From wikipedia.org:
Events
202 BC - Battle of Zama, resulting in the defeat of Carthage and Hannibal
439 - The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa
1453 - The French recapture of Bordeaux brings the Hundred Years War to a close, with the English retaining only Calais on French soil
1781 - Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington and Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown, Virginia, ending the American Revolutionary War
1873 - Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities draft the first code of American football rules
1917 - Love Field in Dallas, Texas is opened
1943 - Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, was first isolated by researchers at Rutgers University
1954 - First ascent of Cho Oyu
2003 - Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II
Births
1873 - Jaap Eden, Dutch skater and cyclist
1908 - Geirr Tveitt, Norwegian composer
1931 - John Le Carré, novelist
1945 - John Lithgow, actor
Deaths
1745 - Jonathan Swift, author
1889 - King Louis of Portugal
1950 - Edna St. Vincent Millay, poet
1988 - Son House, blues musician
Holidays
Niue - Constitution Day in honour of the country's independence (self-governing in free association with New Zealand) in 1974
Mother Teresa Day in Albania
19 October 2004
Today in History
18 October 2004
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, was completely destroyed by the "mad" Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacked out the Church's foundations down to bedrock
1767 - Mason-Dixon line, survey separating Maryland from Pennsylvania completed
1851 - Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville, was first published as The Whale
1867 - United States takes possession of Alaska (Alaska Day)
1898 - United States takes possession of Puerto Rico
1907 - Second Geneva Convention
1922 - The British Broadcasting Company was founded by a consortium to establish a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide a national broadcasting service.
1925 - The Grand Ole Opry opens
1954 - Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio
Births
1898 - Shin'ichi Suzuki, violin player and teacher, creator of the Suzuki method (d. 1998)
1918 - Bobby Troup, musician (d. 1999)
1927 - George C. Scott, actor (d. 1999)
1928 - Keith Jackson, American football commentator
1939 - Mike Ditka, American football player, coach, commentator
1961 - Wynton Marsalis, musician
Deaths
1545 - John Taverner, composer
1871 - Charles Babbage, mathematician and inventor of computing machines
1893 - Charles Gounod, composer
2000 - Julie London, singer, actress
Holidays
Christianity - Feast of Saint Luke
Alaska: Alaska Day
I Confess: I’m a Capt. Kirk Fan (always have been…)
Further interestingness from MercuryNews.com:
Where no ham has gone before
The Latest Depressing News on Jerry Rice and the Waiders
From MercuryNews.com today:
Shut out again, Rice sounds like he's ready to go
What is it with Al Davis??
17 October 2004
From the Desk of E.F. Watley
Why Man’s Best Friend Cannot Run for President
Thanks to Linda on Frankie's Irish Wolfhound list for the pointer!
Genealogy Blogs
Two long-time genealogy Webmeisters have recently caught the blog bug:
Olive Tree Genealogy
Helping you find the roots and branches of your family tree. The Olive Tree Genealogy Blog provides updates and news about Olive Tree Genealogy FREE databases. Be the first to know about new databases put online to help you find elusive ancestors.
Genealogy in the News
This web log provides linked headlines & highlights of recent news articles about genealogy.
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1346 - Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland was captured by Edward III of England at Calais, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years
1469 - Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella of Castile. Their marriage leads to the unification of Aragon and Castile in a single country, Spain
1604 - Kepler's Star: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observed that an exceptionally bright star had suddenly appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus, which turned out to be the last supernova to have been observed in our own galaxy, the Milky Way
1662 - Charles II of England sold Dunkerque to France for 40,000 pounds
1777 - American troops defeat the British in the Battle of Saratoga
1781 - General Charles Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, Virginia
1931 - Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion
1933 - Albert Einstein, fleeing Nazi Germany, moves to the US
1937 - Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald Duck's three almost identical nephews, first appeared in a newspaper comic strip
1979 - Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1989 - Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) hits the San Francisco Bay Area
1994 - Draft peace treaty between Israel and Jordan
Births
1912 - Pope John Paul I, religious leader (d. 1978)
1936 - Hiroo Kanamori, seismologist
1940 - James Seals, musician
1946 - Sir Cameron Mackintosh, stage producer, director
1956 - Mae Jemison, astronaut
Deaths
1849 - Frederic Chopin, musician, composer
1910 - Julia Ward Howe, composer
1931 - Alfons Maria Jakob, neurologist
1967 - Henry Pu Yi, last emperor of China
1979 - S. J. Perelman, writer
Holidays & observances
Feast day of Saint Ignatius of Antioch
16 October 2004
Rain Numbers - 16 October 2004
Well, it started raining tonight, but the battery in the weather station is on the fritz, and it's not transmitting rain info...
Did You Buy Your Lotto Tickets Today?
Yeah, I know, it wasn't a particularly big pot tonight (in California) ($7,000,000.00), but seven million is seven million, you know what I mean? If you choose the 26-year payment option, that starts you at $175,000.00 a year; not too bad.
Check here for an interesting muse on winning a lottery...
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1869 - Cardiff Giant, one of the most famous American hoaxes, discovered.
1869 - England's first residential college for women, Girton College, is founded in Cambridge
1906 - "Captain of the Köpenick" fools the city hall of Köpenick and several soldiers by impersonating a Prussian officer
1973 - Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1978 - Karol Józef Wojtyła becomes Pope John Paul II
1984 - Desmond Tutu awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
2002 - Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, was officially inaugurated
Births
1430 - James II of Scotland (d. 1460)
1714 - Giovanni Arduino, geologist (d. 1795)
1758 - Noah Webster, American lexicographer
1886 - David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel (d. 1973)
1890 - Michael Collins, Irish patriot (d. 1922)
1947 - Bob Weir, musician (The Grateful Dead)
Deaths
1973 - Gene Krupa, musician
1981 - Moshe Dayan, Israeli general
1997 - James Michener, writer
1998 - Jon Postel, American Internet pioneer
RFCs
RFC 2468
Holidays
United States - Boss's Day
On This Day, Take 2...
From the BBC:
1978: Polish bishop is new Pope
Country Profile: The Vatican
Vatican breathes new life into Latin
15 October 2004
15 Years after Loma Prieta: Are We Safer?
Fifteen years after the Loma Prieta earthquake stunned the Bay Area, a rocky economy and the drive to prevent terrorist attacks are hurting our ability to get ready for the Big One. The full article will be available on the Web for a limited time: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/9925179.htm © 2004 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1582 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15, skipping over 10 days. Other countries follow at various later dates (There's something goofy about these Wikipedia Gregorian Calendar entries...)
1764 - While visiting Rome, Edward Gibbon observes a group of barefoot friars singing vespers in the ruined Temple of Jupiter, a sight which inspires him to begin work on a history that will be published as The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
1997 - The first supersonic land speed record is set by the ThrustSSC team from the United Kingdom.
1997 - The Cassini probe was launched from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn.
2001 - NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io
Births
1881 - P. G. Wodehouse, British comic novelist (d. 1975)
1924 - Lee Iacocca, industrialist
1924 - Mark Lenard, actor (d. 1996)
1946 - Richard Carpenter, singer, pianist, composer (Carpenters)
1959 - Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
1959 - Emeril Lagasse, chef
Deaths
1964 - Cole Porter, American composer
Holidays & observances
United States - White Cane Safety Day
14 October 2004
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1926 - The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne, is published for the first time
1947 - Chuck Yeager flies a Bell X-1 faster than the speed of sound, the first man to do so in level flight
1960 - US presidential candidate John F. Kennedy first suggests the idea for the Peace Corps
1964 - American civil rights movement leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
1966 - The city of Montreal inaugurates its metro system (see Montreal Metro)
Births
1630 - Sophia of Hanover
1633 - James II of England and VII of Scotland
1644 - William Penn, English founder of Pennsylvania (d. 1718)
1882 - Eamon de Valera, Irish politician and patriot (d. 1975)
1890 - Dwight D. Eisenhower, US General of the Army, 34th president of the United States (d. 1969)
1894 - E. E. Cummings, American poet (d. 1962)
1910 - John Wooden, basketball coach
1911 - Le Duc Tho, Nobel Peace Prize recipient (d. 1990)
Deaths
1066 - Harold Godwinson, king of England
1959 - Errol Flynn, Australian actor
1977 - Bing Crosby, American singer, actor
1990 - Leonard Bernstein, American composer, conductor
2003 - Patrick Dalzel-Job, inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond
On This Day
From the BBC:
1969: New 50-pence coin sparks confusion
Shades of the Susan B Anthony dollar coin...
13 October 2004
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1307 - All Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into "admitting" heresy
1775 - The United States Continental Congress orders the establishment of the Continental Navy (later renamed the United States Navy)
1792 - In Washington, DC, the cornerstone of the United States Executive Mansion (known as the White House since 1818) is laid
1845 - A majority of voters in the Republic of Texas approve a proposed constitution, that if accepted by the United States Congress, will make Texas a U.S. state
1960 - 1960 World Series: Baseballer Bill Mazeroski becomes the first person to end a World Series with a home run
1976 - The first electron micrograph of an Ebola viral particle was obtained by Dr. F.A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis, who was then working at the C.D.C.
1990 - Syria invades Lebanon killing over 500, and a perfect Palindrome appears on the California Lottery in the form of the numbers 1-5-7-15-17-51. Using the major system for memorizing numbers, the name al-Qaeda forms the number 571. Several years later, California Lottery officials are arrested for taking bribes, involving the awarding of contracts - yet no foreign involvement is proven [This one's giving me a migraine...]
Births
1924 - Nipsey Russell, comedian, actor, television personality
1941 - Paul Simon, musician
1962 - Jerry Rice, American football star
1969 - Nancy Kerrigan, figure skater
Deaths
1945 - Milton S. Hershey, founder of Hershey Chocolate Company
1974 - Ed Sullivan, television personality
2002 - Stephen Ambrose, historian and Dwight Eisenhower biographer
Holidays
Canada - Thanksgiving
12 October 2004
Punishment Fits the Crime?
Was poking around in Safari on an unrelated (of course!) Google search, and got sidetracked on Netscape’s Crime Time Headlines community boards. The topic of discussion that caught my eye was “7-mo.Sexually Assaulted”.
Post #12, from gmgobbler, had this to say: “You ask what should be done to this moron? Nail his testicals (sic) to a stump and give him a dull knife... let him decide what to do.”
Hmmmm... Seems appropriate to me...
I found a page on DuluthNewsTribune.com on the verdict’s being handed down.
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1492 - Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean. The explorer believes he has reached East Asia.
1609 - “Three Blind Mice” published by London teenage songwriter Thomas Ravenscroft.
1681 - A London woman is publicly flogged for the crime of “involving herself in politics”
1792 - First celebration of Columbus Day in the USA held in New York.
1793 - The cornerstone of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, is laid on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
1810 - First Oktoberfest: The Bavarian royalty invites the citizens of Munich to join the celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen
1847 - German inventor and industrialist Werner von Siemens founds Siemens AG & Halske
1859 - Self-described “Emperor of the United States” Joshua A. Norton ‘orders’ the United States Congress to dissolve
1892 - To mark 400 anniversary Columbus Day holiday, the “Pledge of Allegiance” was first recited in unison by students in US public schools
1928 - An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston
1933 - The United States Army Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island is acquired by the United States Department of Justice
1938 - Filming starts on The Wizard of Oz
1964 - The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits
1968 - 1968 Summer Olympics open in Mexico City, Mexico
1994 - NASA loses radio contact with the Magellan spacecraft as the probe descends into the thick atmosphere of Venus (the spacecraft presumably burned up in the atmosphere either October 13 or October 14)
Births
1860 - Elmer Sperry, inventor
1872 - Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer (d. 1958)
1935 - Luciano Pavarotti, opera singer
Deaths
1870 - Robert E. Lee, United States Civil War general (Confederate)
1969 - Sonja Henie, figure skater (b. 1912)
1997 - John Denver, singer
1998 - Matthew Shepard, gay college student and gay-bashing victim
Holidays and observances
Columbus Day (traditionally) - United States
‘New’ giant ape spotted
‘New’ giant ape spotted
I made some comment about Desmond Morris’ Naked Ape, and 193 species of monkeys and apes, and Bob said, “No, there’re 194.” He went on to explain that there’d been a post on one of the photography boards that mentioned a new gorilla/giant ape thing. This was the first link that popped up in a Google News search on gorilla...
11 October 2004
Kiwi Words & Phrases
The differences between American and British English are sometimes too funny to be believed! The general hilarity on CeltList over fanny pack comes immediately to mind...
Whilst poking around on blogspot.com, I came across Simon 李新元’s blog, and this entry:
Kiwi- Words @ Phrases
“Words and expressions commonly used in New Zealand with their equivalent definition. Many words and phrases listed here are common to both New Zealand, Great Britain and Australia, and I suspect their true origins are now somewhat confused, however, it is designed as a helpful insight to folk from the USA who often don't understand what we are talking about! These words and phrases have been gleaned from many sources and some contributors are listed at the end and occasionally scattered throughout depending on how much time I have (which generally isn't much), and what mood I'm in.” http://www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwi.htm
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1614 - Adriaen Block and 12 Amsterdam merchants petition the States General for exclusive trading rights in the New Netherland colony
1890 - In Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded
1929 - JC Penney open Store #1252 in Milford, Delaware, making it a nationwide company with stores in all 48 states
1950 - The Federal Communications Commission issues the first license to broadcast television in color, to CBS (RCA will successfully dispute and block the license from taking effect, however)
1958 - Pioneer program: NASA launches the lunar probe Pioneer 1 (the probe falls back to Earth and burns up).
1962 - Second Vatican Council: Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years
1968 - Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn F. Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard
1975 - Saturday Night Live is broadcasted for the first time (George Carlin is the guest host)
1984 - Aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger, astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan becomes the first American women to perform a space walk
Births
1788 - Simon Sechter, music teacher
1961 - Steve Young, American football star
1969 - Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands
Deaths
1809 - Meriwether Lewis, explorer
1896 - Anton Bruckner, Austrian composer
On This Day
From the BBC:
1982: Mary Rose rises after 437 years
1987: Search ends for Loch Ness monster
10 October 2004
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
732 - Battle of Tours: Near Poitiers, France, leader of the Franks Charles Martel and his men, defeat a large army of Moors, stopping the Muslims from spreading into Western Europe. The governor of Cordoba, Abd-ar-Rahman, is killed during the battle
1780 - The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000-30,000 in Caribbean
1845 - In Annapolis, Maryland, the Naval School (later renamed the United States Naval Academy) opens with 50 midshipmen students and seven professors
1913 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson triggered the explosion of the Gamboa Dike thus ending construction on the Panama Canal
1957 - U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbdemah, after he was refused service in a Dover, Delaware restaurant.
1964 - The 1964 Summer Olympics open in Tokyo, Japan
1966 - Simon and Garfunkel release the album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
1971 - Sold, dismantled and moved to the United States, the London Bridge reopens in Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Births
1813 - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer
1834 - Aleksis Kivi, a Finnish author who wrote the first significant novel in the Finnish language, Seven Brothers
1917 - Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist (d. 1982)
1924 - James Clavell, author (d. 1994)
1946 - Ben Vereen, actor, dancer
1969 - Brett Favre, American football player
Deaths
1979 - Christopher Evans, British psychologist and computer scientist
1985 - Yul Brynner, actor
1985 - Orson Welles, American director, actor
2003 - Eugene Istomin, pianist
On This Day
From the BBC:
1969: Ulster's B Specials to be disbanded
1999: Millennium Wheel edges upwards
09 October 2004
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1000 - Leif Ericson discovers Vinland, becoming the first known European to set foot in North America
1446 - The Hangul alphabet is created in Korea.
1635 - Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he spoke out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land.
1701 - The Collegiate School of Connecticut (later renamed Yale University) is chartered in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.
1776 - Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California
1871 - The Great Chicago Fire is brought under control.
1888 - The Washington Monument officially opens to the general public
1919 - Black Sox scandal: The Cincinnati Reds "win" the World Series.
1936 - Generators at Boulder Dam (later renamed to Hoover Dam) begin to transmit electricity from the Colorado River 266 miles to Los Angeles, California
1963 - Uganda becomes a republic
1963 - In northeast Italy, over 2,000 people are killed when a large landslide behind the Vajont Dam causes a giant wave of water to overtop it
Births
1835 - Camille Saint-Saëns, French composer (d. 1921)
1944 - John Entwistle, British bassist of The Who (d. 2002)
1953 - Tony Shalhoub, actor
1954 - Scott Bakula, American television actor (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Deaths
1806 - Benjamin Banneker, American astronomer
1958 - Pope Pius XII
1974 - Oskar Schindler, businessman
Holidays
Hangul Day - South Korea: celebrating the invention of Hangul, the native Korean phonetic alphabet
Recorded This Date
1922 "Song Of The Volga Boatman" (trad Russ. arr. Koenemann)
- Feodor Chaliapin with O/George W. Byng
1941 "Cielito Lindo" (w.m. Quirino Mendoza y Cortez)
- Deanna Durbin with O/Victor Young
1947 "Blue Moon" (w. Lorenz Hart m. Richard Rodgers)
- Billy Eckstine with O/Hugo Winterhalter
08 October 2004
Mrs O’Leary’s Cow Really Did Chicago In...
...any way you look at it... Wow!
The description in Wikipedia’s list of events for 8 October (see previous entry) says 1.2 million acres burned. The article itself says 2,000 acres. Either way, that's a LOT of Chicago!!!
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
451 - At Chalcedon, a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor, the first session of the Council of Chalcedon begins (ends on November 1)
1600 - San Marino adopts its written constitution
1871 - The Great Chicago Fire burns 1,200,000 acres (4,900 km²) in one day, eventually destroying about 17,450 buildings, kills about 250 people and leaves another 90,000 homeless.
1871 - In Wisconsin, a forest fire starts to burn across six counties, eventually killing over 1,100 people
1956 - New York Yankees pitcher Don Larsen pitches first (and only) perfect game in World Series history in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.
1957 - Walter O'Malley announces that the Dodgers are going to move from Brooklyn, New York to Los Angeles, California
2003 - Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark's engagement to Australian lawyer Mary Donaldson is announced
Births
1890 - Edward Rickenbacker, ace fighter pilot (d. 1973)
1920 - Frank Herbert, American science fiction writer (d. 1986)
1922 - Christiaan Barnard, heart surgeon
Holidays
Independence day in Croatia
07 October 2004
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
3761 BC - The epoch of the modern Hebrew calendar
1776 - Crown Prince Paul of Russia marries Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg
1912 - The Helsinki Stock Exchange saw its first transaction
1913 - Henry Ford introduces the assembly line
1957 - Dick Clark's American Bandstand debuts
Births
1931 - Desmond Tutu, South African archbishop and anti-apartheid activist
1939 - John Hopcroft, American theoretical computer scientist
1951 - John Cougar Mellencamp, singer
1955 - Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
1957 - Jayne Torvill, figure skater
Deaths
1792 - George Mason, U.S. patriot, "Father of the United States Bill of Rights"
1849 - Edgar Allan Poe, American writer (b. 1809)
1894 - Oliver Wendell Holmes, poet
1959 - Mario Lanza, singer
1992 - Tevfik Esenc, last speaker of the Ubykh language
Holidays & Observances
Feast day of Saint Osyth
06 October 2004
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1600 - Jacopo Peri's Euridice, the earliest surviving opera, premieres in Florence
1884 - The Naval War College of the United States Navy was founded in Newport, Rhode Island
1995 - 51 Pegasi, in the constellation of Pegasus, 47.9 light-years away from Earth, was discovered to be the first major star apart from the Sun to have a planet (and extrasolar planet) orbiting around it
Births
1820 - Jenny Lind, singer (d. 1887)
1846 - George Westinghouse, American engineer, inventor (d. 1914)
1914 - Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer, leader of the Kon-Tiki expedition (d. 2002)
1948 - Gerry Adams, Irish politician
1951 - Manfred Winkelhock, German auto racing driver (d. 1985)
Deaths
1892 - Alfred Tennyson, British poet laureate
1983 - Terence Cardinal Cooke, tenth bishop (seventh archbishop) of the Roman Catholic diocese of New York (b. 1921)
1985 - Nelson Riddle, bandleader (b. 1921)
2002 - Claus von Amsberg (76), husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
Holidays & Observances
German-American Day (U.S. observance, since 1987)
05 October 2004
Today in History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1582 - Pope Gregory XIII announced the Gregorian calendar
1877 - Chief Joseph surrenders his Nez Perce band to General Nelson A. Miles
1969 - The first broadcast of Monty Python's Flying Circus
Births
1882 - Robert Goddard, rocket scientist
1902 - Ray Kroc, entrepreneur (McDonald's Corp.) (d. 1984)
Deaths
1813 - Tecumseh, Native American leader
1996 - Seymour Cray, American computer pioneer
04 October 2004
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1582 - Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian Calendar. In Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain October 4 of this year is followed directly by October 15, skipping over 10 days
1883 - First run of the Orient Express
1957 - Launch of Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth
Births
1861 - Frederic Remington, painter (d. 1909)
1880 - Damon Runyon, writer (d. 1946)
1903 - John Vincent Atanasoff, American computer pioneer (d. 1995)
Deaths
1582 - Saint Teresa of Avila (b. 1515)
1669 - Rembrandt Dutch painter (b. 1606)
1880 - Jacques Offenbach, composer (b. 1819)
1904 - Frédéric Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty (b. 1834)
1989 - Graham Chapman, British comedian (b. 1941)
1989 - Secretariat, Triple Crown-winning race horse (b. 1970)
1997 - Gunpei Yokoi, Japanese game developer (b. 1941)
03 October 2004
"Challenged" Books Lists
:::sigh:::
From the ALA (American Library Association)
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 – 2000
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 – 1999
A Wrinkle in Time? Julie of the Wolves? James and the Giant Peach? Banned, in essence?? Where would my childhood have been (hell, I read them to this day) without these, and books like them?? More amazing than I know what to do with...
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1283 - David ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales, becomes the first person executed by drawing and quartering
1789 - George Washington proclaims the first Thanksgiving Day
1863 - Thanksgiving Day declared as the last Thursday in November by President Abraham Lincoln
1962 - At Cape Canaveral the Sigma Seven blasted off with Astronaut Wally Schirra aboard for a nine-hour flight
1990 - The re-unification of Germany. East Germany ceases to exist
Births
1873 - Emily Post, etiquette advisor (sometimes October 27, 1872 is given as her birthdate)
1916 - James Herriot, veterinarian, author (d. 1995)
1949 - Lindsey Buckingham, musician
Deaths
1226 - Saint Francis of Assisi (b. c. 1182)
1283 - David ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales, executed
1897 - Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (b. 1873)
1967 - Woody Guthrie, Amerian folk musician (b. 1912)
1998 - Roddy McDowall, actor (b. 1928)
02 October 2004
Vote!!!
It's getting to be that time once again.
If you're not registered, go do it. If you live in California, there's still time; other states, your mileage may vary. Point your browsers thusly: Voters Information Guide for the 2004 US Election.
Sage advice I picked up when I voted for the first time:
1. If you have any questions, ask the precinct workers. That's one of the reasons they're there.
2. If you make a mistake on the ballot, take it back to the precinct workers and request a new one.
3. If you're still voting with a punch card, make sure all of your selections are punched all the way through the card, and clean off any of the hanging chads.
Please, please let's not have another Florida...
Words
Anu Garg, the wordsmith behind AWAD (A Word A Day) reports the following are the two most requested AWAD words:
The belief that machines are out to get us: resistentialism
Fresh scent of earth after the first rains: petrichor
The Real Guardian Angels
wikipedia.org's link (down under Holidays and observances) to the human Guardian Angels notwithstanding, the real guardian angels whose feast day it is today are the guardian angels:
"Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God at death...."
From AmericanCatholic.org in today’s Saints of the Day.
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1955 - The ENIAC computer is deactivated
1959 - The Twilight Zone debuts
Births
1800 - Nat Turner, American leader of slave uprising (d. 1831)
1890 - Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (d. 1977)
1895 - Bud Abbott, comedian, actor (d. 1974)
1904 - Graham Greene, British novelist (d. 1991)
1945 - Don McLean, American songwriter
1948 - Avery Brooks, actor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Deaths
1803 - Samuel Adams (American revolutionary) (b. 1722)
Feast Days
Feast of Guardian Angels
01 October 2004
Today In History
From wikipedia.org:
Events
1880 - John Philip Sousa becomes leader of the United States Marine Corps Band
1890 - Yosemite National Park established by United States Congress
1891 - In California, Stanford University open its doors
1910 - In downtown Los Angeles, California, a large bomb destroys the Los Angeles Times building, killing 20
1957 - First appearance of "In God We Trust" on paper currency
1958 - NASA created to replace NACA
1959 - Acme Refrigeration incorporated by Adrian Kaiser
Births
1903 - Vladimir Horowitz, pianist (d. 1989)
1935 - Julie Andrews, British actress and singer
Deaths
1985 - E.B. White, American author (b. 1899)
Feast Days
Saint Thérèse de Lisieux
30 September 2004
Boxcar!
Bob & I went to a presentation at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History this evening. On the way home, Bob noticed what he thought was a railroad car on a flatbed carrier in the 7-11 parking lot in Scotts Valley. A quick U-turn at the next intersection and left turn into the parking lot proved him right, in spades!!
The car was an 1870s-era 2' gauge boxcar coming from Colorado to Roaring Camp. Given the history of the railroads in the San Lorenzo Valley, and the wording on various of the trucks and wheels, Bob thinks it highly likely that the boxcar is probably coming home.
The truck driver reported that the same outfit was also shipping a flatcar to Roaring Camp.
Roaring Camp Railroads
Graham Hill Rd.
P.O. Box G-1
Felton, CA 95018
(831) 335-4484
The hours/schedule vary by time of year and train.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History
1305 E. Cliff Dr.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
(831) 420-6115 (general information number)
Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am to 5pm
Admission:
Adults: $2.50
Seniors: $1.50
Youth (under 18): Free
Museum Members: Free
Today In History
from wikipedia.org:
Events
1452 - First printed book, the Johann Gutenberg Bible
1935 - The Hoover Dam is dedicated
1980 - Ethernet specifications published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation
29 September 2004
Now Arvin Wants to Get Into the Act…
Moderate temblor strikes near Bakersfield
Associated Press
ARVIN, Calif. - A moderate quake rattled Kern County on Wednesday, just hours after a pair of apparently unrelated aftershocks jolted another part of Central California. The latest temblor apparently triggered a landslide on a state highway. San Jose Mercury News
CISN ShakeMap - 3:54p
Kansas City Star
Archangels
From Wikipedia:
Today is Michaelmas, the feastday of Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael (and Uriel?), the Archangels.
AmericanCatholic.org reports in today’s Saints of the Day, that “The memorials of Gabriel (March 24) and Raphael (October 24) were added to the Roman calendar in 1921. The 1970 revision of the calendar joined their feasts to Michael's.”
28 September 2004
Parkfield Is Still With Us…
PARKFIELD, Calif. Sept. 28, 2004 — A strong earthquake struck Central California on Tuesday, and it was felt from San Francisco to the Los Angeles area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There was no immediate report of injuries.
The quake, which struck at 10:15 a.m. PDT, had a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 and was centered 9 miles south of Parkfield. The area is 17 miles northeast of Paso Robles, scene of an earthquake that killed two people in December 2003… Strong Earthquake Strikes Central Calif.
Even though the December 2003 Paso Robles quake was a definite “event” here, I had no idea about this quake until I checked Google News; it was the top headline.
CISN ShakeMaps
USGS's CIIM (Community Internet Intensity Map) (main quake)
USGS's CIIM (Community Internet Intensity Map) (aftershock)
Preliminary Earthquake Report
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program - Northern California
New Zealand checks in
CNN
Bloomberg
CBS
News 8 Austin (Texas)
27 September 2004
Childraising Hint
Randy Cassingham, (in)famous for “This Is True”, also has the Jumbo Jokes Web site. One of his latest efforts touches on tough love… It’s not my fault: Randy finds ’em; I just read ’em! >:->
26 September 2004
Hurricane Edith
Fr Mike dragged in this morning, looking really beat. He’d gotten the new (Tibetan Terrier?) puppy, to replace Mabel, on Monday. Besides all the usual harum-skarum of a puppy in the house, Archie (Mabel’s buddy-boy) was not pleased…
Fr Mike had gotten Edith a couple of stuffers, which she just loved. Archie got ahold of them, and wouldn’t let her have them back. He also dissected the squeakers out of ’em (I have a feeling there were more indignities perpetrated on the poor little things, but Fr Mike spared us the gories).
Seems like, for the nonce, the Bunkers are reigning supreme in the rectory!
The New Funny Money, er, Currency
The new $50.00 bill is set to debut this Tuesday, 28 September. Take a look at the “interactive note” at The Dept. of the Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing Web site. It’s really interesting!
Thanks to KnowledgeNews’ newsletter for tomorrow for the tip.
25 September 2004
My! Nessie Does Get Around!!
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A long-necked sea reptile that lived millions of years ago in what is now China may have used its stiff neck to sneak up on unsuspecting prey and suck them in, scientists said on Friday.
Dubbed Dinocephalosaurus orientalis or “terrible-headed lizard from the Orient,” the monster had a neck 5.5 feet long, topped by a tiny head. At the other end was its big round body…
Long-Necked Sea Monster Snuck Up on Victims
On St Francis
St Bonaventure wrote:
“Francis sought occasion to love God in everything. He delighted in all the works of God’s hands and from the vision of joy on earth his mind soared aloft to the life-giving source and cause of all. In everything beautiful, he saw Him who is beauty itself, and he followed his Beloved everywhere by His likeness imprinted on creation; of all creation he made a ladder by which he might mount up and embrace Him who is all-desirable” (Legenda Major, IX, 1).
From the Saints of the Day for today, St Elzear and Blessed Delphina, from AmericanCatholic.org
24 September 2004
Advice to Preachers…
…from St Francis:
“Moreover, I advise and admonish the friars that in their preaching, their words should be examined and chaste. They should aim only at the advantage and spiritual good of their listeners, telling them briefly about vice and virtue, punishment and glory, because our Lord Himself kept his words short on earth” (St. Francis, Rule of 1223, Ch. 9).
From the Saint of the Day for today, St Pacifico of San Severino, from AmericanCatholic.org
23 September 2004
22 September 2004
Guy Kawasaki Strikes Again!
No big surprise…
His latest effort is The Art of the Start. Basically, it’s how to start up your startup, from the original evangelizer himself.
The first chapter is available for download from ChangeThis. Funny thing, though: I couldn’t download it with OmniWeb. Kept getting an internal error. It's just a .pdf… OTOH, I just got 6 “Please Confirm Your Subscription Request”s from ChangeThis (you can optionally add your e-mail address to the supplied field before clicking the download button).
Now why was the server able to pick up my e-mail addy but not able to send me the .pdf??
It’ll be interesting to see what they have to say to my feedback e-mail.
Once (if?) I get my hands on that .pdf, I’m sure I’ll have something further to say.
21 September 2004
19 September 2004
Rain Numbers - 19 September 2004
.22", for the day
.22", for the storm
.22", for the month
.24", for the (rain) year
18 April 2004
Rain Numbers - 18 April 2004
.02", for the day
.02", for the storm
.02", for the month
40.19", for the (rain) year
Springtime? Summer???
Who said anything about nice weather??
We’re definitely on the winter side of Spring now; it got up into the 50s today, and will no doubt drop to the high 30s tonight, as it has the past few nights.
03 April 2004
Mom Said…, Pt. 2
So I had to call her back.
ME doesn’t know where in the order Grandma Nellie falls. She thinks there might have been brothers, too; she’s going to check with Joan.
Lizzie's daughters (the ones ME is sure of) were Alice and Hazel; they never married. Alice came to San Francisco to live, in her old age. She lived in a hotel. ME recalls that she died four or five years after Dorothy (Dor died in 1980).
Grandpa Bill remarried into money. His second wife died before he did. He gave rings (of hers?) to Grandma Julia: Pat and Joan each got a diamond solitaire and ME got the turquoise surrounded by 12 diamonds (were there other rings, or other jewelry?). (His second wife had to have died before 1942.)
He lived?/visited? Florida for his health, and may have died there.
Molly had another daughter, Midge, who Joan characterized (the earlier generation characterized?) as “glamorous and shady”: she had beached blonde hair, was divorced… The girl ME hung out with in their infrequent visits with that side of the family may have been Midge’s daughter, rather than Ethel’s.
Kathleen Brennan’s sisters are Mary Ellen and Judy.
Jack died of peritonitis, from a ruptured appendix, at French Hospital, right by Chinatown.
01 April 2004
Mom said…
I called her 29 March, and left a message, wanting answers about Grandma Nellie’s family
Questions I wanted answered:
1) Was Grandma Nellie the oldest sister? (Actually should have been, was Grandma Nellie the youngest sister; Molly is older, by eight years.)
2) Was Molly Mary A?
3) Did Molly come to Pasadena after her husband died?
4) Where did she (Molly) live before coming to California? Chicago?
5) Did her daughter marry?
When ME called back, we were on the dock, feeding the fish, and I didn't have Tail with me… Answers I got:
1) Forgot to ask…
2) Yes
3) As far as ME knows
4) Forgot to ask; did find out that the daughter had a daughter.
Notes from the conversation:
Ethel had a daughter about Pat & Joan’s age (therefore born about 1927 - 1929; born where? Pasadena?); Mom presumed Ethel was married, but her death certificate is in the name of Ethel LeFebvre. (She could have not changed her name when she married; maybe she wasn't married [certainly not out of character in her family]; I could have the wrong Ethel LeFebvre, but her birth year [1886] and place [Illinois] fit, and the CA Death Index at RootsWeb lists her mother's maiden name as Hefferma. The CA Death Index lists no SSN for her, although she is in the SSDI.)
Lizzie married a man named Murphy (I had down that he was Johnnie Murphy), had a son named Johnnie, two daughters, and five children altogether.
Grandma Nellie and the kids came to North Dakota after Mart died; they were there some years before they left for California in 1929 (Lyle and Mary Julia were married in 1924).
When Jack Brennan died in 1936, Grandma Julia and the kids went out to California to be with Grandma Nellie.
Uncle Bill was in and out and around during these years; he’d appear and hang around for a year or so, and then go away again. Grandma Nellie finally got him admitted to the VA hospital (Sawtelle) after the move out to CA in 1929 (she had a great struggle getting it done; the Army didn’t want to admit that his problems were related to his service in WWI); he was definitely there in 1936.
