Feb 26

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Feb 26, 2019 Week: 09 \ Day: 57

86004 Today: H 45° \ L 19° \ Average Sky Cover: 20% 

Wind:   2mph\Gusts:  5mph Visibility: 10 mi

Record High: 71°[1976]   Record Low: -7°[1977]

FebAverages: 45°\19°

Today’s Quote

I put my heart and my soul into my work, and

have lost my mind in the process.

Vincent Van Gogh

Observances This Week

National Justice for Animals Week: 24-3/2 Link  Link
National Pasty Week: 24-3/2  Link
Telecommuter Appreciation Week: 24-3/2 
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: 25-3/3
National Invasive Species Awareness Week: 25-3/1 Link
International Petroleum Week: 26-28  Link

Observances for Today

Museum Advocacy Day Link 
National Personal Chef's Day Link
For Pete's Sake Day
Levi Strauss Day
Spay Day USA
Tell a Fairy Tale Day

World Pistachio Day  Link

My Rambling Thoughts

Our discussion group yesterday was educational and scary. The rise in Populism in Europe follows much to closely to the lead up to WWII for me. The idea that people like me are automatically good and anyone not like me is automatically bad is so from the truth. In Europe, and the US, so many people do not know the difference between ‘migration’, ‘refugee’, and ‘asylum-seeker’. No person wants to allow violent criminals into their country. Way too many people are afraid of ‘different’ people. I am reminded of one of my grad school mentors: A difference is a difference, only if it makes a difference.

The weather is warming up and snow is slowly melting. Those huge piles from streets and parking lots will be here for quite a while. I now have several layers of 3’-4’ icicles from my roof. Thankfully, there is a cover over the door and walk so I won’t be hit by a falling one or three.

I did watch parts of the Academy Awards last night. Must say, I hope more awards show follow the lead of the Academy with a no-host format. It was still too long for my taste. Some great winners and way too many commercials…some even with a teaser before the actual commercial. Really? Yep!

Today’s Significant Historical Events

1800’s

1863 Abraham Lincoln signs National Currency Act, establishes single

            national US currency

1881 P&O's SS Ceylon begins world's 1st round-the-world pleasure

            cruise from Liverpool

1891 1st buffalo purchased for Golden Gate Park

1893 2 Clydesdale horses set record by pulling 48 tons on a sledge, Mich

1900’s

1914 New York Museum of Science & Industry incorporated

1919 Acadia National Park forms (as Lafayette N P), Maine

1919 Congress forms Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

1929 US President Calvin Coolidge establishes Grand Teton National

            Park

1930 1st red & green traffic lights installed (Manhattan NYC)

1933 Golden Gate Bridge groundbreaking ceremony held at Crissy Field

1935 RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) first demonstrated by

            Robert Watson-Watt

1936 Adolf Hitler introduces Ferdinand Porsche's "Volkswagen"

1944 1st female US navy captain, Sue Dauser of nurse corps, appointed

1949 USAF plane began 1st nonstop around-the-world flight

1954 1st typesetting machine (photo engraving) used, Quincy Mass

1979 Last total eclipse of Sun in 20th century for continental US

1993 "World Trade Center bombing of 1993": truck bomb explodes in

            parking garage of NYC World Trade Center at 12:18pm, killing 6

            and injuring over 1,000 in what was the deadliest act of

            terrorism perpetrated on US soil at the time

2000’s

2004 The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel

            restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.

2013 A flexible battery capable of being charged wirelessly and folded

            and stretched is developed

2018 Global Seed Vault opens in Svalbard, Norway, to help preserve

            diversity and loss from other genebanks

Birthdays Today

1802 Victor Hugo,

French author (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Les Miserables),

born in Besançon, France

(d. 1885-@83)

1829 Levi Strauss,

German-born American clothing designer,

born in Buttenheim, Bavaria

(d. 1902-@73)

1866 Herbert Henry Dow,

American chemical industrialist (Dow Chemical),

born in Ontario, Canada

(d. 1930-64-cirrhosis)

1916 Jackie Gleason,

American comedian (Jackie Gleason Show, Honeymooners),

born in Brooklyn, New York

(d. 1987-@71-colon cancer)

1919 Mason Adams,

American actor (Lou Grant, Deadliest Season),

born in NYC, New York

(d. 2005-@86)

1920 Tony Randall

[Leonard Rosenberg],

American actor (Felix-Odd Couple),

born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

(d. 2004-@84)

1921 Betty Hutton

[Elizabeth June Thornburg],

American actress, dancer, singer and comedian

(Greatest Show on Earth),

born in Battle Creek, Michigan

(d. 2007-@86)

1928 Antione "Fats" Domino,

American rhythm & blues star of the early rock ’n’ roll era

 (Blueberry Hill, Blue Monday),

born in New Orleans, Louisiana

(d. 2017@89)

1932 Johnny Cash,

American country singer (I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, A Boy

 Named Sue), born in Kingsland, Arkansas

(d. 2003-@71- diabetes complications)

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69-950 Helen Clark,

New Zealand Prime Minister (Labour: 1999-2008) and

Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

(2009-17), born in Hamilton, New Zealand

66- Michael Bolton,

American rock vocalist (That's What Love Is All About),

born in New Haven, Connecticut

Historical Obits Today

@87-1994 Avery Fisher,

US audio manufacturer (1st hi-fi)

@86-2015 Earl Lloyd,

1st African American basketball player in the NBA

@67-1997 David Doyle,

American actor (Charlie's Angels, Rugrats),

dies of a heart attack

@26-1965 Jimmie Lee Jackson,

civil rights activist,

dies from gunshot wounds