Sunday, July 31, 2005

Spotlight
The new darling of the auto racing world is Danica Patrick, who will be joining the pack in today's race at the Michigan International Speedway. Patrick was named Rookie of the Year when she placed fourth in her first Indianapolis 500 competition, earlier this year, the first woman ever to lead a lap at the race. She drives for the Rahal-Letterman Racing team, co-owned by Bobby Rahal and David Letterman.

Quote
"Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games." – Ernest Hemingway

Word of the day
kart: small, open-wheeler vehicle usually raced on tracks; Danica Patrick began karting when she was ten years old. (© )

Today's News

• London bombings: suspect says goal of second, botched attempt was to draw attention, not cause harm (story)
• Kuiper Belt: is home to large object that may be the solar system's 10th planet (story)
• HRT: hormone therapy is declared carcinogenic, but the picture is "complicated" (story)

Today's History

• patent: first one in US granted to Samuel Hopkins for process of making potash (1790)
• Weimar Constitution: adopted by Germany (1919)
• Final Solution: genocide of the Jews was ordered by German field marshal Hermann Göring (1941)

Today's Birthdays

• Primo Levi: Italian writer (1919-1987)
• actors: Wesley Snipes (43), Dean Cain (39)
• J.K. Rowling: author (40), and her creation, Harry Potter