The shows held in the Roman Colosseum called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige, and were immensely popular with the population.

Funny For Today:

HOW TO IMPRESS A WOMAN

Compliment her, cuddle her, kiss her, caress her, love her, stroke her, comfort her, protect her, hug her, wine and dine her, buy gifts for her, listen to her, respect her, stand by her, support her, go to the ends of the earth for her.

HOW TO IMPRESS A MAN

Arrive naked ... with beer.

Today In History:

Today is Saturday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2010. There are 335 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Jan. 30, 1948, Indian political and spiritual leader Mohandas K. Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu extremist.

On this date:

In 1649, England's King Charles I was beheaded.

In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, N.Y.

In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The first episode of the "Lone Ranger" radio program was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit.

In 1960, the American Football League awarded a franchise to Oakland, Calif.

In 1962, two members of "The Flying Wallendas" high-wire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit.

In 1964, the United States launched Ranger 6, an unmanned spacecraft carrying television cameras that crash-landed on the moon, but failed to send back images.

In 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.

In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as "Bloody Sunday."

In 1979, the civilian government of Iran announced it had decided to allow Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (hoh-MAY'-nee), who'd been living in exile in France, to return.

In 2003, Richard Reid, the British citizen and al-Qaida follower who'd tried to blow up a trans-Atlantic jetliner with explosives hidden in his shoes, was sentenced to life in prison by a federal judge in Boston.

Ten years ago: Elian Gonzalez's grandmothers returned home to a hero's welcome in Cuba, vowing to continue the struggle to wrest the six-year-old shipwreck survivor from relatives in Miami.

A Kenya Airways A-310 crashed shortly after takeoff from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, killing 169 people (10 people survived).

The St. Louis Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV (34), defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16.

Five years ago: Iraqis voted in their country's first free election in a half-century; President George W. Bushcalled the balloting a resounding success.

The downing of a C-130 military transport plane north of Baghdad killed all ten British servicemen on board; the militant group Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility.

One year ago: Michael Steele was elected the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee

.President Barack Obama signed a series of executive orders that he said should "level the playing field" for labor unions in their struggles with management

. Ingemar Johansson, who stunned the boxing world by knocking out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in 1959, died in Kungsbacka, Sweden at age 76. 

Today's Birthdays: Actress Dorothy Malone is 85. Producer-director Harold Prince is 82. Actor Gene Hackman is 80. Actress Tammy Grimes is 76. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 73. Chess grandmaster Boris Spassky is 73. Country singer Jeanne Pruett is 73. Country singer Norma Jean is 72. Former Vice President Dick Cheney (CHAY'-nee) is 69. Rock singer Marty Balin is 68. Rhythm-and-blues musician William King (The Commodores) is 61. Singer Phil Collins is 59. Actor Charles S. Dutton is 59. World Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is 55. Maine Gov. John Baldacci is 55. Actress-comedian Brett Butler is 52. Singer Jody Watley is 51. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II, is 48. Actor Norbert Leo Butz is 43. Country singer Tammy Cochran is 38.Actor Christian Bale is 36. Pop-country singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is 30. Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 30.Actor Jake Thomas is 20.

The base of the Roman Colosseum covers six acres.  It could seat from 50 to 75 thousand people, took eight years to build, is held together by steel rather than concrete. and was the largest structure ever built by the Romans during the days of their rule of the known world.  The architects took the idea of setting two amphitheaters facing one another for the basic design.  Gravediggers, actors, and former gladiators were banned from all performances.

The Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. . Another popular type of show was the animal hunt, or venatio. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as rhinoceros,hippopotamuses, elephants, giraffes, aurochs, wisents, barbary lions, panthers, leopards,bears, caspian tigers, crocodiles and ostriches. Battles and hunts were often staged amid elaborate sets with movable trees and buildings. Such events were occasionally on a huge scale; Trajan is said to have celebrated his victories in Dacia in 107 with contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days.

News From Soonerland

Yesterday's Snowstorm:

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