Monday, May 6, 2019

flounder \FLOUN-der\, verb:

1. to struggle clumsily or helplessly: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.
2. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on, through, etc.): He saw the child floundering about in the water.

Though the origin of flounder is unknown, it is thought to have come from the Dutch flodderen meaning "to flop about." This verb entered English in the late sixteenth century.

said no one ever

• An nullified attribution intended to convey the absurdity of a statement.

"Thank god it's Monday," said no one ever...

Seis de Mayo

• the 6th of May - a special holiday, devoted to nursing hangovers and otherwise dealing with the consequences of Cinco de Mayo

Tom: "Hey Dave, why didn't you show up for work yesterday?"

Dave: "It was May 6th, remember?"

Tom: "Duuude, you were so wasted on Cinco de Mayo- you downed like a full bottle of tequila! That must've been a killer hangover!" 
Dave: "That's what why we have Seis de Mayo and aspirin."

 

Holiday

• International No Diet Day

History

• Chinese Exclusion Act: barred Chinese laborers from the US for 10 years, despite President Chester Arthur's veto (1882)
• Eiffel Tower: was dedicated at the opening of the Universal Exposition in Paris (1889)
• Hindenburg: German dirigible caught fire as it landed in Lakehurst, New Jersey; 36 were killed (1937)
• Works Progress Administration: set out to employ scores of Americans in the post-Depression era (1935)
• Roger Bannister: Oxford medical student broke the four-minute mile, which was widely considered medically impossible (1954); in 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
• Chunnel: the tunnel connecting France and England opened to traffic (1994)

Birthdays

• Maximilien Robespierre 1758 - French revolutionary
• Sigmund Freud 1856 - Psychiatrist, originated psychoanalysis
• Robert E. Peary 1856 - Explorer, discovered the North Pole, Greenland and the Melville meteorite.
• Rabindranath Tagore 1861 - Hindu poet, musical composer
  

  
• Rudolph Valentino (Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina) 1895 - Actor
• Toots Shor (Bernard Shor) 1903 - Restaurateur
• Weeb (Wilbur Charles) Ewbank 1907 - Football player
• Carmel Caballaro 1913 - Pianist
• (George) Orson Welles 1915 - Actor ("War of the Worlds", "A Man for All Seasons", "Catch-22")
• Fred Randall 1921
• Pat Harder 1922 - Football player
• Elizabeth Sellars 1923 - Actress ("A Voyage Round My Father", "Never Let Go")
• Harry (Percival) Watson 1923 - Hockey player
• Marguerite Piazza 1926 - Singer 
  

  
• Willie (Howard) Mays 1931 - Baseball player
• Bill (William Alfred) Hands - Baseball player
• Bob Seger 1945 - Musician, singer
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore 1945
• Grier Jones 1946 - Golfer
• Alan Dale 1947 - Actor
• Ben Masters 1947 - Actor ("Noble House", "Dream Lover")
• Mary MacGregor 1948
• Dennis Havig 1949 - Football player
• Davey Johnstone 1951 - Musician (Elton John's trio)
• Fred McNeil 1952 - Football player
• Gregg Henry 1952
• Tony Blair 1953 - British Prime Minister
• Tom Bergeron 1955 - TV Host ("Dancing with the Stars")
• Mare Winningham 1959
• George (Timothy) Clooney 1961 - Actor (TV: "The Facts of Life", "E/R", Movies: "Batman & Robin", "Ocean's 11"), son of broadcast journalist Nick Clooney, nephew of singer Rosemary Clooney
• Lori Singer 1962
• Roma Downey 1963 - Actress ("Touched by an Angel")
• Mark Bryan 1967 - Musician (Hootie and the Blowfish)
• Martin Brodeur 1972 - Hockey player
• Adrianne Palicki 1972 - Actress ("The Orville")