Thursday, March 3, 2011

gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:

• A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.

adjective:

• Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

The origin of gimcrack is uncertain. It is perhaps an alteration of Middle English gibecrake, "a slight or flimsy ornament."

dutch oven

• The act of trapping a person under bed covers after releasing vile ass fumes

Dave vomited on the sheets when his wife gave him a white castle dutch oven.

Trivia

How many gallons of water a second flow over Canada’s Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls? How about the American Falls?

• Canadian, 600,000 gallons a second; American, 150,000 gallons a second.

History

• Emancipation of Serfs in Russia: Tsar Alexander II liberated more than 20 million serfs, about one-third of the population (1861)
• Carmen: Georges Bizet's masterpiece opera debuted in Paris; critics panned it (1875)
• "The Star-Spangled Banner": Francis Scott Key's poem became the official US national anthem (1931)
• Sky Tower: observation and telecommunications tower opened in Auckland; at 328 meters (1.076 feet), it is the tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere (1997)
• Switzerland: citizens voted to join the United Nations, abandoning nearly 200 years of formal neutrality (2002)

Birthdays

• George M. Pullman (1831-1897): industrialist and innovator, pullman cars and Pullman, Il; plus, inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
• Brian Leetch (43): ice hockey player; athletes Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Herschel Walker (both 49) and Santonio Holmes (27) also celebrate birthdays today
• Jessica Biel (29): actor, 7th Heaven, Valentine's Day; other actors born on this date include Jean Harlow (1911-1937), James Doohan (1920-2005), Miranda Richardson (53), Julie Bowen (41) and David Faustino (37)