Happy Birthday, DALE CHIHULY!! The amazing American glass artist is 84-years-old today. To see samples of his spectacular glasswork, CLICK HERE.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: On September 20, 1187, the Kurdish-born Sultan of Egypt, SALADIN, began his siege of Jerusalem. It would end on October 2, 1187 when the Christian crusaders surrendered the city. Known as Saladin the Merciful, the sultan ordered that not one of the Christians who surrendered were to be harmed, but were to be allowed to return to Christian lands. For a fascinating summary of the event, CLICK HERE.

September 20 is the birthday of novelist, Arthurian poet, Anglican theologian, occultist and member of the Inklings CHARLES WILLIAMS (1886-1945). Along with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, Williams is considered one of the three great Christian fantasy writers of the 20th century. His Taliessin through Logres (1938) and The Region of the Summer Stars (1944) are considered some of the finest poems inspired by Arthurian legend ever written. Want to learn more about Williams? CLICK HERE.

September 20 is the birthday of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of more than a 100 books, UPTON SINCLAIR (1878-1968). In 1906, Sinclair acquired particular fame for his classic muck-raking novel The Jungle, which exposed labor and sanitary conditions in the U.S. meatpacking industry, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. To learn more about Sinclair, CLICK HERE.

September 20 is the birthday of English-born American photographer WILLIAM H. ILLINGWORTH (1844-1893). He accompanied both Captain James L. Fisk's 1866 expedition to the Montana Territory and Lt. Colonel George Custer's 1874 U.S. military expedition into the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory (now western South Dakota) ... While on the expedition, Illingworth produced about 70 glass plates – 60 of them were landscapes of the Black Hills and portraits of members of the 7th Cavalry. To see more of his photographs, CLICK HERE.