Saturday, July 9, 2005

Spotlight
The psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead played their last concert at Soldier Field in Chicago on this date in 1995, less than two months before co-founder and lead guitarist Jerry Garcia died of cardiac arrest in a drug treatment center. The band formed in 1965 in San Francisco and became known for its eclectic fusion of music styles, including bluegrass, country, blues and jazz. In 1998, the remaining band members regrouped and went on tour under the name "The Other Ones." They changed their name to "The Dead" in 2003.

Quote
"Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil." – Jerry Garcia

Today in History

• San Francisco: settlement then known as Yerba Buena taken by the US during Mexican-American War (1846)
• patents: doughnut cutter (1872), corncob pipe (1878)
• Wimbledon: tennis tournament launched with Gentleman's Singles only (1877)

Today's Birthdays

• Barbara Cartland: prolific romance novelist (1901-2000)
• Donald Rumsfeld: US Secretary of Defense (73)
• Tom Hanks: Academy Award-winning actor (49)

Word of the Day
 Deadhead: a fan of The Grateful Dead; Deadheads were known to travel all over, following the band from concert to concert.   (© )