On This Day: Scrabble Day

You know, that game that you spend hours playing with your friends while procrastinating at work.  Sound familiar?  Scrabble was invited by Alfred Mosher Butts and Scrabble Day commemorates Mr. Butts birthday, April 13th 1899.  Unfortunately his name does not produce a big score (if you allow names).  However, the highest scoring word that has ever been documented is “quixotry” – a whopping 365 points!  Can you see triple word, triple letter, hello?!  Without Mr. Butts one of the greatest procrastination tools of all time would not exist.  Thank you Mr. Butts.  Thank you!

Other Holidays:

• Thomas Jefferson Day – recognizes the 3rd U.S. President
• National Peach Cobbler Day

Also On This Day:

• Ben & Jerry’s free cone day (2011)
• Tiger Woods became the youngest golfer to win The Masters (21) and the 1st of African heritage to win a golf major (1997)
• The Great Chicago Flood occurred (1992)
• The United States Treasury reintroduced the $2 bill (1976)
• Transit 1-B, the world’s 1st satellite navigation system, was launched (1960)
• Hank Aaron made his major league debut (1954)
• The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. (1943)
• James C. Penny opened his 1st store (1902)
• The 1st elephant in the U.S. arrived from India (1796)

Birthdays:

• Max Weinberg (60)
• Al Green (65), you may know him by voice better!
• Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)
• Alfred Mosher Butts (1899-1993), creator of Scrabble
• F.W. Woolworth (1852-1919), now known as Footlocker

On This Day: RIP Walt Disney

On this day, in 1966, movie producer Walt Disney died at the age of 65.  Walt Disney and his brother are the originators of a company that each of us remembers as a child.

Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Tale as Old as Time

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” ~ Walt Disney

Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Peter Pan, Newsies, Wall-E, and Mary Poppins, just to name a few!

Mickey Mouse

Walt Disney Random Facts:

• Today, The Walt Disney Company has annual revenues of over 30 billion.
• Disney’s first recognizable character eventually developed into Alice in Wonderland.
• Mickey Mouse was developed after Disney lost the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
• Walt Disney died of a heart attack at 9:30am
• Disney’s last words were “Kurt Russell”.  The actor himself did not understand the meaning.

Also On This Day:

• Bill of Rights Day – The Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791.
• Gone with the Wind premiered in Atlanta, GA. (1939)
• Construction of the Jefferson Memorial began. (1938)
• Happy Birthday Mo Vaughn – “The Hit Dog”