| Thursday, December 31, 2009 |
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| Happy New Year |
Answer of the DayHow did 'Auld Lang Syne' become the official New Year's Eve song in America? "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to min'...." "Auld Lang Syne" was played by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians as a New Year's Eve song for the first time, eighty years ago today — on December 31, 1929. Though it was played as the band's theme song for years, and it had even occasionally been sung on New Year's Eve, this was the first time that Lombardo's group played it at the Hotel Roosevelt Grill in New York City to usher in the new year. The annual tradition continued when the party moved to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (1959-1976) and the song still kicks off the Times Square celebration every New Year's Eve. The words "auld lang syne" translate literally to "old long since," or "days gone by." Scottish poet Robert Burns recorded the words that had been passed down orally, and is thought to have added some verses to the poem.
Word of the daytor
(tor)
noun
1. A rocky heap on the top of a hill.
2. A peak of a bared hill.
Etymology
From Middle English, from Old English torr. Of uncertain origin: probably from Celtic
Usage
"Felicity Jones is in England with her mother, who is on sabbatical to pursue intensive research into the Arthurian legend. There is speculation that Glastonbury Tor might really be Avalon, where Arthur was taken to die." — Renee Steinberg; The Last Grail Keeper; School Library Journal (New York); Dec 2001.
Weekly theme Short words
Today's History
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| The Times Square Crystal Ball |
- light bulb: was first demonstrated by inventor Thomas Edison, in Menlo Park, New Jersey (1879)
- Times Square: Waterford crystal ball dropped for the first time in celebration of New Year's Eve (1907)
- farthing: British coin in use since the 13th century ceased to be legal tender (1960)
- Panama Canal: waterway that connects the Caribbean with the Pacific was handed over to Panama by the US in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties (1999)
Today's Birthdays
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| Donna Summer |
- Jacques Cartier (1491-1557): explorer of North America
- Henri Matisse (1869-1954): French painter, leading Fauvist
- Simon Wiesenthal (1908-2005): Nazi hunter
- Connie Willis (64): author of The Doomsday Book
- Donna Summer (61): disco queen; other musicians born on this date include Jules Styne (1905-1994), John Denver (1943-1997), Peter Quaife (66), Burton Cummings (62), Tom Hamilton (58), Scott Ian (46) and Joe McIntyre (37)
- Val Kilmer (50): actor, Batman Forever, the new Knight Rider's voice of KITT; also, actors Anthony Hopkins (72), Tim Considine (69), Sarah Miles (68), and Ben Kingsley (66), Tim Matheson (62), Joe Dallesandro (61), James Remar (56), Bebe Neuwirth (51), Don Diamont (47) and Gong Li (44)
