Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. We promise to work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!
Sparky Duck at Philly Transplant learned a little something with this meme, which he stole from his blogging buddy Wylie. Here’s how to play. Search for your birthday (month and day only) at Wikipedia and then share what else happened that day.
Wikipedia Meme: They Say It’s Your Birthday
First, what is your birthday (month/day)? 7 March
Now, go to Wikipedia and list:
Four historic events
1850 – Senator Daniel Webster gives his “Seventh of March” speech endorsing the Compromise of 1850 in order to prevent a possible civil war. This dreadful legislative package, of course, ultimately had the opposite effect. It included the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
1876 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a patent for an invention he calls the “telephone.” Here’s my COVID telephone experiment. I have a portable device charging downstairs right now.
1965 – Bloody Sunday: A group of 600 civil rights marchers is brutally attacked by state and local police in Selma, Alabama. Of course, I remember this extraordinarily well, and it pained me greatly.
1986 – Challenger Disaster: Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor. The disaster had taken place on January 28, which I recall all too well.
Natal day
Three births: this one is really difficult, because, without looking, I’m aware of several, including Daniel J. Travanti (Hill Street Blues), Wanda Sykes, Ivan Lendl, Rachel Weisz, Lauren Prepon, Jeff Kent, Michael Eisner, et al
1875 – Maurice Ravel, French pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1937). He wrote much more than Bolero. That said, I recall hearing that piece performed by the Albany Symphony Orchestra. We got the tickets because our friends had ASO subscriptions but didn’t want to go because Bolero is “boring.” I must say that it is much more interesting live than on a recording.
1950 – Franco Harris, American football player and businessman (died 2022). As a Steeler, he caught the “Immaculate Reception.” BTW, his teammate, Lynn Swann, was also born on that date in 1952.
1974 – Jenna Fischer, American actress. I was reading this week why she walked away from acting after starring as Pam Beesly on The Office for nine seasons and then a subsequent series.
Two deaths
1274 – Saint Thomas Aquinas, Italian priest and philosopher (born 1225)
1986 – Jacob K. Javits, American colonel and politician, New York State Attorney General (born 1904). He was my U.S. senator when I was growing up.
One holiday or observance. I know none of these.
Perpetua and Felicity. “Vibia Perpetua was a recently married, well-educated noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant son she was nursing. Felicity, a slave woman imprisoned with her and pregnant at the time, was martyred with her. They were put to death along with others at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.”
Here are the #1 Hot Soul Singles of 1976. Curiously, the name of this category changed several times over the years. Rhythm and blues was the dominant designation through mid-1969.
I don’t enjoy reviewing blockbuster 
Here are more 1976 Easy Listening #1 hits. I split these in half because I don’t want to type 40 titles and find links. Also, I suspect that you won’t listen to 40 tracks.