Saturday, May 16, 2009

stolid \STOL-id\, adjective:

• Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily excited.

Stolid derives from Latin stolidus, "unmoving, stupid."
agree to disagree

• Used when one wants to reject the objective reality of the situation and hopefully replace it with their own.

"Do you have any chocolate milk?"
"No."
"Agree to disagree."
Trivia
For what writing achievement was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle knighted?

• Doyle, the man who gave us Sherlock Holmes, was knighted for writing a pamphlet in 1902 in defense of British actions in the Boer War, including the establishment of “concentration camps,” which he contended were really refugee camps. The pamphlet was titled “The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct.”

Today in History:

• Marie Antoinette: married Louis XVI of France when they were 14 and 15 years of age, respectively (1770)
• Edgar Allan Poe: writer of the macabre wed his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia (1836)
• shield nickel: US Congress voted to replace the half dime with a new nickel (1866)
• Annie Get Your Gun: Irving Berlin musical opened on Broadway, starring Ethel Merman (1946)

Today's Birthdays:

• Studs Terkel (1912-2008): historian, author of The Good War
• Pierce Brosnan (56): actor and social activist, 4-time James Bond, Mama Mia!; also, actors Henry Fonda (1905-1982), George Gaynes (92), Harry Carey, Jr. (88), Debra Winger (54), Mare Winningham (50), David Boreanaz and Tracey Gold (both 40), Tori Spelling (36) and Melanie Lynskey (32)
• Janet Jackson (43): rock singer; musicians Woody Herman (1913-1987), Liberace (1919-1987), Betty Carter (1930-1998) and Billy Cobham (65) share this birth date
• Olga Korbut (54): Olympic gold-medal winner in gymnastics; other athletes born on this date include Billy Martin (1928-1989) and Gabriela Sabatini (39)