Sunday, March 19, 2006

Spotlight
On this date in 1859, Charles Gounod's opera, Faust, premiered in Paris. Though it got off to a rocky start, after delays and rejections (because it wasn't "showy" enough), the opera became a mainstay of many of the opera theaters over the years. New York's Metropolitan Opera House opened with a production of Faust in 1883. Gounod based his opera on the German alchemist who, according to legend, sold his soul to the devil in exchange for youth, power and knowledge.

Quote
"Musical ideas sprang to my mind like a flight of butterflies, and all I had to do was to stretch out my hand to catch them." – Charles Gounod

Word of the day
charlatan: fraud, faker; Johann Faust had a dubious reputation and was called a charlatan. (© )

Today's News

• France: angry protests against job plan (story)
• Somalia: US Navy in shootout with pirates (story)
• South Park: the war against Scientology is on (story)

Today's History

• bank robbery: first in the US took place on Wall Street in New York (1831)
• 25th Academy Awards: was the first televised Oscar ceremony (1953)
• invasion of Iraq: began (this was March 20 local time; 2003)

Today's Birthdays

• Wyatt Earp: lawman in the Wild West (1848-1929)
• Glenn Close: actor on stage, cinema and TV (59)
• Bruce Willis: actor, Die Hard series (51)