On This Day

It's my birthday - the numbers are getting way too big and grownup for me....

When Travis and I were driving around in northern France a few years ago, one of my geekier pleasures was listening to the BBC World Service.  Buried in amongst the news were little documentaries about all kinds of odd things.  I remember one about birthday songs because it aired a couple of days before my birthday, so I figured it was just for me.  Songs they played - Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday and 50 Cent's In Da Club.

Song I wish they'd played - the one by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds that begins "your happy day is here again", sung in his usual dirge-like tones.  I can't track it down on Youtube unfortunately, but I can give you a taste of his unique gloom-making ability.  Here he is with Shane McGowan singing Wonderful World
And, if you Wikipedia your birth date, you find all kinds of interesting "on this day in history" stuff.  Here are some events and birthdays for 21 April that appeal to me...

Events
753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome
1509 - Henry VIII ascends throne
1944 - Women in France receive right to vote
1989 - Tiananmen Square protests begin

Birthdays
1816 - Charlotte Bronte
1923 - John Mortimer
1926 - Queen Elizabeth II
1947 - Iggy Pop
1959 - Robert Smith (from The Cure)