Friday, February 18, 2011

libation \ly-BAY-shun\, noun:

1. The act of pouring a liquid (usually wine) either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice to some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out.

2. A beverage, especially an alcoholic beverage.

3. An act or instance of drinking.

Libation is from Latin libatio, from libare, "to take a little from anything, to taste, to pour out as an offering."

Unbrella

• An umbrella turned inside out by forceful wind.

It won't keep you dry but if you want to, you can stand under my unbrella-ella-ella.

Trivia

When it comes to eating, what would you be served if you ordered spitchcock?

• An eel that’s been split and grilled, fried, or broiled.

History

• Jefferson Davis: became head of the Confederate States of America (1861)
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Mark Twain's most popular novel — controversial for its colorful language and its depiction of blacks — was published (1885)
• Academy Awards: first winners were announced (Wings was Best Picture); the awards banquet was held in May (1929)
• Elm Farm Ollie: became the first cow to fly in an airplane; the trip took place in Missouri and she was milked mid-flight (1930)
• Pluto: the icy rock demoted from planet to dwarf planet was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh (1930)
• Robert Philip Hanssen: FBI agent was arrested on charges of spying for the Soviet Union and, later, Russia; he was sentenced to life without parole (2001)
• Shani Davis: became the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Winter Olympic history; he won the men's 1,000-meter speed skating race in Turin (2006)

Birthdays

• Mary Tudor (1516-1558): queen of England

• Louis Tiffany (1848-1933): painter who specialized in stained-glass art; plus, painter/sculptor Max Klinger (1857-1920)
• George Gipp (1895-1920): college football star
• Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988): designer of the eponymous car
• Toni Morrison (80): Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Beloved; plus, writers Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916), Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) and Helen Gurley Brown (89)
• John Travolta (57): scientologist / actor, Get Shorty, The Taking of Pelham 123; also, actors Jack Palance (1919-2006), George Kennedy (86), Sinead Cusack (63), Cybill Shepherd (61), Greta Scacchi (51), Matt Dillon (47), Molly Ringwald (43) and Sarah Brown (36)
• Dr. Dre (46): Grammy-winning rapper/producer, co-founder of N.W.A.; also, musicians Yoko Ono (78), Juice Newton (59) and Robbie Bachman (58)