Feb 22

FYI: Any blue text is a link. Click to check it out!

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Feb 22, 2018 Week: 08\ Day: 53

86004 Today: H 32° \ L 9° \ Average Sky Cover: 45% 

Wind ave.:   6mph\Gusts:  18mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 64°[2002]   Record Low: -10°[1955]

Feb Averages: 46°\19°

Feb Records: H: 71° (1986) L: -23° (1985)

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Today’s Quote

To the mind that is still,

the whole universe surrenders.

  Lao Tzu

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Observances This Week

16-25

Date (Fruit) Week

17-24

National Entrepreneurship Week Link
National FFA Week Link

18-24

Bird Health Awareness Week Link  
Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
National Engineers Week
Through With The Chew Link
Brotherhood / Sisterhood Week Link

20-23

American Camp Week Link
International Petroleum Week  Link
Learning Disabilities Week

22-25

American Birkenbreiner Race

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Observances for Today

Be Humble Day

Discover Girl Day
George Washington's Birthday
International World Thinking Day

Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day
National Chili Day    Link
National Margarita Day Link
Tex Avery Day Link
The Great American Spit Out  Link
Walking the Dog Day

Woolworth's Day
World Thinking Day Link

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Today’s Significant US Historical Events

≈Today’s Significant International Historical Events 

1300’s                                          

≈1349 Jews are expelled from Zurich, Switzerland

1600’s                                          

1630 Native American Indians introduce pilgrims to popcorn, at Thanksgiving

1700’s                                          

≈1746 Jacobite troops vacate Aberdeen

1784 1st US ship to trade with China, "Empress of China", sails from NY

1800’s                                          

≈1821 Spain sells (east) Florida to United States for $5 million

1854 1st meeting of Republican Party (Michigan)

1878 Greenback Labor Party forms (Toledo, Ohio)

1879 1st 5 cent & 10 cent store opened by Frank W. Woolworth in Utica, New York (failed almost immediately)

≈1881 "Cleopatra's Needle", a 3,500-year-old Ancient Egyptian obelisk is erected in Central Park, New York

00’s                                               

≈1907 1st cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London

≈1911 The Canadian Parliament resolves to maintain union with the British Empire, while controlling domestic fiscal affairs

1923 1st successful chinchilla farm in US (Los Angeles California)

1932 Purple Heart (the Badge of Military Merit) award reinstituted

1942 World War II: President Franklin Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as American defenses collapse

≈1958 Egypt & Syria form United Arab Republic (UAR)

≈1967 25,000 US & South Vietnamese troops launch Operation Junction City against Viet Cong. Largest US airborne assult since WWII

≈1972 The Official IRA bombs Aldershot military barracks, the headquarters of the British Parachute Regiment, killing seven people; thought to be in retaliation for Bloody Sunday.

≈1979 St Lucia gains independence from Britain

1980 USA beats USSR in Olympic hockey 4-3, referred to as "Miracle on Ice". USA captain Mike Eruzione scores winning goal in 3rd period

1988 Bonnie Blair skates world record 500m (39.10 sec)
1989 1st Spanish commercial on network TV (Pepsi-Cola-CBS Grammy Award)

≈1995 Steve Fossett completes 1st air balloon over Pacific Ocean (9600 km)

≈1997 Dolly the Sheep, world's first cloned mammal (from an adult cell) is announced by the Roslin Institute in Scotland

≈1998 18th Winter Olympic games close at Nagano Japan

2000’s                                          

≈2016 10 million people are without water in Delhi after caste protests in Jat sabotage the Munak water canal

2017 Jay-Z becomes 1st rapper to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

2017 US President Donald Trump overturns Obama directive on Transgender rights to use toilets

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

My Rambling Thoughts

Dr.’s visit was encouraging. I didn’t need another bloodletting. Like so many things in medicine, he doesn’t know why the CPAP works most of the time, but doesn’t work some of the time. Life’s mystery I guess.

Got my shopping done.  Decided to use the self-checkout rather than stand in a long line. Mistake! I bought two bottles of fresh grapefruit juice. Scanned one, put it in the bag. Scanned the next one and the machine said remove the unknown item. Lady comes over, waves her magic wand. I continue. She had to come over three more times for my 15 items. Then when I touched the Pay Now button the damn machine froze and said ‘help is on the way’. WTH? She came back for trip number 6. I told her I’m not an idiot and know how to scan, she smiled and said ‘don’t worry, this machine does it’s own thing all the time.’ When I got home I looked at the receipt and it only charged me for 12 items, not the 15 I bought. I thought about going back to pay, but decided their stupid machine had cheated them, not me. So I moved on with my day.  Only with limited guilt.

Over the weekend I was reading that the students in Florida were planning walk-outs and that many walkouts were being planned across the country. As an educator I was not sure this was the best idea. My thought was to let the students discuss in class. Then I listened to the students. These are highly articulate, passionate students who have lived through facing death, in their school, during school time. The walkout makes sense. The time for change is now.

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@91- Robert Young, American actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby, M.D.), born in Chicago (d. 1998)

80’s

@89- Gale Gordon, American actor and comedian (Our Miss Brooks, Here's Lucy), born in Los Angeles (d. 1995)

@89- Sheldon Leonard, American actor, producer and director (Danny Thomas Show, Big Eddie), born in NYC (d. 1997)

@88- Olave Baden-Powell, English founder of the Girl Guide (d. 1977)

@83- Robert Baden-Powell, British officer and founder of the modern scouting movement, born in Paddington, London (d. 1941)

@82- Alfred J. Gross, American inventor (invented the walkie-talkie), born in Toronto (d. 2000)

70’s

@77- Edward M "Ted" Kennedy, Politician (Sen-D-Mass 1962- 2009) born in Boston cancer (d. 2009)

60’s

68- Julius Erving, American basketball forward (Virg Squirers, NY Nets, Philadelphia 76ers), born in Nassau County, NY

@67- George Washington, 1st President of the United States (1789-97) and Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, born in Westmoreland, Virginia after bloodletting (d. 1799)

50’s

@58- Edna St Vincent Millay, poet/dramatist/feminist (Harp Weaver-Pulitzer Prize), born in Rockland, Maine heart attack (d. 1950)

@54- Oliver [William Oliver Swofford], American pop singer (Good Morning Starshine, Jean), born in North Wilkesboro, NC cancer (d. 2000)

40’s

46- Michael Chang, American tennis star (1989 French Open), born in Hoboken, NJ

@44- Steve Irwin, Australian naturalist and TV personality (The Crocodile Hunter), born in Melbourne, Victoria stingray bite (d. 2006)

43- Drew Barrymore, American actress (ET, Firestarter, Poison Ivy), born in Los Angeles

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

Historical Obits Today

90’s

@92-2017 Fritz Koenig,

German sculptor (Sphere at World Trade Center)

80’s

@88-2016 Wesley A Clark,

American computer designer (first personal computer - LINC)

@85-1827 Charles Willson Peale,

American painter remembered for his portraits of leading

figures of the American Revolution (George Washington)

@82-1965 Felix Frankfurter,

Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

@82-1832 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,

German social philosopher (Faust)

@81-2012 Billy Strange,

American singer-songwriter

60’s

@66-1987 David Susskind,

TV host (Open End, David Susskind Show),

heart attack

50’s

@58-1987 Andy Warhol,

American pop artist and film producer (Frankenstein, Bad),

heart attack

@57±- Amerigo Vespucci,

Italian explorer (America)

30’s

@32-1976 Florence Ballard,

rocker (Supremes),

heart attack

╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢╟╢

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…☼☼☼☼