Monday, December 7, 2009

Answer of the Day
What is the oldest symphony orchestra in the US, and how did it come into existence? America's oldest symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, debuted on December 7, 1842, with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The conductor and founder of the orchestra was violinist Ureli Corelli Hill. Hill had already been involved in another musical group in New York, called the New York Sacred Music Society, when he organized a meeting and the founding of a philharmonic orchestra. He was chosen to be the first president of the New York Philharmonic Society. The orchestra was five years old before women were allowed to buy subscription tickets. In 1928, the New York Philharmonic merged with New York's National Symphony Orchestra, making it New York City's primary orchestra. From the initial schedule of three concerts a year, the New York Philharmonic has grown to its current 200 yearly concerts, including concerts in the parks, children's concerts and repertoires of popular as well as classical music.

Quote
"I float from day to day, concert to concert, masterpiece to masterpiece, supported by the sound of the New York Philharmonic." — Lorin Maazel, one-time music director of the NY Philharmonic

Word of the day
kakistocracy
(kak-i-STOK-ruh-see, kah-ki-)

noun
Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.

Etymology
Greek kakistos, worst, superlative of kakos, bad + -cracy, government, rule.

Usage
"Russia is proving the opposite. Late last year, the kakistocracy propping up Boris Yeltsin decided not to risk giving up power." — William Safire, Contrasting Elections, The New York Times, March 20, 2000.
(© Wordsmith.org)

Today's History

View of Earth from Space

• Delaware: the First State ratified the United States Constitution and was admitted to the Union (1787)
• Pearl Harbor: on this "date which will live in infamy," Japan launched an attack on a naval base in Hawaii, drawing the US into WWII (1941)
• "The Blue Marble": famous photograph of Earth was taken by the crew of the Apollo 17 as NASA's last moon mission flew away from Cape Canaveral (1972)

Today's Birthdays

Larry Bird

• Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680): architect and artist who created Baroque style of sculpture
• Joseph Cook (1860-1947): Australian prime minister
• Willa Cather (1873-1947): novelist who wrote stories of prairie life, O Pioneers!; other writers born today include Allan Cunningham (1784-1842), Joyce Cary (1888-1957) and Heywood Broun (1888-1939)
• Noam Chomsky (81): linguist
• Tom Waits (60): Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/actor, Mule Variations; plus, musicians Bobby Osborne (78), Harry Chapin (1942-1981) and Aaron Carter (22)
• Larry Bird (53): MVP basketball player and coach; hall-of-famers Gerry Cheevers (69) and Johnny Bench (62) also celebrate birthdays today
• Jeffrey Wright (44): stage and screen actor, Angels in America; actors Eli Wallach (94) and Ellen Burstyn (77) share this birth date