ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1716, the first lighthouse went on in Boston Harbor.

In 1776, British forces occupied New York City.

On this date in 1814, Sir Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner."

In 1886, the typewriter ribbon was patented.

On this date in 1917, Russia was declared a republic.

In 1960, the very first OPEC meeting was held. Ironically, the theme of the meeting was "$3.50 a gallon gas by 2007."

Britain's Prince Henry turns 25 today. He's third in line for the throne.

Kimberly Williams is 38 today. She was the cute bride in the "Father of the Bride"

Bowser Bauman of the group Sha Na Na turns 62 today.

Both Tommy Lee Jones and Oliver Stone turn 63 today.

THIS WEEK IS

National Singles Week -- September 14-20. Most single people in the U.S. are not happy about their solitary state. According to an annual Yahoo! Singles poll, only 38 percent of single women and 31 percent of single men are happy to be alone.

• Nearly 80% of singles are seriously looking for someone.
• 42% agree that the most attractive quality in a date is a sense of humor.
• 25% of men say intelligence is the second most attractive quality in a date.
• 27% of women are attracted to good manners and chivalry, after a sense of humor.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Sex tests have confirmed that South African runner Caster Semenya is a hermaphrodite. She has both male and female organs.
• Jessica Simpson is said to be pretty upset that Dallas Cowboys quarter Tony Romo already has a new girlfriend.
• Jasmine Waltz, who was Ryan Seacrest's girlfriend, has moved on to another guy. Ryan was said to be heart-broken.
• LaToya Jackson spoke on "20/20" Friday night about how Michael Jackson looked when he was buried. He wore white pearls and a huge gold belt. He was also buried with sunglasses and one of his signature white gloves.
• Meanwhile, TMZ reports that LaToya is about to lose her Las Vegas condo if she doesn't come up with a house payment.
• ABC "20/20" anchor John Stossel is jumping to Fox. Stossel will have a weekly show on the Fox Business Network and make frequent appearances on Fox News Channel.
• Reports are circulating that Gosselin and his "soulmate" Hailey Glassman have already broken up.
• Maura Tierney is dropping out of the TV series, "Parenthood." She'll continue her battle with breast cancer, the role will be recast.
• That Michael Jackson all-star salute that they were trying to put together for later this year is now being bumped to June.
• After 28 years at ABC, John Stossel is jumping ship over to Fox.
• Saturday Night Live has announced their first several weeks of hosts and musical guests: Sept 26th, Megan Fox and U2.
• It's official: NBC has just announced Megan Fox will host the first new Saturday Night Live of the season on Sept. 26. Musical guest: U2. Ryan Reynolds will host on Oct. 3rd with Lady Gaga. Drew Barrymore will be the host October 10th -- that'll be her sixth time doing the job.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Just because Americans, and Britons speak English, it doesn't mean we use the same words. Confusion and sometimes comedy reign when vastly different words are used for the same thing. For example, Americans call it a cell phone, and Brits call it a mobile. That's easy enough to figure out, but things can get trickier. Here's the top 10 most confusing words with the same meaning between Americans and Brits:

1. Cell phone vs. mobile
2. Pantyhose vs. tights
3. Subway vs. tube
4. Soccer vs. football
5. Fanny vs. bottom
6. Suspenders vs. braces
7. Trunk vs. boot
8. Coat vs. jacket
9. Faucet vs. tap
10. Diaper vs. nappy

there's a catch: You have to keep appreciating things your money buys you, say Texas Tech University researchers. "Just having a nice car or beautiful handbag won't make you happy in the long run," says Jeff Larsen, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, "unless you continue to value it even after you've had it for a while." How to maintain fresh gratitude for your not so fresh belongings? At least once a week take a moment to reflect on why you fell in love with your possession in the first place. It might work when you're mad at your spouse, too.

Pet lovers are now incorporating their beloved dogs into their wedding parties, which can entail shelling out up to $500 for a pooch's big day ensemble. The trend is even helping to spawn a new profession: canine stylist.

Shopping when you're in a crappy mood can cost you, literally. The reason: Scientists theorize that when people feel blue, they tend to devalue themselves, which in turn increase their drive and willingness to spend money.

Women's Health analyzed the "slippery" ethics of women:

• 81% of women consider themselves "do gooders"
• 18% of average women admit they do the right thing only when it's convenient
• 50% of women feel guilty for weeks after doing something wrong
• 29% of women feel better after confessing dubious behavior to a friend
• 59% of women think they're more ethical than their coworkers
• 27% of women think they're more ethical than their friends
• 25% of women think they're more ethical than their guy
• 21% of women think they're more ethical than their parents
• 41% of women have pirated flicks or tunes off the Web
• 42% of women have stolen something from a bar or restaurant
• 20% of women did not notify the clerk when they were undercharged
• 19% of women admit they would lie in court to protect a friend or relative
• 26% of women say they would go to the police if their BFF confided she had committed a hit and run
• 30% of women say their boss has asked them to do something shady
• 63% of that 30% say they did the shady thing their boss asked
• 45% of women have quit a job because they thought the boss was unethical
• 68% of women have dumped a guy they thought was unethical
• 48% of women lie while flirting
• 18% of women have cheated on their spouse
• 48% of women would tell a married friend if they saw his or her spouse fooling around

It may be Monday, but Wednesdays are really the downer day of the week, says a recent study. Psychologists interviewed 550 people about their moods on each day of the week and found that Mondays were not as depressing as those polled expected and that weekends were not as exciting as they'd hoped. Based on these interviews, researchers at Australia's University of Sydney concluded that one day was pretty much the same as the next for people except for Wednesdays, when heavy workloads led folks to look forward to the weekend. The leader of the study, Professor Charles Areni, adds: "Day of the week stereotypes like Monday morning blues and thank God it's Friday are largely illusions." (National Examiner)