Bosko is an animated “talkie” cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko is the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger’s cartoon series, and is the star of over three dozen Looney Tunes shorts released by Warner Bros. Bosko, created in 1927, was registered with the copyright office as a “Negro boy.” His looks were based on Felix the Cat, but his personality was derived from the blackface characters of minstrel shows.
Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character who originally appeared in the Talkartoons and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios. She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising. Betty Boop was created as an anthropomorphic French poodle in 1930, but was transformed into a caricature of singer Helen Kane by 1932. In the mid-1930s, her carefree flapper persona was toned down to appear more demure.
Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century saint and Greek bishop in Myra (modern-day Turkey). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus (whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas).
Note: Merry Christmas!
Krampus is a demonic beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish bad children during the Yule season, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards nice ones with gifts. Described as half-goat, half-demon, Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children in his sack and carry them away to his underworld lair. He beats people into behaving with a bundle of birch sticks. According to folklore, Krampus shows up in towns on the night before December 6, known as Krampusnacht, or Krampus Night. The history of the Krampus figure stretches back to pre-Christian Germanic folklore.
Note: Happy Christmas Eve! Hopefully Krampus the holiday devil doesn’t show up on your street dragging rusty chains and bells.
Ty Cobb was a Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team’s player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 MLB records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.367). Cobb’s legacy as an athlete has sometimes been overshadowed by his surly temperament and aggressive playing style. He was born on this day in 1886.
Veronica Lake was an American film actress and pin-up model. She received both popular and critical acclaim, most notably for her role in Sullivan’s Travels and for her femme fatale roles in film noir with Alan Ladd during the 1940s. Lake was well known for her peekaboo hairstyle. She died of complications of alcoholism in 1973.
Note: Lake was one of the models for the animated character of Jessica Rabbit in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, especially for her hairstyle.
Nostradamus was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Despite loads of academic whining about popular misinterpretations and deliberate mistranslations of his vague quatrains, Nostradamus has still been credited with predicting many major world events. He was also a famous plague doctor who gave medical advice about preventive measures.
Note: Nostradamus was born on December 14 or 21, 1503. This means his birthday is either today or next week, which precisely coincides with the so-called end of the Maya calendar. So, Happy 509th Birthday, Dr. Apocalypse.
Itzamná is one of the most important gods in Yucatec Maya mythology. His name in the Mayan language means caiman, lizard or large fish. Thought to reside in the sky, he was considered the god of creation, the inventor of writing and was also worshiped as the god of medicine. In his human form, Itzamná is portrayed as an old, wise priest often wearing an elaborate headdress. In modern culture, Itzamna has shown up in the Earth-616 universe of Marvel comics.
Happy 12/12/12, numerologists! Today is the last repeating date for 89 years. Some people think December 21, 2012 (or December 12, 2012) is going to be a big day. Nine days from today, on 12/21/12, the ancient Maya calendar will end its current cycle and a new cycle will begin. That’s right, folks, the count is starting over again. Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for the popular belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012. While the Maya calendar is simply advancing to the next b’ak’tun, don’t let this fact stop you from fawning over dreams of your long-awaited apocalypse of choice. Maybe you should learn to swim?
Emily Dickinson was an American poet who lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. While Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly 1,800 poems were published during her lifetime. Dickinson’s poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. She was born on this day in 1830.
Jabberjaw is an air-breathing, anthropomorphic great white shark whose voice and mannerisms are similar to Curly of The Three Stooges. He is a drummer for The Neptunes, a rock group made up of four teenagers, who live in an underwater civilization in the year 2076. Jabberjaw was the star of a Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera that aired from 1976 to 1978.
George Custer was a U.S. Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Custer graduated last in his class from West Point, but developed a strong reputation during the Civil War. He is best known for his disastrous final battle, popularly known as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Custer and all the men with him were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, fighting against a coalition of Native American tribes led by Sitting Bull. Custer was born on this day in 1839.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #56 of 347. Rutgers recently announced they will leave the Big East and join the Big Ten Conference with the Marlyand Terrapins on July 1, 2014. This is Big Ten mascot #14 of 14. (View reference images.)
The Maryland Terrapins mascot is NCAA Division I pixel art mascot #55 of 347. Maryland recently announced they will leave the ACC and join the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2014. This is Big Ten mascot #13 of 14. (View reference images.)
Bill Nye is an American science educator, comedian, television host and mechanical engineer. He is best known as the host of the Disney/PBS children’s science show Bill Nye the Science Guy (1993-98) and for his many subsequent appearances in popular media as a science educator. His professional entertainment career began with a local sketch comedy television show in Seattle. He was born on this day in 1955.
Note: Nye studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University, where one of his professors was Carl Sagan. “Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t.” – Bill Nye
Joe DiMaggio was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent his entire 13-year career as the center fielder for the New York Yankees (1936-1942 and 1946-1951). He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 to July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. DiMaggio was a three-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star. During his 13 years with the Yankees, the club won 10 American League pennants and nine World Series championships. He was born yesterday in 1914.
Note: DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe eloped in 1954, but divorced less than a year later. In 1962, they were on the verge of remarriage when Monroe was found dead in her bedroom. Suicide by barbiturate overdose, or was she murdered?
Ismail Enver Pasha was an Ottoman military officer and a leader of the Young Turk Revolution. He was the main leader of the Ottoman Empire in both Balkan Wars and World War I. Enver was considered the most powerful figure of the government of Ottoman Turkey or “the number one man in Istanbul.” He played a major role in the Armenian Genocide, in which over two million were killed during 1915-20. Enver was born on this day in 1881.
Note: Happy Thanksgiving! Be thankful you didn’t know this guy.
Stan Musial is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent his entire 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1941-1963). He was a 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays) and is widely considered one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits and 475 home runs during his career. He was named the National League MVP three times and won three World Series. He was born on this day in 1920.
Ted Williams was a Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent his entire 22-year career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939-1942 and 1946-1960). Williams led the league in batting six times, won the American League MVP twice and won the Triple Crown twice. A 19-time All-Star, he had a career batting average of .344 with 521 home runs. Williams was the last player to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941).
Utagawa Hiroshige was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. Legend has it that Hiroshige determined to become a ukiyo-e artist when he saw the prints of his near-contemporary, Hokusai. As a low-ranked samurai, Hiroshige’s salary was insufficient for his needs and he initially used his artistic pursuits to supplement his income.
This 8-bit character is based on the posthumous memorial portrait of Hiroshige by Kunisada, 1858. I saw this portrait in person at the Hiroshige: L’art du voyage exhibition at the Pinacothèque de Paris last month, during our trip to Europe.
Frank Zappa – No. 552
Frank Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter and producer. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. Zappa produced almost all of the more than 60 albums he released with the band The Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. He was born on this day in 1940 and died in 1993.
If you’re reading this, then I guess the world didn’t end. Which means popular interpretations of the Maya calendar and Nostradamus didn’t work out. Shocking!