In the Forecast

A true story, overheard recently:

A young girl, age 4, asked her mother, "Mom, will my sore finger be well by my birthday?"

"Well, hopefully," Mom answered.

"What does 'hopefully' mean?" the child continued to question, as children will.

"It means I hope so, but I don't know for sure," Mom patiently replied.

"That's right!" the sweet child said.  "The only people who know for sure what is going to happen are G-d and the weatherman!"



Today is:

Apple Butter Festival -- Berkeley Springs, WV, US (simmering spicy apple butter in copper kettles in the town square, plus lots more; through tomorrow)

Ayathrem -- Zoroastrianism (feast of bringing the herds and flocks home, a five day feast, dates approximate)

Catoctin Colorfest -- Thurmont, MD, US (juried art festival, live music, food, and more; through tomorrow)

Child Rambunctiousness Appreciation Day -- remembering back to when we didn't say every kid with ants in his/her pants needed drugs

Children's Day / Feast of Our Lady of Aparecida -- Brazil

Chowder Days -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (a beautiful, and delicious, riverfront festival; through Monday)

Cloud-Stamping Pentathlon -- Fairy Calendar

Cookbook Launch Day -- someone started this one just because s/he likes cookbooks is my guess

Day of Fortuna Redux -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of successful journeys and lucky homecomings, favored by travelers and soldiers)

Day of Giving the Black Land to Horus and the Red Land to Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

"Discovery" of America by Columbus, actual date; most government holidays will be on the Monday nearest this date
     Columbus Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands; US and Territories
     Descubrimiento de América -- Mexico
     Día de la Hispanidad or Fiesta Nacional de España -- Spain
     Dia de la Raza -- Latin America and especially Guatemala (Day of the Race, or Day of the Natives)
     Día de la Resistencia Indígena -- Venezuela (Day of Indigenous Resistance)
     Dia de las Americas/Descubrimiento de America -- Uruguay
     Dia de las Culturas -- Costa Rica (Day of the Cultures)
     Dia del Descubrimiento de dos Mundos -- Chile
     Discovery Day -- Bahamas
     Encuentro de Dos Mundos -- Ecuador
     Pan America Day -- Belize

Fall Astronomy Day -- US (local astronomical societies, planetariums, museums and observatories sponsor public viewings, presentation, workshops, etc., to increase public awareness of astronomy and our amazing universe)

Fiesta Nacional de Espana -- Spain (National Day/Hispanity Day)

Freethought Day -- celebration by Freethinkers of the effective ending date of the Salem witch trials

Harvest Celebration -- Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT, US ('tis the season, especially for apple cider and lots of pumpkins; through tomorrow)

Independence Day -- Equatorial Guinea(1968)

International Moment of Frustration Scream Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, who want you to go outside at 1200GMT and scream for 30 seconds so we can all get it out of our systems

3ack-O-Launch/Punkin Chunkin Colorado -- DeLaney Farm, Aurora, CO, US (with the official Punkin Chunkin Contest, divisions include trebuchet, compressed air cannon, catapult, human power, and youth; a free festival for the whole family)

Louisiana Art & Folk Festival -- Columbia, LA, US (celebrating the rich folklore and music arts of Louisiana)

Monster Myths by Moonlight -- Milford, KS, US (wear your costume and take a nature walk to learn the truth about such Halloween "monsters" as bats, snakes, spiders, vultures, etc.)

Mountain Glory Festival -- Marion, NC, US (celebrating the mountain heritage)

National Gumbo Day

Native American's Day -- often celebrated on both the observed and the traditional Columbus Day; a day to mourn Native American victims of conquest and oppression, make peace, and celebrate the empowerment of Native Americans

Old Farmers Day -- an unsponsored day, and any day is a good day to honor the men and women who work hard to grow our food

Oyster Festival -- Chincoteague Island, VA, US (oysters served almost every way imaginable, all you can eat!)

Pine Barrens Jamboree -- Waretown, NJ, US (celebration of New Jersey Pinelands, with canoeing, nature walks, music, kids' activities, and more; free!)

Prater's Mill Country Fair -- Dalton, GA, US (a Southern festival of quality artists, craftsmen, music, and food; through tomorrow)

Scenic Drive Festival -- Van Buren County, IA, US (includes flea markets, an arts festival, and historic architecture; through tomorrow)

Sedona Arts Festival -- Sedona, AZ, US (celebration of visual, performing, and culinary arts, with proceeds going to student art programs and scholarships; through tomorrow)

St. Edwin of Northumbria's Day (Patron of converts, hobos/tramps, homeless people, kings, parents of large families)

St. Wilfred of York's Day (Patron of Middlesbrough, England; Ripon, England)

Universal Music Day -- celebrate music as our universal language; this year's theme is "Sing and Celebrate Your HeART Song"

Vermont Apple Festival -- Springfield, VT, US (family fun, farm animals, food, farmer's market, crafts, and apples; a true family oriented event held at Riverside Middle School)


Anniversary Today:

Day of Six Billion, 1999 (marking the world population reaching that number)



Birthdays Today:

Kirk Cameron, 1970
Hugh Jackman, 1968
Carlos Bernard, 1962
Susan Anton, 1950
Chris Wallace, 1947
Luciano Pavarotti, 1935
Dick Gregory, 1932


Debuting/Premiering Today

The Bob Hope Show, 1953
The Burns and Allen Show, 1950


Today in History:

The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon, BC539
King John of England loses his crown jewels in The Wash, 1216
Nichiren, Japans Buddhist monk who founded Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon, 1279
Christopher Columbus' expedition makes landfall in the Bahamas, 1492
Massachusetts discontinues all witch trials, 1692
America's first asylum for "Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds" opens in Virginia, 1773
Bavarian royalty invites the citizens of Munich to join the celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen; this celebration becomes the founding of the first Oktoberfest, 1810
Charles Macintosh, of Scotland, sells the first raincoat, 1821
Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) is enacted by British rule in India, which named over 160 local communities 'Criminal Tribes', i.e. hereditary criminals, 1871*
President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the "Executive Mansion" to the White House, 1901
An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston, 1928
The Soviet Union launches the Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first flight without space suits, 1964
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the first of five books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction series by Douglas Adams is published, 1979
The lowest recorded non-tornadic atmospheric pressure, 87.0 kPa (870 mbar or 25.69 inHg), occurred in the Western Pacific during Typhoon Tip, 1979
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the People's Republic of China, 1986
NASA loses radio contact with the Magellan spacecraft as the probe descends into the thick atmosphere of Venus, 1994
The proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born, 1999
The second Chinese human spaceflight Shenzhou 6 is launched, 2005

*Not repealed until India's independence in 1949