Thursday, October 6, 2005

Spotlight
Paris's most famous cabaret, the Moulin Rouge, opened its doors on this date in 1889. Named for one of the windmills in the Montmartre section of the city, near where the nightclub is located, the Moulin Rouge was the home of the French cancan. Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created numerous paintings of the cabaret and of the revelers who frequented the place. It was also the subject of a number of films, the most recent one being a musical starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, called Moulin Rouge!, winner of an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture in 2001.

Quote
"The world would be a duller place without Moulin Rouge." – Jim Broadbent, of the 2001 film

Word of the day
risqué: off-color, suggestive of impropriety; entertainment at the Moulin Rouge is often considered to be risqué. (© )

Today's News

• Iraq: Ramadan prayers ravaged by mosque explosion; at least 25 dead (story)
• green chemistry: Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to 2 Americans and a Frenchman (story)
• Charles and Camilla: plan first official joint visit to the US (story)

Today's History

• The Jazz Singer: first full-length talkie debuted with songs and 291 spoken words (1927)
• Yom Kippur War: Egypt and Syria attack Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish year (1973)
• Elizabeth Taylor: married construction worker Larry Fortensky; it was wedding #8 for her (1991)

Today's Birthdays

• James McGill: Canadian businessman whose bequest founded McGill University in Montreal (1744-1813)
• George Westinghouse: engineer who received over 400 patents and founded the Westinghouse Electric Corporation (1846-1914)
• Jenny Lind: soprano called the Swedish Nightingale (1820-1887)