Today’s Quiz: What do these people have in common? Gregory La Cava, Frank Tashlin, David Swift, Tim Burton, Jerry Reese, Rob Minkoff and Kevin Lima.

Yesterday’s Question below: What is the origin of the phrase” To be Turned Down Flat?”
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HISTORY FOR 12/3/2007
Birthdays: Gilbert Stuart, Sven Nykvist, Joseph Conrad real name Josef Korzeniowski, Jean Luc Godard is 77, Nino Rota, Jim Backus-the voice of Mr Magoo, Maria Callas, Larry Parks, Charles Pillsbury, Darryl Hannah is 47, Katerina Witt, Brendan Fraser is 39, Julianne Moore is 47


Happy Ozzy Day! Ozzie Ozbourne is 59-
”I never set out to be a businessman. I just wanted to have fun, f—k chicks and do drugs.”

749AD- This is the Feast of Saint John Damascene. He’s the saint who’s called the Father of Christian Art, because he theologically argued a way for artists to avoid the “Graven Images “ hitch in the Ten Commandments and make images of Jesus and the Saints.

1591- The first fire insurance contract was written in Hamburg.

1775- The first official U.S. flag hoisted aboard the USS Alfred. It was thirteen stripes with a cross of Saint George and Saint Andrew in the corner.

1818- Illinois became a state with it’s first capitol at Kaskaskia.

1838- THE SECRET GUILD of the SACRED HUNTERS OF THE EAST. Another goofy attempt by the U.S. to conquer Canada. On this day a force of 500 disaffected Canadians, Yankee opportunists and Polish revolutionists cross over from Detroit and capture Windsor Ontario. (why do we always invade Canada in the winter? ) They are led by the uncle of writer Ambrose Bierce, Lucius Verus Bierce. They call themselves the Secret Guild of the Sacred Hunters of the East and their intention was no less than liberating Canada from the hated British yoke! ( although who hated it at the time is anybodys guess..) Well nobody supported them and while they were standing around trying to think of what to do next the British army quickly rounded them up. Those that weren’t hanged were shipped to New Zealand. Bierce escaped back across the Detroit River in a canoe where he was promptly arrested for violating U.S. neutrality laws. He later devoted his time and money to abolition and financed John Browns’ anti-slavery campaign in Kansas.

1919- Impressionist painter Pierre August Renoir died of old age. Suffering from arthritis that left him unable to paint with his hands, Renoir used a bit that held the brush in his teeth.

1925- GEORGE GERSHWIN PLAYS CARNEGIE HALL. Gershwin always wanted to be taken seriously as a composer and not just a Tin Pan Alley pop-song writer. While in Paris he met Maurice Ravel, but instead of giving him advice Ravel said: "You make HOW much from your songs? Maybe I should learn from you!" When he asked to be Arnold Schoenberg's pupil, Schoenburg told him :" Why do you want to be a bad Schoenburg when you're already such a good Gershwin?"

1931- Happy Birthday Alka Seltzer!

1934- Lee Blair, Disney artist and brother of Preston Blair, Disney artist, married Mary Browne Robinson, Disney artist. She became the most famous of them as Mary Blair.

1941- After clandestine diplomatic initiatives to raise the U.S. oil and steel embargoes fail, The Japanese High Command radios it's carrier fleet out in the Pacific: "Climb Mount Nitaka". This code meant go forward with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Nagumo orders resumption of radio silence and turns his fleet South-SouthWest towards Hawaii.

1967- Dr. Christiaan Barnard of Capetown performed the first heart transplant.

1968- Elvis Presley opened in Las Vegas to rave reviews and packed houses. It marks the beginning of his comeback and his transition from thin, black leather-jacketed youth to fat, rhinestone jumpsuit, half tinted sunglasses, karate-swinging middle age.

1974-A 40 foot long inflated pig broke away from its’ teather at a Pink Floyd photo shoot and became a hazard to civil aviation. The AeroPork was lost to radar at 8,000 feet.

1991- Hulk Hogan defeated Undertaker to become WWF champ for the 4th time.

1997 – 56 year old Darlene Gillespie, an original member of the Mickey Mouse Club, was busted in LA for a securities fraud scheme. She later developed multiple schlerosis.

1997-Basketball star Latrell Sprewell lost his $32 million contract with the Golden State Warriors for trying to strangle his coach P.J. Carlesino. So he goes to the NY Knicks.

2004-The Ukranian Supreme Court ruled the recent presidential election invalid. Moscow and hardline Kiev Gov’t supported Victor Januscowicz followers committed widespread acts of voter fraud, then suppressed any news reports. The story was revealed to the world by a heroic sign language translator for the deaf. While the state approved news anchor reported the elections on the evening news the translator, Tania Dmitriovna, signed “EYERYTHING YOU HAVE JUST HEARD IS A LIE! YUSCHENKO IS OUR TRUE PRESIDENT! THIS IS PROBABLY THE LAST TIME YOU WILL EVER SEE ME..” The word spread spawned weeklong mass demonstrations and international pressure that compelled the government to redo the election.
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Yesterday’s Question: What is the origin of the phrase” To be Turned Down Flat?”

Answer: In early America, when a gentleman desired to court a lady, he would leave his carte de visite [calling card] at her house. When he returned to call, if the card was upright on the mantle, then the lady in question desired to accept his courtship. But if she declined, he knew when he saw his card – turned down flat.