Interrogatories
Do you still live near where you grew up, or did you end up living far away? If you are still in the same area, did you ever live far away?
What is the farthest you've ever been from home?
Do you get homesick, and if so, how long does it take to kick in?
Are you short, tall, or in-between?
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On This Day
In 1184 BC, the Fall of Troy occurred (this is the traditional date)
In 1800, the Library of Congress was established when President John Adams signed legislation appropriating $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress". What do you want to bet that most present day Congresscritters never open books?
In 1907, Hersheypark, founded by chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey for the exclusive use of his employees, was opened.
In 1915, the Armenian Genocide began with the arrest of 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Istanbul.
In 1933, Nazi Germany began its persecuting Jehovah's Witnesses when they shut down the Watch Tower Society office in Magdeburg.
In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Winston Churchill.
In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space, carried by the Space Shuttle Discovery.
In 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was inaugurated as the 265th Pope, taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Born on This Day
1581 - Vincent de Paul, French saint (d. 1660) and thrift store magnate.
1660 - Cornelis Dusart, Dutch painter/engraver (d. 1704)
1718 - Nathaniel Hone the Elder, Irish painter (d. 1784)
1767 - Jacques-Laurent Agasse, Swiss landscape painter (d. 1849)
1815 - Anthony Trollope, English author (d. 1882)
1873 - André Bauchant, French "naive" or "modern primitive" painter (d. 1958)
1878 - Jean Crotti, Swiss artist (d. 1958)
1880 - Gideon Sundbäck, Swedish-American engineer and businessman, developed the zipper (d. 1954)
1887 - Denys Finch Hatton, English big-game hunter (d. 1931)
1889 - Lyubov Popova, Russian painter (d. 1924)
1904 - Willem de Kooning, Dutch painter (d. 1997)
1905 - Robert Penn Warren, American poet (d. 1989)
1908 - Marceline Day, American silent film star (d. 2000)
1914 - Justin Wilson, American chef (d. 2001)
1934 - Shirley MacLaine, American actor and author
1937 - Joe Henderson, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2001)
1942 - Barbra Streisand, American singer, actress, producer, and director
1944 - St. Clair Lee, American singer (The Hues Corporation) (d. 2011)
1945 - Doug Clifford, American drummer and songwriter (Creedence Clearwater Revival and Creedence Clearwater Revisited)
1951 - Nigel Harrison, English musician and songwriter (Blondie)
1952 - Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
1953 - Eric Bogosian, American actor and writer
1954 - Mumia Abu-Jamal, Black Panther journalist, African American activist.
1954 - Captain Sensible, English singer-songwriter and musician (The Damned and Dead Men Walking)
1957 - David J, English musician (Bauhaus and Love and Rockets)
1957 - Boris Williams, English musician (The Cure, Thompson Twins, and Babacar)
1963 - Billy Gould, American musician, songwriter, and producer (Faith No More)
1968 - Aidan Gillen, Irish actor
1984 - Tyson Ritter, American singer-songwriter, musician, and actor (The All-American Rejects)
Died on This Day
1342 - Pope Benedict XII (b. 1285)
1484 - Antonio Vivarini, Italian painter (b. 1415)
1731 - Daniel Defoe, English writer (b. 1660)
1779 - Eleazar Wheelock, American minister, orator, and educator, founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
1803 - Adelaïde Labille-Guiard, French painter (b. 1749)
1864 - Claude-Marie Dubufe, French painter (b. 1790)
1874 - Octave Tassaert, French painter (b. 1800)
1903 - Walter Frederick Osborne, Irish painter (b. 1859)
1941 - George de Forest Brush, US painter (b. 1855)
1947 - Willa Cather, American writer (b. 1873)
1965 - Louise Dresser, American actress (b. 1878)
1970 - Otis Spann, American pianist (b. 1930)
1972 - Fernando Amorsolo, Filipino painter (b. 1892)
1974 - Bud Abbott, American actor and comedian (b. 1895)
1975 - Pete Ham, Welsh singer-songwriter and musician (Badfinger) (b. 1947)
1986 - Wallis Simpson, American socialite, wife of Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (b. 1896)
Today is
World Day for Laboratory Animals
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
Administrative Professionals or Secretary's Day
National Pigs-in-a-Blanket-Day