Today is...

[IceWizard]

Wednesday 14 Dec 2016

Monkey Day



Monkeys are interesting creatures – cute, mischievous, and sometimes downright obnoxious (anyone who disagrees has obviously never had their laundry torn down by a family of primates when it’s hanging to dry).

Many species of primates are also endangered, and then there are questions of animal rights and the usage of primates in medical research.

That’s why there’s Monkey Day, a day that’s been dedicated to raising awareness about non-human primates.

History of Monkey Day

Back in 2000, Casey Sorrow was an art student at Michigan State University, and he ended up writing “Monkey Day” on his friend’s calendar as a prank. But then they actually celebrated the occasion with other art students at MSU, and Sorrow later started collaborating with fellow MSU student on the Fetus-X comic strip, where the holiday was mentioned and popularized.

Since then, Monkey Day has been observed internationally as a day to celebrate primates (including monkeys, but also apes, lemurs, and tarsiers).

Sorrow himself still does much to promote the holiday and the cause of primate welfare, and in addition to the Monkey Day website, he also maintains a “Monkeys in the News” blog which discusses primate-related news around the world and comes out with a list of the top ten primate-related news stories from the past year every Monkey Day.



And



Roast Chestnuts Day



In the chill of December, there’s one warming treat that is especially popular across the world to keep the cold away. Roasted chestnuts are often seen this time of year being cooked by street vendors, and the earthy, spicy scent is more than enough to get anyone into the Christmas spirit.

On the 14th of December, it’s time to honor the humble chestnut. Or specifically, mark the time-honored tradition of roasting chestnuts round about the season of good cheer.

The History of Roast Chestnuts Day

Roast Chestnut’s day is a relatively new day in the calendar, but the practice of roasting chestnuts has been around for donkey’s years.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when they started to become so popular, historians pencil the 16th century in as being a turning point, when the nuts would be sold by street vendors to anyone wanting a quick and warming snack.

It has also long been a tradition in Portugal to eat them roasted on Saint Martin’s Day, and in Tuscany on Saint Simon’s Day.

When chestnuts are carefully roasted, the natural sweetness of the nut is revealed. This makes them an ideal snack if you want something to stave off a sweet tooth that also happens to be quite nutritious, chestnuts being comparatively low in calories and being a good source of fibre.

They are also very rich in vitamin C, which may come as a surprise to you.

Although they are technically nuts, they taste very unlike other nuts – the sweet, earthy taste is certainly worth a try if you’ve never had one before – and Roast Chestnuts Day is the perfect time to try that first one.

Chestnuts are often roasted on a grill, which helps to remove their bitter, shiny skins, but you can make them at home using your conventional kitchen oven.

All you need to do is cut a cross into each nut, put them on a roasting tin and bake them until the skins open. They are eaten after peeling away that tough, shiny skin..

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December 14 Birthdays


Cliff Williams - 67



Patty Duke - (1946-2016)



Nostradamus - (1503-1566)








December 14th

2006: Founder of Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun died after slipping into a coma. He slipped and hit his head at a Rolling Stones concert weeks earlier. He was 83 years old.

2003: Ozzy Osbourne reached the top of the U.K. Singles Chart for the first time with a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” remade as a duet with his daughter Kelly.

1999: Paul McCartney performed at the Cavern Club in Liverpool for the first time since 1963. During the concert, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice joined McCartney onstage.

1997: Kurt Winter, former guitarist for The Guess Who died of kidney failure. He was 51 years old.

1985: ZZ Top peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Sleeping Bag” which was their second and final top ten single in the U.S.

1984: George Harrison joined Deep Purple on stage during their concert in Sydney, Australia.

1980: Yoko Ono asked for a ten-minute silent vigil to take place around the world at 2 p.m. EST. Over 100,000 people gathered in Central Park and 30,000 people assembled in observance in Liverpool.

1979: The Clash released their third album London Calling which went on to reach number twenty-seven on the Billboard 200 Album Chart, sell one million copies in the U.S. and became one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time.

1974: Styx re-released “Lady” which went on to become their first top ten hit in the U.S. peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.



Birthdays:

Cliff Williams - Bassist for AC/DC born in 1949