Friday, February 18, 2005

 

Spotlight: The opalescent colored glass used in a great deal of stained glass designs was developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Born on this date in 1848, Tiffany was famous for his lamps, vases, murals and windows. Many of his pieces are exhibited in NY's Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in the Neustadt Museum of Tiffany Art (NYC).

Quote: "People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." -- Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Today in History:

• Jefferson Davis: new president of the Confederate States of America (1861)
• Mark Twain: published The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885)
• Lowell Observatory: Clyde W. Tombaugh discovered Pluto (1930)

Today's Birthdays:

• speed: Ernst Mach (1838-1916)
and Enzo Ferrari (1898-1988)
• performers: Jack Palance (86), George Kennedy (80), Yoko Ono (72), John Travolta (51), and Dr. Dre (40)
• writers: Sholem Aleichem (1859-1916), Andre Breton (1896-1966), Helen Gurley Brown (83), Len Deighton (76), and Toni Morrison (74)

Word of the Day:  art nouveau: a style of decoration and architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, typically characterized by the use of flowing lines, and organic forms, especially floral. Tiffany glass was a classic example of art nouveau design.   (© )