On This Day:
Friday September 2, 2011
This is the 245th day of the year, with 120 days
remaining in 2011.
Fact of the Day: mushroom
The mushroom is just one of a very large, diverse group of
organisms called fungi. It is similar to a plant but lacks
chlorophyll, so it cannot produce its own food through
photosynthesis. The mushroom is a decomposer that absorbs
nutrients from materials such as compost, leaves, decaying
wood, and soil. There are many types of mushrooms, varying
in size, shape and color, with surfaces that range from
smooth and silky to pitted and honeycombed. The most common
and readily available is the cultivated white mushrooms,
which have a mild flavor and can be used in many types of
dishes. Wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle, morel,
shiitake, portobello and oyster, will provide a more intense
and exotic flavor. Generally mushrooms contain 90 percent
water and have few calories. The fat and carbohydrate
content is minimal and they do not contain any cholesterol.
They are rich in protein and contain vitamins such as B, C
and D, and a few contain vitamin A. Be aware that some of
the vita min values are destroyed during the cooking
process. When selecting, choose mushrooms that are firm,
fresh and free of blemishes. Check underneath their caps for
tightly closed brown gills and be sure the surface of the
cap is not dried and woody on the edges. Also look for slimy
or sticky surfaces and for any coloring that is not normal.
When cleaning mushrooms, avoid using water, which reduces
the flavor of the mushroom and is absorbed into the mushroom
only to be released into foods combined with them.
Therefore, use a brush to clean sand, grit and other debris
from the pits and ridges. If you must use water, use as
little as possible and dry quickly with a paper towel. Cut
lengthwise and check interior for insects and other debris.
Holidays
Qatar
Independence Day (from Great Britain).
Events
490
B.C.E. - Phidippides
of Athens
ran the legendary first marathon in running from Marathon
to Athens,
a distance of about 25 miles, to announce the defeat of the
Persian army after the Battle
of Marathon. In his honor, the 26-mile marathon became
part of the Olympic
Games in 1896.
31
B.C.E. - Roman leader Octavian
defeated the alliance of Mark
Antony and Cleopatra,
queen of Egypt
in a naval battle in the Ionian
Sea. This put the Roman world under Octavian's
control and he became the first Roman emperor as Augustus
Caesar.
1666
- The Great
Fire of London began when King Charles
II's baker, Thomas
Farrinor, forgot to turn off the oven in his home on
Pudding Lane near London
Bridge.
1751
- Julian
calendar replaced in Britain
and its colonies with the Gregorian
calendar, adjusted so that the following day was
September 14 and New Year's Day moved from March 25 to
January 1.
1789
- U.S. Treasury
Department was established.
1796
- Cleveland,
Ohio
was founded.
1833
- "New
York Sun," the first "penny paper," was published.
1880
- First night game in baseball was played.
1885
- White coal miners in Rock
Springs, Wyoming
attacked their Chinese co-workers, killing 28 and seriously
wounding 15.
1897
- First issue of "McCall's
Magazine" was published.
1901
- Vice President Theodore
Roosevelt gave a speech at the Minnesota
State Fair in which he says, "Speak softly and carry a big
stick."
1930
- First non-stop airplane flight from Europe
to the United
States was completed by Dieudonne
Coste and Maurice
Bellonte of France
aboard the Question Mark.
1945
- Just hours after the Japanese surrender in World
War II, Ho
Chi Minh, the Communist leader, proclaimed the
independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
1963
- Alabama
Governor George
Wallace blocked the desegregation of Tuskegee
High School by surrounding its building with state
troopers. Eight days later, President John
F. Kennedy federalized the Alabama
National Guard to force an end to Wallace's blockade.
1998
- Swissair
Flight 111, in route to Geneva
from New
York City, crashed about five miles off Nova
Scotia while attempting an emergency landing at Halifax
International Airport. Two-hundred and twenty-nine
people died in the crash.
Births
1917
- Cleveland
Amory, American writer and "TV Guide" columnist.
1918
- Martha
Mitchell, American socialite and wife of U.S. Attorney
General John
Mitchell.
1941
- John
Thompson, American college basketball coach.
1948
- Nate
"Tiny" Archibald, American basketball Hall-of-Famer.
1948
- Terry
Bradshaw, American pro football Hall-of-Famer and
sportscaster.
1948
- Christa
McAuliffe (Sharon Christa Corrigan), American
astronaut who died in the space shuttle Challenger.
1951
- Mark
Harmon, American actor.
1952
- Jimmy
Connors, American tennis champion.
1960
- Eric
Dickerson, American football player.
1964
- Keanu
Reeves, Lebanese-born Anglo/Canadian actor.
1966
- Salma
Hayek, Mexican-born American actress.
Deaths
1910
- Henri
Rousseau, French painter.
1969
- North
Vietnamese president Ho
Chi Minh.
1973
- J.R.R.
Tolkien, English scholar and writer.
1991
- Alfonso
García Robles, Mexican
diplomat and politician, recipient of the Nobel
Peace Prize.
2001
- Christiaan
Barnard, South
African cardiac surgeon.
He is famous for performing the world's first successful
human-to-human heart
transplant.
2005
- Bob
Denver, an American comedic actor best known for his
role as Willy "Gilligan" Gilligan on the television
series Gilligan's
Island.
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