Sunday, April 12, 2009

pulchritude \PUL-kruh-tood; -tyood\, noun:

• That quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness.

Pulchritude comes from Latin pulchritudo, from pulcher, "beautiful." The adjective form is pulchritudinous.

niteflix

• Dreams so complex in plot and rich in production value that they seem like feature length films.

Wow! I had niteflix last night. The only thing missing were the end credits.
I wonder if Steven Spielberg has niteflix.
Trivia
What city was home to the first Easter parade in the United States?

• Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1860, when Easter celebrants began the annual tradition of strolling along the boardwalk in their holiday finery after church services.

Today in History:

• Galileo: Italian scientist's heresy trial began during the Inquisition (1633)
• US Civil War: started when Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter (1861)
• Bill Haley and His Comets recorded "Rock Around the Clock" (1954)
• Yuri Gagarin: cosmonaut became the first human in space, orbiting Earth in 89 minutes aboard the Vostok I (1961)

Today's Holiday:

• Easter (Western Church)

Today's Birthdays:

• Henry Clay (1777-1852): US Speaker of the House, statesman, "The Great Compromiser"
• Lily Pons (1898-1976): coloratura soprano; diva Montserrat Caballé (76) also has a birthday today
• Herbie Hancock (69): jazz musician who wrote the score for 'Round Midnight
• David Letterman (62): late-night talk show host
• Scott Turow (60): author of legal thrillers, Presumed Innocent; techno-thriller novelist Tom Clancy (62) shares this birth date
• Andy Garcia (53): actor, Ocean's Eleven, The Air I Breathe; also, actors Ed O'Neill (63), Dan Lauria (62), Nicholas Brendon and Shannen Doherty (both 37) and Claire Danes and Jennifer Morrison (both 29)
• Guy Berryman (31): bassist for Coldplay; other singers born today include David Cassidy (59), Vince Gill (52) and Amy Ray (45)