A to Z: Z is for Zillions

Z will always be for Zillions if it falls on April 30 (which it always will unless the 30th is a Sunday, which doesn't count for A to Z purposes).

Anyway, back to Zillions.  Yes, i know that's not a real amount of anything, but it's my description of what my kids are worth to me.

Today especially, Little Girl.  She is turning 17 today.

My baby is not so little any more.

That's okay, she's still Little Girl to me.  She is generous, hard working, and smart.

Bigger Girl is the one who got us started with volunteering for the shelter rescue before they had even built the shelter.  Little Girl is the one who is still helping me up there every week, as Bigger Girl always has to work now on Friday nights.

Little Girl is the one who loves kids and knows just how to take care of and entertain children from 2 on up.  (Babies cry when she holds them, we don't know what's up with that.  Once they start walking better, they love her.  Oh, well.)

She's the first to lend a hand when any job needs to be done, and she scored the highest ACT score in her whole school this year.  She's a junior.

Her ambition is to go into the medical field in some capacity, and i'm betting she will do it.

Happy Birthday, Little Girl.  You are worth more to me than i can say.  Thus i use Zillions.  And we will have cake, whether the electricity is back on or not.

Today is

Armed Forces Day -- Georgia

Birthday of the King / Konungens födelsedag -- Sweden (HM King Carl XVI Gustav; an official flag day)

Bugs Bunny Day -- while some consider his debut to have been in "A Wild Hare," released in July two years later, other say that Bugs was the rabbit in "Porky's Hare Hunt," relased this date in 1938

Camarón Day -- French Foreign Legion

Carnival Day -- Sint Maarten

Consumer Protection Day -- Thailand

Díá De Los Niños/Díá De Los Libros -- American Library Association (Children Day/Book Day; a celebration that emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds)

Dia de Rincon -- Rincon, Bonaire

El Dia del Nino -- Mexico (Children's Day)

Fairy Queen's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Faeriae Latinae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Feast of the Latin League, a festival to honor Jupiter)

Faeriae Latinae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Feast of the Latin League, a festival to honor Jupiter)

Festival of Nations -- St. Paul, MN, US (cultural exhibits, food, dance, and folk art from 90 ethnic groups in a celebration held each year since 1932; through Sunday)

International Jazz Day -- UNESCO (originated with the New Jersey Jazz Society and sanctioned by the United Nations Jazz Society, the American Federation of Jazz Societies, and the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society; this year's International Jazz Day Global Concert 2015 will be held at UNESCO's Paris Headquarters and streamed live, with info here)

Kansas Barbed Wire Swap/Sell -- La Crosse, Kansas (held by the Barbed Wire Collectors Association, and no, i'm not making that up! through Saturday)

Liberation/Reunification Day -- Vietnam

Make-a-Book Day -- the Thursday of Family Reading Week (NOTE: FRW is the week ending the first Sat. in May!)

May Eve -- eve of the first day of summer in many traditions, including
     Beltane/Samhain Eve -- Pagan traditions
     Carodejnice -- Czech Republic; Slovakia
     Maitag Vorabend -- Switzerland 
     Mange les Morts -- Haiti (festival of the dead)
     Salus -- Portugal; Spain (festival of the dead)
     Valborgsmässoafton -- Sweden
     Walpurgis Night -- Ancient Celtic/Nordic Calendars

Mr. Potato Head Day -- the classic toy went on sale this day in 1952, and you used your own potato

National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day -- US (can't find a sponsoring organization, but it's not a bad idea)

National Honesty Day -- including Honest Abe Awards (Abies) and dishonorable mentions for those who have been particularly publicly egregious; celebrated today because we began the month with April Fooling and lies, so today is to celebrate the opposite*

National Raisin Day

Poem in Your Pocket Day -- carry your favorite with you to share with friends and family to celebrate National Poetry Month

Richmond Mushroom Festival -- Richmond, MO, US (arts and crafts, carnival, barbecue contest, bike and car show, bands, and stage shows, all to celebrate the fun fungus; through Sunday)

St. Adjutor of Vernon's Day (Patron of drowning victims, sailors, swimmers, yachtsmen; Vernon, France; against drowning)

St. James the Great's Day -- Orthodox Christian

Teacher's Day -- Paraguay

*to nominate someone for an Abie or a dishonorable mention, contact M. Hirsh Goldberg, founder and author of The Book of Lies



Anniversaries Today:

Pele marries Assiria Seixas Lemos, 1994
The Organization of American States is founded, 1948
Louisiana becomes the 18th US state, 1812


Birthdays Today:

Dianna Agron, 1986
Kirsten Dunst, 1982
Johnny Galecki, 1975
Jeff Timmons, 1973
Carolyn Dawn Johnson, 1971
Adrian Pasdar, 1965
Michael Waltrip, 1963
Isiah Thomas, 1961
Stuart Mathis, 1960
Stephen Harper, 1959
Jane Campion, 1954
Perry King, 1948
Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden, 1946
Michael J. Smith, 1945
Jill Clayburgh, 1944
Burt Young, 1940
Gary Collins, 1938
Willie Nelson, 1933
Cloris Leachman, 1926
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, 1909
Eve Arden, 1908
Ellis Wilson, 1899
Louise Dilworth Beatty Homer, 1871


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Barnum"(Musical), 1980
"The Dresser"(Play), 1980
"Inside U.S.A."(Musical revue), 1948
"Arthur Godfrey Time"(Radio), 1945
"Pelleas et Melisande"(Opera), 1902
"Dmitri Donskoi"(Opera), 1852
"Love for Love"(Play), 1695


Today in History:

Supernova  SN 1006, the brightest supernova in recorded history, appears in the constellation  Lupus, 1006
Orbital calculations suggest that on this day, Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit until July 23, 1503, 1483
Columbus is given a royal commission to equip his fleet, 1492
On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States, 1789
The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France, 1803
Nicaragua  declares independence from the Central American Federation, 1838
Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to 
make up time on the Cannonball Express, 1900
Honolulu, Hawaii becomes an independent city, 1907
Peru becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty, 1920
Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, 1927
The animated cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit (a prototype of Bugs Bunny, 1938
In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established, 1948
The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom, 1963
Communist forces gain control of Saigon and the Vietnam War formally ends, 1975
Accession of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 1980
CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free, 1993
Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 1999
Two skeletal remains found near Ekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia and one of his sisters, 2008
Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 2009
Hailed as the largest World's Fair in history, Expo 2010 opens in Shanghai, China, 2010
Born without a trachea, a 2-year-old Korean-Canadian child is the youngest patient in history to receive a bioengineered organ made from stem cells; she received the transplanted organ at the Children's Hospital of Illinois, 2013

A to Z: Y is for Yikes, Yowsers, and Yee Howdy...

...we had us a storm!

Monday morning, as i quickly got a post ready for Tuesday in advance of the winds and rain and everything, we prepared to hunker down.

And hunker we did.  Red-headed Alec was so concerned when the skies turned black and the wind was coming from every direction, even pushing rain under our front door, that he made us take shelter in case of a tornado.

In fact, there were no tornadoes, but hail and lightning and the threat of tornadoes developing and some awful winds, almost hurricane force.

Because Jalopy is in the shop, Sweetie had caught a ride to work with Brother-in-Law, The Mouth.  That meant i had to go pick him up.  By then the rain had let up, and most of the wind, but the damage was done.

No power in lots of areas.  Trees down and blocking streets.  Almost all of the direct routes to the uni were blocked somewhere, and when you could get through, you sat a long time at non-functioning traffic lights that are automatically considered four-way stops in those circumstances.  Four-way stops on four-lane highways, plus the turn lanes, that are always congested anyway, has the makings of nightmares of traffic.

All day we heard sirens as emergency crews were called out to accidents.  The interstate got totally stopped for a while.

We were told to expect power back by late Wednesday night, and the generator tried to come on but quit, so i turned it off to prevent damage.  We will need to have it taken care of once we finish paying for Jalopy repairs.

Another wave moved through that evening, canceling Sweetie's Deacon Meeting and the Visitation Committee training i was to attend.  (We had come down to the church early, and had to beat it to get out before the next wave broke loose.)

Meanwhile, the rain came in fits and spurts, with more wind and occasional hail, and all the kids went to work as their workplaces all had power.  (Go figure.  The residential areas were almost all down, the business areas all up.  Makes me wonder.)

This "yikes it was a storm" post is being written at a local coffee shop, because i don't know when i'll be able to do much at home again.  They've delayed how long they think it will take for us to get power by another day.  Again.

Today is

Administrative Professionals Day -- Wed. of last full week

Arita Ceramic Fair -- Arita, Japan (finest porcelain in Japan; during Golden Week until May 5)

Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day -- Taiwan (352nd anniversary of the landing in Taiwan of Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng Kung to oust the Dutch colonists)

Feast of the Secret Masters -- can't find any real info on this one, and why should i if it's such a secret, but it is fun to think about

Fish Cleaning Night -- sponsored by David Letterman (it's okay if you don't have an audience, or Mariel Hemingway)

International Dance Day -- International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), a UNESCO partner

International Guide Dog Day

Milk-Curdling Sunday -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins, and only occasionally on a Sunday)

National Adult Public Skipping Day -- because somebody out there either wants you to feel like a kid again, or make a fool of you

National Shrimp Scampi Day

"Peace" Rose Day -- an explanation of this name for the Rosa 'Madame A. Meilland variety

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Peace

Remembrance of Victims of Chemical Weapons -- on the day chemical weapons were outlawed in 1997

Ridvan, Ninth Day -- Baha'i (one of the festival days on which work and school should be suspended)

Runic Half Month of Lagu (water) begins

Showa No Hi -- Japan (Showa Day, the birth anniversary of Emperor Showa, begins the Golden Week holiday period of four major national days, through May 5)

Solar Alignment at Teotihuacan, City of the Gods -- Teotihuacan, Mexico (the ritual cave opening aligns to the sunset on Aug. 12 and Apr. 29, the same horizon position of the setting of the Pleiades)

St. Catherine of Siena's Day (Patron of fire prevention, firefighter, nurses, nursing services, people ridiculed for piety, sick people; Europe; Italy; Theta Phi Alpha Sorority; Allentown, PA, US; Siena, Italy; Verazze, Italy; against bodily ills/sickness, fire, miscarriages, sexual temptation)

Sunfest -- West Palm Beach, FL, US (Florida's largest music, art, and waterfront festival; through Sunday)

Walk @ Lunch Day -- founded and encouraged by Blue Cross / Blue Shield

World Wish Day -- from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, marking the date in 1980 that local police let seven-year-old leukemia patient Chris Grecicius be an officer for a day, sparking the idea of the Make-a-Wish Foundation

Zipper Day -- while i can't confirm it, the modern zipper was supposedly patented on this day in 1913


Anniversaries Today:

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, marries Catherine "Kate" Middleton, 2011
Mike Nichols marries Diane Sawyer, 1988
Princess Irene marries Prince Carel Hugo de Bourbon Parma, 1964


Birthdays Today:

Andre Agassi, 1970
Uma Thurman, 1970
Carnie Wilson, 1968
Eve Plumb, 1958
Michelle Pfeiffer, 1958
Daniel Day-Lewis, 1957
Kate Mulgrew, 1955
Jerry Seinfeld, 1954
Nora Dunn, 1952
Dale Earnhardt, 1951
Johnny Miller, 1947
Zubin Mehta, 1936
Lane Smith, 1936
Rod McKuen, 1933
Robert Gottlieb, 1931
Celeste Holm, 1919
Tom Ewell, 1909
Hirohito, 1901
Duke Ellington, 1899
William Randolph Hearst, 1863
Oliver Ellsworth, 1745


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Hair"(Musical), 1968
"ABC's Wide World of Sports"(TV), 1961
"Young Dr. Malone"(Radio), 1940
"There Shall be No Night"(Play), 1940
Roget's Thesaurus(Publication date), 1852
Violin Sonata No. 32 in B-flat major(Mozart K. 454), 1784


Today in History:

The Moors arrive at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, 711
Joan of Arc arrives at Orleans to relieve the siege, 1492
Francis Drake leads a raid in the Bay of Cádiz, sinking at least 23 ships of the Spanish fleet, 1587
Eleven Dutch ships depart for the conquest of Peru, 1623
The Ming Dynasty occupies Taiwan, 1661
James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia, 1770
The French Fleet prevents Britain from seizing the Cape of Good Hope, 1781
Peter Roget publishes the first edition of his Thesaurus, 1852
The "Elektromote" – forerunner of the trolleybus  – is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin, 1882
Gideon Sundbach of Hoboken, NJ, receives a patent for the zipper, 1913
The North Sea floodgate at Ijmuiden, the biggest in world, officially opens, 1930
The telephone connection of England-Australia goes into service, 1930
The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast airs, and episode of "Space Patrol" shown over ABC affiliate KECA in Los Angeles, 1953
The first military nuclear power plant opens, in Ft. Belvoir 1957
A cyclone strikes the Chittagong  district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless, 1991
Oldsmobile  builds its final car ending 107 years of production, 2004
Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation, 2005
Economic losses mount and class action lawsuits are filed as the U.S. Coast Guard plans a controlled burn to remove spilled oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster, 2010

A to Z: X is for Xebec

A Xebec is a Mediterranean sailing vessel used mostly for trade.

To me, they look like the typical three mast sailing ships i think of when i think of old seagoing vessels, and you can read more about them at Wikipedia.

This post is brought to you by the letter X, which is notoriously difficult because it doesn't want to start any common words, thus making me look up crazy things like old sailing ships.

It's also brought to you by the fact that i had to think fast and get something up for X before storms moved through, because we can't always count on having electricity when they do. (Edited to Add:  this was prophetic -- the storms cut power to a lot of us, and our generator quit.  Right now i'm at a local coffee place for my daily dose and some wifi.)

Today is:

Biological Clock Day -- the "biological clock gene" that governs the`circadian rhythm in mice was isolated on this day in 1994

Chicken-Tickling Day -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

Cubicle Day -- again i say, ???

Feast of Jamal(Beauty) -- Baha'i

Festival of Floralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (three day festival to Flora, goddess of flowers and vegetation)

School Bus Driver's Day -- these longsuffering drivers put up with a lot, thank a school bus driver today!

Gio to Hung Vuong Day -- Vietnam (National Day; celebrating the founding of the nation by Emperor Hung Vuong some three millenia ago)

Great Poetry Reading Day -- make sure you read some great poetry today

Hidaka Hibuse Matsuri -- Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan (through the 29th; floats, child musicians, traditional costumes, and fun)

James Monroe Birthday Celebration -- Charlottesville, VA, US (at his home, Ash Lawn-Highland)

Kiss Your Mate Day -- guys, do not forget this one, in case she reads it somewhere on the internet; kiss her, then read her a great poem

National Blueberry Pie Day

National Day of Mourning -- Canada (In conjunction with Workers' Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work, honoring those injured or killed on the job)

National Heroes Day -- Barbados

Rip Cord Day -- the first successful jump with a parachute that used a rip cord was this day in 1919 by Leslie Erwin of the U.S. Army Air Corps

Sa die de sa Sardinia -- Sardinia, Italy (Sardinia Day, celebrating the uprising of 1794)

Sense of Smell Day -- listed on different days on many websites; While celebrating, remember those with anosmia (diminished ability or totaly inability to smell)

St. Peter Chanel's Day (Patron of Oceania)
     Saint Pierre-Chanel Day -- Wallis and Fortuna

Sts. Vitalis and Valeria's Day (Patrons of Thibodaux, Louisiana)

Victory Day -- Afghanistan

Workers Memorial Day / World Day for Safety and Health at Work -- International (remembering all who have lost their lives or been injured on the job)


Anniversaries Today:

Maryland becomes the 7th US State, 1788


Birthdays Today:

Jenna Ushkowitz, 1986
Jessica Alba, 1981
Penelope Cruz, 1974
Jorge Garcia, 1973
Nicklas Lidstrom, 1970
John Daly, 1966
Elena Kagan, 1960
Ian Rankin, 1960
Nancy Lee Grahn, 1958
Mary McDonnell, 1952
Jay Leno, 1950
Marcia Strassman, 1948
Ann-Margaret, 1941
Harper Lee, 1926
Oscar Schindler, 1908
Erich Salomon, 1886
Lionel Barrymore, 1878
Mifflin Wister Gibbs, 1828
James Monroe, 1758


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"One Man's Family"(Radio), 1932


Today in History:

Nichiren Buddhism is founded, 1253
Captain William Bligh and 18 crewmen from the HMS Bounty are set adrift, 1789
Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched, 1869
Azerbaijan  is added to the Soviet Union., 1920
The first night game in organized baseball  history takes place in Independence, Kansas, 1930
A vaccine  for yellow fever is announced for use on humans, 1932
Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki, 1947
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1952
Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France, 1969
The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed, 1977
Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist, 2001
According to the WHO, leading causes of death in the world include chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, 2011
In recognition of democratic reforms, the European Union opens an office in Burma, 2012

A to Z: W is for Wit, Wisdom, and Wildfowl

During my three day marathon of taking care of Ms. P's kids for her last week, i ended up taking her boys to their baseball games on Friday night.

Little Girl and i had to quickly breeze through our Friday night duties at the cat shelter, and then i dropped her off to arrive at Ms. P's house in the rain, with the thunder crashing and lightning striking.

Did that mean the games were cancelled?  No, of course not, they were sure it was going to stop.  In fact, it did.

As we were waiting until time to leave, Youngest Boy came downstairs and asked for a glass of orange juice for his father.

What! was my reaction.

"My dad's here, upstairs, and he's not feeling good," said the boy.

Turned out the ex who left Ms. P with a pile of IRS debt she knew nothing about and a house in foreclosure has been thrown out by his new honey.

"His mother is coming to pick him up," The Big Boss said with a sigh.

She did, and when she did, Ms. P walked into the kitchen saying to herself, "Just breathe, just breathe."

You are taking the high road, i told her.  You let him come here to call his mother and lie down a while, and you won't have any regrets for letting him do that, because it's the way to behave in front of the children.

"I know," she said, and she took a deep breath and smiled and he was gone.

A few minutes later, i left with the three boys to head to the baseball fields.

Middle Boy's game was to start at 6pm, but he had a warm up, and we got there just a few minutes before it was to start.  He headed to the batting cages, then we went to the field where his team would play.  There are 7 fields, some smaller for the younger kids, and some bigger for the older ones.  This was a smaller field, and the game was set to last 1 hour or 7 innings, whichever came first.

It was a coaches pitch game which lasted 35 minutes, and Middle Boy's team was up at first but lost in the last two innings.  When a parent whose child was on another team walked up to ask a friend who was winning, he was told, "It's not about winning, it's about having fun!"  All of us said the same, even when our team lost.

The other coach, however, had a different idea, and argued with the umpire a couple of times, and pulled him aside to "set him straight" at one point.  This sparked a discussion among us on our side about the goals we had in mind bringing kids to these events.

To lighten it up, though, one witty father said, "You do realize I bet the house on this game, right?" with a big grin.  His wife answered, "Oh, no!  I don't want to be homeless again!"

We all laughed, and agreed if these kids, averaging age 7, learned sportsmanship, how to be on a team, and the rudiments of baseball, while having fun, it was enough.

Once that game was over, we had over an hour until Eldest Boy's game.  They ate snacks and the younger two ran and played while Eldest Boy and some of his team mates found a corner in which to throw to each other for a warm up.  Eventually we headed over to the field on which they would play, and were startled to see several geese!

Geese!

It seems one couple just couldn't wait until they got up north, and had babies.  The three young, along with mama, papa, and another adult, were on the field.  Seven or so more joined them, honking.  When the boys went out on the field, the ones who had flown in left, but the three adults and three babies stuck around at the back of the field, and went on out into an area near the playground, before finding their nests in the brush for the night.

Because Eldest Boy's games are longer (one hour and 45 minutes or seven innings), they started it 20 minutes earlier than scheduled because a field became available.  It still went until almost 9:30pm.

Middle Boy and Youngest Boy did not watch, but instead played at the play area right next to this particular field.  Several times i had to get up and go out there and get them to quit picking on girls, or sitting on each other, or whatever.  After one such foray into the fray, i came back and sat on the bench with a sigh and said, i must do this for love because they can't pay me enough!

Yes, that got a laugh, and it's true.  These kids are dear to me.  And there isn't enough pay in the world to put up with what a parent has to deal with sometimes.

Another round of laughter ensued when it turned out that some of the parents, moms and dads, were not just watching this game, but also keeping up with the local college game on their phones.  The scores were exactly the same through most of the game, and when someone asked what the score was, it was hard to tell which game they were talking about!  The mix up of which game had which score kept all of us smiling, as did the fact that the college team changed pitchers at the same time ours did!

Eldest Boy's game ended in a tie.  Yes, when the kids are only 12 and 13, you let it end in a tie late at night after they've been in school all day.  It was exciting, though, with one young wag on Eldest Boy's team stealing several bases.  He was the catcher through most of the game, and threw a couple of really good outs.  He also pitched the last innings.  Talk about multi-talented!  He was also the smallest kid on the team, a tiny thing compared to the rest, but wiry and quick and i hope he sticks to baseball.  He seems to love it and has a good eye and quick reactions.

So it was a night of wit, wisdom, and wildfowl, and plenty of fun.

Today is

Abolition Day -- Mayotte

Babe Ruth Day -- anniversary of the day dedicated to him in 1947 by every ball field in the US and Japan

Freedom Day -- South Africa

Furze-Hopping Event -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Sierra Leone(1961); Togo(1960)

Jouvert Jump-Up -- Sint Maartin (Break of Dawn Parade and Festival)

King's Birthday / Koninginnedag -- Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curacao, Netherlands, and Sint Maartin); Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba

Matanzas Mule Day -- remembering the only casualty of one of the first naval actions of the Spanish-American War, a mule in the village of Matanzas, Cuba

Medieval Fair -- Norman, OK, US (living history, and lots of fun; through Sunday)

Morse Code Day -- birth anniversary of Samuel Morse

National Prime Rib Day

National War Veterans Day -- Finland

Resistance Day/Day of the Uprising Against the Occupying Forces -- Slovenia

St. Zita of Lucca's Day (Patron of butlers, domestic servants, homemakers, housemaids, lost keys, maids, manservants, people ridiculed for their piety, rape victims, servants, servers, single laywomen, waiters/waitpersons/waitresses; against losing keys)

Tell a Story Day -- US (no history of origin, although celebrated in many libraries)

Togyu Taikai -- Tokunoshima Island, Japan (bull sumo, in which bulls push each other out of the ring)

The Ennead Sail Through the Land -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

World Graphic Design Day

World Tapir Day 

Write An Old Friend Today Day -- a real letter, in the mail, remember how exciting it is to get those?


Anniversaries Today:

Ringo Starr marries Barbara Bach, 1981
Cornell University is established as New York's land grant institution, 1865


Birthdays Today:

Patrick Stump, 1984
Sheena Easton, 1959
Ace Frehley, 1951
Cuba Gooding, Sr., 1944
Earl Anthony, 1938
Sandy Dennis, 1937
Anouk Aimee, 1932
Casey Kasem, 1932
Coretta Scott King, 1927
Jack Klugman, 1922
Walter Lantz, 1900
Sergei Prokofiev, 1891
Jessie Redmon Fauset, 1882
Ulysses S. Grant, 1822
Samuel Morse, 1791
Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759
Edward Gibbon, 1737
Suleiman the Magnificent, 1495


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Chips with Everything"(Play), 1962
"Le roi de Lahore/The king of Lahore"(Opera), 1877
"Roméo et Juliette"(Opera), 1867
"L'africaine/The African Woman"(Meyerbeer Opera), 1865


Today in History:

Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu, 1521
Re-founding of the city of Bogotá, New Granada (now Colombia), by Nikolaus Federmann and Sebastián de Belalcázar, 1539
Cebu is established as the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines, 1565
The blind and impoverished John Milton sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10, 1667
The British Parliament passes the Tea Act, 1773
Beethoven composes Für Elise, 1810
US troops capture the capital of Upper Canada, York  (present day Toronto, Canada), 1813
The Foundation stone for new Palace of Westminster, London, is laid, 1840
The establishment of Jewish congregations in Lower Austria is prohibited, 1857
The steamboat Sultana, carrying 2,400 passengers, explodes and sinks in the Mississippi River, killing 1,700, most of whom are Union survivors of the Andersonville and Cahaba Prisons, 1865
In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed formally segregating races, 1950
Togo gains independence from French-administered UN trusteeship, 1960
Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, 1961
Expo 67  officially opens in Montreal, Canada, 1967
Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse, 1981
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, is proclaimed, 1992
Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history, 1992
Russia and 12 other former Soviet republics become members of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, 1992
The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote is held, 1994
The last successful telemetry from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10 is received, 2002
The superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse, France, 2005
Construction begins on the Freedom Tower for the new World Trade Center in New York City, 2006
Estonian authorities remove the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, amid political controversy with Russia, 2007
The wives and children of former Osama bin Laden are deported from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, 2012