Answer of the Day
Why would astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? The Hollywood Walk of Fame isn't just for people in the entertainment industry. It's for people who made significant contributions to the industry. When the Apollo 11 crew got their stars, they received them for their contribution to television, but the emblem was different from the standard TV-set-with-rabbit-ears; their names are embedded in identical moons at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. On this date in 1960, Joanne Woodward became the first performer to receive a star on the Walk of Fame. Last night, drummer Ringo Starr got his own star, No. 2,401 and the first of the Walk of Fame's next half century. Luminaries like Drew Barrymore and four of her ancestors (John, Ethel, John Drew and Lionel), the Harlem Globetrotters, and three Turners — Lana, Ted and Tina — have all received stars. Then there are the nonhuman entertainers, like Big Bird, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Lassie, Bugs Bunny and The Simpsons. Gene Autry is the only person with five stars — one for each category — on the Walk of Fame.

Quote
"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful." — John Wooden

Word of the day
disport
(di-SPORT)

verb tr., intr.: To divert or amuse (oneself).
noun: A diversion or amusement.

Etymology
From Old French desporter (to divert), from dis- + porter (to carry).

Usage
"On the island, as on a stage, the people of Paris disport themselves in every attitude of summer recreation." — T.J. McNamara; Seurat's Grand Triumph of Light; New Zealand Herald; Jan 23, 2010.

Weekly theme
verbs (© Wordsmith.org)

Today's History

Davis Cup Contenders in 1929

• National Weather Service: then known as the United States Weather Bureau, was founded; it used to alert fruit growers to the approach of stormy weather by telegraph (1870)
• Davis Cup: international tennis competition was played for the first time; its donor, Dwight F. Davis, won (1900)
• war time: clocks were turned forward one hour in the US to aid the war effort; this change to daylight-saving time was year-round and lasted till the end of WWII (1942)
• Satchel Paige: became the first Negro League player elected into Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame (1971)

Today's Birthdays

Judith Light

• William Henry Harrison (1773-1841): US president who served only 1 month before dying of pneumonia
• Carole King (68): singer/songwriter, "You've Got a Friend"; plus, musicians Gasparo Angiolini (1731-1803) and Joe Ely (63),
• Judith Light (61): Claire Meade on Ugly Betty; also, actors Kathryn Grayson (88), Janet Suzman (71), Joe Pesci (67), Mia Farrow (65), Charles Shaughnessy (55), Julie Warner (45), Jason George (38), Charlie Day (34), A.J. Buckley (33), Zhang Ziyi (31) and David Gallagher (25)
• Alice Walker (66): Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple; other writers born on this date include Amy Lowell (1874-1925) and J. M. Coetzee (70)