Today is...

[IceWizard]

26 Jan 2017

Spouse's Day





Also known as Military Spouse’s Day, Spouse’s Day is dedicated to recognising spouses of everywhere; from being thankful for fulfilment and security of a long-term relationship, to the boost to morale and well-being provided by spouses of those in the military.



And



Australia Day



Australia. A country. A continent. A land of pristine beaches and merciless deserts, adorable koala bears and murderous great white sharks. The sixth largest country in the world, with but 21 million inhabitants. Closer to Asia than any other continent, so close that many “pop over” to Bali for the weekend, yet bearing virtually no resemblance to Asia whatever. And as comedian Victor Borge put it, “When it’s midnight in Australia, nobody knows what time it is anywhere else.” To most people, Australia is a land of mystery, danger and majestic beauty. All who have been there come back astonished at the number of things they didn’t know existed before going there, and those that decide to stay there rarely look back. That’s why it goes without saying that this unique continent more than deserves its own day. Right mate?

The History of Australia Day

Australia day is celebrated annually on January 26th, as that marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at New South Wales as well as the raising of the flag of Great Britain at that location. In present-day Australia, however, celebrations focus much less on the arrival of the aforementioned ships, and instead concentrate more on the diverse society and landscape of the nation. Many community and family events are organised, as well as various celebrations welcoming new immigrants. Australia is a relatively young country, as federation occurred just over 100 years ago in 1901, so it was not until 1935 that Australia Day was actually celebrated. Due to the rapid decline of the indigenous population after the arrival of British ships on Australia’s shores, some prefer to call this holiday “Invasion Day” as a way of remembering the many that died from various diseases in the 18th and 19th centuries.

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January 26 Birthdays


Ellen DeGeneres - 59



Wayne Gretzky - 56



Eddie Van Halen - 62



Paul Newman - (1925 - 2008)



Louis Zamperini - (1917 - 2014)







January 26th


2004: Sex Pistols singer John Lydon appeared on the U.K. reality show I’m a Celebrity…Get Me out Of Here set in the Australian outback. Lydon left after four days earning $42,500 to appear on the program.

2003: Billy Joel was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital after he lost control of his car in Long Island & smashed it into a tree.

1997: ZZ Top, James Brown & the Blues Brothers performed the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans.

1991: Queen reached the top of the U.K. Singles Chart for the third time with “Innuendo”. The flamenco guitar solo in the song was performed by Yes guitarist Steve Howe.

1989: Bon Jovi kicked off the North American leg of their Jersey Syndicate Tour in support of New Jersey at the Reunion Arena in Dallas. Skid Row was the opening band.

1986: Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins was involved in a car accident where his car ran off the road, crashed into a culvert, his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts was killed & Collins was paralyzed from the waist down.

1979: Bob Dylan formed his record label Accomplice Records. Little would come of it.

1977: Founding Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green was committed to a British mental institution after he fired a pistol at a messenger who attempted to deliver a royalty check.

1970: John Lennon, wrote, recorded and mixed “Instant Karma!” which was produced by Phil Spector and released 11 days later.



Birthdays:

Ashley Hutchings - Bassist for Fairport Convention born in 1945

Corky Laing - Drummer for Mountain born in 1948

Eddie Van Halen - Guitarist for Van Halen born in 1955