What’s the Word?

October 16, 2016 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning wordsmiths. Today is Sunday, October 16th. Today’s holidays are:

Learn a Word Day

Having a well-rounded vocabulary is the key to successful communication, and Learn a Word Day is a good way to begin increasing your vocabulary. There are many websites from which you can choose that will give you a word each day to learn. Just search “word a day” or something similar in your preferred search engine, find one you like, and bookmark it so you can refer to it whenever you want.
My source gave no information about the origins or creators of this holiday, but from what I could glean from the article, Learn a Word Day is a holiday intended for Elementary School aged children to encourage them to increase their vocabulary. But since many of my readers are already well into their ‘second childhood’ I say that we all should try to learn a new word today, and every day –regardless of our chronological age. Feel free to share the word you learned today in the comments.

Dictionary Day   

And while we’re on the subject of words, Dictionary Day honors Noah Webster, born on this date in 1758. Noah Webster is considered the Father of the American Dictionary. Mr. Webster began to write his dictionary at the age of 43. It took him 27 years to finish it. In addition to traditional English vocabulary, it contained uniquely American words as well. His comprehensive work is considered to be the first dictionary of American English. It contained 70,000 words.
The goal of this holiday is to emphasize the importance of proper dictionary skills, and the importance of a good vocabulary. Everyone knows that a dictionary will give you the definition(s) of a word. But you would be surprised to know how few people realize how much more information is contained in a dictionary. In addition to its definition, a dictionary will tell you the proper spelling of a word, its etymology, its part of speech, its syllable breakdown, pronunciation, and much, much more. Mastering the use of a dictionary is one of the best ways to improve your communication skills, both verbal and written. To celebrate this holiday, curl up this evening with a good book — your dictionary!

National Feral Cat Day

National Feral Cat Day is observed on October 16 every year and was created in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies in conjunction with their 10th anniversary to raise awareness about feral cats, promote Trap-Neuter-Return programs, and recognize the millions of compassionate Americans who care for feral cats.
Cats have been domesticated nearly as long as dogs, and have lived alongside humans for over 10,000 years. Every nation in the world has domesticated cats living in homes that are cared for by their humans. Unfortunately, all too often some of these cats, for a variety of reasons, become separated from their human companions and have to survive on their own. Many of these cats wind up in  over-crowded animal shelters and are eventually euthanized.
To celebrate National Feral Cat Day, urge your city to adopt a Trap-Neuter-Return policy rather than euthanization. And, of course, if you haven’t already, have your own cats spayed /neutered.

National Liqueur Day

A liqueur is a strong alcoholic beverage that has been sweetened with herbs, fruits, nuts, cream, or spices. Liqueurs are traditionally served as after-dinner drinks or mixed with coffee.
The word “liqueur” comes from the Latin word “liquifacere,” which means “to dissolve or melt.” As early as 400 BC, the Egyptians and Greeks distilled wine to produce fortified spirits. They sweetened this concoction with cinnamon and honey—a combination that we still use today to create mead. In the thirteenth century, European monks and alchemists perfected the distillation process used to create liqueur. The liquid was primarily used for medicinal purposes.
Today, there are countless types and flavors of liqueur. Some of the most famous include Kahlúa, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Limoncello, Sambuca, and Jägermeister.

National Department Store Day

National Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day – Third Sunday in October.

World Food Day  

World Spine Day

World Toy Camera Day

On this date in

• 1829 – In Boston, MA, the first modern hotel in America opened. The Tremont Hotel had 170 rooms that rented for $2 a day and included four meals.
• 1859 – Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on Harper’s Ferry, VA (now located in West Virginia).
• 1869 – A hotel in Boston became the first in the United States to install indoor plumbing.
• 1916 – Margaret Sanger opened the first birth-control clinic in New York City, NY.
• 1923 – Walt Disney contracted with M.J. Winkler to distribute the Alice Comedies. This event is recognized as the start of the Disney Company.
• 1928 – Marvin Pipkin received a patent for the frosted electric light bulb.
• 1941 – The Nazis advanced to within 60 miles of Moscow. Romanians entered Odessa, USSR, and began exterminating 150,000 Jews.
• 1943 – Chicago’s new subway system was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
• 1955 – Mrs. Jules Lederer replaced Ruth Crowley in newspapers using the name Ann Landers.
• 1964 – China detonated its first atomic bomb becoming the world’s fifth nuclear power.
• 1967 – NATO headquarters opened in Brussels.
• 1970 – Anwar Sadat was elected president of Egypt to succeed Gamal Abdel Nasser.
• 1973 – Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho were named winners of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Vietnamese official declined the award.
• 1982 – China announced that it had successfully fired a ballistic missile from a submarine.
• 1987 – Rescuers freed Jessica McClure from the abandoned well that she had fallen into in Midland, TX. The was trapped for 58 hours.
• 1989 – President George H.W. Bush signed the Gramm-Rudman budget reduction law that ordered federal programs be cut by $16.1 billion.
• 1993 – The United Nations Security Council approved the deployment of United States warships to enforce a blockade on Haiti to increase pressure on the controlling military leaders.
• 2002 – The Arthur Andersen accounting firm was sentenced to five years probation and fined $500,000 for obstructing a federal investigation of the energy company Enron.

Celebrity Birthdays

• Oscar Wilde 1854 – Writer, poet.
• David Ben-Gurion 1886 – Israeli statesman.
• Eugene O’Neill 1888 – Playwright.
• Linda Darnell 1921 –Actress.
• Bert Kaempfert 1923 – Orchestra leader, songwriter.
• Angela Lansbury 1925 – Actress.
• Charles Colson 1931- Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon.
• Barry Corbin 1940 – Actor.
• Fred Turner 1943 – Musician (Bachman Turner Overdrive)
• Suzanne Somers 1946 – Actress.
• Tim Robbins 1958 – Actor.
• Wendy Wilson 1969 – Musician.
• Kellie Martin 1975 – Actress.
• Jeremy Jackson 1980 – Actor.