In which I am Lazy

In which I am Lazy

Saw this thing over here...

Go to Wikipedia and look up your birthday (excluding the year). List three events or neat facts, two births and one death, including the year.

Alright. I was freshly squeezed on February 20....

Events:

1725: The first case of white men scalping Injuns is reported in New Hampshire. In 1725, it was still Brand New Hampshire. Our standards were pretty low, back then, on medical breakthroughs.

1835: Concepcion, Chile is destroyed by an Earthquake. This may be neither here nor there, but we had us 3.3 earth tremor the other night. I was waiting for Letterman to come on, I heard a low boom, like maybe something had fallen over upstairs, and then there was a low rumble that lasted 10 or 15 seconds. It sounded like thunder. Couldn't feel a vibration, but the newspaper told us the next day that there was indeed a tremor. Athens was not destroyed.

1992: Ross Perot announced his intention to run for the Presidency on Larry King Live. I can't remember Ross Perot. All I see when I try to remember him is Dana Carvey's SNL impression of him.

Births

1925: Robert Altman. Maker of such fine flicks as MASH, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Short Cuts, and Popeye.

1943: Antonio Inoki. Personally, I believe it is a crying shame that the WWF doesn't recognize Inoki's week-long title reign...he won the title from then champ Bob Backlund, and he's never gotten his due for it.

1963: Charles Barkley. Holy Shit! Sir Charles and I have the same birthday? That's Fucking Awesome! Though somehow, I was hoping Mr. Barkley was older than me by more than 14 years.

Deaths

1171: Conan IV. Yep. Some dude named Conan IV. It is terrific that he is named Conan. It is quadrupally terrific that he is the fourth such Conan. (That would be a good band name: Fourth Such Conan).

From Wikipedia:

Conan IV (1138 – February 20, 1171) was duke of Brittany, from 1156 to his death. He was son of Alan de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond and Bertha of Brittany. Through his mother he was the nephew and heir of Duke Hoel III. From his father’s side, Conan was great grandson of duke Geoffrey I and grandson of Eudes of Brittany.

In 1156, Hoel was expelled and Conan was successful in wresting control of the Duchy from his stepfather Eudes. In 1158, Geoffrey, Count of Nantes died and Conan seized Nantes. Geoffrey's brother, King Henry II of England, responded by seizing Richmond and demanding the return of Nantes. Conan and Henry made peace, and Conan married Henry's cousin, Margaret of Scotland, in 1160. Margaret was daughter of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and Ada de Warenne, a daughter of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey and Elizabeth de Vermandois.

Conan had to face several revolts from his own nobles. To sustain the unrest, the duke appealed to the help of Henry, who, in return, demanded the engagement of Conan’s only daughter and heiress Constance with his son Geoffrey Plantagenet.

You know, some of that shit sounds made up.
1999: Gene Siskel. That spring of 1999, I was taking a film criticism class. Our professor came into class and announced that "We Lost a Thumb" this weekend, and noted that he'd expected a comment like that from me. I didn't know that Gene Siskel had passed away that weekend. I spent the rest of class (and much of the semester) in hysterics.

2005: Hunter S. Thompson. Little known fact: A little Hunter S. Thompson lives inside us all. But he's not allowed to shoot guns or smoke, so he's really pissed off. He throws tantrums in your bowels. That's how we get diarrhea.