Life Day 24012: Out With the Old

April 9, 2013 at 1:09 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning relics. Today is Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The first holiday today is National Cherish an Antique Day. Let me preface this post with a cautionary statement to all of my mature male readers. Do not, under any circumstances, mention this holiday and your wife in the same sentence. No good can come from this.
In today’s disposable world, finding something hand-crafted with care and attention to detail by skilled craftsmen is rare. National Cherish an Antique Day is the day to find any of those family keepsakes, handed down from generation to generation, that are hidden away in your closets. Polish them up and proudly put them on display. Gather your family together and tell them the history behind each one and why you cherish them so much. That way, they will know the story behind them when they sell them on EBay or the Antiques Road Show after you’re gone.

The next holiday is Winston Churchill Day. Winston Churchill Day honors one of the greatest statesmen in history. It does not celebrate his birth or death, but rather the date in 1963 when he became an honorary American citizen; only the second person to receive this honor. Because of his deteriorating health, he was unable to attend the ceremony chaired by President John F. Kennedy at the White House, so his son and grandson accepted the award in his behalf. It was hoped that he could participate in the ceremony live from his home, but the television connection failed. He did, however, get to see the recorded version of it later. To become an honorary American citizen, Congress must first pass, then the President must sign, a proposal stating the reasons for the award; just like a law.

The third holiday today is Appomattox Day. On this date in 1865, in Appomattox Court House, VA, at the home of Wilmer McClean, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union army accepted the surrender of General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy. This ended the Civil War, which had cost more than half a million lives. The Confederate soldiers were allowed to keep their horses and return to their homes; the officers were allowed to retain their side arms and swords as well.

The rest of today’s holidays are either too frivolous, or too “touchy-feely” to warrant more than a passing mention from me. As usual, I will provide a link so that you can get further information about one of them if you desire.
Jenkins Ear Day.
Name Yourself Day.
National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.
Equal Pay Day.
National Be Kind To Lawyers Day.

The food-related holiday today is Chinese Almond Cookie Day. The history of the Chinese almond cookie is unclear. Like chop suey and fortune cookies, it appears to have originated after the first wave of Chinese immigration to the U.S. in the mid-1800’s.  There is no record of almond cookies prior to the early 1900’s. Some say the Chinese almond cookie is adapted from the Chinese walnut cookie, a plain cookie with a walnut in the center, which was thought to bring good luck. Today, they are found worldwide in Chinese restaurants and bakeries. Enjoy a night out at a Chinese restaurant, and don’t forget to get some extra Chinese Almond Cookies to go.

On this date in  1981 – The U.S. Submarine George Washington struck and sunk a small Japanese freighter in the East China Sea. The Nissho Maru’s captain and first mate died.
In 1682 – Robert La Salle claimed the lower Mississippi River and all lands that touch it for France.
In 1770 – Captain James Cook discovered Botany Bay on the Australian continent.
In 1833 – Peterborough, NH, opened the first municipally supported public library in the United States.
In 1866 – The Civil Rights Bill passed over President Andrew Johnson’s veto.
In 1867 – The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty with Russia that purchased the territory of Alaska by one vote.
In 1869 – The Hudson Bay Company ceded its territory to Canada.
In 1912 – The first exhibition baseball game was held at Fenway Park in Boston. The game was between Red Sox and Harvard.
In 1928 – Mae West made her debut on Broadway in the production of “Diamond Lil.”
In 1945 – National Football League officials decreed that it was mandatory for football players to wear socks in all league games.
In 1947 – 169 people were killed and 1,300 were injured by a series of tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
In 1950 – Bob Hope made his first television appearance on “Star-Spangled Review” on NBC-TV.
In 1957 – The Suez Canal was cleared for all shipping.
In 1959 – NASA announced the selection of America’s first seven astronauts.
In 1965 – “TIME” magazine featured a cover with the entire “Peanuts” comic gang.
In 1965 – The Houston Astrodome held its first baseball game.
In 1986 – It was announced that Patrick Duffy’s character on the TV show Dallas would be returning after being killed off.
In 1992 – Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami, FL, of eight drug and racketeering charges.
In 1998 – The National Prisoner of War Museum opened in Andersonville, GA, at the site of an infamous Civil War camp.
And, also in 1998 – More than 150 Muslims died in stampede in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on last day of the haj pilgrimage.

If you were born on this date, you share a birthday with the following illustrious individuals:
Frank King 1883 – Cartoonist.
Paul Robeson 1898 – Singer, activist.
Ward Bond 1903 – Actor.
Hugh Hefner 1926 – Publisher.
Jim Fowler 1932 – Naturalist.
Carl Perkins 1932 – Singer.
Michael Learned 1939 – Actress.
Brandon de Wilde 1942 – Actor.
Hal Ketchum 1953 – Country singer.
Dennis Quaid 1954 – Actor.
Lisa Guerrero 1964 – Sports reporter.
Paulina Porizkova 1965 – Model, actress.
Cynthia Nixon 1966 – Actress.
Keshia Knight Pulliam 1979 – Actress.
Ryan Northcott 1980 – Actor.
And finally, Kristen Stewart 1990 – Actress.