ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1822, Florida became a U.S. property. The 11-member council voted 23-1 to approve it. Yeah, they've always had trouble counting down there.

In 1842, Dr. Crawford W. Long of Jefferson, Georgia, first used ether as an anesthetic during a minor operation. It worked great, but it worked even better the second time when he gave it to the patient instead.

On this date in 1853, a patent was granted for the invention of a pencil with an attached eraser on the end.
  • Nobody's perfect... which is, of course, why he invented it. 
  • Of course, for those of us who don't need erasers... they're useless. 
  • You know, you always hear about #2 pencils. Whatever happened to #1? 
  • It was actually written down as the date from the day before, but of course, he fixed it. 
  • For a while, he erased everything he had written. Then he moved the erase to the other end of the pencil. 
  • Of course, they had to work out the bugs. At first, it was at the same end as the lead point... and as soon as you wrote something, it was erased. 

Truth be told, Irving Glickmount of Topanka, Minnesota, originally had the idea of attaching the eraser. Unfortunately, he attached it to the end of his gun. Needless to say, his first mistake was his last.

On this date in 1867, the U.S. agreed to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The deal was handled by Century 19 Real Estate.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving men the right to vote regardless of race. Yep, just men. Wow. Progressive.

On this date in 1950, the photo-transistor was invented. Finally, photos were able to listen to the radio!

In 1987, "Platoon" won four Academy Awards. Yep, the ceremony ran really long that year, too.



TODAY IS

Former Seahawk now 49-er Richard Sherman turns the big 3-0. He plans a quiet evening at home until it comes time to yell out his candles. Not enough birthday cake in the world to fill that mouth.

Geetali Norah Shankar is celebrating her 39th birthday today. You know her by her stage name, Nora Jones. She is the daughter of Ravi Shankar, who was a collaborator with the Beatles many years ago.

Mark Consuelos -- that's Mr. Kelly Rippen -- turns 47 today. Kelly likes to call him "Regis 2" around the house.

Celine Dion is still going on -- she's turns the big 5-0 today.

British talk show guy, Piers Morgan is only 53. I had him way older.

Tracy Chapman turns 54 today. She's got a fast car, you know.

M.C. Hammer is 56 today. Hammer-time!
  • Actually, he's settled down over the years. In fact, these days, you can touch this. 
  • These days, he's wearing control-top balloon pants. 
  • He sang, "You Can't Touch This" years before the version by Elin Woods. 

Eric Clapton hits 73 today. Slowhand is getting even slower. He's the last person in the world that you want to play "Rock-Paper-Scissors" with.

Warren Beatty turns 81 today. I believe he's taking wife Annette Bening to that same dance. (A biographer claims Beatty has slept with over 12,000 women.)

Take a Walk in the Park Day -- Back in the day, you would have picked up a book, taken a walk in the park, played with your kids, hit the couch for a nap or just stared out your window watching the sun set. Now you check your e-mail and the status messages. BTW, a walk in the park is one of the top ten first date ideas.

National Doctors Day -- A time for people to show appreciation to the doctors who care for them or their loved ones. We plan to celebrate by having all our guests wait in the reception area for a really long time, with plenty of 10-year-old Sports Illustrated's to enjoy.

Time to play "Know Your Doctor!"
  • Dr. Alan Quartermain was on what ABC soap opera? ("General Hospital") 
  • Robert Young played the doctor on this 1971 hit show for ABC? ("Marcus Welby MD") 
  • DeForest Kelley played Dr. McCoy in this 60's sci-fi series? ("Star Trek") 
  • George Clooney played Dr. Ross on this NBC Hit show? ("ER") 
  • Jack Klugman played this crime solving medical examiner? ("Quincy") 
  • "Hawkeye" was a doctor during the Korean War on this hit show? ("M*A*S*H") 
  • This show was a spin-off of "M*A*S*H" with Gregory Harrison as Gonzo Gates? ("Trapper John MD") 
  • Dr. Gregory House is the title character of the American medical drama? ("House") 
  • In the 1960's Richard Chamberlain was a TV heartthrob as this Doctor? ("Dr. Kildare") 
  • Dick Van Dyke played a crime-solving doctor on this CBS show? ("Diagnosis Murder") 
  • Doogie Howser is a fictional character in the 1989 TV series. ("Doogie Howser M.D.") 
  • Isobel Katherine "Izzie" Stevens, M.D. is from this ABC medical drama. ("Grey's Anatomy") 
  • Jane Seymour played the doctor on this old west show? ("Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman") 

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