Monday, December 23, 2013

Monday, December 23, 2013

abiogenesis \ey-bahy-oh-JEN-uh-sis, ab-ee-oh-\, noun: 
  • Biology. the now discredited theory that living organisms can arise spontaneously from inanimate matter; spontaneous generation.
Coined by T. H. Huxley in 1870, abiogenesis comes from the Latin words meaning "birth" and "origin."
Loss Vegas
  • Sin City, Nevada, where people go in the hopes of winning it big, but usually end up just losing their shirts .
I just got a windfall settlement, but I ain't gonna blow it a Loss Vegas --- they say you're more likely to get struck by lightning than win the jackpot.
Trivia
What gemstone was used in all the medals awarded at the 2008 Olympics?
  • Jade. The 2008 Olympics were held in China, where jade represents beauty and excellence.
Today's Holiday
  • Festivus ("for the rest of us")
History
  • kidney transplant: was successfully performed for first time, in Boston (1954)
  • Federal Reserve Act: law signed by President Woodrow Wilson created the Federal Reserve System, a central banking system for the US (1913)
  • Immaculate Reception: the Pittsburgh Steelers won an NFL playoff game over the Oakland Raiders with a "miraculous" touchdown (1972)
  • Voyager: experimental plane designed by Burt Rutan completed a 9-day flight around the world without refueling (1986)
  • Lenny Bruce: comedian who satirized politics, religion and sex was granted by the governor of New York a posthumous pardon for obscenity, for which he had been convicted 40 years earlier (2003)
Birthdays
  • Richard Arkwright 1732
  • Alexander I (Russia) 1777
  • Joseph Smith 1805
  • Samuel Smiles 1812
  • Fredi Washington 1903
  • Don McNeill 1907
  • Yousuf Karsh 1908
  • Maurice Denham 1909
  • James Gregory 1911
  • Jose Greco 1918
  • Gerald O’Loughlin 1921
  • Ruth Roman 1923
  • Harry Guardino 1925
  • Robert Bly 1926
  • Dick Weber 1929
  • Akihito 1933
  • 'Little' Esther Phillips 1935
  • James Stacy 1936
  • Frederic Forrest 1936
  • Johnny Kidd (Johnny Kidd & The Pirates) 1939
  • Tim Hardin 1940
  • Eugene Record (Chi-Lites) 1940
  • Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) 1940
  • Elizabeth Hartman 1943
  • Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap) 1943
  • Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly) 1945
  • Susan Lucci 1946
  • Johnny Contardo 1951
  • Dave Murray (Iron Maiden) 1958
  • Joan Severance 1958
  • Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 1964
  • Carla Bruni 1967
  • The Naked Cowboy 1970
  • Corey Haim 1972
  • Jamie Murphy (Space) 1975
  • Estella Warren 1978

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