Tuesday, January 11, 2011

autoschediastical \aw-toh-SKEE-dee-az-tik-uhl\, adjective:

• Something improvised or extemporized.

Autoschediastical enters English from the Greek by way of the German autoschediázein, "to extemporize."

Birthday eloping

• The act of going on a trip to avoid the dramas of celebrating a birthday at home.

I can't face having a big party for my 30th, so I'm thinking of birthday eloping to Paris.

Trivia

According to culinary legend, what pasta was inspired by the belly button of the Roman goddess Venus?

• The tortellini.

History

• Amelia Earhart: became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Hawaii to California (1935)
• cigarette smoking: US Surgeon General Luther Terry first reported the health hazards involved (1964)
• designated hitter: the American League's team owners voted to allow the use of a different player to bat instead of the pitcher; the National League still bans the practice (1973)
• Rosenkowitz sextuplets: the world's first surviving sextuplets were born in Cape Town (1974)

Birthdays

• Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804): the first US Secretary of the Treasury; he was mortally wounded in a duel with Aaron Burr
• Alice Paul (1885-1977): women's rights activist and founder of the National Woman's Party in 1913
• Alan Paton (1903-1988): South African author of Cry, The Beloved Country; plus, writer Eugenio María de Hostos (1839-1903)
• Jean Chrétien (77): former PM of Canada; plus, PMs John Macdonald (1815-1891) and Pierre Mendes-France (1907-1982)
• Ben Crenshaw (59): championship golfer
• Mary J. Blige (40): hip-hop and soul singer; and, musicians Clarence Clemons (69) and Naomi Judd (65)
• Amanda Peet (39): stage and screen actor, Jack and Jill, A Lot Like Love, Barefoot in the Park; also, actors Rod Taylor (81), Felix Silla (74) and Rockmond Dunbar (38)