Monday, August 7, 2006

 

Spotlight: Walking a tightrope took on new heights when aerialist Philippe Petit took an illegal stroll between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on this date in 1974. The French stuntman had taken six years to prepare for the moment. When he finally descended, he was immediately taken into police custody. The punishment? To give a free performance in Central Park and a lifetime pass to the observation deck of the WTC's South Tower. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks brought the Twin Towers down, Mordicai Gerstein wrote a Caldecott Award-winning book about Petit's exploits, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.

Quote: "Being on a tightrope is living; everything else is waiting." – Karl Wallenda

Word of the day: ignotum per ignotius -- [L] the unknown (explained) by means of the more unknown: an annoyingly obscure explanation (© )

Today's News:

• India: lawmakers call for ban on Coke, Pepsi, citing insecticide levels; they prefer milk-based drinks (story)
• Bangladesh: battles polio with massive vaccination campaign (story)
• Walt Disney World: prices up by $4 for day's admission (story)
• the Hermitage: arrests made in art theft case (story)
• antidepressants: quitting can be harder than you thought (story)
• Tiger Woods: wins 50th PGA Tour title (story)

Today's History:

• Purple Heart: medal was created by George Washington (1782)
• Ulysses: James Joyce novel was ruled not obscene, no longer banned (1934)
• US embassy bombings: simultaneous al-Qaeda attacks in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, killed 224 people and wounded some 5,500 (1998)

Today's Birthdays:

• Mata Hari: Dutch dancer and spy (1876-1917)
• Garrison Keillor: host of A Prairie Home Companion (64)
• Jimmy Wales: founder of Wikipedia (40)
• Charlize Theron: actress, Monster, The Italian Job (31)