himself soon after.
1774
The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1776
Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.
1825
The Erie Canal opens.
1861
The Pony Express officially ceases operations.
1936
The first electric generator at Hoover Dam goes into full operation.
1977
The last natural case of smallpox is discovered in Merca district, Somalia. The World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider this date the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox, the most spectacular success of vaccination.


Famous Birthdays
1564
Hans Leo Hassler German composer and organist (d. 1612)
1673
Dimitrie Cantemir, Moldavian prince, prolific man of letters – philosopher, historian, composer, musicologist, linguist, ethnographer, and geographer (d. 1723)
1694
Johan Helmich Roman, Swedish composer (d. 1758)
1800
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, Prussian field marshal (d. 1891)
1803
Joseph Hansom, English architect and inventor (d. 1882)
1854
C. W. Post, American entrepreneur (d. 1914)
1902
Beryl Markham, British-born Kenyan aviatrix, adventurer, racehorse trainer and the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from east to west, now primarily remembered as the author of the memoir West with the Night (d. 1986)
1942
Bob Hoskins, British actor
1945
Pat Conroy, American writer
1947
Hillary Rodham Clinton, American politician
1952
David Was, member of 1980's group Was (Not Was)
1953
Jennifer Roberson, American author of fantasy and historical literature
1956
Rita Wilson, American actress
1961
Dylan McDermott, American actor
1962
Cary Elwes, British actor
1967
Keith Urban, New Zealand singer
1971
Jim Butcher, American author

Thursday, October 25, 2012

October 25 - Elmo





Elmo





This Day In History
1415
The army of Henry V of England defeats the French at the Battle of Agincourt.
1938
The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces swing music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people", warning that it leads down a "primrose path to hell".
1944
Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, takes place in and around the Philippines between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the U.S. Third and U.S. Seventh Fleets.
1977
Digital Equipment Corporation releases OpenVMS V1.0.


Famous Birthdays
1825
Johann Strauss II, Austrian composer (d. 1899)
1838
Georges Bizet, French composer (d. 1875)
1864
John Francis Dodge, American automobile pioneer (d. 1920)
1881
Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (d. 1973)
1888
Richard E. Byrd, American explorer (d. 1957)
1944
James Carville, American political strategist and commentator
1970
Chely Wright, American country music artist

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

October 24 - Sleepy





Sleepy





This Day In History
1260
The Cathedral of Chartres is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France.
1590
John White, governor of the second Roanoke Colony, returns to England after an unsuccessful search for the "lost" colonists.
1851
William Lassell discovers the moons Umbriel and Ariel orbiting Uranus.
1861
The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States is completed, spelling the end for the 18-month-old Pony Express.
1901
Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
1926
Harry Houdini gives his last performance, at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit.
1931
The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic.
1946
A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket takes the first photograph of earth from outer space.
1957
The USAF starts the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.
2003
Concorde makes its last commercial flight.


Famous Birthdays
1632
Anton van Leeuwenhoek, Dutch microbiologist (d. 1723)
1788
Sarah Josepha Hale, American poet (d. 1879)
1838
Annie Edson Taylor, American adventuress (d. 1921)
1882
Dame Sybil Thorndike, British actress (d. 1976)
1904
Moss Hart, American dramatist (d. 1961)
1915
Bob Kane, American comic book artist and writer, creator (with Bill Finger) of Batman  (d. 1998)
1919
Frank Piasecki, American aeronautical engineer (d. 2008)
1933

Reginald "Reggie" Kray, British gangster and murderer (d. 2000)
Ronald "Ronnie" Kray, British gangster and murderer (d. 1995)
1947
Kevin Kline, American actor
1952
David Weber, American science fiction and fantasy author
1981
Jemima Rooper, British actress

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

October 23 - Dessert





Dessert





Family Birthdays
Cousin Catlin Schurr


This Day In History
42 BC
Second Battle of Philippi – Mark Antony and Octavian decisively defeat Brutus's army.
1295
The first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England is signed in Paris.
1739
War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Prime Minister Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain.
1850
The first National Women's Rights Convention begins in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
1906
Alberto Santos-Dumont flies an airplane in the first heavier-than-air flight in Europe at Champs de Bagatelle, Paris, France.
1929
The first North American transcontinental air service begins between New York City and Los Angeles, California.
1958
The Smurfs, a fictional race of blue dwarves, later popularized in a Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon series, appear for the first time in the story La flute à six schtroumpfs, a Johan and Peewit adventure by Peyo which is serialized in the weekly comics magazine Spirou.
2001
Apple announces the iPod.


Famous Birthdays
1654
Johann Bernhard Staudt, Austrian Jesuit composer (d. 1712)
1762
Samuel Morey, American inventor (d. 1843)
1813
Ludwig Leichhardt, German explorer (d. 1848)
1844
Robert Bridges, English poet (d. 1930)
1869
John Heisman, American football player and coach (d. 1936)
1897
Marjorie Flack, American children's author (d. 1958)
1925
Johnny Carson, American television host (d. 2005)
1931
Jim Bunning, American baseball player and politician
1940
Pelé, Brazilian footballer
1942
Michael Crichton, American writer (d. 2008)
1954
Ang Lee, Taiwanese-born director
1959

Sam Raimi, American film director
"Weird Al" Yankovic, American musical parodist
1976
Ryan Reynolds, Canadian actor
1998
Amandla Stenberg, American actress

Monday, October 22, 2012

October 22 - Proof





Proof



in the pudding.


This Day In History
1575
Founding of Aguascalientes.
1707
Scilly naval disaster: four British Royal Navy ships run aground near the Isles of Scilly because of faulty navigation. Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and thousands of sailors drown.
1746
The College of New Jersey (later renamed Princeton University) receives its charter.
1797
3,200 feet above Paris, André-Jacques Garnerin makes the first recorded parachute jump.
1879
Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric incandescent light bulb (it lasted 13½ hours before burning out).
1883
The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City opens with a performance of Gounod's Faust.
1910
Dr. Crippen is convicted at the Old Bailey of poisoning his wife and is subsequently hanged at Pentonville Prison in London.
1964
Jean-Paul Sartre is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, but turns down the honor.
1968
Apollo 7 safely splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean after orbiting the Earth 163 times.


Famous Birthdays
1511
Erasmus Reinhold, German astronomer and mathematician (d. 1553)
1734
Daniel Boone, American pioneer and hunter (d. 1820)
1811
Franz Liszt, Hungarian pianist and composer (d. 1886)
1844
Sarah Bernhardt, French actress (d. 1923)
1882
Edmund Dulac, French book illustrator (d. 1953)
1903
Curly Howard, American actor and comedian, member of the Three Stooges (d. 1952)
1938

Derek Jacobi, English actor
Christopher Lloyd, American actor
1943
Catherine Deneuve, French actress
1952
Jeff Goldblum, American actor
1963
Brian Boitano, American figure skater
1968
Jay Johnston, American actor and comedian (Mr. Show)
1992
Sofia Vassilieva, American actress

Sunday, October 21, 2012

October 21 - Mirror, Mirror





Mirror, Mirror




Overheard
M: Finish your supper, there's a surprise.
E: Ooh! What?
M: C-o-o-k-i-e. Do you know what that spells?
E: Um... Watermelon?



Family Birthdays
Uncle Gregory Parsons



This Day In History
1512

Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg.
1520
Ferdinand Magellan discovers a strait now known as Strait of Magellan.
João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins."
1797
In Boston Harbor, the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched.
1805
A British fleet led by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain under Admiral Villeneuve
1854
Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War.
1910
HMS Niobe arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy.
1921
George Melford's silent film, The Sheik, starring Rudolph Valentino, premiers.
1959
In New York City, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opens to the public.
1973
Fred Dryer of the then Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game.
1983
The metre is defined at the seventeenth General Conference on Weights and Measures as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second.
2003
Images of the dwarf planet Eris are taken and subsequently used in documenting its discovery by the team of Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz.


Famous Birthdays
1581
Domenico Zampieri, Italian painter (d. 1641)
1650
Jean Bart, French admiral (d. 1702)
1772
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, British poet (d. 1834)
1833
Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and founder of the Nobel Prize (d. 1896)
1886
Eugene Burton Ely, American aviation pioneer (d. 1911)
1911
Mary Blair, American artist and illustrator, best remembered for her Disney work (d. 1978)
1912
Sir Georg Solti, Hungarian conductor (d. 1997)
1917
Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz musician (d. 1993)
1929
Ursula K. Le Guin, American author
1956
Carrie Fisher, American actress and writer
1978
Will Estes, American actor