"Dick, you're from Orange County. Can't you get me in? I've got a fistful of E-tickets!" Welcome back to The Spark. It's a brand new week with some brand new chances to dig deep into upcoming events and anniversaries. Let's begin, shall we? Monday: Today is International Chocolate Day, a chance to indulge your sweet tooth and not feel guilty -- or, at least, unduly guilty. We don't know if the holiday is timed to coincide with the 1857 birthday of Milton Snaveley Hershey (the man who founded both the Hershey chocolate company and the town of Hershey, PA), but if it isn't, it's a sweet coincidence. (Of course, it's also Fortune Cookie Day, so it may not be honoring him, after all.) In our youths, this time of year was always looked forward to anxiously, as the new television season was starting. For example (as we’ve noted previously, both "Law & Order" (1990) and "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" (1969) began their seemingly endless runs on this day, as did "The Muppet Show" in 1976. The season still starts this week, but it's nowhere near as exciting as it used to be. Regardless, it's not without interest. For example, Martha Stewart's new show premieres on the Hallmark Channel, and both Oprah and Mary Hart begin their final seasons on their respective shows. (In the latter cases, we guess that hoping for such events paid off -- especially with this being Positive Thinking Day). Maybe the most notable thing to happen on this day was in 1814, when lawyer Francis Scott Key observed the British attacking Fort McHenry in Baltimore and was so moved by the stars and stripes surviving intact that he penned a poem that soon became known as the "Star-Spangled Banner," which was eventually adopted as the American national anthem in 1931. Tuesday: We begin the day by noting some passings. First, in 1927, Isadora Duncan died. Duncan is usually considered the mother of modern dance. Her bohemian lifestyle and exuberant dancing made her world famous -- as did her death, when a scarf she was wearing became tangled in the wheels of the automobile she was riding in and broke her neck. Next is Irving Thalberg. Thalberg was a film producer at Universal and MGM in the 1920s and '30s, who turned out such classic films as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Big Parade," "The Broadway Melody," "Tarzan the Ape Man," "Grand Hotel," and "A Night at the Opera." After his premature death in 1936 at the age of 37, F. Scott Fitzgerald immortalized his in his novel "The Love of the Last Tycoon," which painted him as one of the few men who was able to hold the formula for successful motion pictures in his head. On a lighter note, it was on this day when major league baseball owners, in an attempt to break the players' union, cancelled the rest of the 1994 season – including the World Series. Not all the news of this day is bad, though. For example, in 1961. Wendy Thomas, namesake of the eponymous hamburger restaurant chain, was born, just a year after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries -- or OPEC -- was founded -- well, maybe that second one isn’t so good, after all. How about we finish the day by remembering the 1985 premiere of "The Golden Girls," or by telling you to get out the vote, as there are primary elections in Minnesota, Delaware, Washington DC, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin? Wednesday: Today’s birthdays include: Marco Polo (1254), the Venetian who was one of the first Westerners to explore China and Central Asia, and who later inspired kids playing in pools to shout his name. In 1907, it was Fay Wray, the actress who so captivated the original King Kong and whose screams pierced the eardrums of the world. (Peter Jackson even wanted to cast her -- at the age of 96 -- in his ill-fated remake of "Kong," but she unfortunately passed away before filming could begin.) Jackie Cooper (1922) was one of the first child stars of the talkie era. Beginning at age 7, he worked as an actor, writer, producer, and director until his retirement in 1989. He was the youngest performer ever to be nominated in a leading role for an Academy Award (for 1931's "Skippy"). "Skippy" was based on a comic strip of the same name that also gave its name to the peanut butter brand (a fact which has caused a some controversy over the years), but peanut butter also plays a weird part in the death of Jumbo the elephant. Jumbo was the star attraction at the London Zoo in the 1860s and '70s. P.T. Barnum, seeing the marketing possibilities, bought Jumbo in 1882 for $10,000, and brought the pachyderm to America where he became a huge hit -- even lending his name to large-sized items. Unfortunately, Jumbo was hit by a train in 1885 and crushed. His skeleton was donated to the American Museum of Natural History in New York, but his hide was stuffed and eventually donated to Tufts University, where it was displayed until 1975, when it was destroyed by a fire. But Jumbo's ashes were recovered and now reside in a 14-ounce jar of Peter Pan Crunchy Peanut Butter in the office of the college's athletic director, where Tufts athletes still rub the jar for luck. Three literary birthdays: James Fennimore Cooper (1789), who wrote "The Last of the Mohicans" and other adventure novels, and who was later eviscerated by Mark Twain, who called him one of the worst writers who ever lived. Robert Benchley (1899) was a master of an-but-dead art form, the short humorous essay. Working initially as drama critic for the original "Life" magazine and "The New Yorker," he eventually became a character actor whose droll cameos enlivened any movie. And in 1890, Agatha Christie was born. The mistress of mystery, she turned out 80 novels featuring Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and others, along with a number of plays -- one of which, "The Mousetrap," has been running continuously in London since 1952 -- to become (according to Guinness), the best-selling author of any kind in history, with over four billion copies of her books sold. In 1902, the trio of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers (pronounced "EE-vers," if you please; not "EVV-ers"), and Frank Chance pulled off their first double play for the Chicago Cubs. They were later immortalized in a poem by columnist Franklin P. Adams. More TV. In 1949, "The Lone Ranger" premiered, just a day after the 35th birthday of star Clayton Moore, who made a lifelong career of portraying the masked man. Speaking of birthdays and TV stars, in 1971, "Columbo" first aired, the day before Peter Falk turned 44. Falk will be forever identified with the detective whose cigar, rumpled raincoat, and equal amounts of annoyance and inquisitiveness endeared him to millions. The 1965 debut of "I Spy" was notable for two things. One was that it did a lot of its filming overseas, an unheard-of practice for the time. The other -- and far more important one -- is that it was the first series to feature a black actor (Bill Cosby) and a white actor (Robert Culp) as co-stars in equally important roles. There had been other shows featuring black actors, but, until then, all had traded in stereotypes and comic relief. Finally, in 1971, Greenpeace was founded, dedicating itself to increasing public awareness of such issues as global warming, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling and nuclear power. Thursday: Lots of music today. First of all, the 1782 death of Farinelli. Farinelli was the stage name of Carlo Maria Broschi, who was probably the greatest castrato of all time. While it seems barbaric now, castrati were boys with beautiful soprano voices whose, um, manhood was cut short before adolescence in order to maintain the purity of their tone with the power of masculine singing. He traveled throughout Europe, becoming (somewhat surprisingly) a ladies' man, and retired a wealthy man. While Farinelli sang opera, it was different from what we know today; not really the sort of thing that's much heard these days at the New York's Metropolitan Opera House, which opened in 1966 at Lincoln Center with the world premiere of Samuel Barber's "Antony and Cleopatra." About as far away as you can get from the Met, Riley B. King was born in 1925 on a plantation in Mississippi. At the age of 21, Riley began singing on the radio in Memphis, and gained the nickname "Beale Street Blues Boy," which was later shortened to "B.B.," and combined with his last name, gave us B.B. King, one of the greatest blues singers and musicians in history. At the other end of the spectrum from the blues and opera are cheesy animated musical TV specials such as the kind brought to us by Jules Bass, who was born in 1935. With his partner Arthur Rankin, Bass formed an animation company that gave us such "classics" as "The Year without a Santa Claus" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Such shows could really drive a person to drink, so if that's the case, you may want to head to Denver, where the 2010 Great American Beer Festival will get underway today, featuring brewers large and micro, bringing you the finest in suds. (Not to mention Oktoberfest, which begins in Munich, Germany, tomorrow for the 200th time.) We don't know if they indulge in the occasional brewski, but if they do, Queen Elizabeth will be meeting Pope Benedict today, and that would seem to be the right time to hoist one. Friday: Since April 2, 1956, many Americans have been following events in Oakdale, IL with great enthusiasm, but that all comes to an end today when "As the World Turns," the venerable soap opera, airs its last broadcast. Its death is another nail in the coffin of daytime drama, which once gave millions hours of entertainment, but is now just a relic of an earlier era or broadcasting and American history. Speaking of American history, it was on this date in 1787 that the U.S. Constitution was ratified, setting in motion a series of debates that continue to the present day as to just what the Founding Fathers did mean. With such confusion, it's no wonder that in 1859, the otherwise-harmless Joshua A. Norton declared himself "Emperor Norton I" of the United States. Norton was humored by his fellow San Franciscans and treated with honor, and was given all the perks of royalty with none of the responsibilities. When he died in 1880, he was given a funeral whose procession stretched for two miles and drew 30,000 spectators. A less inglorious send-off was received by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who died of an overdose of sleeping pills in a London hotel in 1970. Hendrix's flashy and virtuosic musical style has influenced almost every rock and jazz guitarist since. Lastly, we note that Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, begins at sundown. Saturday: Beginnings of note today: In media, in 1851, The New York Times began publishing. While the "Grey Lady" is still the "paper of record," we also have to wonder if it, soon, will go the way of the soap opera. (We hope not, as we still enjoy settling down on a Sunday with the Times.) And, in 1927, the Columbia Broadcasting System, better known as CBS, went on the air for the first time. On another network (ABC) in 1964, "The Addams Family" premiered. The series, based on the New Yorker cartoons of Charles Addams, took a delight in black humor and the wholesomely perverse, and inspired the current Broadway musical. In 1895, Daniel David Palmer gave the first chiropractic adjustment in history to one Harvey Lillard, in Davenport, IA, which is now the home of the Palmer College of Chiropractic. In 1905, in Stockholm, Sweden, Greta Gustafsson was born. By the age of 19, as Greta Garbo, she was one of the greatest movie stars in history. Iconic and reclusive, she grew tired of the film industry and retired in 1941, and spent the half-century of her life avoiding the press and public. Not so reclusive is birthday girl June Foray. Born in 1917, Foray is the voice behind most of the female characters in the classic Warner Bros. cartoons, not to mention playing both Rocket J. Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" show. And she’s still working in her 90s! One of the unluckiest men in sports history was born in 1925. Harvey Haddix was a pitcher for, among other teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 26, 1959, Haddix accomplished something no other pitcher in history has ever accomplished: he pitched 12 innings of perfect baseball; that is to say, he faced the first 36 batters without allowing a baserunner. Unfortunately, the Pirates being the Pirates, they didn't score any runs for Haddix. The 37th batter got on on an error, and was bunted to second. The no-hitter was still in place when Hank Aaron was walked, but the next batter, Joe Adcock, hit a home run to end the game (and even that went screwy went Adcock passed Aaron on the basepaths and was called out). That game was tragic for Haddix, but nowhere near the tragedy of actress Peg Entwistle who, in 1932, despondent over her lack of success in the movies, committed suicide by jumping from the letter "H" in the famous Hollywood sign. Sunday: We end the week by letting you know that it's the beginning of TV Turnoff Week, which asks parents and kids to turn off the boob tube and read, play, talk, or just sit in quiet contemplative silence. Given that it’s Adam West's birthday (1928), his culpability in the "Batman" TV series of the '60s, makes it easy to think about never watching television again. If you do watch, though, the Martin Scorsese-produced "Boardwalk Empire" premieres tonight on HBO. Being that it's from Scorsese, you can almost predict that it's about gangsters -- this time in the wide-open Atlantic City of the 1920s. Speaking of thugs and villains reminds us that, in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was prevented him from visiting Disneyland. Police authorities cited security concerns, though many speculated it was punishment for his being the top Communist. (Though to some of us, having to go to the Magic Kingdom at all would be punishment indeed.) To round out the week, we give our hopes that, at some time during the day, you'll celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day by shivering your timbers, avasting your keelhaul, or doing whatever it is buccaneers do. See you next time! Suggested Sites... An Elephant's Tale - "An Unadulterated and Relatively True Story Chronicling the Life, Death and Afterlife of Jumbo, Tufts' Illustrious Mascot." Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses - Mark Twain takes on Cooper. Guess who wins. Robert Benchley: A Profile in Humor - biography of the writer and actor. Wikipedia Springs "Mousetrap" Ending - after six decades, it's really not a "spoiler," is it? Snopes: Nyet! - the history of Nikita's zip-a-dee-don't-dah day.

Directory categories: Animation, War of 1812, Classic Hollywood Movies, Mystery Authors, Major League Baseball

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Well, that's what it all comes down to, doesn't it? Welcome once more to The Spark, your source for a deep dig into the week's events. Let's begin, shall we? Monday: The week begins with the anniversaries of the deaths of a couple of prominent Southerners. It's hard to determine which was the more notable, though. Obviously, Elvis Presley dying in 1977 got more ink (and the good people at FTD had more orders for flowers to be delivered to Graceland than for any other event or place), and his effect on pop culture is incalculable, but in 1888, John Pemberton died in Atlanta, three years after inventing Coca-Cola. Memphians will note the anniversary with Elvis Week, but we don’t think Atlantans will be celebrating Pemberton Week, so Mr. Presley may get the nod. But Elvis and Dr. Pemberton aren’t the only prominent folks who died on this date. In 1956, Bela Lugosi died. Lugosi was so identified with Count Dracula that he resented the way the role had typecast him, so it was odd that he chose to be buried in the Dracula cape he had worn on stage and screen. In 1948, baseball legend Babe Ruth died. Had he lived another six years, he might have made the cover of "Sports Illustrated," the first issue of which hit the newsstands in 1954. In birthdays today, we note two creators and an icon (of sorts). In 1884, Hugo Gernsback was born. Gernsback is all but unknown today, but in the 1920s, he nurtured not only the genre of science fiction (which he called "scientifiction"), but also created what has come to be known as fandom by printing names and addresses of readers in his science fiction magazines. (Coincidentally, the World Science Fiction Convention opens tomorrow in Reno, NV.) 1892, Otto Messmer was born. Messmer was an artist and animator who may or may not have created Felix the Cat, who, until the advent of Mickey Mouse in the late 1920s, was the biggest animated star in movies. The icon is Fess Parker, who was born in 1924. In the 1950s, he played frontiersman and Congressman Davy Crockett (whose own birth in 1786 we note tomorrow) on television, causing a mania for coonskin caps. In the 60s, he played frontiersman and legislator Daniel Boone. In the oddity file, we see that Chang and Eng Bunker, the original "Siamese Twins," arrived in Boston in 1829. Though they were joined at the sternum, the Bunkers married sisters and fathered 21 children between them. We needn't dwell on the details. And it's the 90th birthday of bohemian writer Charles Bukowski, who managed to turn a life of dissipation and alcohol into poetry. Tuesday: Last week, we mentioned that "The Wizard of Oz" had had its world premiere in Oconomowoc, WI. Well, on August 17, 1939, it finally reached New York, opening at the Capitol Theatre on Broadway. Speaking of things reaching the Big Apple, it was on this day in 1790, that the U.S. capital moved from New York to Philadelphia (the government would open shop in Washington DC in 1800.) Speaking of things leaving New York, Robert Fulton's steamboat, The Clermont, left New York for Albany in 1807. (That route later became notorious in the early 20th century, as philandering husbands and wives used it to follow through on trysts. "Taking the night boat to Albany" became shorthand for having an affair.) And speaking of illicit affairs, how could we forget that, on this day in 1893, Mae West was born? West was an actor an playwright who traded in the power of sex to scandalize, so much so that a number of her plays were shut down for their scandalous plots and she herself was arrested more than once. Some musical events of note today. In 1954, Billy Murray died. Murray is all but unknown today, but he was a staggeringly popular recording artist in the first quarter of the 20th century, becoming the first person to sell a million records. In 1959, Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" was released. It marked a new type of cool jazz that hadn't been widely heard before, and Miles struck gold, with the album being generally considered to the best-selling jazz album of all time. Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson will release an album of his arrangements of songs by George Gershwin today. It’s also the 27th anniversary of the death of George’s brother Ira, though we don't know if the though of Wilson messing with the Gershwin songbook is what killed him. Wednesday: Today is a day for all types of women's events. In 1587, Virginia Dare became the first child of European parents to be born on American soil. She was born in the Roanoake colony in North Carolina, an outpost from which every resident mysteriously vanished soon after. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing women the right to vote. And today, the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders will release a swimsuit calendar. Whether this is a step forward or backward, we leave to you, dear reader. In three completely unrelated events, we note than, in 1227, Genghis Khan, who created the largest empire the world has ever known, died; that today is International Homeless Animals Day; and that an expedition to create the first 3D map of the wreckage site of RMS Titanic will begin. Thursday: Not a good day for witches or those suspected of being witches. In 1612, three women from the Lancashire village of Samlesbury, England, were put on trial, for allegedly practicing witchcraft, and eighty years later, in 1692 in Salem, MA, one woman and four men ere executed after being convicted of witchcraft. Following the death of Elvis earlier in the week, the death of Groucho Marx in 1977 didn't cause much of a ripple, but to fans of classic comedy, it was a bigger event. Thanks to the efforts of birthday boy Philo T. Farnsworth (1906), who invented the television, news travels faster than ever -- or certainly faster than it did in 1848, when the news of the California Gold Rush finally reached the New York Herald, a mere seven months after gold had been discovered. Had airplanes been around in those days (and today is National Aviation Day, to commemorate the 1871 birth of Orville Wright), the east coast might have gotten the word sooner, though. Friday: Speaking of getting the word late, it was on this day in 1866 that President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, a mere 16 months after the surrender at Appomattox. (We might also mention in this context that in 1858, Charles Darwin first published his theory of evolution in "The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London," alongside Alfred Russel Wallace's same theory, though there are still some folks who either haven’t gotten that news, or who choose to ignore it.) In musical anniversaries, in 1882 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuted in Moscow and in 1885, Gilbert and Sullivan’s "The Mikado," opened in New York. Some sports stuff today, too. It's the 90th birthday of the National Football League, founded in Canton, OH, as well as the being the openings of the World Series of both mahjong and Little League baseball. A less happy reminder of football also occurs today, when "The Tillman Story" opens; it's a documentary investigating the life and the cover-up of the death of NFL star and Army Ranger Pat Tillman. On a (much) lighter note, a "Twilight" convention opens today in Parsippany, NJ. Why Parsippany, we have no idea. Saturday: In 1878, the American Bar Association was founded. We'd make a joke here, but we don't want to get sued. Speaking of theft, it was on this day in 1911 that the Mona Lisa was stolen by an employee of the Louvre Museum (There must be something about art thefts this weekend. Sunday is the sixth anniversary of the thefts of two paintings by Edvard Munch from the Munch Museum in Oslo.) And speaking of exaggeration, it's Wilt Chamberlain’s birthday. Wilt was born in 1936, and while he was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, he also claimed to be one of the most prolific scorers off the court, boasting in his autobiography that he had slept with over 20,000 women (nearly as many as his 31,419 career points). In other birthdays today, piano legend Count Basie, who lead the swingingest big band ever, was born in 1904; Oscar-winning animation director Friz Freleng was born in 1906; Christopher Robin Milne, who inspired (and resented) the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, was born in 1920; and in 1938, country singer Kenny Rogers was born. We're not quite sure when his face was born, however. And on this day in 1959, Hawaii became a state -- just in time to either be or not be the birthplace of Barack Obama. Sunday: In 1485, King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field. Shakespeare's play of 100 or so years later painted him as an utter villain, but contemporary historians have rehabilitated him somewhat. Guess history will also be written by the victors. Speaking of writers, we close the week by noting that, in 1893, Dorothy Parker was born. Mrs. Parker was generally considered to be the wittiest woman in America in the 1920s and '30s, with a pen dipped in poison and a tongue to match. In her later years, she tried to renounce her fame and wit, but any woman who could say, "If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised" had something going on. Earlier, we mentioned how Hugo Gernsback more or less created science fiction fandom, and one of those early fans celebrates his 90th birthday today: Ray Bradbury. Bradbury wrote more than just science fiction, but that's what he's best known for. "If you enjoy living, it is not difficult to keep the sense of wonder," he once said. Over nearly a century, that"s a heck of a lot of wonder. See you next time! Suggested Sites... Little League World Series - a Williamsport tradition since 1947. Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders - because you really want to know what the date is. eHow: Rules for Mah-Jongg - not that we understand them. Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin - not that he needed it, but it should be interesting, regardless. Titanic Expedition Aims To Create 3D Map Of Wreck - bet they don't find the iceberg.

Directory categories: Inventors, Vampires, Big Bands, Science Fiction Authors, Music History

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Engraved Marco Polo portrait It is the year 1297. In a dingy Genoese prison cell, Marco Polo sits and narrates one of the greatest stories ever told to his fellow prisoner, the famed romance writer Rustichello da Pisa. Prior to his imprisonment in Europe, Polo traveled farther than contemporary Europeans imagined possible. Originally from the Republic of Venice, Polo traversed the Silk Road through Central Asia to trade in luxury goods, eventually reaching Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing), the capital of the great Mongol Empire. From there, Polo performed diplomatic missions for Emperor Kublai Khan -- once escorting a Mongol princess to meet her Persian groom. After returning home years later and being captured during a war between Venice and Genoa, Polo unraveled his tale of awe-inspiring Eastern riches and the unfamiliar customs of non-Christian peoples. Rustichello's manuscript was copied many times over, translated into multiple European languages, and disseminated across Europe and eventually around the world. The Travels of Marco Polo inspired subsequent generations. Christopher Columbus was an avid reader and his own explorations two centuries later were partly motivated by Polo's account of the East. In the nineteenth century, the English romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge based his epic poem, Kubla Khan, on Polo's depiction of the Mongol Emperor and his court. Readers are often impressed by Polo’s detailed and relatively tolerant depictions of the foreign lands and peoples he encountered. Since Polo traveled at a time when Europe was a poor backwater compared to ancient Asian civilizations, Polo's writings do not convey the Eurocentrism of later explorers. China has recently drawn attention as a rising world power and host of the 2008 Olympics. Today, on the 754th anniversary of his birthday, Marco Polo reminds us of an earlier fascination that motivated Europeans to make contact with and learn about their impressive Asian neighbors. Suggested Sites... The Silk Road Foundation - explore the Silk Road with articles, maps, and timelines. Marco Polo's Asia - features an essay on Marco Polo’s view of China. Museum of Hoaxes - Marco Polo - find out why some suspect that Marco Polo never went to China. The Catholic Encyclopedia - Marco Polo - read the Catholic Encyclopedia’s biography of Marco Polo. Medieval Travel - learn about medieval travel and peruse a list of famous explorers.

Directory categories: Travel Writing, Medieval Studies, Marco Polo, Chinese History, Explorers

Archived under: Adventure, Asia, Beijing, Biographies, China, Cultures, Exploration, Explorers, History, Italy, Literature, Marco Polo, Travel

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Beijing Olympic Stadium The Bird's Nest (Photo by Aaron TenHarmsel) The Olympics are here! And as we celebrate the Games of the current Olympiad, our thoughts turn to -- no, not to steroids and genetic testing, or the ways in which protesters will be relegated to the far reaches of Beijing. No, we're not getting nostalgic for the events of yesteryear: croquet, golf, and Jeu de Paume (Jeu de what?). We're not even thinking of how Beijing's air has the consistency of pea soup (or perhaps birds' nest soup this year), though Chinese officials are doing their darnedest to keep competitors from horking up a lung. No, as the Games begin, we like to concentrate on the symbols that identify the Olympics: icons like the flag, whose rings represent the five continents of the world and the colors found on every flag. Or the Torch Relay -- devised by Hitler's propagandists, but which culminates in the lighting ceremony that can choke up even the hardest-hearted cynic. American television viewers associate Leo Arnaud's "Bugler's Dream" with the Games, though in recent years, that musical theme has been replaced by John Williams' "Olympic Fanfare and Theme." Most of all, we love the mascots of the Games -- cuddly creatures like Waldi (who admonished other daschhunds against urinating on the Olympic flagpole) or Calgary's lovable polar bears Hidy and Howdy -- or even Los Angeles' Sam, who fended off accusations that he looked more like a chicken than a bald eagle. Perhaps the least-loved mascot was Atlanta's Izzy, if only because no one was really sure what the hell he (she? it?) was. The final verdict on this year's Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini is anyone's guess, but we're pretty sure that they'll end up being less creepy than Turin's Neve and Gliz -- an anthropomorphized snowball and ice cube with unnervingly cheerful expressions. Suggested Sites... Beijing Olympics - official site for the Games, with information on events, athletes, results, and tickets. NBC Olympic Broadcast Schedule - over 2,000 hours of television. Olympic Mascots: A History - photo gallery of the famous and infamous. International Olympic Committee - official site of the Olympic Movement. Yahoo! Sports: Beijing Olympics - news, results, schedules, and medal counts.

Directory categories: Beijing Olympics, Olympic Symbols, Olympic Games, Summer Olympics History, Beijing

Archived under: Athletes, Beijing, China, Events, Mascots, Olympics, Sports, Track and Field

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Welcome back to our occasional feature on what's happening in the exciting world of the Yahoo! Directory. Even though it's been a while since we've updated you, don't think our work has stopped: There's always new stuff to be added. For example, in less than two weeks, we'll mark the start of the Beijing Olympics. Folks from all over the world are preparing for their visits, so we've expanded our categories on Beijing hotels, tourism, and restaurants, to provide even the fussiest traveler with information on where to go and what to see. Of course, there are other aspects to the Games that we all find fascinating, and so we've boosted our information on such performance-enhancing drugs as Atenolol, GHB, and Rohypnol. And we're not sure if this relates to the sometimes-questionable air in the capital, but we've added sites about treatment of persistent coughs, pneumonia, and sore throats (not to mention the traveler's traditional bane: diarrhea). But it's not all athletics and pollution here. When you wanted good information on Hurricanes Bertha and Dolly, we went out and found it (and will continue to do so throughout the storm season). And when the good people at the Television Academy announced the Emmy Award nominations, and we added information about all the nominated shows and actors. There's always room in the Directory for stuff that's oddball or off-center, so say hello to Live Action Role Playing Games and (our personal favorite) Chess Boxing, a competition that combines the brain-straining aspect of chess with the brain-addling power of the Sweet Science. If that sounds as interesting to you as it did to us, give it a click. That's all for now, but please join us next time, as we continue to delve into the more than one million sites that make up the Yahoo! Directory. Suggested Sites... Yahoo! Directory: 2012 Summer Olympics: London - we know you'll be wondering. Yahoo! Directory: 2010 Winter Olympics: Vancouver - and here, too. Yahoo! Directory: Chess - checkmate your opponent with a left hook. Yahoo! Directory: 2008 Emmy Awards - the best in television -- for one night, anyway. Yahoo! Directory: Specific Drugs and Medications - from Abbokinase to Zyvox.

Directory categories: 2008 Beijing Olympics, Olympic Games, Chinese Travel, Beijing, 2008 Emmy Award Nominations

Archived under: Actors, Asia, Athletes, Award Shows, Awards, Beijing, Boxing, Celebrities, Chess, China, Cities, Disasters, Disease, Emmy Awards, Entertainment, Events, Gamers, Games, Medicine, Olympics, Recreation and Travel, Role-Playing Games, Sports, Summer, TV, Tourist Attractions, Travel, Women's Sports, Yahoo!, Yahoo! Directory

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