°°°What happened today?°°°

[Rane1071]

February 20th


1673
The first recorded wine auction took place in London.

1839
The U.S. Congress prohibited dueling in the District of Columbia.

1872
Luther Crowell received a patent for a machine that manufactured paper bags.

1872
The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City. "The Met" is the foremost repository of art in the US, with a collection of more than two million works of art. Established for the purpose of encouraging the study of fine art, the museum opened with just one stone sarcophagus and 174 paintings.

1952
"The African Queen" opened at the Capitol Theatre in New York City.

1962
John Glenn made space history when he orbited the world three times in 4 hours, 55 minutes. He was the first American to orbit the Earth. He was aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule.

1965
Ranger 8 crashed on the moon after sending back thousands of pictures of its surface.

1987
A bomb exploded in a computer store in Salt Lake City, UT. The blast was blamed on the Unabomber.

2001
FBI Agent Robert Phillip Hanssen was arrested and charged with spying for the Russians for 15 over years.




Silly Quote of The Day



"Where the hell is Australia anyway?"
Britney Spears, Pop Singer.



Quick Fact of the Day




On average, a movie makes about 5 times more from its video sales than ticket takings!




Quick Article of the Day



Magic Mushrooms Could be Key to Treating Depression,
Studies of the effects of psilocybin, the active ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, show that rather than increase brain activity, as was previously believed, the drug actually suppresses activity in areas of the brain associated with depression. Some antidepressants also target activity in these brain regions, leading researchers to wonder whether psilocybin could someday be used therapeutically to treat depression. The studies also show that psilocybin may relieve cluster headache symptoms by reducing blood flow in the hypothalamus.

 

[Supafly]

I'll do the Birthdays

1924 – Gloria Vanderbilt, American socialite and clothing designer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUzcg-tMnx8

1927 – Ibrahim Ferrer, Cuban musician (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2005)

1927 – Sidney Poitier, American actor

1946 – J. Geils, American guitarist (The J. Geils Band)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqDjMZKf-wg

1950 – Walter Becker, American guitarist (Steely Dan)

1951 – Gordon Brown, British Member of Parliament, Prime Minister (2007–2010)

1963 – Charles Barkley, American basketball player

1966 – Cindy Crawford, American model

1967 – Kurt Cobain, American musician (Nirvana) (d. 1994)

1969 – Vaginal Davis, American drag queen and performance artist

1985 – Yulia Volkova, Russian singer (t.A.T.u.)

1988 – Rihanna, Barbadian singer

World Day of Social Justice (International)

 

[Supafly]

27. Februar

425 – The University of Constantinople is founded by Emperor Theodosius II at the urging of his wife Aelia Eudocia.

1560 – The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland.

1900 – The British Labour Party is founded.

1921 – The International Working Union of Socialist Parties is founded in Vienna.

1933 – Reichstag fire: Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, is set on fire.

1971 – Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (the Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform aborti provocati.

1991 – Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".

Birthdays:

1807 – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet (d. 1882)

1921 – Theodore Van Kirk, American navigator of the Enola Gay

1954 – Neal Schon, American musician (Journey)

1959 – Johnny Van Zant, American singer (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

1962 – Adam Baldwin, American actor

1973 – Peter André, Australian singer

The second day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá'í Faith)

Quote of the Day:

I dream of painting and then I paint my dream.

- Vincent Van Gogh

 

[Rane1071]

February 29th


46 b.c.
The first 'Leap Day' proclaimed by Julius Caesar.

1692
Three women, Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, were the first to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.

1948
The last British troops left India.

1952
The island of 'Heligoland is returned to German authority.

1960
Hugh Hefner opened the first Playboy Club in Chicago.

1968
Robert McNamara resigned as Secretary of Defense in the wake of the Tet offensive.

1983
The final episode of "M*A*S*H" aired. It was the most watched television program in history.

1986
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was shot to death in central Stockholm.

1993
Four federal agents were killed in Waco, Texas, after they tried to serve an arrest warrant for weapons charges on Branch Davidian sect leader David Koresh, starting a 51-day standoff.





Silly Quote of The Day



"I do not like this word "bomb." It is not a bomb. It is a device that is exploding".
Jacques le Blanc, French ambassador discussing nuclear weapons.




Quick Fact of the Day



A bird 'chews' with its stomach.



Quick Article of the Day



Ötzi the Iceman c.3300 BC,
Ötzi the Iceman also known as, Similaun Man, and Man from Hauslabjoch are modern names for a well-preserved natural mummy of a man who lived about 5,300 years ago. The mummy was found in September 1991 in the Ötztal Alps, near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. The nickname comes from the Ötztal (Ötz valley) in the Italian Alps in which he was discovered. He is Europe's oldest natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented view of Chalcolithic (Copper Age) Europeans. His body and belongings are displayed in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, northern Italy.

Otzi's Many Health Woes,
In the 20 years since the mummified remains of Ötzi the Iceman were discovered in the Alps, much has been learned about how he lived and how he died. Yet the 5,300-year-old murder victim still has more secrets to reveal. Earlier mitochondrial DNA analysis only revealed hints about his origins, but his genome has now been fully sequenced, and it shows that his ancestors probably migrated from the Middle East. The analysis also reveals that Ötzi likely had brown eyes and type O blood, that he was lactose intolerant and predisposed to heart disease, and that he had the first known case of Lyme disease.

 

[Supafly]

Add-On: Birthdays

1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)

1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor

The fourth day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá'í Faith)

 

[Rane1071]

March 3rd



1836
Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

1908
Gabriel Lippman introduces the new three-dimensional color photography at the Academy of Sciences.

1917
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans gained American citizenship.

1923
The first issue of Henry Luce's TIME magazine appeared on news stands.

1933
"King Kong", starring Fay Wray, premiered in New York City.

1949
Captain James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around the world flight. He completed the 23,452-mile journey in 94 hours, 1 minute.

1956
Morocco gained independence from France.

1968
The siege of Khe Sanh ends in Vietnam, the U.S. Marines stationed there are still in control of the mountain top.

2001
The Taliban began the destruction of ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan.

2008
Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin who has never held elected office, won the Russian presidential election in a landslide. Putin remained in a position of power, serving as Medvedev's prime minister.





Silly Quote of The Day



"We are not ready for an unforeseen event that may or may not occur".
Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President.



Quick Fact of the Day



Gloucestershire airport in England used to blast Tina Turner songs on the runways to scare birds away.




Quick Article of the Day




Miniature Madagascar Chameleon Fits On A Match Head,
Scientists in Madagascar have found four new species of tiny chameleon, one of which is so small it can balance on the head of a match. Brookesia Micra reaches a maximum length of just 29 millimeters and is one of the tiniest reptiles in the world. Scientists suspect that its diminutive size is the result of an extreme case of 'island dwarfism', an evolutionary phenomenon whereby a species becomes smaller over time in order to adapt to a limited habitat, such as an island. The little lizards live in very limited ranges, some of which are being encroached upon by city expansion, and face an uncertain future.

 

[Supafly]

Freak Accident! You are ahead of time, mate

Here to today:

2. March

1484 – The College of Arms was formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.

1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.

1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.

1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.

1956 – Morocco gains its independence from France.

Birthdays:

1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (d. 1914)

1900 – Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbzvSYLCSo0

1904 – Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American author (d. 1991)

1931 – Tom Wolfe, American author

1934 – Dottie Rambo, American singer (The Rambos) (d. 2008) (WTF???)

1942 – Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist (The Velvet Underground)

1948 – Larry Carlton, American guitarist (Fourplay)

1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (Taste) (d. 1995)

1956 – Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)

1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American musician (Bon Jovi)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQbVl3YHtBc - Maybe his finest hour?

1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor (The blonde Bond)

1980 – Sunny Lane, American pornographic actress

Omizu-okuri ("Water Carrying") Festival (Obama, Japan)

 

[Supafly]

3. March

1284 – The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates the Principality of Wales into England.

1776 – American Revolutionary War: The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau.

1857 – Second Opium War: France and the United Kingdom declare war on China.

1873 – Censorship in the United States: The U.S. Congress enacts the Comstock Law, making it illegal to send any "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" books through the mail.

1885 – The American Telephone & Telegraph Company is incorporated in New York.

1915 – NACA, the predecessor of NASA, is founded.

1931 – The United States adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem.

1938 – Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.

1958 – Nuri as-Said becomes the prime minister of Iraq for the 14th time.

2004 – Belgian brewer Interbrew and Brazilian rival AmBev agree to merge in a $11.2 billion deal that forms InBev, the world's largest brewer.

Birthdays:

1948 – Snowy White, British guitarist (Thin Lizzy, Pink Floyd)

1966 – Tone Lōc, American rapper and actor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ZIf2H9S0E

1973 – Victoria Zdrok, Ukrainian model

1977 – Ronan Keating, Irish singer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giABAfeEc0U

1982 – Jessica Biel, American actress

Sportsmen's day (Egypt)

 

[Supafly]

4. March

51 – Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title princeps iuventutis (head of the youth).

1152 – Frederick I Barbarossa is elected King of the Germans.

1675 – John Flamsteed is appointed the first Astronomer Royal of England.

1791 – A Constitutional Act is introduced by the British House of Commons in London which envisages the separation of Canada into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario).

1794 – The 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed by the U.S. Congress.

1861 – The first national flag of the Confederate States of America (the "Stars and Bars") is adopted.

1918 – The USS Cyclops (AC-4) departs from Barbados and is never seen again, presumably lost with all hands in the Bermuda Triangle.

1998 – Gay rights: Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex.

Birthdays

1944 – Bobby Womack, American singer

1951 – Chris Rea, English singer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZ8qZxjkfw

1972 – Buck 65, Canadian hip hop artist

1984 – Zak Whitbread, American soccer player

Saint Casimir's Day (Poland and Lithuania)

Quote of the Day:

Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinions of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth.

Katherine Mansfield (1888 - 1923)

 

[Rane1071]

Freak Accident! You are ahead of time, mate

Whoops! Don't know what I did there, mate. Probably half asleep.



March 5th



1616
Corpernicus' "De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium" is placed on the Catholic Church Forbidden index.

1624
In the American colony of Virginia, the upper class was exempted from whipping by legislation.

1750
"King Richard III" was performed in New York City. It was the first Shakespearean play to be presented in America.

1793
Austrian troops defeated the French and recaptured Liege.

1836
Samuel Colt manufactured the first pistol (.34-caliber).

1842
A Mexican force of over 500 men under Rafael Vasquez invaded Texas for the first time since the revolution. They briefly occupied San Antonio, but soon headed back to the Rio Grande.

1912
The Italians became the first to use dirigibles for military purposes. They used them for reconnaissance flights behind Turkish lines west of Tripoli.

1918
The Soviets moved the capital of Russia from Petrograd to Moscow.

1946
Winston Churchill delivered his "Iron Curtain Speech".

1998
NASA announced that an orbiting craft had found enough water on the moon to support a human colony and rocket fueling station.

1998
It was announced that Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins would lead crew of Columbia on a mission to launch a large X-ray telescope. She was the first woman to command a space shuttle mission.

2004
Martha Stewart was found guilty of lying about the reason for selling 3,298 shares of ImClone Systems stock, conspiracy, making false statement and obstruction of justice.





Silly Quote of The Day



"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
Lee Iacocca, Chairman of the Chrysler corporation.




Quick Fact of the Day



The female pigeon cannot lay eggs if she is alone. In order for her ovaries to function, she must be able to see another pigeon.




Quick Article of the Day




Ebola Vaccine Effective in Mice,
The Ebola virus, which causes severe hemorrhagic fever, has no cure and kills up to 90 percent of the people it infects. Though few people contract Ebola each year, and only around 1,200 people have died from it since it was first identified in 1976, there are concerns that it could be used by terrorists as a form of biological weapon. Existing vaccines against the virus degrade over time and therefore cannot be stockpiled for use in the event of such an attack. However, a new vaccine that does remain viable long-term has been developed and successfully conferred immunity to 80 percent of the mice tested.

 

[Supafly]

6th of May

1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam.

1836 – Texas Revolution: Battle of the Alamo – After a thirteen day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers, including frontiersman Davy Crockett and colonel Jim Bowie, defending the Alamo are killed and the fort is captured.

1899 – Bayer registers aspirin as a trademark.

1912 – the Oreo cookie is introduced by Nabisco

1946 – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union.

1964 – Nation of Islam's Elijah Muhammad officially gives boxing champion Cassius Clay the name Muhammad Ali.

1967 – Joseph Stalin's daughter Svetlana Alliluyeva defects to the United States.

Birthdays:

1459 – Jakob Fugger, German banker (d. 1525)

1475 – Michelangelo, Italian artist and sculptor (d. 1564)

1619 – Cyrano de Bergerac, French soldier, poet (d. 1655)

1787 – Joseph von Fraunhofer, German physicist (d. 1826)

1927 – Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian writer, Nobel Prize laureate

1947 – Kiki Dee, British singer

Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Ghana from the United Kingdom in 1957. (Ghana)

Quote of the Day:

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.

- Ingrid Bergman

 

[Supafly]

7. March

321 – Emperor Constantine I decrees that the dies Solis Invicti (sun-day) is the day of rest in the Empire.

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the telephone.

1900 – The German liner SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse becomes the first ship to send wireless signals to shore.

1912 – Roald Amundsen announces that his expedition had reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911.

1985 – The song "We Are the World" has its international release.



1989 – Iran and the United Kingdom break diplomatic relations after a row over Salman Rushdie and his controversial novel.

2007 – The British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected.

Birthdays:

1715 – Ewald Christian von Kleist, German poet (d. 1759)

1850 – Tomáš Masaryk, first President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1937)

1872 – Piet Mondriaan, Dutch painter (d. 1944)

1893 – Milton Avery, American artist (d. 1965)

1940 – Rudi Dutschke, German student leader (d. 1979)

1947 – Walter Röhrl, German race and rally car driver

1960 – Ivan Lendl, Czech tennis player

1982 – Kate Michael, American beauty queen

Teacher's Day (Albania)

Quote of the Day:

When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.

 

[Supafly]

8th of March

1722 – The Safavid Empire of Iran is defeated by an army from Afghanistan at The Battle of Gulnabad, pushing Iran into anarchy.

1775 – An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes "African Slavery in America", the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery

1817 – The New York Stock Exchange is founded.

1910 – French aviatrix Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license.

1911 – International Women's Day is launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany.

1936 – Daytona Beach Road Course holds its first oval stock car race.

1942 – World War II: The Dutch surrender to Japanese forces on Java.

1978 – The first radio episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams, is transmitted on BBC Radio 4.

1979 – Philips demonstrates the Compact Disc publicly for the first time.

Birthdays:

1702 – Anne Bonny, Irish-American pirate (d. 1782)

1879 – Otto Hahn, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1968)

1936 – Gábor Szabó, Hungarian guitarist (d. 1982)

1942 – Dick Allen, American baseball player

1946 – Randy Meisner, American musician (The Eagles)

1958 – Gary Numan, British singer

1964 – Cheryl James, American performer (Salt-n-Pepa)

1976 – Freddie Prinze Jr., American actor

1985 – Ewa Sonnet, Polish model and pop singer

International Women's Day or Mother's Day (primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc)

 

[Supafly]

11. March

1702 – The Daily Courant, England's first national daily newspaper is published for the first time.

1708 – Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation.

2009 – Winnenden school shooting: 16 are killed and 11 are injured before recent-graduate Tim Kretschmer shoots and kills himself, leading to tightened weapons restrictions in Germany.

2011 - Fukushima Disaster

Birthdays:

1819 – Henry Tate, sugar magnate of Tate & Lyle and founder of the Tate Gallery

1931 – Rupert Murdoch, Australian-born entrepreneur

1950 – Bobby McFerrin, American singer

1950 – Jerry Zucker, American director

1952 – Douglas Adams, English writer (d. 2001)

1955 – Nina Hagen, German singer and actress

1959 – Nina Hartley, American porn star, author and feminist

1971 – Johnny Knoxville, American actor and comedian

1988 – Katsuhiko Nakajima, Japanese professional wrestler

Reestablishment of Lithuania's Independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 (Lithuania)

Quote of the Day:

Whatever you are be a good one.

- Abraham Lincoln

 

[Supafly]

21. March

1556 – In Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.

1800 – With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché.

1804 – Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law.

1871 – Otto von Bismarck is appointed Chancellor of the German Empire.

1928 – Charles Lindbergh is presented with the Medal of Honor for the first solo trans-Atlantic flight.

1935 – Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran, which means 'Land of the Aryans.'

1946 – The Los Angeles Rams sign Kenny Washington, making him the first African American player in the American football since 1933.

1963 – Alcatraz, a federal penitentiary on an island in San Francisco Bay, closes.

1965 – Martin Luther King, Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

1980 – US President Jimmy Carter announces a United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan.

2006 – Twitter is created by Jack Dorsey in San Francisco, California.

Birthdays:

1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)

1806 – Benito Juárez, Mexican statesman (d. 1872)

1867 – Florenz Ziegfeld, American theater producer (d. 1932)

1922 – Russ Meyer, American film director and producer (d. 2004)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQr8CC0jiIU

1927 – Hans-Dietrich Genscher, German politician

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh9EwNurawE

1961 – Lothar Matthäus, German footballer

1962 – Rosie O'Donnell, American comedian and actress

1970 – Cenk Uygur, American radio talk show host

1978 – Kevin Federline, American dancer; ex-husband of Britney Spears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSfVvHyDY_w

World Puppetry Day (International)

Quote of the day :

Seventy percent of success in life is showing up.
- Woody Allen

 

[Supafly]

24. March

1603 – James VI of Scotland also becomes James I of England.

1707 – The Acts of Union 1707 is signed, officially uniting the Kingdoms of England and Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1832 – In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr..

1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.

1896 – A. S. Popov makes the first radio signal transmission in history.

1958 – Rock'N'Roll teen idol Elvis Presley is drafted in the U.S. Army.

1972 – The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland.

1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of petroleum after running aground.

1993 – Discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.

Birthdays

1820 – A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891)

1926 – Dario Fo, Italian writer, Nobel laureate

1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)

1949 – Nick Lowe, British musician

1951 – Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer

1960 – Kelly LeBrock, American actress

1969 – Houston, American pornographic actress

1970 – Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress

World Tuberculosis Day (International)

Quote of the Day

I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.

- Bill Cosby

 

[Supafly]

26. March

1830 – The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, New York.

1917 – World War I: First Battle of Gaza – British troops are halted after 17,000 Turks block their advance.

1976 – Queen Elizabeth II sends the first royal email, from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment.

1979 – Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C..

1999 – The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world.

 

[Supafly]

27. March

1309 – Pope Clement V excommunicates Venice and all its population.

1625 – Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland as well as claiming the title King of France.

1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.

1851 – First reported sighting of the Yosemite Valley by Europeans.

1871 – The first international rugby football match, England v. Scotland, is played in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place.

1886 – Famous Apache warrior, Geronimo, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars.

1915 – Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in quarantine, where she would remain for the rest of her life.

1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union.

1977 – Tenerife airport disaster: Two Boeing 747 airliners collide on a foggy runway on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 (all 248 on KLM and 335 on Pan Am). 61 survived on the Pan Am flight. This is the worst aviation accident in history.

Birthdays

1845 – Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1923)

1942 – Michael Jackson, English writer (d. 2007)

1950 – Tony Banks, English musician (Genesis)

1963 – Quentin Tarantino, American director, writer, and producer

1970 – Mariah Carey, American pop singer-songwriter and actress

1971 – David Coulthard, Scottish Formula One driver

1975 – Fergie, American pop singer (The Black Eyed Peas)

Armed Forces Day or Tatmadaw nei (Burma)

World Theatre Day (International)

Quote of the Day:

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)

(Another good reason to love bacon)

 

[Supafly]

31. March

1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.

1492 – Queen Isabella of Castille issues the Alhambra decree, ordering her 150,000 Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.

1889 – The Eiffel Tower is officially opened.

1909 – Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

1909 – Construction of the ill fated RMS Titanic begins.

1917 – The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands.

1930 – The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty eight years.

1945 – World War II: a defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands.

1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum.

1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon.

1985 – The first WrestleMania, the biggest wrestling event from the WWE (then the WWF), takes place in Madison Square Garden in New York.

Birthdays:

1685 – Johann Sebastian Bach, German composer (d. 1750)

1732 – Joseph Haydn, Austrian composer (d. 1809)

1809 – Otto Lindblad, Swedish composer (d. 1864)

1913 – Etta Baker, American guitarist and singer (d. 2006)

1933 – Anita Carter, American singer (Carter Family and The Carter Sisters) (d. 1999)

1934 – Shirley Jones, American singer and actress (The Partridge Family)

1935 – Herb Alpert, American trumpeter and band leader

1937 – Willem Duyn, Dutch musician (Mouth & MacNeal) (d. 2004)

1938 – Arthur B. Rubinstein, American composer

1944 – Mick Ralphs, English guitarist (Mott the Hoople and Bad Company)

1955 – Angus Young, Scottish-Australian guitarist (AC/DC and Marcus Hook Roll Band)

1978 – Tony Yayo, American rapper (G-Unit)

César Chávez Day (United States of America)

Quote of the Day

Everyday is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.

 

[Supafly]

8. March

1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in New York City, is dedicated.

1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos.

1893 – The first recorded college basketball game occurs in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.

1904 – British mystic Aleister Crowley transcribes the first chapter of The Book of the Law.

2005 – Over four million people attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Birthdays

1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American musician (Guns N' Roses and Hollywood Rose)

1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer songwriter, actor, and photographer

International Day of the Roma

-- When Rose Marks and her extended family of Romanian-Gypsy "psychics" were indicted last year for a 20-year-run of duping South Floridians out of as much as $40 million, victims of the clan were elated that justice might be at hand. (A typical scam, according to prosecutors, was to take a client's cash, "to pray over it," promising its return but somehow figuring out how to keep it.) However, in December, the Markses' attorneys reported that "several" of the so-called victims had begun to work with them to help clear the family, including one who reportedly paid Rose over time $150,000. According to the lawyers, these "victims" call the Markses "friends," "life coaches" and "confidants," rather than swindlers. [Miami Herald, 12-26-2011; 2-20-2012]