History Day
Ahhhh, another History Day rolls around. Is it just me or are the weeks really flying past???
ANYWAY, on this day in 1899, Alfred Butts was born. Yes, an unprepossessing name...but this was the man who gave us SCRABBLE. Yes, the most popular word game ever. Alfred was an architect who lost his job during the Depression. He invented a 'crossword puzzle' game that he and his friends enjoyed. When a Macy's executive saw the game, in 1952 and started selling the little game at his store. Pretty soon, a big game making company came to Alfred and offered to pay him 3 cents for every copy of the game they made. Within a few weeks, 6,000 copies a week were being made. So, to the King of Displacement Activity games, we say a hearty Thank you, Alfred.
In other news..........
1796, the first Elephant arrived in the United States. Emigrating from Bengal, India, it arrived here through NYC
1943, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in DC
1964, Sidney Poitier became the first black actor in a leading role, to win an Oscar. He did it for his part in Lilies of the Field (a terrific movie)
1970, Apollo 13, on its way to the Moon, was crippled by an exploding liquid Oxygen tank and we heard the words, "Houston, we have a problem."
1997, Tiger Woods at 21 became the youngest person to win a major golf title. The Masters.
What've you guys got??
posted by Maureen Child @ 8:52 AM
6 Comments:
At 10:48 AM,
EllenToo said…
1598 - King Henry IV of France endorsed the Edict of Nantes, which granted rights to Protestant Huguenots.
1742 - Handel's "Messiah" was first performed publicly in Dublin
1870 - the Metropolitan Museum of Art was incorporated in New York.
1958 - American pianist Van Cliburn won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
1992 - The Great Chicago Flood took place as the city's century-old tunnel system and adjacent basements filled with water from the Chicago River.
1999 - right-to-die advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian was sentenced in Pontiac, Mich.,to 10 to 25 years in prison for second-degree murder in the lethal injection of a Lou Gehrig's disease patient.
At 12:25 PM,
Maureen Child said…
Wow, impressive list, Ellen!!
At 10:21 PM,
Pat said…
I just might be one of the few who has never played Scrabble. I'm so ashamed. (sigh)
1841- The saxaphone was invented by Belgian-born Adolphe Sax, who was working in Paris at the time. He also played the flute, and the clarinet.
1922- At the University of Toronto, Frederick Banting and Charles Best invent the process for insulin, which became the treatment for diabetes.
1947- The Sound Barrier is broken by US air force captain Charles E. Yeager, when he flies his Bell X-1 rocket plane from a base in Calif. He is the first person to fly beyond the speed of sound.
At 9:42 AM,
Maureen Child said…
Pat! Shock! Gasp! No Scrabble??? How about Boggle?? LOVE that game!!
Just watched The Right Stuff not long ago.....and you know, they sooo should have allowed Chuck Yeager to be an astronaut!
At 11:24 AM,
Pat said…
Um, well, I've never played Boggle either. But wait wait, how about Battle Ship? For awhile I was addicted to that thing.
At 11:34 AM,
Maureen Child said…
LOLOL........okay, I've played Battleship too!
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