It's Beethoven's Birthday

1. On this day in 1770, the man widely regarded as the greatest composer who ever lived, Ludwig van Beethoven, was born in Bonn, Germany. Beethoven is best known as the deaf composer during the period between the Classical and Romantic eras. Beethoven spent 25 years composing his nine symphonies, the most famous being Symphony No. 3 (Eroica), Symphony No. 5, and Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy or Choral Symphony.) For information about his life and work, his “Bio True Story” can be found at Biography.com.

2. The Bushnell in Hartford is currently selling tickets to Beethoven’s Fifth, featuring Conductor Alexander Mickelthwate. The event will take place at the Maxwell and Ruth Belding Theater. For ticket information and prices, visit www.hartfordsymphony.org. Performances will take place from February 9 to February 12, 2012.

3. Here’s a quiz for you Beethoven and/or Peanuts fans. What Beethoven song did Schroeder play in 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas feature? If you guessed Fur Elise, you are correct. For a fun look back at the Schroeder and Lucy scene from the Charles M. Schultz film, visit this link on You Tube.

4. On this day in history, 1973, O.J. Simpson became the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season.

5. There's an expected high of 49ºF today, accompanied by a low of 30ºF, according to AOL Weather. There's only a 10 percent chance of precipitation.