Contrary to the Americans who, in spite of blunt evidence, still worship the act of marriage, with its fairy-tale rituals of proposing and funny kneeling, the French have a much more pessimistic, more realistic even, vision of the knot.

CNN: Gay rights: How U.S. leads the way

Building on the tax cuts in the Recovery Act, we're proposing a complete elimination of capital gains taxes on small business investment along with an extension of write-offs to encourage small businesses to expand in the coming year.

WHITEHOUSE: Job Creation and Economic Growth

Then in 1945 he published a paper proposing the concept of space stations which would orbit the Earth and be able to act as transmitters of radio waves.

BBC: Legendary science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke at 80