Amy Winehouse, the Pink Panther, Remembering 9/11
Britannica.com Week in Preview: September 8-14
With the end of two weeks of political theater that we call conventions in the United States, now we can finally focus on things that are important–such as the 25th birthday on Sunday of British diva Amy Winehouse. In song she refused to go, but in May she finally succumbed and said yes to Rehab. But rehab didn’t stop her from winning a Grammy–the show even set up a special satellite performance in London for her to accept the award, because she couldn’t obtain a visa to travel to the United States.
Among the other features on Britannica’s homepage this week are:
September 8: Duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duhhhhhhh. Monday is the 83rd anniversary of the birth of the late Peter Sellers, who played the magnificently inept Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther and appeared in Dr. Strangelove (pictured below). Monday is also the 579th anniversary of Joan of Arc’s attempt to take Paris and the 504th anniversary of the unveiling of Michelangelo’s David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.
September 9: George W. Bush’s favorite member of the axis of evil, North Korea, turns 60 on Tuesday. The proclamation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea by the country’s Eternal President, Kim Il-sung, set the stage for the Korean War. Speaking of war, War and Peace author Leo Tolstoy was born 180 years ago Tuesday. And, now back to communists and founders; China will also be marking an anniversary–32 years since the death of Mao Zedong, who founded the People’s Republic of China.
September 10: Who was the first American president? George Washington, you say? No. It was John–not John McCain (he’s not that old)–Smith. Maybe I am stretching the definitional bounds a bit, I know. But, still, it was 400 years ago Wednesday that John Smith became president of Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in North America. And, 20 years ago tennis star Steffi Graf completed the tennis Grand Slam by capturing the U.S. Open (she added Olympic gold three weeks later). And, happy birthday to golfer and Britannica contributor (our Masters Tournament article) Arnold Palmer, who turns 79 years young.
September 11: Thursday Americans remember the 9/11 attacks of 2001. Britannica looks back at the events of that tragic and world-changing day. Thursday also marks the 33rd anniversary of Pete Rose becoming Major League Baseball’s all-time hit leader when he broke Ty Cobb’s record of 4,191 career hits. And, it’s happy birthday to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who turns 43, and the 123rd anniversary of the birth of English writer D.H. Lawrence.
September 12: Well, it wasn’t exactly to infinity and beyond, but it was to the Moon. It was 49 years ago Friday that the Soviet Union launched Luna 2, the second of a series of Soviet lunar probes and the first spacecraft to strike the Moon. Also, the Philippines was in a political tussle a year ago, when former president Joseph Estrada was convicted of plundering–only to be pardoned a month later. China and Houston will be celebrating basketball star Yao Ming’s 28th birthday; he may not have won gold in Beijing last month, but he has done much to popularize the sport in the country.
September 13: An aloof ruler who spent lavishly and exacerbated his country’s economic problems. Hmmm…who could that be? Depending on what country you’re from, you probably have a different answer, but it was on this day in 1598 that Philip III, who was such a ruler, was crowned king of Spain and Portugal. Saturday is also the 67th birthday of Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica and a Nobel Peace Prize winner who helped negotiate a Central American peace agreement and wrote an essay on the Lessons of the 20th Century for Britannica.
September 14: And, finally, wrapping up the week, everybody’s favorite (or not) cartel, OPEC, turns 48 this week; its birthday present was being spurned by Brazil, which opted last week not to join the multinational organization. As Americans debate abortion and other issues surrounding pregnancy in the upcoming presidential election, feminists (and others) celebrate the 129th anniversary of the birth of Margaret Sanger, who is credited with originating the term birth control. And, finally, the Mexican-American War was brought to an end 161 years ago Sunday as Mexico City fell to advancing American forces.
This and other information is available this week via Britannica’s homepage. Or, you can search the site to read other articles of interest. I’ll be back next week with another preview of Britannica’s weekly content.
[Reposted from the Britannica Blog]