Happy "Toni Ryan's Birthday" Day to you & yours!!

So, many many moons ago... (approximately 27 [or more] years worth)... I escaped my mother's womb and thus celebrate today, August 20th, as my birthday...

Yes, and as if that wasn't special enough about this day, let me share with you some great moments in universal history about AUGUST 20...

In terms of historical moments, August 20th can be remembered as the day Americans celebrated the end of the Civil War over (1866) & the Belgians can ruefully recall the day the Germans occuped Brussels during World War I (1914), and something tells me that they did not bring along some delicious strudel to soften the blow.

In 1882, Tchaikovsky debuted his "1812 Overture" in Moscow, and is stunned that he got away with using cannons in a musical piece and everyone *liked* it.

Sports fans, AUGUST 20 is the day the National Football League, (NFL), is founded in the United States (1920)! Happy Birthday NFL!! (Oh, why thank you, NFL for the Birthday wishes too!)

Because of the magic that comes along with this special day, Lou Gehrig hits his 23rd career grand slam on August 20, 1938 – a record that still stands.

In 1986, the phrase "going postal" is invented thanks to that angry postal employee in Oklahoma who went on a suicide-shooting mission at work.

In further world history memories, August 20 is also the day that the Soviets began the Battle of Romania, in case you'd forgotten. They followed up this anniversary on August 20, 1953 by publicly admitted that they also had tested a hydrogen bomb. Way to go. No wonder why it took so long to get over those trust issues.

AUGUST 20 is also a great day for INDEPENDENCE! Estonia secedes from the Soviet Union in 1991. And of course who could forget in 1960, when Senegal broke from the Mali federation, declaring its independence. And 1988, after 8 years of battle, the Iran-Iraq War came to a cease-fire. Best birthday ever!

Although them French-Canadians don't love this day, because on August 20, 1998, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that Quebec couldn't legally secede from Canada without approval from the feds. Poop. Sorry Frenchies!


OK, on to lucky individuals who got to be born on this day along with me...

1918 - Jacqueline Susann, the chick who wrote that scintillating "Valley of the Dolls". Because of her, we got to have a movie with awesome retro hair & clothes.

1931 – Don King, American boxing

1942 – Isaac Hayes, American singer, songwriter, and actor

1946 – Connie Chung, American journalist

1948 – Robert Plant, British Musician (Led Zeppelin)

1954 – Al Roker, American television personality

1965 – KRS-One, American rapper

1970 – Fred Durst, American singer (Limp Bizkit)

1974 – Amy Adams, American actress

1992 – Demi Lovato, American actress and singer


Demi Lovato, Amy Adams, & I were going to conference call Fred Durst to sing Happy Birthday, but he hung up on us. Al Roker tried to get in on this, but we knew that KRS-One hates Roker, so after we rapped a birthday message to KRS, we called up Robert Plant and sang "Whole Lotta Love". He wept.

Pretty awesome, right?

So, there you go, if you're also born on August 20, you were born on the Feast of St. Bernard and if you're anything like me, you have a vivid imagination not rooted in reality.

Enjoy!