January 4 Birthdays

Let's start off by noting that I didn't forget about the events of the day.  I just wasn't grabbed by any of them for some reason.  Maybe in another year or so I'll look at all the info again and think "wow!  That's really interesting!"  But today, not so much.

Therefore, let's move onto birthdays.  First off is the 1785 birthday of Jacob Grimm.  And yes, he had a brother, who was named Wilhelm.  Together they formed the Brothers Grimm.  But you knew that.  And apparently, they have a descendant who is a cop someplace, and fights off all sorts of demons and monsters on TV.  I guess.  I almost watched the show online, but then I read some reviews that said it's pretty crappy, so I lost interest.  I dunno- anybody watch it and want to tell me if those reviews have any merit?

In 1809, it's time for Louis Braille to come along, and he does.  Helen Keller is happy.  Or would be, if she were alive then.  But someday....  And speaking of braille, why do they put it on ATM machines?  (Had to put that up for everyone who likes that joke, and for the one person in the world who might not have heard it before).

Happy 1895 birthday to Leroy Grumman.  He was an engineer, who designed airplanes.  And he did a darned fine job of it!  His aircraft helped us win WWII, and his company, now merged with Northrop, is still doing a darned fine job of it.

James Bond was born on this date in 1900.  But lest you think that he's doing well to chase bad guys around and shoot them while he's busy with a hot woman, you should know something:  He was an ornithologist, aka bird watcher scientist type.  All that being said, he was an expert on Caribbean birds, and his best known work on the subject was well known to a certain bird-watcher in Jamaica.  His name was Fleming.  Ian Fleming.  When Fleming was writing his books, he asked Bond about using his name, and was told "fine with it".  Later, Fleming gave him a copy of one book (You only live twice, to be specific) with the inscription "To the real James Bond, from the thief of his identity".  Cool, huh?

Happy birthday from them Duke Boys to old Boss Hogg!  Or his alter ego, Sorrell Booke, who was born in 1930.  In Buffalo, lest you think he was a southerner.  His cousin was Max Yasgur, who owned the farm where hippies gathered in huge numbers in 1969.  At Woodstock.  Oh, and he was a polyglot.  (Booke, not Yasgur.  Though he could have been too).  What's a polyglot?  Someone who speaks multiple languages- in his case, 5 of them.  Besides trying to outsmart those Duke boys, he also appeared on M*A*S*H, All in the Family, and Soap.  (Speaking of which, have you checked that one out yet?)  Oh, and he apparently wore a fat suit in the Dukes, as he was not that overweight in real life.

Sharing the birthday of the Boss, is Don Shula.  He's still the only NFL coach to lead his team to a perfect season.  And he did a good job other years as well, and in other cities. Fun fact:  somebody once asked him why he thought Dan Marino was still available to be picked late in the 1st round of the NFL draft.  Shula replied that he didn't know, but "why do you think I go to mass everyday?".  He also coached as an assistant in Detroit, so he's pretty darned cool!  Oh, and he has the NFL record for most wins as a head coach. 

Remember Max Headroom?  His alter ego, Matt Frewer was born on this date in 1958.  I was never a fan of Max, but I did enjoy a TV show Frewer later did, called "Doctor Doctor".  Needless to say, it didn't last, which is a shame in my opinion.  His character was a doctor who who moonlighted as the local medical expert on a news show.  In one episode, he and the hostess were discussing something of a sexual nature- AIDS, VD, something like that.  And he starts discussing the-ahem- act of romance, using various non-explicit terms.  About 15-20 of them.  And the hostess is giggling, and commenting on how fun some of them sound, etc.  Then the fictional show goes black as the control room cuts the signal.... Guess you had to be there, but it was funny.  And for the mid-1980s or early 90s, pretty racy for network TV.

Dave Foley was born in 1963 on this date.  He was, like all of them, pretty meh in Kids in the Hall, but he was great in NewsRadio.  But you knew that too.  Did you know that the role of Dave Nelson in the latter show was written specifically for Foley?

That's about it.  Hopefully the RIP section will be worth reading too.  For me.  If I do it, then obviously it's worthwhile for you to read.