January 26, 2009
Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day
vacuous \VAK-yoo-uhs\, adjective:
1. showing no intelligence or thought
2. having no meaning or direction; empty
In the news:
US drug company Pfizer plans to take over rival Wyeth in a $68B dollar deal.
Two girls are killed and seven others wounded in a shooting outside of a Portland, Oregon nightclub.
Today in History, according to Wikipedia:
1564 – A papal bull issued after The Council of Trent establishes a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
1788 – The British First Fleet sails into Port Jackson to establish Sydney, the first permanent English settlement in Australia.
1837 – Michigan is admitted as the 26th state.
1988 – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera (pictured) debuts on Broadway.
1998 – On American television, US President Bill Clinton denies having “sexual relations” with former White house intern Monica Lewinsky.
Today’s Famous Births:
1880 – Douglas MacArthur, American General, Medal of Honor recipient
1905 – Maria von Trapp, Austrian-born singer, inspiration for The Sound of Music
1925 – Paul Newman, American actor, Cool Hand Luke
1935 – Bob Uecker, Amiercan baseball player and sportscaster
1941 – Scott Glenn, American actor, The Right Stuff
1946 – Gene Siskel, American film critic, “Siskel & Ebert“
1955 – Eddie Van Halen, Dutch-American musician, Van Halen
1958 – Ellen Degeneres, American actress and comedienne, “The Ellen Show“
1961 – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian hockey player, “The Great One”
1970 – Kirk Franklin, American musician, multiple Grammy Award and Dove Award winner
1977 – Vince Carter, American basketball player, 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year and 8-time All Star and 2000 Olympic gold medalist
