Monday, October 12, 2009

bangover

• Sore neck as a result of headbanging at a metal concert.

"How was the Meshuggah show last night dude?"

"Ah man it was sick! I got the worst fucking bangover d00d."

Trivia

When Christopher Columbus set off on his historic voyage in 1492, the letter of introduction he carried from the king and queen of Spain was addressed to whom?

• The Great Khan of Cathay. The letter was sent in the belief that Columbus was sailing to the Indies. Columbus also carried two other letters of introduction with blank spaces left for the salutation.

Today's Holiday

• Columbus Day - holiday commemorating Christopher Columbus's discovery of America. It has been traditionally celebrated on Oct. 12 throughout most of the United States, parts of Canada, and in several of the Latin American republics. In the United States, however, since the observation in 1971 of the Uniform Holiday Act, it is celebrated on the Monday nearest to Oct. 12.

Today in History

• Oktoberfest: tradition of beery celebration began with the wedding reception of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen (1810)
• The Pledge of Allegiance: was first recited in US public schools (1892)
• the day of six billion: the official UN-designated approximate day that the world population hit 6 billion; it was 12 years after the population reached 5 billion (1999)

Today's Birthdays

• Elmer Sperry (1860-1930): inventor of the gyroscope, gyrocompass, arc lamps and other electrical devices; physicist Samuel Elmer Imes (1883-1941) shared this birth date
• Dick Gregory (77): comedian and activist
• Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007): famed Italian tenor; musicians Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), Nappy Brown (1929-2008) and Sam Moore (74), Chris Botti (47) and Martie Maguire(40) were also born on this date
• Chris Wallace (62): broadcast journalist
• Hugh Jackman (41): stage and screen actor, Wolverine in X-Men; other actors born on this date include Susan Anton (59), Carlos Bernard (47) and Kirk Cameron (39)