By Clarice Burger
FOR WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic (/ˈjæŋkəvɪk/ ⓘ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.
Since having one of his comedy songs aired on The Dr. Demento Radio Show in 1976 at age 16, Yankovic has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2025), recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs,[6][7][8] and performed more than 2,000 live shows.
His work has earned him five Grammy Awards and a further 11 nominations, four gold records and six platinum records in the U.S. His first top ten Billboard album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and single (“White & Nerdy“) were both released in 2006, nearly three decades into his career. His fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun (2014), became his first number-one album during its debut week.
Yankovic’s success has been attributed to his effective use of music videos to further parody pop culture, the songs’ original artists, and the original music videos themselves. He has directed some of his own music videos and has also directed music videos for other artists including Ben Folds, Hanson, the Black Crowes, and the Presidents of the United States of America. With the decline of music television and the onset of social media, he used YouTube and other video sites to publish his videos; this strategy helped boost sales of his later albums. He has not released a full album since Mandatory Fun, opting instead for timely releases of singles.
In addition to his music career, Yankovic wrote and starred in the film UHF (1989) and the television series The Weird Al Show (1997). He has produced two satirical films about his own life, The Compleat Al (1985) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022). He has acted in several television shows and web series, in addition to starring in Al TV specials on MTV. He has also written two children’s books, When I Grow Up (2011) and My New Teacher and Me! (2013).
TODAY’S ALMANAC
Question of the Day
When was the vaccine for rabies invented, and who was the inventor?
Louis Pasteur cured a nine-year-old boy, Joseph Meister, with the vaccine he developed in 1885.
Advice of the Day
Home Hint of the Day
Word of the Day
Puzzle of the Day
Born
- Francis Hopkinson Smith (author) –
- John William Heisman (football player) –
- William David Coolidge (physicist) –
- Gertrude Ederle (first woman to swim the English Channel) –
- Johnny Carson (comedian & television host) –
- Pele (soccer player) –
- Michael Crichton (author) –
- Weird Al Yankovic (musician) –
- Doug Flutie (football player) –
- Ryan Reynolds (actor) –
- Masiela Lusha (actress, author) –
Died
- Zane Grey (author) –
- Adolph Green (author & lyricist) –
- Madame Chiang Kai-shek (became one of the world’s most famous women as she helped her husband fight the Japanese during World War II and later the Chinese Communists) –
- Robert Merrill (baritone) –
Events
- 25,000 women marched in New York City demanding the right to vote –
- Charlie Chaplin married Mildred Harris –
- Researchers at the University of Toronto announced the development of an electronic cardiac pacemaker –
- Cumberland mine disaster –
- Garfield the Cat’s lovable teddy bear, Pooky, made his comic strip debut –
Weather
- Flood “swept all the fences off” in Newbury, Vermont –
- Newbury, Vermont, received 12 inches of snow, which stayed until spring –
- 1 foot of snow fell in Haverhill, New Hampshire –
- A hurricane hit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania –
- A tornado hit Cass County, Indiana, around mid-afternoon –
- Major flooding occurred in Chickasha, Oklahoma –
- The Neches River in southeast Texas was 8 feet above flood stage due to heavy rain –
- Hurricane Patricia, a Category 5, became the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Western hemisphere, with maximum sustained winds near 200 mph. –
COURTESY www.almanac.com
