Monday, July 29, 2013

Sisyphean \sis-uh-FEE-uhn\, adjective:

1. endless and unavailing, as labor or a task.
2. of or pertaining to Sisyphus.

Sisyphean comes from a Greek myth about the King of Corinth named Sisyphus, who was condemned to eternally roll a stone up a hill. The extension to any laborious, eternal task has been used since the word entered English in the early 1600s. 

Drivestep

• noun. Dubstep that makes for great driving music.

Guy: It's a long drive. Put on some Drivestep!
Girl: *Plays Skrillex*
Guy: GTFO.

Trivia

French writer Alexander Dumas traded hundreds of volumes of his work for a lifetime supply of what fruit?

• Cantaloupes, known as cavaillons, which are named for the town in Provence where they are still grown. In his 1864 deal with Cavaillon’s public library, Dumas was to be paid an “annuity” of 12 cantaloupes every summer for life. He died six years (72 melons) later.

History

• Spanish Armada: was defeated by the English, led by Sir Francis Drake (1588)
• NASA: President Eisenhower signed a bill creating the space agency (1958)
• Lady Di: married Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral in London (1981)
• switch hitter: Red Sox batter Bill Mueller became the first Major League Baseball player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game (2003)

Birthdays

• Booth Tarkington 1869
• Benito Mussolini 1883
• Sigmund Romberg 1887
• Theda Bara 1890
• Clara Bow 1894
• Melvin Belli 1907
• Stephen McNally 1913
• Richard Egan 1923
• Lloyd Bochner 1924
• Robert Horton 1924
• Ted Lindsay 1925
• Don Carter 1926
• Paul Taylor 1930
• Randy Sparks (New Christy Minstrels) 1933
• Robert Fuller 1934
• Peter Jennings 1938
• David Warner 1941
• Neal Doughty (REO Speedwagon) 1946
• Simon Kirk (Bad Company) 1949
• Ken Burns 1953
• Geddy Lee (Rush) 1953
• Michael Biehn 1956
• Patti Scialia (E Street Band) 1956
• Alexandra Paul 1963
• Martina McBride 1966
• Chris Gorman (Belly) 1967
• Wil Wheaton 1972
• Stephen Dorff 1973
• Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men) 1973