Wednesday, July 29, 2009

apocryphal \uh-POK-ruh-fuhl\, adjective:

1. (Bible) Pertaining to the Apocrypha.
2. Not canonical. Hence: Of doubtful authority or authenticity; equivocal; fictitious; spurious; false.

Apocryphal ultimately derives from Greek apokruphos, "hidden (hence, spurious)," from apokruptein, "to hide away," from apo-, "away, from" + kruptein, "to hide."

Beer summit

• The meeting of President Obama and any parties for which an injustice has occurred. This meeting must take place in the White House and be broadcast throughout the media.

Professor Gates and James Crowley invited to the White House for a beer summit to make amends for the misunderstanding.

Trivia
What was the first federal building erected for public use in the United States?

• The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. That city was serving as the U.S. capital in 1792 when Congress passed the Coinage Act, authorizing the building’s construction.

Today in History:

• Spanish Armada: was defeated by the English, led by Sir Francis Drake (1588)
• Lady Di: married Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral in London (1981)
• switch hitter: Red Sox batter Bill Mueller became the first Major League Baseball player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game (2003)

Today's Birthdays:

• Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859): French politician who wrote Democracy in America
• Booth Tarkington (1869-1946): Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Magnificent Ambersons
• Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961): UN secretary general and Nobel Peace Prize winner
• Peter Jennings (1938-2005): anchor, World News Tonight
• Ken Burns (56): documentary filmmaker, The Civil War, The War
• Tim Gunn (56): fashion consultant and TV personality, Project Runway
• Martina McBride (43): country singer; musicians Patti Scialfa and Geddy Lee (both 56), Wanya Morris (36) and Danger Mouse (32) share this birth date