Friday Fun!!! First Month of the 'New' Year Done!

On This Date In 1547 King Henry VIII died at the age of 53.

On This Date In 1813 "Pride and Prejudice" was published, and has always  been Jane Austen's most popular novel. She began writing the novel which later became Pride and Prejudice in October of 1796, finishing it by August of 1979 at the age of twenty-one. Little is known of this early version of the story beyond its original title: First Impressions. No copy of that original is known  to exist.

On This Date In 1894 Charles Brady King of Detroit patents the Jack Hammer pneumatic hammer which he invented in 1890.

On This Date In 1908 Author and activist Julia Ward Howe, famous for her composition, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," became the first woman elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

On This Date In 1915 Congress created the Coast Guard as a branch of the Armed Forces.

On This Date In 1915 until February 10 1915, the Turkish defeat by Britain in the Battle of the Suez Canal took place.

On This Date In 1948 a twin-engine DC-3C chartered by the U.S. Immigration Service from Airline Transport Carriers of Burbank, California crashed in western Fresno County's Los Gatos Canyon, killing all 32 people on board, including 28 Mexican farm workers being deported by the U.S. Immigration Service.

On This Date In 1954 Ronald Reagan Guest Starred in "Lux Video Theatre" - Season 4, Episode 13: A Place in the Sun. Lux Video Theatre was a weekly television anthology series, produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original stories, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.

On This Date In 1959 the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) signed Vince Lombardi to a five-year contract as the team's coach and general manager.

On This Date In 1973 the United States ended its involvement in Vietnam as The Paris Peace Accords, for which Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, went into effect, and the Vietnam cease-fire began. At that time, Saigon controlled about 75 percent of South Vietnam's territory and 85 percent of the population. The cease-fire began on time, but both sides violated it. South Vietnamese forces continued to take back villages occupied by communists in the two days before the cease-fire deadline and the communists tried to capture additional territory. See more: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cease-fire-goes-into-effect

On This Date In 1974 Muhammad Ali fought and beat Joe Frazier. Ali fought Ken Norton in 1973, who broke Ali's jaw and won by split decision in 12 rounds. Ali won the rematch, also by split decision, on September 10, 1973, which set up Ali-Frazier II, a nontitle rematch with Joe Frazier, who had already lost his title to George Foreman. The bout was held on January 28, 1974, with Ali winning a unanimous 12-round decision.

On This Date In 1986 at 11:38 a.m. EST,  the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, never to return. It exploded seventy-three seconds later, killing the entire seven-person crew, including Christa McAuliffe, the first civilian to travel into space. Ronald Reagan's Challenger Disaster Speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa7icmqgsow&feature=youtu.be 

On This Date In 1990 Super Bowl XXIV was won by the San Francisco 49ers, defeating the Denver Broncos 55-10.

On This Date In 1996 Super Bowl XXX  was won by the Dallas Cowboys, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17.

On This Date In 2001 Super Bowl XXXV was won by the Baltimore Ravens, defeating the New York Giants 34-7.

On This Date In 2008 Edward Kennedy announced  his endorsement of Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential Race.

Hat tip to the included contributing sources, along with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Happy Birthday Alan Alda (1936), Karen Lynn Gorney (1945)Mikhail Baryshnikov (1948), Gregg Popovich (1949), Barbi Benton (1950), Nicolas Sarkozy (1955), Sarah McLachlan (1968), Ricky Ray (1977), and Elijah Wood (1981).

RIP Alexander Mackenzie (1822-1892) (Canadian Head of State), Robert Franklin Stroud (1890-1963) (Birdman of Alcatraz), and John Banner (1910-1973) (Sgt. Schultz on Hogan's Heroes).

Quotes:

http://ann-tran.com/2010/12/my-top-10-quotes-of-the-year/

Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought. Sir William Osler (1849 - 1919)

The penalty for success is to be bored by the people who used to snub you. Nancy Astor (1879 - 1964)

Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience. James Boswell (1740 - 1795), Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791

Money can't buy happiness, but neither can poverty. Leo Rosten (1908 - )

I happen to feel that the degree of a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting attitudes she can bring to bear on the same topic. Lisa Alther, Kinflicks, 1975

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. King Whitney Jr.

Courtesy YouTube:

Robots Evolve More Natural Ways of Walking

It?s a Generational Thing!

sinead Howick, 1st battle 2011, France baby yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeea :)

My first battle of the new year, love France the skaters their are amazing. hope you enjoy this short clip. slalom is the best woooooohoooooooo awesome :)

Theo Jansen - Kinetic Sculptor ?

Theo Jansen is the Dutch creator of what he calls "Kinetic Sculptures," where nature and technology meet. Essentially these sculptures are robots powered by the wind only.

"Grenade" by Bruno Mars - Kristen Zimmer Piano Cover

Bruno Mars "Grenade" piano cover I learned by ear about a week ago. It's transposed into a higher key (A minor). Hope you enjoy it. :)

Make your time this weekend a focus on YOU! AND those people most important in your life, be it personal or business!