| Monday, June 29, 2009 |
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| Glenn Davis Clears the Hurdles |
SpotlightMany people know about the four-minute mile. When Roger Bannister broke that barrier in 1954, he set a new standard for middle-distance runners. On this date in 1956, two other athletic barriers were overcome. Both events took place at the US Olympic Trials in Los Angeles: Glenn Davis broke the 50-second barrier in the 400-meter hurdles, coming in at 49.5 seconds; and later that day Charles Dumas became the first man to high jump 7 feet/2.13 meters. Today, 47 seconds is the time to beat at the 400-meter hurdles — that has happened only once, when Kevin Young finished in 46.78 seconds in 1992. As for the high jump, Javier Sotomayor is the current record-holder, having jumped 8 feet/2.45 meters in 1993 — Sotomayor remains the only person to have cleared eight feet/2.44 meters in the high jump.
Quote"The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give."
Question of the DayWho is the current world record holder in the 400-yard dash?
The 400-meter dash is the longest common sprint distance, and a regular track event. On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In the United States, athletes previously competed in the 440-yard dash (402.336 m) instead of the 400 m, though this distance is now obsolete.
Michael Johnson is the current men's world record holder, with a time of 43.18 seconds. Kerron Clement holds the world indoor record holder of 44.57 seconds. The current women's world record is held by Marita Koch, with a time of 47.60 seconds (set before the advent of out-of-competition testing). The reigning Olympic champions are LaShawn Merritt and Christine Ohuruogu. The Paralympic world record of 46.56 seconds is held by Oscar Pistorius.
Word of the dayfloccinaucinihilipilification
(FLOK-sih-noh-see-NEE-hee-lee-PEE-lih-fih-KAY-shun)
The estimation of something as worthless.
The term is usually used as an example of a very long word. It originates from the Latin words flocci, nauci and pili, and it appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary's first edition (published in separate sections between 1884-1928). The Dictionary cites it as humorous and gives the following examples of its usage:
I loved him for nothing so much as his floccinaucinihilipilification of money. — William Shenstone, Letters
They must be taken with an air of contempt, a floccinaucinihilipilification of all that can gratify the outward man. — Sir Walter Scott, Journal
Long words have a sesquipedalian charm all their own. Here are a week's worth to consider when you're in the mood to say a mouthful.
Today's History
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| iPhone |
- Globe Theatre: London theatre that showcased Shakespeare's plays burned down; it ws reconstructed in 1997 (1613)
- Townshend Acts: were passed by the British Parliament, imposing import duties on paper, tea and other items shipped to America; they led to the Boston Massacre (1767)
- Furman v. Georgia: the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that capital punishment could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment" (1972)
- Atlantis: space shuttle docked with Russian space station Mir; together they formed the largest man-made satellite to orbit Earth (1995)
- iPhone: went on sale in the US amid enormous buzz (2007)
Today's Birthdays
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Dan Dierdorf Named to St. Louis Cardinals Ring of Honor |
- George Goethals (1858-1928): civil engineer, supervised construction of the Panama Canal
- George Ellery Hale (1868-1938): astronomer who invented the Hale telescope
- James Van Der Zee (1886-1983): photographer, captured scenes of Harlem life
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944): aviator and writer of Le Petit Prince
- Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998): civil rights activist
- Dan Dierdorf (60): football hall-of-famer; baseball hall-of-famer Harmon Killebrew (73) shares this birth date
