Gilmore's Departing Dinner

On this day in 1977, convicted murderer Gary Gilmore was shot by a firing squad in Utah, becoming the first person executed in the U.S. after a Supreme Court ruling that upheld death penalty statutes. Gilmore gained notoriety by insisting that his death sentence be carried out with no delay.  The night before he was executed, Gilmore was served his final meal: a steak, potatoes, milk, coffee and a six-pack of beer.  He reportedly consumed only the milk and coffee.

It Is Rude to Kill Your Dinner Guest

The New York Times reports that a forthcoming book on Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs tells the story of how the technology icon delayed traditional cancer treatments for many months, choosing instead to pursue herbal remedies and other strategies.

The article also notes that Jobs frequently hosted business leaders for dinner.  On one occasion, he invited Fox Network executive Rupert Murdoch to dine at his home.   The Times adds that when Jobs described that dinner to author Walter Isaacson, he told Isaacson that he had to hide the kitchen knives from his wife, Laurene Powell, because her liberal political passions were aroused by the presence of Murdoch.

An Obedience Diet

Mother Teresa, who died 14 years ago, was born on this day in 1910.  When she established the Missionaries of Charity in the slums of Kolkata in 1950, Mother Teresa intended for her and the other nuns to eat the same meager food that they served to the poor — only rice and salt.  However, experienced charity workers told her that such a diet would leave them too weak to perform their exhausting work. Teresa gave in, and she and the nuns dined with religious fervor.

Their dinners were typically made up of rice, tomatoes, onions, other vegetables, and a spicy lentil dish called dhal.  When new recruits arrived, they were surprised by the full plates of food, but Teresa told them to eat it all because God wants "obedience rather than victims." 

Undecided About What Was Put on His Plate

Maximilien de Robespierre was a driving force behind the "reign of terror" that followed the French Revolution.  But on this week in 1794, Robespierre was executed by a band of men who had once been his close comrades.  Although he played a crucial role in his nation’s history, Robespierre was an atypical Frenchman — he watered-down his wine, and he was also indifferent to what he ate.

"Many times I asked him what he would like to eat at dinner," said his sister Charlotte, "and he would reply that he had no idea."

What Delayed Dinner

NBC television news anchor Brian Williams turns 52 years old today.  "As a child," he recalled, "I was not allowed to eat supper until the network evening news was over." Williams said this family rule may have had more to do with shaping his broadcasting career "than any other single act of parenting."