February 1, 1884: The first portion, or fascicle, of the Oxford
English Dictionary (OED), considered the most comprehensive
and accurate dictionary of the English language, was published.
Today, the OED is the definitive authority on the meaning,
pronunciation and history
of over half a million English words, past and present.
Sir Hugh Eyre Campbell Beaver (May 4, 1890 – January 16, 1967)
On August 27, 1955, the first edition of “The Guinness Book of Records”
was published in Great Britain; it quickly proves to be a hit. Now known
as the “Guinness World Records” book, the annual publication features
a wide range of feats related to humans and animals.
The inspiration for the record book can be traced to November 1951,
when Sir Hugh (above) managing director of the Guinness Brewery
(founded in Dublin in 1759), was on a hunting trip in Ireland. After
failing to shoot a golden plover, Beaver and the members of his
hunting party debated whether the creature was Europe’s fastest
game bird but were unable to locate a book with the answer. He
decided to have one produced. The book was intended to be
given away for free in pubs to promote the Guinness brand of
beer, however, it turned out to be so popular the company started
selling it that and it became a best-seller.
The longest pizza in the world at the Expo Milano 2015
in Italy. The pizza contained 3,000 pounds of sauce
and 5,000 pounds of cheese, according to the
Guinness Book of World Records.
SANDY KOZEL
Loretta Lynn, a country music singer-songwriter is 88 years
young today. She received multiple gold albums in a career
spanning 60 years.
MIKE GRACIA
