Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962) was an American model and actress. One of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s, she played stereotypically "dumb blonde" characters that were emblematic of the era's attitudes towards sexuality. She began her career as a pin-up model. After two short-lived film contracts, she was signed by 20th Century-Fox in 1951. The next year, scandalous nude photographs of her were featured in a popular calendar. She became one of the most bankable Hollywood actors with starring roles in comedies such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and The Seven Year Itch (1955). Disappointed in being typecast and underpaid, Monroe formed her own production company in 1955 and successfully fought for a better contract with Fox. She received critical acclaim for her performances in Bus Stop (1956) and Some Like It Hot (1959), winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter. Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (1961). Troubled by mental health and addiction problems, Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962. She continues to be considered a popular culture icon.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1648:

Second English Civil War: Parliamentarian troops defeated Royalist forces in the Battle of Maidstone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Maidstone

1831:

British naval officer and explorer James Clark Ross successfully led the first expedition to reach the North Magnetic Pole. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Magnetic_Pole

1879:

Louis Napoleon was killed in action during the Anglo-Zulu War, sending shock waves throughout Europe, as he was the last serious hope for the restoration of the Bonapartes to the French throne. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on,_Prince_Imperial

1916:

Louis Brandeis became the first Jew to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Brandeis

1941:

World War II: After the first mainly airborne invasion in military history, Crete surrendered to Nazi Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Crete

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

mansplain: (informal) To explain (something) condescendingly (to a female listener), especially to explain something the listener already knows, presuming that she has an inferior understanding of it because she is a woman. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mansplain

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Determination in a single instance is an expression of courage; if it becomes characteristic, a mental habit. But here we are referring not to physical courage but to courage to accept responsibility, courage in the face of a moral danger. This has often been called courage d'esprit, because it is created by the intellect. That, however, does not make it an act of the intellect: it is an act of temperament. Intelligence alone is not courage; we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action. Looked at in this way, the role of determination is to limit the agonies of doubt and the perils of hesitation when the motives for action are inadequate.   --Carl von Clausewitz https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Carl_von_Clausewitz