Awww Monday: Shelter Sweetheart

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that's it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

A shelter kitty with some unique coloring.  Marco didn't last long!

Today is:

Animals' Day -- Curacao

Ceremony of Transformation through Anubis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Chung Yuan Festival -- China (Festival of Hungry Ghosts; according to legend, during this 7th lunar month the souls of the dead are released from Purgatory to wander the Earth, and so today is the day to appease those spirits with joss stick burning, prayers and food, "ghost money", and other offerings; dates of this vary in other countries)

Dia de Santiago Iglesias Pantin -- Puerto Rico

Eat An Extra Dessert Day -- internet generated, you have the WWW's permission to indulge today

     note that some sites also list this day, instead of July 7, as World Chocolate Day, so celebrate either one!

Immigrant's Day -- Argentina

Labor Day/Labour Day -- Bermuda; Canada; Palau; U.S. and Territories

Ludi Romani -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through the 19th; a festival to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, also called Circensian games)

Luxembourg City Kermesse -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (the capital city gets a day off to enjoy the country's biggest fun festival)

National Macadamia Nut Day

National Stearman Fly-In Days -- Galesburg, IL, US (the largest gathering of Stearman bi-planes in the world, with flying, seminars, and exhibits; through Saturday)

National Wildlife Day -- US 

Newspaper Carrier Day -- US (anniversary of Benjamin Day, publisher of the New York Sun, hiring Barney Flaherty as the first newspaper carrier in 1833)

Onam -- Kerala, India (start of a Hindu harvest festival observed by Malayali Hindus celebrating the legendary King Maveli)

Organ Donation Week begins -- UK (join the organ donor registry, when you don't need your parts any more, someone else will!) 

Samvatsari -- Jain (final and most important day of the Paryushana Parva, the day focused on forgiveness)

St. Giles Fair -- Oxford, England (dates back to 17th century; through tomorrow)

St. Ida of Herzfeld's Day (Patron of brides, widows)

St. Rose of Viterbo's Festival -- Viterbo, Italy (actual feast day of the saint is March 6)

Anniversaries Today:

Ford Motor Company introduces The Edsel, 1957

Birthdays Today:

Beyonce Knowles, 1981

Ione Skye, 1970

Mike Piazza, 1968

Damon Wayans, 1960

Judith Ivey, 1951

Tom Watson, 1949

Jennifer Salt, 1944

Mitzi Gaynor, 1930

Dick York, 1928

Paul Harvey, 1918

Henry Ford II, 1917

Richard Wright, 1908

Nigel Bruce, 1895

Daniel Hudson Burnham, 1846

Anton Bruckner, 1824

François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, 1768

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Captain Midnight"(TV), 1954

"Beetle Bailey"(Comic strip), 1950

"London Calling"(Musical revue), 1923

"Adonis"(Burlesque musical), 1884

Today in History:

Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor in the West, is formally deposed, 476

Edmund Halley, English astronomer, first observes the comet that now bears his name, 1682

The City of Los Angeles is founded in Bahia de las Fumas (Valley of Smokes), 1781

Robert Fulton begins operating his steamboat, 1807

Barney Flahery, age 10, is hired to be the first newsboy, by the NY Sun, 1833

Although he had demonstrated their use before, the first major lighting with electricity comes online as 400 bulbs are lit in offices on Spruce, Wall, Nassau, and Pearl streets in lower Manhattan by Thomas Edison, 1882

The last major US-Indian war ends with the surrender of Apache Chief Geronimo, 1886

George Eastman patents the first roll-film cameral and registers the trademark name "Kodak", 1888

Beatrix Potter first tells the story of Peter Rabbit, 1893

Comic strip "Beetle Bailey" first appears, 1950

The Ford Motor Company introduces the Edsel, 1957

Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, 1972

Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University, 1998

A 7.1 earthquake strikes the South Island of New Zealand, causing widespread damage, 2010

Scientists announce the creation of a 'magic carpet' using optical fibers to help prevent elderly people from falling by detecting when unusual footsteps are taken, 2013