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Friday, May 9, 2008
Today is the 130th day of 2008 and the 51st day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented his proposal for European integration, called the "Schuman Declaration." In 1961, Newton Minow, newly appointed chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, gave a speech to broadcasters in which he described network TV as a "vast wasteland." In 1974, the U.S. House of Representatives opened impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon. In 2001, during a soccer game in Ghana, 126 people died in a stampede caused by an encounter between fans and police.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: J.M. Barrie (1860-1937), playwright; Howard Carter (1874-1939), archaeologist; Mike Wallace (1918- ), journalist, is 90; Candice Bergen (1946- ), actress, is 62; Billy Joel (1949- ), musician, is 59; Tony Gwynn (1960- ), baseball player, is 48; Rosario Dawson (1979- ), actress, is 29.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, the White Sox finally won a 25-inning game that had been suspended from the day before. It was the longest timed game in Major League Baseball history, at 8 hours and 6 minutes.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Ambition--it is the last infirmity of noble minds." J.M. Barrie [or "I'm not young enough to know everything." JM Barrie from The Admirable Crichton]
TODAY'S FACT: Mike Wallace has been a mainstay of the TV news program 60 Minutes since its start in 1968. He announced his retirement in March 2006 but has continued work on the show as a "Correspondent Emeritus."
TODAY'S NUMBER: 27 - number of member-nations in the European Union, a descendant of the Schuman Declaration; Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (May 5) and first quarter (May 11).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Today is the 129th day of 2008 and the 50th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1886, prohibition in Atlanta, GA spurred the sale of the first "Coca-Cola" soft drink. In 1945, the Allies celebrated World War II V-E (Victory in Europe) day. In 1973, a 10-week standoff in Wounded Knee, SD, between federal authorities and American Indian Movement activists ended. In 1999, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, graduated its first female student.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), U.S. president; Don Rickles (1926- ), comedian/actor, is 82; Sonny Liston (1932-1970), boxer; Thomas Pynchon (1937- ), novelist, is 71; Keith Jarrette (1945- ), jazz musician, is 63; Enrique Iglesias (1975- ), singer, is 33.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1984, the Soviet Union announced that it would boycott that year's Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it." - Harry S. Truman
TODAY'S FACT: The U.S. captured 173 medals--including a record 83 gold medals--at the Soviet-boycotted 1984 Summer Olympics.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 - women in The Citadel's 2007 graduating class, out of 436 cadets.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (May 5) and first quarter (May 11).
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Today is the 128th day of 2008 and the 49th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1915, during World War I, a German U-Boat sunk the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198. In 1945, Germany unconditionally surrendered and withdrew from World War II. In 2000, Vladimir Putin assumed the presidency in Russia's first democratic change of office.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), composer; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), composer; Gary Cooper (1901-1961), actor; Eva Peron (1919-1952), Argentine first lady/actress; Johnny Unitas (1933-2002), football player; Tim Russert (1950- ), journalist, is 58; Breckin Meyer (1974- ), actor, is 34.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1925, Glenn Wright of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the fourth player in history to turn an unassisted triple play.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "In Westerns you were permitted to kiss your horse but never your girl." - Gary Cooper
TODAY'S FACT: After being cut from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1955, Johnny Unitas played a year of semi-pro ball with the Bloomfield Rams, and was paid $6 a game plus daily trolley fare.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 7 - number of symphonies composed by Tchaikovsky.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (May 5) and first quarter (May 11).
Today is the 121st day of 2008 and the 42nd day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In 1803, representatives of the United States and France concluded negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase. In 1945, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide as Allied troops approached his bunker in Berlin, Germany. In 2003, Mahmoud Abbas took office as the first Palestinian Prime Minister.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Eve Arden (1908-1990), actress; Sheldon Harnick (1924- ), lyricist, is 84; Cloris Leachman (1926- ), actress, is 82; Willie Nelson (1933- ), singer, is 75; Isiah Thomas (1961- ), basketball player, is 47; Kirsten Dunst (1982- ), actress, is 26.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1993, a deranged fan ran stabbed tennis star Monica Seles at a tournament match in Hamburg, Germany.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The magnitude and difficulty of the trust to which the voice of my country called me, [is] sufficient to awaken in the wisest and most experienced of her citizens a distrustful scrutiny into his qualifications..." - George Washington, in his inaugural address
TODAY'S FACT: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun married on April 29, 1945, one day before their joint suicide.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 827,192 - number of square miles that the U.S. took possession of in the Louisiana Purchase, at a cost of less than three cents per acre.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (April 28) and new moon (May 5).
Today is the 120th day of 2008 and the 41st day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1429, Joan of Arc lifted the siege of Orleans, France. In 1992, riots broke out in Los Angeles after four police officers were acquitted of beating Rodney King. In 2004, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney met with the September 11 Commission in closed hearings.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Beecham (1879-1961), orchestra conductor; Duke Ellington (1899-1974), jazz musician; Jerry Seinfeld (1955- ), comedian, is 53; Daniel Day-Lewis (1957- ), actor, is 51; Michelle Pfeiffer (1958- ), actress, is 50; Andre Agassi (1970- ), tennis player, is 38.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1986, Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens became the first to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, a feat he repeated in 1996.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The thing about performance, even if it's only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities." - Daniel Day-Lewis
TODAY'S FACT: Duke Ellington's father worked as a butler at a number of homes in Washington, DC, including the White House.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 19 - age of Joan of Arc at the time of her death.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (April 28) and new moon (May 5).
Today is the 119th day of 2008 and the 40th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1789, a mutiny broke out on the British trade ship Bounty. In 1945, Italian partisans executed dictator Benito Mussolini. In 2004, the first Abu Ghraib prison abuse photos were shown on CBS's 60 Minutes II.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: James Monroe (1758-1831), U.S. president; Lionel Barrymore (1878-1954), actor; Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), businessman; Harper Lee (1926- ), author, is 82; Ann-Margret (1941- ), singer/actress, is 67; Jay Leno (1950- ), TV personality, is 58; Penelope Cruz, (1974- ), actress, is 34.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1967, heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "A little flattery will support a man through great fatigue." - James Monroe
TODAY'S FACT: After the 1789 mutiny on the Bounty, the captain and 18 crewmembers were cast out on a 23-foot launch boat in which they safely traveled an astounding 3,618 miles to Timor.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 40 - The number of languages in which Harper Lee's classic To Kill A Mockingbird is available.
TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter (April 28).
Today is the 114th day of 2008 and the 35th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1908, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt created the U.S. Army Reserve. In 1985, Coca-Cola introduced "New Coke," a product that fizzled with consumers quickly. In 2004, President George W. Bush eased economic sanctions against Libya--in place since the Reagan administration--in response to Libya's giving up its weapons of mass destruction program.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Shakespeare (1564-1616), playwright; Max Planck (1858-1947), physicist; Vladimir Nabokov, novelist, (1899-1977); Shirley Temple Black (1928- ), actress/diplomat, is 80; Lee Majors (1940- ), actor, is 68; Sandra Dee (1942-2005), actress; Michael Moore (1954- ), filmmaker, is 54; Andruw Jones (1977- ), baseball player, is 31.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, St. Louis Cardinal Fernando Tatis became the first baseball player to hit two grand slam home runs in one inning.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts." - William Shakespeare, As You Like It
TODAY'S FACT: Novelist Vladimir Nabokov was also known internationally as a lepidopterist (a scientist who studies moths and butterflies).
TODAY'S NUMBER: 77 - days that New Coke was on the market before Coca-Cola pulled it from shelves and replaced it with the soft drink's original formula, under the name Classic Coke.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (April 20) and last quarter (April 28).
Today is the 113th day of 2008 and the 34th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1500, Pedro Cabral became the first European to see modern-day Brazil. In 1889, Oklahoma was opened to settlers, who swarmed the state in a great land rush. In 1954, the first of the U.S. Senate's Army-McCarthy hearings were broadcast. In 1993, the U.S. Holocaust Museum was dedicated in Washington, DC. In 2000, immigration agents seized Elian Gonzalez from his relatives' house in Miami in order to return him to his father in Cuba.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Henry Fielding (1707-54), novelist; Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), philosopher; Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924), Soviet leader; J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-67), physicist; Charles Mingus (1922-79), jazz musician; Jack Nicholson (1936- ), actor, is 72; John Waters (1946- ), filmmaker, is 62; Peter Frampton (1950- ), rock musician, is 58.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1914, Babe Ruth, then a Baltimore pitcher, appeared in his first professional baseball game, shutting out Providence, 6-0.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "All our knowledge begins with the sense, proceeds then to understanding, and ends with reason. " - Immanuel Kant
TODAY'S FACT: The Army-McCarthy hearings were the first nationally televised congressional inquiry.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 69,898 - area (in square miles) of the state of Oklahoma.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (April 20) and last quarter (April 28).
Today is the 112th day of 2008 and the 33rd day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1836, Texas forces under Sam Houston defeated Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto. In 1918, Germany's "Red Baron," fighter ace Baron Manfred von Richtofen, was shot down and killed. In 1960, the new city of Brasilia officially became Brazil's capital. In 1992, murderer Robert Alton Harris became the first person executed by the state of California in 25 years.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Charlotte Bronte (1816-55), novelist/poet; John Muir (1838-1914), naturalist/environmentalist; Anthony Quinn (1915-2001), actor; Elizabeth II (1926- ), British monarch, is 82; Elaine May (1932- ), actress/writer, is 76; Patti LuPone (1949- ), actress/singer, is 59; Tony Danza (1951- ), actor, is 57; James McAvoy (1979- ), actor, is 29.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1974, Lee Elder became the first African American to be invited to the PGA Masters Tournament.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The upward course of a nation's history is due in the long run to the soundness of heart of its average men and women." - Queen Elizabeth II
TODAY'S FACT: Brasilia was put on the UN's World Heritage List in 1987 in recognition of its innovative urban planning and design.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 54 - number of years Queen Elizabeth II has ruled Great Britain, ten less than Queen Victoria, Britain's longest-ruling monarch.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (April 20) and last quarter (April 28).
Today is the 109th day of 2008 and the 30th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride, warning, "The British are coming!" In 1906, the great San Francisco earthquake struck. In 1942, U.S. planes, led by Gen. James Doolittle, bombed Tokyo and other Japanese cities. In 2002, Exiled Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah returned to Afghanistan.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Franz von Suppé (1819-95), composer; Clarence Darrow (1857-1938), lawyer; Wendy Barrie (1912-78), actress; Joseph Goldstein (1940- ), geneticist, is 68; Hayley Mills (1946- ), actress, is 62; James Woods (1947- ), actor, is 61; Conan O'Brien (1963- ), TV personality, is 45; America Ferrera (1984- ), actress, is 24.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1923, Yankee Stadium, known as the "House That Ruth Built," opened in the Bronx with a crowd of 74,200 people. Babe Ruth hit the stadium's first home run in the third inning.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free." - Clarence Darrow
TODAY'S FACT: Paul Revere did not complete his ride from Boston to Concord; one of the two men who accompanied him reached Concord to deliver the message after Revere was detained by scouts.
TODAY'S NUMBER: $400,000,000 - estimated property damage (in 1906 dollars) as a result of the San Francisco earthquake and fire.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (April 12) and full moon (April 20).
Today is the 108th day of 2008 and the 29th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1524, Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazano, sailing for France, led the first European expedition into New York Harbor. In 1861, Virginia became the eighth state to secede from the Union. In 1961, a group of CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. In 1993, a Los Angeles jury convicted two police officers of violating the civil rights of assaulted motorist Rodney King.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971), Soviet political leader; Senor Wences (1896-1999), ventriloquist; Thornton Wilder, playwright/novelist (1897-1975); William Holden (1918-81), actor; Boomer Esiason (1961- ), football player/broadcaster, is 47; Jennifer Garner (1972- ), actress, is 36.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1953, 21-year-old Mickey Mantle hit a 565-foot homer over the wall of Griffith Stadium in Washington, the first "tape-measure" home run in baseball history.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Hope, like faith, is nothing if it is not courageous; it is nothing if it is not ridiculous." - Thornton Wilder
TODAY'S FACT: More Civil War battles were fought in Virginia than any other state.
TODAY'S NUMBER: -272 - temperature, in degrees Celsius, of the Boomerang Nebula, the coldest known place in the universe.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (April 12) and full moon (April 20)
Today is the 107th day of 2008 and the 28th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1777, American forces defeated the British at the Battle of Bennington in Vermont. In 1917, Vladimir I. Lenin returned to Russia in a sealed train after years in exile. In 1947, the French vessel Grandcamp blew up in the harbor of Texas City, TX, killing at least 500 people. In 2007, a senior at Virginia Tech shot 27 students and 5 faculty members to death on the campus in Blacksburg, VA.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Anatole France (1844-1924), writer; Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977), actor/director/composer; Peter Ustinov (1921-2004), actor; Pope Benedict XVI (1927- ), Roman Catholic leader, is 81; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1947- ), basketball player, is 61; Bill Belichick (1952- ), football coach, is 56; Ellen Barkin (1955- ), actress, is 53; Peter Billingsley (1971- ), actor, is 37.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, Wayne Gretzky announced his retirement from professional hockey.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." - Anatole France
TODAY'S FACT: Charlie Chaplin refused to use dialogue in his movies until The Great Dictator in 1940, 13 years after the first "talkie."
TODAY'S NUMBER: 20 - number of professional seasons Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played in the NBA before announcing his retirement.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (April 12) and full moon (April 20).
Today is the 106th day of 2008 and the 27th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1912, the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg. In 1924, Rand McNally published its first road atlas. In 1959, the new Cuban leader, Fidel Castro, visited the United States. In 1999, astronomers announced the discovery of another solar system--the first aside from our own--in the constellation Andromeda.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), artist/scientist; Henry James (1843-1916), novelist; A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979), activist; Bessie Smith (1894-1937), blues singer; Emma Thompson (1959- ), actress, is 49; Emma Watson (1990- ), actress, is 18.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1942, Hiram Bithorn became the first Puerto Rican to play Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "It does not matter how small you are if you have faith and plan of action." - Fidel Castro
TODAY'S FACT: Titanic is the highest-grossing American movie of all time, having made more than $600 million at the box office.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 24 - number of hours after Germany's 1939 invasion of Poland that U.S. stores were completely sold out of Rand McNally maps of Europe.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (April 12) and full moon (April 20).
Today is the 105th day of 2008 and the 26th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot and fatally wounded President Abraham Lincoln. In 1939, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath was published. In 1986, the U.S. launched air strikes against Libya. In 2002, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez regained power after a military coup overthrew him two days earlier.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Anne Sullivan Macy (1866-1936), educator; John Gielgud (1904-2000), actor; Rod Steiger (1925-2002), actor; Loretta Lynn (1935- ), singer, is 73; Julie Christie (1940- ), actress, is 68; Pete Rose (1941- ), baseball player, is 67; Greg Maddux (1966- ), baseball player, is 42; Adrien Brody (1973- ), actor, is 35; Abigail Breslin (1996- ), actress, is 12.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2003, Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche became the first NHL goalie to win 150 playoff games.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Doctors tell me I have the body of a thirty year old. I know I have the brain of a fifteen year old. If you've got both, you can play baseball." - Pete Rose
TODAY'S FACT: The lowest point on earth is called Challenger Deep, located at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean—nearly 11,000 meters (36,000 feet) below sea level.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 7:22 a.m. - time of Abraham Lincoln's death, the day after he was shot.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (April 12) and full moon (April 20).
Today is the 101st day of 2008 and the 22nd day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1933, the U.S. government created the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to put unemployed young men to work. In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria. In 1972, famed film comedian and director Charlie Chaplin received an honorary Oscar. In 2003, Congress approved the Amber Alert system, which alerts the public to child abductions.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Hazlitt (1778-1830), writer; Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911), publisher; Max von Sydow (1929- ), actor, is 79; Omar Sharif (1932- ), actor, is 76; John Madden (1936- ), football coach/broadcaster, is 72; Steven Seagal (1951- ), actor, is 57; Haley Joel Osment (1988- ), actor, is 20.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1947, the Brooklyn Dodgers announced the purchase of Jackie Robinson's contract from the Montreal Royals.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself." - Joseph Pulitzer
TODAY'S FACT: Residents of the small European country of Andorra enjoy the longest life expectancy in the world, at an average of 83.5 years.
TODAY'S NUMBER: .349 - Jackie Robinson's batting average in his last year with the Montreal Royals.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 5) and first quarter (April 12).
Today is the 100th day of 2008 and the 21st day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. In 1940, Germany invaded Norway and Denmark. In 2003, Iraqis celebrating the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime tore down and beheaded the Hussein statue in downtown Baghdad.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Charles Baudelaire (1821-67), poet; Paul Robeson (1898-1976), athlete/actor/singer; Hugh Hefner (1926- ), publisher, is 82; Jean-Paul Belmondo (1933- ), actor, is 75; Dennis Quaid (1954- ), actor, is 54; Cynthia Nixon (1966- ), actress, is 42.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1965, the Houston Astros defeated the NY Yankees 2-1 in an exposition game--the first professional baseball game ever played indoors--at the Astrodome.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Everything considered, work is less boring than amusing oneself." - Charles Baudelaire
TODAY'S FACT: The Astrodome originally had a natural grass field; 'Astroturf' was installed only after the grass died due to a new coat of paint on the ceiling aimed at making pop flies more visible.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 15 - number of varsity letters that Paul Robeson received at Rutgers University for playing baseball, football, basketball, and track.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 5) and first quarter (April 12).
Today is the 99th day of 2008 and the 20th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1513, explorer Juan Ponce de Leon declared Florida a territory of Spain. In 1935, Congress approved legislation creating the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 2005, Pope John Paul II was buried at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Harvey Cushing (1869-1939), surgeon; Mary Pickford (1893-1979), actress; Sonja Henie (1912-69), ice skater; Betty Ford (1918- ), former first lady, is 90; Shecky Greene (1926- ), comedian, is 82; Kofi Annan (1938- ), former UN Secretary General, is 70; Robin Wright Penn (1966- ), actress, is 42.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth's record for career home runs.
TODAY'S QUOTE: Make them laugh, make them cry, and back to laughter. What do people go to the theatre for? An emotional exercise." - Mary Pickford
TODAY'S FACT: Florida did not become a U.S. possession until Spain surrendered it in a treaty in 1819.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 10 - number of languages used at least once during Pope John Paul II's funeral mass.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 5) and first quarter (April 12).
Today is the 98th day of 2008 and the 19th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1712, a slave rebellion broke out in New York City. In 1862, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the battle of Shiloh. In 1994, a civil war ignited in Rwanda; millions were displaced and hundreds of thousands were killed in the next several months.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: William Wordsworth (1770-1850), poet; Billie Holiday (1915-59), jazz singer; Francis Ford Coppola (1939- ), filmmaker, is 69; Jackie Chan (1954- ), actor, is 54; Russell Crowe (1964- ), actor, is 44; Tiki Barber (1975), football player, is 33.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1963, at age 23, golfer Jack Nicklaus won the first of his six Masters titles.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "The eye--it cannot choose but see; we cannot bid the ear be still; our bodies feel, where'er they be, against or with our will." - William Wordsworth
TODAY'S FACT: Of the 16 million American adults who used online dating sites in 2006, 17% reported to have entered into long-term relationships with fellow online daters.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 800,000 - estimated number of Rwandans killed during the first 100 days of the 1994 genocide.
TODAY'S MOON: Between new moon (April 5) and first quarter (April 12).
Today is the 93rd day of 2008 and the 14th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1865, Jefferson Davis fled Richmond as Union forces closed in on the Confederate capital. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. In 1982, Argentina invaded the British-held Falkland Islands. In 1992, Mafia boss John Gotti was found guilty of murder, racketeering, and other charges by a New York jury.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75), writer; Emile Zola (1840-1902), novelist; Max Ernst (1891-1976), artist; Buddy Ebsen (1908-2003), actor; Emmylou Harris (1947- ), singer, is 61; Christopher Meloni (1961- ), actor, is 47.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1931, Jackie Mitchell, a 17-year old female pitcher for the Chattanooga Lookouts, struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition match against the Yankees.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale." - Hans Christian Anderson
TODAY'S FACT: Max Ernst created a new painting technique called frottage in which an object is covered with blank paper and rubbed with black chalk, creating a surreal image.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 3,105 - number of people who lived in the Falkland Islands in 2007.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (March 29) and new moon (April 5).
Today is the 92nd day of 2008 and the 13th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1945, U.S. troops landed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. In 1960, TIROS-1, the first weather satellite, was launched from Cape Canaveral. In 1987, Pres. Reagan gave his first speech on the AIDS epidemic, declaring the disease "public health enemy number one." In 1999, Nunavut officially separated from the Northwest Territories in Canada. In 2001, ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was arrested and jailed on corruption charges, after a 36-hour standoff with police.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Otto von Bismarck (1815-98), German political leader; Edmond Rostand (1868-1918), playwright; Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943), composer; Milan Kundera (1929- ), writer, is 79; Debbie Reynolds (1932- ), actress, is 76; Ali McGraw (1938- ), actress, is 70; Samuel Alito (1950- ), Supreme Court justice, is 58.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1973, veteran Boston Celtic John Havlicek scored a career-high 54 points against the Atlanta Hawks, setting a Celtic playoff record.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made." - Otto von Bismarck
TODAY'S FACT: In late 2007, the UN estimated there were 33.2 million people living with AIDS.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 19,389 - number of pictures TIROS-1 sent back to Earth during its 77 days in orbit.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (March 29) and new moon (April 5).
Today is the 91st day of 2008 and the 12th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1889, the Eiffel Tower was completed. In 1930, the Motion Pictures Production Code, or Hays Code, was adopted to regulate the moral values of movies. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson announced he would not run for reelection. In 2005, Terri Schiavo died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed after a prolonged legal battle.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Rene Descartes (1596-1650), philosopher/mathematician; Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), composer; Cesar Chavez (1927-93), labor leader; Herb Alpert (1935- ), musician, is 73; Al Gore (1948- ), former U.S. vice president/senator, is 60; Ewan McGregor (1971- ), actor, is 37.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1992, the Cubs acquired 23-year-old outfielder Sammy Sosa, who would go on to become their All-Star right-fielder.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "We Americans write our own history. And the chapters of which we're proudest are the ones where we had the courage to change." - Al Gore
TODAY'S FACT: Gustav Eiffel built metal structures all over the world, but he also designed railway bridges and the interior structure of New York's Statue of Liberty.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,063 - height, in feet, of the Eiffel Tower (including the flagpole).
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter (March 29) and new moon (April 5).
 This year is the centennial of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" the unofficial anthem of baseball composed by Albert Von Tilzer and written by Jack Norworth. Songs about baseball weren't new in 1908. "The Baseball Polka" had already been around for 50 years according to the Library of Congress Music Division. Yet "Take Me Out..." is probably the only piece of Tin Pan Alley music that most Americans can instantly recall. It's surely more memorable than "Take Me Out for a Tank Ride."
As Major League Baseball starts its 2008 season this week there will be many mentions of the song. Mainly, the league is hosting "in-park searches for the most talented performers of the unofficial anthem of baseball fans everywhere." (Enter online: here). There will also be many news articles about Katie Casey and the song's verses, as well as its conflicted history due to the new book Baseball's Greatest Hit: The Story of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
To get you in the spirit, Tinfoil.com, an online collection of early recorded sound, has a 1908 rendition of "Take Me Out..." performed by Edward Meeker.
The Library of Congress also has sheet music and other useful information on the song as well as many other baseball songs in their Performing Arts department:
Online Collection of Baseball Sheet Music including "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
Bibliography of Published Baseball Music and Songs
Today is the 87th day of 2008 and the 8th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1794, the United States Navy was formed. In 1964, the largest U.S. earthquake, at a magnitude of 9.2, struck Alaska. In 2002, President Bush signed a sweeping campaign finance reform bill into law.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Wilhelm Roentgen (1845-1923), scientist/inventor; Gloria Swanson (1899-1983), actress; Sarah Vaughan (1924-90), singer; Quentin Tarantino (1963- ), filmmaker, is 45; Mariah Carey (1970- ), singer, is 38.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1902, a Chicago Daily News reporter first dubbed the Chicago National League baseball team the Cubs.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." - George Orwell
TODAY'S FACT: Wilhelm Roentgen, the Nobel prize winning discoverer of X-rays, took his first medical x-ray of his wife's hand.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 9.5 - magnitude of the largest recorded earthquake, which struck off the coast of Chile on May 22, 1960.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 21) and last quarter (March 29).
Today is the 86th day of 2008 and the 7th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1979, Menachem Begin and Anwar al-Sadat signed the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in Washington, DC. In 1997, the bodies of 39 Heaven's Gate cult members were found in California. In 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was found guilty of second-degree murder for euthanizing a terminally ill patient.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Robert Frost (1874-1963), poet; Tennessee Williams (1911-83), playwright; Viktor Frankl, (1905-97), psychotherapist/author; Sandra Day O'Connor (1930- ), former U.S. Supreme Court justice, is 78; Diana Ross (1944- ), singer, is 64; Steven Tyler (1948- ), musician, is 60; John Stockton (1962- ), basketball player, is 46; Keira Knightley (1985- ), actress, is 23.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1973, Bill Walton led UCLA's basketball team to its 75th straight win and seventh straight NCAA title.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "I talk in order to understand; I teach in order to learn." - Robert Frost
TODAY'S FACT: Oregon is the only state in the U.S. with a law permitting physician-assisted suicide in some cases; the law survived an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 130 - estimated number of suicides that Dr. Jack Kevorkian assisted before his arrest in 1999.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 21) and last quarter (March 29).
Today is the 85th day of 2008 and the 6th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1634, some 200 English settlers landed at the Maryland colony. In 1894, Coxey's Army, the first notable American protest march, departed Ohio in a revolt against staggering unemployment caused by the economic panic of 1893. In 1965, a civil rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr. ended in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1994, the U.S. withdrew its last troops from Somalia.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Bela Bartok (1881-1945), composer; Howard Cosell (1918-94), broadcaster; Jim Lovell (1928- ), astronaut, is 80; Aretha Franklin (1942- ), singer, is 66; Elton John (1947- ), musician, is 61; Sarah Jessica Parker (1965- ), actress, is 43.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1958, Sugar Ray Robinson defeated Carmen Basilio to regain the middleweight title for an unprecedented fifth time.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Sports is the toy department of human life." - Howard Cosell
TODAY'S FACT: Women over age 55 watch more television than any other age group in the U.S.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 38.3 million - number of Americans that identified themselves as black in 2006.
TODAY'S MOON: Between full moon (March 21) and last quarter (March 29).
 I'm slightly embarrassed that I didn't catch this earlier. Sports Illustrated has opened up their entire back catalogue, or "vault," for free; more than 50 years of covers, articles, photos, and videos. The articles are available as searchable html or bundled up by the issue. The full issues, ad placement and all, are presented in a page-flipping online reader.
Sports Illustrated Vault
To get you started, here are some articles relating to some of the "Memorable Moments in Sports" from The World Almanac 2008:
Secretariat's Record-Breaking Triple Crown: History in the Making (June 18, 1973)
The Band is on the Field: The Week (November 29, 1982)
Strug's One-Legged Vault: Profile in Courage (August 5, 1996) also, Strug profile: Happy Landing (August 11, 1997)
Mike Tyson (vs. Evander Holyfield): Feeding Frenzy (July 7, 1997)
Cover image (July 08, 1974) of Gerald Ford, the undisputed record holder for most NFL contracts declined by a future President.
Today is the 81st day of 2008 and the 2nd day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1960, South African police killed 69 unarmed black protesters. In 1963, the federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island closed. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter met with U.S. athletes and coaches to explain his decision to boycott the Moscow Olympic Games. In 1999, Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and English copilot Brian Jones became the first to circumnavigate the earth nonstop by balloon.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), composer; Benito Juarez (1806- 1872), Mexican president; Florenz Ziegfeld (1867-1932), theater producer; Timothy Dalton (1946- ), actor, is 62; Gary Oldman (1958- ), actor, is 50; Ayrton Senna (1960-94), Formula One racer; Rosie O'Donnell (1962- ), comedienne/actress, is 46; Matthew Broderick (1962- ), actor, is 46; Ronaldinho (1980- ), soccer player, is 28.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1946, UCLA running back Kenny Washington became the NFL's first black player since 1933.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Everyone hears only what he understands." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
TODAY'S FACT: Johann Sebastian Bach was not the only member of his family known as a composer; seven generations of Bachs achieved prominence in various musical fields from 1580 to 1800.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 14 - The number of escape attempts from Alcatraz recorded over the 29 years that the prison operated; none proved successful.
TODAY'S MOON: Full moon (March 21).
Today is the 80th day of 2008 and the 1st day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1922, the first U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, USS Langley, was commissioned. In 1952, the U.S. Senate ratified a peace treaty returning sovereignty to Japan. In 1995, a Tokyo cult released sarin gas into the subway system, killing 12 and injuring thousands.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: B.F. Skinner (1904-90), psychologist; Sir Michael Redgrave (1908-95), actor; Fred Rogers (1928-2003), TV host; William Hurt (1950- ), actor, is 58; Spike Lee (1957- ), filmmaker, is 51; Holly Hunter (1958- ), actress, is 50.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1948, the National Boxing Federation adopted a 21-point safety program as an attempt to end a string of deaths in the ring.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten." - B.F. Skinner
TODAY'S FACT: The Japanese constitution, adopted in 1947, renounces war "forever."
TODAY'S NUMBER: $7 million - amount that Spike Lee's first feature film She's Gotta Have It grossed, far exceeding its $175,000 budget.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (March 14) and full moon (March 21).
Today is the 79th day of 2008 and the 89th day of winter.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1918, the U.S. Congress established time zones and approved daylight saving time. In 1931, Nevada legalized most forms of gambling. In 1953, the Academy Awards were broadcast on TV for the first time. In 2003, a U.S.-led coalition began bombing Baghdad, marking the beginning of the Iraq War.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: David Livingstone (1813-73), physician/explorer; Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), lawman/gunfighter; Earl Warren (1891-1974), U.S. Supreme Court chief justice; Joe Venuti (1894-1978), jazz violinist; Glenn Close (1947- ), actress, is 61; Bruce Willis (1955- ), actor, is 53.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1995, NBA superstar Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls after almost 2 years of retirement.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Life and liberty can be as much endangered from illegal methods used to convict those thought to be criminals as from the actual criminals themselves." - Earl Warren
TODAY'S FACT: The films Ben-Hur, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King all share the honor of receiving the most Oscars, at 11 each.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 32,292 - total points Michael Jordan scored in his career, third best in the NBA.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (March 14) and full moon (March 21).
Today is the 78th day of 2008 and the 88th day of winter.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established. In 1959, Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the U.S. In 1965, Russian cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov made the first spacewalk. In 1990, two men stole 12 paintings valued at $300 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), U.S. President; Nikolai Rimski-Korsakov (1844-1908), composer; George Plimpton (1927-2003), author/actor; Vanessa Williams (1963- ), actress/singer, is 45; Queen Latifah (1970- ), singer/actress, is 38.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1930, the NHL's Boston Bruins won a record 20th consecutive home game, which was tied by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1976.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Art has something to do with the arrest of attention in the midst of distraction." - George Plimpton
TODAY'S FACT: Hawaii is the only state with a single, unified school system; it contains 255 regular schools, 3 special schools, and 26 public charter schools.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 26 - number of countries in the NATO alliance after the addition of 7 former-Warsaw Pact nations in March 2004.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (March 14) and full moon (March 21).
Today is the 77th day of 2008 and the 87th day of winter.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, Italy--excluding Rome and Venice--was unified under King Victor Emmanuel II. In 1905, Franklin Delano Roosevelt married distant cousin Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1950, Californium, the radioactive 98th element, was created. In 1995, the FDA approved "varivax," the first chicken pox vaccine.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Gottlieb Daimler (1834-1900), engineer/inventor; Bayard Rustin (1910-87), civil rights activist; Nat King Cole (1919-65), singer; Kurt Russell (1951- ), actor, is 47; Rob Lowe (1964- ), actor, is 44; Mia Hamm (1972- ), soccer player, is 36.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1886, The Sporting News published its first issue.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him." - Bayard Rustin
TODAY'S FACT: Gottlieb Daimler is credited with building the first practical motorcycle in 1885.
TODAY'S NUMBER: 10 - number of elements in the periodic table that were identified before 1 CE.
TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter (March 14) and full moon (March 21).
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