Today in History (November 2nd):
Scorpio (October 23rd to November 21st)
Day of the Dead
1734: Birthdays: Frontiersman Daniel Boone.
1755: Birthdays: Marie Antoinette, queen of France.
1795: Birthdays: U.S. President James Polk.
1865: Birthdays: U.S. President Warren G. Harding.
1885: Birthdays: Astronomer Harlow Shapley, a pioneer in studies of the Milky Way.
1889: North and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states of the union.
1908: Birthdays: Jazz trumpeter Bunny Berigan.
1913: Birthdays: Actor Burt Lancaster.
1917: British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour proposed a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Israel became a reality 31 years later.
1920: In the first significant news broadcast, KDKA in Pittsburgh reported the U.S. presidential election results for Warren G. Harding and James Cox.
1921: Birthdays: Canadian hockey Hall of Fame member Bill Mosienko.
1934: Birthdays: Australian tennis Hall of Fame member Ken Rosewall.
1938: Birthdays: Columnist, commentator and GOP presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
1942: Birthdays: Author Shere Hite; Actor Stefanie Powers.
1945: Birthdays: Country-rock singer-songwriter J.D. Souther.
1947: Howard Hughes built and piloted the world’s largest airplane, the 200-ton flying boat Spruce Goose, on its only flight, at Long Beach, Calif. The Goose remained airborne for just less than 1 mile.
1959: Charles Van Doren told a congressional investigation he had been given questions and answers in advance of appearances on a television game show.
1961: Birthdays: Singer K.D. Lang.
1962: U.S. President John Kennedy announced that Soviet missile bases in Cuba were being dismantled.
1966: Birthdays: Actor David Schwimmer.
1974: Birthdays: Rapper Nelly, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr.
1983: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill establishing a national holiday to mark the birthday anniversary of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
1986: U.S. hostage David Jacobsen was released in Beirut after 17 months. Later disclosures showed his freedom was a trade for U.S. arms sent to Iran.
1992: Legendary filmmaker Hal Roach died at age 100. He was credited with discovering the comedy team of Laurel and Hardy and producing the Our Gang comedies. HIV-infected Earvin Magic Johnson retired from professional basketball for good.
1993: A new series of wildfires swept along the Southern California coast, destroying more than 300 homes in the exclusive community of Malibu.
1996: Britain announced a plan to ban ownership of large-caliber handguns.
2001: The U.S. Labor Department announced that October unemployment jumped to 5.4 percent, highest in five years and that 415,000 non-farm jobs had been lost, highest monthly figure since 1980.
2003: At least 13 U.S. soldiers were killed and about 20 wounded in Iraq when a missile downed a helicopter carrying members of the 82nd Airborne Division near Fallujah.
2004: U.S. President George W. Bush was re-elected in a close race with Democrat John Kerry. Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, who received death threats because of his film about violence against Islamic women, was slain as he rode his bicycle through an Amsterdam park.
2006: A foiled British terror plot to blow up 10 passenger airplanes with liquid bombs was meant to occur over U.S. cities, a senior FBI official said.
2007: Rescuers worked in the southern Mexican state of Tabasco to help the estimated 300,000 people trapped by flooding.
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2008: Rupiah Banda has been declared president of the African nation of Zambia with 40 percent of the vote, compared to 38 percent for challenger Michael Sata.
2009: North Korean officials called on the United States for one-on-one talks as a prelude to resumption of nuclear disarmament discussions, warning it would forge its own road if Washington didn’t respond. At least 35 people died when a suicide bomber detonated a device outside a bank in a busy area of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
2010: Letter bombs and other explosive-laden packages were sent to several embassies in Athens, Greece, as well as to French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office. No major injuries were reported.
2011: The Federal Reserve left monetary policy unchanged after a two-day meeting, saying the economy showed improvement in the third quarter. The bank said it would maintain its federal fund rate — the overnight rate it charges banks for loans — at zero to 1.25 percent.
Quotes
“I’m the first (African-American winner), but I wasn’t the pioneer. Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, Teddy Rhodes, those guys paved the way for me to be here. I thank them.” – Tiger Woods, golfer, after winning the Masters tournament
James K. Polk (1795-1849) US President (11):
“Although… the Chief Magistrate must almost of necessity be chosen by a party and stand pledged to its principles and measures, yet in his official action he should not be the President of a party only, but of the whole people of the United States.”
“Foreign powers do not seem to appreciate the true character of our government.”
“I am heartily rejoiced that my term is so near its close. I will soon cease to be a servant and will become a sovereign.”
“I prefer to supervise the whole operations of Government myself rather than entrust the public business to subord.”
“It becomes us in humility to make our devout acknowledgments to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for the inestimable civil and religious blessings with which we are favored.”
“Minorities have a right to appeal to the Constitution as a shield against such oppression.”
“No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure.”
“One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights.”
Pronouns and Bayonets
Welcome to Pronoun Boot Camp, soldier. Here, you’ll receive basic training for hand-to-hand combat with “Me,” “Myself” and “I.”
This is your weapon: When two or more nouns or pronouns are involved, drop one of them and your ear will tell you which pronoun to use.
For instance, you’d say, “I am going to the store,” so it’s, “Sally and I are going to the store,” not “Sally and me are going.” You’d say, “The company promoted him,” so it’s, “The company promoted Joe and him,” not “The company promoted Joe and he.”
Lesson No. 1: The subject of a sentence must be in the nominative case — John and I are classmates. (Me is a classmate? Nope.) We band members will play it first. (Us will play it first? Nope.)
No. 2: The object or indirect object of a verb is in the objective case — I saw Pete and her standing there. (I saw she standing there? Nope.) I gave Mary and them the money. (I gave they the money? Nope.)
(Because our parents told us to say “Barb and I,” not “Barb and me” in the nominative case, we’re sometimes tempted to use “Barb and I” in the objective case.)
No. 3: The object of a preposition is in the objective case — Take this envelope to Henry and him. (Take this envelope to he? Nope.) Just between you and me, he’s pedantic. (Not to be pedantic, but never say “between you and I.”)
No. 4: In most instances, the predicate nominative (a noun or pronoun that refers to the subject of the sentence) is in the nominative case. The winners are Terry and we. (Us are the winners? Nope.) BUT, in some informal situations, it’s OK to use the objective case pronoun for a predicate nominative, e.g., That’s her.
No. 5: Never use “myself” as a substitute for “I” or “me,” as in “Jane and myself are running” or “Give it to George and myself.” Use “myself” only reflexively (“I drove myself here”) or intensively “I myself was not driving.”)
See whether you’ve passed basic training by selecting the correct pronoun:
1. Brian and (her, she) are here.
2. Tell Forrest and (they, them) the story.
3. (We, Us) students salute you.
4. Just between you and (I, me, myself), Larry lied.
5. This book was written by Thelma and (I, me, myself).
6. Are you sure it was (he, him)?
7. Bring Carl and (they, them) with you.
8. The burden has fallen on (us, we) teachers.
9. What’s best for Ryan and (they, them)?
10. I told Ted and (she, her) to drive.
Answers: 1. she 2. them 3. We 4. me 5. me 6. he (or him, informally) 7. them 8. us 9. them 10. her