ON THIS DAY

The Dutch philosopher Erasmus was born on this date in 1466.

On this date in 1636, Harvard University was founded.

On this date in 1726, "Gulliver's Travels" was published for the first time.
In 1793, Eli Whitney applied for a patent on the cotton gin.

The Statue of Liberty is dedicated way way back in 1886 -- President Grover Cleveland dedicated the statue.

On this date in 1965, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was completed.

Joaquin Phoenix turns 35, Julia Roberts is 42, Bill Gates turns 54. Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner turns 60 today.

National Chocolate Day -- Forrest Gump was right -- life is like a box of chocolates. The king of bonbon that pleases your sweet tooth provides a telling insight into the flavor of your personality. "An extensive survey proved the theory that chocolate is one of those foods that taps a wellspring of childhood memories," says psychologist Dorothy Maples, of Detroit, MI. "Kids don't bother with facades. What you see is what you get. And that same core truth about your personality is revealed by your choice of chocolate."

• Chocolate-Covered Nuts -- You're the mainstay of your family, always there to support your loved ones. And they know that you can be depended on to solve most any problem.
• Caramel Center -- You're the Peter Pan in your circle of loved ones -- beneath your adult shell beats the heart of a youngster. Your genuine enjoyment of everything life has to offer is contagious.
• Creme-Filled -- You take pride in an old-fashioned lifestyle that's a mirror of your parents values. Both pals and relatives gravitate to your home -- the warmth and laughter found there are irresistible.
• Dipped Fruit -- Some may see you as kooky, but you know the truth is that you're a genuine original. You swim against the tide of trendy thought, and others appreciate your creative views.
• Truffles -- You believe you and yours deserve only the best, and you work hard to provide for your family. Your generosity of spirit isn't limited to your loved ones. You're also a champion of volunteerism in your community.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

• 7 million people around the world watched YouTube on Sunday to catch U2's concert from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
• Lily Allen says she's quitting the music business because she has nothing else to write about.
• Suzanne Somers says she was misdiagnosed last year when doctor told her she had full body cancer and just days to live.
• "Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell is finished writing "The Carrie Diaries," a pair of books about 17-year-old Carrie Bradshaw.
• Britney's "The Singles Collection" will hit stores on November 10th.
• LaToya Jackson says that all three of Michael Jackson's kids are in therapy to help them deal with the sudden loss of their father.
• The Olsen twins are launching a new line of "affordable fashions" at JC Penney.
• Rosie O'Donnell confirms her separation from partner Kelli Carpenter. She admitted to Howard Stern that she and Carpenter were "working through a lot of the stuff that we have." She added, "We have different styles of living. I'm very messy. She's very not."
• Bruce Springsteen canceled Monday night's concert in Kansas City after his cousin and road crew member Lenny Sullivan was found dead in his hotel room. Just 36.
• Tickets for the first 20 Garth Brooks shows in Las Vegas beginning December 11th sold out in just five hours.
• MSNBC.com reports that a woman known only by her surname of Wang, traveled to Qinghai province of northwest China in September to purchase an 18-month old dog for $582,000!
• How bad is the economy in Iceland? Next month, all three of the McDonalds restaurants in the country will close.
• Jay-Z and Alicia Keys will sing "Empire State of Mind" live to kick off tonight's World Series game.
• The good luck continues for the Los Angeles Clippers. Now their #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin, has a busted knee cap.

Women's Health asked its female readers, "Which of your man's family members do you best connect with?"

• 33% said his mom
• 32% said his siblings
• 23% said his dad
• 12% said his pet

Southpaw (left-handed) schoolchildren are more likely to be teachers' pets, says a new study that compares how right-handed and left-handed kids adapt to the classroom. Nearly 65% of lefties reported that they had a "very good" relationship with their teachers as compared with nearly 55% of the righties in the poll of children ages 7 to 11. So it should come as no surprise that 47% of lefties said they enjoyed their classes so much that they eagerly looked forward to going to school every day. Meanwhile, only 38% of righties said they felt that enthusiastic about their classes, says the study conducted by Stabilo, a company that produces pens designed to help children improve their handwriting. (National Examiner)

Kids who spend too much time in front of the TV or playing video games take longer to fall asleep at night than active children, says a new study. And that's important because previous research has shown that children who don't sleep well are more likely to get bad grades and become obese. Scientists in Australia monitored the sleep patterns of 519, 7 year olds and concluded that they conked off three minutes later for every hour of the day they were inactive. Say researchers: "These findings emphasize the importance of physical activity for children." (National Examiner)

A new remote control scheduled to go on sale next year doesn't have a bank of buttons to push, yet it allows you to control your entire house from the couch potato comfort of your living room sofa. The "uWand," developed by the Phillips company, works like a "Wii" controller all you have to do is point it and flick your wrist to accomplish an enormous number of tasks. Apart from TV channel surfing and managing the sound, color and contrast on your set, the "uWand" will permit you to integrate your television with your computer to surf the web. Using technology developed by the chip maker Intel, the "uWand" will create icons on your TV screen. Flick one of them and you can turn on the oven in the kitchen. Flick another, and you can turn the air conditioner up or down. (Sun)