Today is the Yuan Xiao festival, also called Lantern Festival. This is the 15th day of the Lunar Festival; it marks the end of the New Year celebrations.
There is a story about the Lantern Festival. A beautiful heavenly bird flew down a village and was killed. The God of Heaven was very angry and wanted to burn down the entire village on the 15th lunar day. One wise guy advised every family hang candle lanterns around the house, carried lantern on the street, burn fire outside to explode the firecracker at the 15th lunar night. The soldiers of the God of Heaven saw the village was on fire from the heaven, and returned back to the heaven. The village survived and people keep the lantern activity on this day every year.
It's also Peppermint Patty Day - No, not this one
It's minty chocolatey goodness.
February 11, 1962 -
Sheryl Suzanne Crow, singer-songwriter, musician and Michael Jackson backup singer survivor, was born on this date.
When sending birthday wishes, don' t bring up any of her exes.
February 11, 1969 -
The former lady of the perpetual bad relationship, Jennifer Aniston, now happily wed, was born on this date.
Jennifer deserves to be well and happy (Greek girls always have a special place in my heart.)
February 11, 1975 -
One of the most iconic films of the 70s, Shampoo, directed by Hal Ashby, written by Robert Towne and starring Warren Beatty was released on this date.
The lead character was based on actual hairdresser Jay Sebring and Jon Peters.
Today in History:
On February 11, 1573, Francis Drake saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time on this date, and this is noteworthy, since 100's of thousands of West Coast living indigenous Native Americans saw it before they went to bed the night before.
February 11, 1650 -
Rene Descartes, mathematician, drunken fart and philosopher best known for his statement "I think therefore I am", stops thinking on this date.
Queen Christina of Sweden (remember - the boy queen - see December 18 ) persuaded Descartes to come to Stockholm. On this date, after only a few months in that cold climate, he died of pneumonia.
Kids let this be a lesson to you - never accept an invitation from transvestite royalty.
Friedrich Ebert was elected the first president of the German Republic on February 11, 1919.
I bet he didn't see that coming.
February 11, 1929 -
The Lateran Treaty was signed on this date - Mussolini granted recognition to the Vatican in return for their support of his fascist dictatorship.
February 11, 1936 -
It's Burt Reynolds' birthday. He's not the one who squealed like a pig in Deliverance (what he does in his private life is none of my concern.)
Burt should have charged for all those mustache rides; he wouldn't have been in such financial straits.
February 11, 1938 -
BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., which coined the term robot.
February 11, 1960 -
Jack Paar, temperament host of the Tonight Show, in a fit of pique, walks off his TV show when he is not allowed to tell a very lame joke about W.C. 's on this date.
Yes Jack, there is a better way to make a living than this, nowadays, you would be allowed to broadcast live while you are getting a colonoscopy.
February 11, 1963 -
American writer Sylvia Plath, committed suicide by asphyxiation from a gas stove (sticking her head in the oven) in London after her husband, English poet Ted Hughes, left her for another woman.
Assia Wevill, the woman for whom Hughes left Plath committed suicide 6 years later.
February 11, 1979 -
Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile on this date.
But 43 million people in the US try to seek salvation by watching Elvis! on ABC-TV on this date.
Most do not find it because they forgot to place one hand on the TV screen and the other hand upon their damp nether regions.
February 11, 1986 -
Frank Herbert, author of Dune, died from pancreatic cancer on this date.
If only he had access to the spice Melange.
February 11, 1990 -
Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, was freed from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa on this date.
In April 1994, he was elected president in the first all-race elections. If only he had access to the spice Melange years earlier.
February 11, 2006 -
Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot Harry Whittington, a major Texas Republican insider, in the face while bird hunting on this date.
Almost immediately after being released from the hospital, a shaken Whittington, apologizes to the Vice President for getting in his line of fire. After this event, no one in Washington D.C. messed with Dick Cheney.
And so it goes.
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