Trivia Today

July 5, 2011

• Today is Leftover Burping Day, a day for those who ate too much barbecue and potato salad on the 4th to try to regain some semblance of belly control.

• Today is Dolly Day, marking the birth of Dolly the Sheep, the first mammal successfully cloned from an adult somatic cell. The ewe was cloned at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, and lived there until her death at age six. Since the sheep was cloned from a mammary cell, one of the stockmen who helped with her birth suggested the name "Dolly," after singer Dolly Parton.

• Today is International Bikini Day. The skimpy two-piece swim suit, created by Louis Reard, debuted on this date in 1946 at a Paris fashion show. It was named for a Pacific atoll where the atomic bomb was first tested.

• Today is National Feed the Ducks Day.

• Today is Independence Day in Cape Verde, in Algeria, and in Venezuela.

• Today is Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man. For over 1,000 years residents gather at Tynwald Hill to hear new laws read. Tynwald is the world's oldest continually held parliament.

On this date in . . .

1942: Though his family had produced 30-million automobiles, Edsel Ford of Detroit was not allowed to obtain a new car because of strict wartime rationing.

1946: Four days after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on deserted Bikini Atoll, designer Louis Reard introduced a new 2-piece woman’s swimsuit at a fashion show in Paris. He proclaimed the suit the "ultimate" concept and called it the bikini.

1947: Larry Doby signed a contract with baseball's Cleveland Indians, becoming the first black player in the American League.

1948: My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball debuted on CBS Radio. Lee Bowman co-starred with Lucy as "two people who live together and like it."

1954: Elvis Presley recorded for the first time in Memphis with guitarist Scotty Moore and bass slapper Bill Black. The result was Sun record #209, "That's All Right, Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

1975: Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors to become the first black men’s singles champion at Wimbledon.

1980: Tom Shufflebotham charmed 511 worms out of the ground in 30 minutes at the World Worm Charming Championships in Willaston, England. Worm charmers ply their talent by shaking the ground (digging?) with various garden tools. Water may not be used.

1985: The New York Mets scored five runs in the 19th inning to beat the Braves 16-13 in Atlanta. Game totals: 46 hits, 29 runs, and two rain delays in 6 hours and 10 minutes. Fourth of July fireworks followed the game at 4:00 a.m.

1989: The pilot episode of ''Seinfeld'' premiered. NBC originally called the show "The Seinfeld Chronicles."

1991: After three years of restoration, a new law was imposed on the opening of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, banning the throwing of coins into the fountain.

1993: Dave Lampson of Centreville, Virginia, received a tax statement from IRS claiming he owed $68-billion! He was to pay $500 a month for 11-million years. An IRS official said it was a computer error.

2002: Baseball's Ted Williams -- The Kid, Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, and The Thumper -- died at age 83. He was likely the greatest hitter in baseball.

2003: An Estonian couple won the Wife-Carrying World Championship in Sonkajarvi, Finland, for the third straight year. Leaping timbers and wading through waist-high water, Egle Soll carried Margo Uusorg over the 760-foot course in just over a minute. Estonian couples have won the race every year since 1998 when they introduced a new style of carrying their partners upside down over their backs.

Birthdays:

singer Huey Lewis is 61 today;

musician Bengt Lagerberg (The Cardigans) 38;

singer Jason Wade (Lifehouse) 31;

actress Edie Falco 48;

pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage 60;

hockey's Chris Gratton 36;

daughter Julie Nixon Eisenhower 63.

Q: According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, which group is most likely to discuss what they study in school almost every day with someone at home: (a) 4th graders; (b) 8th graders; or (c) 12th graders?
A: 4th graders, 53%; 8th graders, 40%; 12th graders, 33%.

     Q: When President George Washington’s secretaries took a vacation, who prepared all official correspondence? (a) Martha Washington; (b) Vice-President John Adams; or (c) George himself?
     A: The President, himself.

     Q: Is a dog that’s been trained to jump out of airplanes called: (a) a dead dog; (b) an airdog; or (c) a paradog?
     A: A paradog.

     Wisdom: Bad manners are like bad teeth. Nobody knows you have them if you keep your mouth shut.