meatballs

Well, it's probably obvious by now that I'm in a bit of a blogging slump, with the This Week in History posts serving as my only lifeline to the blog in a given week. I'll try to get back on the ball. But as soon as I wrote that somewhat optimistic statement, then I saw a commercial for a new Hannah Montana movie. So now I am a bit gloomy about the world again. Perhaps this week's historic events might cheer me up?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 8
A glimpse at the events of February 8 answers that question very clearly. The events of Feb. 8 were very dark indeed. A doctor accused some girls of being witches, kicking off teh whole Salem Witch Trial thing. Mary Queen of Scots was executed. A thing called "The Devil's Footprints" mysteriously appeared in southern Devon (if it hadn't happened in 1855, I might try to make some sort of Miley Cyrus joke). The first exceuction using gas took place, the controversial film "Birth of a Nation" premiered, the Orangeburg massacre took place, a dust storm hit Australia, and Anna Nicole Smith died. History is really bringing me down lately.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 9
I am going to try really hard for the rest of this entry to focus on positive things. So let me tell you that today is the date that Joe Pesci was born; Pesci would go on to entertain America AND THE WORLD in his films Home Alone and Home Alone 2.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 10
Okay, here is a freaky coincidence. This morning I was reading an article in my new American History magazine (thanks, Dad!) about how P.T. Barnum took the dwarf General Tom Thumb to meet Queen Victoria. By all accounts, the queen really got a kick out of the dwarf and his routine, but she was still very concerned about his well-being. But according to Wikipedia, on this date in 1840, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, and on this date in 1863, General Tom Thumb married another dwarf named Lavinia Warren. Wikipedia doesn't say whether General Tom Thumb picked the date to honor Queen Victoria, but it does say that the tiny couple stood on top of a piano to greet their guests, and after the wedding, they got to meet Abraham Lincoln at the White House. I don't want to sound crude, but why do dwarves get to do everything?!?!?!?!? Please don't be offended, little people.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 11
How are these events connected: the birth of Sarah Palin, the birth of Jennifer Aniston and the death of Sylvia Plath? If you guessed that they all happened on this date, then you are right! So get ready for the news shows and the comedy shows to comment on the Sarah Palin thing. And get ready for all the celebrity gossip sites to comment on the Jennifer Aniston thing. And salute your inner teenage girl regarding the Sylvia Plath thing, because I've never met a teenage girl who wasn't intrigued by Sylvia Plath's death.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 12
Did you know there was a king of Italy called Charles the Fat? I didn't, til right now, and it briefly cheered me, until I learned that the guy was considered lethargic, inept and was believe to have epilepsy. Then I felt guilty. Anyways, he was crowned today. But in happier news, everyone's favorite president, Abraham Lincoln, was born today! Me, I'm planning to wear a top hat ALL DAY. It's also Judy Blume's birthday, if you'd prefer to walk around angsty all day.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 13
I am trying to stay positive but it's hard to do when the most interesting thing that happened today was the birth of Peter Gabriel!

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: FEBRUARY 14
On this day in 1859, Oregon was admitted to the U.S. as the 33rd state. I'm going to start calling Oregon "America's Valentine."