"Damien" is the tenth episode of the first season of the animated television series South Park. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the U.S. on February 4, 1998. In the episode, Damien is sent by his father Satan to find Jesus and arrange a boxing match between the two. Most South Park residents bet on the muscular Satan to win, but he throws the fight to win their money. Directed by Trey Parker (pictured) and written by Parker, Matt Stone and Dave Polsky, the episode satirizes religion, commercialism and the cult of celebrity. "Damien" received generally positive reviews and was the highest rated cable program the week it aired, viewed by 3.2 million households. The episode marked the first appearance of Satan, who would become a recurring South Park character, as well as the character of Damien, inspired by the antagonist of the 1976 horror film, The Omen. Parker and Stone said the episode introduced several key characteristics of the Cartman character that have endured throughout the series. Michael Buffer, the boxing ring announcer best known for the catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!", makes a guest appearance in "Damien" as himself.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damien_(South_Park)
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
960:
Emperor Taizu began his reign in China, initiating the Song dynasty period that would eventually last for more than three centuries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_dynasty
1169:
A strong earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sicily, causing an estimated 15,000 deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1169_Sicily_earthquake
1899:
The Philippine–American War opened when an American soldier, under orders to keep insurgents away from his unit's encampment, fired upon a Filipino soldier in Manila. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_(1899)
1969:
Yasser Arafat was elected chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasser_Arafat
1999:
Amadou Diallo, a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea, was shot and killed by four New York City Police Department plain-clothed officers, prompting outrage both within and without New York City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Amadou_Diallo
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
blemish: 1. A small flaw which spoils the appearance of something, a stain, a spot. 2. A moral defect; a character flaw. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/blemish
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
In some future incarnation from our life stream, we may even understand the reason for our existence in forms of earthly life. The growing knowledge of science does not refute man's intuition of the mystical. Whether outwardly or inwardly, whether in space or in time, the farther we penetrate the unknown, the vaster and more marvelous it becomes. --Charles Lindbergh https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh