Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Spotlight
Ray Charles is being honored with an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland less than a year after his death. The exhibit, which will remain open through September, includes some of Charles' awards, selections from his Braille library, his eyeglasses, original instruments, and more.

Quote
"What is a soul? It's like electricity -- we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room" -- Ray Charles

Word of the day
annus mirabilis -- a miraculous year. The year 2005 marks the centenary of Albert Einstein's annus mirabilis, when he proved the existence of the atom, showed the validity of quantum physics, and introduced his special theory of relativity. (story) (© )

Holiday
Twelfth Night of Christmas

Today's News

• Cumbre Vieja -- volcano could swamp U.S. with megatsunami (story)
• Parkinson's -- stem cells reverse symptoms in macaques
(story)
• baseball -- Boggs and Sandberg voted into Hall of Fame (story)

Today's History

• Henry Ford -- head of the Ford Motor Company introduced a minimum wage scale of $5 per day (1914)
• "Waiting for Godot" -- Samuel Beckett's play premiered in Paris (1953)
• President Nixon -- ordered development of the space shuttle (1972)

Today's Birthdays

• Alvin Ailey -- choreographer of modern dance (1931-1989)
• Robert Duvall -- oscar-winning star of Tender Mercies turns 74
• Umberto Eco -- author of The Name of the Rose turns 73