IOPList.Org

Today's Birthdays

E.I. Du Pont (Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours) 1771 - Chemist, industrialist

Ambrose Bierce 1842 - Journalist, editorialist

Jack Dempsey 1895 - Boxer

Irving Kaufman 1910 - U.S. Supreme Court judge

Norman Cousins 1915 - Journalist, author

John Ciardi 1916 - Poet, translator

Al Molinaro 1919 - Actor ("Happy Days")

Manny Albam 1922 - Musician, saxophone player

Billy Casper 1931 - Golfer

Peter Hamill 1935 - Journalist

Michele Lee 1942 - Actress ("Knots Landing"), singer, dancer

Mick Fleetwood 1947 - Musician

Georg Stanford Brown 1943 - Actor

Arthur Brown (Arthur Wilton Brown) 1944 - Actor

Jeff Beck 1944 - Musician (Yardbirds)

John "Charlie" Whitney 1944 - Musician (Family)

Colin Blunstone 1945 - Singer, songwriter

Ellison S. Onizuka 1946 - American astronaut

John Illsley 1949 - Musician (Dire Straits)

Nancy Allen 1950 - Actress

Derrick Simpson 1950 - Reggae singer (Black Uhuru)

Astro 1957 - Rapper, musician (UB40)

Andrew McCluskey 1959 - Musician (OMD)

Curt Smith 1961 - Musician (Tears For Fears)

Danielle Spencer 1965 - Actress ("What's Happening!!")

Sherry Stringfield 1967 - Actress ("ER")

Jeff Cease 1967 - Musician (The Black Crowes)

Glenn Medeiros 1970 - Singer, songwriter

Candice Patton 1988 - Actress (TV: "The Flash")



Misc Music Events

1965 - John Lennon's second book, "A Spaniard in the Works" was published.

1974 - Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" was released.

1975 - Alice Cooper fell off the set of his "Welcome To My Nightmare" tour in Vancouver and broke six ribs.

1990 - Perry Bamonte replaced Roger O'Donnell in The Cure.

2000 - KISS auctioned off memorabilia from their touring days. The items brought in $876,000 on the first day of the two day event.

---

---

---

Saturday 25 June 2016

Strawberry Parfait Day



Strawberry Parfait Day, dedicated to that delicious treat that is so welcome during the hot summer months, and craved even in the face of the biting cold of winter by the true connoisseur.

The exotic sounding name brings to mind the quaint little street-side cafes of Paris, where the treat so many of us are familiar with found its origin.

It’s name describes the treat to a tee, Parfait means, simply, “Perfect”.

But a perfect what?

The word parfait has actually been used to describe quite a number of different things, and not all of them are delicious layered deserts.

In the UK, the word is actually used to describe a smooth meat paste, also known as a pate, that is traditionally made from the liver of a chicken or duck, mixed with a strong liquer of one form or another.

This is certainly not what Strawberry Parfait Day is about!

Instead, our parfait are those popularized by ice cream shops all over the world, especially those served in layers of delectable ice-creams and gelatins with drool worthy fruit toppings. Such was the dedication to making this the perfect treat, that special glasses were designed solely for the purpose of showing off the artistically layered designs made during the treats creation.

Parfaits can include any combination of ingredients, from creams and fruits, nuts, liquor, even gelatin or granola. They’ve crossed the line from being merely a dessert food, to being deemed appropriate for any time of day, with just a twist on exactly what’s included.

What of the strawberry I hear you say?

I do distinctly remember hearing something about strawberries that were intended to go with this parfait. Right you are! The strawberry as we know it today, that delicious, fragrant red fruit with the jaunty green cap, was first developed in Brittany, France, during the 1750’s. It might be thought that the French were dedicating their time solely to the perfection of this divine treat!

Prior to this the fruit had a long and respectable history throughout the world, but it was in France that it became… parfait!

And

Global Beatles Day



A famous quote from Kurt Vonnegut’s novel ,“Timequake” says it best.

“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, ‘The Beatles did’.

The meaning and intent of Global Beatles Day

“And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love, you make” Global Beatles Day is a love letter from the world- to the Beatles GBD (founded 2009) is a day honoring and celebrating the phenomenon and ideals of the Beatles, collectively and individually, for their gifts to the world including, but not limited to, their promotion of peace and love, of truth and youth, and of the expansion of human consciousness.

More specifically, GBD commemorates the Beatles music – their promotion and expansion of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, world music…and especially their collective and personal exploration of a myriad of musical ideas and innovations.

The Beatles paved the way for global changes in personal expression, fashion, imagination, sex, and art. They had as much or more impact on global society than anyone of their time.

---

Also Today in History

1080 - At Brixen, a council of bishops declared Pope Gregory to be deposed and Archbishop Guibert as antipope Clement III.

1580 - The Book of Concord was first published. The book is a collection of doctrinal standards of the Lutheran Church.

1658 - Aurangzeb proclaimed himself emperor of the Moghuls in India.

1767 - Mexican Indians rioted as Jesuit priests were ordered home.

1788 - Virginia ratified the U.S. Constitution and became the 10th state of the United States.

1864 - Union troops surrounding Petersburg, VA, began building a mine tunnel underneath the Confederate lines.

1867 - Lucien B. Smith patented the first barbed wire.

1868 - The U.S. Congress enacted legislation granting an eight-hour day to workers employed by the Federal government.

1868 - Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina were readmitted to the Union.

1870 - In Spain, Queen Isabella abdicated in favor of Alfonso XII.

1876 - Lt. Col. Custer and the 210 men of U.S. 7th Cavalry were killed by Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at Little Big Horn in Montana. The event is known as "Custer's Last Stand."

1877 - In Philadelphia, PA, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone for Sir William Thomson (Baron Kelvin) and Emperor Pedro II of Brazil at the Centennial Exhibition.

1906 - Pittsburgh millionaire Harry Kendall Thaw, the son of coal and railroad baron William Thaw, shot and killed Stanford White. White, a prominent architect, had a tryst with Florence Evelyn Nesbit before she married Thaw. The shooting took place at the premeire of Mamzelle Champagne in New York.

1910 - The U.S. Congress authorized the use of postal savings stamps.

1917 - The first American fighting troops landed in France.

1920 - The Greeks took 8,000 Turkish prisoners in Smyrna.

1921 - Samuel Gompers was elected head of the AFL for the 40th time.

1938 - Gaelic scholar Douglas Hyde was inaugurated as the first president of the Irish Republic.

1941 - Finland declared war on the Soviet Union.

1946 - Ho Chi Minh traveled to France for talks on Vietnamese independence.

1948 - The Soviet Union tightened its blockade of Berlin by intercepting river barges heading for the city.

1950 - North Korea invaded South Korea initiating the Korean War.

1951 - In New York, the first regular commercial color TV transmissions were presented on CBS using the FCC-approved CBS Color System. The public did not own color TV's at the time.

1959 - The Cuban government seized 2.35 million acres under a new agrarian reform law.

1959 - Eamon De Valera became president of Ireland at the age of 76.

1962 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of unofficial non-denominational prayer in public schools was unconstitutional.

1964 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson ordered 200 naval personnel to Mississippi to assist in finding three missing civil rights workers.

1968 - Bobby Bonds (San Francisco Giants) hit a grand-slam home run in his first game with the Giants. He was the first player to debut with a grand-slam.

1970 - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission handed down a ruling (35 FR 7732), making it illegal for radio stations to put telephone calls on the air without the permission of the person being called.

1973 - Erskine Childers Jr. became president of Ireland after the retirement of Eamon De Valera.

1973 - White House Counsel John Dean admitted that U.S. President Nixon took part in the Watergate cover-up.

1975 - Mozambique became independent. Samora Machel was sworn in as president after 477 years of Portuguese rule.

1981 - The U.S. Supreme Court decided that male-only draft registration was constitutional.

1985 - ABC's "Monday Night Football" began with a new line-up. The trio was Frank Gifford, Joe Namath and O.J. Simpson.

1985 - New York Yankees officials enacted the rule that mandated that the team's bat boys were to wear protective helmets during all games.

1986 - The U.S. Congress approved $100 million in aid to the Contras fighting in Nicaragua.

1987 - Austrian President Kurt Waldheim visited Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. The meeting was controversial due to allegations that Waldheim had hidden his Nazi past.

1990 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of an individual, whose wishes are clearly made, to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment. "The right to die" decision was made in the Curzan vs. Missouri case.

1991 - The last Soviet troops left Czechoslovakia 23 years after the Warsaw Pact invasion.

1991 - The Yugoslav republics of Slovenia and Croatia declared their independence from Yugoslavia.

1993 - Kim Campbell took office as Canada's first woman prime minister. She assumed power upon the resignation of Brian Mulroney.

1997 - The Russian space station Mir was hit by an unmanned cargo vessel. Much of the power supply was knocked out and the station's Spektr module was severely damaged.

1997 - U.S. air pollution standards were significantly tightened by U.S. President Clinton.

1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the line-item veto thereby striking down presidential power to cancel specific items in tax and spending legislation.

1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that those infected with HIV are protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act.

1998 - Microsoft's "Windows 98" was released to the public.

1999 - Germany's parliament approved a national Holocaust memorial to be built in Berlin.

2000 - U.S. and British researchers announced that they had completed a rough draft of a map of the genetic makeup of human beings. The project was 10 years old at the time of the announcement.

2000 - A Florida judge approved a class-action lawsuit to be filed against American Online (AOL) on behalf of hourly subscribers who were forced to view "pop-up" advertisements.

---

Today's Birthdays

Rosie O'Neill 1874

Henry "Hap" Arnold 1886

George Abbott 1887

Lord Louis Mountbatten (Burma) 1900

Anne Revere 1903

George Orwell 1903

Peter Lind Hayes 1915

Johnny Smith 1922

Dorothy Gilman 1923

Sidney Lumet 1924

June Lockhart 1925

Eddie Floyd (Falcons) 1935

Barbara Montgomery 1939

Clint Warwick (The Moody Blues) 1940

Willis Reed 1942

Carly Simon 1945

Ian McDonald (Foreigner) 1946

Allen Lanier (Blue Oyster Cult) 1946

Jimmy Walker 1947

Michael Lembeck 1948

Phyllis George 1949

Tim Finn (Split Enz) 1952

David Paich (Toto) 1954

George Michael 1963

Dikembe Mutombo 1966

Richie Rich 1967

Candyman 1968

Sean Kelly (Sixpence None the Richer) 1971

Michael Kroeger (Michael Douglas Henry Kroeger ) 1972 - Bass player (Nickelback)

Carlos Delgado 1972

Mario Calire (Wallflowers) 1974

Albert Costa 1975

Linda Cardellini 1975

Elizabeth Jean "Busy" Philipps 1979 - Actress ("Dawson's Creek")

On This Day in Music

1967 - The Beatles performed "All You Need Is Love" live on the "Our World" program.

1969 - The Hollies recorded "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," with Elton John playing piano.

1984 - The soundtrack "Purple Rain" was released five weeks ahead of the film.

1984 - Patti Scialfa joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

1988 - Hillel Slovak of the Red Hot Chili Peppers died.

1992 - Billy Joel got his high school diploma. He had overslept and missed English and Gym finals 25 years before.

1995 - Pearl Jam canceled their tour because of an ongoing feud with Ticketmaster.

1996 - KISS released the album "You Wanted the Best...You've Got the Best."

2003 - The Recording Industry Association of America disclosed its plans to fight Internet piracy. The plan was to sue hundreds of individual computer users who illegally share music files online. The process was planned to begin the next day.

2004 - Eric Clapton raised about $7.5 million for a drug addiction center he set up in the Caribbean. The items that were sold were the "Blackie" Stratocaster that Clapton played from 1970-185 for $1 million, a 1964 cherry-red Gibson for $847,000 and a 1939 Martin accoustic that Clapton played on his "Unplugged" album went for $800,000. All three sales were records for a guitar sale, a Gibson guitar and a Martin guitar respectively.

2004 - It was announced that Elton John had booked his first-ever China concert. The show was planned for the September.

---

---

---

Sunday 26 June 2016

National Chocolate Pudding Day



Rich, flavorful, and decadent, there’s nothing in life quite as good as chocolate pudding. While puddings of every type have a long and decadent history, it’s chocolate that’s the modern favorite. Its creamy texture is without a doubt one of the most amazing things about it, but there’s a secret in the pudding not everyone knows.

Worry not though, we’ll be letting you in on it when we talk about the history of puddings and, of course, Chocolate Pudding Day.

History of Chocolate Pudding Day

The history of puddings starts far back in the 17th century, when the first recipes for puddings appears.

Back then puddings were made much different than the (classically thought of) pudding is today, and to make it clear we’re talking about dessert puddings not savory puddings, which are another topic entirely.

Common ingredients were butter and flour, suet, cereals, and other ingredients which when they came together served to create more of a cake like result than the puddings we think of today.

It’s also worth mentioning that they baked, steamed, even boiled into their final form.

Originally it was egg that provided the thickening agent that made a pudding into a type of custard, but the invention of a stable powder-form of egg-free custard mix really helped to bring the dessert pudding into the modern day.

Chocolate pudding is of the type known as a creamy pudding, and is typically made of a combination of sugar, milk, and a thickening agent of one of broad range of things. Sometimes a gelatin was used, tapioca and cornstarch are popular, or even rice puddings.

The majority of puddings are served cold, though a few are prepared warm. Rice puddings are particularly popular as a warm served treat, and chocolate puddings are one of the few that can get away with being served warm or cold.

Chocolate Pudding Day celebrates this diverse and delicious treat!

And

Log Cabin Day





Back in the early days of the world, people built homes out of strong and sturdy logs. Carefully notched together and sealed in-between with a caulking agent like mud or clay, Log Cabins were sturdy and reliable, and could stand the test of time. Admittedly, you’d have to change the roof out every so often, but ultimately there was nothing like them.

They were especially popular in the frontier days of the American migration west, and seven of the American Presidents were born in them. Log Cabin Day celebrates the history of the Log Cabin and commemorates this most humble of homes.

History of Log Cabin Day

Log Cabin day was originated by the Log Cabin Society (go figure) in corroboration with the Bad Axe Historical society.

Each year people go out to help preserve historical log cabins so that they can be maintained for the future and hold on to the artifacts and memories that make them so important.

So important to the American History and idea of humility is the Log Cabin that the Whigs, American Colonists who supported the American Revolution, used it as the symbol of William Henry Harrisons campaign to show that he was a simple man of the people.

Log Cabins go back a lot further than just the America’s though, anywhere there were tall sturdy timbers the Log Cabin became a mainstay of habitation. The Wood Museum in Trondheim displays multiple forms of log cabin, fourteen in total.

But Log cabins appeared all over the northern reaches of Europe in an incredibly range of styles. Sometimes the outside was even hewn flat so that siding could be put on, and occasionally the interior was given the same treatment to make the way for wallpaper, lath, or plaster.

Log Cabins are just that versatile, no wonder they’re still a loved form of home to this day.

---

Also Today in History

1804 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.

1819 - The bicycle was patented by W.K. Clarkson, Jr.

1844 - John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first U.S. President to marry while in office.

1870 - The first section of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, was opened to the public.

1894 - The American Railway Union called a general strike in sympathy with Pullman workers.

1900 - The United States announced that it would send troops to fight against the Boxer rebellion in China.

1900 - A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever.

1907 - Russia's nobility demanded drastic measures to be taken against revolutionaries.

1908 - Shah Muhammad Ali's forces squelched the reform elements of Parliament in Persia.

1917 - General John "Black Jack" Pershing arrived in France with the American Expeditionary Force.

1925 - Charlie Chaplin's comedy "The Gold Rush" premiered in Hollywood.

1926 - A memorial to the first U.S. troops in France was unveiled at St. Nazaire.

1924 - After eight years of occupation, American troops left the Dominican Republic.

1927 - The Coney Island Cyclone roller coaster opened in New York.

1936 - The Focke-Wulf Fw 61 made its first flight. It is often considered the first practical helicopter.

1942 - The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter was flown for the first time.

1945 - The U.N. Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, CA.

1948 - The Berlin Airlift began as the U.S., Britain and France started ferrying supplies to the isolated western sector of Berlin.

1951 - The Soviet Union proposed a cease-fire in the Korean War.

1959 - CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow interviewed Lee Remick. It was his 500th and final guest on "Person to Person."

1959 - U.S. President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.

1961 - A Kuwaiti vote opposed Iraq's annexation plans.

1963 - U.S. President John Kennedy announced "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) at the Berlin Wall.

1971 - The U.S. Justice Department issued a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers.

1974 - In Troy, Ohio, a Marsh supermarket installed the first bar code scanning equipment, made by IBM, and a product with a bar code was scanned for the first time. The product was Juicy Fruit gum.

1975 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency due to "deep and widespread conspiracy."

1976 - In Toronto, Canada, the CN Tower opened to the public. The official opening date is listed as October 1, 1976. It was the world's tallest free-standing stucture and the world's tallest tower until 2010.

1979 - Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.

1985 - Wilbur Snapp was ejected after playing "Three Blind Mice" during a baseball game. The incident followed a call made by umpire Keith O'Connor.

1987 - The movie "Dragnet" opened in the U.S.

1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.

1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that made it illegal to distribute indecent material on the Internet.

1997 - J.K. Rowlings book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was published in the U.K. The book was later released in the U.S. under the name "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." This was the first book in the Harry Potter series.

1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws that allow for a ban on doctor-assisted suicides.

1998 - The U.S. and Peru open school to train commandos to patrol Peru's rivers for drug traffickers.

1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers are always potentially liable for supervisor's sexual misconduct toward an employee.

2000 - The Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corp. jointly announced that they had created a working draft of the human genome.

2000 - Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid declared a state of emergency in the Moluccas due to the escalation of fighting between Christians and Muslims.

2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement just 17 days after winning his first Stanley Cup. Bouque retired after 22 years and held the NHL record for highest-scoring defenseman and playing in 19 consecutive All-Star games.

2002 - David Hasseloff checked into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism.

2002 - WorldCom Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Today's Birthdays

Abner Doubleday 1819

Sidney Howard 1891 (screenplay for Gone with the Wind)

Pearl Sydenstricker Buck 1892 (American writer and novelist - 2 Pulitzer Prizes and 1 Nobel Prize)

William P. Lear 1902 (car radio, Lear Jet)

Peter Lorre 1904 (Actor)

Col. Tom Parker 1909 (manager of Elvis Presley)

Roy Plunkett 1910 (discovered polytetrafluoroethylene - Teflon)

Richard Maltby 1914 (Bandleader, pianist, composer)

Babe Didrikson Zaharias 1914 (American athlete golf, basketball and track and field)

Charlotte Zolotow 1915 (Children's picture books, poetry)

Eleanor Parker 1922 (Actress)

Frances Rafferty 1922 (Actress, dancer, ww2 pin-up girl)

Dave Grusin 1934 (Composer, arranger, musician)

Billy Davis, Jr.1938 (Musician - The 5th Dimension)

Larry Taylor 1942 (Canned Heat)

Pamela Bellwood 1943 (Actress - Dynasty)

Georgie Fame 1943 (Clive Powell, Musician)

Mick Jones 1955 (Clash, Big Audio Dynomite)

Chris Isaak 1956 (Musician)

Patty Smyth 1957 (Rock, pop rock, new wave)

Greg LeMond 1961 (Road bicycle racing)

Terri Nunn 1961 (Berlin - Rock, new wave, industrial rock, post-punk, dance, synthpop)

Harriet Wheeler 1963 (The Sundays)

Colin Greenwood 1969 (Radiohead)

Chris O'Donnell 1970 (Actor)

Derek Jeter 1974 (NY Yankees)

Jason Schwartzman 1980 (Actor, screenwriter, musician)

Kaitlin Cullum 1986 (Actress)

Jennette McCurdy 1992 (Actress, singer)



Today in Music History

1933 - "The Kraft Music Hall" debuted on NBC radio.

1964 - The Beatles album "A Hard Day’s Night" was released in the U.S.

1977 - Elvis Presley's final concert took place at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis.

1985 - The album, "Big River" became the first soundtrack album to be recorded in Nashville, TN.

1986 - James Hetfield (Metallica) broke his wrist while trying to skateboard down a hill. One show was cancelled and the remainder of dates on the tour James was on vocals only and John Marshall (later with Metal Church) was on guitar.

1998 - At 10 a.m. PDT, Marcy Playground debuted the video for "Saint Joe On The Schoolbus," on the Internet.

---

---

---

Monday 27 June 2016

Sunglasses Day





Elton John has over a thousand pairs, ZZ Top wrote a song about them, Canadian singer Corey Hart only wears his at night, and you can tell the good guys from the bad guys in The Matrix by the shape of theirs.

What am I talking about?

Sunglasses, of course!

There’s nothing quite as stylish as a pair of shades, so get out your aviators or your wayfarers and start celebrating Sunglasses Day!

Although the origins of Sunglasses Day are unknown, the history of sunglasses stretches as far back as 14th century China, where judges used eyewear made of smoke-coloured quartz to mask their emotions. Fast-forward 600 years and modern sunglasses as we know them today were first marketed by entrepreneur Sam Foster on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

One other thing to remember is that sunglasses also help protect your eyes from harmful UV light, so channel your inner-cool and slip on those shades on Sunglasses Day!

---

Also This Day in History

1847 - New York and Boston were linked by telegraph wires.

1871 - The yen became the new form of currency in Japan.

1885 - Chichester Bell and Charles S. Tainter applied for a patent for the gramophone. It was granted on May 4, 1886.

1893 - The New York stock market crashed. By the end of the year 600 banks and 74 railroads had gone out of business.

1905 - The battleship Potemkin succumbed to a mutiny on the Black Sea.

1918 - Two German pilots were saved by parachutes for the first time.

1923 - Yugoslav Premier Nikola Pachitch was wounded by Serb attackers in Belgrade.

1924 - Democrats offered Mrs. Leroy Springs for vice presidential nomination. She was the first woman considered for the job.

1927 - The U.S. Marines adopted the English bulldog as their mascot.

1929 - Scientists at Bell Laboratories in New York revealed a system for transmitting television pictures.

1931 - Igor Sikorsky filed U.S. Patent 1,994,488, which marked the breakthrough in helicopter technology.

1940 - Robert Pershing Wadlow was measured by Dr. Cyril MacBryde and Dr. C. M. Charles. They recorded his height at 8' 11.1." He was only 22 at the time of his death on July 15, 1940.

1942 - The FBI announced the capture of eight Nazi saboteurs who had been put ashore from a submarine on New York's Long Island.

1944 - During World War II, American forces completed their capture of the French port of Cherbourg from the German army.

1949 - "Captain Video and His Video Rangers" premiered on the Dumont Television Network.

1950 - Two days after North Korea invaded South Korea, U.S. President Truman ordered the Air Force and Navy into the Korean conflict. The United Nations Security Council had asked for member nations to help South Korea repel an invasion from the North.

1954 - The world's first atomic power station opened at Obninsk, near Moscow.

1955 - The first "Wide Wide World" was broadcast on NBC-TV.

1955 - The state of Illinois enacted the first automobile seat belt legislation.

1958 - NBC's "Matinee Theatre" was seen for the final time.

1959 - The play, "West Side Story," with music by Leonard Bernstein, closed after 734 performances on Broadway.

1961 - Arthur Michael Ramsey was enthroned as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury.

1964 - Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman were married. It only lasted 38 days.

1966 - "Dark Shadows" began running on ABC-TV.

1967 - The world's first cash dispenser was installed at Barclays Bank in Enfield, England. The device was invented by John Sheppard-Barron. The machine operated on a voucher system and the maximum withdrawal was $28.

1967 - Two hundred people were arrested during a race riot in Buffalo, NY.

1969 - Patrons at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, clashed with police. This incident is considered to be the birth of the homosexual rights movement.

1972 - Bobby Hull signed a 10-year hockey contract for $2,500,000. He became a player and coach of the Winnipeg Jets of the World Hockey Association.

1973 - Former White House counsel John W. Dean told the Senate Watergate Committee about an "enemies list" that was kept by the Nixon White House.

[1973[/b] - Nixon vetoed a Senate ban on bombing Cambodia.

1980 - U.S. President Carter signed legislation reviving draft registration.

1984 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that individual colleges could make their own TV package deals.

1984 - The Federal Communications Commission moved to deregulate U.S. commercial TV by lifting most programming requirements and ending day-part restrictions on advertising.

1985 - Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System.

1985 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted to limit the use of combat troops in Nicaragua.

1986 - The World Court ruled that the U.S. had broken international law by aiding Nicaraguan rebels.

1991 - Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall resigned from the U.S. Supreme Court. He had been appointed in 1967 by President Lyndon Johnson.

1995 - Qatar's Crown Prince Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani ousted his father in a bloodless palace coup.

1998 - An English woman was impregnated with her dead husband's sperm after two-year legal battle over her right to the sperm.

1998 - In a live joint news conference in China U.S. President Clinton and President Jiang Zemin offered an uncensored airing of differences on human rights, freedom, trade and Tibet.

2002 - In the U.S., the Securities and Exchange Commission required companies with annual sales of more than $1.2 billion to submit sworn statements backing up the accuracy of their financial reports.

2005 - In Alaska's Denali National Park, a roughly 70-million year old dinosaur track was discovered. The track was form a three-toed Cretaceous period dinosaur.

Today's Birthday

Helen Keller 1880

Willie Mosconi 1913

Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan 1927 H.

Ross Perot 1930

Bruce Johnston (Benjamin Baldwin) 1942 - Musician (The Beach Boys)

Brian Dillinger 1960

Tobey Maguire 1975

Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer) 1976

Alanna Masterson 1988 - Actress (TV: "The Walking Dead")

Chandler Riggs 1999 - Actor (TV: "The Walking Dead")



Today in Music

1964 - Jan and Dean's "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" was released.

1964 - The Rolling Stones appeared as the entire panel on BBC-TV's 'Juke Box Jury'.

1968 - Elvis Presley began taping his first television special, "Elvis," at NBC studios in Burbank, CA.

1969 - The Denver Pop Festival opened at Mile High Stadium. Violence broke out in the 50,000+ crowd and police moved in with clubs and tear gas.

1971 - The Fillmore East in New York City was closed.

1982 - Virgin Music Publishing reached an out-of-court settlement with Police bassist Sting on a 1977 contract.

1988 - Cyndi Lauper got her high school diploma from Richmond High in New York.

1988 - Debbie Gibson got her high school diploma from Calhoun High on Long Island, NY.

1988 - MCA Records bought Motown Records for $61 million.

1989 - The Who performed the rock opera "Tommy" in its entirety for the first time in 17 years at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

1989 - Tom Jones was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

1993 - Lyle Lovett and actress Julia Roberts were married. They were divorced in 1995.

2000 - Marc Anthony played Radio City Music Hall for this first time in his career. It was a benefit for Ronald McDonald House.

2000 - A San Francisco appeals court ruled that the Rolling Stones improperly borrowed "Love in Vain and "Stop Breakin' Down" from Robert Johnson. The Stones' former record label had wrongly assumed that the songs were public domain.

2000 - Nelly's debut ablum "Country Grammar" was released.

2015 - The 5-date concert series "Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead" began in Santa Clara, CA.

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Paul Bunyan Day



It may sometimes seem as though a great majority of the most popular folklore characters are evil predators who spend their lives hunting for their next victim.

Paul Bunyan, on the other hand, is the embodiment of the all-American lumberjack—tall, strong, capable, and good- natured.

The History of Paul Bunyan Day

The character of Paul Bunyan originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers dating back to the mid-1800s. For at least 30 years, Paul Bunyan stories, some of which included motifs from older folktales such as absurdly severe weather and fearsome critters, were often told in the lumbercamp bunkhouses.

Even the etymology of the name Paul Bunyan is unknown, but many think it could have been related to the Québécois expression “bon yenne!” that expresses surprise or astonishment. Paul Bunyan was later popularized by freelance writer and adman William B. Laughead (1882–1958) in a 1916 promotional pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company who was looking for a face for the advertising campaign.

Laughead embellished greatly on the character’s older exploits and added some of his own, such as Paul Bunyan’s pet blue ox, “Babe”. The writer also increased Paul Bunyan’s body to impossible proportions.

Despite this, however, the character quickly became a hit, and the Red River ad campaign made Paul Bunyan a nationally recognized figure. The character’s name and image continued to be utilized in promoting various products, cities, and services over the following decades, and giant statues of Paul Bunyan were even erected in several cities.

Paul Bunyan Day was created to celebrate this influential bit of folklore and all it did to promote local business and tourism in numerous communities in the northern states.

And

International Body Piercing Day



Throughout the world body modification has been used for many purposes, from self- expression, to rites of passage, shock value, even religious observances. There has been a growing movement in the western world driving body modification to the forefront of popular forms of expression and self-decoration.

The history of body piercing isn’t clear, as there is a lot of misleading information out there, but there is significant indicators that it has been practiced by both men and women since prehistory.

Body Piercing Day is an opportunity for you to find a new way to express yourself with this age old practice. Ear Piercing has been well known in Western Cultures for at least the last couple hundred years, and the evidence of it goes back quite a bit further, with evidence of ears and nose being pierced being discovered in the graves of many cultures, even as far back as 5,000 years ago.

It was a well-known way of sending wealth along with the dead into the next life, and honoring them in their burial site.

But this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, lip and tongue piercings have been present in throughout the world, particularly well documented in African and American tribal cultures.

Nipple can be tracked back at least as far the Ancient Romans, while genital piercing made a perhaps unexpected debut in Ancient India.

Body Piercing Day is originally dedicated to Jim Ward, often heralded as “the granddaddy of the body piercing movement”. Jim Ward has been an incredibly influential part of the new body modification movement, with a specific focus on body piercing. He has been part of the forward driving force for piercings in the western world, and helped to develop the basic techniques for piercing, with a special focus on genital piercings.

He is directly responsible for introducing the incredibly popular barbell piercing style to the US, the internal threading style of them was a vast improvement over existing piercing techniques.

This technique he picked up from ‘Tattoo Samy’ from Frankfurt, who had come to visit him a number of times in the US after this.

Body Piercing Day is a great opportunity to finally take the plunge, and get yourself that piercing you’ve been contemplating. With the ability to choose from the ever growing selection of piercings, from ear piercings, nose piercings, lip, and cheek piercings, you can display your individuality with a piece that’s meaningful to you.

Those are just the ones that are easily visible, when you take into account nipple piercings, the always sexy belly-button piercing, and the incredibly daring variety of genital piercings, there are tons of options for enhancing your life in some rather creative ways.

Recent innovations have also brought into light the ‘dermal’, where a circle of skin is essentially punched out of your skin, and a mounting plate slipped under the surface.

These can be placed just about anywhere on the body, but are quite common at the top of the sternum, with sparkling jewels or a loop ring being fastened on.

Body Piercing Day is a day to join the ever growing number of people who have started getting piercings. In England in 2005, a survey was done that revealed that 10% of people over the age of 16 have piercings in locations other than their earlobe. Women, as usual, are leading the charge in the newest form of fashion, and the men aren’t far behind.

Body Piercing Day is your day to be daring, so get out there and get pierced!


James Mark "Jim" Ward

Also on This Day in History

1778 - Mary "Molly Pitcher" Hays McCauley, wife of an American artilleryman, carried water to the soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth and, supposedly, took her husband's place at his gun after he was overcome with heat.

1869 - R. W. Wood was appointed as the first Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy.

1894 - The U.S. Congress made Labor Day a U.S. national holiday.

1902 - The U.S. Congress passed the Spooner bill, it authorized a canal to be built across the isthmus of Panama.

1911 - Samuel J. Battle became the first African-American policeman in New York City.

1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was assassinated in Sarajevo along with his wife, Duchess Sophie.

1919 - The Treaty of Versailles was signed ending World War I exactly five years after it began. The treaty also established the League of Nations.

1921 - A coal strike in Great Britain was settled after three months.

1930 - More than 1,000 communists were routed during an assault on the British consulate in London.

1939 - Pan American Airways began the first transatlantic passenger service.

1938 - The U.S. Congress created the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure construction loans.

1940 - The "Quiz Kids" was heard on NBC radio for the first time.

1942 - German troops launched an offensive to seize Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus and the city of Stalingrad.

1943 - "The Dreft Star Playhouse" debuted on NBC radio.

1944 - "The Alan Young Show" debuted on NBC radio.

1945 - U.S. General Douglas MacArthur announced the end of Japanese resistance in the Philippines.

1949 - The last U.S. combat troops were called home from Korea, leaving only 500 advisers.

1950 - North Korean forces captured Seoul, South Korea.

1951 - "Amos ’n’ Andy" moved to CBS-TV from radio.

1954 - French troops began to pull out of Vietnam’s Tonkin Province.

1960 - In Cuba, Fidel Castro confiscated American-owned oil refineries without compensation.

1964 - Malcolm X founded the Organization for Afro American Unity to seek independence for blacks in the Western Hemisphere.

1965 - The first commercial satellite began communications service. It was Early Bird (Intelsat I).

1967 - Israel formally declared Jerusalem reunified under its sovereignty following its capture of the Arab sector in the June 1967 war.

1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the draft evasion conviction of Muhammad Ali.

1972 - U.S. President Nixon announced that no new draftees would be sent to Vietnam.

1976 - The first women entered the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1978 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the medical school at the University of California at Davis to admit Allan Bakke. Bakke, a white man, argued he had been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

1996 - The Citadel voted to admit women, ending a 153-year-old men-only policy at the South Carolina military school.

1996 - Charles M. Schulz got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997 - Mike Tyson was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ear after three rounds of their WBA heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, NV.

1998 - Poland, due to shortage of funds, is allowed to lease, U.S. aircraft to bring military force up to NATO standards.

1998 - The Cincinnati Enquirer apologized to Chiquita banana company and retracted their stories that questioned company's business practices. They also agreed to pay more than $10 million to settle legal claims.

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court declared that a Nebraska law that outlawed "partial birth abortions" was unconstitutional. About 30 U.S. states had similar laws at the time of the ruling.

2000 - Darva Conger announced that she had done a layout for Playboy magazine. Conger had married Rick Rockwell on Fox-TV's "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire."

2000 - The European Commission announced that they had blocked the planned merger between the U.S. companies WorldCom Inc. and Sprint due to competition concerns.

2000 - Six-year-old Elián González returned to Cuba from the U.S. with his father. The child had been the center of an international custody dispute.

2001 - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit set aside an order that would break up Microsoft for antitrust violations. However, the judges did agree that the company was in violation of antitrust laws.

2004 - The U.S. turned over official sovereignty to Iraq's interim leadership. The event took place two days earlier than previously announced to thwart insurgents' attempts at undermining the transfer.

2004 - The U.S. resumed diplomatic ties with Libya after a 24-year break.

2004 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that enemy combatants could challenge their detention in U.S. Courts.

2005 - The final design for the "Freedom Tower" (One World Trade Center) was formally unveiled.

2007 - The American bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list.

2010 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Americans have the right to own a gun for self- defense anywhere they live.



Today's Birthdays

Mel Brooks 1926 - Writer, director, actor

Pat Morita 1932

John Byner 1937 - Comedian, impressionist

Frank Zane 1942 - Bodybuidler

David Knights 1945 - Musician (Procol Harum)

Gilda Radner 1946

Bruce Davison 1946

Kathy Bates 1948 - Actress

Alice Krige 1955

John Elway 1960 - Football player (Denver Broncos)

Tony Mercedes 1962

Jessica Hecht 1965 - Actress

John Cusack 1966 - Actor

Mary Stuart Masterson 1966 - Actress

Gil Bellows 1967 - Actor ("Ally McBeal")

Jimmy Sommers 1969

Danielle Brisebois 1969

Ray Slijngaard 1971 - Musician (2 unlimited)

Kellie Pickler 1986 - Country singer ("American Idol")

---

---

---

---

On This Day in Music History

1975 - David Bowie's "Fame" was released.

1978 - Members of the group Kansas were named Deputy Ambassadors of Goodwill by Unicef.

1986 - Wham! made their farewell concert appearance at London's Wembley Stadium. Elton John made an appearance in a clown suit to sing a song and then came back later to sing "Candle In The Wind" with George Michael.

1991 - "Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio" debuted at the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool.

1999 - The home of DMX (Earl Simmons) was searched as part of an investigation into the shooting of Ray Copeland.

(Copeland is the uncle and manager of DMX. Copeland was wounded in the foot the previous day.)

Wednesday 29 June 2016

Almond Buttercrunch Day



Delicious, delicious almond buttercrunch, is there anything that’s better than this crunchy buttery caramelized candy?

Almond Buttercrunch Day is a great day to indulge in this rich flavorful treat, and maybe even to learn a little bit about its history.

This delicious treat is the foundation of some of the most mouthwatering confections out there, and is generally agreed to be best accompanied by any sort of chocolate you care to name! This treat was particularly popular back in the days of World War II, it’s ease of shipment making it the perfect taste of home to wrap up and send along in care packages.

One of the most recognizable forms of this candy is that produced by the company ‘Brown and Haley’ out of Seattle, WA. They started the tradition of wrapping them in their signature gold wrappers and storing them in tins to help keep them delicious and ready to consume on arrival.

Toffee is made by mixing together the base ingredients, which is quite simply caramelized sugar and butter, and boiled until it reaches the hard crack stage (roughly 149-154 Celsius, or 300 to 310 Fareneight) .

Just before it reaches this stage, the almonds are added, making the simply toffee crunch into Almond Buttercrunch!

The Almond Roca brand is cooled, dipped in chocolate, and then rolled in crumbled almonds to create it’s signature look and taste.

The best way to celebrate Almond Buttercrunch Day is to share the wonderful taste and joy that is this delicious candy. You can buy candies that are based on this wonderful base and hand them out to friends, family, and co-workers. If you’re in the Seattle area you can go on a tour of their factory, or for that home-made authentic taste, stop by a local candymaker in your town.

If you’re feeling truly adventurous, you can even use the below recipe and make it yourself!

You’ll be needing:


4 ounces (1 full stick) butter (not margarine!)
3/4c firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 cups chopped and toasted whole almonds
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

The recipe is about as simple and straight forward as it gets. You’ll want to prepare ahead of time by spraying coating non-stick foil with butter or a non-stick cooking spray, and lining an 8×4 breadpan.

Then, using a small sauce pan, melt the butter, corn syrup, salt, and brown sugar together, stirring slowly on medium-high heat until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Start a timer once the brown sugar is melted, and cook it for approximately 6 minutes, a candy thermometer can help this, and should reach 143c or 290f before you remove it from the heat.

Stir in the almonds, and pour/scrape it into the bread pan in a layer approximately ½ in thick, allowing it to cool for 3 minutes after doing so.

Proceed to pour the melted chocolate over the top and sprinkle with more nuts, and then cut into bars of your preferred size.

After this, put them into the fridge to let the chocolate set, and then put them in an airtight container. They should be able to store for about two weeks in the fridge. These are best served at room temperature however. This is just one of a variety of delicious recipes you can make with almond buttercrunch, there are even chewy varieties if you prefer a softer snack!

So take the plunge, stir up this recipe, and deliver it to your favorite people to celebrate Almond Buttercrunch Day!

Also Today in History

1767 - The British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts. The acts imposed import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea shipped to America.

1776 - The Virginia constitution was adopted and Patrick Henry was made governor.

1804 - Privates John Collins and Hugh Hall of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were found guilty by a court-martial consisting of members of the Corps of Discovery for getting drunk on duty. Collins received 100 lashes on his back and Hall received 50.

1880 - France annexed Tahiti.

1897 - The Chicago Cubs scored 36 runs in a game against Louisville, setting a record for runs scored by a team in a single game.

1917 - The Ukraine proclaimed independence from Russia.

1925 - Marvin Pipkin filed for a patent for the frosted electric light bulb.

1941 - Joe DiMaggio got a base hit in his 42nd consecutive game. He broke George Sisler's record from 1922.

1946 - British authorities arrested more than 2,700 Jews in Palestine in an attempt to end alleged terrorism.

1950 - U.S. President Harry S. Truman authorized a sea blockade of Korea.

1951 - The United States invited the Soviet Union to the Korean peace talks on a ship in Wonson Harbor.

1953 - The Federal Highway Act authorized the construction of 42,500 miles of freeway from coast to coast.

1954 - The Atomic Energy Commission voted against reinstating Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer's access to classified information.

1955 - The Soviet Union sent tanks to Poznan, Poland, to put down anti-Communist demonstrations.

1956 - Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller were married. They were divorced on January 20, 1961.

1966 - The U.S. bombed fuel storage facilities near the North Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Haiphong.

1967 - Israel removed barricades, re-unifying Jerusalem.

1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty could constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." The ruling prompted states to revise their capital punishment laws.

1982 - Israel invaded Lebanon.

1987 - Vincent Van Gogh’s "Le Pont de Trinquetaille" was bought for $20.4 million at an auction in London, England.

1995 - The shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir docked, forming the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.

1998 - With negotiations on a new labor agreement at a standstill, the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced that a lockout would be imposed at midnight.

2000 - In Santa Rosa, CA, the official groundbreaking ceremony took place for the Charles M. Schulz Museum.

2007 - The first generation Apple iPhone went on sale.

2011 - The state of Nevada passed the first law that permitted the operation of autonomous cars on public roads. The law went into effect on March 1, 2012 and did not permit the use of the cars to the general public. Google received the first self-driving vehicle license in the U.S. on May 4, 2012 in Nevada.

Today's Birthdays

William Mayo 1861 (Medicine, Surgery Mayo Clinic)

Nelson Eddy 1901 (Baritone, film star)

John Toland 1912 (American writer and historian)

Ruth Warrick 1915 (Phoebe Tyler Wallingford on All My Children)

Slim Pickens 1919 (Actor, Cowboy, Horse Trainer)

Ralph Burns 1922 (American songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and bebop pianist.)

Mousey Alexander 1922 (American jazz drummer)

Robert Evans 1930 (Producer - Rosemary's Baby, Love Story, The Godfather and Chinatown.)

Stokeley Carmichael 1941 (Cival Rights - 4th Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee)

Roger Ruskin Spear 1943 (Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.)

Gary Busey 1944 (American actor - 150 films)

Little Eva (Narcissus) Boyd 1945 (Singer, R/B Pop)

Richard Lewis 1947 (comedian)

Fred Grandy 1948 ("Gopher" The Love Boat - later member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa.)

Ian Paice 1948 - Musician (Whitesnake)

Dan Dierdorf 1949 (Cardinals Offensive tackle)

Colin Hay 1953 - Musician (Men at Work)

Maria Conchita Alonso 1957 (Cuban-born, Venezuelan-raised singer/songwriter and actress)

Sharon Lawrence 1961 (Sylvia Costas Sipowicz in the ABC drama series NYPD Blue)

Amanda Donohoe 1962 (English actress. She had a four-year relationship with popstar Adam Ant and appeared in the music videos for the Adam and the Ants)

Steadman Pearson 1964 - Musician (Five Star)

DJ Shadow (Josh Paul Davis) 1972 - Music producer, DJ, songwriter

Zuleikha Robinson 1977 - Actress ("Lost")