Ernie's Blog

Life Day 24055: Buy a Musical Instrument Day

Good morning musical instrument lovers. Today is Wednesday, May 22, 2013. The first holiday today is Buy a Musical Instrument Day. Buy a Musical Instrument Day is pretty much self-explanatory. If you are a musician, today is the day to upgrade or add to your collection. If you have been contemplating taking up a musical instrument, today might be the day to take the plunge and make the purchase. You are never too old to learn something new.

The next holiday is National Maritime Day. National Maritime Day salutes those who serve in the United States Merchant Marine. The men and women of the United States Merchant Marine have been been making contributions to this country during war and peace since its infancy. They have participated in every war from the Revolution to the latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They transport troops, supplies and equipment to war zones, often a great peril. Take time out of your busy day to remember those selfless individuals who are right now at sea keeping you safe.

The third holiday today is International Day for Biological Diversity. International Day for Biological Diversity is another one of those sappy, holidays created by the United Nations to justify their existence [to themselves]. The theme for this year is Water and Biodiversity. They are currently spending your tax dollars on a census of Marine life. It seems to me that instead of counting the fish, they should  pull a few into their boats and feed starving people throughout the world. Just sayin’.

The final holiday today is World Goth Day. This holiday is of absolutely no interest to me, so this link will tell you all that you need to know about this holiday.

The food-related holiday today is National Vanilla Pudding Day. The sweet creamy dessert that we all know and love today has been around since the 19th century. Most culinary historians agree that our modern recipe evolved from custards, which date back to Ancient Rome. Jell-O introduced its first line of instant pudding in the 1950s. The advertising campaign announcing the new product promoted it as the “busy-day dessert.” To celebrate National Vanilla Pudding Day, make some delicious homemade vanilla pudding from scratch, or from an instant mix. I think I will slice some bananas into mine, then pour the mixture into a pre-baked graham cracker crust and top it with whipped cream. I’ll call it Vanilla Pudding Cream Pie; with bananas. I’m such an innovator.

On this date in 1868 – Near Marshfield, IN, The “Great Train Robbery” took place. The robbery was worth $96,000 in cash, gold and bonds to the seven members of the Reno gang.
Other historical events which occurred on this date are:
1761 – In Philadelphia, the first life insurance policy was issued in the U.S.
1819 – The steamship Savannah became the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
1841 – Henry Kennedy received a patent for the first reclining chair.
1849 – Abraham Lincoln received a patent for the floating dry dock.
1859 – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of “Sherlock Holmes” ,  was born.
1872 – The Amnesty Act restored civil rights to Southerners.
1892 – Dr. Sheffield, a British dentist, invented the toothpaste tube.
1900 – The Associated Press was incorporated as a non-profit news cooperative in New York.
1908 – The Wright brothers registered their flying machine for a U.S. patent.
1955 – A scheduled dance to be headlined by Fats Domino was canceled by police in Bridgeport, Connecticut because “rock and roll dances might be featured.”
1955 – Jack Benny did his last live network radio broadcast after a run of 23 years.
1967 – “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” premiered on PBS.
1972 – U.S. President Nixon became the first U.S. president to visit Russia. He met with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
1972 – The island Ceylon adopted a new constitution and became the republic of Sri Lanka.
1977 – Janet Guthrie set the fastest time of the second weekend of qualifying, becoming the first woman to earn a starting spot in the Indianapolis 500 since its inception in 1911.
1992 – Johnny Carson hosted NBC’s “Tonight Show” for the last time. He had been host for 30 years.
1997 – Kelly Flinn, the U.S. Air Force’s first female bomber pilot certified for combat, accepted a general discharge. She thereby avoided court-martial on charges of adultery, lying and disobeying an order.
1998 – A federal judge said that Secret Service agents could be compelled to testify before a grand jury in Monica Lewinsky investigation concerning U.S. President Clinton.
2002 – Chandra Levy’s remains were found in Washington, DC’s Rock Creek Park. She was last seen on April 30, 2001. California Congressman Gary Condit was questioned in the case due to his relationship with Levy.
And, in 2003 – At the Colonial Golf Club in Fort Worth, TX, Annika Sorentam became the first woman to play on the PGA tour in 58 years. She ended the day at 1-over par.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following illustrious individuals: Wilhelm Richard Wagner 1813 – Composer.
Sir Laurence Olivier 1907 – Actor.
Vance Packard 1914 – Journalist.
Michael Constantine 1927 – Actor.
T. Boone Pickens 1928 – Oil tycoon.
Peter Nero 1934 – Pianist.
Susan Strasberg 1938 – Actress.
Paul Winfield 1939 – Actor.
Michael Sarrazin 1940 – Actor.
Barbara Parkins 1942 – Actress.
Al Corley 1956 – Actor.
Ann Cusak 1961 – Actress.
Naomi Campbell 1970 – Model.
Alison Eastwood 1972 – Actress.
Anna Belknap 1972 – Actress.
Maggie Q 1979 – Actress.
And finally, Apolo Ohno 1982 – Olympic speed skater.

Life day 24054: American Red Cross Founder’s Day

Good morning everyone. Today is Tuesday, May 21, 2013. In consideration for those affected by yesterday’s tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, I will dispense with my normally feeble attempt at a witty title and opening sentence. The first holiday today is American Red Cross Founder’s Day. American Red Cross Founder’s Day marks the creation of the American chapter of the Red Cross, in Washington D.C. on this date in 1881, by Clara Barton. The American Red Cross is an organization which is dedicated to helping people in need throughout the United States and, in association with other Red Cross networks, throughout the world. Barton first heard of the Swiss-inspired global Red Cross network while visiting Europe following the Civil War. Returning home, she campaigned for an American Red Cross and for ratification of the Geneva Convention protecting the war-injured, which the United States ratified in 1882. She led the organization for 23 years, during which time the Red Cross conducted its first domestic and overseas disaster relief efforts, and aided the United States military during the Spanish-American War. The Red Cross received its first congressional charter in 1900 and a second in 1905, the year after Barton resigned from the organization. This charter, which remains in effect today, sets forth the purposes of the organization which include giving relief to and serving as a medium of communication between members of the American armed forces and their families and providing national and international disaster relief and mitigation.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Some of you might want to donate money to help the victims in Moore, OK. Please be aware of internet scams. Verify that the organization to which you donate is legitimate. You can donate $10.00 directly to the Red Cross by texting REDCROSS to 90999. If you would like to donate more, I urge you to make your donation directly to your local Red Cross chapter. You can also help by volunteering, and by donating blood.

The next holiday is National Memo Day. I guess that I should begin by defining ‘memo’.
Memo is shortened from the word memorandum. A memorandum is a short note designating something to be remembered. An informal message between two people.
It seems then that a memo can mean anything from: Your boss sending a reminder about the upcoming company picnic or a note between two co-workers at a company about an upcoming project, to the “post-it” note that your wife leaves for you on the refrigerator reminding you to pick up the dry-cleaning on your way home from work, or to take out the trash. Now, why is there a special day for memos? The answer to that question is “no one knows”. This is one of those “holidays” that just “is”. In all of my research, I can find no logical reason for today being designated as Memo Day. It seems that the creators of this “holiday” forgot to send the ‘memo’. You can celebrate this holiday by writing a “memo” to yourself to forget about this “holiday” next year.

The third holiday today is I Need a Patch For That Day. I Need A Patch For That Day, I think, celebrates patches of all kinds (the information on this holiday is sketchy at best). There are many different types of patches. There are the patches that military personnel and others wear on their uniforms. There are patches for our computers when software needs to be updated. Before we became a “throw away” society, there were patches for our clothes. There are even eye-patches to make pirates appear more formidable.
The common thread in my research today however was medical patches. These days, there are patches that help you stop smoking, help you lose weight, administer pain meds, and even administer birth control. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a patch for everything. C’mon scientists. Get to work on developing a patch to fix STUPID. Or how about one to instill common sense in Politicians and bureaucrats. Sign me up for the patch that will make me irresistible to women, and the one that will double my monthly income.

The final holiday upon which I will elaborate today is National Wait Staff Day. National Wait Staff Day pays homage to those who serve your meals when you dine out. A server can “make or break” your dining experience. A good server will not hover, but always be attentive. A bad server, one who is surly, inattentive, or who needs a refresher course in personal hygiene can ruin your meal (and your special occasion if that is the reason you are dining out). With that said, everyone can have a bad day once in awhile, so take that into consideration. The waitstaff at most restaurants make minimum wage or less, so they rely upon gratuities to supplement their income. The average ‘tip’ these days is about 18%, and that is fair. Having worked a couple of jobs where the only compensation I received was tips, I tend to be a little more generous. My tips are usually 20% plus. I take the total of the amount due, divide by ten, and multiply by two. I then add that amount to the total on the bill, and round up to the nearest whole dollar. [For instance: I ate at the Olive Garden for dinner this evening. My total came to $23.47. Divide that by 10 and the sum is $2.347 (I round up to $2.35). Multiply $2.35 by 2 and the sum is $4.70. Add $4.70 to $23.47 and you get $28.17. I then round that amount up to $29.00, so the tip was $5.53 or about 24%]. My server(s) (I had dinner right at shift change so I had two) were both excellent. However, if the service is abominable, I will tip accordingly. So, if you dine out today, and your server is at all competent, be a little more generous with your gratuity today. You could also wish them a Happy Waiter/Waitress Day.

The remainder of today’s holidays are linked below for your edification if you are interested.
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development.
Sister Maria Hummel Day.
End of the World or Rapture Party Day. (prediction)

The food-related holiday today is National Strawberries and Cream Day. I hope that you heeded my advice from yesterday and saved some of those strawberries that you picked. I personally am not a big fan of anything and cream. I will have a strawberry waffle with whipped cream for lunch. That’ll have to do.

On this date in 1998 – An expelled student, Kipland Kinkel, in Springfield, OR, killed 2 people and wounded 25 others with a semi-automatic rifle. Police also discovered that the boy had killed his parents before the rampage.
Other historic events which happened on this date are:
1819 – Bicycles were first seen in the U.S. in New York City. They were originally known as “swift walkers.”
1832 – The Democratic Party held its first national convention.
1881 – The United States Lawn Tennis Association was formed in New York City.
1891 – Peter Jackson and Jim Corbett fought for 61 rounds only to end in a draw.
1906 – Louis H. Perlman received his patent for the demountable tire-carrying rim.
1924 – Fourteen-year-old Bobby Franks was murdered in a “thrill killing” committed by Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb. The killers were students at the University of Chicago.
1934 – Oskaloosa, IA, became the first city in the U.S. to fingerprint all of its citizens.
1941 - The first U.S. ship, the SS Robin Moor, was sunk by a U-boat.
1945 – Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married.
1947 – Joe DiMaggio and five of his New York Yankee teammates were fined $100 because they had not fulfilled contract requirements to do promotional duties for the team.
1956 – The U.S. exploded the first airborne hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean over Bikini Atoll.
1970 – The National Guard was mobilized to quell disturbances at Ohio State University.
1982 – The British landed in the Falkland Islands and fighting began.
And, in 1998 – In Miami, FL, five abortion clinics were hit by an butyric acid-attacker.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following notable individuals:
Plato  427 B.C. – Philosopher.
Armand Hammer 1898 – Industrialist.
Robert Montgomery 1904 – Actor.
Harold Robbins 1916 – Author.
Dennis Day 1917 – Singer, comedian, actor.
Raymond Burr 1917 – Actor.
Ara Parseghian 1923 – Football player/coach.
Peggy Cass 1924 – Singer.
David Groh 1939 – Actor.
Marcie Blane 1944 – Singer.
Richard Hatch 1946 - Actor.
Leo Sayer 1948 – Singer.
Carol Potter 1948 -Actress.
Mr. T 1952 – Actor?
Judge Reinhold 1957 – Actor.
And finally, Fairuza Balk 1974 -Actress.

Life Day 24053: I Feel Like a Million Bucks

Good morning wannabe millionaires. Today is Monday, May 20, 2013. The first holiday today is Be a Millionaire Day. Be a Millionaire Day encourages you to act like a millionaire today, even if you aren’t.  I’m sure that most of you would like to join the “Millionaire Club”, who wouldn’t? If, like me you are a long way from that goal, here are a few things you can do to feel like a millionaire.
1) Buy yourself an extravagant gift that you would not normally buy.
2) Go over your investment portfolio and track you progress.
3) Make a sizable donation to your favorite charity.
4) Go to a casino.
5) Buy a lottery ticket. What the heck, you have as good a chance of winning as anyone else.

The second holiday is Eliza Doolittle Day. Eliza Doolittle Day is pretty much a meaningless holiday for anyone except fans of musical theater and Audrey Hepburn fans. Eliza Doolittle is a character in the Musical My Fair Lady. She is a flower girl who is trying to learn to speak like a proper English lady. The reason this holiday is celebrated today is because of a line from the show which reads as follows:
One evening the king will say, ‘Oh, Liza, old thing — I want all of England your praises to sing. Next week on the twentieth of May, I proclaim Eliza Doolittle Day’.  
Celebrate this holiday by try speaking in ‘proper’ English today.

The third holiday today is Weights and Measures Day. Weights and Measures Day is,, quite simply, the anniversary of the signing of an international treaty establishing the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. The treaty was signed on this date in 1875, on international territory at Sèvres, France. That pretty much covers this holiday. To get the full measure of this holiday, you could celebrate by measuring something, I guess.

The first food-related holiday today is National Quiche Lorraine Day. Who is Lorraine, and why the heck does she have a quiche named after her? The answer to both questions is that Lorraine is not a “who” but rather, a “where”. Quiche Lorraine originated in the Alsace-Lorraine region in northeastern France (hence, quiche Lorraine). The word quiche evolved from the German word Küchen, which means cake. Alsace-Lorraine, now a region of northeastern France, borders on Germany and over the centuries was variously in German control. According to food historians, when this quiche, now considered a quintessential French dish, was developed, the region was a German province called Lothringen. Despite the many bastardizations of this recipe that you find in cookbooks (and online), Quiche Lorraine is a specific recipe which uses heavy cream and bacon, and no cheese. You can blame Julia Child for adding cheese to this classic recipe. The recipe for Quiche Lorraine in her book “From Julia Child’s Kitchen” pointed out that the original recipe did not include cheese, but said that you could include cheese if you were so inclined. This is her recipe. Try it today if you are in an adventurous mood.

The other food-related holiday today is Pick Strawberries Day. Pick Strawberries Day is a sweet, tasty way to enjoy a late spring day. If you don’t have strawberries in your garden, or if they aren’t quite ripe, do not despair. Sometimes local farmers allow people to go into their fields and pick their own strawberries. If all else fails, you can always visit your favorite grocery store or Farmer’s Market and “pick” up a basket or two.
HEADS UP: Don’t use all of the strawberries you “pick” today. You will need some for a different holiday tomorrow.

On this date in 1939 – The first telecast over telephone wires was sent from Madison Square Garden to the NBC-TV studios at 30 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. The event was a bicycle race.
Other historical events which happened on this date are:
1774 – Britain’s Parliament passed the Coercive Acts to punish the American colonists for their increasingly anti-British behavior.
1775 – North Carolina became the first colony to declare its independence (from England).
1830 – The fountain pen was patented by H.D. Hyde.
1861 – North Carolina became the eleventh state to secede from the Union.
1874 – Levi Strauss began marketing his iconic blue jeans with copper rivets.
1899 – Jacob German of New York City became the first driver to be arrested for speeding. The posted speed limit was 12 miles per hour.
1916 – Norman Rockwell’s first cover on “The Saturday Evening Post” appeared.
1926 – Congress passed the Air Commerce Act. The act gave the Department of Commerce the right to license pilots and planes.
1927 – Charles Lindbergh took off from New York to cross the Atlantic for Paris aboard his airplane the “Spirit of St. Louis.” The trip took 33 1/2 hours.
1932 – Amelia Earhart took off to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She became the first woman to achieve the feat.
1939 – The first regular air-passenger service across the Atlantic Ocean began with the take-off of the “Yankee Clipper” from Port Washington, New York.
1970 – 100,000 people marched in New York supporting U.S. policies in Vietnam.
1978 – Mavis Hutchinson, at age 53, became the first woman to run across America. It took Hutchinson 69 days to run the 3,000 miles.
1985 – The FBI arrested U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer John Walker. Walker had begun spying for the Soviet Union in 1968.
1990 – The Hubble Space Telescope sent back its first photographs.
1993 – The final episode of “Cheers” was aired on NBC-TV.
1996 – The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Colorado measure banning laws that would protect homosexuals from discrimination.
And, in 1999 – At Heritage High School in Conyers, GA, a 15-year-old student shot and injured six students. He then surrendered to an assistant principal at the school.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following list of notables:
Dolley Madison 1768 – U.S. First Lady.
William George Fargo 1818 – Organizer of Wells Fargo & Company.
Jimmy Stewart 1908 – Actor.
William R. Hewlett 1913 – Co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Company.
George Goble 1919 – Comedian, actor.
Edith Fellows 1923 – Actress.
David Hedison 1928 – Actor.
Constance Towers 1933 – Actress.
Anthony Zerbe 1936 – Actor.
Joe Cocker 1944 – Singer.
Cher 1946 – Singer.
Dave Thomas 1949 – Comedian, actor.
Ronald Prescott Reagan 1958 – Talk show host.
Bronson Pinchot 1959 – Actor.
Susan Cowsill 1959 – Singer.
Tony Goldwyn 1960 – Actor.
And finally, Mindy Cohn 1966 – Actress.

Life Day 24052: May Ray, May, Ray, May Ray

Good morning sun worshipers. Today is Sunday, May 19, 2013. The first holiday today is May Ray Day. May Ray Day is celebrated on this date annually. It celebrates the fact that summer is almost here, and the days are getting longer, and warmer, and sunnier. The object is to get out of your house today and soak up some ‘rays’. Take a hike. Go to your favorite beach, or lake, or river. Relax in your backyard. The possibilities are endless. What is your favorite summer outdoor activity?
CAUTION: With that said, don’t overdo it today. Be sure to use adequate sun block; (I need like SPF ∞).  Also, be aware of the signs of sunstroke. You don’t want to spoil your sun-day, fun-day with a trip to the Emergency Room.

The next holiday is Boy’s Club and Girl’s Club Day. This date marks the organization of the first Boy’s Clubs in 1906 (it wasn’t until 1990 that Girl’s Clubs were put under the same umbrella group). Boy’s Club and Girl’s Club Day celebrates the invaluable contributions of Boy’s Clubs and Girl’s Clubs to the community. There are clubs all over America providing safe recreational activities for our youth. They teach values and citizenship. They help to keep kids out of trouble and off of the street. In today’s society, there are more and more families in which both parents work, and more single-parent families. These groups ease the burden on these families. To celebrate this holiday, learn more about Boy’s and Girl’s clubs in your area. Volunteer at one, or make a donation.

Linked below are the remainder of today’s holidays. They are of no interest to me, but you can research them yourself if you are interested.
Mike, The Headless Chicken Day.
National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Pentecost.
World Autoimmune Arthritis Day. (May 19th to May 21st)

The food-related holiday today is National Devil’s Food Cake Day. National Devil’s Food Cake Day, oddly enough, celebrates Devil’s food cake; which is considered the counterpart to the classic white angel food cake. Devil’s food cake has a unique light and moist texture, which sets it apart from other chocolate cakes. The recipe calls for quite a bit of baking soda, and boiling water instead of milk. Both of these ingredients contribute to the fluffiness of this classic dessert. Devil’s food cake first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. It is quite similar to red velvet cake and the names are often interchangeable in some parts of the country. To celebrate this holiday, make a Devil’s food cake, and have some for dessert tonight.

On this date in 1962 – Marilyn Monroe performed a sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday” for U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The event was a fund-raiser at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Other events of significance which occurred on this date are:
1643 – Delegates from four New England colonies met in Boston to form a confederation.
1796 – The first U.S. game law was approved. The measure called for penalties for hunting or destroying game within Indian territory.
1847 – The first English-style railroad coach was placed in service on the Fall River Line in Massachusetts.
1856 – U.S. Senator Charles Sumner spoke out against slavery.
1911 – The first American criminal conviction that was based on fingerprint evidence occurred in New York City.
1921 – The U.S. Congress passed the Emergency Quota Act, which established national quotas for immigrants.  [Then, apparently began to ignore it whenever it was politically expedient].
1928 – The first frog-jumping jubilee held in Calaveras County, CA.
1935 – T.E. Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia” died from injuries in a motorcycle crash in England.
1958 – Canada and the U.S. formally established the North American Air Defense Command.
1964 – The U.S. State Department reported that diplomats had found about 40 microphones planted in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
1967 – U.S. planes bombed Hanoi for the first time.
1988 – In Jacksonville, FL, Carlos Lehder Rivas was convicted of smuggling more than three tons of cocaine into the United States. Rivas was the co-founder of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel.
1992 – U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle criticized the CBS sitcom “Murphy Brown” for having its title character decide to bear a child out of wedlock.
1992 – In Massapequa, NY, Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot and seriously wounded by Amy Fisher. Fisher was her husband Joey’s teenage lover.
1992 – The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. The amendment prohibits Congress from giving itself midterm pay raises.
2000 – The bones of the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton went on display in Chicago.
And, in 2003 – Hundreds of Albert Einstein’s scientific papers, personal letters and humanist essays were make available on the Internet. Einstein had given the papers to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in his will.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following luminaries:
Johns Hopkins 1795 – Entrepreneur.
Bruce Bennett 1906 – Athlete, actor.
Malcolm X 1925 – Civil rights activist.
Jim Lehrer 1934 – Journalist.
David Hartman 1935 – Actor.
Nancy Kwan 1939 – Actress.
Stephen Young 1939 – Actor.
Francis Scobee 1939 – Astronaut.
Peter Mayhew 1944 – Actor.
Pete Townsend 1945 – Musician.
Grace Jones 1952 – Singer.
Steven Ford 1956 – Actor.
And finally,Eric Lloyd 1986 – Actor.

Life Day 24051: O. Henry Pun-off Day

Good morning pundits. Today is Saturday, May 18, 2013. The first holiday today sounds like it would be a lot of pun. It is O. Henry Pun-off Day. Since 1977, O. Henry Pun-off Day has been held annually on the third Saturday of May in Austin, TX; the adopted home of author William Sydney Porter (aka O. Henry). A pun is the humorous use of a word or words in such a way as to suggest different meanings or applications OR words that have the same or nearly the same sound but different meanings. If you can’t make it to the event this year, you can still celebrate. You can research O. Henry, read some of his works, or just opun a book of puns and read a few of your favorites.

The next holiday is International Museum Day. International Museum Day serves as a platform to raise public awareness on the role museums play in society today. It was created in 1977 by the International Council of Museums. Museums serve as witnesses of the past and preservers of humanity’s treasures for future generations. Since it’s creation, this holiday has steadily grown. In 2012, about 32,000 museums in 129 countries on all continents participated in International Museum Day. Check for an event in your area and attend it if you can.  Museums are in constant need of funds for maintenance, upgrading displays, and sponsoring educational programs, so leave a donation in addition to any admittance fees you pay. You might also consider volunteering at your museum.

The third holiday today is Armed Forces Day. Armed Forces Day is simply a day to honor the selfless individuals currently serving in all branches of our Armed Forces. They train diligently both physically and mentally so they will be prepared for any mission they face. They can be called upon at a moment’s notice to put themselves in harms way to protect your freedom and way of life. Prior to 1950, each branch had their own different days of celebration. But, on August 31, 1949, then Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of Armed Forces Day. President Harry Truman also announced the holiday in a presidential proclamation on February 20, 1950. All branches of the military were asked to celebrate on this day and they complied on the first Armed Forces Day which was held the following year on May 20, 1950.

Today is also Visit Your Relatives Day. It’s easy to lose touch with your loved ones. We all lead busy lives so visits to relatives, even in the same town, are often relegated to Christmas and maybe a few other major holidays. Reach out to your relatives today. If you can’t stop by, call them on the phone. Even an email would be acceptable.

The fifth holiday today is No Dirty Dishes Day. No Dirty Dishes Day is meant to be a reprieve from the mundane daily task of doing dishes. This holiday does not mean that you just let them pile up in the sink or dishwasher. The objective is to not dirty any dishes today. One way to do this is to use disposable pans, plates, bowls, cups and silverware. Another way is to take your family out for all three meals. For a snack, take them out for ice cream.

The final holiday today is National Learn To Swim Day. National Learn To Swim Day is a new holiday (this is only the second annual observance), and is celebrated on Saturday of the week before Memorial Day Weekend. With summer nigh upon us, more and more people are planning activities centered in and around water. Swimming is fun, great exercise, and could possibly save your life. According to the American Red Cross, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14. If you don’t know how to swim, I urge you to enroll in a class today.

The food-related holiday is National Cheese Soufflé Day. A soufflé is a baked egg dish made with egg yolks, beaten egg whites, and various other ingredients. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to blow up” or more loosely “puff up”. That is an apt description of what happens when this dish is baked. The traditional way to make a soufflé is in individual ramekins. Soufflés are light and fluffy, and can be enjoyed as any meal, but more often than not, they are served as breakfast or brunch. Take the time to make one today.

On this date in 1998 – The U.S. federal government and 20 states filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., saying the computer software company had a “choke hold” on competitors which denied consumer choices by controlling 90% of the software market.
Other significant historical events which happened on this date are:
1652 – In Rhode Island, a law was passed that made slavery illegal in North America. It was the first law of its kind.
1896 – The U.S. Supreme court upheld the “separate but equal” policy in the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. The ruling was overturned 58 years later with Brown vs. Board of Education.
1917 – The U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service act, which called up soldiers to fight in World War I.
1931 – Japanese pilot Seiji Yoshihara crashed his plane in the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first to cross the ocean non-stop. He was picked up seven hours later by a passing ship.
1933 – The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.
1934 – The U.S. Congress approved an act, known as the “Lindberg Act,” that called for the death penalty in interstate kidnapping cases.
1951 – The United Nations moved its headquarters to New York City.
1953 – The first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, Jacqueline Cochran, piloted an F-86 Sabrejet over California at an average speed of 652.337 miles-per-hour.
1974 – India became the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb.
1980 – Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state. 57 people were killed and 3 billion in damage was done.
1983 – The U.S. Senate revised immigration laws and gave millions of illegal aliens legal status under an amnesty program.
And, in 1998 – U.S. federal officials arrested more than 130 people and seized $35 million. This was the end to an investigation of money laundering being done by a dozen Mexican banks and two drug-smuggling cartels.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following distinguished people:
Frank Capra 1897 – Film director.
Perry Como 1912 – Singer.
Bill Macy 1922 – Actor.
Kai Winding 1922 – Musician.
Marquita Rivera 1922 – Actress, singer, dancer.
Pernell Roberts 1930 – Actor.
Robert Morse 1931 – Actor.
Dwayne Hickman 1934 – Actor.
Brooks Robinson 1937 – Baseball player.
Reggie Jackson 1946 – Baseball player.
Candice Azzara 1949 – Actress.
James Stephens 1951 – Actor.
George Strait 1952 – Country musician.
Toyah Wilcox 1958 – Singer, actress.
And finally, Tina Fey 1970 – Actress, comedian.