Daily Almanac for Wednesday November 12, 2025

By Carmenlita Castillo

 

Singer Neil Young is 80 today. Seen here in Austin, Texas, on November 9, 1976. By photographer Mark Estabrook from Sedona, AZ, United States AKA Markestabrook at en.wikipedia, https commons.wikimedia.org

FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. Son of journalist, sportswriter, and novelist Scott Young, Neil embarked on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s. Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the beginning of his solo career, often backed by the band Crazy Horse, he released critically acclaimed albums such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After the Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972), On the Beach (1974), and Rust Never Sleeps (1979). He was also a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with whom he recorded the chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu.

Young’s guitar work, deeply personal lyrics and signature high tenor singing voice define his long career. He also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folkrockcountry and other musical genres. His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname “Godfather of Grunge and led to his 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam. More recently, he has been backed by Promise of the Real.

Young directed (or co-directed) films using the pseudonym “Bernard Shakey”, including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003), CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008), and Harvest Time (2022). He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films Philadelphia (1993) and Dead Man (1995).

Young has received multiple Grammy and Juno Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted him twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Young No. 30 on its list of the “250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. Young is also on Rolling Stones list of the 100 greatest musical artists, and 21 of his albums and singles have been certified gold or platinum in the U.S. Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2006 and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.

In 2014, Young began dating actress Daryl Hannah. The couple wed on August 25, 2018, in Atascadero, California.

Neil Young performing Heart of Gold in support of Fairy Creek Old Growth activists, at the legislature, Victoria, BC, Feb 24, 2023. By Billyshiverstick – Own work, CC0, https commons.wikimedia.org

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Question of the Day

If a recipe calls for one pound of eggs, how many would that be?

Approximately nine eggs equals one pound.

Advice of the Day

The time to harvest parsnips or turnips is after a hard frost.

Home Hint of the Day

When burning a kerosene lamp, make sure you have at least 18 inches of air space above the chimney. Otherwise, the heat rising from the chimney can be enough to catch something on fire.

Word of the Day

Snub

A post on a dock or shore, around which a rope is thrown to check the motion of a vessel.

Puzzle of the Day

Who was the strongest man mentioned in the Bible?

Jonah, because the whale could not keep him down.

Born

  • Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (poet) – 
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton (reformer) – 
  • Auguste Rodin (sculptor) – 
  • Harry Andrew Blackmun (lawyer) – 
  • Joseph Coors (brewer) – 
  • Kim Hunter (actress) – 
  • John Ruthven (Wildlife artist; born in Cincinnati, Ohio) – 
  • Grace Kelly (actress and later known as Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco) – 
  • Neil Young (musician) – 
  • Megan Mullally (actress) – 
  • Nadia Comaneci (gymnast) – 
  • Ryan Gosling (actor) – 
  • Anne Hathaway (actress) – 

Died

  • Eve Arden (actress) – 
  • Bill Dickey (baseball player) – 
  • Billy Guy (singer) – 
  • Jonathan Brandis (actor) – 
  • Ira Levin (author) – 
  • Stan Lee (American comic book writer; died in Los Angeles, California) – 

Events

  • San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opened – 
  • Ellis Island federal immigration station closed in N.Y./N.J. – 
  • Largest iceberg on record (208 miles long, 60 miles wide) discovered by U.S.S. Glacier – 
  • Voyager I made its closest approach to Saturn, coming within 77,000 miles. – 
  • First episode of Absolutely Fabulous aired – 
  • Voters OK‘d creation of Nunavut territory – 

Weather

  • A heavy snowstorm hit all of New England – 

 

 

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