nPosted on July 16, 2017
n
n
n
n
nIf you wanted to be a tennis player, wouldn’t Smashnova be a really great last name?
n
n
n
n
n
nBorn on this date in 1976, Anna Smashnova was born in the Soviet Union and moved to Israel in her teens. She had a good – but not super-fantastic-amazing – career in professional tennis, reaching #15 as her top ranking.
n
n
n
nShe won 12 finals, and as a junior she won a Grand Slam championship.
n
n
n
nAnd she may have won the Best Name for a Tennis Player competition, if there had ever been one!
n
n
n
n(Margaret Court, the Australian tennis great, could be runner up.)
n
n
n
n
n
nWhat’s in a name…?
n
n
n
nSome people do not have the perfect name for their chosen profession.
n
n
n
nLike dentist Ken Hurt…don’t you think he should’ve changed his name?
n
n
n
nDr. Richard Chopp does some surgical procedures that involve careful cutting, not chopping.
n
n
n
nBob Walk became a pitcher. Hopefully, he didn’t throw a lot of walks!
n
n
n
nAnd come on! A lawyer named Sue Yoo? Is that a joke? (It’s apparently not.)
n
n
n
n
n
nOthers do have perfect names, like Smashnova. Here are a few more:
n
n
n
nBrad Slaughter became a meat manager at a store. Perfect!
n
n
n
nPresident Ronald Reagan had a spokesman named Larry Speakes. (Honest!)
n
n
n
nSara Blizzard and Larry Sprinkle both report the weather. And Amy Freeze is a meteorologist (someone who studies the weather) as well as an onscreen weather reporter.
n
n
n
nScott Speed became a race car driver.
n
n
n
nMichael Vickers became a vicar (a pastor).
n
n
n
nMarion Moon birthed and raised the second human ever to step on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin.
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nI don’t know if these last two examples are oh-no’s or very-cool’s. I guess they’re moderately ha-ha?:
n
n
n
nMr. White, who is a Republican politician, has the first name Rich. So, on the ballot, this is what you see:
n
n
n
n
n
n(Republican)
n
n
n
nAnd Mr. Guy sometimes appears on TV to discuss current events. His first name is Christian, so the name bar underneath his face, when he’s on TV, reads, “Christian Guy.”
n
n
n
nThese fellows should probably go with Richard White and Chris Guy, but maybe they appreciate the grins. I mean, in a world where there’s a gardener named Bob Flowerdew, why shouldn’t we interview some Christian Guy on TV, or elect some Rich White (Republican)?
n
n
n
nHere’s the great thing about all this – there are names for these sorts of names:
n
n
n
nA name that is especially well suited to its owner is called an aptronym. (The word apt means appropriate, suitable.)
n
n
n
nAnd a name that is ironic or seems like the exact opposite of a well-suited name is called an inaptronym. (Yep, you guessed it; the word inapt means inappropriate, unsuitable.)
n
n
n
n
n
nAlso on this date:
n
n
n
n
n
n
nFiesta Virgen del Carmen in Peru
n
n
n
nLa Paz Local Holiday
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nGlobal Hug Your Kids Day
n
n
nWorld Snake Day
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nMedical researcher Joseph Goldberger’s birthday
n
n
n
n
n
n
nUnaine (Elderly Woman Day) on Kiribati
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nSinger / actor Rain Pryor’s birthday
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
nPlan ahead:
n
n
n
n
nCheck out my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
- July holidays
- July birthdays
- Historical anniversaries in July
n
n
n
n
nAnd here are my Pinterest boards for:
n
- n
-
nAugust holidays
n
-
nAugust birthdays
n
-
nHistorical anniversaries in August
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
