In the mood for a good movie? Some toe-tapping music? A thrilling book? ON THIS DAY will lead you to new possibilities every day, tied to interesting moments from history and popular culture. Whether it’s streamable and downloadable music and film, e-books and e-audio, or physical books and DVDs, we hope you’ll find something to enjoy as you pick up a few bits of history each day.

	On this day in 1886, Hugh Lofting was born. Lofting created the character of Doctor Dolittle, who originally appeared in letters he wrote to his children while serving in the British Army during World War I. A dozen books of Doctor Dolittle stories were eventually published; Lofting also illustrated the stories. Lofting's stories have been adapted for radio, stage, television, and film, with the character being played in notable movie versions by Rex Harrison and Eddie Murphy. The Story of Doctor Dolittle, the first in the series, is available as an e-book or     e-audio from OverDrive, or in print.
	On this day in 1892, Hal Roach was born. The director and producer is best remembered for the Our Gang series of short comedies about the misadventures of a group of children. The series began in 1922, with the earliest shorts being silent films, and continued through 1944. The films found new popularity in the 1950s, when they were repackaged for television under the name The Little Rascals. Roach's Our Gang films were unusual for including both boys and girls in their casts, and while some of the depictions of African-American children are unpleasantly stereotypical by current standards, the fact that black and white children were shown as playing together was also novel for the era. The Best of Our Gang Comedies collection is available for streaming at Hoopla.
	And on this day in 1950, Nicholas McGegan was born. The British harpsichordist and conductor is an expert in the field of early music, and played an important role in the 1970s movement towards performances that were more authentic to the era in which the music was written. McGegan conducts a selection of cantatas by Scarlatti in a recording available for streaming or download at Freegal.