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

Archived under: 17th Century, 18th Century, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 19th Century, Actors, American History, Ancient History, Animal Rights, Animation, Anniversaries, Art Museums, Artists, Asia, Athletes, Authors, Babe Ruth, Baseball Players, Basketball, Beach Boys, Biographies, Birthdays, Calendars, Cartoons, Celebrations, Celebrities, Charles Darwin, Cheerleaders, China, Civil War, Classical Music, Coca Cola, Coincidence, Comedians, Composers, Conjoined Twins, Country Music, Creationism, Crime, Dead Celebrities, Death, Directors, Dorothy Parker, Elvis Presley, England, Entertainment, Games, Government, Graceland, History, Humor, Invention, Inventors, Jazz, Law, Literature, Louvre, Media, Mickey Mouse, Movie History, Movie Theatres, Movies, Museums, Music, Music History, Musicians, NBA, NFL, New York, News, Newspapers, Plastic Surgery, Poetry, Presidents, Regional, Royalty, Science, Science Fiction, Scientists, Sex and Sexuality, Shipwrecks, Singers, Society and Culture, Sports, TV, Technology, Theatres, U.K. History, Underwater, United Kingdom, United States, Vintage, War, Weird Stuff, William Shakespeare, Winnie the Pooh, Witches, Women, Writers, Writing

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The Essential Michael Jackson and how we'd like to remember him Today, Michael Jackson turns 50... but he doesn't look a day older than 80, does he? Unfortunately, due to Michael's obsession with altering his appearance, he will never look his age -- of course, at this point he also doesn't look human! Remember when the self-proclaimed King of Pop looked normal? Yes, think way back. Ol' "Wacko Jacko" took the title of his biggest selling album a bit too literally and made himself into a thriller. But why, Mike? Why? Between the years 1979 and 2001, Michael Jackson changed his looks -- considerably -- as can easily be seen by his album covers during those years. "Off the Wall" was the last time we'd get to hold "young and innocent Michael" in our hands. Maybe it was the success of that album, or the thought of millions seeing his adult face even more on TV, that persuaded him to start making major changes to his appearance, starting with a new nose to show off on "Thriller." Fine, that was cool -- we could deal with that. In fact, he looked good! But five years later, his "Bad" look was a bit of a surprise. He was... um, a different hue, for one. Long hair -- okay, fine -- and dressed all in black (yes, we get it -- you're Bad!). Ah, but then, with his next album, he seemed to have gotten the message. He was totally hidden on the cover of "Dangerous" -- and considering that title, it makes us wonder why he was hiding. Don't be ashamed, Mike. Just stop going under the knife, man! Alas, he did not learn: On the cover of his latest album, "Invincible," he was paler than ever (and the over-exposed white contrast of the cover didn't help, Michael). That was in 2001: I cringe when I think about what he'll look like on his next album cover. So what, now, MJ? Is there any way you can just age gracefully? Mikey, seriously, at the rate you're going, many of us are just hoping you age at all. Suggested Sites... ABC News: The Changing Face of Michael Jackson - photo slideshow of Jacko's career and the many faces he's worn. YouTube: Morphing Michael Jackson - watch MJ's many faces morph from his adolescent days to recent years. Michael's YouTube Channel - watch classic music videos of Michael when he was totally normal, like "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You." A Photographic History of Michael Jackson's Face - with "blithering, yet witty commentary." Michael Jackson Didn't Have Plastic Surgery On His Heart - one fan's letter to those dissing Michael Jackson's incredibly bizarre face.

Directory categories: Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, Celebrity Plastic Surgery

Archived under: Beauty, Entertainment, Health, Michael Jackson, Mug Shots, Musicians, Plastic Surgery

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Joan Rivers Pity the poor celebrity, forever chasing after the illusive physical ideal, often through plastic surgery. It starts off innocently enough -- a bump here, a plump there -- but it quickly reels out of control. The gambler inside might brave the possibility of botched eye surgery, but is eternal youth really worth the risk of facial wreckage? Like an artist who can't decide when the painting is finished, it must be difficult to judge whether to keep going or beat it. Even sports figures are in a tight race to outrun time. And when your ideal isn't even human (say, a doll or a cat), the results can be downright shocking. We know stardom is a tough business. Actors grow desperate to keep their youthful glow and girlish figures. But, it's one thing to sip a dipperful from the fountain of youth; it's quite another to jump in and do the backstroke. Suggested Sites... Awful Plastic Surgery - "the good, bad, and ugly of celebrity plastic surgery." Good Plastic Surgery - when things go right. Talk Surgery - get the scoop on procedures and safety issues.

Directory categories: Celebrity Plastic Surgery, Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Cosmetics, Personal Growth

Archived under: Celebrities, Entertainment, Health, Plastic Surgery, Weird Stuff

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