Word of the Day for Saturday March 29, 2008

excrescence \ik-SKRESS-uhn(t)s\, noun:

1. Something (especially something abnormal) growing out from something else.
2. A disfiguring or unwanted mark, part, or addition.

Urban Word of the Day: acoustic shave
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=acoustic+shave&defid=791194

• the act of shaving with razor; not an electric shave

"Hey man, do you use Norelco?"
"No way, I shave acoustic!"

Trivia
In what city would you find the largest clock face in Europe?

• Zurich, Switzerland. It’s on the 13th-century tower of St. Peter’s Church. The clock face is 28 ½ feet in diameter; its minute hand is almost 12 feet long.

Today in History

• Niagara Falls: ceased falling due to an ice jam upstream (1848)
• Royal Albert Hall: was opened by Queen Victoria, dedicated to her husband and consort, Prince Albert (1871)
• The Greatest Show on Earth: the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey combined forces to form the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (1919)
• Vietnam War: the last US soldiers left South Vietnam (1973)

Today's Birthdays

• John Tyler (1790-1862): US president who had 15 children, more than any other president; former British PMs Edward Stanley (1799-1869) and John Major (65) were also born on this date
• Sam Walton (1918-1992): entrepreneur who became one of the world's richest men
• Elle Macpherson (44): Sports Illustrated super model and sometimes actor
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• Lucy Lawless (40): actor, Xena: Warrior Princess; other actors born on this date include Marina Sirtis (49) and Amy Sedaris (47)
• Jennifer Capriati (32): Olympic gold medalist in tennis; athletes Cy Young (1867-1955) and Walt Frazier (63) were also born on this date