Thursday, June 16, 2005

 

Spotlight: Stan Laurel, the skinny half of one of America's most popular old-time comedy duos, was actually born in England on this date in 1890. Laurel began his career as a comedian in English music halls where he was an understudy to Charlie Chaplin. He moved to the US in 1910, began to perform in vaudeville theater, and was officially paired with Oliver Hardy in the mid-1920s. They made dozens of films – both shorts and feature-length – before ill health caused them both to retire in the early 1950s.

Quote: "That's another fine mess you've gotten me into." – Oliver Hardy to Stan Laurel

Word of the day: dupable: gullible; Laurel was the dupable member of the Laurel and Hardy comedy team. (© )

Holiday: Bloomsday: commemorates the day on which the events of James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, took place

Today's News:

• Social Security: may not kick in (in the US) till you're 69 (story)
• Osama bin Laden: in good health, says Taliban commander (story)
• J.K. Rowling: no e-books for Harry Potter #6 (story)

Today's History:

• Rudolf Nureyev: Russian ballet star defected to the West (1961)
• Valentina Tereshkova: cosmonaut became first woman in space (1963)
• Russia: held its first independent presidential election; Boris Yeltsin won in a runoff (1996)

Today's Birthdays:

• Geronimo: Apache leader (1829-1909)
• writers: Erich Segal (68), Joyce Carol Oates (67)
• Tupac Shakur: gangsta rapper (1971-1996)