Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Spotlight
Could Mickey really be 80? The world's favorite mouse made his screen debut in Steamboat Willie on this date in 1928, when the short animated film opened at the Colony Theater in New York City. Creator Walt Disney had come up with the idea of a friendly looking mouse in red velvet pants, as he traveled back to Los Angeles from NY, having lost his earlier cartoon creation, Oswald Rabbit, to his financial backers. Disney and head animator Ub Iwerks fine-tuned Mickey's appearance and Disney himself provided the character's voice in the early days.

Quote
"Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end." — Walt Disney

Question of the Day
Who created Mickey Mouse?
Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse on his train ride back to Los Angeles from New York City. He knew he had to come up with a new character and created a mouse. It is interesting to note that this mouse looked quite similar to Oswald the Rabbit. The main differences being that Mickey Mouse had short round ears instead of long bunny ears, a longer nose, a long skinny mouse tail instead of a bunny tail, and skinnier legs and arms. The face, eyes, mouth and hairline were very similar.

Word of the day
noisette
n.
A small round piece of meat, especially loin or fillet of lamb, veal, or pork.

adj.
Made or flavored with hazelnuts.

(© Houghton Mifflin Company)

Today's History

Swiss Patriot William Tell

• William Tell: legendary Swiss archer shot an arrow through an apple on his son's head, thus saving his own life after he defied his canton's Austrian bailiff (1307)
• time zones: US and Canadian railroad companies implemented a system of five standard time zones so that train travelers would be able to keep time (1883)
• Jonestown: over 900 people died from drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid — or through other means — in a murder/suicide pact led by preacher Jim Jones in Guyana (1978)

Today's Birthdays

Wilma Mankiller

• Ignace Paderewski (1860-1941): pianist and composer who became prime minister of Poland
• Alan Shepard (1923-1998): the first American in space
• Margaret Atwood (69): author of The Handmaid's Tale
• Wilma Mankiller (63): first female chief of the Cherokee Nation
• Warren Moon (52): NFL hall-of-famer; athletes Gary Sheffield (40) and David Ortiz (33) share this birthday
• Owen Wilson (40): actor, Wedding Crashers, Marley and Me; also, actors Brenda Vaccaro (69), Linda Evans (66), Jameson Parker (61), Kevin Nealon (55), Peta Wilson (38), Chloë Sevigny (34) and Steven Pasquale (32)