Sunday, April 4, 2010

manumit \man-yuh-MIT\, transitive verb:

• To free from slavery or servitude.

Manumit comes from Latin manumittere, "to emancipate a slave," from manu mittere, "to release from control," from manus, "hand" (hence "power of control") + mittere, "to let go; to send." The noun form is manumission
zombie jesus

• An exclamation of surpise or shock originating on Matt Groening's 'Futurama' animated TV show as a futuristic equivalent of the modern usage of 'Jesus Christ' as an exclamation. Usually preceded by the words 'sweet' or 'holy'.

"Sweet zombie Jesus!"
Trivia
Where in the U.S. was the Easter Bunny first introduced?

• In Pennsylvania—in what is now known as Pennsylvania Dutch country—by 18th-century German settlers who brought the folklore about Oschter Haws, the Easter Rabbit, with them from their homeland.

Today's Holiday:

• Easter - Easter marks the Resurrection of Jesus three days after his Crucifixion. Sandwiched between the 40 preparatory days of Lenten penitence and the seven weeks of Eastertide, it is the most important and most joyous holiday on the Christian calendar.

History

• William Henry Harrison: went on record as the US president with the shortest tenure, dying one month after inauguration (1841)
• NATO: was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty by 12 Western nations (1949)
• The Beatles: held all of the top 5 places on the Billboard Hot 100 (1964)
• Martin Luther King, Jr.: was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was supporting striking sanitation workers (1968)
• World Trade Center: a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the opening of the Twin Towers (1973)
• Microsoft: software behemoth was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico (1975)

Birthdays

• Ava Fabian (48): Playmate 08/1986, model, actress
• Edward Hicks (1780-1849): naive-style painter
• Muddy Waters (1915-1983): blues musician influential in developing the Chicago blues
• David E. Kelley (54): Emmy-winning TV producer of Ally McBeal, Chicago Hope, Boston Legal; plus, playwrights Robert Sherwood (1896-1955) and Marguerite Duras (1914-1996)
• Robert Downey, Jr. (45): actor, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder; other actors born on this date include Anthony Perkins (1932-1992), Craig T. Nelson (66), Christine Lahti (60), Lorraine Toussaint and Hugo Weaving (both 50), Barry Pepper (40), James Roday (34), Heath Ledger (1979-2008), Amanda Righetti (27) and Jamie Lynn Spears (19)
• David Blaine (37): street magician and illusionist