Today is...

[IceWizard]

09 Aug 2017


National Book Lovers Day



From the scent of a rare first edition book found in an old time book collection, to a crisp, fresh book at the local supermarket, the very sight of a book can bring back memories. Reading as a child, enjoying the short stories, the long books and the ability to lose yourself in a story so powerful that at the end your asking yourself where to get the next book in the series. This is for the reader in all of us, the celebration of Book Lovers Day!

History of Book Lovers Day

While the day’s origins may be shrouded in mystery and rumor, the books themselves are not. Started from carving on stone tablets, the book was designed to make portable the writings and drawings of those that could not carry around stone tablets. Originally it was parchment or vellum (calf skin, in case you were wondering)was bound tightly with a wooden cover. Often the wooden cover was tightly wrapped in leather to prevent the wood from getting wet and had clasps or straps to hold it shut.

In the more modern age, printing capabilities made books cheaper, and easier, to print. The printing press, the typewriter, and the computer all had an effect on the market of books. But more so than most, is the upsurge in electronic devices that can be used to read on. Computers, tablets, and most cell phones now have the ability to read books, making it that much easier to carry around a small library to enjoy not matter where you are.


And




Melon Day

”The charm, one might say the genius, of memory is that it is choosy, chancy, and temperamental; it rejects the edifying cathedral and indelibly photographs the small boy outside, chewing a hunk of melon in the dust.”
~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Cantaloupe, Honeydew, and Galia Melons, just to name a few. These are the fruits we celebrate on Melon Day, a day dedicated to all forms of muskmelon, and one in particular. If you’re a lover of fresh crisp melon on a hot day, then you already know why it deserves a day of its own.

But let us tell you of the Turkmenbashi melon, a melon of pride in Turkmenistan.

History of Melon Day

Turkmenistan? Where is Turkmenistan we hear you ask, and what does it have to do with melons? Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country on the shores of the Caspian Sea and has spent the majority of its lifespan as the crossroads of civilization. In its time it has served as an important trade stop between the West and the East, and its city of Merv was of great import on the silk road.

In 1994 an auspicious event happened in Turkmenistan, the establishment of Melon Day by its first president, Saparmurat Niyazov. The Turkembashi melon was named for his preferred name “Turkembashi”, which meant “Leader of the Turkmens.” In a speech praising the fertility of the Turkmenistan soil and the farmers who worked it, he raised the Turkmen melon as being a fruit so delicious it was a taste of paradise.

Melon Day is your opportunity to share in a taste of paradise and to celebrate this countries unique history, and the fruit that is its pride and joy.

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August 9 Birthdays




Whitney Houston - (1963 - 2012) (48)




Elizabeth Hamilton - (1757 - 1854) (97)




Gillian Anderson - 49




Jessica Capshaw - 41




Kevin McKidd - 44




Sam Elliott - 73




Melanie Griffith - 60




Hoda Kotb - 53








August 9th

2003: Roger Daltrey made his Los Angeles stage debut at the Hollywood Bowl playing Dr. Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

1995: Grateful Dead guitarist & singer Jerry Garcia died of a heart attack caused by hardening of the arteries at a rehabilitation clinic in San Francisco. He was 53 years old.

1995: Kiss taped their appearance for MTV Unplugged in New York City. During this performance, they performed with Ace Frehley & Peter Criss for the first time since 1979.

1994: Peter Gabriel made an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman as the featured musical guest.

1986: Queen performed their final concert with Freddie Mercury at the Knebworth in England in front of 120,000 people.

1980: AC/DC reached the top of the U.K. Album Chart with Back in Black which spent two weeks on top of the chart. The album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 Album Chart in the U.S. & went on to sell 45 million copies worldwide, making it the second biggest selling album of all time.

1975: Don Kirshner held the Rock Music Award Show in Santa Monica, CA. The top winners included Bad Company, The Eagles & Stevie Wonder.

1967: At the National Blues and Jazz Festival in the U.K., Jerry Lee Lewis had his set cut short after the overenthusiastic crowd caused a near-riot.

1964: Bob Dylan & Joan Baez performed onstage together for the first time at the Newport Folk Festival singing “With God on our Side”.




Birthdays:

Rinus Gerritsen - Bassist for Golden Earring born in 1946