Sunday, July 1, 2007

Spotlight: Princes William and Harry say they want it to be the best birthday present their mother ever had. Today's blow-out six-hour concert in the newly refurbished Wembley Stadium will include performances by Sir Elton John, Duran Duran, Lily Allen, Kanye West, Rod Stewart, P. Diddy, Roger Hodgson and the English National Ballet, among others. Princess Diana would have turned 46 today. She was killed nearly 10 years ago, on August 31, 1997, in a car crash in Paris. Her sons are hosting the extravaganza; proceeds of the event will go to charities that were supported by Princess Diana in her lifetime, as well as to some of the princes' own favorite charities.

Quote: "I'd like people to think of me as someone who cares about them." — Diana, Princess of Wales

Holiday: Canada Day

Today's News:

• Queen Hatshepsut: mummy unearthed over 100 years ago identified (story)
• video gaming: excessive habit not a psychiatric addiction, yet (story)
• CDC: number of uninsured adults up by 2 million (story)
• Harry Potter: $18,000 for first edition at auction (story)

Today's History:

• Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: was signed by the US, UK, USSR and others to halt spread of nuclear arms (1968)
• "O Canada": became Canada's national anthem (1980)
• Hong Kong: reverted to Chinese rule (1997)

Today's Birthdays:

• Walter White (1893-1955): civil rights activist who headed the NAACP for two decades
• Olivia De Havilland (91), David Prowse (72), Dan Aykroyd (55), Pamela Anderson (40), Liv Tyler (30): actors
• Kalpana Chawla (1961-2003): astronaut who perished in the Columbia disaster