Thursday, April 13, 2006

Spotlight
Irish playwright Samuel Beckett was born 100 years ago today. Most famous for his play Waiting for Godot, Beckett lived most of his life in Paris and wrote primarily in French, often translating his own writings into English. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969 for his body of works, which included plays, poetry and novels. In 1984, he was elected the Saoi of Aosdána . The critic Vivian Mercier described Beckett's Godot as "a play in which nothing happens... twice."

Quote
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." – Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho

Word of the day
absurd: ridiculous, lacking reason or sense; Beckett wrote in the theater of the absurd. (© )

Holiday
Holy Thursday

Today's News

• bird flu: US experts say local threat is not imminent (story)
• India: tech jobs abound as headhunters compete for skilled employees (story)
• Stradivarius violins: may reveal the secret of their unique sound (story)

Today's History

• Messiah: oratorio by Handel premiered, in Dublin (1742)
• Jefferson Memorial: dedicated in Washington, DC, on the 200th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson's birth (1943)
• Tiger Woods: won his first major golf tournament, the Masters, by a record 12 strokes, at age 21 (1997)

Today's Birthdays

• Butch Cassidy: outlaw (1866-1908)
• Don Adams: Agent 86 on Get Smart (1923-2005)
• Garry Kasparov: world chess champion (43)