Thursday, April 19, 2012

bona fides \BOH-nah FEE-des\, noun:

1. Good faith; the state of being exactly as claims or appearances indicate.
2. (Sometimes italics) (used with a plural verb) the official papers, documents, or other items that prove authenticity, legitimacy, etc., as of a person or enterprise; credentials.

Originally bona fide, bona fides was accidentally pluralized by the 1830s and subsequently was used as a synonym for credentials.

Reverse Mormon

• The Reverse Mormon is a term to describe any obscure sex position. Used when you have no idea what you just did with your partner but you feel as if there should be a name. The origins of the word play upon the fact that the Mormon religion practices abstinence and, thus the Reverse Mormon.

Well, we just definitely did the Reverse Mormon.

Trivia

How much money is awarded to the syndicate behind the winning yacht in an America’s Cup race?

• None. Despite the mega-millions spent to compete, the only prize is the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sports competition.

History

• "shot heard 'round the world": was fired, starting the American Revolution (1775)
• Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: the Jews began an armed resistance against the Nazis (1943)
• "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away": General Douglas MacArthur bid farewell to Congress (1951)
• The Simpsons: the animated dysfunctional family debuted on The Tracy Ullman Show (1987)
• Oklahoma City Bombing: truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 (1995)

Birthdays

• David Ricardo 1772 - Economist, author
• Ole Evinrude 1877
• Eliot Ness 1903
• Tommy Benford 1905 - Musician (Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers)
• Frank Fontaine 1920
• Kenneth Battelle 1927
• Don Barbour 1927 - Singer (The Four Freshmen)
• Alexis Korner 1928 - Musician, singer
• Hugh O'Brian 1930 - Actor ("The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp")
• Alex Webster 1931 - Football player
• Jayne Mansfield (Vera Jane Palmer) 1932 - Actress ("It Takes a Thief")
• Dick Sargent 1933 - Actor ("Bewitched", "Fantasy Island")
• Dickie Goodman (Richard Dorian Goodman) 1934 - Entertainer (Buchanan and Goodman)
• Dudley Moore 1935 - Actor ("Arthur", "Bedazzled")
• Wilfried Martens 1936 - Belgium Prime Minister
• Elinor Donahue 1937 - Actress ("Father Knows Best", "The Andy Griffith Show", "Pretty Woman")
• Bobby Russell 1941
• Alan Price 1942 - Musician (Alan Price Combo, The Animals)
• Larry (Hilario) Ramos Jr. 1942 - Musician, singer (The Association)
• Czeslaw Bartkowski 1943 - Jazz composer, musician
• Eve Graham 1943 - Musician (The New Seekers)
• Mark "Flo" Volman 1944 - Musician (Crossfires, Phlorescent Leech and Eddy, Turtles, Nightriders)
• Tim Curry 1946 - Actor ("Stephen King’s It", "Amadeus", "The Hunt for Red October", "Legend")
• Paloma Picasso 1949
• Lynn Powis 1949 - Hockey player
• Tony Plana 1952 - Actor ("Ugly Betty")
• Sue Barker 1956 - Tennis player
• Paul Mario Day 1956 - Musician (the original lead vocalist of Iron Maiden from 1975 to 1976)
• Al Unser, Jr. 1962
• Suge Knight 1965 - Record company executive (Tha Row)
• Ashley Judd 1968 - Actress
• Bekka Bramlett 1968
• Luis Miguel (Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri) 1970 - Singer, Official Luis Miguel Store
• James Franco 1978 - Actor ("Milk", "Spider-Man")
• Kate Hudson 1979 - Actress
• Hayden Christensen 1981 - Actor ("Life as a House", "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones", "Star Wars: Episode III - Revent of the Sith")
• Catalina Sandino Moreno 1981 - Actress
• Troy Polamalu 1981 - Football player
• Courtland Mead 1987
• Maria Sharapova 1987 - Tennis player