Blue's Clues is an American children's television series that premiered on Nickelodeon in 1996. Hosted first by Steve Burns (pictured) and then by Donovan Patton, and produced by Angela Santomero, Todd Kessler and Traci Paige Johnson, the show follows an animated blue-spotted dog named Blue as she plays a game with the host and viewers, inviting their involvement. A product of extensive research in child development and early-childhood education, Blue's Clues was the first cutout animation series for preschoolers, and resembles a storybook in its use of primary colors and its simple construction paper shapes of familiar objects with varied colors and textures. It became the highest-rated show for preschoolers on American commercial television, and has been syndicated in 120 countries and translated into 15 languages. Regional versions of the show, featuring local hosts, have been produced in other countries. A live production of Blue's Clues toured the U.S. starting in 1999, and a spin-off called Blue's Room appeared on Nickelodeon in 2004.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue%27s_Clues

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

618:

Li Yuan became Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of the Tang dynasty in China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tang_dynasty

1815:

War of the Seventh Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte fought and lost his final battle, the Battle of Waterloo in present-day Belgium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo

1858:

Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on natural selection, which prompted Darwin to publish his theory of evolution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication_of_Darwin%27s_theory

1972:

British European Airways Flight 548 crashed near the town of Staines less than three minutes after departing from London Heathrow Airport, killing all 118 people aboard, at the time the worst air disaster in the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_European_Airways_Flight_548

1982:

The body of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, known as "God's Banker" due to his close association with the Vatican, was found hanging from scaffolding beneath London's Blackfriars Bridge. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Calvi

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

chiaroscuro: An artistic technique developed during the Renaissance, referring to the use of exaggerated light contrasts in order to create the illusion of volume. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chiaroscuro

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

"Kindness" covers all of my political beliefs. No need to spell them out. I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.   --Roger Ebert https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert