Feline Friday: Let me show you how it's done.

Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

When kittens first arrive, most of the older cats pay no attention to them.  As they get used to the babies, though, some of the older ones don't mind taking the younger ones under their tutelage and helping them learn to be good cats.

Here Dansig shows Lorax how resting in everyone's favorite chair is done.

Just snuggle down, boy!  Don't let the humans intimidate you into giving up the chair!

Today is:

Aldo Leopold Weekend -- Wisconsin, US (celebrating Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic; through Sunday)

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament -- Brooklyn, NY, US (puzzle lovers, unite!  through Sunday)

Bird Day and Arbor Day -- California, US (on Luther Burbank's birth anniversary)

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Friday:  Middle Name Pride Day, established by Jerry Hall as a day in which to tell at least 3 people who don't know it what your middle name is, and be proud of it

Dress in Blue Day -- US, for colorectal cancer awareness

Employee Appreciation Day

Get Grandma to Write Down Her Meatloaf Recipe -- or spaghetti, or pound cake, or whatever she specialized in, because if you don't, you will someday regret it

Impeachment of March Goblins -- Fairy Calendar

International Festival of Owls -- Houston, MN, US (a great way to celebrate and learn about the wonderful creatures that are owls; through Sunday)

Kaziukas Fair -- Vilnius, Lithuania (traditional craft fair dates back to the 17th century; through Sunday)

Masaryk Day -- Czech Republic; Slovakia (birth anniversary of Tomas Masaryk, politician, sociologist, philosopher, and advocate of Czechoslovakian independence)

Midnight at the Oasis -- Yuma, AZ, US (nostalgic festival featuring cars and music of the 50s and 60s; through Sunday)

National Be Heard Day -- originally a day for small businesses to speak up, but the website promoting the materials is no longer working

National Cereal Day

National Crown Roast of Pork Day

National Day of Unplugging -- sponsored by Reboot, encouraging recharging your spiritual life by unplugging your technology from sunset today to sunset tomorrow 

National Doodle Day -- UK (fundraiser for Epilepsy Action)

National Salesperson Day

Nones of March -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances
     Festival of Junonalia -- for Juno
     Festival for Vedovus -- god of the dead, swamps, and volcanic movements

Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo -- Mercedes, TX, US (through the 16th)

Say Hello Day -- Bell received a patent for the telephone this day in 1876 (although he always believed it should be answered by saying, "Ahoy!"  Yes, really.)

Shabbat Across America/Canada -- sponsored by the National Jewish Out-reach Program, encouraging Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, and Reconstructionist Jews to observe the Sabbath from sundown tonight until sundown tomorrow

South by Southwest/SXSW -- Austin, TX, US (internationally recognized music, new media, and film conference; through the 16th)

St. Felicity's and St. Perpetua's Day (Patrons of cattle, martyrs; Santa Perpetua de Mogoda, Spain)

Teacher's Day -- Albania

Words by the Water: a Cumbrian Literature Festival -- Lake District, The Theatre by the Lake at Keswick, Devon, England (a lively literary festival; through the 16th)

World Day of Prayer-- International and Ecumenical; a day for Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action

World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup -- Sweetwater, TX, US (begins with a parade and "Miss Snake Charmer" pageant tonight, and continues with lots of fun through Sunday)



Birthdays Today:

Jenna Fischer, 1974
Denyce Graves, 1974
Rachel Weisz, 1971
Taylor Dayne, 1962
Ivan Lendl, 1960
Rik Mayall, 1958
Bryan Cranston, 1956
Franco Harris, 1950
John Heard, 1946
Peter Wolf, 1946
Michael Eisner, 1942
Tammy Faye Bakker, 1942
Daniel J. Travanti, 1940
Janet Guthrie, 1938
Willard Herman Scott, 1934
Anthony Armstrong-Jones, Lord Snowdon, 1930
Maurice Ravel, 1875
Piet Mondriaan, 1875
Luther Burbank, 1849
John Herschel, 1792
Stephen Hopkins, 1707
Rob Roy MacGregor, 1671
Henry Purcell, 1659
Kano Tanju, 1602


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Nashville Network(TV network), 1983
"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"(Musical), 1967
"The Autumn Garden"(Play), 1951
"The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel"(Operetta), 1896


Today in History:

Roman Emperor Constantine I decrees that the dies Solis Invicti (sun-day) is the day of rest in the Empire, 321
King Henry VIII's divorce request is denied by the Pope; Henry then declares that he, not the Pope, is supreme head of England's church, 1530
Massachusetts enacts the first bicameral legislature in the colonies, 1664
The French army enters Rome: the birth of the Roman Republic, 1798
Shrigley Abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand, 1827
Charles Miller patents the first US sewing machine to stitch buttonholes, 1854
The City of Lábrea in Amazonas, Brazil was founded, 1886
Roald Amundsen announces that, on Dec. 14, 1911, his expedition had reached the South Pole, 1912
An 8.0 earthquake strikes Tango, Japan, 1927
Bloody Sunday:  Alabama state troopers and 600 black protestors clash in Selma, 1965
Divers from the USS Preserver locate the crew cabin of Challenger on the ocean floor, 1986
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that parodies of an original work are generally covered by the doctrine of fair use, 1994
British House of Commons votes to make the upper chamber, the House of Lords, 100% elected, 2007
The largest solar flare in five years, occurring March 6, 2012, nears the Earth, threatening to disrupt airline flights, GPS systems and power grids, 2012

They Lent It To Us

Sweetie was raised by a Southern Baptist preacher, and trained to have a holy horror of Roman Catholics.  It scared him to death when we once went to a Lutheran church and they made the Sign of the Cross.  While he has mellowed on the Catholic issue somewhat, he is still a big bit suspicious of "holy rollers" of any stripe or type.

As for me, i grew up Catholic, in the midst of the Catholic Charismatic movement.  It doesn't bother me a bit to attend a great many eclectic types of services.  Traditional hymns and pipe organ, modern praise and worship music, people praying in tongues, people sitting quietly and praying aloud as the Spirit moves them, i have no trouble attending any of that.

While my beliefs align most closely with those of the conservative Quakers, at this time we attend a Presbyterian church.  This particular church likes modern worship, and also has a pastor and older members of the congregation who love the traditional times and seasons and accompanying rites and ceremonies.

In the past several years, i have always had someplace to take at least one child during the middle of each weekday, so i haven't been able to go to our church's traditional Ash Wednesday service.  Until yesterday, that is.

It was a beautiful, and short, service that was as well attended as any Sunday early morning service in the small chapel, and followed by a nice luncheon in the parlor.  There will also be a service every Wednesday of Lent, and i hope to be able to go each week.

When Sweetie came home and saw the ashes on my forehead yesterday, he said, "You were playing Catholic today!" with a big grin.

No, i played Presbyterian, i grinned back.  Reverend G. put these on me.

"I guess the Catholics lent him their ashes!"

Smarty-pants.



Today is:

Alamo Day -- Texas, US

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Thursday:  Name Tag Day, celebrating those silly tags that say, "Hello, My Name is Illegible"!

Crufts Dog Show -- Birmingham, England (the World's Greatest Dog Show; Best in Show here is the most prestigious award in the world of dogs; through Sunday)

Feast of Excited Insects -- China; Korea (sometimes called Chinese Groundhog Day, the day insects are supposed to awaken for spring; date approximate)

Foundation Day -- Norfolk Island, Commonwealth of Australia

Headache Relief Day -- aspirin was patented today in 1899

Independence Day -- Ghana(1957)

Kirishima Jingu Otaue-sai -- Kirishima Jingu Shrine, Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (rice planting festival)

March Goblins' Galumphing Gala and Display -- Fairy Calendar

National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day

National Frozen Food Day

Oreo Cookie Day -- no history found on why this day, but if you like Oreos, do you need a reason?

Rockhound Round Up Gem and Mineral Show -- Deming, NM, US (through Sunday)

Stoneware Pottery Appreciation Day -- internet generated by those who love stoneware

St. Colette's Day (Patron of Corbie, France; against the death of parents)

St. Rose of Viterbo's Day (Patron of exiles, people rejected by religious orders, tertiaries; Viterbo, Italy)

World Book Day -- UK and Ireland (most other countries celebrate this on April 23, check here for more information)



Birthdays Today:

Ryan Nyquist, 1979
Shaquille O'Neal, 1972
Amy Pietz, 1969
Connie Britton, 1968
D.L. Hughley, 1963
Tom Arnold, 1959
David Gilmour, 1946
Rob Reiner, 1945
Kiri Te Kanawa, 1944
Dave Gilmour, 1944
Ben Murphy, 1942
Willie Stargell, 1941
Valentina Tereshkova-Nikolaeva, 1937
Lorin Maazel, 1930
Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, 1928
Alan Greenspan, 1926
Ed McMahon, 1923
Will Eisner, 1917
Lou Costello, 1906
Bob Wills, 1905
Ring Lardner, 1885
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806
Anna Claypoole Peale, 1791
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619
Michelangelo Bounarroti, 1475


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Lend me a Tenor"(Play), 1986
"Deep Blue Sea"(Play), 1952
"Both Your Houses"(Play; Pulitzer Prize for Drama), 1933
"La Traviata"(Opera), 1853
"La Sonnambula"(Opera), 1831


Today in History:

Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam, 1521
The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island (an external territory of Australia) in order to found a convict settlement, 1788
York, Upper Canada is incorporated as Toronto, 1834
After a thirteen day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort is captured, 1836
Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata receives its premiere performance in Venice, 1853
Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society, 1869
Bayer registers "aspirin" as a trademark, 1899
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins, 1951
United Kingdom colonies Gold Coast and British Togoland become the independent Republic of Ghana, 1957
After 19 years of presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time, 1981
Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers, 1992
A referendum in Moldova results in the electorate voting against possible reunification with Romania, 1994
Picasso's painting Tête de Femme is stolen from a London gallery, and is recovered a week later, 1997
Microsoft is fined €561 million for not providing E.U. residents with an alternative web browser to Internet Explorer, 2013

Wordless Wednesday: A Little Privacy, Please!

Actually, i wasn't sure whether to call this the above title, or "I'm a big boy now."

Mom, do you mind!

Seriously, though, since i seldom get any privacy, even in the loo, why should they?  Yes, Lorax is potty trained.

A special note for Mizfit (and anyone else who was wondering), Miss Lizzie is doing quite well.  The guy she was with is now out of her life, and she is more committed than ever to sober living.  She is even looking into vocational training through state rehab.


Today is:

Act Goofy Day -- started by someone who wanted to see how far the internet could spread goofiness

Arivee de l'Evangile -- French Polynesia (Gospel Day)

Ash Wednesday -- Christian (beginning of the Lenten Fast)
     Oskudagur -- Iceland (with the special tradition of hanging oskupokar [ash bags] on people, as girls try to hang bags of ash on men's clothing, and boys try to hang bags of stones on women's clothing; begins Langafasta, and during the fast, you may not even mention meat at all)

Babysitter Safety Day -- learn what it takes to be a safe baby sitter

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Wednesday:  Learn What Your Name Means Day, go look it up, it's probably very interesting

Crispus Attucks Day*

Custom Chief's Day -- Vanuatu

Diasia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Zeus Meilikhios; date approximate)

Global Marathon For, By, and About Women in Engineering and Technology -- two days of Global "Town Meetings" to connect girls and women and support them in the fields of engineering and technology

National Absinthe Day

National Cheese Doodle Day

Navigium Isis/Ploiaphaesia: The Festival of Navigation -- Ancient Roman Calendar/Ancient Egyptian Calendar (Sailing Festival, honoring Isis as sea goddess and goddess of sailing, on the traditional start of the sailing season)

Scouts' Day -- Taiwan (celebration of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides in Taiwan)

St. Piran's Day (Patron of miners, tin miners, tinners; Cornwall, England; Piran, Slovenia)
     St. Piran's Day Celebrations -- Cornwall, England

Stop the Clocks Day -- another of those with-no-explanation web holidays that sounds like a good idea

Temperance Day -- North America's first Temperance Law was passed in Virginia this day in 1623

Wedding of the March Dryads -- Fairy Calendar


Anniversary Today:

Channel Islands National Park is established, 1980



Birthdays Today:

Jake Lloyd, 1989
Niki Taylor, 1975
Kevin Connolly, 1974
Eva Mendes, 1974
Andy Gibb, 1958
Penn Jillette, 1955
Marsha Warfield, 1954
Michael Warren, 1946
Paul Sand, 1944
Samantha Eggar, 1939
Fred Williamson, 1938
Dean Stockwell, 1936
James Noble, 1922
Rex Harrison, 1908
Zhou Enlai, 1898
Emmett J. Culligan, 1893
Heitor Villa-Lobos, 1887
Howard Pyle, 1853
James Merrit Ives, 1824
William Blackstone, 1595
Gerhardus Mercator, 1512


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"What the Butler Saw"(Play)1969
"Leningrad"/Symphony No. 7 in C major(Shostakovich Op. 60), 1942
"Mefistofele"(Opera), 1868


Today in History:


Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death, 363
Naser Khosrow begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama, 1046
English king Henry VII hires John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) and his sons to explore unknown lands for England, 1496
Smoking tobacco is introduced in Europe by Francisco Fernandes, 1558
Copernicus' "de Revolutionibus" is placed on Catholic Forbidden index, 1616
Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans to take possession of the Louisiana territory from the French, 1766
*Boston Massacre: British troops kill 5 in a crowd, including a young boy and Crispus Attackus, the first black to die for American freedom, in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War five years later, 1770
The Dutch city of Leeuwarden forbids Jews to go to synagogues on Sundays, 1820
Samuel Colt makes the first production-model revolver, the .34-caliber, 1836
George Westinghouse Jr patents the triple air brake for trains, 1872
Nikola Tesla, in Electrical World and Engineer, describes the process of the ball lightning formation, 1904
Winston Churchill uses the phrase "Iron Curtain" in his speech at Westminster College, Missouri, 1946
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations, 1970
Soviet probes Venera 11, Venera 12 and the American solar satellite Helios II all are hit by "off the scale" gamma rays leading to the discovery of soft gamma repeaters, 1979
America's Voyager 1 spacecraft has its closest approach to Jupiter, 172,000 miles, 1979
The Soviet probe Venera 14 arrives at the planet Venus, 1982
The graves of Czar Nicholas II and his family are found near St. Petersburg, 1995
President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, dies in office in the nation's capital, Caracas, at age 58, 2013

Not much traffic in traffic court.

A few weeks back, Bigger Girl, who tries very hard to do everything right and by the book, got distracted and went over the speed limit on the uni campus, and was stopped for her first ever traffic ticket.

It was traumatic for her in some ways, as she is generally so careful to observe every rule.  She found out that, because it's a first offense ever, she can get it erased from her record by taking a class and paying the fine.

So she took the two hour defensive driving course, and they told us to come in the day before her actual court date to pay the fine and turn in the paper, so that she wouldn't ever have to appear before the judge.  Because her court date is tomorrow, and today all the offices are closed for the Mardi Gras holiday (yes, south Louisiana shuts down for the party), we went yesterday.

In the years since i've been down to that particular area of the downtown, the old courthouse has been refurbished, the "new" courthouse has been turned into city hall instead, and an even newer new courthouse has been built.  The parking area is the same, and i must say the fees at the parking garage are extremely reasonable for the center of a city.

We went to the old courthouse first.  The very nice security guard told us that no cell phones are allowed at all in the building.  We were going to walk back to the car and put them in it, but it turned out there are free storage lockers in which you can put your phones, pocket knives, or anything else you aren't allowed to bring with you.  There were none available when we first walked up, but within one minute three people came and retrieved their items, leaving us our choice!  We put our phones in locker number 24, i put the key loop around my wrist, and we went back in.

Bigger Girl was wearing her steel toe boots, so she had to take off her boots and have them x-ayed, along with the contents of our pockets.  Other than that, the guard was very nice, smiling and happy, and we passed in without incident.  We found the room and stood in line, only to get to the front and find out that we had come to the wrong traffic court.  The one that takes cases for tickets issued by campus police is at the new courthouse.

Marching next door to the new courthouse, we left the cell phones.  Better safe than sorry, i thought, although it turned out that cell phones are allowed there.  It figures. 

This time, the security guard was not so jolly.  In fact, you could tell he really didn't like the job much.  Really i felt sorry for him.  For the second time Bigger Girl had to take her boots off and show that she loves to wear mismatched socks.  The way the guard looked at us, i wondered if he was going to insist on more than just walking through the metal detector and x-raying our stuff.  He didn't, though.  Poor guy, he looked miserable.

"I know this building," Bigger Girl said when we went in.  "This is where I took Miss Lizzie when she had to get a restraining order against her boyfriend who used to beat her up!"

Nice to know you are familiar with the legal system here, i noted drily.

The whole thing was done in just a few minutes.  She gave them her ticket, license, and certificate from the class.  They gave her the papers to take to the fine desk.  We went and paid the fine, and brought the papers back.  They gave her a receipt, and it was done.

We retrieved the cell phones, went back to the vehicle, and pulled up to pay to leave the lot.  The whole thing, even with going to the wrong place first, had only taken us less than an hour.  The parking fee was $1.

As easy as it all was, though, i hope i don't ever have to do that again.  


Today is:

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Tuesday:  Unique Names Day, a day to appreciate friends, acquaintances, and loved ones with unique names

Charter Day -- St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada (1881)

Courageous Follower Day -- because leaders have to have someone to lead, and it can take as much courage to follow a great leader as to be the leader

Feast of Ra in His Barge at Heliopolis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Holy Experiment Day -- try something religious today

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- Houston, TX, US (since 1932, great rodeo action and top-name entertainment; through Mar. 23)

Hug a GI Day -- just don't get in trouble sneaking on base to do it

International Pancake Day

International Scrapbooking Industry Day -- can't find proof the industry actually set this day, but if you love scrapbooking, celebrate

March Dryads' Festival -- Fairy Calendar

March Forth - Do Something Day

Mardi Gras -- Fat Tuesday, Carnival, the last day to feast before the Lenten fast begins tomorrow, greeted with revelry in many parts of the world; related observances and names:
     Scotland, Fasten's E'en or Bannocky Day
     Portuguese, Terça-feira Gorda
     Italian, Martedì Grasso
     Swedish, Fettisdagen
     Danish, Fastelavn
     Norwegian, Fastelavens
     Estonian, Vastlapäev
     Spanish, Martes de Carnaval
     German, Faschingsdienstag
     Hawaiian, Malasada Day
     Lithuanian, Uzgavenes
     Icelandic, Sprengidagur (literally, Bursting Day)
     also Pancake Day or Bursting Day, the day to eat the last of the eggs and butter in the form of some kind of fried cakes, and to eat until bursting

National Grammar Day -- sponsored by The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar on March 4th, which is both a date and an imperative

National Poundcake Day

North Dakota Winter Show -- Valley City, ND, US (world's largest crop show, eight-breed cattle show, rodeos, tractor pulls, entertainment, and more for tons of family fun; through Sunday)

Shrove Tuesday -- Christian

St. Casimir's Day (Patron of bachelors, kings, princes, single layment; Lithuania; Poland; against plague)

Tavern Day -- US (the first tavern in the US, a Puritan public house in Boston, MA, opened this date in 1634)

Town Meeting Day -- Vermont, US (giving all citizens the right to speak out about local government, an official state holiday the first Tuesday of March allows towns to have a daylong public meeting of voters to elect town officers, approve budgets, and deal with town business)

Toy Soldier Day -- Dr. Steel's Army, building a utopian playland and embarking on a worldwide mission of fun

Waltz Day -- some say National Waltz Day, and some Dance the Waltz Day, but no one says why this day; i say, waltz if you want to


Anniversaries Today:

Hot Springs National Park is established, 1921
Vermont becomes the 14th US state, 1791


Birthdays Today:

Patsy Kensit, 1968
Jason Curtis Newsted, 1963
Stephen Weber, 1961
Patricia Heaton, 1958
Catherine O'Hara, 1954
Emilio Estefan, 1953
Kay Lenz, 1953
Chris Squire, 1948
Mary Wilson, 1944
Paula Prentiss, 1938
Miriam Makeba, 1932
Joan Greenwood, 1921
Charles Rudolph Walgreen, Jr., 1906
Knute Rockne, 1888
Garrett Morgan, 1877
Casimir Pulaski, 1747
Antonio Vivaldi, 1678
Prince Henry the Navigator, 1394


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"People Magazine"(Publication), 1974
"The Dick Cavett Show"(TV), 1968
"Nosferatu"(Horror Film), 1922
"Pénélope"(Fauré Opera), 1913
"Swan Lake"(Tchaikovsky Op. 20), 1876


Today in History:

Croatian Duke Trpimir I issued a statute, a document with the first known written mention of the Croats name in Croatian sources, 852
Ramathibodi becomes King of Siam, 1351
Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, from his first voyage, 1493
Hernan Cortez arrives in Mexico in search of Aztec gold, 1519
The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a royal charter, 1629
John Flamsteed is appointed the first Astronomer Royal of England, 1675
France is divided into 83 départements, which cut across the former provinces in an attempt to dislodge regional loyalties based on noble ownership of land, 1790
The first Jewish member of the US Congress, Israel Jacobs of Pennsylvania, takes office, 1791
A Constitutional Act is introduced by the British House of Commons in London which envisages the separation of Canada into Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario), 1791
In the first ever peaceful transfer of power between elected leaders in modern times, John Adams is sworn in as President of the United States, succeeding George Washington, 1797
In the Castle Hills Rebellion, in New South Wales, Australia, Irish convicts (some of whom had been involved in Ireland’s Battle of Vinegar Hill in 1798) lead the colony’s only significant convict uprising, 1804
Carlo Alberto di Savoia signs the Statuto Albertino that will later represent the first constitution of the Regno d'Italia, 1848
The day without a US president -- Zachary Taylor refuses to be sworn in on the Sabbath (Sunday), so there is, technically, no president on this day, 1849
The longest bridge in the Great Britain, the Forth Bridge (railway) (1,710 ft) in Scotland is opened, 1890
The great fire of Shanghai damages over 1,000 buildings, 1894
Victor Berger of Wisconsin becomes the first socialist congressman in the U.S., 1911
Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives, 1917
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia's renunciation of the throne is made public, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia publicly issues his abdication manifesto, 1917
Frances Perkins becomes the United States Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet, 1933
Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, announces the first successful kidney transplant, 1954
The S&P 500 stock market index is introduced, replacing the S&P 90, 1957
The United States Atomic Energy Commission announces that the first atomic power plant at McMurdo Station in Antarctica is in operation, 1962
The first Cray-1 supercomputer is shipped to the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, 1976
Nationalist leader Robert Mugabe wins a sweeping election victory to become Zimbabwe's first black prime minister, 1980
Bertha Wilson is appointed the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of Canada, 1983
The Soviet Vega 1 begins returning images of Comet Halley and the first images ever of its nucleus, 1986
The Supreme Court of the United States rules that federal laws banning on-the-job sexual harassment also apply when both parties are the same sex, 1998
No response is received in the final attempt to contact Pioneer 10 by the Deep Space Network, 2006
Approximately 30,000 voters take advantage of electronic voting in Estonia, the world's first nationwide voting where part of the votecasting is allowed in the form of remote electronic voting via the Internet, 2007

Aww Monday: Five and Six

Five-week-old Lorax looks at the new litter of six one-week-old babies we got on Friday.

Three orange tabby boys, three brown tabbies that we think are all girls.

Somehow, i think he's not impressed.

Hard to believe, isn't it, that just a couple of short weeks ago he was that small.

Today is:

Birthday of Wenchang Wang, the God of Literature -- China

Bonza Bottler Day™

Casimir Pulaski Day -- Illinois, US (celebration of the Polish-American Revolutionary War Hero)

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Monday:  Fun Facts About Names Day, enjoy looking up things like, what is the name of the Monopoly dog, or do Ken and Barbie have last names

Day of Remembrance for Prince Igor -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar

Discovery Day -- Guam (a/k/a Magellan Day)

Edo Nagashi Bina -- Sumidagawa River, Japan (ritual to wish for children's good health by washing the sins of the body away)

First Sitting of the People's Majlis/Public Holiday -- Maldives

Great Lent begins, a/k/a Clean Monday, Ash Monday, Pure Monday, Monday of Lent, Shrove Monday, Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday, and (in Cypress) Green Monday -- Orthodox Christian

Hamilton Lavity Stoutt Holiday -- British Virgin Islands (in lieu of Mar. 7)

Heart-Accelerating Sodium-Enriched Cold Cuts Day -- internet generated by someone who has no intention of letting anything healthy past his/her lips

Hina Matsuri -- Japan (Doll Festivals throughout the country, where women and girls dedicate dolls to shrines which are then floated out to sea to take away evil and sicknesses that afflict women)

I Want You to be Happy Day -- a day to devote some time to making someone else truly happy about something

If Pets Had Thumbs Day -- because if you are going to imagine something silly today, it might as well be this; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

International Omega-3 Awareness Day

Joshi-no-Sekku -- Shinto (festival to honor girls)

Labour Day -- WA, Australia (a/k/a Eight Hour Day)

Liberation Day/National Day -- Bulgaria

Lundi Gras -- Fat Monday, Carnival, one of the last to days to feast before the Lenten fast begins Wednesday
     Bolludagur -- Iceland (Bun Day, the children wake the parents with a "spanking" while calling for cream buns that will be eaten that day)
     Old Mask Parade -- Oranjestad, Aruba (with the Burning of the Momo tomorrow, marking the end of Carnival)
     Rosenmontag -- German-speaking Countries (Rose Monday, highlight of Karneval)

Marriage of the March Nymphs -- Fairy Calendar

Martyr's Day -- Malawi

Mother's Day -- Georgia

National Anthem Day -- US (current US anthem adopted this date in 1931)

National Cold Cuts Day

National Mulled Wine Day

Peach Blossom Day - coincides with the start of the Peach Blossom Festival around this time of year in Hunan, China, where you celebrate the beauty of peach blossoms, and girls celebrate being girls

Sportsmen's Day -- Egypt

Stop Bad Service Day -- spread around the internet by someone who got lousy service

St Casimir' Eve / Kaziukas Fair -- Vilnius, Lithuania (traditional craft fair dates back to the 17th century, celebrating Lithuania's patron saint; through tomorrow)

St. Cunegunda's Day (Patron of Bamberg, Germany; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Poland)

St. Winnal's Day (First comes David, Next comes Chad, Then comes Winnal, roaring mad! -- Traditional English saying about the storminess of March 3; St. Winwaloe or Winnal was the Christianized version of the Teutonic Aegir, god of the sea and controler of weather)

Thanks to the Maple Festival -- Iroquois (date approximate, held when sap began flowing, usually early March)


Anniversaries Today:

Florida becomes the 27th US state, 1845
Colegio Militar of Portugal is founded, 1803


Birthdays Today:

Jessica Biel, 1982
David Faustino, 1974
Julie Bowen, 1970
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 1962
Herschel Walker, 1962
Ira Glass, 1959
Miranda Richardson, 1958
Tim Kazurinsky, 1950
Caroline Lee Bouvier Radziwill, 1933
Doc Watson, 1923
Diana Barrymore, 1921
James Doohan, 1920
Jean Harlow, 1911
Matthew Bunker Ridgway, 1895
Norman Bethune, 1890
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847
George Pullman, 1831


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Moonlighting"(TV), 1985
"Goodtime Charley"(Musical), 1975
"The Lion in Winter"(Play), 1966
"Mr Wizard"(TV), 1951
"Juno and the Paycock"(Play), 1924
"Time Magazine", 1923
"Carmen"(Opera), 1875
"Symphony No. 3 in A minor(Scottish)"(Mendelssohn Op.56), 1842
"Symphony No. 101 in D major(The Clock)"(Haydn), 1794


Today in History:

The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates the Principality of Wales into England, 1284
The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza, 1585
The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau, 1776
The first US Jewish governor, David Emanuel, takes office in Georgia, 1801
The US declares war on Algeria for taking US prisoners and demanding tribute, 1815
The Missouri Compromise, an attempt to keep the US half Slave and half free, is passed by the US Congress, 1820
The Battle of Pelee Island takes place, Ontario, Canada, 1838
Tsar Alexander II emancipates the serfs of Russia, 1861
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group, opens, 1865
The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Canada as recorded in The Montreal Gazette, 1875
Georges Bizet's opera Carmen receives its première at the Opéra Comique in Paris, 1875
Bulgaria regains its independence from Ottoman Empire, 1878
Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood becomes the first female attorney to argue before the US Supreme Court, 1879
The US Geological Survey is created, 1879
Anne Sullivan arrives to begin teaching Helen Keller, 1887
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly, the Duma, 1905
Toronto's Dr Banting & Dr Best announce discovery of insulin, 1921
Time Magazine begins publication, 1923
The United States officially adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem, 1931
Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia, 1938
In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India, 1939
Jackie Brenston, with Ike Turner and his band, records "Rocket 88", often cited as "the first rock and roll record", at Sam Phillips' recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee, 1951
An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, 1991
The tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, opens after two-and-a-half years of construction, 1997
Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favor of their country becoming a member of the United Nation, 2002
Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refueling, 2005
A 2-year old Mississippi girl born with HIV/AIDS is pronounced HIV negative after receiving treatment for the virus within 30 hours after her birth, 2013

Silly Sunday: Pancakes are coming.

"Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to be making lots of pancakes for Mardi Gras," #2 Son announced.

That's fine, i noted.  We have plenty of Nutella and everything else.

When Mardi Gras comes around, in our house it always means the hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough and baked, and pancakes.  The tradition of Mardi Gras being Pancake Day stems from pancakes being the easiest way to use up the last of the sugar and egg and butter and milk before the Lent fast begins on Ash Wednesday.

Of course, #2 Son's pancakes aren't just any.  He doesn't use premade mix of any sort, and his are always chocolatey and good.

Talking about pancakes reminds me of a joke.

Clothile was busy on Fat Tuesday morning making the pancakes, the last the family would have until Easter.  Tee Boudreaux and Placide Boudreaux, her two boys, were sitting at the table arguing over who was going to get the first pancake out of the pan.

"Mais, boys, you ought to be both ashamed of yourselves, sure.  Here we are, about to start observing de time dat Our Lord was in the desert fasting, so we can learn about self-discipline and obedience, and you two be arguin' over who get de firs' pancake!  If Jesus was here, He'd say, 'Let my brother have de firs' pancake!'"

Tee and Placide look at her, and den at each other, and den Tee, he say, "Placide, today, you play Jesus!"



Today is:

Adwa Victory Day -- Ethiopia

Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival -- Argungu, Nigeria (a wild fishing contest, plus singing, dancing canoe racing, and more; through the 5th)

Carnival of Binche -- Binche, Belgium (famous carnival dating back to the 16th century, which includes a giants parade, children's parade, fireworks, orange tossing, and more; through Shrove Tuesday)

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Sunday:  Namesake Day, a day to think about how you got your name

Cheesefare Sunday -- Orthodox Christian (final day upon which dairy products and eggs may be consumed before the Lenten fast; sometimes also called Forgiveness Sunday)

Fasching Sunday -- Germany and Austria, and among German speaking peoples; the Party before Lent kicks up now

Feast of 'Ala (Loftiness) -- Baha'i (first full day of the 19 day fast)

Feast of Tou Tei -- Macau (earth god; celebrated on the second day of the second lunar month, so if i've mixed up the date in Gregorian, i'm sorry, i tried)

Going Forth of Set, Son of Nut -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Hall Sunday -- meaning Hallowed Sunday, the Sunday before Lent, which has many traditions associated with it

Highway Numbers Day -- US (a joint board of state and federal highway officials created the first uniform system for numbering interstate highways, as well as standardizing design of road signs, in 1925)

James Ronald Webster's Birthday -- Anguilla

Losar/Loshar (Lunar New Year) -- Bhutan; Nepal; Tibet (this is Tibetan Year 2141, and it's dominant gender is male, dominant element is wood, and dominant animal is the horse)

March Nymph's Parade -- Fairy Calendar

National Banana Cream Pie Day

National Words Matter Week -- US (focusing on the importance of words, particularly the written word; week sponsored by The National Association of Independent Writers and Editors)

NEA's Read Across America Day -- on or near Dr. Seuss' birth anniversary; this year's theme is "Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat"

Old Stuff Day -- if you are doing the same old stuff, think about how you can change that

Peasants' Day -- Myanmar

St. Chad of Mead's Day (Patron of St. Chad's College of the University of Durham in England; Birmingham, England; Lichfield, England)

Texas Independence Day -- Texas, US (anniversary of declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836)

Transfiguration Sunday -- Christian


Anniversary Today:

Mt. Rainier National Park is established, 1899


Birthdays Today:

Henrik Lundquist, 1982
Bryce Dallas Howard, 1981
Chris Martin, 1977
Daniel Craig, 1968
Jon Bon Jovi, 1962
Ken Salazar, 1955
Laraine Newman, 1952
Karen Carpenter, 1950
Eddie Money, 1949
Lou Reed, 1944
John Irving, 1942
Mikhail Gorbachev, 1931
Tom Wolfe, 1931
John Cullum, 1930
Doc Watson, 1923
Jennifer Jones, 1919
Desi Arnaz, 1917
Martin Ritt, 1914
Mel Ott, 1909
Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), 1904
Bedrich Smetana, 1864
Carl Schurz, 1829
Melissa Burton Coray, 1828
Sam Houston, 1793
Juvenal, 54


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Bubbling Brown Sugar"(Musical), 1976
"The Sound of Music"(Film), 1965
"Bus Stop"(Play), 1955
"King Kong"(Film), 1933
"Morning Chronicle"(London daily newspaper), 1769


Today in History:

The Loves of Mars and Venus becomes the first ballet performed in England, 1717
A semaphore machine that will speed communication is introduced in Paris, 1791
The US Congress outlaws the import of slaves, 1897
The Republic of Texas declares its independence from Mexico, 1836
Aleksandr Romanov becomes the tsar of Russia, 1855
Tsar Aleksandr outlaws serfdom in Russia, 1861
The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace, 1888
In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women, 1903
The original film version of King Kong premiers, 1933
Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute, 1949
The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Connecticut, 1949
In Toulouse, France the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted, 1969
Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown, 1970
The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets, 1972
Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28, 1978
CD players and discs are released for sale for the first time outside of Japan, 1983
Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century, 1989
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations, 1992
Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice, 1998
In his book 'Jesus of Nazareth Part II', Pope Benedict XVI exonerates the Jewish people for the responsibility of the death of Jesus, 2011
New findings from the University of Leicester indicate decreasing sitting time by 90 minutes each day can result in major heath advantages, including reducing the risk of Type II Diabetes, 2013

She calls it fun.

So, how was your first time volunteering at the food bank? i asked Bigger Girl as she came through the door.

"It was fine, mom, but listen to this!  I was the only volunteer there who wasn't doing it as part of a community service sentence from the courts, or to get high school community service credits!  Can you believe it?  I almost was tempted to ask the others, 'So, what are you in for?'"

Yes, i can imagine a lot of people who get sentenced to community service by the courts would rather be at the food bank than shovel poop at the zoo or pick up trash by the road, i noted.

"True, true," she said.  "Oh, and by the way, I found a recipe online for fake blood.  Mind if I make some using the food coloring the pantry that we never use?"

Sure, but Halloween is over, what would you need fake blood for? i asked.

"Well, I've been watching Harold and Maude, you know, the movie, and my friend who takes filmmaking class has to make a short film as a project, so we want me to do like Harold does, and fake a suicide, for his film.  It will be fun, I got a white dress at the thrift store, and we have a place where we can film it that no one will see us and think it's real.  So, anyway, wow, the food coloring kit includes burgundy!  This will really work great!"

Go ahead, i said.  Just be careful, that stuff stains things easily.  You wouldn't want to ruin someone's furniture or something.

"No, we'll be careful about that," she said.  She then proceeded to mix several ingredients, and smile over the variety of colors in the food coloring kit i had purchased many years before but seldom used.

"It's perfect!" she gloated when she got it just as she wanted it.  "I'm going to go meet up with Aaron and the others.  We'll go bowling, and then we'll film me faking suicide for his project!"

Enjoy yourself, i called after her.

With her sense of humor, i know she did.


Today is:

Baba Marta Day -- Bulgaria (Grandmother Spring Day, martenitsa are worn until you see a stork or a tree blooming.)

Beer Day -- Iceland (marks the end of the prohibition of beer in 1989)

Be Positive, Do Something Positive Day -- the way to start Optimism Month

Bravo Day/Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day -- Marshall Islands

Camellia Festival 2014 -- Chiswick House and Gardens Trust, London, England (through Mar. 30)

Carnaval de Barranquilla -- Barranquilla, Spain (four days of pre-Lent celebration and street dances that mostly shut down the city)

Chalandra Marz -- Engandine, Switzerland (various cities of this province have the traditional spring event where costumed young people, ringing bells and cracking whips, drive out the demons of winter)

Day to Mourn Victims of Land Mines -- anniversary of the day they were outlawed worldwide in 1999

Dia de las Islas Baleares -- Iberia, Spain

Elves, Woodworkers, and Mechanics' Day -- Fairy Calendar

First Day of Autumn -- Australia (they go by months, not equinoxes, like the rest of the world used to)

Floral City Strawberry Festival -- Floral City, FL, US (fun for all, through tomorrow)

Goa Carnival -- Goa, India (Indo-Latin fusion of music, dance, parades, and revelry; through the 13th)

Humorists Are Artists Month begins -- any coincidence this spells HAAM?

Iditarod Sled Dog Race - Last Great Race on Earth® begins -- Anchorage to Nome, AK, US (1,000 miles along the historic Iditarod Trail)

Independence Day -- Bosnia and Herzegovina(1992)

International Association for Women of Color Day -- www.womenofcolorday.com

International Wheelchair Day -- a day when wheelchair users celebrate the positive impact a wheelchair has had in their lives

Klondike Days -- Eagle River, WI, US (recreation of primitive camps used by early pioneers, a Native American cultural presentation, and more; through tomorrow)

Martisor -- Romanians and Aromanians, especially in Romania and Moldova (similar tradition to Baba Marta; first days of March are Zilele Babei, Days of the Old Woman, when Old Woman Winter, Baba Dokia, who lives in the mountains, might come back with ferocity.)

National Fruit Compote Day

National Heroes' Day -- Paraguay

National Horse Protection Day -- US; sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation

National Pig Day -- sponsored by Ellen Stanley and Mary Lynne Rave, who want you to know that pigs are amazing animals that place fourth on the animal intelligence list!

Natural Bridge Battle Reenactment -- Tallahassee, FL, US (Civil War reenactment; through tomorrow)

Navii's Day / Vjunitci -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (a Day of the Dead, bringing sacrifices and inviting the ancestors to attend the feast)

New Year's Day -- Ancient Roman Pre-Julian Calendar; related observances
     Birthday of Mars Pater (Feriae Marti)
     Chalanda Marz -- Kalends of March (now a festival in Egandine, Grisons Canton, Switzerland, in which the children ring bells to ring out the winter)
     Matronalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Women's Festival to Juno)
     Renewal of the Vestal Fire

Nineteen Day Fast -- Baha'i (begins at sundown)

Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific Day -- in remembrance of the destruction of Bikini Atoll

Omizutori Matsuri -- Todai-ji Temple, Nara, Japan (Water-Drawing Festival of 1,200 year old Buddhist ceremonies, through the 14th)

Peace Corps Birthday / National Day of Action -- US

Peanut Butter Lovers' Day -- according to some foodie sites

Philadelphia Flower Show -- Philadelphia, PA, US (largest flower show in the US; through the 9th)

Plan a Solo Vacation Day -- Solo Travel Portal wants you to dream big and plan what you would do if you could get away, solo.

ReFIRED, Not Retired Day -- the day to get Fired Up about Life, Part II; you aren't retired, you are reFIRED!

Republic Day -- NE, Switzerland

Samiljeol (March 1st Movement Remembrance Day) -- South Korea

Self-Injury Awareness Day -- International (for information about self-injury, or to get started getting help, go here)

St. David of Wales' Day (Patron of doves; Patron of Wales, where it is called Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant)

Saint Piran's Day Celebration -- Kansas City, KA, US (celebration of the patron saint of Cornwall and Cornish peoples, as well as the patrn of tin miners, sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Cornish Society, on the Saturday nearest Mar. 5)

Time for a Cuppa? -- UK (raising awareness of dementia and raising funds for research)

Whuppity Scoorie Day -- Lanark, Scotland (Spring festival, children run around the church and pick up coins thrown for them.)

World Civil Defense Day -- International Civil Defense Organisation

Yap Day -- Micronesia (festival celebrating the heritage of the Yap peoples)


Anniversaries Today:

Johnny Cash marries June Carter, 1968
Yellowstone National Park established, 1872
Nebraska becomes the 37th US State, 1867
Howard University in Washington, D.C., is chartered, 1867
Ohio becomes the 17th US State, 1803


Birthdays Today:

Justin Bieber, 1994
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, 1974
Javier Bardem, 1969
George Eads, 1967
Russell Wong, 1963
Nik Kershaw, 1958
Timothy Daly, 1956
Ron Howard, 1954
Catherine Bach, 1954
Alan Thicke, 1947
Dirk Benedict, 1945
Roger Daltry, 1944
Robert Conrad, 1935
Harry Belafonte, 1927
Pete Rozelle, 1926
Donald "Deke" K. Slayton, 1924
William M. Gaines, 1922
Richard (Purdy) Wilbur, 1921
Ralph Ellison, 1914
Harry Caray, 1914
David Niven, 1910
Glenn Miller, 1904
Watsuji Tetsuro, 1889
Oskar Kokoschka, 1886
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, 1848
Frederic Chopin, 1810


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Sophisticated Ladies"(Musical), 1981
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"(Musical), 1979
"Believe It or Not"(TV), 1949
"Captain America Comics #1"(Comic book), 1941
"Native Son"(Publication date), 1940


Today in History:

Romulus, first king of Rome, celebrates the first Roman triumph after his victory over the Caeninenses, following the Rape of the Sabine Women, BC752
Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army, enters Athens, BC86
Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis, conquerors Damascus, 1260
The Unitas Fratrum is established in the village of Kunvald, on the Bohemian-Moravian borderland. It is to date the second oldest Protestant denomination, 1457
23 Huguenots are massacred by Catholics in Wassy, France, marking the start of the French Wars of Religion, 1562
The Uppsala Synod is summoned to confirm the exact forms of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, 1593
Samuel de Champlain reclaims his role as commander of New France on behalf of Cardinal Richelieu, 1633
Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba are arrested for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692
"The Spectator" begins publishing, in London, 1711
The first US census is authorized, 1790
Napoleon returns to France from his banishment on Elba, 1815
Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first African-American female to earn a medical degree, 1864
Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park, 1872
E. Remington and Sons in Ilion, New York begins production of the first practical typewriter, 1873
Nikola Tesla gives the first public demonstration of radio in St. Louis, Missouri, 1893
Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity, 1896
Battle of Adwa, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) defeats invading Italians, the first defeat of a colonizing European nation by an African colony, 1896
Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from an airplane, 1912
The Republic of China joins the Universal Postal Union, 1914
The March 1st Movement, demonstrations for independence from Japan, begins in Korea, 1919
Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped, 1932
The Hoover Dam is completed, 1936
US Steel raises workers wages to US$5/day, 1937
Trans-Canada Air Lines (forerunner of Air Canada) begins transcontinental operations (between Vancouver and Montreal), 1939
The International Monetary Fund begins financial operations, 1947
Chiang Kai-shek resumed the presidency of National China on Formosa, 1950
The Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb, is detonated on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the worst radioactive contamination ever caused by the United States, 1954
The Peace Corps is established, 1961
Villarrica Volcano begins a strombolian eruption causing lahars that destroy half of the town of Coñaripe, Chile, 1964
Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface, 1966
Bosnia and Herzegovina declares its independence from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1992
Yahoo! was incorporated, 1995
The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 kilometers (500 miles) above the Earth on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500 kilograms (9.5 tons), 2002
The International Criminal Court holds its inaugural session in The Hague, 2003
English-language Wikipedia reaches its one millionth article, Jordanhill railway station, 2006