Sunday, November 11, 2007

 

Spotlight: Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., was born on this date in 1922. He wrote such well-known books of science fiction as Player Piano (1952), Cat's Cradle (1963) and Slaughterhouse Five (1969). The son of an artist, Vonnegut had always enjoyed sketching; in Slaughterhouse Five and, later in Breakfast of Champions, he added some of his own illustrations. He continued to sketch in many of his books and was asked to exhibit his work in a show of paintings by authors. His art work included several screen-prints and even one aluminum cut-out sculpture.

Quote: "Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be." — Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Word of the day: ablutophobia
Fear of washing or bathing. (© Answers Corporation)

Today's News:

• smoking: US Congress seeks to stamp out cigarettes with sizable tax increase (story)
• Broadway: shows shut as stagehands strike (story)
• Norman Mailer: iconoclastic author of The Naked and the Dead and The Executioner's Song dies at 84 (story)

Today's History:

• Mayflower Compact: was signed by Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, setting up the basis of the government of Plymouth colony (1620)
• Evergreen State: Washington became No. 42 (1889)
• WWI: ended as Allies, Germany signed armistice at 11 a.m. on 11/11 (1918)
• Rocket J. Squirrel: debuted with Bullwinkle on Rocky & His Friends (1959)

Today's Birthdays:

• Fedor Dostoevsky (1821-1881): author of Crime and Punishment
• Barbara Boxer (67): US senator (D-Cal.)
• Demi Moore (45): actress, Ghost, Indecent Proposal
• Leonardo DiCaprio (33): star of Titanic, The Aviator