Wednesday, July 8, 2009

apogee \AP-uh-jee\, noun:

1. The point in the orbit of the moon or of an artificial satellite that is at the greatest distance from the center of the earth.
2. The farthest or highest point; culmination.

Apogee is derived from Greek apogaion, from apogaios, "situated (far) away from the earth," from apo-, "away from" + gaia, "earth."

Sarah Palin Effect

• The principal that expertise on a certain subject can be gained through geographical proximity to it

Gov. of Alaska, Sarah Palin, is a proclaimed expert on foreign affairs with Russia due to Alaska`s proximity to Russia and can thus be called the "Sarah Palin Effect"

Trivia
Where did the ill-fated general George Armstrong Custer rank in his class at West Point?

• Last—he was 34th in the academy’s 1861 class of 34.

Today in History:

• Liberty Bell: was rung to call Philadelphia citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence (1776)
• Oklahoma!: the Broadway musical's soundtrack became the first album to go gold (indicating one million sales), as certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (1958)

Today's Birthdays:

• Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695): poet and fabulist
• Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908-1979): governor of NY and vice president under Gerald Ford; his grandfather, industrialist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) shared his birth date
• Anna Quindlen (57): journalist and author, One True Thing
• Kevin Bacon (51): actor, The Woodsman, Frost/Nixon; also, actors Jeffrey Tambor (65), Anjelica Huston (58), Billy Crudup and Michael Weatherly (both 41), Kim Darby (62), Milo Ventimiglia (32), Sophia Bush (27) and Jake McDorman (23)
• Andy Fletcher (48): rocker, co-founder of Depeche Mode; musicians Jerry Vale (77), Steve Lawrence (74), Raffi (61), Toby Keith (48) and Beck (39)