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Almanac: Week: 19 \ Day: 126
May
Averages: 68°\35°
86004
Today: H 58°\L 38° Average Sky Cover: 75%
Wind
ave: 9mph\Gusts: 24mph
Ave. High: 64° Record High: 82°
(1947) Ave. Low: 32° Record
Low: 14° (1975)
« » « »
Observances Today:
Asthma
Day No
Diet Day
Beverage
Day No
Homework Day
Bike
To School Day No
Pants Day
Great
American Grump Out Nurses
Day or National RN Recognition Day
Joseph
Brackett Day Occupational
Safety & Health Day
Military
Spouse Appreciation Day School
Nurse Day
National
Tourist Appreciation Day
« »
Observances This Week:
1-7
Choose Privacy Week
2-10 National Tourism Week
3-9
Be
Kind To Animals Week National Anxiety & Depression
Awareness Week
Children's Mental Health Week National
Correctional Officer's Week
Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week National
Family Week
Drinking Water Week National
Hug Holiday Week
Dystonia Awareness Week National
Pet Week
Flexible Work Arrangement Week National
Post Card Week
Goodwill Industries Week National
Raisin Week
Kids Win Week NAOSH
Week
Public
Service Recognition Week
National Alcohol & Drug Related Birth Defects Awareness Week
4-10
Children's
Book Week PTA
Teacher Appreciation Week
National Occupational Safety &
Health Week Screen-Free Week
Screen-Free Week
National Small Business Week Teacher
Appreciation Week
National Wildflower Week
« »
Quote of the Day
« »
US Historical Highlights for Today
1626 - Dutch
colonist Peter Minuit buys Manhattan Island from local
Indians for 60 guilders worth of trinkets
1822 - All nonprofit
government trading houses are closed on or near
Indian lands. All future trading posts are
commercial enterprises.
1833 - John
Deere makes 1st steel plough
1835 - James
Bennett, Sr. publishes 1st issue of the New York Herald (1 cent)
1851 - Dr John
Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine"
1851 - Linus Yale patents Yale lock
1861 - Arkansas
& Tennessee becomes 9th & 10th states to secede from US
1861 - Jefferson
Davis approves a bill declaring War between US & Confederacy
1882 - Chinese
Exclusion Act: US Congress ceases Chinese immigration
1890 - Mormon
Church renounces polygamy [1006-Truth Restored (Morman pub)]
1918 - The government
announces that it will cancel summer tourist rates
to cooler spots. The Arizona Corporation
Commission objects stating
that Arizonans need the opportunity to escape
brutal heat.
1921 - American
Soccer League forms
1935 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Audrey Wurdemann
(Bright Ambush)
1940 - Pulitzer
prize awarded to John Steinbeck (Grapes of Wrath)
1941 - At California's
March Field, Bob Hope performs his first USO show
1945 - World War II: Axis Sally delivers her last
propaganda broadcast
1946 - Pulitzer
prize awarded to Arthur M Schlesinger (Age of Jackson)"
1957 - Pulitzer prize awarded to John F Kennedy (Profiles
in Courage)
1960 - US
President Eisenhower signs Civil Rights Act of 1960
1963 - Pulitzer
prize awarded to Barbara Tuchman (Guns of August)
1979 - Nancy
Lopez wins LPGA Women's International Golf Tournament
1987 - Gary
Hart denies affair with model Donna Rice
2013 - Wal-Mart becomes the largest company by
revenue on the Fortune 500 list
2013 - The US Senate passes a bill enabling taxing
of online sales
« »
Today’s World Events through History
1527 - Spanish
& German Imperial troops sack Rome; ending Renaissance
1682 - Louis
XIV of France moves his court to Versailles
1753 - French
King Louis XV observes transit of Mercury at Mendon Castle
1889 - Exposition
Universelle (World Fair) opens in Paris - Eiffel Tower
1910 - George V becomes
King of UK upon the death of his father, Edward VII
1937 - German
airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, NJ (36 die)
1941 - Joseph
Stalin became premier of Russia
1967 - Zakir Hussain elected 1st Muslim president
of India
1969 - Northern
Ireland Prime Minister Chichester-Clark announces an
amnesty for all offences associated with
demonstrations since 5
October 1968, resulting in the release of,
among others, Ian Paisley
and Ronald Bunting
1994 - Channel
tunnel linking England & France officially opens
1994 - Nelson
Mandela and the ANC, finally confirmed winners in
South Africa's 1st post-apartheid election
« » « »
♫ Birthdays Today: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthday’s Today
« » « »
My Rambling Thoughts
Cloudy with rain last night. So I headed out to get a birthday present
for a friend. Just as I got to the highway, it started sprinkling. The store is
only about 1 mile from my place, so I kept going. Got in, bought what I needed.
As I walked back to the car it was a light rain. Drove home and just as I
pulled in, the clouds opened up with a torrential rain. Parked and ran to the
house…clothes go very damp. Rained for about ½ hour, then just on and off the
rest of the day. May is usually a very dry month, so I am not complaining about
any moisture our dry forest receives…even if I rust a little.
Happily my vision is much better today after the right eye laser
yesterday. NICE!
Yeah, AZ is in the headlines…again. The two crazies who killed a
cop in Texas to protest the Anti-Muslim Cartoon thing were living in the
Phoenix area. Embarrassing for sure.
« » « »
Brain Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
What
has wings,
But can not fly.
Is enclosed,
But can outside also lie.
Can open itself up,
Or close itself away.
Is the place of kings and queens,
And doggerel of every means.
What is it upon which I stand?
Which can lead us to different lands.
« » « »
Found on You Tube with some
relevance to today
« » « »
…Cat
Facts…
A group of kittens is called a "kindle".
The station master and operating officer at the Kishi Station,
Japan, is a cat!
…Cool
Facts…
During the 1930’s depression, Australian businessman Sidney Myer
provided Christmas dinner for 10,000 unemployed people, including a gift for
every child.
In Ukraine, there's a thousand-foot-deep salt mine that is used to
treat respiratory ailments. Inside, there is substantially less bacteria in the
air than in the most sterile room in a hospital.
Each year, Canada Post receives a million letters addressed to
"Santa Claus, The North Pole, H0H 0H0". They reply to everyone.
…Flagstaff,
AZ History…
50 YEARS AGO-1965
~The new Ponderosa Pulp Mill is expected to employ 150 to 175 men,
according to Donald K. Miller, general plant manager. The July 1 target date
for opening has been much delayed by this winter’s storms. The mill is being
engineered to utilize a completely closed “White Water” recovery system so the
water will be used over and over again. The city and the mill have agreed that the
mill will drill a new well in the Lake Mary field.
~The City Council has proceeded with the sale of $204,000 in
general obligation sewer bonds for the expansion of the present plant and has
accepted a grant to cover some of the cost from the federal government through
the Public Health Department.
…Harper’s
Index…
3/4--Portion
of American police officers who are white
10--Percentage
of white Americans who say police do a poor job protecting people from crime
33--Of
black Americans who say so
…100
People…
If the World were 100 PEOPLE:
26 would be children
There would be 74 adults,
8 of whom
would be 65 and older
…Murphy’s
Real Laws…
8. Seen it all. Done it all. Can't remember most of it.
9. Those who live by the
sword get shot by those who don't.
…Unusual Fact
of the Day…
Tug of War was an Olympic event from 1900 to 1920
« » « »
2 jokes
for the day
Building Security has notified us that there
have been 5 suspected terrorists working at our office. Four of the five have
been apprehended. Bin Sleeping, Bin Loafing, Bin Gossiping, and Bin Surfing
have been taken into custody. Security advised us that they could find no one
fitting the description of the fifth cell member, Bin Working, in the office.
Police are confident that anyone who looks like Bin Working will be very easy
to spot. They thought they had apprehended Bin Working sitting at a desk, but
it was actually Bin Surfing trying to impersonate Bin Working.
« »
This guy wins the lottery and decides to buy
the nicest car he could find. He buys a Ferrari.
It went 320 mph, had a V-12 engine, and went from 0-60 in 3 seconds. He thought
nobody would be able to pass him.
He decided to show his car off around town. He approaches a stoplight and at
that stoplight came an old guy on a moped.
The old guy says, "Nice car you have there can I take a look inside."
The man says, "Sure look around all you want."
When the old guy came out he said the car was all right. The guy who owned the
Ferrari was pissed. His car was more than all right.
So he decides to show the old man what his car could do. When the light turned
green the man accelerated to 140 mph.
Just as the guy thought he had lost the old man he saw a black dot in his rear
view mirror and it was gaining on him. IT WAS THE OLD GUY ON THE MOPED.
The moped passed the Ferrari. The guy in the Ferrari was like "No
way." He then sped up to 240 mph and dusted the moped.
But just as the guy in the Ferrari thought he had it made he saw a black dot in
his rear view mirror and it was gaining on him. IT WAS THE OLD GUY ON THE
MOPED.
The moped passed him again. The guy in the Ferrari was getting mad, how could a
moped do this. The guy then said, "That’s it" and floored it.
He blazed past the old man going 320 mph. The guy in the Ferrari said
"There’s no way he can pass me now." But just as he said that he saw
a black dot in his rear view mirror and it was gaining on him. IT WAS THE OLD
GUY ON THE MOPED.
There was nothing the guy in the Ferrari could do. He was going as fast as he
could. But this time the guy on the moped didn't pass him; it hit the back of
his car.
The guy in the Ferrari stopped immediately and ran to the old man. Amazingly
the old man was still alive. The guy asked the old man if there was anything he
could do. The old man replied, "Unhook my suspenders off of your
mirror."
« »
Yep, It
Really Happened
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Twenty-five years ago today, April 24, 1990,
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope -- the world's preeminent orbital observatory --
was launched into low Earth orbit. For last quarter-century, it's been
capturing stunning images of deep space and the celestial bodies that populate
it.
Hubble's construction began in the 1970s. It's launch was originally slated for
1983, but its completion was delayed nearly a decade by technical challenges
and budget issues. But the massive mirrored telescope, orbiting just 100 miles
beyond the International Space Station, quickly proved it was worth the wait.
"Hubble has completely transformed our view of the universe, revealing the
true beauty and richness of the cosmos," John Grunsfeld, astronaut and
associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a press
release. "This vista of starry fireworks and glowing gas is a fitting
image for our celebration of 25 years of amazing Hubble science."
A series of upgrades over the years has resulted in an increasingly impressive
resolution, delivering remarkable photos of faraway galaxies, nebulas and
supernovas.
More than just provide pretty pictures, Hubble's observations advanced the work
of astronomers in understanding the vast universe. Its data helped scientists
estimate the universe's age more accurately. Its observations also led to the
realization that the universe is still expanding. Its imagery allowed
researchers to better understand the relationship between galaxies and massive
black holes.
And the the world's most famous telescope isn't done. NASA officials suggest
its scientific life will continue well into the next decade. But all good
things must come to an end; the telescope will have to be replaced eventually.
Sometime between 2030 and 2040, a combination of atmospheric drag and solar
activity will push and pull back into Earth's atmosphere.
« »
Somewhat
Useless Information
For
a while, each Girl Scout council could choose its own baker, and at one point
there were 29 different companies making the cookies. To streamline the
process, that number went down to four in the late 1970s, and in the 1990s, it
decreased even further to two: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
The cookies were first sold in 1917. Back then, the scouts baked the cookies
themselves and sold them door to door. By the 1920s, they were using a simple
sugar cookie recipe, perhaps based on one published in a July 1922 issue of The
American Girl magazine. In 1935, the words "Girl Scout Cookies"
appeared on the boxes for the first time, and in 1936, the national
organization began using commercial bakers.
Samoas, second in sales only to the iconic Thin Mints, were added to the Little
Brownie cookie line in 1975. No one seems sure where the name Samoa comes from.
One popular theory is the coconut connection. Of the island Samoa's top
exports, number eight is coconut oil while number 15 is coconuts, brazil nuts,
and cashews.
A trefoil is a kind of three-leafed plant-hence the shape of the shortbread cookie
with the same name. The word trefoil comes from the Latin trifolium,
"three leaf." The trefoil is also the emblem of both the Girl Scouts
of the U.S. and the Girl Guides of Canada.
If the name Savannah Smiles sounds familiar, that's because it was a 1982
family-friendly movie about an unhappy little girl named Savannah who runs away
from home, but in the end is happily reunited with her mother. However, the
actress who played Savannah, Bridgette Andersen, didn't have such a happy
ending; she died of an apparent drug overdose at age 21.
While the Girl Guides of Canada were established two years before the Girl
Scouts, they began selling cookies later, in 1927. Past cookie varieties
included vanilla crème, maple cream, and shortbread, but nowadays, the Canadian
cookie selection is much more streamlined than the Girl Scouts'. In the spring
they offer "classic chocolate and vanilla cookies," and in the fall,
their version of Thin Mints: Chocolately Mint cookies.
« »« »
Birthday’s Today
84 - Willie Mays, baseball
centerfielder (Giants, NY Mets)
70 - Bob Seger, singer
60 - Tom Bergeron, TV
Host
55 - Roma Downey, Derry Ireland, actress (Touched
by an Angel)
54 - George Clooney,
Lexington Kentucky, actor (ER, Batman)
« »
Remembered for being born today
- Phebe Ann Coffin,
1st female ordained minister in New England1829-1921@92
- Sigmund Freud,
Austrian neurologist and father of psychology 1856-1939@83
- Amedos Peter
Giannine, founded Bank of America1870-1949@79
- John
McCutcheon, cartoonist (Pulitzer Prize-1931) 1870-1949@79
- Rubin "Hurricane"
Carter, boxer-murder overturned-19 years in prison1937-2014@76
- Theodore
H White, historian/writer (Making of President) 1915-1986@71
- Orson Welles [George],
actor (Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds) 1915-1985@70
- Maximilien Robespierre,
French revolutionary1758 -1794@36
- Rudolph Valentino,
Castellaneta Italy, sheik/actor (Eagle) 1895-1926@31
« » « »
Historical Obits Today
Marlene
Dietrich, [Maria Losch], actress (Angel), 1992@90
George
Lindsey, actor (Goober Pyle), 2012@83
Maria
Montessori, Italian physician/educationist-1952@81
William J
Casey, director of CIA (1981-87), brain tumor-1987@73
Francisco de Paula Santander,
Colombia pres.\independence leader-1840@47
Henry
David Thoreau, US writer/pacifist (Walden Pond), TB-1862@44
« » « »
Brain Teasers Answers
A Stage.
« » « »
Disclaimer: All opinions are mine…feel free to agree or
disagree.
All ‘data’ info is from the internet sites and is usually
checked with at least one other source, but I have learned that every site contains
mistakes and sadly once the information is out there, many sites simply copy it
and is therefore difficult to verify. Also for events occurring before the
Gregorian calendar was adopted [1582] the dates may not be totally accurate.
§…And That Is All
for Now…§
