Monday, October 3, 2011

The word of the day

Eponym: (noun) a word derived from someone's name

(I saw this very funny video. Sorry, I like words.)



I don't have to worry about ever being objectified; I'm lucky to even be read by my loved ones.


October 3, 1906 -
SOS adopted as warning signal by first conference on wireless telegraphy.



Did those guys anticipate ABBA?


October 3, 1941 -
John Huston's first directorial effort, The Maltese Falcon, premiered in NYC on this date.



The "Maltese Falcon" itself is said to have been inspired by the "Kniphausen Hawk," a ceremonial pouring vessel made in 1697 for George William von Kniphausen, Count of the Holy Roman Empire. It is modeled after a hawk perched on a rock and is encrusted with red garnets, amethysts, emeralds and blue sapphires. The vessel is currently owned by the Duke of Devonshire and is part of the Chatsworth collection.


October 3, 1953 -
The final installment of the Looney Tunes "Hunting Trilogy", Duck! Rabbit, Duck!, premiered on this date.



Shoot me again! I enjoy it! I love the smell of burnt feathers, and gunpowder, and cordite!


October 3, 1955 -
Considered one of his 5 'lost films' (held up for years from re-release), Alfred Hitchcock's, The Trouble with Harry, premiered on this date. This was Shirley MacLaine's film debut.



Location filming in Vermont was hampered by heavy rainfall. Many exterior scenes were actually filmed on sets constructed in a local high school gymnasium. Much of the dialogue recorded there was inaudible due to the rainfall on the tin roof, so much post-recording was necessary.


Today in History:
October 3, 1283 -
Dafydd ap Gruffudd was having a bad day. Besides having an unpronounceable name, he had gotten on the wrong side of King Edward I of England, for wanting to gain Welsh independence. On 30 September Dafydd ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales, was condemned to death, the first person known to have been tried and executed for what from this time onwards would be described as high treason against the King. Edward ensured that Dafydd's death was to be slow and agonizing, and also historic; he became the first person in recorded history to have been hanged, drawn and quartered.

Dafydd was dragged through the streets of Shrewsbury at a horse's tail then hanged alive, revived, then disemboweled and his entrails burned before him for 'his sacrilege in committing his crimes in the week of Christ's passion,' and then his body cut into four quarters 'for plotting the king's death'.

Apparently, Edward was quite pissed off.


October 3, 1678 -
The greatest build out was finally completed on this day in history - the Taj Mahal.



Imagine what the contractor got to hide in his final bill with 20,000 laborers, master builders, masons, calligraphers, etc., working 22 years for the grieving Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to complete the great mausoleum for the shah's beloved wife.


October 3, 1728 -



Charles G Chevalier d'Eon de Beaumon
t, French duelist, diplomat, spy, soldier, Freemason and transvestite, was born on this date.













His/ her story is far to complicated to synopsize here, read about the Chevalier for yourself.







October 3, 1863 -
Sarah J. Hale, editor and founder of the Ladies' Magazine, continually annoyed President Lincoln until he declared the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day on this date.

George Washington had previous declared a Day of Thanksgiving on November 26 on this date.

But we'll talk more about Thanksgiving in November.


October 3, 1899 -
Lonely bachelors and housewives everywhere rejoiced,

J S Thurman patented the motor-driven vacuum cleaner on this date.


October 3, 1922 - Rebecca L. Felton became the first female senator in the US when she is appointed to the US Senate by Governor Thomas Hardwick of Georgia, on this date.

The appointment takes place when Congress had already adjourned, so Felton has no opportunity to serve. When the new session starts, Senator-elect Walter George, who is to replace her, will galantly agree to claim his seat a day late, to allow the eighty-seven years old Felton to actualy serve one day. Her tenure was the shortest for any Senator in history. She was also the last former slaveowner to serve in the U.S. Senate.


October 3, 1955 -
Hey kids, remember Captain Kangaroo. Well, his show premiered on this date.



Captain Kangaroo is the longest running children's series on US commercial television.


October 3, 1955 -
If today wasn't special enough, The Mickey Mouse Club also premiered on this date.



And just think of all the special people this program has brought the world.




October 3, 1960 -
Let grab down our fishin' poles and head down to the fishin' hole. The Andy Griffith Show premiered on this date.



During the opening credits as Andy and Opie walk down the path, Opie picks up a rock and throws it off camera right as Andy nods in a very distinct manner, before they start walking again. Years later, Andy Griffith watched this and realized he was unintentionally imitating a certain nod that his father would give him to show approval.


October 3, 1961 -
The Dick Van Dyke Show premiered on this date. The show wasn't an immediate success but became a hit.



A small controversy occurred because of Mary Tyler Moore wearing Capri pants on the show. Up until the show's premiere most housewives were seen in dresses, but Moore's explanation was that most of the housewives she knew wore pants. Because of Moore, Capri pants became a huge fashion craze in the early 1960s.


On October 3, 1990, East and West Germany were officially reunited. The reunification of this once great nation was recognized as a clear sign that the Cold War was coming to an end, and was therefore celebrated not only in Germany, but throughout the world



- excepting certain corridors of France, Poland, and the Czech Republic, where the exuberance was strangely muted.


On October 3, 1992, Sinead O'Connor was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. At the end of her a capella performance of the Bob Marley song War, Sinead produced a copy of a photograph of Pope John Paul II, which she ripped into pieces.



I wonder if she still is looking for love in all the wrong internet places.

I'm joking here, but Sinead was dead right about her protest.



And so it goes.

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