Wednesday, February 23, 2011

nimbus \NIM-buhs\, noun:

1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc.; a halo.

2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing.

3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud.

Nimbus is from the Latin nimbus, "a rain cloud, a rain storm."

pop a squat

• to sit down or to take a seat.

Yo, pop a squat over here.

Trivia

What famous American naturalist invented an “early-rising bed” that dumped him on the floor at a preset time?

• John Muir, the father of the national park system. His invention featured a clock that, at a specified time, loosened a large stone that knocked a leg out from under his bed, sending him tumbling to the floor.

History

• Cato Street Conspiracy: a plot to assassinate the British cabinet and prime minister was uncovered; the conspirators were later executed (1820)
• Tootsie Roll: the chewy chocolate candy was introduced by Leo Hirshfield (1896)
• Guantánamo Bay: Cuba leased the area to the US to use as a naval base in perpetuity; it now serves as an internment camp for suspected Islamic militants (1903)
• Rotary Club: the not-for-profit service organization held its first meeting, in Beverly Hills, led by Paul P. Harris and three friends; it now has 1 million-plus members in about 200 countries (1905)
• Iwo Jima: Marines raised the US flag over the Japanese island after severe fighting during WWII; a Pulitzer-winning photograph was taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal (1945)

Birthdays

• George Frideric Handel (1685-1759): composer, Messiah and Water Music
• W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963): a founder of NAACP, wrote The Souls of Black Folk
• John Sandford (67): writer of detective novels who created Lucas Davenport; also, writers Norman Lindsay (1879-1969), William Shirer (1904-1993) and Donna J. Stone (1933-1994)
• Viktor Yushchenko (57): president of Ukraine
• Michael Dell (46): computer entrepreneur
• Emily Blunt (28): actress, The Young Victoria, voice of Juliet in Gnomeo and Juliet; other actors born today include Peter Fonda (72), Patricia Richardson (60), Kristin Davis (46), Niecy Nash (41), Aziz Ansari (28) and Dakota Fanning (17)