May 13th – “Leapin’ Horny Toads, It’s Frog Jumping Day”

May 13, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning fans of airborne amphibians. Today is Saturday, May 13, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

Frog Jumping Day

Frog Jumping Day can be traced back to author Mark Twain, and his first short story, “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.” The short story is also known as “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” as well as “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” The reason that Frog Jumping Day is celebrated on this date is a mystery. It is neither the date of the publication of the short story nor the anniversary of Mark Twain’s birth or death.
This holiday could also pertain to the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee held in Angel’s Camp, California but this annual event is held on a rotating schedule each year beginning on the 3rd Thursday in May and running through Sunday, and this year will be celebrated on May 19th through the 22nd.
Celebrate this holiday by learning more about frogs and/or toads.

International Migratory Bird Day

Migratory Bird Day highlights the importance of international efforts to conserve birds through agreements, laws, treaties, and collaborations. This year also marks the Centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty – a landmark agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to protect our shared migratory birds.
Because birds do not migrate on the same day, International Migratory Bird Day is celebrated on different dates across the Western Hemisphere. Events take place year-round, though most occur around the “traditional” date on the second Saturday in May. In the southern hemisphere, it is celebrated in October.
International Migratory Bird Day is the only international education program that highlights and celebrates the migration of nearly 350 species of migratory birds between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and each year it explores a different aspect of migratory birds and their conservation.

Mother Ocean Day 

Mother Ocean Day is relatively a new holiday, introduced for the first time in 2013. It is celebrated on the day before Mother’s Day. It is a concept conceived by the South Florida Kayak Fishing Club. The point of this holiday is to take a day to celebrate the vastness, beauty, and wonder of the ocean.
Water is essential to human life. In fact, it is essential to all known forms of life. It is estimated that about one-quarter of the Earth’s species live in our planet’s 5 oceans. It is hard to ignore the contributions that oceans made to the development of civilization. For thousands of years, man has braved their waters, leading to amazing discoveries and a general increase in the knowledge of the planet we inhabit. Mother Ocean Day is a long-overdue celebration of our oceans in all of their majesty.

National Miniature Golf Day

National Miniature Golf Day is celebrated on the second Saturday in May each year.
Miniature golf has been around since the mid-1800’s. During this time, it was thought to be unladylike for a woman to swing a golf club above her shoulder level. So in 1867, the Ladies’ Putting Club of St. Andrews designed a scaled-down version of golf that allowed women to join in the fun without creating a scandal. This was the first Miniature Golf course.
In the early 20th century, Miniature Golf courses began springing up in America, but these were usually in Hotels and Private Resorts, so they were still unavailable to the masses. The first Miniature Golf course that was open to the public was “Thistle Dhu”, built in 1916 by James Barbar in North Carolina. By the mid 1930′s, Miniature Golf had become a popular pastime all across America. It is still popular today. My research did not reveal when or why “obstacles” became part of the game. To celebrate, go play a round at your local Miniature Golf course today.

National Archery Day

National Archery Day was submitted by the National Archery in the Schools Program in March 2015. The registrar of National Day Calendar proclaimed National Archery Day in March 2015 to be observed annually on the 2nd Saturday of May. Archery is one of the oldest sports still in existence and has been around since before 2800 BC and  Bows and arrows have been used for hunting and in war for centuries.
Archery was introduced to the modern Olympic games in 1900 but only appeared again in 1904, 1908 and 1920. Then once again after a long absence, it returned in 1972.
In recent years, archery has grown in popularity. The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) began in Kentucky in 2002. The program has since spread to 47 states and 10 countries, with over 2.1 million kids participating each year. The second Saturday in May is generally the time the NASP tournament is held. This is the largest archery tournament in the world. Each year kids from all over the United States look forward to traveling to Louisville, Kentucky, for this culminating event to end their school archery year. The event draws over 11,500 students each year.

Sun Awareness Day

Sun Awareness Day is celebrated on the second Saturday in May each year. Its purpose is to remind people of the dangers of overexposure to the sun.
Now that Spring is here and the temperatures are on the rise, most of us are spending more time outside in the sun. Sun Awareness Day urges us to stock up on sunscreen and use it liberally while outside. Many people don’t even think about sunscreen until they start feeling the effects of the sun…but then, it’s too late. And, it is doubly important that your children use sunscreen when playing outside.
A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Melanoma Monday to remind us about skin cancer. Sun awareness Day serves as another reminder for us to take every precaution to prevent skin cancer.

Leprechaun Day

Leprechaun Day is a dedicated to the little (some say, make-believe) elves of Ireland. The origins of Leprechaun Day are as mysterious as the hiding places of the pots of gold belonging to the “wee folk”. Leprechauns themselves have been part of Irish folklore for thousands of years, and even though these tiny fairies have reputations for playing tricks and being mischievous, they are well-loved by the people of Ireland. According to Irish legend, Leprechauns have a hidden pot of gold. If you catch a Leprechaun, he must give you his pot of gold, but Leprechauns are resourceful when it comes to defending their gold, and they are not easily caught.
To celebrate, I suggest looking over your financial portfolio to see if there are ways that you can increase your own “pot of gold”. This seems like a more realistic alternative than going out in search of a Leprechaun’s “pot of gold”.

National Apple Pie Day

Apple pie is the quintessential American dessert. However, apple pie wasn’t even invented in the United States. Rather it was invented in Europe sometime during the 14th century. The first apple pie recipe was printed by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1381 in England. The ingredients in the recipe included apples, spices, figs, raisins, pears, saffron, and cofyn (a casing of pastry). Dutch apple pie recipes date back to the late 15th century. These recipes were similar to the English recipes except they included a scoop of ice cream placed on top of the pie before it was served. This tradition, apple pie à la mode, was eventually brought to America where most people continue to enjoy their apple pie topped with ice cream. Enjoy a slice of this iconic dessert after dinner tonight.

National Fruit Cocktail Day

Fruit Cocktail is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either in their own juices or a syrup.  The use of the word “cocktail” in the name does not mean that it contains alcohol, but refers to the secondary definition “An appetizer made by combining pieces of food, such as fruit or seafood.” The most common variety of fruit cocktail is canned, although you could easily make a fresh version yourself at home.
Here in America, the USDA stipulates that canned “fruit cocktail” must contain a certain percentage distribution of pears, grapes, cherries, peaches, and pineapples to be marketed as fruit cocktail. It must contain fruits in the following range of percentages:

30% to 50% diced peaches, any yellow variety
25% to 45% diced pears, any variety
6% to 16% diced pineapple, any variety
6% to 20% whole grapes, any seedless variety
2% to 6% cherry halves, any light sweet or artificial red variety (usually maraschino cherries).

I prefer my fruit cocktail served with a generous scoop of cottage cheese.–

More Holidays 

On This Date 

  • In 1607 – Jamestown, Virginia, was settled as a colony of England.
  • In 1821 – The first practical printing press was patented in the U.S. by Samuel Rust.
  • In 1846 – The U.S. declared that war already existed with Mexico.
  • In 1854 – The first big American billiards match was held at Malcolm Hall in Syracuse, NY.
  • In 1861 – Britain declared its neutrality in the American Civil War.
  • In 1865 – The last land engagement of the American Civil War was fought at the Battle of Palmito Ranch in far south Texas, more than a month after Gen. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, VA.
  • In 1867 – Confederate President Jefferson Davis became a free man after spending two years in prison for his role in the American Civil War.
  • In 1880 – Thomas Edison tested his experimental electric railway in Menlo Park.
  • In 1909 – The Giro d’Italia cycle race was held for the first time. The Giro is considered one of the world’s most important cycle races. Luigi Ganna won the first edition, which went from Milan to Naples and back.
  • In 1911 – The New York Giants set a major league baseball record. Ten runners crossed home plate before the first out of the game against St. Louis.
  • In 1913 – Igor Sikorsky flew the first four-engine aircraft.
  • In 1940 – Igor Sikorsky piloted his VS-300 helicopter’s maiden flight. The helicopter was the first successful model to use the single vertical tail rotor that most helicopters feature today.
  • In 1940 – Winston Churchill made his first speech as the prime minister of Britain.
  • In 1950 – The first Formula One World Championship season kicked off. Giuseppe Farina won the first FIA World Championship of Drivers for the Alfa Romeo team.
  • In 1958 – Vice President Nixon’s limousine was battered by rocks thrown by anti-American demonstrators in Caracas, Venezuela.
  • n 1967 – Mickey Mantle hit his 500th home run.
  • In 1975 – Hailstones the size of tennis balls hit Wenerville, TN.
  • In 1981 – Pope John Paul II was shot and seriously wounded in St. Peter’s Square. Turkish right-wing extremist Mehmet Ali Ağca fired two shots at John Paul II on St. Peter’s Square. The Pope survived and went on to later visit his attacker in prison.
  • In 1982 – The Chicago Cubs became the first major league baseball team to win 8,000 games.
  • In 1985 – Tony Perez became the oldest major league baseball player to hit a grand slam home run at the age of 42 and 11 months.
  • In 1985 – A confrontation between Philadelphia authorities and the radical group MOVE ended as police dropped an explosive onto the group’s headquarters. 11 people died in the fire that resulted.
  • In 1989 – Thousands of students began a hunger strike on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The non-violent occupation of the square was part of anti-corruption and pro-democracy demonstrations. Some 3000 unarmed civilians were killed when the army cracked down on the protesters on June 3-4, 1989.

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.

 

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