Monday, March 13, 2006

Spotlight
On this date in 1887, Chester Greenwood got a patent for earmuffs – sewn fur on metal bands – calling them "Greenwood's Champion Ear Protectors." Greenwood never finished elementary school, but he had more than 100 patents and is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as one of America's 15 outstanding inventors. His hometown of Farmington, ME, is the Earmuff Capital of the World; they celebrate Greenwood's birthday on the first Saturday in December with a parade, with cars, cows and pets decorated with giant earmuffs.

Quote
"O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?" – Percy Bysshe Shelley

Word of the day
pinna: auricle, visible part of the ear; earmuffs are worn over the pinna. (© )

Today's News

• Alzheimer's: large test of experimental drug begins (story)
• CIA: agents and locations vulnerable to Internet searches (story)
• Queen Elizabeth: Australian trip sparks debate over whether she should be head of state (story)

Today's History

• Uranus: seventh planet from the sun was discovered by William Herschel (1781)
• Andrew Johnson: first impeachment trial of a US president began (1868)
• Kitty Genovese: was murdered in Queens, New York, while neighbors ignored her screams; this prompted investigation into the bystander effect (1964)

Today's Birthdays

• L. Ron Hubbard: sci-fi author, founder of Scientology (1911-1986)
• Neil Sedaka: singer/songwriter, "Laughter in the Rain" (67)
• William Macy: actor, Fargo, Pleasantville (56)