Black History Month Biography: Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington and guests, about 1906. Washington is front row, center, with the watch chain. Booker T. Washington is our first featured biography for Black History Month 2011.
The Who2 Blog
In Tahrir Square, ‘We Walk Today Like Egyptians’
Well, they almost said it in Cairo.Too bad we don’t have a cilp of Thomas Paine singing “Walk Like a Pennsylvanian.” You know he would have been on YouTube.
Happy Anniversary, Ham the Chimp!
On this day 50 years ago, Ham the Chimp blasted off in a Mercury rocket and flew 157 miles in space, just to see if it would be safe to send less hairy apes into orbit.
It was, pretty much.
LIFE magazine has a feature today where you can see rare photos of Ham the Chimp, called “In Praise of Ham the Chimp.”
Go see them.
Ernest Borgnine, From ‘Eternity’ to Here (PHOTOS)
Ernest Borgnine was given a lifetime achievement award at the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Awards last night.
David Axelrod Reflects
For political wonks (and Chicagoans) only: David Axelrod talks about Obama’s first two years.
Rock Stars and Their Parents: The Photos
A fabulous gallery from LIFE photographer John Olsen. Starting with Frank Zappa:Zappa’s mom:
The Challenger Commission and the 25th Anniversary
Today is the 25th anniversary of the space shuttle Challenger exploding after takeoff and killing all seven astronauts on board.
The most famous crew member at the time was probably Christa McAuliffe. She was a high school teacher from New Hampshire, the first of what was called the Teacher in Space Program from NASA.
Also on board: Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis.
Clint Eastwood In Your Kitchen
Here’s what it’s like when a Hollywood icon shoots a 20-second bit outside your front door. Best line:
Happy 130th Deathday, Fedor Dostoevsky
Fedor Dostoevsky, author of Crime and Punishment — and the beloved Russian author not played by Christopher Plummer — died on this day in 1881. Speaking of crime and punishment: Dostoevsky beat Billy the Kid to the grave by just six months.
Sarah Palin Uses Naughty Internet Slang
Over at Media Matters, they’re featuring a video clip from Fox News — in which former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin uses naughty internet slang — on national tee-vee! — to harp on President Barack Obama’s recent State of the Union address (hint: it’s not SOTU).
Donald Sutherland Has Never Been Nominated for an Oscar?
Nope.Klute (with Jane Fonda, above), M*A*S*H, Don’t Look Now, Day of the Locust… sorry, not good enough.
Ronald Reagan Had Early Alzheimer’s While President, Says His Son
Speaking of Nelson Mandela and memory loss: President Ronald Reagan showed signs of Alzheimer’s Disease as early as 1986, says his son
Reading the Tea Leaves on Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela is in the hospital, and South Africa is worried. Mandela was airlifted from Capetown to Milpark Hospital in Johannesberg on Wednesday and was seen by pulmonologist Michael Plit. The doctor told reporters that Nelson Mandela “has been admitted for investigation.”
Donald Sutherland Still Looks Supercool
Donald Sutherland poses on Hollywood Boulevard after receiving his star on the Walk of Fame. Not many can pull off the pinstriped-suit-with-Santa-Claus-beard look.
Nabokov Was Right About the Butterflies
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita and butterfly visionary:In a speculative moment in 1945, he came up with a sweeping
hypothesis for the evolution of the butterflies he studied, a group
known as the Polyommatus blues. He envisioned them coming to the New
World from Asia over millions of years in a series of waves.
Coens vs. Clint: Multi-Oscar Showdown!
“Fill your hands with Oscar nominations, you #$@%!!”The Coen Brothers are thrice-nominated for True Grit in the Academy Awards this year: for best picture, director, and adapted screenplay.
Barack Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address: the Transcript
Here’s the text.Or try this clever video-with-highlighted-text feature from The NY Times.
Jesse Eisenberg Biography, and His Sister the Pepsi Girl
Oscar-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg now has a brief biography at Who2. Eisenberg starred in the David Fincher movie The Social Network.Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook fella Mark Zuckerberg. Eisenberg and Zuckerberg are not related. Their last names aren’t even the same. It just seems that way. In German, Eisenberg means “Iron Mountain,” but Zuckerberg means “Sugar Mountain.” Go look it up (I won’t).
Steve Prefontaine Would Be Only 60 Today
Wow: Oregon running legend Steve Prefontaine would be turning only 60 years old today. He was born on this day in 1951 and died in a car crash after a race at age 24.
Nuclear Bomb Interrupts ‘Spider-Man’ Rehearsal
The Onion has the story.They have had their share of problems, all right.(Hat tip: Ed Harlow)