OT- Today in History 9/21/2013

Today is Saturday, Sept. 21, the 264th day of 2013. There are 101 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 21, 1912, magician Harry Houdini first publicly performed his so-called Chinese Water Torture Cell trick at the Circus Busch in Berlin, escaping after being immersed upside-down in a vertical water tank, his ankles secured in a set of stocks which made up the tank lid, which was locked into place.

On this date:

In 1792, the French National Convention voted to abolish the monarchy.

In 1893, one of America's first horseless carriages was taken for a short test drive in Springfield, Mass., by Frank Duryea, who had designed the vehicle with his brother, Charles.

In 1897, the New York Sun ran its famous editorial, written anonymously by Francis P. Church, which declared, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."

In 1912, legendary cartoon animator Chuck Jones was born in Spokane, Wash.

In 1937, "The Hobbit," by J.R.R. Tolkien, was first published by George Allen & Unwin Ltd. of London.

In 1938, a hurricane struck parts of New York and New England, causing widespread damage and claiming some 700 lives.

In 1948, Milton Berle made his debut as permanent host of "The Texaco Star Theater" on NBC-TV.

In 1962, "The Jack Paar Program," a weekly, prime-time show that followed Paar's stint on "The Tonight Show," began a three-year run.

In 1970, "NFL Monday Night Football" made its debut on ABC-TV as the Cleveland Browns defeated the visiting New York Jets, 31-21.

In 1982, Amin Gemayel, brother of Lebanon's assassinated president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, was himself elected president. National Football League players began a 57-day strike, their first regular-season walkout.

In 1987, NFL players called a strike, mainly over the issue of free agency. (The 24-day walkout prompted football owners to hire replacement players.)

In 1989, Hurricane Hugo crashed into Charleston, S.C. (the storm was blamed for 26 directly caused U.S. deaths). Twenty-one students in Alton, Texas, died when their school bus, involved in a collision with a soft-drink delivery truck, careened into a water-filled pit.

Ten years ago: Former Citigroup CEO John S. Reed was named temporary head of the New York Stock Exchange. Paul Martin was elected by Canada's Liberal Party to succeed Jean Chretien (zhahn kreh-TYEN') as prime minister. NASA's aging Galileo spacecraft deliberately plunged into Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere, bringing a fiery conclusion to a 14-year exploration of the solar system's largest planet and its moons.

Five years ago: South African President Thabo Mbeki (TAH'-boh um-BEH'-kee) announced his resignation. "Mad Men" became the first basic-cable show to win the top series Emmy; "30 Rock" and its stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin won comedy awards. The United States took back the Ryder Cup with a 16 1/2-11 1/2 victory over Europe. Baseball said farewell to the original Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-3.

One year ago: No one was injured when a plane carrying Ann Romney made an emergency landing in Denver after smoke filled the cabin. The wife of the Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was traveling from Omaha, Neb., to Los Angeles, when an apparent electrical fire broke out. A man was bitten multiple times after leaping from a monorail into a tiger exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. People lined up to buy Apple's iPhone5 as it went on sale in the United States and several other countries.

Today's Birthdays: Poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen is 79. Author-comedian Fannie Flagg is 72. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is 70. Musician Don Felder is 66. Author Stephen King is 66. Basketball Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore is 64. Actor-comedian Bill Murray is 63. Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Delahoussaye is 62. Rock musician Philthy Animal is 59. Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is 56. Movie producer-writer Ethan Coen is 56. Actor-comedian Dave Coulier is 54. Actor David James Elliott is 53. Actress Serena Scott-Thomas is 52. Actress Nancy Travis is 52. Actor Rob Morrow is 51. Retired MLB All-Star Cecil Fielder is 50. Actress Cheryl Hines is 48. Country singer Faith Hill is 46. Rock musician Tyler Stewart (Barenaked Ladies) is 46. Country singer Ronna Reeves is 45. Actress-talk show host Ricki Lake is 45. Rapper Dave (De La Soul) is 45. Actor Rob Benedict is 43. Actor James Lesure is 42. Actor Alfonso Ribeiro is 42. Actor Luke Wilson is 42. Actor Paulo Costanzo is 35. Actor Bradford Anderson is 34. Actress Autumn Reeser is 33. TV personality Nicole Richie is 32. Actress Maggie Grace is 30. Actor Joseph Mazzello is 30. Rapper Wale (WAH'-lay) is 29. Actors Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino are 15.

Thought for Today: "The crisis of yesterday is the joke of tomorrow." — H.G. Wells, English author (born this day in 1866, died 1946).

OT- Today in History 9/19

Today is Thursday, Sept. 19, the 262nd day of 2013. There are 103 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 19, 1982, the smiley emoticon was invented as Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott E. Fahlman proposed punctuating humorously intended computer messages by employing a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis as a horizontal "smiley face." :-)

On this date:

In 1777, the first Battle of Saratoga was fought during the Revolutionary War; although the British forces succeeded in driving out the American troops, the Americans prevailed in a second battle the following month.

In 1796, President George Washington's farewell address was published.

In 1881, the 20th president of the United States, James A. Garfield, died 2 1/2 months after being shot by Charles Guiteau; Chester Alan Arthur became president.

In 1934, Bruno Hauptmann was arrested in New York and charged with the kidnap-murder of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.

In 1945, Nazi radio propagandist William Joyce, known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was convicted of treason and sentenced to death by a British court.

In 1957, the United States conducted its first contained underground nuclear test, code-named Rainier, in the Nevada desert.

In 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, visiting Los Angeles, reacted angrily upon being told that, for security reasons, he wouldn't get to visit Disneyland.

In 1960, Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in New York to visit the United Nations, angrily checked out of the Shelburne Hotel in a dispute with the management; Castro ended up staying at the Hotel Theresa in Harlem.

In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill, a New Hampshire couple driving home from vacation, experienced what they later claimed under hypnosis was a short-term abduction by extraterrestrials.

In 1962, the Western TV series "The Virginian" debuted on NBC.

In 1970, the situation comedy "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" debuted on CBS-TV.

In 1985, the Mexico City area was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 9,500 people.

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Ten years ago: Former Hurricane Isabel raced from Virginia to Canada, delivering far less rain than expected but leaving millions without power. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's defense minister, Sultan Hashim Ahmad, surrendered to U.S. forces.

Five years ago: Struggling to stave off financial catastrophe, the Bush administration laid out a radical bailout plan calling for a takeover of a half-trillion dollars or more in worthless mortgages and other bad debt held by tottering institutions. Relieved investors sent stocks soaring on Wall Street and around the globe.

China's food safety crisis widened after the industrial chemical melamine was found in milk produced by three of the country's leading dairy companies.

Hours after performing for thousands of South Carolina college students, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and celebrity DJ AM were critically injured in a fiery Learjet crash that killed four people. (DJ AM, whose real name was Adam Goldstein, was found dead in his apartment on Aug. 28; he was 36.)

Baseball's new instant replay system produced its first reversal when Tampa Bay's Carlos Pena had a two-run double changed to a three-run homer during the fourth inning of a game against Minnesota. (The Rays beat the Twins, 11-1.)

One year ago: Members of Congress presented the Congressional Gold Medal to Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (ahng sahn soo chee) in a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. The Justice Department's internal watchdog found fault with the agency's handling of a gun-trafficking probe in Arizona that resulted in hundreds of weapons turning up at crime scenes in the U.S. and Mexico. The inspector general's report referred more than a dozen people for possible disciplinary action for their roles in Operation Fast and Furious. The Windseeker ride at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., broke down, leaving about 20 riders who expected a three-minute thrill dangling 300 feet over the amusement park for nearly two hours.

Today's Birthdays: Author Roger Angell is 93. TV host James Lipton ("Inside the Actors Studio") is 87. Actress Rosemary Harris is 86. Former Defense Secretary Harold Brown is 86. Actor Adam West is 85. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Bob Turley is 83. Actor David McCallum (TV: "NCIS") is 80. Singer-songwriter Paul Williams is 73. Singer Bill Medley is 73. Singer Sylvia Tyson (Ian and Sylvia) is 73. Singer Freda Payne is 71. Golfer Jane Blalock is 68. Singer David Bromberg is 68. Actor Randolph Mantooth is 68. Rock singer-musician Lol Creme (10cc) is 66. Former NFL running back Larry Brown is 66. Actor Jeremy Irons is 65. Actress Twiggy Lawson is 64. TV personality Joan Lunden is 63. Singer-producer Daniel Lanois is 62. Actor Scott Colomby is 61. Musician-producer Nile Rodgers is 61. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL player Reggie Williams is 59. Singer-actor Rex Smith is 58. Actor Kevin Hooks is 55. Actress Carolyn McCormick is 54. Country singer Jeff Bates is 50. Country singer Trisha Yearwood is 49. Actress-comedian Cheri Oteri is 48. News anchor Soledad O'Brien is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Espraronza Griffin (Society of Soul) is 44. Celebrity chef Michael Symon is 44. Actress Sanaa Lathan (suh-NAH' LAY'-thun) is 42. Actress Stephanie J. Block is 41. Rock singer A. Jay Popoff (Lit) is 40. Comedian and TV talk show host Jimmy Fallon is 39. TV personality Carter Oosterhouse is 37. Actress-TV host Alison Sweeney is 37. Rock musician Ryan Dusick is 36. Folk-rock singers-musicians Sara and Tegan (TEE'-gan) Quin are 33. Actor Columbus Short is 31. Rapper Eamon is 30. Christian rock musician JD Frazier is 30. Actor Kevin Zegers is 29. Actress Danielle Panabaker is 26.

Thought for Today: "Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." — W.C. Fields, American comedian (1880-1946).

OT- Today in History

I know that this board it's supposed to be about pain, but I'm in too much pain to give the high quality posts that I'd prefer and we can all use some distraction.

Today is Friday, Sept. 13, the 256th day of 2013. There are 109 days left in the year. The Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, begins at sunset.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 13, 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

On this date:

In 1759, during the final French and Indian War, the British defeated the French on the Plains of Abraham overlooking Quebec City.

In 1803, Commodore John Barry, considered by many the father of the American Navy, died in Philadelphia.

In 1912, a state funeral was held in Japan for Emperor Meiji.

In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the U.S. Senate; she became the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress.

In 1959, Elvis Presley first met his future wife, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, while stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. (They married in 1967, but divorced in 1973.)

In 1962, Mississippi Gov. Ross Barnett rejected the U.S. Supreme Court's order for the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a black student, declaring in a televised address, "We will not drink from the cup of genocide."

In 1970, the first New York City Marathon was held; winner Gary Muhrcke finished the 26.2-mile run, which took place entirely inside Central Park, in 2:31:38.

In 1971, a four-day inmates' rebellion at the Attica Correctional Facility in western New York ended as police and guards stormed the prison; the ordeal and final assault claimed the lives of 32 inmates and 11 employees.

In 1989, Fay Vincent was elected commissioner of Major League Baseball, succeeding the late A. Bartlett Giamatti (juh-MAH'-tee).

In 1993, at the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat shook hands after signing an accord granting limited Palestinian autonomy. "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" premiered on NBC.

In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur died at a Las Vegas hospital six days after he was wounded in a drive-by shooting; he was 25.

In 1998, former Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace died in Montgomery at age 79.

Ten years ago: Angry mourners swarmed Fallujah (fuh-LOO'-juh), Iraq, a day after eight Iraqi police were killed in a friendly fire incident involving U.S. troops; the U.S. military apologized for the deaths. The California Democratic Party voted to endorse Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (boost-ah-MAHN'-tay) while continuing to support Gov. Gray Davis in the October 7 recall election. Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon died at age 73. In Las Vegas, Sugar Shane Mosley beat Oscar De La Hoya, winning a close but unanimous decision to take the WBC and WBA 154-pound titles.

Five years ago: Rescue crews ventured out to pluck people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stubbornly stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike. After wild conjecture over who would play Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," writer-performer Tina Fey returned to her old show for an opening sketch featuring her and Fey's former "Weekend Update" co-host Amy Poehler as Sen. Hillary Clinton.

One year ago: Chanting "death to America," hundreds of protesters angered by an anti-Islam film stormed the U.S. Embassy compound in Yemen's capital and burned the American flag. New York City's Board of Health passed a ban on the sale of big sodas and other sugary drinks, limiting the size sold at restaurants, concession stands and other eateries to 16 ounces.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Barbara Bain is 82. Actress Eileen Fulton ("As the World Turns") is 80. TV producer Fred Silverman is 76. Former White House spokesman Larry Speakes is 74. Actor Richard Kiel is 74. Rock singer David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears) is 72. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 69. Singer Peter Cetera is 69. Actress Christine Estabrook is 63. Actress Jean Smart is 62. Singer Randy Jones (The Village People) is 61. Record producer Don Was is 61. Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr. is 59. Actress-comedian Geri Jewell is 57. Country singer Bobbie Cryner is 52. Rock singer-musician Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) is 52. Radio-TV personality Tavis Smiley is 49. Rock musician Zak Starkey is 48. Actor Louis Mandylor is 47. Olympic gold medal runner Michael Johnson is 46. Rock musician Steve Perkins is 46. Actor Roger Howarth is 45. Actor Dominic Fumusa is 44. Actress Louise Lombard is 43. Tennis player Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE'-seh-vihch) is 42. Country singer Aaron Benward (Blue County) is 40. Country musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts) is 38. Actor Scott Vickaryous is 38. Singer Fiona Apple is 36. Contemporary Christian musician Hector Cervantes (Casting Crowns) is 33. MLB pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka is 33. Actor Ben Savage is 33. Rock singer Niall Horan (One Direction) is 20. Actor Mitch Holleman ("Reba") is 18.

Thought for Today: "Better to be without logic than without feeling." — Charlotte Bronte (BRAWN'-tee), English author (1816-1855).

Yesterday in History

Yesterday was Thursday, Sept. 12, the 255th day of 2013. There were 110 days left in the year.

Yesterday's Highlight in History:

On September 12, 1943, during World War II, German paratroopers took Benito Mussolini from the hotel where he was being held by the Italian government.

On this date:

In 1846, Elizabeth Barrett secretly married Robert Browning at St. Marylebone Church in London.

In 1888, entertainer Maurice Chevalier was born in Paris.

In 1913, Olympic legend Jesse Owens was born in Oakville, Ala.

In 1938, Adolf Hitler demanded the right of self-determination for the Sudeten (soo-DAYT'-un) Germans in Czechoslovakia.

In 1942, during World War II, a German U-boat off West Africa torpedoed the RMS Laconia, which was carrying Italian prisoners of war, British soldiers and civilians.

In 1953, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier (boo-vee-AY') in Newport, R.I.

In 1960, Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy addressed questions about his Roman Catholic faith, telling a Southern Baptist group, "I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me."

In 1962, in a speech at Rice University in Houston, President John F. Kennedy reaffirmed his support for the manned space program, declaring: "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

In 1963, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," a novel by John le Carre, went on sale in Britain.

In 1977, South African black student leader Steve Biko (BEE'-koh) died while in police custody, triggering an international outcry.

In 1986, Joseph Cicippio (sih-SIHP'-ee-oh), the acting comptroller at the American University in Beirut, was kidnapped (he was released in December 1991).

In 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off, carrying with it Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space; Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space; and Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese national to fly on a U.S. spaceship.

Ten years ago: In the Iraqi city of Fallujah, U.S. forces mistakenly opened fire on vehicles carrying police, killing eight of them. The U.N. Security Council ended 11 years of sanctions against Libya. Typhoon Maemi (may-mee) slammed into South Korea, killing at least 117 people. Music legend Johnny Cash died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 71.

Five years ago: A Metrolink commuter train struck a freight train head-on in Los Angeles, killing 25 people. (Federal investigators said the Metrolink engineer, Robert Sanchez, who was among those who died, had been text-messaging on his cell phone and ran a red light shortly before the crash.) Hurricane Ike began battering the Texas coast. Grand Ole Opry star Charlie Walker died in Hendersonville, Tenn. at age 81.

One year ago: The U.S. dispatched an elite group of Marines to Tripoli. Libya, after the mob attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. President Barack Obama strongly condemned the violence, and vowed to bring the killers to justice; Republican challenger Mitt Romney accused the administration of showing weakness in the face of tumultuous events in the Middle East.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Dickie Moore ("Our Gang") is 88. Actor Freddie Jones is 86. Actor Ian Holm is 82. Actress Linda Gray is 73. Singer Maria Muldaur is 71. Actor Joe Pantoliano is 62. Singer-musician Gerry Beckley (America) is 61. Original MTV VJ Nina Blackwood is 61. Rock musician Neil Peart (Rush) is 61. Actor Peter Scolari is 58. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is 57. Actress Rachel Ward is 56. Actress Amy Yasbeck is 51. Rock musician Norwood Fisher (Fishbone) is 48. Actor Darren E. Burrows is 47. Rock singer-musician Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five) is 47. Actor-comedian Louis (loo-ee) C.K. is 46. Rock musician Larry LaLonde (Primus) is 45. Actor Josh Hopkins is 43. Actor Paul Walker is 40. Country singer Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland) is 39. Actor Ben McKenzie is 35. Singer Ruben Studdard is 35. Basketball player Yao Ming is 33. Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson is 32. Actress Emmy Rossum is 27. Actor Colin Ford is 17.

Thought for Today: "Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing it." — Jesse Owens (1913-1980).

OT- Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2013. There are 112 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On September 10, 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. (Afterward, Perry sent out the message, "We have met the enemy and they are ours.")

On this date:

In 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown colony council in Virginia.

In 1846, Elias Howe received a patent for his sewing machine.

In 1912, the jungle character Tarzan made his debut as "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs was first published in The All-Story magazine.

In 1919, New York City welcomed home Gen. John J. Pershing and 25,000 soldiers who'd served in the U.S. First Division during World War I.

In 1939, Canada declared war on Germany.

In 1945, Vidkun Quisling was sentenced to death in Norway for collaborating with the Nazis (he was executed by firing squad in October 1945).

In 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, a black student.

In 1963, twenty black students entered Alabama public schools following a standoff between federal authorities and Gov. George C. Wallace.

In 1979, four Puerto Rican nationalists imprisoned for a 1954 attack on the U.S. House of Representatives and a 1950 attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman were freed from prison after being granted clemency by President Jimmy Carter.

In 1983, John Vorster (FAWS'-tur), prime minister of white-ruled South Africa from 1966 to 1978, died in Cape Town at age 67.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II arrived in Miami, where he was welcomed by President and Mrs. Reagan as he began a 10-day tour of the United States.

In 1993, "The X-Files" premiered on Fox Television.

Ten years ago: Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, 46, was stabbed in a Stockholm department store; she died the next day. (Mijailo Mijailovic (mee-EYE'-loh mee-EYE'-luh-vich) was later convicted of murdering Lindh and was sentenced to life in prison.) The first video image of Osama bin Laden in nearly two years was broadcast on Al-Jazeera TV. Israel bombed the home of a Hamas leader, killing his eldest son and a bodyguard in retaliation for two suicide bombings.

Five years ago: The world's largest particle collider passed its first major tests by firing two beams of protons in opposite directions around a 17-mile (27-kilometer) ring under the Franco-Swiss border. Frank Mundus, the legendary shark fisherman said to have inspired the character of Quint in "Jaws," died in Honolulu at age 82.

One year ago: An airstrike killed al-Qaida's No. 2 leader in Yemen along with six others traveling with him in a breakthrough for U.S.-backed efforts to cripple the terror network's operations in the impoverished Arab nation. Chicago teachers walked off the job in what would become a seven-day strike, idling nearly 400,000 students in one of the nation's third-largest school district. Andy Murray became the first British man since 1936 to capture a Grand Slam title, beating defending champion Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 to win the U.S. Open in five grueling sets.

Today's Birthdays: World Golf Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer is 84. Actor Philip Baker Hall is 82. Actor Greg Mullavey is 80. Country singer Tommy Overstreet is 76. Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers is 73. Singer Danny Hutton (Three Dog Night) is 71. Singer Jose Feliciano is 68. Actor Tom Ligon is 68. Actress Judy Geeson is 65. Former Canadian first lady Margaret Trudeau is 65. Political commentator Bill O'Reilly is 64. Rock musician Joe Perry (Aerosmith) is 63. Actress Amy Irving is 60. Country singer Rosie Flores is 57. Actress Kate Burton is 56. Movie director Chris Columbus is 55. Actor Colin Firth is 53. Rock singer-musician David Lowery (Cracker) is 53. Actor Sean O'Bryan is 50. Actor Raymond Cruz is 49. Retired MLB All-Star pitcher Randy Johnson is 50. Rock musician Robin Goodridge (Bush) is 48. Rock musician Stevie D. (Buckcherry) is 47. Rock singer-musician Miles Zuniga (Fastball) is 47. Actress Nina Repeta (NY'-nuh ruh-PEHT'-ah) is 46. Rapper Big Daddy Kane is 45. Movie director Guy Ritchie is 45. Contemporary Christian singer Sara Groves is 41. Actor Ryan Phillippe (FIHL'-ih-pee) is 39. Actor Kyle Bornheimer is 38. Rock musician Mikey Way (My Chemical Romance) is 33. Olympic bronze medal figure skater Timothy Goebel is 33. Rock musician Matthew Followill (Kings of Leon) is 29. Singer Ashley Monroe (Pistol Annies) is 27. Singer Sanjaya Malakar ("American Idol") is 24. Actor Chandler Massie is 23. Actress Hannah Hodson is 22.

Thought for Today: "History is the great dust-heap ... a pageant and not a philosophy." — Augustine Birrell, English author and statesman (1850-1933).