The Weird Continues

"Mom, something is making a really weird noise outside," Bigger Girl complained when she came in the house.

What does it sound like?

"It sounds like what you would imagine a werewolf to sound like."

"Oh, cool!" Little Girl popped in at that moment. "I'm going to go see if I can figure out what it is!"

"No, don't! Too late, she's out there. Mom, if she comes back in with a werewolf bite, do we have any silver bullets?"

Good thing she was joking. At least, i'm going to assume she was.


Today is:

Compitalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (slave festival to the Lares and Manes, household gods)

Curried Chicken Day

Eat Crackers and Try to Whistle Day -- just to see if it's as much fun as it was when you were a child

Feast of Fabulous Wild Men Day -- an internet generated holiday with whatever purpose you decide to give it

Festival au Desert -- Essakane, Mali (the most remote music festival in the world, with lots of traditional African music and traditions; through the 14th)

Goblin Gala -- Fairy Calendar (Fairies not invited)

Memorial Day -- Turkmenistan

National Marzipan Day

National Pharmacist Day

National Youth Day -- India

Rubber Band Veteran Day -- to commemorate the warriors and heroes of rubber band fights around the globe and in your very own school or office

Stick to Your New Year's Resolution Day -- because it's too soon to give up

St. Benedict Biscop's Day (Founder and Patron of English Benedictines, and Patron of musicians and painters)

St. Tatiana's Day (Patron of students)

Winterskol -- Aspen, Colorado (Aspen's annual "toast to winter", through the weekend)

Zanzibar Revolution Day -- Tanzania


Birthdays Today:

HAL, 1997 (according to A. C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Jeff Bezos, 1964
Kirstie Alley, 1955
Howard Stern, 1954
Rush Limbaugh, 1951
Joe Frazier, 1944
Glenn Yarborough, 1930
Ray Price, 1926
Luise Rainer, 1910
Tex Ritter, 1905
Joe E. Lewis, 1902
Jack London, 1876
John Singer-Sargent, 1856
Charles Perrault, 1628


Today in History:

Tsarina Elizabeth establishes the first university in Russia, 1755
The first US public museum is established, in Charlestown, South Carolina, 1773
Mission Santa Clara de Asis is founded in California, 1777
The first cargo arrives in New Orleans by steamship, from Natchez, 1812
Anthracite coal is first used to smelt iron, in Mauch Chunk,Pennsylvania, 1839
The Royal Aeronautical Society is founded in England, 1866
The Dow-Jones closes above 100 for the first time, 1906
A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time, 1908
The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees, 1911
The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to give women the right to vote, 1915
Finland's "Mosaic Confessors" law went into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens, 1918
Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate, 1932
Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation, 1967
An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait, 1991
A new constitution, providing for freedom to form political parties, is approved by a referendum in Mali, 1992
Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning, 1998
The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage, 2004
Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket, 2006
The French warship Clemenceau reaches Egypt and is barred access to the Suez Canal, 2006
Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) reaches perihelion becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years, 2007
An earthquake in Haiti kills an estimated 230,000 and destroys most of Port-au-Prince, 2010