Wednesday, May 23, 2012

cumulus \KYOO-myuh-luhs\, noun:

1. A heap; pile.
2. A cloud of a class characterized by dense individual elements in the form of puffs, mounds, or towers, with flat bases and tops that often resemble cauliflower.

Cumulus stems from the Neo-Latin word meaning "heap, pile." It was first used to describe clouds in the early 1800s.

Stack of Shame

• A growing collection of video games that have yet to be opened and played, likely due to the fact that so many good games come out and the owner simply cannot keep up. This is most commonly an issue for professionals in the video gaming industry.

"My Stack of Shame keeps piling up higher and higher! Skyrim, I wish I knew how to quit you!"

"Don't even bother pointing out the fact that half my games are still in the plastic wrapâI am acutely aware that my Stack of Shame is ridiculous."

Trivia

What animal has larger eyes than any other land creature?

• The ostrich. Its eyes are almost two inches in diameter.

History

• Captain Kidd: was hanged in London for murder and piracy (1701)
• Baltimore and Ohio Railroad: began the first passenger service in the US (1830)
• Mounties: the North West Mounted Police was created; it would later become the federal police force of Canada (1873)
• Bonnie and Clyde: Depression-era outlaws were ambushed and killed by police in Louisiana (1934)
• West Germany: was reconstituted from post-WWII occupation zones (1949)

Birthdays

• Friedrich Anton Mesmer 1734 - Physician, astrologist
• Margaret Fuller (Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli) 1810 - Journalist, criti, women's rights activist
• Arabella Mansfield 1846 - She was the first female lawyer in the United States
• Douglas Fairbanks 1883 - Actor
• Herbert Marshall 1890 - Actor
• Artie Shaw 1910 - Band leader
• Scatman Crothers (Benjamin Sherman "Scatman" Crothers) 1910 - Actor, musician, singer, dancer
• John Payne 1912 - Actor, singer
• Betty Garrett 1919 - Actress ("All in the Family," "Laverne and Shirley")
• Helen O'Connell 1920 - Singer, actress, dancer
• Alicia de Larrocha 1923 - Pianist
• Mac Wiseman 1925 - Singer
• Nigel Davenport 1928 - Actor
• Rosemary Clooney 1928 - Singer, actress
• Julian Euell 1929 - Jazz musician
• Barbara Barrie 1931 - Actress
• Joan Collins 1933 - Actress ("Dynasty")
• Robert Moog 1934 - Musician
• Charles Kimbrough 1936 - Actor ("Murphy Brown")
• General Johnson 1943 - Musician (Chairman of the Board)
• Lauren Chapin 1945 - Actress ("Father Knows Best")
• Misty Morgan 1945 - Musician
• Judy Rodman 1951 - County singer
• Anatoly Karpov 1951 - Chess grandmaster
• "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler 1952 - Boxer
• Luka Bloom 1955 - Singer
• Drew Carey 1958 - Actor, game show host
• Shelley West 1958 - Country singer
• Linden Ashby 1960 - Actor
• Karen Duffy 1961 - Actress, model
• Phil Selway 1967 - Musician (Radiohead)
• Noel Gallagher 1968 - Musician (Oasis)
• Laurel Holloman 1968 - Actress ("The L Word")
• Lorenzo 1972 - Singer
• Maxwell 1973 - Singer
• Jewel 1974 - Singer
• Kelly Monaco 1976
• Adam Wylie 1984 - Actor