It's a fact

April 11, 1954 –
According to a team of Cambridge University scientists, this date in history was the most boring day during the entire 20th Century.

It appears to have been so boring that it had to be named National Cheese Fondue Day just so those people living though it didn't kill themselves. Everything goes better with fondue.


April 11, 1942 -
Horton Hatches the Egg, a Merrie Melodies production, is released on this date.



Bob Clampett's version of Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg was the first cinematic adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book.


April 11, 1947 -
Charlie Chaplin's very dark comedy (and box-office flop upon it's initial release), Monsieur Verdoux, premiered on this date in NYC.



The film was originally meant to be directed by Orson Welles and starring Charles Chaplin, but Chaplin backed out at the last moment, saying that he had never had anyone direct him before and didn't want to start. Instead, he bought the screenplay off Welles and re-wrote parts of it, crediting Welles with only the "idea". Welles said that, despite most of the script being his, he didn't mind as it was one of his lesser works.


Today in History:
April 11, 1814 -
Able was I ere I saw Elba.

Napoleon tried a forced retirement, for the first time, as Emperor of France, on this date.



He retaining the title of emperor and 400 volunteers to act as his guard. He was granted sovereignty over Elba and a pension from the French government. Retirement on a small island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy, doesn't suit him and he comes back for his metric Hundred Day campaign (see March 20).


April 11, 1890 -
Joseph "John" Merrick, the Elephant Man died at the Royal London Hospital at the age of 27 on this date.



If I had a million dollars, would I buy Michael Jackson's skeleton?


April 11, 1905 -
A simple patent clerk, Albert Einstein, known mostly for looking at the town clock or passing trains, produces a not so simple paper discussing the Theory of Relativity which among other things postulates that E = MC2 (yeah, yeah I'm no Einstein, I can't make 2 squared).



This astonished the world because previously E had always equally the fifth letter of the alphabet.


April 11, 1979 -
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, falls to the Tanzanians and dictator Idi Amin is overthrown. Amin escaped to Libya and settled into exile in Saudi Arabia.

Amin, an occasional cannibal who killed perhaps 300,000 during his reign, had made the mistake of invading Tanzania - a common mistake most occasional cannibals make.



And so it goes