Interrogatories
Are you or any of your friends peculiar? Proudly so?
What kind of houseplants do you have?
What was your favorite Masterpiece Theatre series of all time?
Have you done anything to your place that helps cut energy costs, like insulation, solar panels, ugly windows, etc?
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On This Day
In 49 BC, Julius Caesar illegally crossed the Rubicon river, the beginning of a civil war and of a famous idiom.
In 1776, Thomas Paine published "Common Sense," which is a misnomer if ever there was one.
In 1810, Napoleon Bonaparte divorced Josephine, his first wife, trading her in for a younger (and more blue-blooded) model.
In 1861, Florida seceded from the Union.
In 1870, Standard Oil was incorporated by John D. Rockefeller.
In 1927, Fritz Lang's cult classic film "Metropolis" premiered in Germany.
In 1929, "The Adventures of Tintin" was published for the first time.
In 1946, the first General Assembly of the United Nations convened in London.
In 1964, the Beatles' first U.S. album, "Introducing the Beatles" (brilliant title, that) was released.
In 1971, "Masterpiece Theatre" premiered on PBS, with "The First Churchills" as the opening series, and with Alistair Cooke hosting.
In 2007, George W. Bush announced the "surge" of 21,500 troops to Iraq.
Born on This Day
1680 - Philip van Dyk , Dutch painter (d. 1753)
1702 – Johannes Zick, German painter (d. 1762)
1708 - Donatien Nonnotte, French painter (d. 1785)
1745 - Étienne Aubry, French painter (d. 1781)
1810 - Jeremiah S. Black, 24th U.S. Attorney General and 23rd Secretary of State. (d. 1883)
1819 - Pierre Édouard Frère, French painter (d. 1886)
1843 – Frank James, American outlaw (d. 1915)
1853 – Jessie Bond, English singer and actress (d. 1942)
1858 – Heinrich Zille, German illustrator and photographer (d. 1929)
1883 – Francis X. Bushman, American silent film star (d. 1966)
1890 – Pina Menichelli, Italian silent film star (d. 1984)
1901 - Pauline Starke, silent film actress (d. 1977)
1904 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (d. 1987)
1916 – Eldzier Cortor, African-American painter
1917 – Hilde Krahl, Austrian actress (d. 1999)
1917 – Jerry Wexler, American record producer (d. 2008)
1924 – Max Roach, American musician and composer (M'Boom) (d. 2007)
1927 – Johnnie Ray, American singer (d. 1990)
1930 – Elaine Devry, American actress and ex-Mrs. Mickey Rooney
1935 – Ronnie Hawkins, American musician
1938 – Willie McCovey, American baseball player
1939 – Scott McKenzie, American singer
1939 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976) See Tipple Jar
1943 – Jim Croce, American singer (d. 1973)
1945 – Rod Stewart, Scottish singer (The Jeff Beck Group and Faces)
1946 – Aynsley Dunbar, English drummer.
1949 – George Foreman, American boxer
1953 – Pat Benatar, American singer
1956 – Shawn Colvin, American singer
1974 – Jemaine Clement, New Zealand actor, singer, and guitarist (Flight of the Conchords)
Died on This Day
1654 – Nicholas Culpeper, English botanist, herbalist, physician, and astrologer (b. 1616)
1760 - Félix Anton Scheffler, German painter (b. 1701)
1777 – Spranger Barry, Irish actor (b. 1719)
1883 – Dr Samuel A. Mudd, American medical doctor (b. 1833)
1890 - Johann Baptist Reiter, Austrian painter (b. 1813)
1892 - Charles Louis Müller, French painter (b. 1815)
1893 - Johan Philip Koelman, Dutch painter (b. 1818)
1904 – Jean-Léon Gérôme, French painter and sculptor (b. 1824)
1917 – William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman (b. 1846)
1941 – Sir John Lavery, Northern Irish artist (b. 1856)
1949 - Othon Friesz, French Fauvist painter (b. 1879)
1951 – Sinclair Lewis, American writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1885)
1961 – Dashiell Hammett, American writer (b. 1894)
1968 – Basil Sydney, English actor (b. 1894)
1971 – Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, French fashion designer (b. 1883)
1976 – Howlin' Wolf, American musician (b. 1910)
1982 – Paul Lynde, American comedian (b. 1926)
2004 – Spalding Gray, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1941)
Today is
Bittersweet Chocolate Day
Peculiar People Day
National Cut your Energy Costs Day (in the middle of winter?)
Houseplant Appreciation Day