National Mule Day

October 26, 2016 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning fans of crossbred equines. Today is Wednesday, October 26th. The holidays today are:

National Mule Day

National Mule Day honors the importation of the first Spanish Jacks to the United States. They were a gift from King Charles III of Spain and were delivered on this date in 1785 in Boston.
One of the lesser-known annual observances that may not have made it onto your calendar, this holiday is designated to celebrate these unique hybrid animals. Mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
Because donkeys and horses are actually different species with a different number of chromosomes, their offspring are nearly always sterile. The size of a mule is largely dependent upon the size of its mother. All kinds of horses are used to breed mules, and draft horses are a popular cross to create heavyweight mules. Today, breeders create designer mules using pinto or Appaloosa horses. Mules are valued for bringing the best characteristics of horses and donkeys into one animal. They are said to be stronger, smarter and have better endurance than either of their parents and because of these characteristics, they are still valued work animals. In recent years, they have even been used by the United States military to transport equipment in mountainous regions of Afghanistan. Mule enthusiasts have adapted to a changing equine market, and mules are used as companions and pleasure riding animals. They can be found under saddle and in harness at horse shows and out on the trails.

National Pumpkin Day

Oddly enough, National Pumpkin Day celebrates pumpkins. Pumpkins are a type of squash and are native to the Americas…though they can be grown on every continent except Antarctica. The oldest evidence of pumpkins dates back to somewhere between 7000 and 5500 BC to seeds found in Mexico. The word pumpkin originates from the Greek word “pepon”, which means “large melon”. However, before the Americans gave it its familiar name, it was known as ‘pompion‘ to the French, and then ‘pumpon‘ to the British.
The United States produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins, with Illinois producing more than any other state. The current North American record holding pumpkin weighed in at 2,145-pounds and was grown by Gene McMullen of Streator, Illinois in 2015.  Although huge by any standard, the pumpkin is a couple of hundred pounds lighter than the current world record pumpkin. In 2014, a pumpkin weighing in at 2,323-pounds was grown in Switzerland and holds the world record.
Pumpkins are both delicious and decorative and, believe it or not, can be used in other ways besides pie filling and jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and, of course, Pumpkin Spice Latte and other drinks are perennial favorites.
And, humans aren’t the only species that can enjoy and benefit from pumpkins. Canned pumpkin puree may be recommended by veterinarians as a dietary supplement for dogs and cats that are experiencing certain digestive ailments, and raw pumpkin can be fed to poultry as a supplement to their regular feed during the winter months to help with egg production.

Mince Meat Day

Mincemeat dates back to medieval times. Mincemeat is a mixture of minced (or chopped up) meats, suet, and fruits. The meat is usually finely chopped or ground beef. Fruits include raisins, apples, pears, and others. Sometimes liquor is added, most commonly brandy or rum. It was a way to preserve food. It was also a treat, mixed with sweet fruits. Somewhere in the early 1900’s, it lost its popularity. A whole generation has grown up, not knowing what it is, or having ever tasted it. Today, it is most often served as Mincemeat Pie. Over the years, the amount of meat in the recipes was reduced. In older recipes, you will find meat and/or suet among the ingredients. In more modern recipes, mincemeat contains no meat at all and is largely a fruity pie. It remains a traditional pie served by many families during the holiday season.

Howl at the Moon Night  

Lung Health Day

On this date in

• 1774 – The First Continental Congress of the United States adjourned in Philadelphia.
• 1825 – The Erie Canal opened in upstate New York. The 363-mile canal connected Lake Erie and the Hudson River at a cost of $7,602,000.
• 1858 – H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine.
• 1881 – The “Gunfight at the OK Corral” took place in Tombstone, AZ. The fight was between Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holiday and the Ike Clanton Gang.
• 1905 – Norway gained independence from Sweden.
• 1944 – During World War II, the Battle of Leyte Gulf ended. The battle was won by American forces and brought the end of the Pacific phase of World War II into sight.
• 1949 – President Harry Truman raised the minimum wage from 40 to 75 cents an hour.
• 1951 – Winston Churchill became the prime minister of Great Britain.
• 1955 – New York City’s “The Village Voice” was first published.
• 1958 – Pan American Airways flew its first Boeing 707 jetliner from New York City to Paris.
• 1962 – The Soviet Union made an offer to end the Cuban Missile Crisis by taking their missile bases out of Cuba if the United States agreed to not invade Cuba and would remove Jupiter missiles in Turkey.
• 1970 – “Doonesbury,” the comic strip by Gary Trudeau, premiered in 28 newspapers across the America.
• 1972 – National security adviser Henry Kissinger declared, “Peace is at hand” in Vietnam.
• 1975 – Anwar Sadat became the first Egyptian president to officially visit the United States.
• 1977 – The experimental space shuttle Enterprise successfully landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
• 1979 – South Korean President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by Kim Jae-kyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency.
• 1980 – Israeli President Yitzhak Navon became the first Israeli head of state to visit Egypt.
• 1988 – Roussel Uclaf, a French pharmaceutical company, announced it was halting the worldwide distribution of RU-486. The pill is used to induce abortions. The French government made the company reverse itself two days later.
• 1988 – Two whales were freed by Soviet and American icebreakers. The whales had been trapped for nearly 3 weeks in an Arctic ice pack.
• 1990 – The State Department issued a warning that terrorists could be planning an attack on a passenger ship or aircraft.
• 1991 – Former Washington Mayor Marion Barry arrived at a federal correctional institution in Petersburg, VA, to begin serving a six-month sentence for cocaine possession.
• 1993 – Deborah Gore Dean was convicted of 12 felony counts of defrauding the United States government and lying to Congress. Dean was a central figure in the Reagan-era HUD scandal.
• 1996 – Federal prosecutors cleared Richard Jewell as a suspect in the Olympic park bombing.
• 1998 – A French lab found a nerve agent on an Iraqi missile warhead.
• 2001 – It was announced that Fort Worth’s Lockheed Martin won a defense contract for $200 billion over 40 years. The contract, for the “joint strike fighter,” was the largest defense contract in history.
• 2002 – Russian authorities pumped a gas into a theater where separatist rebels held over 800 hostages. The gas killed 116 hostages and all 50 hostage-takers were killed by the gas or gunshot wounds.

Celebrity Birthdays

• Joseph Aloysius Hansom 1803 – Architect, inventor (of the hansom cab).
• Charles William (C.W.) Post 1854 – Founder of Post cereals and products.
• H.B. Warner 1876 – Actor.
• Napoleon Hill 1883 – Writer.
• Jack Sharkey 1902 – Boxer
• Primo Carnera 1906 – Boxer
• Mahalia Jackson 1911 – Singer
• Charlie Barnett 1913 – Musician.
• Jackie Coogan  1914 – Actor.
• Francois Mitterand 1916 – President of France (1981-1995).
• Neal Matthews 1929 – Musician (Jordanaires).
• “Hot Rod” Hundley 1934 – Basketball player, sportscaster.
• Bob Hoskins 1942 – Actor.
• Mike Piano 1944 – Singer (The Sandpipers).
• Keith Hopwood 1946 – Singer, musician (Herman’s Hermits).
• Pat Sajak 1946 – TV host.
• Hillary Clinton 1947 – Former First Lady.
• Jaclyn Smith 1947 – Actress.
• Keith Strickland 1953 – Musician (B-52’s).
• Lauren Tewes 1954 – Actress.
• D.W. Moffett 1954 – Actor.
• Rita Wilson 1958 – Actress.
• Cary Elwes 1962 – Actor.
• Dylan McDermott 1962 – Actor.
• Marla Maples 1963 – Socialite, actress.
• Natalie Merchant 1963 – Musician (10,000 Maniacs).
• Thomas Cavanagh 1968 – Actor.