The Tease of Things I Don't Need

2009: Day 192

Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral Zheng He set sail on a journey of exploration, diplomacy and the establishment of broader trade. Set as the admiral in charge of a huge fleet (records range from 200 to 300 ships transporting an impressive army of an estimated 28,000 crewmen) he brought gifts to rulers in Arabia, East Africa, India, Indonesia and Siam. A muslim who conducted seven such voyages for the Chinese empire, there are claims that tales of Sinbad the Sailor are based on Zheng He's voyages.

In 1859 Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities was first published. With in excess of 200 million copies sold it is currently listed as the most printed original English book.

On this date in 1914 Babe Ruth made his professional debut, pitching for the Boston Red Sox.

In what I can't help but see as one of many missteps made by the U.S. during the Red Scare of the 1950s, on this date in 1955 an act of Congress made the phrase "In God We Trust" a mandatory component of all U.S. currency.

Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird - originally simply titled Atticus - was first published on this date in 1960.

Abandoned in 1974 due to a lack of vehicles able to reach it (which it lacked until the space shuttle program began in 1981), the United States' first space station, Skylab, re-entered the atmosphere on a controlled trajectory on this date in 1979. Such debris as remained rained down into the Indian Ocean and a portion of Western Australia, prompting the Shire of Esperance to fine the U.S. $400 for littering.

The wavering Tobert I, King of the Scots - known in popular history as Robert the Bruce - was born on this date in 1274. No, nothing will ever make me want to ever watch Braveheart again.

The English physician and literary butcher who is memorialized via an eponym meaning to censor, Thomas Bowdler (1754) was born today. Primarily known for his Family Shakespeare, a selection of the playwright's works covering 24 of the plays in four volumes in which he altered some language and omitted others, and at an extreme omitted characters in order to make them safe for women and children. His defenders credited him with getting Shakespeare's work (in some form) into the hands of countless people who otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to it, and further noted that he sincerely attempted to not truly change any of the plays as some others had done; others had simply chosen to rewrite the plays.

Bowdler's moves, however objectionable, were intended to protect what he saw as delicate sensibilities. So, Lady MacBeth's "damned spot" became "crimson spot", the exclamation "God!" was replaced with "Heavens!", Ophelia's death became an accidental drowning rather than a suicide and a prostitute in Henry IV simply disappeared from the work.

Sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams was born today in 1767.

German jurist and political theorist Carl Schmitt was born today in 1888. His writings and philosophies concerning the positive elements of dictatorship, emphasizing executive power and praising it for stepping outside of the boundaries of established law made him the darling of the Nazi regime -- and certainly makes him philosophically friendly to the recently-departed Bush regime.

Author of Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and co-author of The Elements of Style, E.B. White was born today in 1899.

Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (1913) was born today, but likely the only people who remember him under that name are family and those interested in scholarly works on East Asia and psychological warfare. He was exclusively known to me and many other science fiction fans under his pseudonym Cordainer Smith. Others may know him for genre-selective pseudonyms Anthony Bearden (poetry), Carmichael Smith (political thriller) or Felix C. Forrest (novels.)

Stage and film actor Yul Brynner (1920) would have been 89 today. He's probably best known for his roles in The King & I (which he played both on stage and film), The Ten Commandments, The Magnificent Seven and as a gun-slinging android in Westworld and Futureworld, though I remember him equally as well in drag as a torch singer in a latter scene in Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr's The Magic Christian. Dying of lung cancer in 1985, he made an anti-smoking ad that aired posthumously.


Actress, singer and comedienne - though I only ever really knew her from her long-running appearances on Match Game - the late Brett Somers (1924) was born today.

Actor, singer and latterday gay icon Tab Hunter (1931) turns 78 today.

Sesame Street's Bob -- Bob McGrath (1932) -- turns 77 today. One of several things I didn't know about him was that he had a successful recording career in Japan, where he scored hits with a series of albums of Irish songs and ballads sung in Japanese.

Character actor Bruce McGill (remember D-Day from Animal House?) turns 59 today.

Two "name" musicians, singer/songwriters hit 50 today - Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora and Suzanne Vega, the latter being more to my tastes than the former, though I was never a fan of Luka.

English actor, stand-up comedian, etc. Craig Charles - who I only really know from his role of Dave Lister from the show Red Dwarf - turns 45 today.

Television actor Greg Grunberg, who plays the telepathic Matt Parkman on Heroes, celebrates his 43rd birthday today.

Jeff Corwin turns 42 today. Go disturb some wildlife in his honor.

Smallville's Lex Luthor - Michael Rosenbaum (1972) - turns 38 today.