Thursday

Jul. 3, 1997

Late Hours

by Lisel Mueller

THURSDAY 7/3

Today's Reading:"Late Hours" by Lisel Mueller from WAVING FROM SHORE, published by Louisiana State University Press (1989).

The Dog Days begin today, the 40 or so days that are usually the hottest and most humid of the year.

National Tom Sawyer Days begin today in Hannibal Missouri, Mark Twain's hometown.

The ten-day Salem Fair and Exposition begins today in Salem, Virginia.

It's the birthday of playwright Tom Stoppard (ROSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD; ARCADIA), born in Zlin, Czechoslovakia, in 1937.

Documentary filmmaker Francois-Arnold Reichenbach, whose 1969 film ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN L'AMOUR DE LA VIE won the Oscar for best feature- length documentary, was born on this day in Paris in 1921.

The Battle of the Somme began on this day in 1916 in France during World War I. More than 100,000 were killed on the first day, and over a million were killed before it was over.

It's the birthday of the novelist and short-story writer Elizabeth Taylor, a frequent contributor to THE NEW YORKER; born in Reading, England, in 1912.

It's the birthday of M.F.K. Fisher, author of many books about the art of food, born on this day in Albion, Michigan, in 1908.

Writer Franz Kafka, whose most famous story METAMORPHOSIS was one of the few published before his death at the age of 41, was born on this day in Austria-Hungary, in 1883.

Songwriter, playwright, actor and producer George M. Cohan ("You're a Grand Old Flag," "Give My Regards to Broadway") was born on this day in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1878.

It's the birthday of Welsh poet William Henry Davies, known as the tramp poet, born in Newport, Wales, in 1871.

Architect and engineer Dankmar Adler, a partner with Louis Sullivan, was born on this day in Stadtlengsfeld, Prussia, in 1844.

It was on this day in 1775 that George Washington took command of the Continental Army.

Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.®

 

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