Monday, April 14, 2014

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xylography \ zahy-LOG-ruh-fee \ , noun; 

• the art of engraving on wood, or of printing from such engravings.

Origin: Xylography came to English in the early 1800s from French. Its origin ultimately lies in the Greek roots meaning "wood" and "writing." 

Police Chase

• Occurs when motorists are afraid to pass a police car while driving on a highway due to a fear of being caught for speeding. Similar to a parade maker, the result is a traffic jam.

Joe: Why is traffic moving soooo slowly? 
Bob: Can't you see? We're in the middle of a police chase.

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. Zhivago", "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 (Predators)
• Sarah Michelle Gellar 1977 - Actress ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer")
• Vivien Cardone 1993 - Actress ("Everwood")
• Abigail Breslin 1996 - Actress ("Abigail Breslin")