Sunday, April 14, 2013

aperture \AP-er-cher\, noun:

1. an opening, as a hole, slit, crack, gap, etc.
2. Also called aperture stop. Optics. an opening, usually circular, that limits the quantity of light that can enter an optical instrument.

Aperture entered English in the mid-1600s from the Latin aperīre meaning "to open.

suicide by superpower

• annihilation stemming from picking a fight with an utterly more powerful force.

The supreme leader of North Korea will die of suicide by superpower if he even aims a missile at the United States.

Trivia
In what year in this century did Sir Isaac Newton, the great English scientist, predict the Apocalypse would come?

• In 2060. Newton (1643–1727) based his prophecy on the Book of Daniel in the Bible.

History

• Noah Webster: published his American Dictionary of the English Language, insisting on American spelling (1828)
• Abraham Lincoln: was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC; the president died of his wounds the following day (1865)
• J.C. Penney: opened his first store, in Kemmerer, Wyoming, earning a first-year profit of $8,514.36 on sales of $28,898.11 (1902)
• first pitch: President William H. Taft threw the ceremonial first baseball, on the Washington Senators' opening day; every president since has thrown out at least one (1910)
• Titanic: the supposedly unsinkable luxury liner hit an iceberg; it sank a few hours later (1912)

Birthdays

• Christian Huygens 1629
• Antole France 1844
• Anne Mansfield Sullivan 1866 - "The Miracle Worker", famous for teaching Helen Keller to read, write and speak
• Arnold (Joseph) Toynbee 1889 - Historian, author
• Harold Stephen Black 1898
• John Gielgud 1904 - Actor (Movies: "Arthur")
• Mary Healy 1918
• Robert DeVicenzo 1923 - Golfer
• Shorty Rogers (Milton Rajonsky) 1924 - Musician, bandleader, songwriter, composer, arranger
• Rod Steiger (Rodney Stephen Steiger) 1925 - Actor ("Dr. Ahivago", "The Longest Day")
• Gloria Jean (Schoonover) 1926 - Actress ("Copacabana", "The Ladies Man")
• Jay Robinson 1930 - Actor
• Bradford Dillman 1930 - Actor ("Compulsion", "Falcon Crest")
• Buddy Knox 1933
• Frank Serpico 1934
• Loretta Lynn 1935 - Country singer, first woman to earn the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award
• Joan Darling 1935 - Actress
• Marty Keough 1935 - Baseball player
• Bobby Nichols 1936 - Golfer
• Julie Christie 1941 - Actress ("Dr. Zhivago", "Shampoo")
• Pete Rose (Peter Edward Rose) 1941 - Baseball player
• Dick Brooks 1942 - Auto racer
• Ritchie Blackmore 1945 - Musician (Deep Purple)
• Larry Ferguson 1948 - Musician (Hot Chocolate)
• John Shea 1949 - Actor ("Lois & Clark", "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid")
• Dennis Bryon 1949 - Musician (Amen Corner)
  
• Matimaa Kinuani Mpiosso 1951
• Brad Garrett 1960 - Actor ("Everybody Loves Raymond")
• Robert Carlyle 1961 - Actor
• John Bell 1962 - Musician (Widespread Panic)
• Greg Maddux 1966 - Baseball player
• Barrett Martin 1967 - Musician (Screaming Trees)
• Anthony Michael Hall 1968 - Actor (Movies:"Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", TV:"The Dead Zone")
• Brad Ausmus 1969 - Baseball player
• DaBrat 1974 - Rapper
• Adrien Brody 1973 - Actor
• Sarah Michelle Gellar 1977 - Actress ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
• Vivien Cardone 1993 - Actress ("Everwood")
• Abigail Breslin 1996 - Actress ("Abigail Breslin")