August 26, 2011

Good morning! It's The Nerd's Almanac for Friday, August 26, 2011.

Today is the anniversary of the first news dispatch sent by telegraph, in 1858. I don't know what it said, but it must have been pretty important to be transmitted so extravagantly!

And our continuing coverage of Voyager 2... continues! It was on this date in 1981 that Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Saturn. Where will it take us next? Tune in tomorrow!

Let's wish a happy birthday to Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor of the New York Times. He makes us feel so smart on Mondays and the crushes our spirits by the end of the week. Did you know that he studied Enigmatology in college? It's true!

Also celebrating today is Stephen Dubner, co-author with Steven Levitt of Freakonomics and Super Freakonomics. These are fascinating books that examine all kinds of issues and problems from an economics-based perspective.

And finally, it's Chris Pine's birthday. He played a young James T. Kirk in a 2009 film called Star Trek, produced and directed by the incredibly great J. J. Abrams. Do not miss a single one of his movies, ever. You're welcome.

Here is a quote for today...
"Most of us want to fix or change the world in some fashion. But to change the world, you first have to understand it."
-- Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner

And that's the almanac for today. Nerds of the world, we salute you!

Sources:
Wikipedia: August 26
Wikipedia: Telegraphy
Wikipedia: Voyager 2
Wikipedia: Will Shortz
Wkipedia: Stephen Dubner
Wikipedia: Chris Pine
GoodReads: Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner