Trivia Today

July 12, 2011

• Today is Family Feud Day, marking the debut of the popular TV game show, hosted by Richard Dawson, on this day in 1976. Later hosts included Ray Combs, Louie Anderson, and Richard Karn, and John O'Hurley. Originated in the United States, the show airs in local formats worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Australia. Also, a Spanish-language US version is known as Qué Dice la Gente?

• Today is Relieve Stress by Walking Outside and Calling the Hogs Day.

• Today is National Pecan Pie Day.

• Today is Independence Day in Kiribati, once known as the Gilbert Islands.

• Today is Independence Day in São Tomé and Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea about 125 miles off west central Africa.

On this date in . . .

100 B.C.: Roman dictator Julius Caesar was born.

1543: England's King Henry the 8th married his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr.

1873: It rained frogs in Kansas City. It really did.

1942: The owner of the Green Parrot bar in New York City, Max Geller, was murdered. The crime was solved because the victim=s pet parrot kept repeating the killer=s name. The parrot even testified in court.

1949: The first racially integrated major-league baseball All-Star Game featured second baseman Jackie Robinson, first baseman Larry Doby, catcher Roy Campanella, and pitcher Don Newcombe.

1957: Alan Freed=s "Friday Night Rock 'N' Roll" debuted on ABC-TV. The first guests were Frankie Lymon, the Everly Brothers, and Connie Francis.

1970: Johnny Cash gave a gold record to South Dakota judge Sue Hicks for inspiring the song "A Boy Named Sue."

1973: Actor Steve McQueen and actress Ali McGraw were married.

1979: A near-riot erupted between games of a doubleheader at Chicago=s Comisky Park when deejay Steve Dahl proceeded to burn records brought by fans for a disco bonfire. Unfortunately, some fans started building their own fires. The White Socks had to forfeit the second game.

1984: Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale chose U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York to be his running-mate/ Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

1994: A cat named Tabitha was recovered in a crawlspace above the baggage compartment of a Tower Air Boeing 747 after escaping its carrier during a flight 12 days earlier. Tabitha had logged over 32,000 miles.

1996: Minnesota favorite Kirby Puckett announced his retirement from baseball because a retina problem was causing him to lose his eyesight.

2003: A man who tried to rob a cafe in Wuppertal, Germany, fled when he was pelted with apples. The 43-year-old waitress told police the man wore a mask and had a gun, but she grabbed a bucket of apples and started throwing. The robber fled empty-handed.

2006: Debbie Phillips of Charleston, West Virginia, reported to police someone had been in her house and cleaned it. Nothing was missing. Police didn't worry about it much, but it really bugged Debbie. A month-long investigation revealed a neighbor across the street with a house key hidden in a similar spot outside had hired a cleaning service. They went to the wrong house.

Birthdays:

comic Bill Cosby is 74;
diet guru Richard Simmons 63;
actor Jay Thomas 63;
actress Cheryl Ladd 60;
actress Mel Harris 54;
actress Lisa Nicole Carson 42;
actor Jamey Sheridan 60
actor Topher Grace 33;
singer Sandi Patti 55;
singer Robin Wilson 46;
singer Shannon Lawson 38;
singer Tracie Spencer 35;
pianist Van Cliburn 77;
skater Kristi Yamaguchi 40.

Q: Did Bill Cosby discover he had the ability to make people laugh while: (a) in the Navy; (b) working as a bartender; or (c) growing up in a rundown Philadelphia neighborhood?
A: While working as a bartender during college.

Q: Did Ed Peterson invent: (a) the dipstick; (b) the Egg McMuffin; or (c) the floppy disc?
A: Ed invented the Egg McMuffin.

Q: Is Fort Knox located on: (a) Gold Avenue; (b) Bullion Boulevard; or (c) Silver Street?
A: Bullion Boulevard.

Wisdom: Today's most complicated challenge is learning how to live a simple life.