Dec 2

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Dec 2, 2018 Week: 49 \ Day: 336

86004 Today: H 34° \ L 24° \ Average Sky Cover: 5% 

Wind:   9mph\Gusts:  -mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 62°[1946]   Record Low: -5°[1991]

Nov Averages: 43°\17°

Today’s Quote

Courage is found in unlikely places.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Random Tidbits

Knock On Wood: This expression comes from Pagans, who believed that all living materials were imbued with spiritual properties, including trees. When they were cut down though, the spirit inside the tree would die and become hollow. It was at this point that evil spirits, like sprites, could take over the item and concoct ways to ruin the plans and hopes of people in the area. Fortunately, if someone knocked on the wood, it would drive away the malevolent spirits and prevent any potential misfortunes from occurring.

Breaking A Mirror Causes Seven Years Bad Luck: The Romans were the first people to create glass mirrors. They also believed that their invention had the potential to steal part of the soul of the person using it. If a person's reflection were distorted while using a mirror, then their soul would be corrupted and trapped as a result. Fortunately, the Romans believed your soul could be renewed - after seven years time. Until that point though, the person would suffer from bad luck since they did not have a whole, healthy soul to fight off evil.

More Observances This Month

           

Operation Santa Paws (1-17)
Safe Toys and Gifts Month
Spiritual Literacy Month
Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking (TANYRSS) (12/17 - 2/2)
Universal Human Rights Month Link
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Youngsters on The Air Month  Link

Observances This Week

           

Nov 27-12/2

National Deal Week

1-7

Cookie Cutter Week Link
National Hand Washing Awareness Week Link  
Recipe Greetings For The Holidays Week
Computer Science Education Week  Link

2-6
International Coelenterate Biology Week Link
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week Link  

Observances for Today

           

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery Day
National Fritters Day

National Mutt Day Link 
Safety Razor Day
Special Education Day

Today’s Significant Historical Events

1800’s

1823 President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine", a US foreign policy regarding Latin America

1845 Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West

1859 Abolitionist John Brown hung for murder, treason and conspiring slaves to revolt at Charles Town, Virginia

1867 In a New York City theater, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States

1899 US & Germany agree to divide Samoa between them

1900’s

1901 King C. Gillette begins selling safety razor blades

1927 1st Model A Ford sold, for $385

1942 World’s 1st self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurs in Chicagi Pile-1 (world's 1st nuclear reactor) at the University of Chicago, overseen by Enrico Fermi

1950 "I Robot" collection of sci-fi short stories by Isaac Asimov published by Genome Press in the US

1954 US Senate censures Joeseph McCarthy (Sen-R-Wisc) for "conduct that tends to bring Senate into dishonor & disrepute"

1960 Paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey discovers 1.4 million year old Homo erectus (Olduvai Hominid 9) in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

1967 1st human heart transplant performed in South Africa by Dr Christiaan Barnard on Louis Washkansky

1971 Soviet space probe Mars 3 is first to soft land on Mars

1971 United Arab Emirates (Trucial States) declares independence from UK

1990 First time 12 people in space at the same time

2000’s

2014 Stephen Hawking claims that Artificial Intelligence could be a "threat to mankind" and spell the end of the human race

2016 Donald Trump takes a call with Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen, in a break from America's long standing "One China" policy

My Rambling Thoughts

Blue sky and melting snow as I await the next storm, due late today…maybe.

All the news channels are running many stories of Bush-41. He passed last night at 94. RIP

Focus Travel Club is having a great time in NYC. Posting lots of pics and commentary. Nice. The trip is so popular, a second trip is heading out next week…tours, plays, museums, great food.

Birthdays Today

@-  indicates age at death

80’s

@85- Alexander Haig Jr,

American General and 59th Secretary of State (1981-82), born in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (d. 2010)

60’s

64- Stone Phillips,

news host (NBC Dateline)

@63- Charles Ringling,

American circus owner (d. 1926)

50’s

@50- Gianni Versace,

Italian fashion designer (Versace), born in Reggio Calabria, Italy (d. 1997) murdered

50- Lucy Liu,

American actress

40’s

40- Nelly Furtado,

Canadian singer and songwriter

30’s

37- Britney Spears,

American popstar ("Baby One More Time," "Oops! ...I did it again" and "I'm A Slave 4 U"), born in McComb, Mississippi

@31- Georges Seurat,

French post-impressionist painter (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte), born in Paris, France (d. 1891) diptheria?/hepatitis?

Historical Obits Today

@-  indicates age at death

90’s

@90-1990 Aaron Copland,

American composer (Billy the Kid, Fanfare for Common Man)

70’s

@79-1972 Ip Man,

Chinese martial artist, and a master teacher of Wing Chun, throat cancer

@77-2008 Odetta [Odetta Holmes],

American folk singer (Sanctuary), actress and civil rights activist, heart disease

@74-1814 Marquis de Sade,

French philosopher and writer (Justine): The words sadism and sadist are derived from his name.

60’s

@69-1986 Desi Arnaz,

Cuban-American actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy), lung cancer

@66-1995 Roxie Roker,

Bahamian-American actress (The Jeffersons- Helen Willis), breast cancer

@61±-1547 Hernán Cortés,

Spanish conquistador (defeated the Aztec Empire and colonized large parts of Mexico), pleurisy

50’s

@59-1859 John Brown,

American abolitionist and revolutionary (Harpers Ferry), hanged

40’s

@48-1982 Marty Feldman,

comedian (Young Frankenstein), heart attack