Great moments in history and popular culture happen every day, and ON THIS DAY will share a few of them with you. We’ll also point you to related resources in our collection, helping you to discover classic films, musical favorites, and historical tidbits. The primary focus will be on our e-material – e-books, e-audio, and downloadable and streamable music and film – but physical books and DVDs will also be part of the fun.

	On this day in 1913, "Cordwainer Smith" was born. That was the pen name used by Paul Linebarger for his science fiction; under his real name, he published several scholarly works on Asian history and on the history of warfare. Most of Smith's short stories are set in the same fictional universe, a long future history of Earth filled with vivid and surreal creatures and landscapes. His only novel, Norstrilia, is set in the same universe, and involves a power struggle for control of a drug that grants immortality to its users. Norstrilia is available as an e-book from OverDrive and in print.
	On this day in 1920, Yul Brynner was born. Brynner was a relative unknown in 1951, when he was cast as the King of Siam in the musical The King and I. It would be the defining role of his career. Brynner played the King in touring productions, in two subsequent Broadway productions, and even in a short-lived television sitcom. He played the part on stage more than 4,600 times, with his final performances just a few months before his death in 1985. The original 1951 cast recording of The King and I is available for streaming at Hoopla.
	And on this day in 1949, Liona Boyd was born. Boyd is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has recorded in a wide variety of genres. In the first part of her career, she was primarily a guitarist, playing classical, Latin, jazz, and new age music. Beginning in 2003, muscular problems in her hands led her to shift her focus to singing and songwriting, and to play less complex guitar arrangements. Several of Boyd's albums are available for streaming or download at Freegal.