Word of the Day for Thursday, August 28, 2008

chthonic \THONE-ik\, adjective:

• Dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld

Chthonic comes from khthón, the Greek word for earth.
mis-wave

• To return a wave to someone you think is waving at you, but is actually waving to the person behind you. Usually results in embarrassment and introversion.

Damn...I thought that girl was waving at me :(
HHAHAHAHA MIS-WAVE!!!!!!
Trivia

How much did it cost the Bulova Watch Company to buy airtime for the first televised ad in 1941?

• $9—for a 20-second spot on local TV in New York City. The ad consisted of a picture of a clock and a map of the U.S., with an unseen announcer proclaiming “America runs on Bulova time.”

Today in History

• Scientific American: pop-science magazine began publication (1845)
• Peace Palace: the home of the International Court of Justice and other institutions was inaugurated in the Hague (1913)
• filibuster: the longest solo one — 24 hours, 18 minutes — began on this day by Sen. Strom Thurmond in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (1957)

Today's Birthdays

• Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821): America's first native-born saint
• Lou Piniella (65): Chicago Cubs manager
• Rita Dove (56): first African-American US poet laureate
• Scott Hamilton (50): Olympic gold-medalist in figure skating
• Jack Black (39): actor/musician, School of Rock, Tropic Thunder; also, actors Charles Boyer (1899-1978), Ben Gazzara (78), Ken Jenkins (68), David Soul (65), Daniel Stern (51), Emma Samms (48), Billy Boyd (40), Jason Priestley (39) and Carly Pope (28)
• Shania Twain (43): country music singer and MILF; LeAnn Rimes (26) is another singer of country music born on this date