Wednesday, June 17, 2009

gravid \GRAV-id\, adjective:

• Being with child; heavy with young or eggs; pregnant.

Gravid derives from Latin gravidus, from gravis, "heavy."
elevator circles

• Walking awkwardly around a large elevator lobby after you press the button, because you don't know which elevator door to stand by.

At work yesterday, my boss walked by while I was doing my elevator circles, and now he thinks I'm crazy.

Trivia

How much did a ticket for a first-class parlor suite on the doomed RMS Titanic cost? Remember, the year was 1912.

• $4,350.

Today in History:

• California: was claimed by Sir Francis Drake for England; he called it Nova Albion (1579)
• Taj Mahal: Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, died; her death inspired her husband to build a white domed mausoleum masterpiece (1631)
• Battle of Bunker Hill: first great battle of the Revolutionary War began (1775)
• Statue of Liberty: gift from France arrived in New York (1885)

Today's Birthdays:

• John Robert Gregg (1867-1948): invntr/ shrt-hnd
• Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): composer of The Rite of Spring; composers Charles Gounod (1818-1893) and Sammy Fain (1902-1989) shared this birth date
• M. C. Escher (1898-1972): graphic artist with the brain-teasing prints
• Barry Manilow (66): singer of "Copacabana"
• Greg Kinnear (46): starred in Little Miss Sunshine and Baby Mama; other actors born on this date include Joe Piscopo (58), Mark Linn-Baker (55), Thomas Haden Church (48) and Jason Patric (43)
• Venus Williams (29): Olympic tennis champion; also, speed-skating champ Dan Jansen (44)