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 1909, Johnny Mercer was born. Mercer wrote the lyrics for more than 1500 songs (and the music for some of them), many of which are now standards -- "Hooray for Hollywood," "Blues in the Night," "Skylark," "That Old Black Magic." He was also a popular singer, and a particularly fine interpreter of his own songs; several of Mercer's albums are available for streaming or download at Freegal.
	On this day in 1939, Margaret Atwood was born. The Canadian author has written in a variety of forms -- essays, short fiction, poetry, children's books, television scripts, even an opera libretto -- but is best known for her novels. Her 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale, was a nominee or winner of several major science fiction awards, though Atwood has bristled at the "science fiction" label; it has been adapted as a film, an opera, and a ballet.The Handmaid's Tale is available as an e-book from OverDrive, and in print.
	And on this day in 1955, Carter Burwell was born. The composer has written the scores for more than 80 films. Burwell is particularly associated with the Coen brothers, and has written the scores for almost all of their movies; he has also worked frequently with Bill Condon and Spike Jonze.  Many of Burwell's scores are available for streaming at Hoopla.