He hosted Disney Channel's Mouseterpiece Theater (a Masterpiece Theatre spoof which featured Disney cartoon shorts). In the "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" episode of The Simpsons, he hosts the "Spellympics" and attempts to bribe Lisa Simpson to lose with the offer of a scholarship at a Seven Sisters College and a hot plate; "it's perfect for soup!"[24] He had a recurring role as the grandfather of Dr. Carter on the NBC series ER.[25] He also appeared in an episode of the NBC sitcom Wings.

In 1958, prior to a post-season exhibition game at Yankee Stadium between teams managed by Willie Mays (National League) and Mickey Mantle (American League), Plimpton pitched against the National League. His experience was captured in the book Out of My League. (He intended to face both line-ups, but tired badly and was relieved by Ralph Houk.) Plimpton sparred for three rounds with boxing greats Archie Moore and Sugar Ray Robinson while on assignment for Sports Illustrated.[citation needed] In 1963, Plimpton attended preseason training with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League as a backup quarterback, and he ran a few plays in an intrasquad scrimmage. These events were recalled in his best-known book Paper Lion, which was later adapted into a 1968 feature film starring Alan Alda. Plimpton revisited pro football in 1971,[17] this time joining the Baltimore Colts and seeing action in an exhibition game against his previous team, the Lions. These experiences served as the basis of another football book, Mad Ducks and Bears, although much of the book dealt with the off-field escapades and observations of football friends Alex Karras ("Mad Duck") and John Gordy ("Bear").[18] Another sports book, Open Net, saw him train as an ice hockey goalie with the Boston Bruins, even playing part of a National Hockey League preseason game

In 1953, Plimpton joined the influential literary journal The Paris Review, founded by Peter Matthiessen, Thomas H. Guinzburg, and Harold L. "Doc" Humes, becoming its first editor in chief. This periodical has carried great weight in the literary world, but has never been financially strong; for its first half-century, it was allegedly largely financed by its publishers and by Plimpton.

Plimpton attended St. Bernard's School, Phillips Exeter Academy (from which he was expelled just shy of graduation), and Mainland High School, where he received his high school diploma[15] before entering Harvard College in July 1944. He wrote for the Harvard Lampoon, was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club, Pi Eta, the Signet Society, and the Porcellian Club. He majored in English. Plimpton entered Harvard as a member of the Class of 1948, but did not graduate until 1950 due to intervening military service. He was also an accomplished birdwatcher.

George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American journalist, writer, literary editor, actor and occasional amateur sportsman. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review, as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also famous for "participatory journalism" which included competing in professional sporting events, acting in a Western, performing a comedy act at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and playing with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra[1] and then recording the experience from the point of view of an amateur.

Therehavebeen moreunsolvedbombingsofNegrohomesandchurchesinBirminghamthaninanycityinthis nation

Anyonewholives inside theUnited States canneverbeconsideredanoutsideranywherewithinitsbounds

Injusticeanywhereisa threattojusticeeverywhere.

But morebasically,I aminBirminghambecauseinjusticeishere.Justastheprophetsoftheeighth centuryB.C.lefttheirvillages andcarried their“thussaith the Lord”farbeyondtheboundaries oftheirhometowns,andjustastheApostlePaullefthisvillageofTarsusand carriedthegospelof JesusChristtothefarcornersoftheGreco-Romanworld,soamI.compelledtocarrythegospelof freedombeyondmyownhometown.LikePaul, I mustconstantlyrespondtotheMacedoniancall foraid.

April16,1963

I thinkI shouldgivethereasonformybeinginBirmingham,sinceyouhavebeeninfluencedbythe argumentof“outsiderscomingin.”

WhileconfinedhereintheBirminghamCityJail,I cameacrossyourrecentstatementcallingour presentactivities “unwise and untimely.”Seldom,if ever, doI pause toanswercriticismofmywork and ideas ... But sinceI feelthatyouaremenofgenuinegoodwillandyourcriticismsaresincerely setforth,I wouldliketoansweryourstatementinwhatI hopewill be patientand reasonableterms

he Romans (c. 1st century BC) also occasionally used symbols to indicate pauses

In addition, the Greeks used the paragraphos (or gamma) to mark the beginning of sentences, marginal diples to mark quotations, and a koronis to indicate the end of major sections.

the Greeks were sporadically using punctuation marks consisting of vertically arranged dots—usually two (dicolon) or three (tricolon)—in around the 5th century BC as an aid in the oral delivery of texts.

The earliest alphabetic writing — Phoenician, Hebrew, and others of the same family — had no capitalization, no spaces, no vowels (see abjad) and few punctuation marks.

Ancient Chinese classical texts were transmitted without punctuation.

The oldest known document using punctuation is the Mesha Stele (9

The first writing systems were either logographic or syllabic

The rules of punctuation vary with language, location, register, and time and are constantly evolving.

In written English, punctuation is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences.

Punctuation (or sometimes interpunction) is the use of spacing, conventional signs (called punctuation marks), and certain typographical devices as aids to the understanding and correct reading of written text, whether read silently or aloud.