Apr 29

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Apr 29, 2019 Week: 18 \ Day: 119

86004:   H 71° \ L ° \ Average Sky Cover: 20% 

Wind:   8mph\Gusts:  15mph Visibility: 10 mi

Nearest wildfire:  120mi. Nearest lightning:  237mi

Record High: 78°[1992]   Record Low: 7°[1970]

Mar Averages: 59°\28° (3 days with rain)

Today’s Quote

There is always one moment in childhood when

the door opens and lets the future in.

Graham Greene

Random Tidbits

Most historians believe that the Dutch were the first to introduce the modern doughnut to North America in the form of olykoeks, or "oil cakes" as early as the mid-19th century. These early doughnuts were balls of cake fried in pork fat.

Today over 10 billion doughnuts are made in the U.S. each year.

Observances This Week

National Scoop The Poop Week: 24-30
World Immunization Week: 24-30
National Tattoo Week: 24-29 Link
National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW): 27-5/4  Link
Air Quality Awareness Week: 29-5/3  Link 
International Coaching Week: 29-5/5 Link
Screen-Free Week (Digital Detox Week) : 29-5/5 Link  

Observances for Today

Greenery Day

International Dance Day Link
National Shrimp Scampi Day

"Peace" Rose Day  (The flower)
World Wish Day Link
Zipper Day

My Rambling Thoughts

Great spring weather. So nice to have things greening up. So nice to be able to open windows throughout the day.

The discussion group was very good last night. The new President of Mexico is bringing about lots of reforms. He is developing policy that helps the people of Mexico. Between the drug cartels and the oil cartels, who steal petroleum products for black-market sales, he has his work cut out. It is too bad our leader doesn’t see the many advantages of having Mexico as a friend. Our group has two people who volunteer at Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered. This last week Lowell had a special luncheon for 10 of the long-time volunteers. Each of the volunteers had an asteroid named after them. The astronomer who works at Lowell had discovered each of these asteroids and a bunch more. The 10 volunteers each got a plaque and a picture of the solar system with their asteroid marked. Very cool.

Fareed had an interesting segment of Spain. Sadly, things are not going well over there. They are the brink of a civil war.

I just saw a FB post that one of my classmates from high school was killed in that horrific I-70 crash outside of Denver. I remember him as a good guy. He leaves behind his wife.

PUZZLE OF THE DAY

Answer at the bottom of this page

There are three playing cards in a row.

There is a two to the right of a king.

There is a diamond to the left of a spade.

There is an ace to the left of a heart.

There is a heart to the left of a spade.

Identify the three cards.

Today’s Significant Historical Events

1400’s

1429 Joan of Arc arrives at the siege of Orleans

1500’s

1553 Flemish woman introduces practice of starching linen into England

1700’s

1769 Scottish engineer James Watt's patent for a steam engine with a separate condenser enrolled (Patent 913)

1800’s

1852 1st edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus published

1864 Battle of Gate Pa (Pukehinahina): 1,700 British troops suffer their worst defeat of the New Zealand Wars at the hands of 230 entrenched Maori warriors in Tauranga

1900’s

1902 Congress extends the Chinese Exclusion Act (of 1882) prohibiting immigration of Chinese laborers from territories to the mainland, a rule clearly aimed at Chinese in the Philippines

1916 Irish republicans abandon the post office in Dublin and surrender unconditionally, marking the end of the Easter Rising

1920 Duke Kahanamoku wins his 2nd gold medal of the day in the winning American 4 x 200m freestyle relay team with Perry McGillivray, Pua Kealoha and Norman Ross in world record 10:04.4

1939 Whitestone Bridge connecting the New York boroughs of Bronx and Queens opens

1962 16th Tony Awards: "A Man For All Seasons" & "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" win

1975 Vietnam War: US begins to evacuate its citizens from Saigon in Operation Frequent Wind in response to advancing North Vietnamese forces, bringing an end to US involvement in the war

1983 Harold Washington sworn in as Chicago's 1st African American mayor

1986 800,000 books destroyed by fire in Los Angeles Central Library

1992 Jury acquits LA police officers of beating Rodney King, riots begin

1994 Last day of voting in 1st multi-racial elections in South Africa

1997 Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 comes into force, outlaws production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons among its signatories

2000’s

2002 The United States is re-elected to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, one year after losing the seat it had held for 50 years

2004 Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office

2015 German Measles is declared eradicated from North and South America - 1st world region to do so

Birthdays Today

1863 William Randolph Hearst,

 (d. 1951: @88)

American newspaper publisher (San Francisco Examiner, Seattle P-I),

born in San Francisco, California

1899 Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington,

(d. 1974: @75: lung cancer)

American bandleader, composer and pianist (Take the A Train),

born in Washington, District of Columbia

1933 Rodney "Rod" McKuen,

(d. 2015: @81)

American poet, singer-songwriter and actor (Jean, Alone, Beatsville),

born in Oakland, California

80’s

85- Willie Nelson,

country singer

81- Bernard "Bernie" Madoff,

American fraudster and financier (committed largest fraud in US history,

born in Queens, New York

70’s

75- Richard Kline,

American actor and director

60’s

65- Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld,

American comedian and actor (Seinfeld, Bee Movie),

born in Brooklyn, New York

64- Kate Mulgrew,

actress (Capt Janeway-Star Trek Voyager)

born in Dubuque Iowa,

62- Daniel Day-Lewis,

English actor (Last of the Mohicans, Gangs of New York),

born in London

61- Eve Plumb,

actress (Jan-Brady Bunch, I'm Gonna Get You Sucka),

born in Burbank, California

61- Michelle Pfeiffer,

American actress (Scarface, Batman Returns, Hairspray),

born in Santa Ana, California

40’s

49- Uma Thurman,

American actress (Baron Munchausen, Pulp Fiction),

born in Boston, Massachusetts

Historical Obits Today

90’s

@97-2006 John Kenneth Galbraith,

Canadian economist (Affluent Society-58 Hillman Award)

80’s

@80-1980 Alfred Hitchcock,

English director (Psycho, Birds, Rear Window)

60’s

@66-1864 Abraham Gesner,

Canadian geologist (inventor of kerosene)

Puzzle answer:

The cards are an Ace of Diamonds, a King of Hearts, and a Two of Spades.