ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1520, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan reached the Pacific Ocean after passing through the South American strait now named for him.
  • Yes, the Straight of Ferdinand. 
  • I find it interesting that he went straight after going bi-coastal. 
  • Well, we're assuming he was straight when he passed through. 
  • He said he was looking for a specific ocean, the mapmaker misunderstood and the rest is history. 
On this date in 1895, the very first auto race in the United States was held in Chicago. Now, people drive through the city as quickly as possible all the time, just to avoid the bullets. The race was held, over 52 miles of snowy roads from Chicago to Waukegan, Illinois. No, it wasn't televised. Or radio-ized, for that matter.

On this date in 1919, American-born Lady Astor was elected as the first female member of the British Parliament. She brought American crassness to parliament and was famous for saying, "You bet your Astor!"

In 1922, Captain Cyril Turner of the Royal Air Force performed the first skywriting exhibition over New York's Times Square, spelling out, "I'm almost out of ga..." We'll never know what he was trying to say before the crash.

On this date in 1944, the MGM film "Meet Me in St. Louis," opened in New York. Ironically, on this same date in 1944, the movie "Meet me in New York" opened in St. Louis. I'm thinking there was some confusion at the distribution office.

In 1984, the continuous yo-yo endurance record is set at 120 hours. Talk about your ups and downs.

On this date in 1995, President Clinton signed the bill that ended the 55mph freeway speed. While he did it for all drivers, he was especially fond of supporting the cause of faster women.

TODAY IS

Trey Songz turns 33 today. Or, Trey-Trey, if you prefer.

Jon Stewart turns 55 today. Laugh your way out of that one, funny boy! Too early to be retired. Get back to work! If you're looking for a gift no one else could think of, he could use an "h" for that first name.

Judd Nelson turns 58 today. He's gone from "The Breakfast Club" to "Early Bird Dinners."

Paul Shaffer, the bandleader on the former David Letterman show, turns 68 today. One of his many claims to fame -- he was the first person to drop an F-bomb on "Saturday Night Live." Hey, you take fame where you can get it.

Singer and songwriter Randy Newman turns 74 today. He did the song "I Love L.A.," from the album, "Oh, so YOU'RE the guy!"

Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart turns 81 today. His presidential hopes were dashed last century when the married senator was caught having a little rice on the side: Donna Rice.

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