Happy Birthday to Me
So, today I’m 35, which means that I’m closer to turning 40 than I am to turning 30. A fellow Valentine’s Day Baby and friend, Shaun Hough (Happy Birthday, Shaun), pointed out that it’s also the birthday of Columbus, Ohio (founded February 14, 1812). And that got me thinking, what else happened today in history.
Here is a list of ones that I found interesting on Wikipedia, and if there are any errors on this list, I blame them and not the pint and a half of pale ale I’m enjoying right now. Any typographical errors are due to the pale ale, or to the fact that I just can’t type.
- 1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone, as does Elisha Gray. Elisha Gray is from Barnesville, Ohio, my hometown.
- 1894 – Jack Benny is born. “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”
- 1913 – Woody Hayes is born. Nice.
- 1913 – Jimmy Hoffa is born. Could any more drastically opposite people than Woody Hayes and Jimmy Hoffa share a birthday?
- 1918 – The Soviet Union adopts the Gregorian calendar (on 1 February according to the Julian calendar). The Gregorian calendar was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII on February 24th, 1582. Took them long enough.
- 1929 – Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone’s gang, are murdered in Chicago, Illinois. Another Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre occurred many years later in Columbus, Ohio, with fewer deaths, but many more casualties.
- 1934 – Florence Henderson is born. That might explain a few things…
- 1946 – Gregory Hines is born. “I got a great corkscrew! (Whoooaaaa!) Damn, this is a hip crowd!”
- 1948 – Teller, of Penn and Teller, is born. I couldn’t find a good Teller quote.
- 1960 – Jim Kelly is born. Poor guy just couldn’t win in the Super Bowl.
- 1961 – Discovery of the chemical elements: Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California. I always felt a deep connection to Lawrencium. This is probably why.
- 1965 – Slick Rick is born. Word!
- 1970 – Simon Pegg is born. He went on to write the best zombie movie ever.
- 1972 – Drew Bledsoe is born. And…
- 1973 – Steve McNair is born. I guess it’s a good day for quarterbacks.
- 1977 – Brent Rogers tells his Dad that he doesn’t want a younger brother.
Hope everyone enjoyed this list as much as I enjoyed researching it. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes.