Interrogatories
Do you still experience The Wizard of Oz as you did when a child, or can you now see the painted backdrops and other dated details?
Did you go to camp as a kid? What was the experience like?
How often do you use snail mail? Do you still write checks?
What's your vision like? If good, is it genetics or surgery?
Even good spellers have mental blocks on some words. Is there any word that you have to check twice before writing it?
The Twitter Emitter
On This Day
In 1248, the foundation stone was laid for Cologne Cathedral, but the entire cathedral was not completed until 1880. Not a crummy contractor. Construction stopped in 1473, and a very old crane remained atop one of the incomplete towers until it was finally completed to the original plans. There are photographs showing how it looked in the mid-1800s. I think it looks much better now.
In 1843, the Tivoli Gardens amusement park (which still exists today) opened in Copenhagen.
In 1914, the living quarters of Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin complex, Taliesin, were burned to the ground by a mentally disturbed servant, who murdered most of the home's occupants with an axe before setting it ablaze.
In 1914, the Panama Canal opened to ship passage. The first ship to go through was a cargo ship called SS Ancon.
In 1939, The Wizard of Oz premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theater.
In 1947, India finally gained independence from British rule.
In 1965, the Beatles played Shea Stadium.
In 1969, day one of Woodstock began. Richie Havens, Sweetwater, Bert Sommer, Tim Hardin, Ravi Shankar, Melanie, Arlo Guthrie, and Joan Baez performed.
In 1995, Shannon Faulkner became the first woman cadet to enter The Citadel, after a successful lawsuit. Sadly, she only lasted a week due to harassment from the male cadets, who loudly celebrated her departure. As of last year, 21% of the student body was female, but 70 percent said they had experienced sexual harassment and 19% said they were sexually assaulted.
In 2001, astronomers found two planets orbiting a star in the Big Dipper - the first known solar system outside of our own.
In 2012, a bid to stop Pennsylvania's new voter ID law failed when Judge Robert E. Simpson ruled that the plaintiffs had failed to prove that any voters were being disenfranchised.
Born on This Day
1195 – Anthony of Padua, Portuguese priest and saint (d. 1231)
1702 – Francesco Zuccarelli, Italian landscape painter (d. 1788)
![Panhandlers are everywhere these days. photo FrancescoZuccarelli.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/FrancescoZuccarelli.jpg)
1717 – Blind Jack, English road builder (d. 1810)
1769 – Napoleon, Corsican-French military officer and political leader (d. 1821)
1771 – Walter Scott, Scottish novelist and poet (d. 1832)
1785 – Thomas De Quincey, English author (d. 1859)
1803 – Eugène Flandin, French artist whose architectural and archeological drawings are more prized than his paintings (d. 1876)
![A 19th Century Istanbul wallpaper wannabe pic photo EugegraveneFlandin.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/EugegraveneFlandin.jpg)
1828 – Frank Buchser, Swiss painter (d. 1890)
![This appears to be a net loss. photo FrankBuchser.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/FrankBuchser.jpg)
1838 – Franz Richard Unterberger, German painter (d. 1902)
![The Last of the Big Spindlers photo FranzRichardUnterberger.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/FranzRichardUnterberger.jpg)
1845 – Walter Crane, English painter and illustrator (d. 1915)
![So tell me, my dear, what makes you say that all men are pigs? photo WalterCrane.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/WalterCrane.jpg)
1854 – L. A. Ring, Danish painter (d. 1933)
1858 – E. Nesbit, English author (d. 1924)
1860 – Henrietta Vinton Davis, African-American actress and playwright (d. 1941)
1860 – Florence Harding, American publisher, 31st First Lady of the United States (d. 1924)
1862 – Adam Emory Albright, U.S. painter (d. 1957)
1875 – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, English composer (d. 1912)
1879 – Ethel Barrymore, American actress (d. 1959)
1885 – Edna Ferber, American novelist (d. 1968)
1896 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (d. 1958) See Tipple Jar
1896 – Léon Theremin, Russian inventor, invented the Theremin (d. 1993)
1900 – Estelle Brody, American actress (d. 1995)
1907 – Willy Maywald, fashion photographer (d. 1985)
1910 – Signe Hasso, Swedish actress (d. 2002)
1912 – Julia Child, American chef and author (d. 2004)
1912 – Wendy Hiller, English actress (d. 2003)
1914 – Paul Rand, American graphic designer (d. 1996), not to be confused with Rand Paul.
1919 – Huntz Hall, American actor (d. 1999)
1925 – Mike Connors, American actor
1925 – Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist and composer (d. 2007)
1925 – Bill Pinkney, American singer (The Drifters) (d. 2007)
1928 – Nicolas Roeg, English director and cinematographer
1934 – Bobby Byrd, American singer-songwriter and producer (The Famous Flames) (d. 2007)
1938 – Maxine Waters, Democratic CA Congresswoman
1950 – Anne, Princess Royal, English daughter of Elizabeth II
1954 – Stieg Larsson, Swedish writer (d. 2004)
1964 – Melinda Gates, American businesswoman and philanthropist, co-founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
1969 – Bernard Fanning, Australian singer-songwriter (Powderfinger)
1972 – Ben Affleck, American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer
1989 – Joe Jonas, American singer-songwriter and actor (Jonas Brothers) (Once known as my future nephew-in-law, but fortunately my niece has moved on, so I guess now he's my ex-future nephew-in-law?.)
1990 – Jennifer Lawrence, American actress
Died on This Day
1057 – Macbeth, King of Scotland
1369 – Philippa of Hainault (b. 1314)
1643 – Cornelis-Jacobsz Delff, Dutch painter (b. 1571)
![This is not what she meant when she asked for some help in the kitchen. photo Cornelis-JacobszDelff.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/Cornelis-JacobszDelff.jpg)
1880 – Adelaide Neilson, English actress (b. 1848)
1909 – Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema, English painter (b. 1852)
![Since she saw that Pre-Raphaelite exhibit at the museum, Evelyn has has an Ophelia obsession. photo LauraTheresaAlma-Tadema.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/LauraTheresaAlma-Tadema.jpg)
1925 – Konrad Mägi, Estonian painter (b. 1878)
![Marie feels that redheads are way underrepresented in the art world. photo KonradMaumlgi.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/KonradMaumlgi.jpg)
1935 – Wiley Post, American pilot (b. 1898)
1935 – Will Rogers, American humorist and actor (b. 1879)
1935 – Paul Signac, French painter (b. 1863)
![Paul painted a perfectly pretty pointillist picture. photo PaulSignac.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/PaulSignac.jpg)
1964 – Dr. Atl, (real name Gerardo Murillo), Mexican landscape painter (b. 1875)
![He'd monitor your volcanoes for free. photo DrAtl.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/DrAtl.jpg)
1967 – René Magritte, Belgian painter (b. 1898)
![It was love at first sight. photo ReneMagritte.jpg](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i311/paulath/Anchor%20Pics%207/ReneMagritte.jpg)
1971 – Paul Lukas, Hungarian actor (b. 1887)
2008 – Jerry Wexler, American music producer and journalist (b. 1917)
2009 – Virginia Davis, American actor (b. 1918)
Today is
Independence Day (India)
Best Friend's Day
National Relaxation Day
National Lemon Meringue Pie Day
National Failures Day