Quote of the day :
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.
~ Thomas Edison, born on this day.
He also pointed out:
If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.
Picture of the day :
Soon be March, time to think about spring cleaning and sweeping away dusty cobwebs…
Youtube video of the day :
Very easy choice today, once I added Mike Shinoda to the birthday list. Here’s Linkin Park with ‘In the End’
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1yw1Tgj9-VU]
Born on this day…
Born today :
- Botanist and physicist, Henry Fox Talbot (b.1800)
Renowned for his pioneering work in photography. - Inventor, Thomas Edison (b.1847)
He registered a total of 1,093 US patents in his lifetime and is considered the greatest practical genius in America’s history, despite being almost deaf since childhood. These included the phonograph (leading the way for iPod a century or so later), lightbulbs and the kinetiscope (leading the way for tv, cinema and downloading movies and video clips from youtube, Pirate’s Bay and Amazon. It must be said he didn’t labour alone in some murky basement, he employed a number of talented staff and, not to denigrate his many achievements, he didn’t so much invent outright as improve upon others work. His famous lightbulb, for instance, follows on from work by Humphrey Davy in 1801 - President, George Washington (b.1732)
- Travel author, Patrick Leigh Fermor
- Fantasy and Sci-Fi author, Jane Yolen
- Zoo vet, tv presenter and author, David Taylor
- Actor, Leslie Nielson
- Actor, Burt Reynolds
- Actor, Taylor Lautner
- Actor, Damian Lewis
- Actress, Jennifer Aniston
- Actress, Nicki Clyne
- Actress, Eva Gabor
- Actress, Tina Louise
- Fashion designer, Mary Quant
- Singer, guitarist and designer, Mike Shinoda
- Singer, Sheryl Crow
- Singer and guitarist, Gene Vincent
- Animator and children’s author, Mo Willems
- Polo player, Tommy Hitchcock (b.1900)
Also on this day in history
660 BC : Jimmu, grandson of Ninigi (who is believed to be the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu), became Japan’s first emperor after conquering all the tribes on the surrounding islands. The same imperial line has ruled Japan ever since. Today in now a holiday called Kenkoku Kinen no hi (National Foundation Day) and large crowds gather at a Shinto shrine at Unebi where the first royal is said to have been buried, two and a half millenium ago.
1254 : The British Parliament convened for the first time.
1531 : Henry VIII of England is recognised as supreme head of the Church of England.
1772 : Benjamin Franklin established Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States.
1809 : Robert Fulton received a U.S. patent for the steamboat.
1826 : University College London was founded under the name University of London.
1929 : Pop Pius XI and Mussolini’s government signed the Lateral Treaty, giving the Vatican City the status of an independent sovereign state.
1970 : Japan launched Osumi, their first satellite, becoming the fourth nation to put a satellite in orbit.
1975 : Margaret Thatcher was appointed leader of the British Conservative Party.
1990 : Nelson Mandela was released from prison after serving 26 years for opposing South Africa’s white racist regime.
(Various sources disagree slightly on the length of sentence, but it’s largely down to semantics. He was arrested in August 1962 and sentenced to five years but further evidence in a later trial in 1964 changed it to a life sentence. My book says 26 years, others say 27 years, an entry on wikipedia clarifies the discrepancies. Nelson Mandel – Rivonia trial).
Funny really if you think about it, he was a ruling chief asking for equal rights in his own country and arrested for high treason for disagreeing with a brutal and insensitive government formed by the descendants of invading slave traders…
Trending at this moment:
2014 : Following the ongoing rain still drowning the country, northern England tonight ground to a halt as a good tenth of an a centimeter of snow fell without warning, leaving drivers skidding on the ungritted roads. The Daily express website led with this alarming story : Rain, gales…and now SNOW as motorists in the north grapple with treacherous roads
Alarmed by the warnings I braved the elements to check on our dog, seen below leaping into the air to eat a falling snowflake.
Forgive my sarcasm but a millimeter of snow that turns to slush on landing or even the inches of snow threatened on high ground like the A57 Snake Pass in Derbyshire is not really Arctic weather. When I was a kid you just bundled up warm, brushed the snow drifts from the door and got on with it. If you live in colder climates like Canada, Iceland or Scandinavia take a look at the pictures in the article linked above, it’s good for a laugh. The Express really is a naff paper!
