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 1910, Akira Kurosawa was born. Kurosawa was one of the great Japanese directors; among the 30 films he made during his 50-year career are such classics as Rashomon, Ikiru, Ran, and Seven Samurai. His films are often grand epics in which heroes attempt to break entrenched cycles of violence and conflict. Kurosawa's 1957 film Throne of Blood re-tells the story of Macbeth, set in feudal Japan; it stars Toshiro Mifune, who appeared in about half of Kurosawa's films. Throne of Blood is available on DVD.
	On this day in 1952, Kim Stanley Robinson was born. Robinson's SF usually deals with ecology in some way, and his protagonists are often scientists; his plots are more likely to center on research and laboratory breakthroughs than on adventure stories. His Mars trilogy covers a 200-year span, during which his characters settle and terraform the planet Mars. The first book in the series is Red Mars; it's available as an e-book from OverDrive, as are the sequels, Green Mars and Blue Mars.
	And on this day in 1953, Chaka Khan was born. Khan first came to prominence in the early 1970s as the singer for the group Rufus, whose hits included "Tell Me Something Good" and "Sweet Thing." Within a few years, Khan was also recording as a solo act, with equal success and more hits ("I'm Every Woman," "I Feel for You"). Several of Khan's albums are available for streaming at Hoopla.