Peter Sellers (1925) Sellers was a British actor who earned international stardom playing a wide range of characters at a time when rigid typecasting was the norm. The son of vaudeville performers, he began appearing with his parents as a boy. He started making films in the 1950s and later gained enormous popularity as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series. In Dr. Strangelove, he plays three characters, including the titular role. What fourth character was he initially supposed to play? Discuss
Buddy Holly (1936) An early rock 'n' roll star, Holly began as a country-and-western singer and gradually added rhythm-and-blues elements to his innovative style. With his band, the Crickets, he established the standard rock instrumentation of two guitars, bass, and drums, and toured the US extensively for two years before his death in a plane crash. He became one of rock's most enduring cult figures and much of his material was released posthumously. Who else died in the plane crash that killed him?
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt (1817) Galt was a British-Canadian statesman. Born in London, he immigrated to Canada in his teens and began his political career there in 1849, eventually serving several terms as minister of finance. Although he signed the 1849 manifesto favoring the annexation of Canada by the US, he became one of the most persistent and influential leaders of the movement for confederation of the provinces and later advocated Canadian independence. He was a founding member of what company that still exists today?
Beetlejuice Interior Designer Glenn Shadix Dies Glenn Shadix will always be remembered for what he accomplished under the watchful eye of a ghostly Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.
The portly actor, who played a pretentious interior...
Robert Pattinson Goes On the Road After spending a guys' night out in L.A. last Friday, Robert Pattinson packed up and hit the road with a few of his pals, stopping first in Arizona on Saturday night and continuing on to New...
Genetics Linked to Migraines Migraines, severe headaches characterized by sharp pain often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and visual disturbances, affect more than 300 million people worldwide, including roughly 1 in 6 women and 1 in 12 men. For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic risk factor for common migraines. They analyzed genetic data from 50,000 people from Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands and found that those with a certain genetic variant affecting the regulation of the brain chemical glutamate have a greater risk of developing the debilitating headaches. Discuss
Are Restaurant Kitchens Cleaner Than Yours? New research suggests that at least one in seven home kitchens would fail the sort of health inspection restaurants commonly undergo. The study, carried out in Los Angeles County, California, concluded that just 61 percent of home kitchens would receive an A or B grade on such a screening and that at least 14 percent would fail. In contrast, 98 percent of restaurants in that area receive a B or higher. The results were based on an online survey asking respondents about things like fridge temperature and food preparation and storage practices. Experts believe the results are not representative of all households and that the percentage of home kitchens that would pass such an inspection is actually lower than estimated.
Multiple Sclerosis Activity Linked to Seasons US researchers say the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) may change with the seasons, citing brain scans of patients showing higher levels of disease activity in the spring and summer. It is not clear why changes in weather should have this sort of effect, but it does have significant implications for researchers studying effectiveness of drug treatments for MS. Clinical trials assessing a new medication's effectiveness often last between six and 12 months. Thus, with medications for MS, the time of year in which such a trial is carried out may impact the results.