3 August 2014

apropos

[ap-ruh-poh]

adverb

1. fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely.
2. Obsolete . by the way.

adjective
3. opportune; pertinent: apropos remarks.

Idioms
4. apropos of, with reference to; in respect or regard to: apropos of the preceding statement.

Origin:
1660–70; < French à propos literally, to purpose < Latin ad prōpositum. See ad-, proposition

Can be confused: appropriate, apropos, expropriate.

Anagram

poor sap

Today’s aphorism

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

– Confucius

On this day

3 August 1811 – birthday of Elisha Graves Otis, American industrialist and founder of the Otis Elevator Company. In 1854, he put the finishing touches to his signature invention: a safety device to prevent elevators falling if the cable fails.

3 August 1905 – birthday of Maggie Kuhn, activist and founder of the Gray Panthers, who campaigned for nursing home reform and opposed ageism. She also fought for human rights, social and economic justice, global peace, integration, and mental health issues.

3 August 1914 – World War I heats up: Germany invades Belgium and declares war on France, Britain declares war on Germany, while Turkey signs a pact with Germany.

3 August 1914 – Formation of the World Alliance for International Friendship through the Churches. It’s purpose was to help churches promote peace, disarmament,rights of racial and religious minorities, conscientious objection, arms control, and the League of Nations.

3 August 1963 – birthday of James Hetfield, US rock star, member of Metallica.

3 August 1973 – birthday of Patrick Wilson, American actor, from movies such as ‘the Alamo‘, ‘Watchmen‘, ‘The A-Team‘, ‘Phantom of the Opera‘ – with Gerard Butler and Emma Rossum.

3 August 1973 – Fire kills 51 people at an amusement park on the Isle of Man.