Birthday Tag

I saw this tag over on Zuky’s wonderful blog and I thought it looked like good fun!  So yes, today is my birthday, and whilst I’d rather not admit how old I am, you’ll be to work it out from the answers below if you really wanted to, so I’ll ‘fess up right now and admit that I’ve just turned 34!  Moving swiftly on…

Can you name any celebrities who celebrate their birthday on the same day?

The main one that I’m aware of is Billy Connolly, but having resorted to Google, I also share my birthday with:

Katherine Heigl, Stephen Merchant, and, somewhat less exciting, Ted Bundy

Is your birthday a (national) holiday?

My birthday does occasionally coincide with Thanksgiving in the US, but other than that the only noteworthy point is that it’s Evolution Day:

Evolution Day is a celebration to commemorate the anniversary of the initial publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin on 24 November 1859.

Thanks, Wikipedia.

I’m actually quite pleased by this, as I’m strongly in favour of the evolution theory over creationism.

Somewhat less fun, who died on your birthday?

Freddie Mercury 😦

What is your star sign?

Like Zuky, I’m not interested in astrology, but in the spirit of the tag, I’m a Sagittarius:

Strengths: Generous, idealistic, great sense of humour

Weaknesses: Promises more than can deliver, very impatient, will say anything no matter how undiplomatic

Sagittarius likes: Freedom, travel, philosophy, being outdoors

Sagittarius dislikes: Clingy people, being constrained, off-the-wall theories, details

There’s some truth in there, but I’m sure a lot of other people could say the same…

What is your Chinese sign?

Pigs are diligent, compassionate, and generous. They have great concentration: once they set a goal, they will devote all their energy to achieving it. Though Pigs rarely seek help from others, they will not refuse to give others a hand. Pigs never suspect trickery, so they are easily fooled.

General speaking, Pigs are relatively calm when facing trouble. No matter how difficult the problems are Pigs encounter, they can handle things properly and carefully. They have a great sense of responsibility to finish what they are engaged in.

On which weekday were you born?

I was born on a Thursday.  I choose to take the “Thursday’s child has far to go” rhyme in a positive light, assuming that it means that I will have a long and successful life.

What song was at number one in the charts when you were born?

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

(given it was the early 80s, it could be worse, right?)

How was the weather when you were born?

It was 4°C and frosty in Nottingham on the day I was born.

Thanks to Zuky for highlighting the website http://weather.sumofus.org/ where you find this out!

Anything important ever happen on your birthday?

Other than the arrival of yours truly, you mean? 😉

In the spirit of the bookish nature of this blog, 24 November 1983 (the actual day I was born) was also the publication date for Terry Pratchett’s The Colour of Magic – the first novel in the Discworld series.

Other than that:

1429 – Hundred Years’ War: Joan of Arc unsuccessfully besieges La Charité

1859 – Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species

1877 – Anna Sewell’s animal welfare novel Black Beauty is published.

1932 – In Washington, D.C., the FBI Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory (better known as the FBI Crime Lab) officially opens.

1940 – World War II: The First Slovak Republic becomes a signatory to the Tripartite Pact, officially joining the Axis powers.

1963 – Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, is killed by Jack Ruby.

1969 – Apollo program: The Apollo 12 command module splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean, ending the second manned mission to land on the Moon.

1971 – During a severe thunderstorm over Washington state, a hijacker calling himself Dan Cooper (aka D. B. Cooper) parachutes from a Northwest Orient Airlines plane with $200,000 in ransom money. He has never been found.

1973 – A national speed limit is imposed on the Autobahn in Germany because of the 1973 oil crisis. The speed limit lasts only four months.

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So there you have it!  A little bit about me and 24 November generally!