Word of the Day for Saturday, December 15, 2007

draconian \dray-KOHN-ee-uhn; druh-\, adjective:

1. Pertaining to Draco, a lawgiver of Athens, 621 B.C.
2. Excessively harsh; severe.

Urban Word of the Day
www.urbandictionary.com

December 15, 2007: voluntold
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=voluntold&defid=1658457

• voluntold: The exact opposite of volunteering. Always used in reference to an unpleasant task to which you have been assigned by your boss.

Example 1:

Co-worker 1: I hear you got a transfer.
Co-worker 2: Yeah. I didn't want to, but I was voluntold.

Example 2:

Co-worker 1: You want to go fishing Saturday???
Co-worker 2: I can't, I got voluntold I have to work this weekend

Today in History

• Bill of Rights: freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly and more became law when the states ratified Amendments I-X of the US Constitution (1791)
• Gone With the Wind: Civil War-era epic film premiered in Atlanta, sweeping audiences with its tale of Scarlett, Rhett and love in the South; the film won 10 Academy Awards (1939)
• Adolf Eichmann: an Israeli court sentenced to death the head of the Gestapo's Jewish section for organizing the deportation of Jews to concentration camps; the former Nazi official zealously supported the use of gas chambers to exterminate the Jews in World War II (1961)
• Romania: popular uprising began, leading to the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu (1989)

Today's Birthdays

• Nero (37-68): emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned"
• Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923): designer of the eponymous tower in Paris; he was committed to close site supervision and personal involvement in his projects
• Dr. Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof (1859-1917): the father of Esperanto, an internationally-spoken constructed language; the multilingual opthalmologist hoped to foster understanding among ethnic groups who spoke different languages
• Adam Brody (28): Seth on The O.C.
• Thomas Herrion (1981-2005): San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman who collapsed and died after a preseason game in 2005; his death was never explained