March 21st – It’s Just Common Courtesy

March 21, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning my polite perusers. Today is Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

National Common Courtesy Day

National Common Courtesy Day is the perfect holiday to begin practicing new habits of common courtesy with everyone you meet.
Much to the detriment of society, common courtesy isn’t all that common anymore. Rudeness seems to have become the norm. You see rudeness everywhere these days; in stores, restaurants, movie theaters,  while driving, and just about anywhere else people interact – and do I even need to mention the “trolls” on social media platforms? I blame it on poor parenting skills, a sense of privilege, the anonymity of today’s society, and the acceptance of vulgarity and deviant behavior as the norm.
Be courteous and polite to everyone you meet today, even if they are being a total a$$hole. Greet everyone with a friendly “hello”, and don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you”. When you wave at someone, use all five fingers…no matter how many fingers they use to wave back at you…if they even bother to wave back at all.

Fragrance Day

Please don’t raise a big ‘stink’ about my coverage of Fragrance Day; I don’t make these holidays up, I just write about them. You’re probably thinking that having a holiday about fragrance makes no sense, but actually, it is all about scents. (Yuk, yuk, get it)?
Dictionary.com defines fragrance as a pleasant or sweet odor; scent. Fragrance Day celebrates cologne, perfume and all the things that are pleasant smelling, including potpourri, soaps, lotions, air fresheners, scented candles, and even aromatherapy. I won’t go into any detail about the different types of scents and their sources, but this website will.
Here are some ways to celebrate this holiday:

  • Take time to learn about scents and their origins. You might find it fascinating.
  • Take a field trip. Go outside and commune with nature. See how many scents you can identify.
  • Schedule an aromatherapy session.

World Forestry Day (also known as International Day of Forests)

This environmental holiday celebrates the value of forests and forestry to our communities. World Forestry Day it’s a worldwide celebration and the concept for World Forestry Day originated in 1971. It was declared an annual event by the United National Food and Agriculture Organization in that same year. With their usual lightning speed, the United Nations responded with a holiday of their own in 2012, International Day of Forests, which celebrates the same thing as World Forestry Day, and is celebrated on the same date.
Forests are critical to all life on Earth, as they provide shelter, shade, refuge, and clean air and water. The world’s forests are at constant risk from increased deforestation as demand for forest products increases.
World Forestry Day provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests. Forests cover one-third of the Earth’s land mass, performing vital functions around the world. Around 1.6 billion people – including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures – depend on forests for their livelihood. Forests are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants, and insects. They also provide shelter, jobs, and security for forest-dependent communities.
To celebrate World Forestry Day, take the time to educate yourself on the importance of the world’s forests. Plant a tree and/or try to raise community awareness about the need to preserve the forests in your area.

Credit Card Reduction Day

Credit card debt can have a devastating effect on our lives. It can keep you from buying a house, or a new car. It restricts your ability to make other purchases. It adds stress to your life. Credit card debt comes with high-interest rates. As credit card balances go up, so do the minimum payments, which can put a real crimp on our limited discretionary spending. Credit Card Reduction Day urges you to take control of you credit card debt. If you only pay the minimum amount due each month, it will seemingly take forever to pay off the balance. That’s exactly what credit card companies are hoping you do. So, increase your personal wealth, and improve your quality of life. Today is the day to begin doing something about reducing your credit card debt. You don’t need to pay off the balance today. Rather, today is a great day to begin whittling away at the balance.
Here are some ways to “celebrate” Credit Card reduction Day, so you can eventually liberate yourself from the claws of credit card companies.

  • Make an extra payment on your credit card balance whenever you can.
  • Implement a plan to pay just a few dollars more each month
  • Limit new purchases, until your credit card balance is paid in full.
  • Reduce the number of credit cards you have.
  • Once you have paid off the balance, pay the full amount due each and every month…no exceptions.

National Flower Day

My sources revealed little information regarding National Flower Day, other than that it exists, so the true meaning behind this holiday remains obscure. National Flower Day seems to be open to interpretation, but I have to assume that it is no coincidence that it happens to fall so near the Vernal Equinox. After all, most people associate flowers with Spring. However, from what I can glean from my sources, it pertains to all flowers and not just those we associate with Spring.
To celebrate National Flower Day, plant some flowers in your garden, or pick some flowers from your garden and make a festive centerpiece for your dinner table tonight. If, like me, you have a “black thumb” instead of a “green thumb”, but still like flowers, learn about flowers native to, or commonly planted in, your area so you can identify them on your strolls through the park.

Memory Day

Drat! I almost forgot. There is one more holiday I wanted to cover today — Memory Day. There is little information available about Memory Day, but it is listed in two of my sources. Since those sources failed to provide any information concerning this holiday (I have to assume that they forgot), I’ll posit a few explanations of my own.

  •  It could have something to do with Alzheimer’s Disease awareness.
  •  It could have something to do with playing board games such as Concentration™ or Battleship™ which rely heavily on memory.
  •  It could have something to do with the wide variety of online games such as Lumosity™ which claim to improve memory skills.
  •  It could have something to do with the memory on your computer; such as freeing up space on your hard-drive or defragging your computer.

Mind you, these are only conjecture. I don’t know for sure what this holiday is about. I guess it is up to you to determine how you celebrate it…or you can just forget about it all together.

 National French Bread Day

French bread is a term that applies to a variety of different-shaped loaves that have a crusty exterior and a chewy crumb. French bread is typically made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt. Some of the shapes include baguette, bâton, boule, ficelle, and flûte.
The French have made long sticks of bread since at least the mid-eighteenth century, but the baguette became an iconic symbol of French cuisine until the twentieth century. A new law passed in 1920 banned workers from beginning their shift before 4 am which made it difficult for French bakers to have fresh bread ready for their customers in the morning. They turned to the fast-baking baguette for a solution, and soon it became a part of daily life.
To celebrate National French Bread Day, buy or bake a delicious loaf of fresh French bread to share with your family.

California Strawberry Day

It goes without saying that strawberries are one of America’s favorite berries, and California strawberries are just now coming to the market. California is the nation’s leading producer of strawberries. In California, strawberries are planted on more 38,300 acres. In 2011, more than 2.1 billion pounds of strawberries were harvested. That amounts to 88 percent of the country’s total fresh and frozen strawberries. California’s unique coastal environment with its western ocean exposure provides moderate temperatures year round. Warm sunny days and cool foggy nights provide the perfect climate for growing strawberries. So, enjoy some sweet, succulent strawberries today – just make sure they are California grown. Can you say Strawberry Shortcake?

More Holidays

The rest of today’s holidays that bear mention are listed and linked below for your perusing pleasure.

On This Date

  • In 1788 – Almost the entire city of New Orleans, LA, was destroyed by fire. 856 buildings were destroyed.
  • In 1790 – Thomas Jefferson reported to President George Washington as the new Secretary of State.
  • In 1826 – The Rensselaer School in Troy, NY, was incorporated. The school became known as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and was the first engineering college in the U.S.
  • In 1851 – Yosemite Valley was discovered in California.
  • In 1859 – In Philadelphia, the first Zoological Society was incorporated.
  • In 1871 – Journalist Henry M Stanley began his famous expedition to Africa.
  • In 1905 – Sterilization legislation was passed in Pennsylvania. The governor vetoed the measure.
  • In 1906 – Ohio passed a law that prohibited hazing by fraternities after two fatalities.
  • In 1908 – A passenger was carried in a bi-plane for the first time by Henri Farman of France.
  • In 1910 – The Senate granted ex-President Teddy Roosevelt a yearly pension of $10,000.
  • In 1928 – President Calvin Coolidge gave the Congressional Medal of Honor to Charles Lindbergh for his first trans-Atlantic flight.
  • In 1935 – Incubator ambulance service began in Chicago, IL.
  • In 1943 – A plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler by suicide bomb failed. German Wehrmacht officer, Rudolf von Gersdorff, failed to blow up the dictator but managed to defuse his bombs just before they went off and avoid suspicion.
  • In 1946 – The United Nations set up a temporary headquarters at Hunter College in New York City.
  • In 1952 – The world’s first rock and roll concert was held in Cleveland, Ohio. Disc Jockey Alan Freed presented the concert, which was closed down after only one song because of over-crowding.
  • In 1963 – Alcatraz Island, the federal penitentiary in San Francisco Bay, CA, closed.
  • In 1965 – The United States launched Ranger 9. It was the last in a series of unmanned lunar explorations.
  • In 1965 – More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. began a march from Selma to Montgomery, AL.
  • In 1970 – Earth Day was celebrated for the first time. The first celebration occurred in a limited number of cities in the United States, however, today, Earth Day is observed by about 1 billion people around the world.
  • In 1972 – The Supreme Court ruled that states could not require one year of residency for voting eligibility.
  • In 1980 – On the TV show “Dallas”, J.R. Ewing was shot.
  • In 1980 – President Jimmy Carter announced to the U.S. Olympic Team that they would not participate in the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow as a boycott against Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. In retaliation, the USSR and 14 other “Eastern Bloc” countries boycotted the next Olympics, held in Los Angeles, CA in 1984.
  • In 1984 – A Soviet submarine crashed into the USS Kitty Hawk off the coast of Japan.
  • In 1985 – South African Police killed at least 21 black people commemorating a similar mass shooting 25 years before. The Sharpeville massacre in 1985 left 69 unarmed people dead. It was a turning-point in the history of South Africa.
  • In 1989 – Randall Dale Adams was released from a Texas prison after his conviction was overturned. The documentary “The Thin Blue Line” had challenged the evidence of Adams’ conviction for killing a police officer.
  • In 1991 – The U.N. Security Council lifted the food embargo against Iraq.
  • In 1995 – Tokyo police raided the headquarters of Aum Shinrikyo in search of evidence to link the cult to the Sarin gas released on five Tokyo subway trains.
  • In 1999 – Israel’s Supreme Court rejected the final effort to have American Samuel Sheinbein returned to the United States to face murder charges for killing Alfred Tello, Jr. Under a plea bargain, Sheinbein was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
  • In 2000 – The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had overstepped its regulatory authority when it attempted to restrict the marketing of cigarettes to youngsters.
  • In 2002 – In Paris, an 1825 print by French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce was sold for $443,220. The print, of a man leading a horse, was the earliest recorded image taken by photographic means.
  • In 2006 – Jack Dorsey sent the world’s first Twitter message, or” tweet”. The micro-blogging service revolutionized the communication and social networking landscape. In 2012, about 340 million tweets were being posted per day.

Noteworthy Birthdays

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share your birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach 1685 – Composer.
  • Florenz Ziegfeld 1867 – Broadway impresario.
  • Julio Gallo 1910 – Vintner
  • Mort Lindsey 1923 – Composer.
  • James Coco 1929  – Actor.
  • Kathleen Widdoes 1939 – Actress.
  • Timothy Dalton 1944 – Actor.
  • Marie-Christine Barrault 1944 – Actress.
  • Rose Stone 1945 – Musician.
  • Eddie Money 1949 – Singer.
  • Sabrina LeBeauf 1958 – Actress.
  • Rosie O’Donnell 1962 – Comedian.
  • Matthew Broderick 1962 – Actor.
  • Cynthia Geary 1965 – Actress.

March 20th – Feelin’ Froggy?

March 20, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning amphibian fans. Today is Monday, March 20, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

World Frog Day

According to the National Aquarium, today is World Frog Day. World Frog Day recognizes the plight of Amphibians around the world.
There are approximately 6,000 known species of frog in the world and they are found on every continent except Antarctica. They have existed for more than 200-million years. While most frog species develop from free-swimming tadpoles, some species lay eggs and the frog emerges fully developed. Frogs can breathe and drink through their skin. Some frog species are poisonous, and the Golden Poison Dart Frog have enough toxins to kill 15 adult men. The Australian Rocket Frog can leap 50-times its own body length…the equivalent of a human jumping the length of a football field. The Goliath Frog is the largest species of frog in the world at over a foot in length and weighing over 7-pounds. The smallest species of frog is Paedophryne Dekot is the smallest species which is less than ½ the size of a dime.
Frogs are a good indicator of the health of an environment.  A lack of frogs in the ecosystem is a huge warning sign that things are not well and may need urgent attention. Sadly, frog populations are dwindling around the world, with a massive 200 species lost to us since 1980 and approximately 30% of frog species are considered endangered. They are affected by habitat loss, infectious disease, invasive species, climate change and pollution of water systems.
Frogs eat mosquitoes, which is useful in helping prevent the spread of many diseases. Frogs are also a food source for other animals, such as monkeys, snakes, birds, and fish. If you take frogs out of the equation you affect the entire food chain, so other species will also become extinct.
So, if you like to eat, like to drink, and like being healthy, maybe you should actually consider celebrating World Frog Day instead of passing it off as another superfluous holiday. Support organizations who are trying to clean up our environment.

Vernal Equinox

The March (Vernal) equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north and vice versa in September. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the first day of Spring while in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the first day of Autumn. On the equinoxes, the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal – but not quite. The latitude at which you live determines how close to being exactly equal the equinox actually is…the farther north, the wider the variance.
This year, the Vernal Equinox will occur Monday, March 20, 2017, at 10:29 AM Greenwich Mean Time. This correlates to 3:29 AM Pacific Daylight Time. Sunrise, in my time zone, will be at 7:11 AM and sunset will be at 7:20 PM with 12:09:12 hours of daylight and the Earth will be 92,562,000 miles from the Sun.

Extraterrestrial Abductions Day

If you believe in aliens from outer space, you’re not alone. Most of us at some point have at least considered the possibility that space aliens exist. More than a few people believe that some of the Seven Wonders of the World, such as the pyramids and Stonehenge, were built by alien species visiting Earth, but that the people of the time lacked the language skills to express it. Who knows? Why wouldn’t they return to research how we are doing and gather a few specimens from time to time?
If you would actually like to be abducted by aliens, here are a few things you can do to increase your chances.

  1.  Reduce your IQ by about 50 percent.
  2.  Remove half of your teeth.
  3.  Move to a dilapidated trailer park (preferably in a remote area of the midwest or southeast).

I consider the possibility that aliens exist every time I watch the evening news, read political websites on the internet, or listen to a Hollywood pseudo-celebrity speak on any subject. Surely none of these people can be from this planet.

International Earth Day

If your taste in holidays runs more toward the terrestrial, today is International Earth Day. International Earth Day is always celebrated on the day of the official Vernal Equinox. It was initiated to make earth inhabitants aware of their responsibility to care for the planet. This care includes environmental and natural resources. International Earth Day was founded by John McConnell, of Davis City, Iowa.
In September 1969, he proposed the establishment of Earth Day to the San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors. After approval, he gained support from many others, including then UN General Secretary, U Thant. In 1970, McConnell wrote an Earth Day Proclamation which was ultimately signed by UN Secretary-General U Thant on March 21, 1971.
Note: International Earth Day is different from the U.S. Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd.

National Jump Out! Day

National Jump Out! Day was created to encourage children to become more active by jumping rope. Although mostly considered a children’s activity, jumping rope is often used by professional athletes to train for endurance, so there is no reason non-athletic adults can’t also jump rope to become healthier.
To celebrate National Jump Out! Day, grab a jump rope and start hopping your way to a healthier, happier you.

National Wellderly Day

National Wellderly Day, sometimes also referred to as Well-Elderly Day, is celebrated on the third Monday in March. National Wellderly Day asks us to consider the wellbeing, mental, emotional, and physical, of the elderly people in our lives. The older generation, which I am grudgingly entering, have a wealth of information to impart to those willing to listen — Family history, what it was like living in the “good old days”, and just everyday life experiences.
But, National Wellderly Day goes far beyond that. It urges us NOT to act our age (whatever that means) and to take steps to redefine the parameters of what our age is. Are we going to let younger generations define who we are at 60, 70, 80 and beyond, or are we going to demonstrate to them how [we think] they should be acting when they reach our age? If we sit around and grumble about how much it sucks to be old, then that is how they will define us. If on the other hand, we stay active, eat healthily, and generally enjoy life to the fullest, then that is how they will think older people should act.
So, to celebrate National Wellderly Day, keep your mind and body active. Start an exercise program, volunteer in your community, join a social club, and above all else, talk the people of the younger generations.

Great American Meat Out Day

There is plenty of scientific evidence to support the fact that red meat consumption is bad for our health, and that we all need to eat less of it. These findings have spawned many organizations and events that promote healthy eating by reducing our consumption of meat. This year, on Great American Meat Out Day, you are encouraged to take a pledge to go meatless for the entire day.
With that said, I believe that the best way to stay healthy is to eat a balanced diet, which includes red meat in moderation.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day  

Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day, of course, commemorates the birth on this date in 1928 of Fred McFeely Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers hosted Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, the iconic children’s show of the 1970’s and 80’s. His gentle and soft-spoken demeanor taught children that respect for the things and people around you, and a good attitude, were equally as important as learning your colors and letters.
Celebrate Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day by doing something neighborly, wearing a sweater, reflecting on what we continue to learn from him, and/or by talking – very – slowly – with – meticulous – annunciation.

National Ravioli Day

Ravioli are basically pasta pillows stuffed with a variety of cheese, meat, seafood or vegetable fillings. Ravioli can be circular or square; specialty shapes like hearts and fish are also made. They are served with butter or olive oil, sauce, or in soups.
Pasta is fairly simple to make from scratch, so why not try making some ravioli at home tonight? If your favorite cookbook doesn’t have a recipe, there are bazillions of ravioli recipes online. If you don’t want to bother making them from scratch, most supermarkets today have a wide variety of fresh Ravioli from which to choose. So, have some ravioli for dinner tonight, whether or not you make then from scratch.
Author’s Note: Please, please, please, no matter what you do, don’t serve that canned ravioli crap. I tried some once, and it was disgusting. I tried feeding the remainder to my dogs, and they wouldn’t even eat them…and they lick their butts.

Bock Beer Day  

If you’ve ever ordered a pitcher of bock beer, you may have noticed how full you can get simply by drinking it. This is because, centuries ago, German monks created the hearty, dark brew, using all of the ingredients found in bread. They adopted it as a form of “liquid bread” to give them carbohydrates and calories as they fasted during Lent.
Bock beer is a dark strong Lager beer. If you’re accustomed to the Kool-Aid like swill that domestic brewing companies call beer, you might have to acquire a taste for the much heartier bock beer, but don’t let that deter you from trying it.

More Holidays

With 25 holidays listed in my sources on this holiday-laden date, to avoid Carpal tunnel Syndrome, the rest of today’s holidays are listed and linked below.

 

On This Date

  • In 1616 – Walter Raleigh was released from Tower of London to seek gold in Guyana.
  • In 1760 – The great fire of Boston destroyed 349 buildings.
  • In 1792 – In Paris, the Legislative Assembly approved the use of the guillotine.
  • In 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris after his escape from Elba and began his “Hundred Days” rule.
  • In 1816 – The Supreme Court affirmed its right to review state court decisions.
  • In 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” subtitled “Life Among the Lowly,” was published. The anti-slavery story played an important role in setting the scene for the Civil War.
  • In 1865 – A plan by John Wilkes Booth to abduct President Abraham Lincoln was ruined when Lincoln changed his plans and did not appear at the Soldier’s Home near Washington, DC.
  • In 1868 – Jesse James Gang robbed a bank in Russellville, KY, of $14,000.
  • In 1885 – John Matzeliger of Suriname patented the shoe lacing machine.
  • In 1886 – The first AC power plant in the United States began commercial operation.
  • In 1891 – The first computing scale company was incorporated in Dayton, OH.
  • In 1897 – The first intercollegiate basketball game that used five players per team was held. The contest was Yale versus Pennsylvania. Yale won by a score of 32-10.
  • In 1899 – At Sing Sing prison, Martha M. Place became the first woman to be executed in the electric chair. She was put to death for the murder of her stepdaughter.
  • In 1914 – The first international figure skating championship was held in New Haven, CT.
  • In 1916 – Albert Einstein presented his general theory of relativity. The revolutionary theory describes the interdependency of matter on the one hand and space and time on the other. It is one of the most influential theories in Physics.
  • In 1922 – The USS Langley was commissioned. It was the first aircraft carrier for the U.S. Navy.
  • In 1932 – The German dirigible, Graf Zeppelin, made the first flight to South America on a regular schedule.
  • In 1933 – The first German concentration camp was completed at Dachau.
  • In 1934 – Rudolf Kuhnold gave a demonstration of radar in Kiel Germany.
  • In 1947 – A blue whale weighing 180-metric tons was caught in the South Atlantic.
  • In 1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson orders 4,000 troops to protect the Selma-Montgomery civil rights marchers.
  • In 1967 – Twiggy arrived in the U.S. for a one-week stay.
  • In 1969 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married. After the wedding in Gibraltar, they spent their honeymoon in Amsterdam with a Bed-In for Peace, which lasted a whole week.
  • In 1969 – Senator Edward Kennedy called on the United States to close all bases in Taiwan.
  • In 1972 – 19 mountain climbers were killed on Japan’s Mount Fuji during an avalanche.
  • In 1976 – Patricia Hearst was convicted of armed robbery for her role in the hold up of a San Francisco Bank.
  • In 1982 – Scientists’ returned to the United States from Antarctica with the first land mammal fossils found there.
  • In 1985 – Libby Riddles won the 1,135-mile Anchorage-to-Nome dog race becoming the first woman to win the Iditarod.
  • In 1987 – The Food and Drug Administration approved AZT. The drug was proven to slow the progress of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome).
  • In 1989 – A Washington, DC, district court judge blocked a curfew imposed by Mayor Barry and the City Council.
  • In 1989 – It was announced that Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose was under investigation.
  • In 1991 – The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that employers could not exclude women from jobs where exposure to toxic chemicals could potentially damage a fetus.
  • In 1992 – Janice Pennington was awarded $1.3 million for an accident on the set of the “Price is Right” TV show.
  • In 1993 – An Irish Republican Army bomb was detonated in Warrington, England. A 3-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy were killed.
  • In 1995 – In Tokyo, 12 people were killed and more than 5,500 others were sickened when packages containing the nerve gas Sarin was released on five separate subway trains. The terrorists belonged to a doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, in Japan.
  • In 1996 – In Los Angeles, Erik and Lyle Menendez were found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of their parents.
  • In 1996 – The United Kingdom announced that humans could catch CJD (Mad Cow Disease).
  • In 2000 – Former Black Panther Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, once known as H. Rap Brown, was captured following a shootout that left a sheriff’s deputy dead.
  • In 2002 – Actress Pamela Anderson disclosed that she had hepatitis C.
  • In 2003 – The United States invaded Iraq, assisted by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland. The Iraq War, which was termed illegal by then UN Secretary, Kofi Annan, caused hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths.

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share your birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

  • Henrik Ibsen 1828 – Playwright.
  • Frederick Winslow Taylor 1856 – Mechanical engineer.
  • Ozzie Nelson 1906 – Entertainer.
  • Wendell Cory 1914 – Actor.
  • Carl Reiner 1922 – Producer.
  • Ray Goulding 1922 – Comedian.
  • Jack Kruschen 1922 – Character actor.
  • Hal Linden 1931 – Actor.
  • Ted Bessell 1935 – Actor.
  • Jerry Reed 1937 – Singer.
  • Bobby Orr 1948 – Hockey player.
  • William Hurt 1950 – Actor.
  • Spike Lee 1957 – Movie director.
  • Theresa Russell 1957 – Actress.
  • Vanessa Bell Calloway 1957 – Actress.
  • Holly Hunter 1958 – Actress.
  • Kathy Ireland 1963 – Model.
  • Liza Snyder 1968 – Actress.
  • Michael Rapaport 1970 – Actor.
  • Alexander Chaplin 1971 – Actor.
  • Bianca Lawson 1979 – Actress.

March 19th – Ya Gotta Laugh

March 19, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning cachinnating compadres. Today is Sunday, March 19, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

Let’s Laugh Day

Let’s Laugh Day encourages you to laugh as much as you can today. Whether it’s because of the faltering economy, the divisive political climate, your never-ending to-do list, and/or the fact that everything – except for your paycheck – seems to be rising, Americans are stressed out these days. Let’s Laugh Day encourages you to let go of all that stress and have a good laugh or two today. And, while you’re at it, try to make everyone you encounter today laugh as well.
We’ve all had those “Don’t you dare look at me or else I’ll start laughing again” moments with our friends or family, but who knew they were healthy? Watching a good comedy show or getting the “giggle fits” with your friends can burn up to 40 calories per 10-minute session. According to Web MD, laughter can also help boost your immune system, relieve tension, make you feel relaxed, and increase endorphins released by your brain, and helps reduce your blood pressure and decreases pain. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases antibodies, boosting your immunity to all sorts of illness and diseases. Laughing also helps relax your muscles and helps you relax.
As a bonus, laughter plays a significant role in the mating ritual. According to Psychology Today magazine, “the laughter of the female in a relationship is the critical index of whether or not that relationship is successful.”  So, you see, laughter is good for your mind, your body, your soul, and your libido.
Apparently, Reader’s Digest has it right. “Laughter is the best medicine.” So go ahead, yuk it up today. It’s good for you.

Swallows Return To Capistrano Day  

The Swallows of Capistrano return to Mission San Juan Capistrano, their summer nesting grounds, on March 19th each year. At dawn, the little birds arrive and begin rebuilding their mud nests, which cling to the ruins of the Great Stone Church of San Juan Capistrano. The arches of the two-story, vaulted Great Stone Church were left bare and exposed after the roof collapsed during the earthquake of 1812. The Great Stone Church which is thought to be the largest and most ornate building in any of the missions takes on a more humble role — that of housing the swallows.
The town of San Juan Capistrano takes on an almost fiesta-like atmosphere as revelers await the “miracle” of the swallows’ return.
After spending the summer within the sheltered walls of the Old Mission in San Juan Capistrano, the swallows take flight again, and on the Day of San Juan, October 23rd, they leave – circling the Mission once to bid farewell.
The return of the swallows to Mission San Juan Capistrano has been a part of Old California lore since the late 1700’s. However, in recent years, the number of swallows returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano has dwindled, and at least once, no swallows returned on this date. Possibly, the reason they did not return was that there was construction going on at Mission San Juan Capistrano that year. Don’t worry, the swallows are not endangered, they just chose other nesting areas.

Saint Joseph’s Day

Saint Joseph’s Day takes place on March 19, 2017. Saint Joseph’s Day, the Feast of St. Joseph is in Western Christianity, is the principal feast day of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It has the rank of a solemnity in the Roman Catholic Church.
Since the 10th century, Saint Joseph’s Day has been the principal feast day in Western Christianity and is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans, many Lutherans and other denominations. March 19 always falls during Lent, and traditionally it is a day of abstinence. This explains the custom of St. Joseph tables being covered with meatless dishes. If St. Joseph’s Day falls on a Sunday other than Palm Sunday, it is observed on the next available day, usually Monday, March 20, unless another solemnity falls on that day. Since 2008, if St Joseph’s Day falls during Holy Week, it is moved to the closest possible day before 19 March, usually the Saturday before Holy Week.
Joseph was the husband of the Virgin Mary and is considered the patron of carpenters, fathers, and the Catholic Church.

Iraqi Freedom Day

On March 19, 2003, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein elected not to step down from power, per a United Nation’s resolution. Two hours after the 9:30 p.m. EDT deadline, United States, British and Australian forces began air strikes. According to the Council on Foreign Relations: “Operation Iraqi Freedom began, with the United States and coalition forces, striking a target in Baghdad where, intelligence reports indicated, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his top deputies had gathered in underground bunkers.”
President George H. W. Bush addressed the nation and said, “The early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq have begun.”

National Chocolate Caramel Day

The union of chocolate and caramel is arguably one of the greatest flavor combinations ever conceived by man. These two ingredients appear in countless candy bars, ice cream flavors, confections, and desserts. Famed chocolate manufacturer Milton Hershey began his career in a caramel company. In the late 1800’s he began experimenting with ways to improve caramel candy and found some German-built machines for manufacturing chocolate. His attention would eventually shift completely to chocolate, but Hershey’s first product was a chocolate-covered caramel. You don’t have to be a genius to figure out how to celebrate this holiday.

National Poultry Day

Poultry refers to domestic birds that are raised for meat and eggs which include commercially farmed chicken, turkey, ducks, geese, quail, and pheasant  – with chickens being the most commonly farmed fowl.
Unlike turkeys, ducks, and geese, chickens are not native to the Americas. Scientists once believed that chickens were introduced to America by the European explorers in the 16th century. However, there is now DNA evidence that indicates that chickens first arrived in the Americas on the western shores via the Polynesians at least a century earlier, perhaps as early as the late 12th or early 13 century.
Poultry Day is a fowl holiday that celebrates chicken, turkey and other birds we commonly consume. In general, poultry is lower in fat, and cholesterol than other meats, making them a healthier choice.
Celebrate National Poultry Day by eating some sort of poultry for each meal today. Poultry is a versatile meat that can be cooked in a variety of ways including roasting, baking, frying, grilling, sautéing, steaming and broasting, so there is really no reason not to celebrate.
Fowl Factoids:

  • Chicken consumption in the United States increased during World War II due to a shortage of beef and pork.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the poultry production in the United States.
  • Estimates place annual production of chickens at around 9 billion in the United States.

For millennia, man has debated; “Which came first, the chicken or the egg”. The answer to that question, at least in my house today, is the egg (two actually, over medium, accompanied by crisp bacon, crisp hash browns, and biscuits).

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On This Date

  • In 1628 – The Massachusetts colony was founded.
  • In 1687 – French explorer La Salle was murdered by his own men while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • In 1822 – The city of Boston, MA, was incorporated.
  • In 1831 – The first bank robbery in America was reported. The City Bank of New York City lost $245,000 in the robbery.
  • In 1895 – The Lumière brothers recorded their first footage. Sortie des Usines Lumière à Lyon showed workers leaving their factory in Lyon. The film is about 50 seconds long. Auguste and Louis Lumière were the earliest filmmakers in history.
  • In 1895 – The Los Angeles Railway was established to provide streetcar service.
  • In 1900 – President McKinley asserted that there was a need for free trade with Puerto Rico.
  • In 1903 – The Senate ratified the Cuban treaty, gaining naval bases in Guantanamo and Bahia Honda.
  • In 1908 – The state of Maryland barred Christian Scientists from practicing without medical diplomas.
  • In 1911 – The first International Women’s Day was observed. Over 1 million people in several European countries celebrated. German socialists Clara Zetkin and Luise Zietz initiated the observance, which has become an annual global event.
  • In 1917 – The Supreme Court upheld the Adamson Act that made the eight-hour workday for railroads constitutional.
  • In 1918 – Congress approved Daylight-Saving Time.
  • In 1920 – The Senate rejected the Versailles Treaty for the second time maintaining an isolation policy.
  • In 1931 – The state of Nevada legalized gambling.
  • In 1945 – Adolf Hitler ordered the destruction of all industries in Germany. The “Nero Decree” was issued in the light of Germany’s imminent defeat in World War II. It was never fully executed.
  • In 1953 – The Academy Awards aired on television for the first time.
  • In 1954 – The first rocket-driven sled that ran on rails was tested in Alamogordo, NM.
  • In 1954 – Willie Mosconi set a new world record for running most consecutive Pool balls without a miss. Mr. Pocket Billiards, as the hugely successful American sportsman, was often called ran 526 consecutive balls. He was playing “straight pool” also known as 14-1 continuous pocket pool.
  • In 1962 – Bob Dylan released his first album. Dylan is one of the world’s most influential music artists. His songs “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’” became anthems for the anti-war movement.
  • In 1963 – In Costa Rica, President John F. Kennedy and six Latin American presidents pledged to fight Communism.
  • In 1964 – Sean Connery began shooting his role in “Goldfinger.”
  • In 1976 – Buckingham Palace announced the separation of Princess Margaret and her husband, the Earl of Snowdon, after 16 years of marriage.
  • In 1977 – The last episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” aired.
  • In 1979 – The House of Representatives began broadcasting its daily business on TV.
  • In 1987 – Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned from the PTL due to a scandal involving Jessica Hahn.
  • In 1998 – The World Health Organization warned of tuberculosis epidemic that could kill 70 million people in next two decades.
  • In 1988 – Two British soldiers were killed by mourners at a funeral in Belfast, North Ireland. The soldiers were shot to death after being dragged from a car and beaten.
  • In 2001 – California officials declared a power alert and ordered the first of two days of rolling blackouts.
  • In 2002 – Actor Ben Kingsley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Noteworthy Birthdays

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share tour birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

  • David Livingstone 1813 – Scottish missionary, explorer. (“Dr. Livingstone, I presume”).
  • Wyatt Earp 1848 – Noted lawman.
  • William Jennings Bryan 1860 – Politician.
  • Charles M. Russell 1864 – Western artist.
  • Earl Warren 1891 – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
  • Jackie Mabley 1894 – Comedian (“Moms Mabley”).
  • John Sirica 1904 – “Watergate” Judge.
  • Adolph Eichmann 1906 – Holocaust organizer.
  • Tige Andrews 1923 – Actor.
  • Patrick McGoohan 1928 – Actor.
  • Gay Brewer Jr. 1932 – Pro golfer.
  • Renee Taylor 1933 – Actress.
  • Nancy Malone 1935 – Actress.
  • Phyllis Newman 1935 – Actress.
  • Ursula Andress 1936 – Actress.
  • Robin Luke 1942 – Singer (Suzie Darlin’).
  • Ruth Pointer 1946 – Singer (The Pointer Sisters).
  • Glenn Close 1947 – Actress.
  • Bruce Willis 1955 – Actor.
  • Craig Lamar Traylor 1989 – Actor.

March 18th – Well, Now That’s Awkward

March 18, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning my awkward acquaintances. Today is Saturday, March 18, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

Awkward Moments Day  

The consumption of alcohol can often lead to some awkward moments, which is why I think that it is no coincidence that Awkward Moments Day is celebrated on the day after St. Patrick’s Day…a holiday where people often party and drink to excess. While the creators of this holiday are unknown, perhaps whoever created this holiday thought that people should embrace all the awkward moments in their lives and laugh at them.
Whether it is saying something totally inappropriate at the wrong time, calling someone by the wrong name, tripping over something, or just doing something really dumb, everyone has, at one time or another, had an awkward moment. Celebrate the humor in life’s uncomfortable situations. Realize that those awkward moments that make you feel unsure or embarrassed are actually opportunities to harness the power of humor, laughter, and fun. Today is the day to just accept the fact that they are unavoidable, and move on with your life. After all, it is these moments that make the best stories and life lessons for the kids and the grandkids.
Awkward Moments Day is a holiday where you are meant to share an awkward moment from your life with your family and friends.  You can all laugh, and you may discover that you are not the only awkward person in your family or circle of friends.

National Biodiesel Day

Biodiesel is a clean-burning, domestically produced fuel which is derived from 100% renewable sources such as soybeans, canola, and mustard seed. Rudolph Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine, was born on this date in 1858, which is why today is Biodiesel Day. [Rudolph] Diesel was also a pioneer in the development of non-petroleum based fuels as far back the late 19th century. Today, great strides are being made in biodiesel technology. Now, if only scientists would only develop a way to expand the technology to include the use of malted beverages as a fuel, maybe we could use all of that green beer left over from St. Patrick’s Day to help save the planet.

National Quilting Day   

The National Quilting Association started National Quilting Day in 1991 and is celebrated on the third Saturday in March. Their members passed a resolution at the 22nd Annual Show in Lincoln, Nebraska, in June of that year. It celebrates fabulous quilts and those who make them.
National Quilting Day is a holiday to recognize and appreciate the skill of quilt makers, and basque in the warmth and comfort their labors provide. Some quilts are literally ‘works of art’. If you are a quiltmaker, give yourself a pat on the back. If you are not a quiltmaker, consider taking up quilting as a hobby.

Goddess of  Fertility Day

Goddess of Fertility Day celebrates Aphrodite and the numerous other gods and goddesses of fertility from ancient cultures. In ancient times, many cultures had multiple gods and goddesses. Each one represented various aspects of life. The ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite is by far the most well-known goddess of fertility. People would pray and make offerings to Aphrodite when seeking to create a family.
If you are looking to procreate, today might be a perfect time. However, if you are looking to avoid the unexpected pitter-patter of little feet, today may be a good day to practice abstinence.

Forgive Mom and Dad Day

Parenting is an enormously challenging task and although some parents are better than others. At some point as adults, we need to stop blaming our parents for everything that has gone wrong in our lives and accept some responsibility for our own actions. Forgive Mom & Dad Day encourages us to stop living our lives as a reaction to what used to be, and concentrate more on the reality of what is.
Many of us may well have had crappy parents, but it’s time to stop dwelling on how bad they were and how they totally screwed up our lives, and take action to undo whatever perceived damage they may have done. Your parents’ behavior is only one factor in how you turned out. Society, your friends, your teachers, and many other factors all influenced your development as an individual. so blaming your parents for everything is just nonsense. Accept the fact that there may have been extenuating circumstances, such as money problems or marital strife, which caused your parents to behave in the manner that you perceive as “bad”. The first step is forgiveness. Forgive you parents for whatever mistakes they may have made and move forward.

Supreme Sacrifice Day

Supreme Sacrifice Day honors those individuals who have made the ultimate sacrifice for society — Servicemen, law enforcement, and everyday people who have given their lives to benefit society or save the life of someone else in need. These heroes deserve a special day to honor their memory, and this holiday serves that purpose.
Take time out today to reflect and offer thanks and appreciation to those who made the supreme sacrifice for you…perhaps some of these people were even friends or members of your own family.

Maple Syrup Saturday

Maple Syrup Saturday is always celebrated on the third Saturday in March. Pure maple syrup is a natural food that contains nothing artificial, no additives, no colorings, or preservatives. The main sugar in pure maple syrup is sucrose, but small amounts of fructose and glucose can be found in the darker grades of syrup too.
It takes about 40 gallons of raw sap to create one gallon of syrup. “Sugaring season” lasts only a short six weeks in late winter…which is why, I guess, that those nasty “imitation” maple syrups are necessary.

National Corndog Day

National Corndog Day is a holiday that celebrates the corn dog – a hot dog coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter, then deep-fried or baked. National Corndog Day is celebrated in March of every year on the first Saturday of March Madness (aka the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship). It started in 1992 in Corvallis, Oregon by Brady Sahnow and Henry Otley. The first celebration was informal and involved only corndogs and basketball. It gradually spread to other cities. By 2007, parties celebrating National Corndog Day occurred at 113 locations in more than 30 states, the District of Columbia and Australia. In 2008, participation increased to nearly 5, 000 parties on five continents, including one at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Celebrations now also include tater tots and beer to go with the corn dogs.
On March 16, 2012, Oregon Governor John A. Kitzhaber issued a Proclamation recognizing National Corndog Day.
Corn dogs started out as a sausage or hot dog baked or deep-fried in a cornmeal breading and served as a sandwich. Their heritage comes from sausage makers of Germany who immigrated to Texas in the 1800’s. These German Texans found that their sausages were not well received, and it’s said that they innovated and dipped their sausages in a delicious breading and fried it. The first record of the corn dog is from 1927 when a patent was submitted to the US Patent Office — And the rest, as they say, is history. In the late 1930’s or early 1940’s, corn dogs became a convenient fair food when someone came up with the idea of putting them on a stick before being deep-fried. Fair goers could then eat their corn dog while taking in the exhibits.
The convenience of corn dogs and other fried foods on a stick continues today. From sports arenas to amusement parks, fairs and concerts, Americans can get their corn dogs and dipping sauces to go and not miss out on a moment of the action.
Author’s Note: Note: I am aware that corn dog is actually two words, but in the National Day Calendar, corndog is spelled as one word.

National Sloppy Joe Day

National Sloppy Joe Day is observed each year on March 18th. One of America’s all-time favorite “go to” hot sandwiches, Sloppy Joes are usually made with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, brown sugar, cola or maple syrup to sweeten it and seasonings to spice it, all served up on a hamburger bun or roll.
There are different claims to the origin of the sloppy joe. In Havana, Cuba in the 1930’s there was a genuine bartender who gained popularity with vacationers who went by the name of Sloppy Joe. He earned his name for his less than enthusiastic way of cleaning the bar. He was, however, an attentive bartender, and the bar was a hot spot for the jet set. However, no mention is found in papers from the era of a hot sandwich on the menu matching the description of a Sloppy Joe, and Sloppy Joe retired to Spain in 1933. Another claim on the sandwich at the Ye Olde Tavern Inn by Abraham and Bertha Kaled in Sioux City, Iowa that had a loose meat sandwich on their menu in 1934. Whoever brought the Sloppy Joe to the world, it was made more convenient in 1969 when Hunt’s Foods put Sloppy Joes in a can and called it Manwich.
Sloppy Joes lend themselves well to originality and personality. Today many families have their own “secret recipes” for Sloppy Joes that make them special. Whether it’s an unusual spice, a novel ingredient for sweetening or a homemade tomato sauce, the basic Sloppy Joe recipe can easily be modified according to your personal taste.
You don’t have to be a genius to figure out how to celebrate National Sloppy Joe Day.

Oatmeal Cookie Day

Oatmeal cookies have been around since the late 1800’s. They originated in England and evolved from a savory oatcake to the sweet treat we enjoy today. In the Middle Ages, soldiers carried oatcakes with them as a way to get a quick boost of energy during battle. Although our modern-day version is much sweeter, oatcakes and oatmeal cookies share many of the same ingredients including spices, nuts, and raisins.
Oats are an excellent source of iron and fiber.
Most oatmeal Cookies are drop cookies – cookies made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten.

More Holidays

Companies the Care Day

On This Date

  • In 1541 – Hernando de Soto observed the first recorded flood of the Mississippi River.
  • In 1673 – Lord Berkley sold his half of New Jersey to the Quakers.
  • In 1692 – William Penn was deprived of his governing powers.
  • In 1813 – David Melville patented the gas street light.
  • In 1818 – Congress approved the first pensions for government service.
  • In 1834 – The first railroad tunnel in the U.S. was completed. The work was in Pennsylvania.
  • In 1850 – Henry Wells & William Fargo founded American Express.
  • In 1874 – Hawaii signed a treaty giving exclusive trading rights with the islands to the United States.
  • In 1881 – Barnum and Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth opened in Madison Square Gardens.
  • In 1891 – Britain became linked to the continent of Europe by telephone.
  • In 1892 – Lord Stanley of Preston pledged to donate a challenge cup for the best ice hockey team in Canada. Today, the Stanley Cup is the world’s most prestigious ice hockey trophy.
  • In 1905 – Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt were married.
  • In 1909 – Einar Dessau of Denmark used a shortwave transmitter to become the first person to broadcast as a “ham” operator.
  • In 1911 – Theodore Roosevelt opened the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona. It was the largest dam in the U.S. at the time.
  • In 1911 – North Dakota enacted a hail insurance law.
  • In 1922 – Princeton and Yale played the first intercollegiate indoor polo championship.
  • In 1931 – Schick Inc. displayed the first electric shaver.
  • In 1942 – The third military draft began in the U.S. because of World War II.
  • In 1945 – 1,250 U.S. bombers attacked Berlin.
  • In 1949 – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was ratified.
  • In 1954 – RKO Pictures was sold for $23,489,478. It became the first motion picture studio to be owned by an individual. The person was Howard Hughes.
  • In 1959 – President Eisenhower signed the Hawaii statehood bill.
  • In 1962 – The Évian Accords were signed, ending the Algerian War. Algeria gained its independence from France as a consequence.
  • In 1963 – The Supreme Court handed down the Miranda decision concerning legal counsel for defendants.
  • In 1965 – Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov became the first man to spacewalk when he left the Voskhod II space capsule while in orbit around the Earth. The tethered spacewalk lasted 12 minutes and Leonov ventured up to 10 meters from his spacecraft.
  • In 1969 – President Nixon authorized Operation Menu. It was the ‘secret’ bombing of Cambodia.
  • In 1970 – The U.S. Postal Service experienced the first postal strike.
  • In 1971 –  A 10-foot high wave destroyed a Peruvian mining camp and killed hundreds of people. The tsunami was caused by a massive rock avalanche that crashed into Lake Yanahuani in Peru from a height of 1300 feet.
  • In 1971 – U.S. helicopters airlifted 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers out of Laos.
  • In 1974 – Most of the Arab oil-producing nations ended their five-month embargo against the United States, Europe, and Japan.
  • In 1981 – The government disclosed that there were biological weapons tested in Texas in 1966.
  • In 1986 – 1986 – The Treasury Department announced that a clear, polyester thread was to be woven into bills in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.
  • In 1987 – The U.S. performed nuclear tests at a Nevada test site.
  • In 1989 – A 4,400-year-old mummy was discovered at the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt.
  • In 1990 – East Germany held its first and only free parliamentary elections. The election was held between the peaceful revolution leading to the demise of the German Democratic Republic in 1989 and the German reunification in 1990.
  • In 1990 – In Tampa, FL, a little league player was killed after being hit by a pitch.
  • In 1992 – Leona Helmsley was sentenced to 4 years in prison for tax evasion.
  • In 1994 – Zsa Zsa Gabor filed for bankruptcy.

Noteworthy Birthdays

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share your birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

  • Grover Cleveland 1837 – 22nd and 24th President.
  • Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 1844 – Russian composer.
  • Rudolf Diesel 1858 — Inventor of the diesel engine.
  • Neville Chamberlin 1869 – British Politician.
  • Edward Everett Horton 1886 – Character actor.
  • Smiley (Lester) Burnette 1911 – Musician/actor.
  • Andy Granatelli 1923 – Race car mechanic.
  • Peter Graves 1926 – Actor.
  • John Updike 1932 – American author, poet, critic.
  • Charlie Pride 1938 – Country singer.
  • Wilson Pickett 1941 – Singer.
  • Leslie Parrish 1943 – Actress.
  • Kevin Dobson 1943 – Actor.
  • Brad Dourif 1950 – Actor.
  • Irene Cara 1959 – Singer.
  • Thomas Ian Griffith 1962 – Actor.
  • Vanessa Williams 1963 – Singer, actress.
  • Bonnie Blair 1964 – Olympic gold medal speed skater.

March 17th – Everyone is Irish Today

March 17, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning Leprechauns. Today is Friday, March 17, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

St. Patrick’s Day

People have been celebrating the Feast Day of Saint Patrick (aka St. Patrick’s Day) for over a thousand years. Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain during the fifth century. At the age of sixteen, he was captured and sold as a slave to an Irish sheep farmer but eventually managed to escape. He spent several years in a monastery before returning to Ireland as a Christian missionary. Today he is hailed as the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland.
Saint Patrick’s Day is a cultural and religious holiday. It was made an official Christian feast day in the early seventeenth century and is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, as well as Irish heritage and culture in general. Christians attend church services and the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol are lifted for the day. Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and Montserrat.
Over the years, St. Patrick’s Day evolved from a religious observance to a worldwide celebration of Irish culture, but in Ireland, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day (as we know it) didn’t begin until 1995 – as a way to promote tourism. In Ireland, men wear shamrocks on their jackets and caps, and women wear green ribbons in their hair. St. Patrick’s Day, although not a legal holiday anywhere in the United States, is nonetheless widely recognized and celebrated throughout the country. Cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Savannah host huge St. Patrick’s Day parades, and Chicago dyes its river bright green. It is primarily observed in celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture; celebrations which include religious observances, feasting, parades, prominent displays of the color green, and the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol. The holiday has been celebrated on the North American continent since the late eighteenth century.
St. Patrick’s Day Factoids:

  • Over 34 million Americans claim to be of Irish descent. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland.
  • There are 9 communities named Dublin in America, and 4 named Shamrock.
  • The tradition of wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day dates back to a story written about St. Patrick in 1726. St. Patrick was known to use the (green) shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity and to have worn green clothing.

So, now you know that St. Patrick’s Day is much more than just an excuse to get drunk and act stupid. Erin Go Baugh (Ireland Forever).

Campfire Girls Day

Campfire Girls of America was incorporated in Washington, D.C, as a national agency, on this date, 1912. It is a nationwide American youth organization that began in 1910. The organization has been co-ed since 1975 and welcomes youth from pre-kindergarten through age 21.
Camp Fire was the first nonsectarian, multicultural organization for girls in America. Its programs emphasize camping and other outdoor activities for youth. The organization changed its name in 1975 to Camp Fire Boys and Girls when membership eligibility was expanded to include boys. In 2001, the name Camp Fire USA was adopted, and in 2012, it became known as simply Camp Fire.

Submarine Day

Submarine Day celebrates the day that John Philip Holland, an Irish engineer, first successfully demonstrated his submarine called the Holland VI. On St. Patrick’s Day, 1898, his submarine made it’s first successful submerged run, which impressed the observers from the US Department of the Navy. The (then) Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, recommended that the Navy buy the Holland VI. Several months later, it became the Navy’s first submarine and was re-christened the USS Holland (SS-1). The U.S. Submarine Fleet was established on April 17th, 1900.
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. Although experimental submarines had been built before, submarine design took off during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and they were adopted by several navies. Submarines were first widely used during World War I (1914–1918), and now figure prominently in most large navies worldwide.
Today, Submarines have one of the widest ranges of types and capabilities of any vessel. They range from small autonomous one or two-person vessels that operate for a few hours to vessels that can remain submerged for six months – such as the Russian Typhoon class, the biggest submarines ever built. Submarines can work at greater depths than are survivable or practical for human divers.
You can celebrate the submersible by reading about submarines or researching online. If you live near a naval museum, take a drive to see a submarine today, and if allowed, go aboard. Then, after you finish your research, or return from your excursion, settle in and watch a movie about submarines such as “Hunt For Red October” or “Run Silent, Run Deep”. If you prefer, you could watch a couple of episodes of the TV show “Voyage to the Bottom Of The Sea”. Listening to the song “Yellow Submarine” a few times throughout the day would also be appropriate.

World Sleep Day

World Sleep Day is celebrated on the Friday of the second complete week in March and was created in 2008 by the World Association of Sleep Medicine. Its goal is to raise awareness of sleep disorders which affect the health and quality of life for as many as 45% of the world’s population. Through the World Sleep Day, the World Association of Sleep Medicine is trying to better understand sleep disorders and find ways to prevent them.
World Sleep Day celebrates the benefits of good, healthy sleep while drawing attention to the burden that sleep disorders have on individuals and their families. It focuses on medication, education, and the social aspects of sleep disorders; and their prevention and management.
If you are having trouble sleeping, or wake up still feeling tired, perhaps you can use World Sleep Day as a reminder to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

Evacuation Day

Evacuation Day celebrates the day the British troops evacuated Boston after an 11-month siege during the Revolutionary War. This holiday is only celebrated by those living in Boston, Massachusetts and it’s environs, where it is a public holiday. This link will give you more information about this local holiday. It’s worth a read since it is part of the history of the Revolutionary War.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Day

In the culinary arts, the term corning refers to curing or pickling the meat in a seasoned brine. The word refers to the “corns” or grains of kosher (or other coarse) salt that is mixed with water to make the brine. Typically, brisket is used to make corned beef. The dish has many regional variations and seasonings.
Historical note: Irish immigrants adapted corned beef from their Jewish neighbors on New York’s Lower East Side as a cheaper alternative to corned pork and Irish bacon. In Ireland at the time, beef was used primarily for dairy products, and only the very rich could afford to eat beef. In America, Irish settlers found that beef was much more affordable, thus precipitating the, now traditional, Irish-American dish, corned beef and cabbage.
Factoid: Smoking a corned beef, and adding extra spices, produces pastrami.
My brisket is ready for the oven. Since I dislike cabbage in any form except sauerkraut, I’ll forgo the “and cabbage” part of this holiday and roast my brisket the same way I would a beef roast.

On This Date

  • In 0461 – Bishop Patrick, St. Patrick, died in Saul, Ireland. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in his honor.
  • In 1756 – St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in New York City for the first time. The event took place at the Crown and Thistle Tavern.
  • In 1766 – Britain repealed the Stamp Act that had caused resentment in the North American colonies.
  • In 1776 – British forces evacuated Boston to Nova Scotia during the Revolutionary War.
  • In 1868 – A postage stamp canceling machine patent was issued.
  • In 1870 – Wellesley College was incorporated by the Massachusetts legislature under its first name, Wellesley Female Seminary.
  • In 1884 – In Otay, California, John Joseph Montgomery made the first manned, controlled, heavier-than-air glider flight in the United States.
  • In 1901 – In Paris, Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were shown at the Bernheim Gallery.
  • In 1914 – Russia increased the number of active duty military from 460,000 to 1,700,000.
  • In 1917 – America’s first bowling tournament for ladies began in St. Louis, MO. Almost 100 women participated in the event.
  • In 1941 – The National Gallery of Art opened in Washington. D.C. President Franklin D. Roosevelt opened the gallery, which today houses one of the world’s finest art collections.
  • In 1942 – Douglas MacArthur became the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in the Southwestern Pacific.
  • In 1944 – During World War II, the U.S. bombed Vienna.
  • In 1950 – Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley announced that they had created a new radioactive element. They named it “californium”. It is also known as element 98.
  • In 1959 – The Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India. Followers and advisers of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, feared for his life after a revolt had erupted in Lhasa against the Chinese.
  • In 1961 – The United States increased military aid and technicians to Laos.
  • In 1966 – A United States submarine found a missing H-bomb in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Spain.
  • In 1967 – Snoopy and Charlie Brown of “Peanuts” were on the cover of “LIFE” magazine.
  • In 1969 – Golda Meir became Israel’s first female Prime Minister. In India, she became known as the “Iron Lady”.
  • In 1970 – The U.S. Army charged 14 officers with suppression of facts in the My Lai massacre case.
  • In 1972 – President Nixon asked Congress to halt busing in order to achieve desegregation.
  • In 1973 – The first American prisoners of war (POWs) were released from the “Hanoi Hilton” in Hanoi, North Vietnam.
  • In 1973 – The photograph known as “Burst of Joy” was taken. Photographer Slava Veder was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the image depicting a former United States prisoner of war being reunited with his family.
  • In 1985 – President Reagan agreed to a joint study with Canada on acid rain.
  • In 1992 – Apartheid in South Africa ended. In a referendum, 68.7% of white South Africans voted for an abolishment of racial segregation in the country.
  • In 1995 – Gerry Adams became the first leader of Sinn Fein to be received at the White House.
  • In 1999 – A panel of medical experts concluded that marijuana had medical benefits for people suffering from cancer and AIDS.
  • In 1999 – The International Olympic Committee expelled six of its members in the wake of a bribery scandal.

If you were born on this date, Happy Birthday. You share your birthday with the following list of illustrious individuals – and about 20-million other people.

  • Roger Taney 1777 – Supreme Court Justice.
  • Jim Bridger 1804 – Mountain man.
  • Gottlieb Daimler 1834 – Industrial engineer.
  • Shemp Howard 1895 – One of the Three Stooges.
  • John Pastore 1907 – Politician.
  • Mercedes McCambridge 1918 – Actress.
  • Nat “King” Cole 1919 – Singer.
  • Rudolf Nureyev 1938 – Dancer.
  • John Sebastian 1944 – Singer, songwriter.
  • Patrick Duffy 1949 – Actor.
  • Kurt Russell 1951 – Actor.
  • Lesley-Anne Down 1954 – Actress.
  • Gary Sinise 1955 – Actor.
  • Vicki Lewis 1960 – Actress.
  • Casey Sirmaszko 1961 – Actor.
  • Claire Grogan 1962 –Singer.
  • Rob Lowe 1964 – Actor.
  • Mathew St. Patrick 1968 – Actor.
  • Yanic Truesdale 1969 – Actor.
  • Mia Hamm 1972 – Soccer player.
  • Melissa Auf der Maur 1972 – Musician.
  • Caroline Corr 1973 – Musician.
  • Marisa Coughlan 1974 – Actress.
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