Saturday, February 26, 2011

halcyon \HAL-see-uhn\, noun:

1. A kingfisher.

2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation.

adjective:

• 1. Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose."
• 2. Marked by peace and prosperity; as, "halcyon years."

Halcyon derives from Latin (h)alcyon, from Greek halkuon, a mythical bird, kingfisher. This bird was fabled by the Greeks to nest at sea, about the time of the winter solstice, and, during incubation, to calm the waves.

retard in aluminum foil

• What a lady's knight in shining armor becomes when she really gets to know him.

I thought he was my knight in shining armor. Turns out, he was just a retard in aluminum foil!

Trivia

What was Clint Eastwood’s assignment when he was in the U.S. Army during the Korean War?

• Boot camp swimming instructor at Fort Ord, California.

History

• Bank of England: issued the first one-pound note after the government forbade paying out from the diminished gold reserves (1797)
• Grand Canyon: the enormous gorge was established as a national park (1919); Grand Teton National Park was established on the same date in 1926
• World Trade Center: bomb in basement killed 6, injured more than 1,000 and caused serious structural damage (1993)

Birthdays

• Suzi Simpson (43) playmate from Athens, Greece (Jan, 1992)
• Wenceslas (1361-1419): German King
• Victor Hugo (1802-1885): author of Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame; plus, dramatist Christopher Marlowe ([baptized] 1564-1593) and novelist Elizabeth George (62)
• John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943): holistic physician who invented corn flakes; plus, inventor of denims Levi Strauss (1829-1902) and founder of chemical company Herbert Dow (1866-1930)
• William F. Cody: AKA Buffalo Bill; the buffalo hunter and scout who staged the first Wild West Show, also starring Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull (1846-1917)
• Greg Germann (53): actor, Richard Fish in Ally McBeal; also, actors Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), Tony Randall (1920-2004), Betty Hutton (1921-2007) and Margaret Leighton (1922-1976)
• Erykah Badu (40): R&B singer; singers Fats Domino (83), Johnny Cash (1932-2003) and Michael Bolton (58) were also born on this date
• Mark DeRosa (36): infielder for the Giants