IOPList.Org

13 Feb 2017


Madly In Love With Me Day



Ladies, every year on the day before you lavish the significant other in your life with all your love, step back and prepare by focusing as much attention on yourself.

Yes, you deserve every bit as much of your love as does the object of your affections.

That is the concept behind Madly In Love With Me Day, held on February 13th, the day before Valentines Day.
It was founded by Californian self-help guru Christine Arylo, author of “Madly In Love With ME, The Daring Adventure To Becoming Your Own Best Friend”.

The philosophy is that to truly be able to show love to others, a woman must first be empowered to love herself without apology so throw away those diet books for a day, treat yourself to your favorite lunch in the company of people you know love and respect you as you are today.



And



Radio Day



The world used to be a much bigger place, at least when you consider the difficulty involved with transmitting information from place to place. In the beginning we simply had to walk and talk to one another, and then we were able to write and exchange letters. Ideas and music travelled the world at a snail’s pace as compared to today. But then the radio was invented, and suddenly transmitting ideas hundreds of miles became a relatively trivial matter! The world became connected, and it would never be the same.

History of Radio Day

Radio waves were originally discovered by one Heinrich Hertz, following on the heels of his discovery of electromagnetic radiation. While experiments were performed in using this energy to transmit information, it wasn’t until 1890 that the word radio was first applied, when the radio-conducteur was invented by French Physicist Édouard Branly. Previous to this all forms of communication using this discovery was known as wireless communication, but eventually radio spread across the world and became the go-to term.

Radio quickly spread to find applications in every conceivable venue, from transmitting information, to broadcasting music, and even serving as a way of transmitting stories. Long before there was TV, there was Radio Theater, (incidentally, this also brought along the creation of Foley artists, but that’s another story entirely).

Radio had been recognized as having such a profound impact on the world today that the Spanish Radio Academy put in a formal request to have Feb 13 be established as ‘World Radio Day’ on September 20th 2010. On September 29 2011 the UNESCO officially proclaimed that it be established the following February. So it was that the first World Radio Day was celebrated on February 13 2012.

---

---

---

---

February 13 Birthdays


Jerry Springer - 73



Stockard Channing - 73



Peter Gabriel - 67



Peter Tork - 75





February 13th

2007: New York billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman celebrated his 60th birthday at the Armory on Park Avenue. The evening climaxed with a half hour performance by Rod Stewart, in which Stewart was reportedly paid $1 million.

2000: David Bowie announced that his wife Iman is pregnant with his baby. Their daughter was born August 15th, 2000.

1982: The 300 pound marble slab headstone of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant was stolen from a cemetery in Orange Park, FL. It was found two weeks later by Orange Park police in a dry river bed.

1981: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon became the longest running rock album on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. It was the 402nd consecutive week the album was on the chart which would go on to spend 741 consecutive weeks.

1980: The home of Sex Pistols singer John Lydon was raided by police. Lydon greeted them waving a sword until they could produce search warrants. The only illegal item found in his home was pepper spray.

1980: Thin Lizzy singer and bassist Phil Lynott married Caroline Crowther, the daughter of British comedian Leslie Crowther.

1972: Led Zeppelin had to cancel a scheduled concert in Singapore due to the country’s officials refusing to let the band members off the plane because of their long hair.

1970: Black Sabbath’s self-titled debut album was released in the U.K. They recorded and mixed the album in just three days & to this day, the album is recognized as one of the main albums credited with the development of heavy metal music.

1961: Frank Sinatra announced the formation of his record label Reprise Records, which would later be home to artists such as Neil Young, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac & Joni Mitchell.



Birthdays:

Peter Gabriel born in 1950

Ed Gagliardi - Bassist for Foreigner born in 1952

14 Feb 2017

To all our most wonderful ladies here at our online home "IOPList"




Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the history of this centuries-old holiday, from ancient Roman rituals to the customs of Victorian England.

THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY
While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

VALENTINE’S DAY: A DAY OF ROMANCE

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity and but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”–at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love. During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance.

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY GREETINGS

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.



National Donor Day



Donor Day is a holiday that celebrates all those people who have helped save people’s lives by donating blood, marrow, tissue, and even organs. It’s a holiday that drives home exactly how amazing and giving the human spirit is because it pays tribute to so many people who have donated of themselves, often to help save the life of someone they’ve never met.

So, how can you celebrate Donor Day? It’s quite easy, and don’t worry because you don’t have to go out and actually find someone who needs an organ. You can take a small step by donating some blood, which is a completely painless process. However, your blood could be instrumental in saving someone’s life because blood transfusions are responsible for saving millions of lives annually.

Finding out where you can donate blood is relatively simple. You can conduct an online search to find out where you can donate in your local area. You could also speak to your doctor, who’ll be able to give you all the information you need. There are also apps available that not only show how many people require a certain blood type at any one time but also organ, tissue, and marrow requirements.

Donor Day is all about being selfless and giving of yourself to save another person’s life. It’s a celebration of everything that’s wonderful about humanity, and a holiday we should all be celebrating.



And



Pet Theft Awareness Day



Pet Theft Awareness Day is meant to call attention to the importance of pet identification methods. It is a day for considering just how much the presence of an animal can enrich a family and also the responsibility that goes with it. It is a day that encourages those with pets to take steps to ensure the animal’s security and their own peace of mind.

Launched in 1988 by the Last Chance for Animals organization, Pet Theft Awareness Day is aimed at educating animal owners in keeping their pets safe from thieves. With almost 2 million pets being stolen annually in American alone, the threat is real. Two options are to have pets micro-chipped or tattooed, which can provide an opportunity for some group bonding. An indelible imprint denoting who belongs to who can bind a couple and their pets until death do them part. Not for the more fickle though.

---

---

---

---

February 14 Birthdays


Frederick Douglass - (1818 - 1895) (77)



Florence Henderson - (1934 - 2016) (82)



Teller - 69



Michael Bloomberg - 75



Jim Kelly - 57





February 14th

2003: Stolen reel-to-reel tapes of The Beatles’ recording sessions for their self-titled album & Abbey Road were discovered in Australia after they were advertised for sale in a Sydney newspaper. The tapes were stolen from their London studio in 1969.

1999: Elton John made a guest appearance as himself on a Valentine’s Day edition of The Simpsons.

1992: Wayne’s World which featured cameo appearances from Alice Cooper & Meat Loaf opened at movie theaters throughout North America.

1987: Boston peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “We’re Ready” which was their final top ten single in the U.S.

1984: Joe Perry & Brad Withford met with Aerosmith backstage after their concert at Boston’s Orpheum Theatre & agreed to re-join the group, which was announced the following April.

1981: Steely Dan peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Hey Nineteen” which was their third and final top ten single in the U.S.

1978: Dire Straits began recording their debut album at Basing Street Studios in London with producer Muff Winwood.

1976: Electric Light Orchestra peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Evil Woman” which was their second top ten single in the U.S.

1970: The Who recorded their concert at Leeds University in Leeds, U.K. which would later be released the following May as the live album Live at Leeds.



Birthdays:

Vic Briggs - Guitarist for The Animals born in 1945

Doug Simril - Drummer for Steve Miller Band & Boz Scaggs born in 1946

Roger Fisher - Guitarist for Heart born in 1950

15 Feb 2017


National Singles Awareness Day



After a Christmas spent with elderly family members asking when they’re finally going to get married, or at least find a boyfriend or girlfriend to bring home, life does not get any easier for singles after Christmas, either. No sooner have the Santa Claus and snowman decorations vanished from the shops than the shelves begin to burst with cuddly teddy bears, heart-shaped balloons and boxes of cheap chocolates, all in shades of nauseating neon pinks and reds. Yes, Valentine’s Day has become one of the world’s most profitable occasions, yet another marketing scheme that has hit pay dirt more than the original creators of the idea could have ever dreamed.

If you’re in a relationship Valentine’s day is bad enough, what with all the additional pressure to be ‘romantic’, if such rampant and blatant consumerism and commercialism can be considered romantic at all. The restaurants are all overpacked with couples trying too hard to impress each other, and it seems every flower in the whole city has been bought out, just so someone can say it’s pretty once and then throw it away. Hallmark holidays are called that for a reason.

History of Valentine’s Day

For singles, on the other hand, Valentine’s day can be a simple and cruel reminder that they are alone. No pink stuffed animals for them, and no tacky heart-shaped boxes of poor quality chocolate, either, though one does tend to wonder whether that really makes them worse off in the first place.

Singles Awareness Day used to be an alternate name used for Valentine’s Day among those who found themselves unattached during the day, but it all became too depressing. So by single’s hive-mind consensus, it fell to the day after as a perfect antitode to all of the neon nonsense.



And



National Hippo Day



Bet you didn’t know that Hippo loosely translates to River Horse in ancient Greek. Hippo Day, then, celebrates the third largest mammal on Earth. Why not take some time to waddle in a mud bath, get angry with some tourists, and yawn a lot whilst opening your mouth really-really widely?[/b][/b]

---

---

---

---

February 15 Birthdays



Mick Avory - 72



David Brown - (1947 – 2000) (53)



John Helliwell - 71



Galileo Galilei - (1564 - 1642) (77)



Susan B Anthony - (1820 - 1906) (86)



Chris Farley - (1964 - 1997) (33)



Jane Seymour - 66



Lillian Disney - (1899 - 1997) (98)



Miep Gies - (1909 - 2010) (100)



Brandon Boyd - 41



Matt Groening - 63






February 15th

2002: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was sued by the parents of a four year old boy who drowned in a pool at Lee’s Malibu mansion the previous June. Lee would be cleared by a jury in April 2003.

1999: Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura declared Rolling Stones Day in Minnesota before their concert in Minneapolis. Ventura was a bodyguard for the group.

1998: The Rolling Stones closed out the second North American leg of their tour in support of Bridges to Babylon in Las Vegas at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, which included Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt & Sting in attendance.

1995: ZZ Top filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Steridyne Corporation which made a $100 gel-filled mattress bed-sore product named the ZZ Topper.

1981: Mike Bloomfield, guitarist for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band & Bob Dylan was found dead of an accidental drug overdose in a parked car in San Francisco. He was 37 years old.

1977: Glen Matlock was fired as the bassist for the Sex Pistols. When the group reunited in 1996, 2002 & 2007, Matlock was their bassist.

1975: Rush released their sophomore album Fly by Night which was their first album with Neil Peart on drums.

1969: The Doors peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Touch Me” which was their third and final top ten single in the U.S.

1964: The Beatles reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time with Meet the Beatles! which spent eleven weeks on top of the chart.



Birthdays:

Mick Avory -Drummer for The Kinks born in 1944

John Helliwell - Saxophonist for Supertramp born in 1945

David Brown - Bassist for Santana born in 1947

16 Feb 2017


Do a Grouch a Favor Day



Have you done a grouch a favor today? If not then it’s likely that no one told you it was Do a Grouch a Favor Day, as doing a grouch a favor is what the day is all about. We all know a grouch at some point in our lives, and it is very likely that we’ve had phases of being grouchy ourselves. Sometimes another person doing us a favor is the last time, but other days a favor from someone, be they a close friend or a random stranger, is exactly what we need to break us out of our slump. Of course, there may not be any redemption for the grouchy neighbor who hates your dog, and your mailbox, and the way your lawn mower sounds, and the color of your house and….

Well, you get the point. Even if you have that person for a neighbor, doing them a well meaning favor would not go amiss on Do a Grouch a Favor Day.

Origin of Do a Grouch a Favor Day

This day might have been the brain child of Big Bird, in an attempt to pull Oscar the Grouch out of his continual grumbling spirit, or it may have been the secret initiative of a grump who secretly wants people to do nice things for them, despite their prickly exterior. Whatever, the ‘grump’ has been a stereotype character since stereotype characters were invented. Even ancient Greek plays feature a grump character archetype to amuse those of us who have a sense of humor and are not resigned to a grouchy fate.




And



Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day



Engineering is typically a male-dominated arena – but beyond simply tinkering with and repairing equipment, engineering requires a flare for creativity and intelligence which the industry often misses out on due to so few women considering the career path. Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day is all about encouraging girls to consider a route into engineering, and inspiring a generation who might grow up to be the great innovators and problem solvers of the next generation!

---

---

---

---

February 16 Birthdays



Ice T - 59



Kim Jong-il - (1941 - 2011) (70)



LeVar Burton - 60



Sonny Bono - (1935 - 1998) (62)



John McEnroe - 58






February 16th

1993: Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Ian McLagen & Kenney Jones reunited for an impromptu Faces reunion at the Brit Awards. Bill Wyman filled in on bass for Ronnie Lane who was battling Multiple Sclerosis at the time.

1992: Mick Jagger was denied entry into Japan due to a drug conviction in 1969 & spent the night in a hotel near Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Jagger was eventually issued a visa.

1990: Ike Turner was sentenced to four years in prison for possession & transport of cocaine. He would be released after serving 18 months.

1985: Bruce Springsteen went to number one on the U.K. Album Chart for the first time with Born in the U.S.A.

1985: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo became parents for the first time as their daughter Haley Egeana was born.

1984: Jerry Lee Lewis surrendered to federal authorities on charges of income tax evasion. Lewis would later be acquitted.

1974: Bob Dylan reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart for the first time with his fourteenth studio album Planet Waves which spent four weeks on top.

1972: John Lennon performed with Chuck Berry on The Mike Douglas Show, performing Memphis & Johnnie B. Goode during Lennon & Yoko Ono’s week-long stint hosting The Mike Douglas Show.

1972: Shirley Watts, wife of The Rolling Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts was arrested at Nice Airport in Nice, France for hitting and swearing at French Customs officials.



Birthdays:

Sonny Bono born in 1935

17 Feb 2017


Random Acts Of Kindness Day

Quote:“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
– Leo Buscaglia

Sometimes it’s the smallest act that makes the biggest impact, something as simple as saying please or thank you can turn a day around, and make a life seem that much better. Random Acts of Kindness Day encourages you to get out there and be the light you want to see in the world.

History of Random Acts Of Kindness Day

Random Acts Of Kindness Day was first created in Denver, Colorado in 1995, and nine years later it spread to New Zealand in 2004. Random Acts of Kindness can include just about anything, including something as simple a taking a tray of muffins to work. The idea behind this holiday is to make the world a better place by spreading a little light around. Lift someone up with your words, compliment them on their appearance, all these things can help to really turn around someone who’s having a bad day.

Additionally, research has shown that the very act of doing something for someone else gives us a chemical high, a higher one, in fact, than if something had been done for us. There was a wise man who once shared a concept “Do not think of those who are in need, such as panhandlers, as seeking charity. They are, instead, providing a service. A service that allows you to get your fix of feel good while simultaneously paying someone for providing it.” It may be a bit more open-minded than some people are ready for, but it certainly helps bring things into light!



And



World Human Spirit Day



So many of our statements nowadays end with ‘the world as we know it’.

World Human Spirit Day is a celebration of the fact that what we know about our own world is limited and superficial. It is a day to wonder at our achievements on this planet as humans, and to contemplate the endless possibilities we have as spirits. A day to search within for contentedness and to embrace the fact that we do not have all the answers and that may be for the best. A day to give a higher power thanks for what we have and what we don’t have, for making us who we are and for giving us the ability to touch others.

This day is a celebration of continuity, of hope, of awareness, an occasion for us all to connect spiritually, to gaze at the universe beyond our worldly bodies.

---

---

---

---

February 17 Birthdays



Michael Jordan - 54



Billie Joe Armstrong - 45



Paris Hilton - 36



Larry the Cable Guy - 54



Denise Richards - 46



Jim Brown - 81



Taylor Hawkins - 45



Jerry O'Connell - 43






February 17th

2004: Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic pulled out of the race for lieutenant governor of Washington, his reason given was “I found out firsthand that it’s really considered bad form to run against an incumbent of your own party”.

2004: Don Henley attacked the current state of the music industry in the Washington Post in an editorial saying when he started in the business “music was vital and important to our culture”. He also added “Labels signed cutting edge artists & FM radio offered an incredible variety of music, music touched fans in a unique and personal way & our culture was enriched & the music business was healthy. That’s all changed.”

1996: A Platinum American Express card that once belonged to Bruce Springsteen sold for $4,500 at a memorabilia sale in New York. Springsteen let a waiter in a Los Angeles restaurant keep the card as a souvenir after giving the expired card by mistake.

1990: Aerosmith appeared on Saturday Night Live both as performers & appearing in a Wayne’s World sketch debating the fall of communism & the Soviet Union. Aerosmith also performed the theme of Wayne’s World, “Janie’s Got a Gun” & “Monkey on my Back”.

1989: Whitesnake singer David Coverdale married actress Tawny Kitaen in Bel Air, CA. Kitaen appeared in five music videos for Whitesnake. The couple would divorce in 1991.

1988: A 12 year old boy in Hollywood, FL set his legs on fire & suffered burns over 10 percent of his body while trying to imitate a stunt in Motley Crue’s music video “Live Wire”. Motley Crue issued a statement saying their stunts should not be tried at home.

1971: Elton John received his first Gold album in the U.S. for his self-titled U.S. debut album.

1969: Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan had a recording session together in Nashville at CBS Studios. The only song released from the sessions was “Girl from the North Country” which appeared on Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album.

1960: Elvis Presley received his first Gold album for his sophomore album Elvis.



Birthdays:

Gene Pitney born in 1940

18 Feb 2017


World Pangolin Day



World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight. These amazing creature numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa due to poaching and illegal hunting. Across the world, there are eight species ranging from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered, so today is the day to start helping in raising awareness of these under-appreciated animals.

Very little is know about these creatures however the are the only scaled mammal. These unique mammals covered in hard scales, comprised of keratin. They predate almost exclusively on ants and termites. Predominantly nocturnal and elusive, secretive mammals so it makes hard work to find out more about their habits. Due to variation in their size and the size of their scales, each species of pangolin likely has a different range in terms of the number of scales. The number of scales on the Sunda pangolin has been estimated at approximately 900 to over 1000.

Want to learn more here are some facts…

* Pangolins are the only mammal to be covered in scales.

* To protect themselves, they curl into balls like hedgehogs.

* Their name comes from the Malay word ‘pengguling’ meaning ‘something that rolls up’.

* They are the most smuggled mammal in the world because people want their meat and scales.

* A pangolin’s tongue can be longer than its body when fully extended is can be 40 cm long!





And




World Whale Day



Giants of the ocean are celebrated on World Whale Day, which aims to raise awareness of these magnificent creatures. The annual holiday was founded in Maui, Hawaii, in 1980, to honor humpback whales, which swim off its coast. It’s the main showcase of the Maui Whale Festival.

Every year, crowds flock to the island to join in the free all-day event, organized by the Pacific Whale Foundation. The fun starts with a parade including floats, costumed characters and children’s events, plus music from Hawaiian and international stars.

However, you don’t have to visit Maui to mark this special day. Whales need support from wildlife lovers everywhere to meet conservation threats such as loss of habitat and pollution, so a perfect way to celebrate the day would be to take part in a fund raising event wherever you live. You’ll have a whale of a time and aid a great cause!



And



Pluto Day

Quote:I refuse to accept Pluto’s resignation as a planet.
– Amy Lee

If you’re like us, you grew up with a solar system that had nine planets in it. You also grew up in world that didn’t teach new math, but that’s a rant for a different day. Then one day they suddenly decided that designating Pluto as a planet was just wrong, and our most distant friend in the solar system suddenly was told he wasn’t good enough for the planet club anymore, and would forever be considered a ‘dwarf planet’. Kind of a consolation prize for those not cool enough for the big planets club. Pluto Day celebrates the discovery of Pluto in 1930, when it was designated as a planet, and that’s how it should have stayed!

History of Pluto Day

The story of how Pluto was discovered actually starts in the 1840’s, when one Urbain Le Verrier determined that there was a planet outside of Uranus, but that planet obviously wasn’t Pluto, it was Neptune. But the same methods by which Neptune was discovered led to another beyond it. You see, Uranus was demonstrating some oddities in its orbit, oddities caused by its nearest, yet undiscovered, neighbor, Neptune. Once they were able to actually observe Neptune, they realized that another planet must be disturbing Uranus’s orbit as well, what they were seeing couldn’t be explained merely by Neptune.

This led to a search for Planet X (an Amazing name that we think Pluto should have kept, but we’re not able to do anything about that, obviously) headed by Percival Lowell. Unfortunately Powell would pass from this mortal coil (and into the hands of Pluto, God of the Dead) before Pluto was discovered… At least, before he would know about it. You see, during their surveys of the deep sky in search of ‘Planet X’, two faint smudges would appear that were later to be revealed to be Pluto.

The actual discovery of Pluto happened in February of 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh. After so many years and so many lives spent searching for it, we think that Pluto deserves to remain a planet, don’t you?

---

---

---

---

February 18 Birthdays


Dr. Dre - 52



John Travolta - 63



Molly Ringwald - 49



Vanna White - 60



Mary I of England - (1516 - 1558) (42)



Jillian Michaels - 43



Yoko Ono - 84



Enzo Ferrari - (1898 - 1988) (90)






February 18th

2003: Styx released Cyclorama, their first album without founding member Dennis DeYoung. It contained guest appearances from Brian Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, John Waite & Tenacious D & peaked at 127 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

2001: James Taylor married longtime girlfriend Caroline “Kim” Smedvig in a Boston church. It was Taylor’s second marriage.

1980: Bill Wyman announced that he intended to leave The Rolling Stones on their 20th anniversary in 1982. Wyman didn’t leave until 1992.

1974: Kiss released their self-titled debut album on Casablanca Records. The album would later peak at number 87 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & five songs from the album remain permanent staples in Kiss’ live set to this day.

1973: Long running radio concert series The King Biscuit Flower Hour premiered with guests Blood, Sweat and Tears & Bruce Springsteen.

1972: Neil Young received his third Gold record for Harvest, which went on to sell four million copies in the U.S.

1968: David Gilmour replaced Syd Barrett as guitarist & singer for Pink Floyd due to Barrett’s increasingly erratic behavior.

1966: The instrumental of the first version of “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys was recorded by Brian Wilson.

1959: Ray Charles recorded “What’d I Say” which is widely credited as being the song that broke Charles mainstream.



Birthdays:

Yoko Ono born in 1933

Dennis DeYoung - Singer for Styx born in 1947

Robbie Bachman - Drummer for Bachman-Turner Overdrive born in 1953

Hi Ice.

Always like to read your " Today Is",  posts, so much interesting info.

Thank you for posting it. 

I'd like to meet a pangolin.

Too bad they are being killed for their scales and flesh...Tens of thousands every year.

So sad

19 Feb 2017


National Chocolate Mint Day



There’s something special about the combination of smooth, rich, luxurious chocolate and cool, refreshing, sharp mint. Celebrate this incredible combination on Chocolate Mint Day by indulging in your favorite minty, chocolate treat!



And




International Tug-of-War Day



One of the simplest of sports, dating back to ownership disputes over food and clothing, the history disappears into legend with the Sun and Moon wrestling over light and darkness.
Most cultures have references to competitions of strength that involve pulling in opposite directions which can be found on stone carvings, in ancient texts and legends. Vikings used animal skins stretched across a fire pit, if any more incentive to pull were required. When tall ships were common on the seas a ‘tug ‘o’ war’ was a common way for sailors to show their prowess with heavy rigging.

Dropped from the Olympic Games in 1920, Tug of War still remains a World wide sport and many nations have their own governing bodies. Aside from formal competitions ‘pulls’ feature at many fairs and festivals. Spectators are encouraged to cheer on their favourite side. Join in Tug-of-War Day by organising your own event, or getting involved in another!

Tug-of-war is a competitive sport that takes place around the world and has a long and ancient history. Two teams hold each end of a large rope and attempt to pull the other towards them in order to win. Contests often take place over bodies of water or muddy areas so that the losing team suffers the indignity of falling in, which is preferable to the Viking version of tug-of-war when teams competed over a pit of fire. The number of people taking part can vary from just a few to a large crowd, with the world record for a single tug-of-war standing at 1,574 participants. It is not surprising that such a popular event has its own annual day; Tug-of-War Day. Cries of ‘heave’ are heard around the world on a day when numerous matches take place, giving a chance to take part or cheer on this timeless team game.

---

---

---

---

February 19 Birthdays



Francis Buchholz - 63



Tony Iommi - 69



Smokey Robinson - 77



Seal - 54



Falco - (1957 - 1998) (40)



Benicio Del Toro - 50



Bellamy Young - 47






February 19th

1997: A judge in New York dismissed a $7 million lawsuit against Motley Crue for hearing loss that a fan suffered at one of their concerts. The judge ruled that the fan knew the concert would be loud when he purchased the ticket.

1995: Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee married Pamela Anderson on a beach in Cancun, Mexico.

1995: Jon Bon Jovi’s wife Dorthea gave birth to their second child, a son named Jesse James Louis.

1993: Lynyrd Skynyrd celebrated their twentieth anniversary with a Lynyrd Skynyrd & Friends LYVE performance from Atlanta’s Fox Theatre that aired live on pay-per-view. Special guests included Peter Frampton, Charlie Daniels, Zakk Wylde, Poison singer Bret Michaels & Cinderella singer Tom Kiefer.

1983: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made their second appearance as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live where they performed “Change of Heart” and “The Waiting”.

1982: Ozzy Osbourne was arrested in San Antonio for urinating on The Alamo. At the time of his arrest, Osbourne was wearing a dress which belonged to his manager (later wife), Sharon Arden.

1980: AC/DC singer Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning in London while sleeping in a friend’s car. He was 33 years old.

1977: Manfred Mann’s Earth Band reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Blinded by the Light” which spent one week on top which is Springsteen’s only number one single as a songwriter.

1974: Kiss made their television debut on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.



Birthdays:

Paul Dean - Guitarist for Loverboy born in 1946

Tony Iommi - Guitarist for Black Sabbath born in 1948

Francis Buchholz - Bassist for Scorpions born in 1954