Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Spotlight
Felix Mendelssohn's Wedding March was first played at the wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter to the Crown Prince of Prussia on this date in 1858. Since then, the piece has become the traditional music played during the wedding recessional.

Quote
"'The Wedding March' always reminds me of the music played when soldiers go into battle." -- Heinrich Heine

Word of the day
politiscenti -- people with superior, specialized knowledge about politics. The word was invented by William Safire for one of his farewell columns (How to Read a Column) yesterday. (© )

Today's News

• mobile phones, TV, radio -- may be disrupted due to solar flares (story)
• Russia -- lawmakers investigate banning all Jewish groups, claiming they provoke anti-Semitism (story)
• Alfred Hitchcock, Samuel L. Jackson, Demi Moore -- best Oscar losers ever (story)

Today's History

• Henry VIII -- secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn (1533)
• Nellie Bly -- completed her round-the-world trip in 72 days, beating Phileas Fogg's record (1890)
• Winter Olympics -- the first games opened at Chamonix (1924)

Today's Birthdays

• authors -- W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), and Edwin Newman (86)
• Eduard Shevardnadze -- president of Georgia turns 77
• Alicia Keys -- singer of the hit R & B single "Fallin'" turns 24