ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1842, Congress approved the U.S. Naval Observatory.
In 1887, Thomas Edison took out a patent on the Kinetoscope.
On this date in 1895, people in Pennsylvania became the first people ever to pay to watch a football game.
In 1954, the U.S. Census Bureau was established.
On this date in 1955, KTRE, Channel 9 in Lufkin, Texas, becomes the first microwave operated television station.
In 1971, astronaut Dave Scott became the first person to drive on the moon.
Can you believe we've already blasted through August? Fastest summer ever?
It's Chris Tucker's 37th birthday. and Richard Gere hits the big 6-0.
THIS WEEK IS
International Housekeepers Week -- September 1-7. Time to play "Name That Housekeeper!" We give you the employer, you give us the housekeeper:
- Frasier Crane (Daphine) ["Frasier"]
- George Jefferson (Florence) ["The Jeffersons"]
- Mike Brady (Alice) ["The Brady Bunch"]
- George Baxtor (Hazel) ["Hazel"]
- Marsha Owens (Lynn Belvedere) ["Mr. Belvedere"]
- Phillip Drummond (Mrs. Garrett) ["Different Strokes"]
- Bruce Wayne (Alfred) ["Batman"]
- Angela Bower (Tony Mecelli) ["Who's The Boss"]
- Bill Davis (Mr. French) ["Family Affair"]
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Crack cocaine likely killed DJ AM after he narrowly survived a plane crash just months ago. He was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Friday. DJ AM had a history of drug problems and police found a crack pipe and prescription pills at the scene.
- George Clooney has a broken hand, the result of closing it in a car door while at a vacation home in Italy.
- The newspaper situation gets worse. Their advertising revenue was down 29% for the second quarter.
- As for the stock market, this has been their best 6-month rally since 1933!
- Mischa Barton explains her mysterious hospital stay last month as the result of some wisdom tooth issues that complicated her life and so she just needed a rest. In her words, "it was a full-blown nervous breakdown."
- David Beckham and Lady Gaga will join Ellen for the fall premiere episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday, September 8.
- It's being called "Helmet-gate," after President Obama went for a bike ride with his family on Martha's Vineyard... but he was the only one NOT wearing a helmet.
- Chris Brown talks with Larry King on Wednesday night. (It was already taped.)
- Danny Gokey's first post-American Idol album is going to be country!
- The word is that Derek Jeter and "Friday Night Lights" actress Minka Kelly are secretly engaged and plan a post-baseball season wedding.
- Chelsea Handler has supposedly kicked her boyfriend, Comcast CEO Ted Harbert, out of their Los Angeles home. No comment from Chelsea.
- Country music takes over ABC tonight with "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock." Performers include Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift, Sugarland, Reba McEntire and Kid Rock.
- There's a new rehab facility in Fall City, Washington, (just east of Seattle) called "Restart," for those addicted to the Internet. Claims to be the first of its kind.
Tiger Woods is the favorite professional athlete in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row, according to an annual Harris Poll. And, whether you are male or female, Tiger Woods is the favorite sports star.
Top 10 favorite male professional athletes:
- Tiger Woods (golf)
- Michael Jordan (basketball)
- LeBron James (basketball)
- Kobe Bryant (basketball)
- Derek Jeter (baseball)
- Jeff Gordon (racing)
- Peyton Manning (football)
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. (racing)
- Brett Favre (football)
- Albert Pujols (baseball)
Top 10 favorite female professional athletes:
- Serena Williams (tennis)
- Venus Williams (tennis)
- Danica Patrick (racing)
- Candice Parker (basketball)
- Mia Hamm (soccer)
- Maria Sharapova (tennis)
- Annika Sorenstam (golf)
- Chris Everett Lloyd (tennis)
- Anna Kournikova (tennis)
- Michelle Kwan (ice skating)
Dropping off the top 10 list this year is New England quarterback Tom Brady and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. So was skater Kristi Yamaguchi, who eight last year, and tennis legend Billie Jean King, who was No. 10.
If want to tell if a man is gay, just pay attention to his body type and the way he walks. Both offer subtle cues about sexual orientation, but casual observers seem to be able to read those cues better in gay men than in lesbians, according to a study from researchers at UCLA, New York University and Texas A&M. Led by Kerri Johnson of UCLA, the team measured each man's hips, waists and shoulders. Then each volunteer walked on a treadmill for two minutes while being filmed by a 3D motion-capture system that allowed researchers to track the precise amount of shoulder swagger and hip sway in their gait. The results: In terms of body motion or gait, gays and lesbians tended to have body types that were unusual for their gender. That is, gay men had hourglass figures, while the lesbians had more tubular bodies. In addition, the gay men tended to sway their hips, while the lesbian women swaggered their shoulders more than their straight counterparts.
Australia is the number one designation as the best vacation destination for Americans who want to travel outside the U.S., according to another Harris Poll. Half of all adults would choose a European country for a foreign vacation if cost were not a consideration. 25% would choose a country in Asia or the Pacific, while 15% said they would go to the Caribbean or the Americas. Only 4% say they would not travel anywhere outside the United States. Here's the top 15 international vacation destinations:
- Australia
- Italy
- Great Britain (England, Scotland and/or Wales)
- France
- Ireland
- Germany
- Japan
- Greece
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Jamaica
A recent survey found that a majority of people won't interrupt a face-to-face conversation with a colleague to answer a ringing cell phone. Plus, more than 40 percent of respondents said they move to a designated area when receiving calls in a public place.
