17 September

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 17 September:

1. This date in 1901 saw the birth of Sir Francis Chichester, yachtsman and aviator. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day. He made the trip in his yacht Gipsy Moth IV. He named all his yachts and planes Gipsy Moth. He was also an aviator, and had achievements to his name in that field as well. He was the first person to cross the Tasman Sea from east to west.
2. In 1998 Jose Ricart, 53, started to cross the road carrying a banner which proclaimed "The end of the world is nigh". He was right, in that it did end for him: he was run over and killed by a truck.
3. In 1997, a wedding took place in Las Vegas. Ken Wahl, 40, married Playboy model Shane Barbi, 33.
4. In 1931, the first 33 1/3 rpm recording was released by RCA Victor, of Beethoven's 5^th. The record players were so expensive, however, that the product flopped. The first LP records as we know them didn't come out until 1948.
5. Another musical milestone occurred on this date in 1955. The shortest song ever was released by Capitol Records. It was a Les Paul single called Magic Melody, Part Two which consisted of only two notes.
6. M*A*S*H, one of the most widely viewed TV sitcoms, made its début on this date in 1972. Set during the Korean War, the show followed the lives of doctors and nurses on the war front. The initials stood for "Mobile Army Surgical Hospital." The series ran until 1983.
7. On this date in 1789, William Herschel discovered Mimas, a satellite of Saturn. It was the seventh moon of Saturn to be discovered. Its most distinctive feature is a giant crater which measures 130km (81 miles) across and has walls 5km (3 miles high). It has a central peak which could be up to 8km (5 miles) high. This crater makes Mimas look a bit like the Death Star, but since it wasn't discovered until after Star Wars came out, it wasn't the inspiration for it.
8. In 1762, violinist and composer Francesco Geminiani collapsed in Dublin when someone told him the only copy of his book on how to play the Violin had been stolen by a maid.
9. In 1955 James Dean filmed a TV commercial for the National Highway Safety Committee urging viewers to "drive safely."
10. In 1997, a Fort Lauderdale woman was arrested for throwing chicken legs, a telephone and a circular saw at her boyfriend when he came home late.

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