Because everyone else seems to be doing it...
Look up your birthday in Wikipedia. Pick 4 events, 3 births, 2 deaths, and 1 holiday.
Events
1. 1775 - American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Canada. (Yeah, screw the Canucks! Though, it was technically British, so screw the Poms... Whatever.)
2. 1809 - Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire. (Yeah, you tell the Vatican where to go, Bony!)
3. 1900 - Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking. (Nice work, Baden-Powell!)
4. 1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer. (This thing bloody rocks! Check it out.)
Supplemental. 1990 - the WHO takes Homosexuality out of its list of mental illnesses. (Had to add this because I thought it was important.)
Births
1. 1866 - Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925)
2. 1904 - Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976)
3. 1965 - Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails) (I wanna watch it come down, too, Trent!)
Others worth mentioning because I can't help myself. 1155 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225), 1935 - Dennis Potter, 1936 - Dennis Hopper, 1942 - Taj Mahal (the musician, not the building), 1943 - Johnny Warren, 1945 - Tony Roche, 1955 - Bill Paxton, 1956 - Sugar Ray Leonard, 1956 - Bob Saget, 1961 - Enya (not proud of that one).
Deaths
1. 1536 - George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, English diplomat. (Executed a couple of days before his sister, Anne, after they were both found guilty of incest.)
2. 1510 - Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
Supplemental. And let's not forget: 2004 - Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
Holiday
1. Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Literature Day) - holiday in Galicia, honouring the Galician language. (I like that.)
It's worth noting, for anyone who's curious, that the town of Luces, which is the probable source of my surname, lies in Asturias on the north coast of Spain, about 200km from the Galician border. A quick look at the Wiki about Galicia points to the fact that there was significant immigration from Galicia to South America during the 19th century. In fact, the two greatest concentrations of people of Galician decent outside of Galicia itself exist in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, the city where my parents grew up.
The things you learn...
Events
1. 1775 - American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Canada. (Yeah, screw the Canucks! Though, it was technically British, so screw the Poms... Whatever.)
2. 1809 - Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire. (Yeah, you tell the Vatican where to go, Bony!)
3. 1900 - Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking. (Nice work, Baden-Powell!)
4. 1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer. (This thing bloody rocks! Check it out.)
Supplemental. 1990 - the WHO takes Homosexuality out of its list of mental illnesses. (Had to add this because I thought it was important.)
Births
1. 1866 - Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925)
2. 1904 - Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976)
3. 1965 - Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails) (I wanna watch it come down, too, Trent!)
Others worth mentioning because I can't help myself. 1155 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225), 1935 - Dennis Potter, 1936 - Dennis Hopper, 1942 - Taj Mahal (the musician, not the building), 1943 - Johnny Warren, 1945 - Tony Roche, 1955 - Bill Paxton, 1956 - Sugar Ray Leonard, 1956 - Bob Saget, 1961 - Enya (not proud of that one).
Deaths
1. 1536 - George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, English diplomat. (Executed a couple of days before his sister, Anne, after they were both found guilty of incest.)
2. 1510 - Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
Supplemental. And let's not forget: 2004 - Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
Holiday
1. Día das Letras Galegas (Galician Literature Day) - holiday in Galicia, honouring the Galician language. (I like that.)
It's worth noting, for anyone who's curious, that the town of Luces, which is the probable source of my surname, lies in Asturias on the north coast of Spain, about 200km from the Galician border. A quick look at the Wiki about Galicia points to the fact that there was significant immigration from Galicia to South America during the 19th century. In fact, the two greatest concentrations of people of Galician decent outside of Galicia itself exist in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, the city where my parents grew up.
The things you learn...