Paradise Driver

Saturday, January 17, 2009

JANUARY 17TH

Today is Saturday, Jan. 17, the 17th day of 2009.
There are 348 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 17, 1961, in his farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned against the rise of "the military-industrial complex."

On this date:

In 1562, French Protestants were recognized under the Edict of St. Germain.
In 1893, the 19th president of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes, died in Fremont, Ohio, at age 70; Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown as a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Lili'uokalani to abdicate.
In 1917, the United States paid Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
In 1945, Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II; Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews, disappeared in Hungary while in Soviet custody.
In 1946, the United Nations Security Council held its first meeting, in London.
In 1966, a U.S. Air Force B-52 carrying four unarmed hydrogen bombs crashed on the Spanish coast. (Three of the bombs were quickly recovered, but the fourth wasn't recovered until April.)
In 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, was shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade.
In 1989, five children were shot to death at the Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton, Calif., by a drifter, Patrick Purdy, who then killed himself.
In 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, killing at least 72 people.
In 1995, more than 6,000 people were killed when an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 devastated the city of Kobe, Japan.

Ten years ago:

As White House lawyers met to work on President Bill Clinton's defense, their client spent the day preparing for his State of the Union address.
The defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos defeated the New York Jets, 23-10, to win the American Football Conference title; the Atlanta Falcons upset the Minnesota Vikings, 30-27, to win the National Football Conference championship.

Five years ago:

Three U.S. soldiers were killed north of Baghdad, pushing the U.S. death toll in the Iraq conflict to 500.
Hollywood producer Ray Stark died at age 88.

One year ago:

Bobby Fischer, the chess master who became a Cold War icon when he dethroned the Soviet Union's Boris Spassky as world champion in 1972, died in Reykjavik, Iceland, at age 64.
Character actor Allan Melvin died in Los Angeles at age 84.

Today's Birthdays:

Actress Betty White is 87.
Actor James Earl Jones is 78.
Talk show host Maury Povich is 70.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali is 67.
Pop singer Chris Montez is 67.
Rhythm-and-blues singer William Hart (The Delfonics) is 64.
Rock musician Mick Taylor is 61.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Sheila Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 56.
Singer Steve Earle is 54.
Singer Paul Young is 53.
Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 52.
Singer Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) is 50.
Actor-comedian Jim Carrey is 47.
Future first lady Michelle Obama is 45.
Actor Joshua Malina is 43.
Singer Shabba Ranks is 43.
Actor Naveen Andrews is 40.
Rapper Kid Rock is 38.
Actor Freddy Rodriguez is 34.
Actress Zooey Deschanel is 29.
Singer Ray J is 28.
Country singer Amanda Wilkinson is 27.

Thought for Today:

"The course of history can be changed but not halted."
Paul Robeson, American actor, singer and civil rights activist (1898-1976).

"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE 9-017

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Friday, January 16, 2009

JANUARY 16TH

Today is Friday, Jan. 16, the 16th day of 2009.
There are 349 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 16, 1920, Prohibition began in the United States as the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution took effect, one year to the day after its ratification. (It was later repealed by the 21st Amendment.)

On this date:

In 1547, Ivan IV of Russia (popularly known as "Ivan the Terrible") was crowned Czar.
In 1883, the U.S. Civil Service Commission was established.
In 1919, pianist and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski became the first premier of the newly created republic of Poland.
In 1942, actress Carole Lombard, 33, her mother and about 20 other people were killed when their plane crashed near Las Vegas while returning from a war-bond promotion tour.
In 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower took command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in London.
In 1969, two manned Soviet Soyuz spaceships became the first vehicles to dock in space and transfer personnel.
In 1978, NASA named 35 candidates to fly on the space shuttle, including Sally K. Ride, who became America's first woman in space, and Guion S. Bluford Jr., who became America's first black astronaut in space.
In 1989, three days of rioting began in Miami when a police officer fatally shot a black motorcyclist, causing a crash that also claimed the life of a passenger. (The officer, William Lozano, was convicted of manslaughter, but then was acquitted in a retrial.)
In 2003, the space shuttle Columbia blasted off under extremely tight security; on board was Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon. (The mission ended in tragedy when the shuttle broke up during its return descent, killing all seven crew members.)
In 2007, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., launched his successful bid for the White House.

Ten years ago:

Closing three days of opening arguments, House prosecutors demanded President Bill Clinton's removal from office, telling a hushed Senate that otherwise the presidency itself may be "deeply and perhaps permanently damaged."
Forty-five ethnic Albanians were found slain near the southern Kosovo village of Racak.

Five years ago:

Pop star Michael Jackson pleaded innocent to child molestation charges during a court appearance in Santa Maria, Calif.; the judge scolded Jackson for being 21 minutes late. (Jackson was eventually acquitted.)
NASA announced that the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope would be allowed to degrade and eventually become useless.
Freddy Adu, the 14-year-old phenom, was selected by D.C. United as the first pick in Major League Soccer draft.

One year ago:

President George W. Bush closed out his Mideast trip with a brief visit to Egypt, where he was welcomed by President Hosni Mubarak.
Archbishop Earl Paulk, the 80-year-old leader of a megachurch, pleaded guilty in Atlanta to lying under oath about his sexual affairs and was sentenced to 10 years' probation.

Today's Birthdays:

Author William Kennedy is 81.
Author-editor Norman Podhoretz is 79.
Rock musician Bob Bogle (The Ventures) is 75.
Opera singer Marilyn Horne is 75.
Auto racer A.J. Foyt is 74.
Singer Barbara Lynn is 67.
Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 66.
Country singer Jim Stafford is 65.
Talk show host Laura Schlessinger is 62.
Movie director John Carpenter is 61.
Actress-dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen is 59.
Singer Sade is 50.
Rock musician Paul Webb (Talk Talk) is 47.
Rhythm-and-blues singer Maxine Jones (En Vogue) is 43.
Actor David Chokachi is 41.
Actor Richard T. Jones is 37.
Actress Josie Davis is 36.
Model Kate Moss is 35.
Rock musician Nick Valensi (The Strokes) is 28.
Actress Yvonne Zima is 20.

Thought for Today:

"Only the sinner has the right to preach."
Christopher Morley, American journalist (1890-1957).

"Let's all be careful out there!"

DAILY CHUCKLE 9-016

"Let's all be careful out there!"

Thursday, January 15, 2009

JANUARY 15TH

Today is Thursday, Jan. 15, the 15th day of 2009.
There are 350 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 15, 1929, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta.

On this date:

In 1559, England's Queen Elizabeth I was crowned in Westminster Abbey.
In 1777, the people of New Connecticut declared their independence. (The tiny republic later became the state of Vermont.)
In 1844, the University of Notre Dame received its charter from the state of Indiana.
In 1909, jazz drummer and composer Gene Krupa was born in Chicago.
In 1942, Jawaharlal Nehru was named to succeed Mohandas K. Gandhi as head of India's Congress Party.
In 1943, work was completed on the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.
In 1947, the mutilated remains of Elizabeth Short, the 22-year-old aspiring actress nicknamed the "Black Dahlia," were found in a vacant Los Angeles lot; her slaying remains unsolved.
In 1967, the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, retroactively known as Super Bowl I.
In 1973, President Richard M. Nixon announced the suspension of all U.S. offensive action in North Vietnam, citing progress in peace negotiations.
In 1989, NATO, the Warsaw Pact and 12 other European countries adopted a human rights and security agreement in Vienna, Austria.

Ten years ago:

House prosecutors prodded senators at President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial to summon Monica Lewinsky and others for testimony and "invite the president" to appear as well.

Five years ago:

The NASA Spirit rover rolled onto the surface of Mars for the first time since the vehicle bounced to a landing nearly two weeks earlier.
Fourteen-year-old golfer Michelle Wie shot a 2-over 72 in the first round at the PGA Sony Open in Honolulu.
"First Wives Club" novelist Olivia Goldsmith died in New York at age 54.

One year ago:

Mitt Romney scored his first major primary victory in his native Michigan.
During a visit to Saudi Arabia, President George W. Bush warned that surging oil prices threatened the U.S. economy and he urged OPEC nations to boost their output.
Actor Brad Renfro, who as a youngster had played the title role in "The Client," was found dead in his Los Angeles home; he was 25.

Today's Birthdays:

Actress Margaret O'Brien is 72.
Singer Don Van Vliet (aka "Captain Beefheart") is 68.
Actress Andrea Martin is 62.
Actor-director Mario Van Peebles is 52.
Actor James Nesbitt is 44.
Singer Lisa Lisa (Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam) is 42.
Actor Chad Lowe is 41.
Actress Regina King is 38.
Actor Eddie Cahill is 31.
Rapper/reggaeton artist Pitbull is 28.

Thought for Today:

"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).

"Let's all be careful out there!"