Monday, October 31, 2011

nyctophobia \nik-tuh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun:

• An abnormal fear of night or darkness.

Nyctophobia stems from the Greek nyktos- meaning night and phobia meaning fear.

Halloween

• An annual excuse for girls to dress like sluts and get away with it.

Girl 1: I'm going to be a ______ for Halloween.

Girl 2: What's your costume look like?

Girl 1: I'm wearing my ______ underwear and _____ bra and heels.

Trivia

In the comics, what was the name of Casper the Friendly Ghost’s galloping ghost horse?

• Nightmare.

Today's Holiday

• Halloween: Holiday observed on October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day. Its pagan origins can be traced to the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated in ancient England and Ireland to mark the beginning of the Celtic new year. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on Samhain eve, and witches, goblins, black cats, and ghosts were said to roam abroad. The night was also thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. The pagan observances influenced the Christian festival of All Hallows' Eve, celebrated on the same date. The holiday was gradually secularized and was introduced into the U.S. by the late 19th century. Still associated with evil spirits and the supernatural, it is celebrated by children in costume who gather candy by ringing doorbells and calling out "trick or treat," "trick" referring to the pranks and vandalism that are also part of the Halloween tradition.

History

• 95 Theses: Martin Luther launched the Protestant reformation when he posted his written opposition to indulgences to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany (1517)
• Harry Houdini: master magician/escape artist died of peritonitis resulting from a punch to the stomach that ruptured his appendix (1926)
• Mount Rushmore: drilling and sculpting work on the four presidents' heads near Keystone, South Dakota, was finished (1941)
• Indira Gandhi: the prime minister of India was assassinated outside her residence by her Sikh bodyguards (1984)

Birthdays

• Jan Vermeer (1632-1675): Dutch painter of Girl With a Pearl Earring
• John Keats (1795-1821): Romantic poet of odes
• Vallabhbhai Patel (1875-1950): Indian leader who peacefully unified the princely states
• Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975): Nationalist leader of the Republic of China and later of Taiwan
• Dick Francis (1920-2010): former jockey to Queen Elizabeth and prolific mystery novelist
• Dan Rather (80): CBS Evening News ex-anchor; and TV journalist Jane Pauley (61)
• Michael Landon (1936-1991): Little Joe on Bonanza, Pa Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie; also actors Ron Rifkin (72), David Ogden Stiers (69), Stephen Rea (65), Deidre Hall (64), John Candy (1950-1994), Dermot Mulroney and Rob Schneider (both 47)
• Peter Jackson (50): New Zealand-born director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy
• Vanilla Ice (43): Miami-born white rapper of "Ice Ice Baby"; also, musicians Ethel Waters (1896-1977), Larry Mullen, Jr. (50)

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