FUN THINGS FOR AUGUST 1!!

Quote for the Day:

“First gain the victory and then make the best use of it you can.” (Horatio Nelson, 1797)

It’s A Holiday Somewhere:

Yorkshire Day (England) – Celebrating the history of England’s historic Yorkshire County.

August 1 as part of History:

1980 – Iceland elects Vigdis Finnbogadottir as their first ever female President

1961 – First ever Six Flags amusement park opens in Texas

1930 – Famous French Sociologist Pierre Bourdieu is born

1876 – The United States expands with the newest addition of its 38th state

1831 – The new London Bridge opens.

August 1 in the World of Business:

2011 – HSBC bank announces cuts to 5,000 jobs, as well as an additional 25,000 in 2013.

August 1 in the World of Entertainment:

1981 – MTV, the American network broadcasting music videos on television, is launched in NYC.

August 1 in the World of Geography:

1876 – Named after a river, pastoral Colorado is admitted as the 38th state.

August 1 in the World of Sports:

1978 – Pete Rose’s date with destiny is stopped as his hit streak ends at 44

August 1 – HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:

  • Arthur Hill, born in 1922 & died in 2006 at age 84 of Alzheimer’s Disease – – Best remembered for role in TV series ‘Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law’.
  • Karoly Grosz, born in 1930 & died in 1996 at age 65 – – Former Communist Prime Minister of Hungary.
  • Geoffrey Holder, born in 1930 – – Best known for the ‘Uncola Man’, 7-Up ads with his deep voice and laugh. Also appeared in ‘Annie’ and ‘Live and Let Die’ among other movies.
  • Tom Wilson, born in 1931 – – Cartoonist, creator of popular cartoon character ‘Ziggy’.
  • Dom Deluise, born in 1933 & died in 2009 at age 75 – – Comic actor who appeared in movies like “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, “Blazing Saddles”, “The Cannonball Run”. Famous quote – ‘I’m actually a thin, serious person, but I play fat and funny, but only for the movies.”
  • Robert James Walker, born in 1939 – – Acclaimed author of novels like “The Bridges of Madison County” and “Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend”.
  • Jerry Garcia, born in 1942 & died in 1995 at age 53 of a heart attack – – Founder and leader of band ‘The Grateful Dead’. Famous quote – ‘Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evils.’
  • Robert Cray, born in 1953 – – Five-time Grammy Award winning Blues/Rock singer and guitarist.
  • Trevor Berbick, born in 1955 & died in 2006 at age 51 of a murder – – Former Heavyweight Boxing Champion, last man to fight Muhammad Ali.

August 1 – Those we Remember:

  • Charles Whitman, died in 1966 at age 25 when shot by police – – Mass murderer who killed 14 people and wounded many more with a rifle while at the top of the University of Texas Tower.
  • Walter Ulbricht, died in 1973 at age 80 – – Political leader and first Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party which made Ulbricht first leader of East Germany from 1950-1970, served as East Germany’s head of state from 1970-1973. Was in power when the Berlin Wall was erected.
  • Francis Gary Powers, died in 1977 at age 47 in a helicopter crash – – American CIA pilot shot down over the Soviet Union in a U-2 spy plane, later exchanged for a Soviet Spy.
  • Strother Martin, died in 1980 at age 61 of a heart attack – – Actor best recognized for his role in ‘Cool Hand Luke’ as the chain gang boss and the line ‘What we have is a failure to communicate’. Also appeared in movies like ‘McClintock’, ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ and ‘The Wild Bunch’.
  • Sviatoslav Richter, died in 1997 at age 82 of a heart attack – – Russian classical pianist.
  • King Fahd, died in 2005 at age 84 of pneumonia – – Ruled as King of Saudi Arabia from 1982-2005.
  • Corazon Aquino, died in 2009 at age 76 of cancer – – Served as 11th President of the Philippines from 1986-1992, first women to hold the office and first women president in Asia.