Good news this morning

No building workers strike (I was on the garbage pickup committee.)

April 21, 2003 -
Nina Simone, dubbed the high priestess of soul, died in France on this date.



Kids go out and buy one of her CD's, you'll thank me for it later.


Make of this what you will - the following people were born on this day:
Catherina II the Great, writer/empress of Russia (and no she didn't do it with the horses, just the horse men) (1729),



Alexandra Mary Windsor II (1926),



Iggy Pop (James Newell Osterberg) (1947) ,



Patti LuPone (1949),



Tony Danza (1951)



& Robert Smith (1959)





Today in History -
April 21, 753 BC -
Traditional date of the foundation of Rome (they are hoping to finish building it any day now).

But since the Gregorian Calendar was just a gleam in Pope Julius eye - who knows.


April 21, 1836 -
With the battle cry, 'Remember the Alamo!' Texan forces under Sam Houston defeated the army of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, assuring Texas independence .



According to legend, Santa Ana was astride a mulatto, or "yellow" prostitute, Emily Morgan, who came to be celebrated in song as The Yellow Rose of Texas.

Now you know.


April 21, 1910 -
Halley's comet reappears, last seen in 1835.



The Earth passes safely through the comet's tail with no perceptible effect, not counting the death of Mark Twain.

This time, the reports were not exaggerated.


April 21, 1918 -
German fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as The Red Baron, is shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme in France.



There is no truth to the rumor that Snoopy fired the fatal shot.


April 21, 1997 -
Ashes of Timothy Leary and Gene Roddenberry launched into orbit (This marked the beginning of the space funeral industry.)

I guess this is the highest Dr. Leary will ever get.


And so it goes.