The Geekly with a Twist: August 24th-30th
Man, I’ve got a lot of work to do! Today’s Geekly will (LIKELY?) be my last article before I go on vacation and I’ve still got to pack and get the next Geekly in the drafts for publication…so no more stalling! (Okay, so I’m probably going to keep stalling on the packing part.) Onward with the history!
August 24th, 1915: Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pen name James Tiptree, Jr. is born in Chicago, Illinois.
August 24th, 1934: Kenny Baker, best known as the man inside of R2-D2, is born in Birmingham, England.
August 24th, 1963: Hideo Kojima, the director of Kojima Productions and the game director and producer behind works such as Metal Gear and Castlevania, is born in Tokyo, Japan.
August 24th, 1984: Kyle Schmid (Henry from Being Human), is born in Mississauga, Ontario.
August 24th, 1988: Rupert Grint (yes, Ron Weasley) is born in Hertfordshire, England.
August 24th, 2006: The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term “planet,” causing the loss of dear Pluto (now a “Dwarf planet”). Revolve in peace, dear friend.
August 25th, 1958: Prolific cult director, producer, writer, and artist Tim Burton is born in Burbank, California.
August 26th, 1952: The only person to hold a degree in enigmatology (the study of puzzles) and the crossword puzzle creator and editor for The New York Times, Will Shortz is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
August 26th, 1980: The new James T. Kirk, Chris Pine is born in Los Angeles, California.
August 27th, 1957: Jeff Grubb, the writer and game designer known for everything from novels set in the Forgotten Realms to Spelljammer campaigns for D&D, is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
August 27th, 1958; Sergei Krikalev, the Russian cosmonaut who has currently spent more time in space than any other human being (more than 803 days), is born in Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg, Russia).
August 28th, 1845: Scientific America publishes its first issue.
August 28th, 1941: Comic book giant Jack Kirby is born in New York City.
August 28th, 1948: Nebula award-winning author Vonda N McIntyre is born in Louisville, Kentucky.
August 29th, 1954: Science Fiction writer Michael P Kube-McDowell is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
August 29th, 1959: The first Canadian to walk in space (and soon to be the first Canadian in charge of the ISS), Chris Hadfield is born in Sarnia, Ontario.
August 30th, 1871: The father of nuclear physics, Ernest Rutherford is born in Brightwater, New Zealand.
August 30th, 1949: The voice actor responsible for such voices as Starscream and Cobra Commander (he also had several guest roles in various Star Trek shows), Christopher Collins is born in Orange, New Jersey.
August 30th, 1963: Mark Strong, the actor who plays awesome villains (think Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, John Carter) is born in London.
August 30th, 1984: The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on its maiden voyage.
For more stuff that’s happened this week, check out:
And, of course, since this week has dragged on incessantly, this Twist is especially welcome… how about finishing your week off with a Ron Weasley? (There are many recipes, but this is probably my favorite. Check out the Celebrations page for their back story.)
- 2 part gin
- 1 1/2 parts Campari
- 3 parts grapefruit juice
Fill a highball glass with ice and add the gin followed by the Campari. Top with the grapefruit juice and stir. Bonus points if the glass has a “W” etched on it.
And now, to Garnish your Geekly, check out this awesome high-def video of Curiosity’s descent to the red planet!
[youtube=http://youtu.be/gZX5GRPnd4U]
So, I’ll be in Barsoom next week (also known as Moab, Utah), so I’ll catch you guys later. The Geekly will be here, though, same bat time, same bat channel! Check it out next Friday. Until then, geek on!
