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What's the significance of your birthday?
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:22 am
by Mobius
The day I was born, 6th April 1965, was an historic date, for it heralded the beginning of the commercialisation of outer space: Intelsat 1 was launched into geosynchronous orbit on that date.
http://www.satnews.com/history.html
http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/intelsat-1.htm
The satellite was launched into synchronous orbit on April 6, 1965. It was placed in commercial service on June 28. Early Bird's design stemmed from the Syncom satellites Hughes had built for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to demonstrate the feasibility of communications from synchronous orbit. On station in orbit 22,300 miles above the equator, Early Bird provided line of sight communications between Europe and North America. As a communications repeater, Early Bird handled communications that were representative of all types of common carrier network traffic, including telephone, television, telegraph, and facsimile transmissions.
As the forerunner of a synchronous satellite system that would furnish communications to all the populated areas of the world, Early Bird, with capability of 240 circuits or one TV channel, successfully demonstrated the concept of synchronous satellites for commercial communications.
While designed for an operational lifetime of only 18 months, the satellite was in continuous, full-time service for nearly 4 years. It was placed on reserve status in January 1969, but recalled into service in June of that year for use during the Apollo 11 mission. Two months later the satellite was again retired from active service and placed in orbital reserve by COMSAT. The satellite is currently inactive.
I obviously get a real kick out of these facts, being a dedicated space nut. Also, one of my very earliest memories is of watching TV when Neil Armstrong took his small step onto the Moon in 1969. (Who knows how accurate that memory is, it may or may not have been live at the time; NZ had about 8 hours of TV a day, on one black and white channel
)The fact that is was woken up to participate in that event is also extremely cool.
What significance, does
your birthday have? Were you born on the same day as your Mom or Dad? Someone famous? Infamous? Some historic event, or something strangely to do with your interests now? Come on - spill it.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:24 am
by TigerRaptor
What nothing special happened in September of 1978. That sucks.
August 10, 1992: - First South Korean satellite: Kitsat A
Did it ever make it into orbit?
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:48 am
by Isaac
Apparently a dingo ate someone's baby.... or the mom was crazy.... or was she?
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:52 am
by Ferno
april of 1918, the RAF was founded...
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:54 am
by Isaac
The Top Movies, Weekend of October 29, 1982 wrote:
Movie Distributor Genre Gross Change Thtrs. Per Thtr. Total Gross Days
1 (1) First Blood Action/Adventure $4,565,972 -31.26% 908 $5,029 $13,746,633 10
2 (2) Halloween 3: Season of the Witch Universal Horror $3,338,257 -47.29% 1,328 $2,514 $11,024,780 10
3 (new) National Lampoon's Class Reunion 20th Century Fox $3,086,525 1,121 $2,753 $3,086,525 3
4 (5) ET: The Extra-Terrestrial Universal Science Fiction $2,793,369 -14.04% 992 $2,816 $282,217,010 143
5 (4) Officer and a Gentleman, An Paramount Pictures Drama $2,511,645 -25.78% 1,050 $2,392 $83,096,446 96
6 (3) Monsignor 20th Century Fox $2,237,658 -38.39% 855 $2,617 $6,971,450 10
7 (6) My Favorite Year MGM/UA $1,481,129 -13.22% 541 $2,738 $9,815,529 31
8 (new) It Came From Hollywood Paramount Pictures $1,095,003 650 $1,685 $1,095,003 3
9 (18) Poltergeist MGM/UA Horror $1,003,019 +447.18% 879 $1,141 $72,700,529 150
10 (7) Jinxed MGM/UA $513,739 -57.52% 843 $609 $2,133,621 10
11 (re-entry) Friday the 13th Part 3 Paramount Pictures Horror $413,517 350 $1,181 $33,985,198 80
12 (8) Incubus $357,869 -52.22% 159 $2,251 $11,745,982 59
13 (9) Concrete Jungle, The $261,354 -50.25% 165 $1,584 $5,002,147 59
14 (13) Rocky 3 MGM/UA $245,234 -24.65% 249 $985 $118,342,924 157
15 (15) Pink Floyd: The Wall MGM/UA $225,516 -9.70% 221 $1,020 $13,060,902 87
16 (14) World According to Garp, The $187,363 -40.68% 222 $844 $29,899,535 101
17 (11) Jekyll and Hyde Together Again Universal $175,600 -57.27% 271 $648 $2,818,315 66
18 (17) Night Shift Warner Bros. $137,000 -41.44% 225 $609 $21,017,056 94
19 (23) I, The Jury 20th Century Fox $18,559 -62.81% 14 $1,326 $1,097,458 31
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 4:38 am
by CDN_Merlin
Feb 14th, 270 AD, Um yeah, the day of Love.
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:05 am
by Isaac
CDN_Merlin wrote:Feb 14th, 270 AD, Um yeah, the day of Love.
what are you talking about?
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:18 am
by Aus-RED-5
Isaac wrote:CDN_Merlin wrote:Feb 14th, 270 AD, Um yeah, the day of Love.
what are you talking about?
Valentine's day 
The History of Valentine's Day
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:20 am
by Flatlander
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:58 am
by Isaac
what are you talking about?
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 6:20 am
by Aus-RED-5
Isaac wrote:
what are you talking about?
Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third....
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 6:40 am
by Flabby Chick
Jan 18
Sex and Pornography Day in Chile.
LOL
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 6:45 am
by Samuel Dravis
Caesar was assasinated on my birthday.
YAY!
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 7:53 am
by CDN_Merlin
Isaac wrote:
what are you talking about?
My birthday is on Valentines day which is Feb 14th. What's the significance of this? It's the day that more roses are sold in the year.
Get it now?
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 8:52 am
by JMEaT
To me my birthday is just another day.
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 9:24 am
by DKnight
JMEaT wrote:To me my birthday is just another day.
Same here. Nothing significant about my birthday.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 9:54 am
by Testiculese
I was born on my birthday.
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 10:11 am
by Isaac
Testiculese wrote:I was born on my birthday.
"I want to live until i die."
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 am
by Dedman
There was nothing in either of those links that fell on my birthday Dec 7, 1965. However, there was a small military action in the Pacific in 1941. That's good enough for me.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 10:35 am
by Vindicator
Nothing terribly exciting, overall. Heres the biggest events from January 23:
# 1943 - World War II: British forces capture Tripoli in Libya from the Nazis.
# 1943 - Jewish-led Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
# 1943 - World War II: Australian and American forces finally defeat the Japanese army in Papua. This turning point in the Pacific War marks the beginning of the end of Japanese aggression.
# 1960 - The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean. The depth was measured to be 35,813 ft (10,916 m) but later measurements show it to be 35,798 ft (10,911 m).
# 1964 - The 24th Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting the use of poll taxes in national elections, is ratified.
# 1968 - North Korea seizes the USS Pueblo, claiming the ship violated their territorial waters while spying.
# 1973 - President Richard Nixon announces that a peace accord has been reached in Vietnam.
# 1985 - O. J. Simpson becomes the first Heisman Trophy winner elected to the Football Hall of Fame.
# 1986 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley.
# 1996 - The first version of the Java programming language is released.
Major cool points are awarded to my birthday since I share it with Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver).
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 11:00 am
by Lobber
I've got you all beat
I was born on September 11, 1972.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 12:42 pm
by Sir Sam II
June 27th
1999 - Veteran British politician Tony Benn announces he will retire at the next General Election.
1995 - English actor Hugh Grant is arrested for lewd conduct with a prostitute in a parked car in Los Angeles.
1979 - World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali announces his retirement from boxing after 59 professional fights beginning in 1960.
1976 - Palestinian terrorists hi-jack an Air France Airbus flying from Athens and force it to fly to Entebbe in Uganda.
1974 - American President Richard Nixon begins his historic visit to Moscow for a series of meetings with President Brezhnev.
1971 - England's first national Scrabble Championship held in London. The winner is teacher Stephen Haskell.
1941 - World War II: Hungary declares war on Russia.
1940 - World War II: Russia invades Romania - the Romanian appeal to Germany for assistance is ignored.
1844 - Religious leader Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) is killed by a mob who break into Carthage Jail in Illinois, USA where he is being held on charges of conspiracy.
1771 - Russia completes its conquest of the Crimea.
1746 - In Scotland, Flora MacDonald helps Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to the Isle of Skye dressed as an Irish maid following his defeat by the English at the Battle of Culloden.
1450 - Irish-born Jack Cade leads a 40,000 strong demonstration march from Kent to London to protest against laws introduced by King Henry VI of England. He's later beheaded for treason.
I share it with
1975 - Tobey Maguire, actor (Spider-Man, Pleasantville)
Also:
1972 - ATARI is created! woot!
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:03 pm
by TechPro
An event of extreme importance and significance took place on my birthday....
I was born.
It makes all the difference to me.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:27 pm
by MD-2389
My birthday is on a canadian holiday.
May 22nd.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:52 pm
by dissent
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 occurred exactly 50 years before I was born.
Coincidence ?? You be the judge!!
Re:
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 2:15 pm
by Mobius
Q: How do you bring up an Australian child?
A: Stick your fingers down a dingo's throat!
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 3:08 pm
by Robo
September 7th
-WW2: The Blitz begins
-Monty Pythons Flying Circus airs its first episode
-First Afgan in space returns
-Google is founded
-iPod nano introduced
Also the birthday of Queen Elizabeth I, Buddy Holly and David Packard.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 3:14 pm
by CDN_Merlin
This Day in History > February 14th
-------------------------------------
February 14th in History
1903: US Dept of Commerce and Labor is established
1924: Thomas Watson opens IBM
1929: The St Valentines Day Massacre, in Chicago, between rival gansters
1950: USSR and China sign peace treaty.
1963: First successful kidney transplant
---------------------------------------
February 14th birthdays
1766: Thomas Malthus, British philosopher.
1817: Frederick Douglass, African-American abolitionist.
1819: Christopher Sholes, American inventor of the typewriter
1894: Jack Benny, American actor
1944: Alan Parker, British director
1944: Carl Bernstein, American journalist (Watergate).
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:16 pm
by Dakatsu
Me, Kyle Lange, January 9th, 1993:
1905 - According to the Julian Calendar which was used at the time, Russian workers stage a march on the Winter Palace that ends in the massacre by Czarist troops known as Bloody Sunday, setting off the Russian Revolution of 1905.
1991 - The Soviets storm Vilnius to stop Lithuanian independence.
1995 - Valeri Poliakov completes 366 days in space while aboard the Mir space station, breaking a duration record.
Russia loved January 9th!
My girlfriend, Casey Lieder, February 17th, 1993:
1993 - Casey Lieder is born, the greatest being on the planet.
2000 - Microsoft releases Windows 2000.
Damn, her birthday owns mine except for the fact Windows 2000 came out.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:48 pm
by Bet51987
February 15th 1988
I get dead roses and belated valentine cards but on that day, I made my daddy smile and thats what was important to me.
Bee
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:56 pm
by Sapphire Wolf
My birthday is the same as Albert Einstein's birthday, Except for one thing: Different year.
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 5:57 pm
by Scapegoat
hmm...interesting topic. but anyways...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_26
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 6:26 pm
by Lothar
July 17, 1980 -
\"The American people, the most generous on earth, who created the highest standard of living, are not going to accept the notion that we can only make a better world for others by moving backward ourselves. And those who believe we can have no business leading this nation.\"
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 1:08 am
by Top Gun
I'm more interested in seeing if the probability of two people in a certain group having the same birthday actually plays out (trust me, it's a lot higher than common sense would suggest). Just missed Lothar's by one myself.
Hmm...let's see...July 16...nah, nothing that important...
1969: Apollo 11 launches and begins a four-day journey to the Moon
1945: At the Trinity test site in Alamagordo, New Mexico, the United States conducts the first successful atomic bomb test.
Yup, just your average day there.
Re:
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 1:48 am
by Aus-RED-5
Lobber wrote:I've got you all beat
I was born on September 11, 1972.
August 28, 1972!
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 6:30 am
by Lobber
Not beat by age, I'm not the oldest. I'm talking about 9/11.
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 9:53 am
by Drakona
Well, going off the top of my head, Prince William was born on June 21, 1982. I don't know this because I have an interest in royalty (I don't), but because my mom thought it was important, and saved various magazines mentioning him during my childhood.
More interesting to me -- and something I've always liked -- is that many years the summer solstice (and the first day of summer) falls on June 21.
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 4:03 pm
by Jeff250
My birthday falls on Halloween every year.
Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 12:38 am
by Nirvana
I think Mr Strip meant on the ACTUAL day/year of birth, not just the day in any year in the history of time.
I was born the day Sid Vicious died: Feb. 2 1979.
Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 11:12 am
by Grendel
Christoph Columbus died May 20th (1506)