August 8th – Dollar Daze

August 8, 2017 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

Good morning paper currency fans. Today is Tuesday, August 8, 2017. Today’s reasons to celebrate are:

National Dollar Day

Although no one knows who created National Dollar Day, it is an annual event that celebrates the creation of the United States monetary system by Congress in 1786. Ever since then, Americans have tried to earn and accumulate dollars; and business and the government have devised ways to separate them from their hard-earned dollars.
Below are some famous quotes relating to money:

1)  “The buck stops here.” ~ President Harry S. Truman
2)  “Show me the money!” ~ Quote from the 1996 film, Jerry Maguire
3)  “Put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
4)  “When money talks, nobody cares what kind of grammar it uses.” ~ Robert Elliott Gonzales
5)  “Inflation is when you pay $15 for the $10 haircut you used to get for $5 when you had hair!” ~ Sam Ewing
6)  “Money if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort.” ~ Helen Gurley Brown
7)  “The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket.” ~ Kin Hubbard

Factoid: The first U.S. dollar bill wasn’t printed until 1862, and it didn’t bear the image of George Washington. Salmon P. Chase, President Lincoln’s Secretary of Treasury, was featured on the first greenback. It wasn’t until 1869 that George Washington’s image was used on the dollar bill.

International Cat Day

International Cat Day celebrates our furry feline friends and the joy they bring to our lives. It was founded in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) along with other animal rights groups.
Cats were domesticated about 9,500 years ago, and they are currently the most popular pet in the world. Despite seeming to be aloof, solitary creatures, cats are a very social species and make wonderful companions for young and old alike. It is estimated that there are 500 million cats residing in homes worldwide, with millions more living a feral existence in the wild. There are about 60 known cat breeds worldwide. They range from the exotic Sphinx and Abyssinian to the Burmese and Siamese to the more common Maine Coon and American Shorthair…to name a few.
As a pet, a cat can really add a lot to your household. It’s been reported that cat ownership may improve mental health, provide emotional support, and alleviate feelings of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. As a bonus, you don’t need a prescription from your doctor to own a cat.
Today, give your furry feline friend some extra love and attention, and a few treats.

Swimming Day

Swimming Day is a holiday that urges us to take the plunge into a pond, lake, or river, an ocean, a pool or another suitable swimmin’ hole.
Swimming, aside from being fun and refreshing on a hot summer day, is also a great form of exercise. It exercises most of the core muscle groups without too much stress on the joints and muscles like other forms of exercise.
You needn’t be a Rhodes Scholar to ascertain how to celebrate Swimming Day – just dive in! Here’s hoping that your day goes swimmingly.
Author’s Note: Perhaps coincidently, Brian Hyland and the John Dixon Orchestra released the popular their hit single, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini,” written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss on this date in 1960.

Odie Day

Odie Day celebrates the date in 1978 when Odie made his first appearance in the comic strip Garfield, written by Jim Davis. Odie, the yellow beagle, has spent much of his existence being kicked off the table or otherwise mistreated by his vastly cleverer housemate, Garfield. Odie’s innocent good heartedness is the canine counterpoint to Garfield’s feline manipulativeness. On rare occasions, he gets to turn the table on his nemesis, chiefly by startling Garfield at mealtime so that he falls face-down into his food bowl. Nonverbal and drooling, Odie epitomizes the dumb younger sibling who seems to be wearing a perpetual “Kick me!” sign on his back.

Happiness Happens Day

Happiness Happens Day was created in 1999 by the Secret Society of Happy People. They originally called it  Admit You’re Happy Day.
Look at the people around you. Chances are many of them appear to be happy. That is because, despite all the chaos in the world, people always manage to find the silver lining in every cloud.
Random acts of kindness are shown to increase your own happiness. The more kindness and gratitude you express, the happier you’ll be. Happier people are healthier people. They have up to 50% more antibodies. Money does play a role in happiness. Those able to afford their basic needs are happiest. However, anything above that does not increase your happiness.
For any grouches out there who need instruction, below some ways to celebrate this holiday.

1)  Wear silver. Silver is the official color of Happiness Happens Day. (Remember those silver linings)?
2)  Smile.
3)  Buy someone a cup of coffee or a soda (with silver coins).
4)  Hand out Hershey kisses (they’re wrapped in silver).
5)  Put together a happy box filled with things that make you smile (favorite photos, cards, letters, quotes, jokes, cartoons, etc.).
6)  Have other people tell you what makes them happy.

Stable Clean-Up Day

Does your barn need a blast of fresh air? Is your shed or garage growing a bit stale or cluttered? Well, now you no longer have an excuse to avoid the task of cleaning it up, because it is Stable Clean-Up Day. This holiday urges you to tackle that undesirable task and spiff things up around your outbuildings. So, stop horsing around and start cleaning.
Author’s Note: Today, coincidently or not, is also St. Hormisdas’ Day.  St. Hormisdas is the patron saint of stable hands.

National Zucchini Day

National Zucchini Day celebrates this versatile green fruit and all the delicious dishes we can make with it (yes, zucchini is a fruit, not a vegetable). The common zucchini is a close relative of the cucumber and the melon.
Zucchini is a type of squash that comes from Italy. In fact, the name “zucchini” comes from the word “zucchino,” which means “small squash” in Italian. The largest zucchini on record was 69.5 inches long and weighed 65 pounds! It probably wouldn’t have tasted very good though. For the best flavor, always choose a small or medium-sized zucchini.
To celebrate this holiday, plan a full dinner menu around this healthy fruit. Grill it, bake it into bread, or add it to a salad.

Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day

Another zucchini-themed holiday today is Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. Experienced gardeners know that Zucchini is one of the most prolific plants in all of the gardening world. A single plant produces a seemingly endless supply of zucchini. A small row of zucchini has the potential to end world hunger. With that in mind, Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day celebrates some of the creative ways home gardeners find to get rid of the prolific bounty from their zucchini.
By the time August arrives, gardeners are reaping far more zucchini than they can possibly use. They use it daily in an untold number of recipes, from soups and stews to bread and dips, and still, the zucchini matures on the vine faster than anyone can pick it. Zucchini growers become desperate, as they try to give zucchini away to family, friends and everyone they encounter.

National Frozen Custard Day 

Frozen custard is a cold dessert similar to ice cream, made with eggs in addition to cream and sugar. It typically contains 10% butterfat and 1.4% egg yolk. One claim traces its invention to Coney Island in 1919.  Using a process called overrun, air is blended into the mixture of ingredients until its volume increases by approximately 20%. By comparison, ice cream may have an overrun as large as 100%, meaning half of the final product is composed of air. The high percentage of butterfat and egg yolk gives the frozen custard a thick, creamy texture and a smoother, softer consistency than ice cream. Frozen custard is most often served at –8°C (18°F), warmer than the –12°C (10°F) at which ice cream is served. Another difference between frozen custard and ice cream is the way the custard is frozen. The mix enters a refrigerated tube and, as it freezes, blades scrape the product cream off the barrel walls. The now frozen custard is discharged directly into containers from which it can be served. The speed with which the product leaves the barrel minimizes the amount of air in the product but more importantly ensures that the ice crystals formed are very small. Frozen custard is usually prepared fresh at the place of sale, rather than stored; however, it is occasionally available in supermarkets or by mail order. Generally, modern frozen custard stands provide only three different flavors per day: vanilla, chocolate, and a unique “flavor of the day.” Flavor-of-the-day calendars are usually made available by the store either in paper form or online. The older vintage custard stands tend to have a dozen or so standard flavors.
So, I guess that “frozen custard” is basically what we call “soft-serve ice cream” these days. Whatever you call it, enjoy some today.

More Holidays

On This Date

  • In 1786 – The United States Congress adopted a decimal-based currency system, adopting the silver dollar as a basic American monetary unit.
  • In 1844 – After the killing of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young was chosen to lead the Mormons.
  • In 1863 – Henry Dunant founded the humanitarian International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
  • In 1876 – Inventor Thomas Edison patented the first mimeograph machine.
  • In 1890 – The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was formed.
  • In 1899 – The refrigerator was patented by A.T. Marshall.
  • In 1900 – In Boston, the first Davis Cup series began. The U.S. team defeated Great Britain three matches to zero.
  • In 1908 – Wright Brothers publicly showed off their flying machine for the first time. The aviation pioneers displayed their flying machine and its capabilities at a racecourse at Le Mans, France, 5 years after they made their first successful flight in 1903. The flight piloted by Wilbur lasted only 1 minute and 45 seconds captured the imagination of their audiences and silenced their critics and doubters.
  • In 1911 – The number of representatives in the House of Representatives was established at 435. There was one member of Congress for every 211,877 residents at the time.
  • In 1940 – The German Luftwaffe began a series of daylight air raids on Great Britain.
  • In 1945 – The United Nations Charter was signed by President Truman.
  • In 1956 – Japan launched an oil tanker that was 780 feet long and weighed 84,730 tons. It was the largest oil tanker in the world at the time.
  • In 1966 – Michael DeBakey became the first surgeon to install an artificial heart pump in a patient.
  • In 1967 – The ASEAN was Founded.  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an economic and political organization which was formed after the heads of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration. The purpose of the organization is to promote regional peace and stability and encourage economic development in the region. Today, ASEAN has 10 member states.
  • In 1969 – Photographer Iain Macmillan took his iconic Abbey Road photograph of the Beatles. One of the most recognizable images of the 20th century, the photograph was taken in the middle of Abbey Road in London and showed all the members of the popular rock band, The Beatles crossing the road on a zebra crossing. The photograph was used as a cover for their 11th album, Abbey Road.
  • In 1974 – Richard Nixon announced his resignation. The 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon’s resignation came as a response to the Watergate Scandal. The scandal erupted after it was revealed that the Nixon government was involved in the cover-up of a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Complex. The revelations prompted the Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against Nixon. His resignation made him the first president in American history to resign while in office.
  • In 1978 – The United States launched Pioneer Venus II, which carried scientific probes to study the atmosphere of Venus.
  • In 1988 –The 8888 uprising began in Myanmar. The pro-democracy uprising began as a student protest in Burma’s capital city, Yangon. Hundreds and thousands of protesters came out on the streets to protest against the one-party rule by General Ne Win. The protests lasted for over a month and were violently put down by the government. They ended after the State Peace and Development Council, a group of senior military officers took over the government in a coup and installed a military junta. The uprising got its name from the date the protest began – August 8, 1988 (8/8/88).
  • In 1989 – The space shuttle Columbia took off from Cape Canaveral, FL. The trip was said to be a secret five-day military mission.
  • In 1995 – Saddam Hussein’s two eldest daughters, their husbands, and several senior army officers defected.
  • In 2000 – The submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from ocean bottom after 136 years. The sub had been lost during an attack on the U.S.S. Housatonic in 1864. The Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink a warship.

Noteworthy Birthdays

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

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