Sports Fact & Book Rec of the Day 1/1/2009

1/1/1969:
Penn State completes a perfect season and finishes No. 2 in the final wire-services polls (behind Ohio State) by defeating Kansas, 15-14, in the Orange Bowl. The Nittany Lions take full advantage of a fatal mistake by Kansas, which has 12 men on the field while stopping PSU on a two-point conversion try with 15 seconds left. Given a reprieve, Bob Campbell (#23) sweeps around left end for the winning points. Campbell also caught a 48-yard pass from quarterback Chuck Burkhart to set up the touchdown that preceeded the decisive PAT.

Birthdays:
Hank Greenberg b. 1911
Rocky Graziano b. 1922
Doak Walker b. 1927
Marlin McKeever b. 1940
Derrick Thomas b. 1967

Packers Fact:
Brett Favre passed for more touchdowns than any other during his first 16 NFL seasons entering 2007 against the Chicago Bears. Favre had 52 career scoring tosses against Green Bay's division rival.

CALENDAR MUCHACHAS

This marvelous, colorful illustrated history of a popular art form was years in the making, and it’s both a treat for the eye and an unusual piece of cultural history. Bilingual text explains the background of the calendars and provides biographies of the artists. With a foreword by renowned Mexican cultural critic Carlos Monsiváis.

MEXICAN CALENDAR GIRLS (CHICAS DE CALENDARIOS MEXICANOS), by Angela Villalba (Chronicle Books, 2006)

DID YOU KNOW . . .

January was named for the Roman god Janus, the god of doors, gates, and entrances. He was also the god of the new year. Janus had two faces—one that looked forward and one that looked back—symbolizing his ability to reflect on the past year’s failures and successes and to take their lessons into the coming 365 days. Happy reflecting, happy learning . . . and Happy New Year!

THE AVERAGE BOUT OF SLEEPWALKING LASTS SIX MINUTES.