Interrogatories
It's National Potato Month. Potatoes have probably killed as many diets as cheese has, if not more. Since it's summer, tell the rest of the class what ingredients make up your favorite potato salad?
It's also National Beheading Day (nobody knows where this one came from). I know none of you have ever actually beheaded any living creature (well, I HOPE), but how about plush toys and Barbies and the like?
Preference: Carpet, hardwood, tile, or something else?
What kind of laundry person are you? Do you separate colors, use different temperatures, etc.? How strict are you about it? Do you do the detergent/bleach/fabric softener/etc. or are you a detergent only kind of person? Do you use green detergents?
The Twitter Emitter
On This Day
In 1666, the Great Fire of London started in a bakery (believed now to have been started when flour combusted). The fire raged for 3 days, and destroyed most of that part of medieval London that was inside the old London Wall.
In 1789, an Act of Congress created the U.S. Treasury Department.
In 1901, President Teddy Roosevelt made an appearance at the Minnesota State Fair, at which time he uttered that famous line about speaking softly and carrying a big stick.
In 1963, CBS Evening News expanded from a 15 minute format to an entire half an hour! And they still reported more actual news than gets reported now on the 24 hours news channels.
In 1963, then-Alabama Governor George Wallace called out the National Guard to prevent the integration of Tuskegee High School.
In 1965, the Rolling Stones, Cathy Magowan, and Andrew Loog Oldham parodied "I Got You Babe" on the show Ready Steady Go.
In 1969, a dark day for Geekdom, NBC canceled Star Trek.
Born on This Day
1711 - Noël Hallé, French painter (d. 1781)
1722 - Vigilius Eriksen, Danish painter (d. 1782)
1820 – Lucretia Hale, American journalist and author (d. 1900)
1836 - Josef Anton Braith, German livestock painter (d. 1905)
1838 – Liliuokalani of Hawaii (d. 1917)
1839 – Henry George, American economist (d. 1897)
1850 – Albert Spalding, American baseball player, manager, and co-founder of the Spalding Sporting Goods Company (d. 1915)
1852 - Franz von Persoglia, Austrian painter (d. 1912)
1889 - Isaac Grünewald, Swedish-Jewish Expressionist painter (d. 1946)
1911 – Romare Bearden, American painter and writer of the Harlem Renaissance era (d. 1988)
1917 – Cleveland Amory, American author (d. 1997)
1928 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer
1929 – Hal Ashby, American director (d. 1988)
1934 – Sam Gooden, American singer (The Impressions)
1943 – Rosalind Ashford, American singer (Martha and the Vandellas)
1946 – Walt Simonson, American illustrator and writer
1946 – Dan White, American politician, assassin of George Moscone and Harvey Milk (d. 1985)
1946 – Joe Yamanaka, Japanese singer and actor (Flower Travellin' Band and The Wailers Band) (d. 2011)
1947 – Richard Coughlan, English drummer (Caravan and The Wilde Flowers)
1948 – Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (d. 1986)
1951 – Jim DeMint(ed), American ex-politician and "think" tank director.
1952 – Jimmy Connors, American tennis player
1964 – Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor
1966 – Dino Cazares, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Fear Factory, Asesino, and Divine Heresy)
1966 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress, director, and producer
1976 – Phil Lipscomb, American bass player (Taproot)
1987 – Spencer Smith, American drummer (Panic! at the Disco)
Died on This Day
1566 - Taddeo Zuccaro, Italian painter (b. 1529)
1606 - Karel van Mander, Dutch Mannerist painter, more famous for his biography of famous painters than his art (b. 1548) (See Tipple Jar)
1652 - Jusepe de Ribera aka “Lo Spagnoletto,” Spanish painter (b. 1591)
1764 – Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer (b. 1700)
1832 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Austrian astronomer (b. 1754)
1834 – Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer and architect, designed the Menai Suspension Bridge (b. 1757)
1865 - Calixte Serrur, French painter (b. 1794)
1910 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (b. 1844)
1919 – Georges Jules Victor Clairin, French painter (b. 1843)
1934 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (b. 1908)
1944 – Bella Rosenfeld, Russian-American model and author (b. 1895)
1948 – Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and spy (b. 1883)
1964 – Alvin York, American soldier (b. 1887)
1973 – J. R. R. Tolkien, English philologist, writer, and poet (b. 1892)
1997 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905)
2001 – Troy Donahue, American actor (b. 1936)
2005 – Bob Denver, American actor (b. 1935)
Today is
National Blueberry Popsicle Day (will there be a day for each flavor?)
National Beheading Day (?)
National “Grits for Breakfast” Day
Labor Day
V-J Day
This Month is
Baby Safety Month
Better Breakfast Month
Classical Music Month
Hispanic Heritage Month
National Biscuit Month
National Chicken Month
National Cholesterol Education Month
National Courtesy Month
National Honey Month
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Papaya Month
National Piano Month
National Potato Month
National Rice Month
Whole Grains Month