Word of the Day:

Extenuate \ik-STEN-yuh-wayt\ verb
: to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of by making partial excuses : mitigate
: to lessen the strength or effect of

Today in History:

For motor-heads, the first Chevy Corvette was manufactured today in 1953. Designed by Harley Earl, the first Corvette was a convertible and debuted in 1953 as a concept show car. What a “sweet” ride!

Today’s Birthday:

The author / explorer / discoverer and technologist, Dr. Robert Ballard was born today in1942. He is best known for his discovery of the Titanic in 1985. But his reputation was made in the arena of development of deep sea robots or Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV’s). Ballard is the Founder, Deep Submergence Laboratory located at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Word of the Day:

Lucid [lu•cid] adjective.

: Easily understood; intelligible.
: Mentally sound; sane or rational.
: Translucent or transparent.

Today in History:

Today in 1891, the National Forest Service was organized. Did you know that the US Forest Service administers the nation’s 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres? Quite an accomplishment!

Today’s Birthday:

Fredrick Lawrence “Fred” Grandy was born today in 1948. Fred Grandy is best known for his portrayal as ship’s purser Burl “Gopher” Smith in the TV series “The Love Boat. Mr. Grandy received his bachelor’s degree in English studies from Harvard University in 1970; is conversant in both French and Arabic; was the roommate of David Eisenhower (grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhower) and was the best man at Eisenhower’s wedding to Julie Nixon. He served four terms as a member of the House of Representatives from Iowa. While a member of Congress, Grandy won eight “Watchdog of the Treasury” awards.

Word of the Day:

Enigmatic [en•ig•mat•ic] adjective.

: Of or resembling an enigma; puzzling
: “An enigmatic tax form.”

Today in History:

Today in 1939, Pan American World Airways inaugurated the first regular passenger service from New York to Southampton, via Newfoundland. Twenty-two passengers had the option of paying $375 one-way or $675 return. The Golden Age of Commercial Flying Boats was abruptly interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War in Europe on September 3, 1939.

Today’s Birthday:

Raggedy Ann was born today in 1917. Originally conceived by author, Johnny Gruelle, her classic look of a red yarn for hair and a triangle nose captivated generations of girls. Her brother, Raggedy Andy, dressed in sailor suit and hat, made his debut in 1920.

Word of the Day:

Contemporaneous [con•tem•po•ra•ne•ous] adjective.

: Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time
: “The contemporaneous court cases for the two defendants.”

Today in History:

Today in 1950, US President Harry S. Truman ordered US Air Forces and the US Navy to aid the democratically elected nation of South Korean against the invasion from Communist North Korea. As part of the United States strategy to stem the spread of communism, Truman also deployed the U.S. 7th Fleet to Formosa (Taiwan) to guard against invasion by communist China and ordered an acceleration of military aid to French forces fighting communist guerrillas in Vietnam.

Today’s Birthday:

In 1930 billionaire and 1992 Presidential candidate H Ross Perot was born. Indecently his flagship company, Electronic Data Systems started today in 1962.

Word of the Day:

Tempestuous [tem•pes•tu•ous] adjective.
: Tumultuous; stormy
: “A tempestuous relationship.”

Today in History:

Today in 1948 the Soviet Union began the Berlin Blockade. The Berlin Blockade, which ended on May 12, 2949, blocked the Western Allies’ railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied control. The Soviet Union’s goal was to force the Allies to abandon Berlin.  The Allies’ response was to organize the Berlin Airlift. The then recently independent US Air Force along with the UK’s Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force and South African Air Force, delivered a staggering 4700 tons of daily necessities such as fuel and food to the Berliners. The number of flights exceeded 200,000 flights in one year, flying in every sort of weather conditions imaginable.

Today’s Birthday:

Today in 1944, guitarist and rock music legend Jeff Beck was born. Geoffrey Arnold “Jeff” Beck has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once in 1992 as a member of The Yardbirds and a second time in 2009 as a solo artist.