TGIF: Friday, May 10, 2013

hellion \HEL-yuhn\, noun:

• a disorderly, troublesome, rowdy, or mischievous person.

Hellion entered English in the mid-1800s from the Scottish and Northern English word of unknown origin hallion meaning "worthless fellow." When this word crossed the pond, the "a" in hallion was replaced by an "e," supposedly because of associations with hell.

Twerk

• The rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in ones intended audience

Hey Girl, lets Twerk on the dance floor.

Trivia

Why are cashew nuts generally not sold raw or in their shells?

• The shell of the cashew nut contains urushiol, the same painful skin irritant that’s in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Because the raw nut isn’t safe to eat if it has come into contact with the shell, it is generally steamed or boiled at a high temperature to destroy the urushiol.

History

• transcontinental railroad: a golden spike linked the Union Pacific and Central Pacific lines at Promontory Summit (1869)
• J. Edgar Hoover: became director of the FBI; he held the post until his death 48 years later (1924)
• Nazi book burnings: as part of Goebbels' "synchronization of culture," some 25,000 "un-German" volumes were destroyed in a single day (1933)
• Micronesia: adopted a constitution, becoming a self-governing federation (1979)
• Nelson Mandela: South Africa's first black president was sworn in to office (1994)

Birthdays

• John Wilkes Booth 1838 - Stage actor, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln
• Montgomery Blair 1813 - Politician, lawyer
• Ottmar Mergenthaler 1854
• Fred Astaire (Frederick Austerlitz) 1899 - Film and stage dancer, choreographer, singer, actor
• Dimitri Tiomkin 1899 - Film score composer and conductor
• David O. Selznick 1902 - Film producer ("Gone with the Wind")
• Maybelle Carter ("Mother Maybelle" Carter) 1909 - Country musician (Carter Family)
• Charles McGraw (Charles Butters) 1914 - Actor
• Margo O'Donnell ( Margeret Catherine O'Donnell) 1917 - Singer
• Nancy Walker 1922 - Actress, comedienne
• Pat Summerall 1930 - Sportscaster
• Larry Williams 1935 - Musician
• Francoise Fabian 1935 - Actress
• Gary Owens 1936 - Announcer ("Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In")
• Arthur Kopit 1937 - Playwright
• Manuel Santana (Manuel Martínez Santana) 1938 - Tennis champion
• Henry Fambrough 1938 - Musician (The Spinners)
• Danny Rapp 1941 - Musician (Danny & The Juniors)
• Jim Abrahams 1944 - Writer, director ("Airplane")
• Judith Jamison 1944 - Dancer and choreographer
• Marie-France Pisier 1944 - Actress
• Graham Gouldman 1945 - Musician (10cc)
• Donovan (Donovan Philips Leitch) 1946 - Singer, father of Donovan Leitch, Jr.
• Jimmy Ponder 1946 - Musician
• Dave Mason 1947 - Musician (Traffic)
• Jay Ferguson 1947 - Musician (Spirit)
• Ron Banks 1951 - Musician (The Dramatics)
• Sly Dunbar 1952 - Musician (Sly & Robbie)
• Sid Vicious 1957 - Musician (Sex Pistols)
• "Bono" (Paul Hewson) 1960 - Musician (U2)
• Suzan-Lori Parks 1963 - Playwright
• Linda Evangelista 1965 - Model
• Jason Brooks (Jason Maxwell Brooks) 1966 - Actor ("Days of our Lives")
• Young MC 1967 - Rapper
• Erik Palladiono 1968 - Actor ("ER")
• Richard Patrick 1968 - Musician (Filter)
• Amanda Borden 1977 - Gymnast
• Kenan Thompson 1978 - Actor ("Saturday Night Live")
• Jason Dalyrimple 1980 - Musician (Soul for Real)
  Nicky Whelan 1981 - fit actress (Hall Pass)