ON THIS DAY

On this date in 1910, Blanche Scott became the first woman to ever fly an airplane by herself.

In 1941, "Dumbo" hit theaters.

On this date in 1946, the United Nations met in New York for the very first time.

In 1956, the very first videotape recording was made.

On this date in 1974, President Richard Nixon agreed to turn over his White House Recordings.

Former NFL quarterback Doug Flutie turns 47, and Weird Al Yankovic hits the big 5-0 today.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Snoop Dogg says he's a huge fan of "True Blood" and would love to be a guest star.
• "Desperate Housewives" co-star Eva Longoria and husband Tony Parker are starring in a sexy London Fog ad campaign for the holiday season, and Eva appears to be naked under those carefully draped London Fog coats.
• ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips is taking some time off to sort things out after it was revealed he was having an affair with a production assistant. He had a wife and four kids. "Had" is correct, as she has filed for divorce.
• Paul McCartney has announced a quick 7-stop European tour which will start soon and end right before Christmas.
• First Lady Michelle Obama showed off her considerable hula hoop skills on October 20 during a "healthy kids fair" she hosted on the South Lawn of the White House. She managed to get in 142 swivels before her hula hoop fell to the ground.
• Madonna likes the new Fox show "Glee" so much, she's given producers the keys to her musical closet. The result: an all-Madonna song episode in the works.
• Joel Madden and Nicole Richie say those reports about them getting married are not true.
• Rap star Lil Wayne is bracing for a year behind bars after pleading guilty Thursday in a two-year-old gun case.
• Apparently Rosie O'Donnell and her long-time partner are said to be heading for a split.
• The breakup rumors continue about Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, but the two were spotted out at a movie in Vancouver this past week.
• Amy Winehouse's dad says that the singer and her new boobs are doing great. Thanks, dad.
• Using the sun's rays, the torch for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games has been successfully lit by an actress in Greece dressed up as pagan priestess.

The worst lovers live in Germany. That's the word from a survey conducted by OnePoll.com, which asked 15,000 women from 20 countries to rate the men from those 20 nations on their ability in bed. German men were designated the world's worst lovers because they are too smelly. Yes, German men narrowly beat Englishmen for this title no one wants. The English are considered lazy lovers, who let the women do all the work. Coming in third are Swedish men, who were branded too quick to finish. Meanwhile, the men of Spain, Brazil and Italy were lauded as the world's best lovers.

The world's worst lovers ranked:

1. Germany: Too smelly
2. England: Too lazy
3. Sweden : Too quick
4. Holland: Too dominating
5. America: Too rough
6. Greece: Too lovey-dovey
7. Wales: Too selfish
8. Scotland: Too loud
9. Turkey: Too sweaty
10. Russia: Too hairy

The world's best lovers ranked:

1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10. Canada

Who says the older you are, the less computer savvy you'll be? According to Self's Survey, women in their 30s and older are more likely to log on to a dating site such as Match.com than are women in their early 20s. And women older than 50 are most likely of all the age groups to jump into online dating. "That's because once you hit 30 and beyond, you typically have fewer chances of meeting a partner through more traditional means such as family, friends or school," points out Julie Albright, Ph.D., a sociologist at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. "Or maybe more mature women have simply figured out that dating colleagues can be problematic or they're sick of the club and bar scene." Older women, for their part, might also have less patience for the hit or miss dating that can be the hallmark of life in one's 20s.

A recent study found that the more a couple checks up on each other on Facebook, the more jealous they get. Plus, Facebook can create a damaging sense of over familiarity, especially early on in a relationship. And the problems that can result a lack of mystery, TMI, affect men much more than they do women. (Cosmopolitan)

Women's Health asked women, "Where do you draw the line at your man's super fandom?"

• 7% said camping out for tickets
• 16% said logos on clothes, cars, etcetera
• 19% said face and body paint
• 27% said "I don't, go team"
• 31% said mascot tattoos

If you can't pay your traffic tickets in Dallas, Texas, be prepared to get your hands dirty literally. Thanks to the continuing recession, two more stable hands at the Dallas Police Department mounted patrol division were laid off as of October 1. In order not to be overcome with dung, the police department will allow citizens the option of scooping poop if they can't come up with the money to pay the fines. (Sun)

Streetlights are being ripped out or turned off all across the country because saving a buck has become more important than safety. For example, North Andover, MA, has stuff off 626 streetlights, about one third of all the town's lamps. "What about the human factor?" fumes resident Kenneth Ozoonian. "Some of these lights have been on for 40 or 50 years. The elderly, children and the disabled need the lights." Street lamps also significantly reduce traffic accidents, especially at crossroads, say experts. And many believe streetlights deter crime. In other examples, leaders in Santa Rosa, CA, recently decided to tear down 6,000 lights and to rig another 3,000 to shut off at midnight, leaving 6,000 fully functional lamps. Bosses in Montgomery, Pennsylvania, switched off one third of the town's 93 streetlights, while leaders in South Portland, Maine, snuffed 112 lights. Meanwhile, to keep the dark at bay, more than 30 Minnesota towns have begun tacking streetlight fees onto monthly utility bills. (National Examiner)