oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for February 02, 2016

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | February 2nd, 2016

Today is the 33rd day of 2016 and the 43rd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1790, the Supreme Court of the United States convened for the first time.

In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the war between the United States and Mexico.

In 1887, the first official Groundhog Day celebration was held at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

In 1913, the current Grand Central Terminal opened in New York City.

In 1943, the Russian victory at Stalingrad was concluded when German forces surrendered to the Soviets.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Solomon R. Guggenheim (1861-1949), businessman/philanthropist; James Joyce (1882-1941), author/poet; George Halas (1895-1983), football coach/team owner; Ayn Rand (1905-1982), author/philosopher; Elaine Stritch (1925-2014), actress/comedian; Stan Getz (1927-1991), jazz musician; Tom Smothers (1937- ), comedian/actor; Graham Nash (1942- ), singer-songwriter; Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009), actress; Christie Brinkley (1954- ), model; Shakira (1977- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Since the release of the popular movie "Groundhog Day" in 1993, crowds of up to 30,000 have visited Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania each year on Feb. 2 to see whether Punxsutawney Phil observes his shadow.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1876, the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, now known as the National League of Major League Baseball, was established.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I want to give a picture of Dublin so complete that if the city suddenly disappeared from the earth it could be reconstructed out of my book." -- James Joyce, on his novel "Ulysses"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 102 -- times in the 126-year history of Groundhog Day ceremonies that Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 31) and new moon (Feb. 8).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for February 01, 2016

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | February 1st, 2016

Today is the 32nd day of 2016 and the 42nd day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1861, a Texas state convention voted 166-8 in favor of a measure to secede from the Union.

In 1884, the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published.

In 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. and more than 700 others were arrested at a protest in Selma, Alabama.

In 2003, the U.S. space shuttle Columbia broke apart shortly after entering the atmosphere over Texas, killing its seven-member crew.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: John Ford (1894-1973), film director; Clark Gable (1901-1960), actor; Langston Hughes (1902-1967), poet; Renata Tebaldi (1922-2004), opera singer; Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007), Russian president; Sherman Helmsley (1938-2012), actor; Rick James (1948-2004), singer-songwriter; Princess Stephanie of Monaco (1965- ); Andrew Breitbart (1969-2012), publisher/political commentator; Ronda Rousey (1987- ), mixed martial artist; Harry Styles (1994- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: Harvard scholar Carter G. Woodson pioneered "Negro History Week" in 1926 and designated the second week in February for its celebration, to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Negro History Week was later expanded to include all of February and renamed "Black History Month."

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 2004, a "wardrobe malfunction" during the Super Bowl halftime show resulted in the exposure of singer Janet Jackson's breast on live national television during a duet with Justin Timberlake.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "I tire so of hearing people say, / Let things take their course. / Tomorrow is another day. / I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. / I cannot live on tomorrow's bread." -- Langston Hughes

TODAY'S NUMBER: 1,014 -- height (in feet) of the Shard, the tallest building in the European Union, which opened in London on this day in 2013.

TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (Jan. 31) and new moon (Feb. 8).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for January 31, 2016

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | January 31st, 2016

Today is the 31st day of 2016 and the 41st day of winter.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1606, Guy Fawkes was executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot in Britain.

In 1958, Explorer 1 was launched, marking the first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit.

In 1968, the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive began in South Vietnam.

In 2010, James Cameron's "Avatar" became the first film to reach a worldwide gross of $2 billion.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Franz Schubert (1797-1828), composer; John O'Hara (1905-1970), author; Jackie Robinson (1919-1972), baseball player; Carol Channing (1921- ), actress; Norman Mailer (1923-2007), author/journalist; Ernie Banks (1931-2015), baseball player; Jonathan Banks (1947- ), actor; Nolan Ryan (1947- ), baseball player; Minnie Driver (1970- ), actress; Portia de Rossi (1973- ), actress; Justin Timberlake (1981- ), singer-songwriter.

TODAY'S FACT: The first Social Security check, issued on this day in 1940, was for $22.54 and went to Ida May Fuller, who lived on a Vermont farm. Having worked less than three years under Social Security, she paid only $24.75 into the system, but she had collected $22,888.92 by the time of her death in 1975.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1999, Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway won his second consecutive Super Bowl and the final game of his NFL playing career, leading the Denver Broncos to a 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was also selected as the game's MVP.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There was that law of life so cruel and so just which demanded that one must grow or else pay more for remaining the same." -- Norman Mailer, "The Deer Park"

TODAY'S NUMBER: $2.8 billion -- total worldwide gross of "Avatar," making it the highest-grossing film of all time.

TODAY'S MOON: Last quarter moon (Jan. 31).

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