Newtown Daily Briefing: May 14, 2012

Today is May 14, 2012

Have an announcement or an interesting bit of news?  Let us know!  Click here to post announcements, and here to post events.

Today's Weather  weather.gov

Today: Showers likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming south between 6 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. 

Tonight: Showers likely. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 59. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Question of the Day http://www.almanac.com

 What is the origin of American football, and when was the first game played?

Football is an American version of English rugby. It was first played, on the college level, in 1869 -- in a 6-4 victory of Rutgers over Princeton.

This Morning’s Headlines

Announcements and Events

Free "After School Academy" math sessions begin Friday May 18th   For students who struggle with math, Ivy Bound's After School Academy can help.  Every Friday from 3:00 - 6:30 the Ivy Bound welcomes students to improve their Arithmetic, Algebra, and Practical Math skills. They are for ages 8 - 12 and 11 - 15.  Arithmetic and math basics are taught from 3 - 4:30; algebra and geometry basics are taught from 5 - 6:30.  Student needing work in only ONE area are given home study to fill the time.  Parents can thus count on a full 3.5 hours in an academic environment. To read more click

 Newtown, Monroe Residents Volunteer at Housatonic Financial Reality Fair: The Price of Pets Volunteers Joseph Carnali (right) of Newtown and Filomena Moura of Monroe alert students to the cost of pet care and maintenance at a Financial Reality Fair held recently at Housatonic Community College. The fair was designed to help students from the area learn how to manage their money to achieve their financial and life goals.

 A Heartfelt Thank You:  Trinity Day School would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all who contributed products and services to make our annual Fun Fair and Silent Auction on May 5th a great success.  The generosity of local businesses and our charitable community have helped Trinity Day School enormously, enabling us to update equipment and materials.  All of our preschool children benefit directly from your kindness. To read more, click

Today in History

1796 - The first smallpox vaccination was given by Edward Jenner. 

1804 - William Clark set off the famous expedition from Camp Dubois. A few days later, in St. Louis, Meriwether Lewis joined the group. The group was known as the "Corps of Discovery." 

1874 - McGill University and Harvard met at Cambridge, MA, for the first college football game to charge admission. 

1878 - The name Vaseline was registered by Robert A. Chesebrough. 

1879 - Thomas Edison incorporated the Edison Telephone Company of Europe. 

1897 - "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa was performed for the first time. It was at a ceremony where a statue of George Washington was unveiled. 

1904 - In St. Louis, the Olympic games were held. It was the first time for the games to be played in the U.S. 

1913 - The Rockefeller Foundation was created by John D. Rockefeller with a gift of $100,000,000.

1942 - "Lincoln Portrait" by Aaron Copland was performed for the first time by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. 

1961 - A bus carrying Freedom Riders was bombed and burned in Alabama. 

1980 - U.S. President Carter inaugurated the Department of Health and Human Services. 

1985 - The first McDonald's restaurant became the first fast-food business museum. It is located in Des Plaines, Illinois.

1998 - The Associated Press marked its 150th anniversary. 

1998 - The final episode of the TV series "Seinfeld" aired after nine years on NBC. 

2005 - The art exhibit "Gumby and Friends: The First 50 Years" opened at the Lynn House Gallery in Antioch, CA.