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Almanac: Week: 27 \ Day: 182
July Averages: 82°\50°
86004 Today: H 88°\L 56° Average Sky Cover: 50%
Wind ave: 2mph\Gusts: 18mph
Ave.
High: 82° Record High: 96° (1970) Ave. Low: 47° Record Low:
22° (1955)
§ § § § §
Observances Today:
Creative
Ice Cream Flavors Day
International
Joke Day
National
GSA Employee Day
Second
Half of The Year Day
U.S.
Postage Stamp Day
Zip
Code Day-1963
--
Canada
Day (Canada-1867)
Half-Year
Day (China)
Independence
Day (Burundi-1962-from Belgium)
Independence
Day (Rwanda-1962 from Belgium)
Ramadan
(Islam)
Republic
Day (Ghana-1960)
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Observances This Month:
Air-Conditioning
Appreciation Days
Alopecia Month for Women
Bereaved Parents Awareness Month
Bioterrorism/Disaster Education & Awareness Month
Cell Phone Courtesy Month
Day of the Knife
Dog Days (7/3 to 8/11)
Family Golf Month
Fragile X Awareness
Month
Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month
Herbal/Prescription Interaction Awareness Month
Independent Retailer Month
International Blondie and Deborah Harry Month
International Group B Strep Awareness Month
International Women with
Alopecia Month
International Zine Month
Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month
National Black Family Month
National Blueberries Month
National Child-Centered Divorce Month
National Cleft &
Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month
National Cord Blood
Awareness Month
National "Doghouse Repairs" Month
National Grilling Month
National Ice Cream Month
National Horseradish Month
National Hot Dog Month
National Make A Difference to Children Month
National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month
National Parks & Recreation Month
National Share A Sunset With Your Lover Month
National Vacation Rental Month
National Wheelchair Beautification Month
Sandwich Generation Month
Share A Sunset With Your Lover Month
Smart Irrigation Month
Social Wellness Month
Tour de France Month
Wheat Month
Women's Motorcycle Month
Worldwide Bereaved Parents Month
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Observances This Week:
National
Unassisted Homebirth Week: 1-7
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Quote of the Day
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US Historical Highlights for Today
1656 - 1st Quakers (Mary Fisher/Ann Austin) arrives
in Boston (arrested)
1675 - First scalps are taken by whites in "King
Philip's War."
1861 - 1st public schoolhouse opens at Washington
& Mason St, SF
1862 - Congress outlaws polygamy for the 1st time
1862 - US Internal Revenue Law imposes 1st federal
taxes on inheritance, tobacco & on incomes over $600 (progressive rate)
1874 - 1st US kidnapping for ransom, 4-year-old
Charles Ross, $20,000
1874 - 1st US zoo opens (Philadelphia)
1874 - San Xavier Reservation
was set aside by Executive Order for the use of the Tohono O'Odham tribe.
1907 - World's 1st air force established (US Army)
1916 - Coca-Cola brings current coke formula to the
market
1929 - US cartoonist Elzie Segar creates
"Popeye"
1931 - Ice vending machines introduced in LA 25
lbs, 15 cents
1934 - 1st x-ray photo of entire body, Rochester, NY
1941 - Bulova Watch Co pays $9 for 1st ever network
TV commercial
1972 - "Hair" closes at Biltmore Theater
NYC after 1750 performances
1972 - Ms. magazine begins publishing
1984 - The PG-13 rating is introduced by the MPAA.
2014 - The US
Supreme Court rules that family-owned corporations can reject provision of
'Obamacare' on religious grounds
¤ ¤
Today’s World Events through History
1200 - In China, sunglasses are invented
1517 - 1st burning of Protestants at stake in
Netherlands
1535 - Sir Thomas More goes on trial in England
charged with treason
1858 - 1st Canadian coins minted (1, 5, 10 and 20
cent)
1858 - The joint reading of Charles Darwin and
Alfred Russel Wallace's papers on evolution to the Linnean Society.
1867 - The Dominion of Canada is formed, comprising
the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario & Quebec, with John
A. Macdonald serving as the first Prime Minister
1873 - Prince Edward Island becomes 7th Canadian
province
1896 - Wilfrid Laurel sworn in as 1st French
speaking premier of Canada
1903 - 1st Tour de France bicycle race begins
1904 - 3rd modern Olympic games opens in St Louis
1905
- Albert Einstein introduces his theory
of relativity
1937 - Britain begins using 999 emergency phone
number
1959 - World Refugee Year begins
1960 - Fidel Castro nationalizes Esso, Shell
& Texaco in Cuba
1966 - The first color television transmission in
Canada takes place from Toronto.
1967 - 1st British color TV broadcast, on BBC 2
1968 - US, Britain, USSR & 58 nations sign
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
1972 - The first Gay Pride march in England takes
place.
1979 - Sony introduces the Walkman.
1997 - Britain hands Hong Kong and the New
Territories - ceded in 1841 - to the People's Republic of China.
1999 - The Scottish Parliament is officially opened
by Queen Elizabeth on the day powers are officially transferred from the old
Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.
§ § § § §
♫ Birthdays
Today: ♫
How many can you identify? Answers below in Birthdays Today
§ § § § §
My Rambling Thoughts
Today was a good day, especially after yesterday. To end the day
yesterday, we had a huge thunderstorm for about 2 hours. Many would call it a ‘male’
rain—noisy with big raindrops. One lightning strike was in our commons area,
about 20 yards from my front door. I think it blew out my office TV as the TV
comes on, but won’t recognize any channels even after getting a new cable box. Bummer.
Listening to NPR and was just interrupted by that squawking noise
that another severe thunderstorm is headed this way and to take cover immediately.
It is between Flag and Sedona and hopefully the worst will miss my place, but
it is getting dark outside.
Got lots of errands run. Warm but not too hot.
Hope you enjoyed the Leap Second yesterday. I spent my Leap
Second, + a little more watching spendyourleapsecondhere.com,
a John Oliver site on how to enjoy your Leap Second…press the red button for
more ways. There are lots and they are good.
I remember when the SCOTUS decided that Bush beat Gore. I don’t
recall Gore or anyone else suggesting that the SCOTUS be disbanded, set up by
public vote, or offering any changes…I do remember Gore speaking and saying
that the Supreme Court has spoken and that is now the law of the land. Now
after a couple of SCOTUS decisions that the right doesn’t like, every single
Presidential candidate in the Republican Party has a plan to change the SCOTUS.
Guess that is part of being on the right…it is our way or the highway—always.
So sad and their lives must be so unhappy.
§ § § § §
Brain Teasers
(answers at the end of post)
Before
I came, confusion abounded.
I'm late, I'm late was frequently sounded.
I'm not average, but was based on a mean.
My size, in theory, is constant: fifteen.
I'm two dozen steps, again in theory.
But walk my length and you'd get weary.
I take half and quarter steps at times.
In reality, I don't follow the lines.
I shrink to nothing in two cold extremes.
Over a thousand miles wide in the betweens.
What am I?
§ § § § §
Found on You Tube with some relevance to today
§ § § § §
…Cool Facts…
All humans have the ability to see ultraviolet light, but it is
passively filtered out by the eye's lens. People who undergo surgery to remove
the lens can detect ultraviolet light.
Listening to music while working helps to create a positive mood,
and helps you to become more productive.
¤ ¤
…Flagstaff, AZ
History…
50 YEARS
AGO-1965
The Fire Department extinguished a paper and sawdust fire at the
Ponderosa Paper Mill on Wednesday. Fire Chief James Samson.
Thursday there was a brush fire on Mount Elden. Equipment was
rushed to the scene and, with cooperation between the Flagstaff Fire Department
and Coconino Forest teams, it was out in two hours.
¤ ¤
…Harper’s Index…
40 – number of
workers paid to imitate langur cries of danger to clear New Delhi of rhesus
monkeys during President Obama’s recent visit
¤ ¤
… Relationship Fact…
When two strangers are forced to talk and maintain eye contact for
a while, it can make them fall in love.
¤ ¤
…Unusual Fact of
the Day…
Chinese judges in the 15th century used darkened
lenses (sunglasses) to hide their facial expressions in court.
§ § § § §
2 jokes for the day
Teacher: "Kids, what does the chicken
give you?"
Student: "Meat!"
Teacher: "Very good! Now what does the pig give you?"
Student: "Bacon!"
Teacher: "Great! And what does the fat cow give you?"
Student: "Homework!"
¤ ¤
A child asked his father, "How were people
born?" So his father said, "Adam and Eve made babies, then their
babies became adults and made babies, and so on." The child then went to
his mother, asked her the same question and she told him, "We were monkeys
then we evolved to become like we are now." The child ran back to his
father and said, "You lied to me!" His father replied, "No, your
mom was talking about her side of the family."
¤ ¤
Yep, It Really
Happened
NYC - Gregory
Reddick, 54, and his employer, SJQ Sightseeing Tours, filed a lawsuit in June
against New York City for "harass(ing)" them and hampering their
ability to rip off tourists, specifically, interfering with their
"right" to sell tickets for $200 or more for trips on the Staten
Island Ferry -- which is actually free to ride. Reddick was wearing an
(unauthorized) "Authorized Ticket Agent" jacket when arrested, and
according to a New York Post account, believes he operates legally because he
misunderstands a technicality in a 2013 court case. Prosecutors, who described
the waterfront tourist-exploitation scene as "the wild west," found
Reddick with seven dates of birth, five aliases and six Social Security
numbers.
¤ ¤
Somewhat Useless
Information
Today's
Random Fact:
Chinese Food. All across America, Chinese buffets offer endless arrays of
beautiful, deep-fried, grease-soaked food. General Tso's chicken, chop suey,
egg rolls, chow mein, fortune cookies. What do all these dishes have in common?
They were all invented in America. Chinese people typically eat rice with
vegetables and maybe a little meat. And it's not battered or fried, and it's
certainly not filled with cheese. That's all American. USA!
***
Fajitas.
In 1984, Texas A&M lecturer Homero Recio traced fajita history back to the
ranches of 1930s south and west Texas. According to Recio, the Mexican cowboys,
known as vaqueros, working in Texas often received throwaway scraps as part of
their pay, including the cow's diaphragm. The diaphragm, which we now call a
skirt steak, is covered with a tough membrane that allowed the vaqueros to
grill it outdoors directly on open mesquite coals - the prototypical fajita.
§ § § § §
Birthdays Today
99 - Olivia de Havilland, Tokyo Japan,
actress (Adventures of Robin Hood)
84 - Leslie Caron, French-American actress
(Gigi, Father Goose)
81 - Jamie Farr, Toledo Oh, actor
(Klinger-M*A*S*H, AfterMASH)
70 - Deborah Harry, singer (Blondie-Heart of
Glass)
64 - Daryl Anderson, actor (Animal-Lou Grant)
63 - Dan Aykroyd, Ottawa Canada,
comedian/actor (SNL, Dragnet)
54 - Carl Lewis [Frederick], sprinter
and long jumper (Oly-9 gold-84-96)
53 - Andre Braugher, actor (Frank
Pembleton-Homicide),
48 - Pamela Anderson Lee, playmate (Feb 90/Baywatch)
38 - Liv Tyler,
NYC, actress and daughter of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler
¤ ¤
Born this day…Died in __@__
Estée
Lauder, CEO (Estée Lauder cosmetics) 2004-@95
Margaret
A Brewer, American soldier, 1st female General officer Marine Corps
2013@82
Jean-Victor
Poncelet, mathematician, founded projective geometry 1867@79
Billy
Wyler, director (Ben Hur, Mrs Miniver) 1981@79
Karen
Black, American actress (5 Easy Pieces, Pyx), 2013@74
Robert S
Ball, Irish mathematician/astronomer 1913@73
Irna
Phillips, created 6 soap operas incl. Guiding Light 1973@72
Diana
Spencer, Sandringham England, Princess of Wales, 1997@36
§ § § § §
Historical Obits Today
R
Buckminster Fuller, inventor/philosopher, 1983@87
Harriet
Beecher Stowe, American author (Uncle Tom's Cabin)-1986@85
Marlon
Brando, American actor ("The Godfather")-2004@ 80
Walter
Matthau, American actor, cancer-2000@79
Robert
Mitchum, actor (Winds of War), cancer-1997@79
Juan
Perón, President of Argentina (1946-55, 73-74), heart attack-1974@78
Herbie
Mann, American jazz flutist, cancer-2003@73
Allan
Pinkerton, American private detective-1894@64
Charles
Goodyear, American inventor, grief-1860@59
Michael
Landon, actor (Bonanza, Hwy to Heaven), cancer-1991@54
§ § § § §
Brain Teasers Answers
Time zones.
Before the invention of standard time zones, each city or region could have its
own local time. This became increasingly awkward as railways and
telecommunications improved.
Originally, time zones based their time on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Mean
solar time is defined by the rotation of the Earth, which is not constant in
rate. Starting January 1, 1972, a new system was used, Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC), which used a fixed rate and added leap seconds when necessary to
compensate for variations in the rotation of the Earth.
In theory, there are 24 time zones, making each a constant 15 degrees of
longitude apart. A time zone varies in width from zero miles at both poles to
over 1000 miles at the equator.
In reality, there are about 40 time zones, and the border between time zones is
irregular, following political or geographical boundaries. The island of
Newfoundland, India, and parts of Australia use half-hour deviations from
standard time, and some nations use quarter-hour deviations.
Canada's Sir Sandford Fleming first proposed time zones for the entire world in
1876. Most major countries had adopted hourly time zones by 1929.
§ § § § §
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…§
