Today is...

[IceWizard]

15 May 2017


National Straw Hat Day



Why would so simple a garment as a straw hat have a day of its own? Well now, that’s just what we’re here to answer! Straw hats have been found in almost every culture throughout the world, with different styles and techniques used to make them as needed for that area’s needs. The reasons for their use may be surprising to you, as well as the tenacity with which they’ve remained a rather standard piece of attire even into the modern age. Straw Hat Day commemorates these amazingly pieces of headwear, so hang on as we discuss:

The History of Straw Hat Day

When we say that the straw hat goes back a very long way and is part of just about every culture in the world, we aren’t kidding. Straw hats are known to go back to before the Middle Ages all throughout the West and into the Orient. Since then, numerous styles have appeared, and some of them are so important that they have become indelibly tied to a culture or a place, and in some cases a person.

When most Americans think of the Panama Hat, they immediately think of Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the iconic American President responsible both for the building of the Panama Canal, and the inspiration for the ‘Teddy Bear’. Then there is the mokorotlo, a hat that is part of the traditional garb of the Sotho (South Africa & Lesotho) people. This straw hat is so important to their culture that it has become their national symbol, even appearing on their flag and license plates.

These hats are fantastic in their flexibility of use, if you’re in an area where you want to keep the sun off your head but you also what your head to be able to breathe, a loosely woven straw hat is just the thing you need. On the other hand if you live in a rainy climate and want something to keep your (sometimes rather intense) rains off your head, you go for a tightly woven straw hat like those found in Japan and China. Needless to say, there’s as many designs and uses for these hats as there are people!



And




National Nylon Stockings Day



Some holidays are there to celebrate events of momentous cultural significance; others are there to remind us of the little things in life. Nylon Stockings Day is very much in the second category, and a particularly quirky holiday it is too.

As might be guessed from the name, this is a day in which women across the world can celebrate stockings – a major part of day-to-day fashion for many women.

The stocking has come to represent a large number of different concepts, from femininity to sexuality, and so we should not be too surprised to find that there are people willing to celebrate it. Granted, setting an entire day aside may seem an excessive measure to some people, but that is business as usual with holidays – what is just another date on the calendar to one person may be a red-letter day to another.

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May 15 Birthdays



Emmitt Smith - 48




Utah Phillips - (1935 - 2008) (73)




George Brett - 64




Brian Eno - 69








May 15th

1997: The Muzak company announced that it will turn four Kiss songs into elevator friendly instrumentals. The Kiss songs to receive the Muzak treatment were “Beth”, “Sure Know Something”, “A World Without Heroes” & “Every Time I Look at You”.

1987: Motley Crue released their fourth album Girls, Girls, Girls which went on to reach number two on the Billboard 200 Album Chart & sell four million copies in the U.S.

1984: Neil Young’s guitarist Nils Lofgren replaced Steven Van Zandt in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

1982: Asia’s self-titled debut album reached the top of the Billboard 200 Album Chart, where it spent nine non-consecutive weeks at number one.

1976: The Rolling Stones reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with Black and Blue which was their first album with Ronnie Wood who replaced Mick Taylor. The album spent four non-consecutive weeks on top of the chart.

1976: The Steve Miller Band released their ninth studio album Fly Like an Eagle which went on to reach number three on the Billboard 200 Album Chart and sell four million copies in the U.S.

1974: The Rolling Stones’ bassist Bill Wyman released his debut solo album Monkey Grip. Wyman was the first member of the Stones to release a solo album.

1971: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reached number one on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with their live album 4 Way Street which spent one week on top.

1967: Paul McCartney met future wife Linda Eastman for the first time at the Bag O’Nails club in London.



Birthdays:

Brian Eno - Keyboardist for Roxy Music born in 1948

Mike Oldfield born in 1953