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TIDBITS® LOOKS ATDECEMBER BABIES

by Kathy Wolfe

All kinds of famous folks were born during the month of December. This week, Tidbits brings you a few more details about these well-known people, past and present.• Harvey Firestone was 31 years

old in 1899 when he founded the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, dealing in carriage tires. Originally he sold tires manufactured by others, but his concerns with quality led him to begin manufacturing them himself. Recognizing that the horseless carriage was the wave of the future, Firestone contacted Henry Ford, and in 1906, sold 2,000 sets of tires to the Ford Motor Company, contributing to Firestone’sfirstyearofsalesover$1 million. Their annual sales today top $4 billion.

• Growing up with six sisters as a child of Russian Jewish immigrants in New York, Issur Danielovitch earned the money to buy milk and bread by peddling snacks to mill workers. His next job was delivering newspapers, and he went on to 40 more jobs before finally settling into his permanentcareer as an actor. After a name change to Kirk Douglas, he played roles ranging from Doc Holliday to Spartacus to General Patton to Vincent Van Gogh.

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DECEMBER BABIES (continued):

• French civil engineer Gustave Eiffel was a specialist in metal constructions, mostly bridges. He entered a competition soliciting designs for a monument to serve as the entrance gateway to the 1889 World’s Fair to be held in Paris. The 984-foot-tall (300-meter) Eiffel Tower received two million visitors that year alone. Criticized as an “eyesore,” it was intended to be torn down immediately after the conclusion of the fair. Instead, it became a popular tourist attraction, evolving into the national symbol of France. It remains the most visited paid monument in the world. The tallest building in Paris, it held the honor of world’s tallest structure until 1930, when New York City’s Chrysler Building grabbed the title. Although Gustave Eiffel is most famous for his tower, he was also the designer for the framework of the Statue of Liberty.

• There’s much more to Jimmy Buffett than his “beach-bum” character. In addition to telling us “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” this Alabama native holds a degree in history and is a multi-engine licensed pilot. The 1946 Christmas Day baby has written three No. 1 best sellers and is one of only seven authors (including Hemingway and Steinbeck) who has reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list in both fiction and non-fiction. Buffett ownstwo restaurant chains, Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise, along with the Margaritaville Beach Hotels and the Margaritaville clothing line. An avid Miami Dolphins fan, he penned new lyrics for the team’s song “Fins.” He also bought the rights to have Dolphins Stadium renamed Landshark Stadium for the 2009 season due to the popularity of his private label Landshark Lager beer. Throw in those eight gold and nine platinum albums, and you see this guy is no bum at all!

• If you’ve been to a performance of the operas “La Boheme,” “Tosca” or “MadamaButterfly,”you’veheard themusical compositions of Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Born December 22, 1858, this genius had his life cut short when his chronic sore throats were diagnosed as throat cancer, a result of chain-smoking cigars and cigarettes.

• If you’ve been to a performance of the operas “La Boheme,” “Tosca” or “MadamaButterfly,”you’veheard themusical compositions of Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Born December 22, 1858, this genius had his life cut short when his chronic sore throats were diagnosed as throat cancer, a result of chain-smoking cigars and cigarettes.

Page 2 Tidbits® of Fort Wayne, Allen County

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DECEMBER BABIES (continued):

• A bright future awaited Binger, Oklahoma High School’s class valedictorian of 1965. Born on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, December 7, in 1947, this young man was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds and spent 16 years as baseball’s greatest catcher. Johnny Bench was Rookie of the Year in 1968, National League MVP in 1970 and 1972, World Series MVP in 1976, 14-time All-Star, and winner of 10 Gold Gloves. He has been a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame since 1989 and has been named the 16th greatest player of all time by Sporting News. His success hasn’t come without consequences, however. Stress on his hip joints resulting in severe arthritis led Bench to hip replacement surgery in 2004, whenhewasfittedwithaceramichip.

• “Book ‘em, Dano,” was the catchphrase familiar to fans of the 1970s cop drama “Hawaii Five-O” and uttered by Detective Steve McGarrett. McGarrett was portrayed by actor Jack Lord, born John Joseph Patrick Ryan in Brooklyn in December of 1920. Lord had already had two careers before his show business fame. He started out as an engineer working in Persia, then came back to the states to run a Greenwich Village art school. His own paintings were displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Modern Museum of Art. In his late twenties, Lord made the switch to acting. James Bond movie fans will recognize him for his role in the very firstJamesBondfilm;heplayedaCIAagent in 1962’s “Dr. No.”

• Every time you hold a one-dollar bill, you see the work of Gilbert Stuart, born on December 3, 1755, who has been dubbed the “Father of American Portraiture.” This Rhode Island-born artist trained in London and painted likenesses of more than 1,000 American political figures, includingthefirstsixU.S.Presidents.Portraitsof George Washington hanging in schoolrooms everywhere have a white, cloudy unfinished area across thebottom.Stuartleftthisoneunfinishedat the time of his death. The original portrait can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian.

• Denzel Washington is the son of a Pentecostal minister, who also worked at the local water department, and a hairdresser. This gifted actor holds a degree in journalism from Fordham University.Hegothisstartinthehospitaldrama “St. Elsewhere” and appeared in the series for its entire six-year run. His son John plays professional football for the St. Louis Rams. He celebrates his birthday every December 28.

• Those who remember the 1968 Summer Olympics might recall a spunky little 16-year-old gymnast named Cathy Rigby. Before she wrapped up her gymnastics career, she had garnered eight gold medals in various international events. Her next career move was to the Broadway stage. She prepared for it with seven years of voice and acting lessons. She is best known for her Broadway portrayal of Peter Pan, a perfect role for this little pixie.

• Coincidentally, two members of the popular 1960s band The Monkees share the same birthday, although three years apart. Michael Nesmith was born on December 30, 1942, and singer Davy Jones came along in 1945.

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Tidbits® of Fort Wayne, Allen County Page 4A CLOSER LOOK AT A

DECEMBER BABYHOWARD HUGHES

• Entrepreneur, inventor, engineer, movie producer and director, aviator and philanthropist — These all describe the eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Follow along as Tidbits takes a closer look at this unusual December baby, born in 1905, who went from center stage to recluse.

• Howard Hughes was a high school dropout. However, his wealthy father, owner of Hughes Tool Company and patent holder for a drill bit for oil drilling rigs, took care of that. A hefty donation to Cal Tech soon had Howard enrolled there, andlateratwhatisnowRiceUniversity,studying math and aeronautical engineering. When his father died just a few weeks after Hughes’ 18th birthday, he dropped out of Rice and took over the tool company.

• At age 19, Hughes and his new bride moved to Hollywood to chase his dream of making movies. By the time he was 23,oneofhisfilmshadwonanAcademyAward. His 1930s film “Hells Angels,”about World War I aviators, was the most expensive movie to date, costing $3.8 million to produce. It was while making thisfilmthatHughes,whohadtakenhisfirst flying lesson at age 14, earned hispilot’s license.

• Hughes suffered from an extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder most of his life, which led to bizarre behavior, including locking himself away for months at a time, living on chocolate bars. He spent thefinalyearsofhislifeasarecluse,livingin his penthouses in the Bahamas and Mexico. He is thought to have died on a private jet en route to a Houston hospital. His appearance had so deteriorated that the FBI used his fingerprints to identifyhis body. At 6’4” (188 cm) tall, he was a mere skeleton at 90 lbs. (41 kg). In his later years, he had become addicted to painkillers and morphine, and X-rays of his body showed broken-off hypodermic needles embedded in his extremities.

• The 2004 film “The Aviator” starredLeonardo DeCaprio as Hughes and earned 11 Oscar nominations.

• Hughes’ interest in aviation led him to branch out into aircraft design. In 1937, in his H-1 Racer, he set an airspeed record whenheflewnon-stopfromLosAngelesto New York City in just under seven and a half hours with an average speed of 322 mph (518 km/hr). The following year, he flewaroundtheworldin91hours,settinganother record.

• When the U.S. Government ordered agiant cargo plane from Hughes Aircraft during World War II, Hughes used $18 million of government funds and $7 million of his own money to build it. It wasofficially knownas theHughesH-4Hercules and nicknamed The Spruce Goose, even though most of the plane was made of birch, with small amounts of maple, poplar, balsa and spruce. The craft was designed to hold 750 armed troops or two 30-ton tanks. It contained eight 3,000-horsepower engines and had a wingspan of nearly 320 feet (97.5 m.), 20 feet longer than a football field,making it the largest aircraft ever made from wood. The plane made only one flight, one mile long, on November 2,1947, and remained in its own custom-built hangar for the next 33 years, costing $1 million per year to maintain. She now has a permanent home at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

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“If it slides, glides, turns a chip or throws a spark, we service it!”

THE WRIGHT BROTHERSIn recognition of Wright Brothers Day on December 17, Tidbits takes a closer look at these creative geniuses who made the world’sfirstpowered,sustained,pilotedflightonthatdatein1903. • Wilbur and Orville Wright began their

working careers in 1889 in the printing business, publishing The West Side News in Dayton, Ohio. Four years later, the pair opened a bicycle rental and repair shop, later branching out into bicycle manufacturing. In their free time, they studied aeronautics and experimented withbuildingaflyingmachine.

• The two brothers incorporated their knowledge of bicycles into their plane design. They were familiar with the principles of balance, chain and sprocket systems, wind resistance and aerodynamic shaping, and recognized the need for a strong but lightweight craft. Starting with kits and gliders, and constructing their own wind tunnel, the Wrights experimented for four years beforetheirhistoricalflight.

• The Wrights chose the Atlantic coast at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, as the site for their manned gliding experiments based on its consistent breezes and soft landing surface. They began practicing their piloting skills in non-powered gliders there in 1900. They constructed the Wright Flyer I in 1903 out of spruce and muslin fabric, carving their own wooden propellers. A gasoline engine built in the bicycle shop was added, and the craft wasreadyforitinauguralflight.

• On December 14, 1903, the brothers flipped a coin to determine who wouldbethefirstpilotoftheFlyer,withWilburwinning the toss. However, after only 3.5 seconds, the craft lurched up, stalled, then smashed into the sand, creating some minor damage.

• Three days later, with the damage repaired, Orville took the controls and flew120feet(37meters)in12seconds.Three more flights followed that day—Wilbur flying175 feet (53meters) in12 seconds, followed by Orville’s 200-foot (61-meter) flight for 15 seconds,concludingwithWilburflyinganamazing852 feet (260) meters) in 59 seconds. All theflightswereabout10feet(3meters)above the ground.

• Within minutes of the fourth flight, astrong gust of wind flipped the Flyerover several times, causing extensive damage. The plane was shipped home andneverflewagain.Manyyears later,Orville restored it, and the craft was lent to several museums before settling into its permanent home in 1948 at the Smithsonian where it can be seen today.

• Therewerefivewitnessestotheflights,three of them members of a U.S.government life-saving crew, an area businessman and a local teenager. The newspapers seemed to pay no heed to the monumental feat for nearly a year and a half. Even the Wrights’ hometown Dayton Journal didn’t publish the story, claimingtheflightswere“tooshorttobeimportant.”

• In May of 1906, the Wrights were granted a patent for a “flying machine.” Theyincorporated as The Wright Company in 1909, not only selling aircraft, but also transporting commercial air cargo and running a flying school as well. One oftheir more famous pupils was Henry “Hap” Arnold, who went on to become a Five-Star General, commanded U.S.Army Air Forces during World War II and wasthefirstheadoftheU.S.AirForce.

Tidbits® of Fort Wayne, Allen County Page 6

The Home Affordable Refinance Program hasbeen extended, which is good news for poten-tially millions of homeowners. Set to expire this summer, the program now will run until June 2011.HARP is aimed at homeowners of properties that are currently worth less than what is due on the note, known as being “underwater.”Because of the home-price declines of a still-fail-ing housing market, more and more people are experiencing the loss of equity in their homes. While most underwater homeowners continue to make

payments and are current, it’s been reported that when homeowners face losses of equity of more than 25 percent, defaults and foreclosures increase. Foreclo-sures are up to 4.6 percent of all homeowners now.Some merely walk away from the house when all hope of regaining equity is lost. Without solid loan-to-value numbers,ahomeownercan’trefinance.Withoutgoodappraisal numbers -- because neighborhood values havefallen--thereisnorefinance.Homeownerscan’tsell their homes, either, if they’ll still owe more than they can get for the house.In many cases, the underwater homeowner is not at fault.Unemploymentcancausewholeneighborhoodsto fall, as owners sell at low prices one step ahead of foreclosure, bringing down values.Toqualifyfortherefinanceprogram:•Youmustbecurrentonyourmortgage.•OnlyFannieMaeorFreddieMac loanscanpartici-pate.• The lendermust approve and agree to rewrite the

balance of the loan and take at least 10 percent off the principal.•After the refinance, the mortgage amount cannotexceed 115 percent of the value of the home.•Thenewmortgagepaymentsmustbelessthan31percent of your income.•Thepropertymustbeyourprimaryhome.•Ifyouhaveasecondmortgage,thefirstandsecondwill be combined.•YourFICOcreditscoremustbe500orabove.If you have an interest-only loan or an interest rate that will rise, a HARP refinance can help stabilizeyourpaymentsbygivingyouafixedrate.Ifyouhaveahighinterest-rateloan,aHARPrefinancecanhelpreduce your payments. For more information, check the government’s Mak-ing Home Affordable site at makinghomeaffordable.gov. Click on Eligibility, and scroll down to Home Af-fordableRefinanceProgram.

Help for Homeowners Who Are ‘Underwater’

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