oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 18, 2018

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 18th, 2018

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 322nd day of 2018 and the 58th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1883, American and Canadian railroads instituted five standard continental time zones.

In 1928, the first cartoon with sound, Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," premiered.

In 1963, the first push-button telephones were test-marketed in Carnegie and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1966, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops eliminated the rule against eating meat on Fridays.

In 1985, the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" made its first newspaper appearance.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Louis Daguerre (1787-1851), inventor; George Gallup (1901-1984), pollster; Klaus Mann (1906-1949), publicist/dramatist; Johnny Mercer (1909-1976), lyricist; Alan Shepard (1923-1998), astronaut; Margaret Atwood (1939- ), writer; Alan Dean Foster (1946- ), author; Alan Moore (1953- ), author; Elizabeth Perkins (1960- ), actress; Owen Wilson (1968- ), actor; Chloe Sevigny (1974- ), actress; David Ortiz (1975- ), baseball player; Denny Hamlin (1980- ), race car driver.

TODAY'S FACT: The average American consumed 57 pounds of beef and 92 pounds of chicken in 2017.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1985, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann during a Monday Night Football game. Theissman suffered a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in his right leg on the play, an injury that resulted in his retirement from football.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "There is no peace until the end and even then there would still be a question mark." -- Klaus Mann, "The Turning Point"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 4 -- number of major league no-hitters pitched by Sandy Koufax during his career. Koufax, who retired on this day in 1966, is second only to Nolan Ryan (seven) on the all-time no-hitters list.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Nov. 15) and full moon (Nov. 22).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 17, 2018

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 17th, 2018

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 321st day of 2018 and the 57th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1800, the United States Congress met for the first time in Washington, D.C., in the unfinished Capitol building.

In 1869, the Suez Canal was officially opened.

In 1871, the National Rifle Association was granted a charter by the state of New York.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy dedicated Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Shelby Foote (1916-2005), author/historian; Rock Hudson (1925-1985), actor; Martin Scorsese (1942- ), film director; Lauren Hutton (1943- ), actress; Jim Boeheim (1944- ), basketball coach; Danny DeVito (1944- ), actor; Lorne Michaels (1944- ), producer; Stephen Root (1951- ), actor; RuPaul (1960- ), drag queen performer/singer; Jeff Buckley (1966-1997), singer-songwriter; Rachel McAdams (1978- ), actress; Ryan Braun (1983- ), baseball player; Christopher Paolini (1983- ), writer.

TODAY'S FACT: Congress passed the Height of Buildings Act in 1899, stating that no building in Washington, D.C., could be built taller than the Capitol. It was amended in 1910, allowing buildings to be as tall as the width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1968, with about a minute on the clock and the New York Jets leading the Oakland Raiders 32-29, NBC switched to a scheduled broadcast of "Heidi." Oakland then scored two touchdowns in nine seconds, winning 43-32, as thousands of angry football fans overloaded NBC's switchboard.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "But the Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. ... It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads." -- Shelby Foote

TODAY'S NUMBER: 62,000 -- average number of airline passengers traveling through Washington Dulles International Airport per day.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Nov. 15) and full moon (Nov. 22).

oddities

Andrews McMeel Almanac for November 16, 2018

Andrews McMeel Almanac by by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
by the Editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication
Andrews McMeel Almanac | November 16th, 2018

ANDREWS MCMEEL ALMANAC

Today is the 320th day of 2018 and the 56th day of autumn.

TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1801, the first New York Post newspaper was published.

In 1841, the first underwater tunnel was completed beneath the Thames River in London.

In 1907, Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th U.S. state.

In 1914, the Federal Reserve System of the United States officially opened.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: W.C. Handy (1873-1958), composer; George Kaufman (1889-1961), playwright; Burgess Meredith (1907-1997), actor; Jose Saramago (1922-2010), author; Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), author; Marg Helgenberger (1958- ), actress; Dwight Gooden (1964- ), baseball player; Lisa Bonet (1967- ), actress; Oksana Baiul (1977- ), figure skater; Maggie Gyllenhaal (1977- ), actress; Amar'e Stoudemire (1982- ), basketball player; Pete Davidson (1993- ), actor/comedian.

TODAY'S FACT: The $10 bill is the U.S. currency with the shortest life span, lasting an average of 4.5 years in circulation.

TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1957, the longest winning streak in college football history ended at 47 games, when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish upset the Oklahoma Sooners.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "... Hope, just hope, one reaches a point where there is nothing but hope, and that is when we discover that hope is everything." -- Jose Saramajo, "The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis"

TODAY'S NUMBER: 800 -- length (in miles) of the trans-Alaska pipeline system.

TODAY'S MOON: Between first quarter moon (Nov. 15) and full moon (Nov. 22).

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