Summer: To Do or To-do?

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week the topic is, Three things on your Summer To Do List. 

One of them is on the to-done list, and that is to go on vacation.  It was a quiet, restful one this time, which is unusual for us, and a nice change of pace.

What else is up for the summer?  Frankly, once the wedding is over this weekend, not much.  Work will have to be done regularly because there are these things called "bills" that keep coming in.  Some of them also keep increasing.

Summer is spent mostly trying to stay cool and praying we do not have any major storms.

The library is a great place to go in the summer, so i may try getting there at least once a week.

When the children were young, we did VBS and were at the library 2 or three times a week and had swim team and lots planned.  Now that i'm looking at this topic, i feel old and boring.

Once autumn comes, and it's not hot enough to accidentally brand yourself with your seatbelt every time you get in the car, i wouldn't mind going to the local swamp nature center, as it's been a long time since i've been.  In fact, i'm going to plan it out and do it.  Also, i want to plan a weekend trip to visit a friend later in the year.

Summer has become a great time, i think, to plan indoor activities.  It's in the autumn that i will come alive again.

***********************************

Tuesday Random Thoughts

And now, a bit of random news from around here, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.  

The recent rains from Cindy were great for the blooming things.

Ms. S, my Monday lady, is having trouble and i am very concerned.  She seems more frail right now than ever before, even than right after her last surgery.

Mr. B, for whom i work every other Saturday, has taken a break from sorting all the screws and nails and bolts and etc. in the workshop and we are doing projects.  Well, he is doing projects, and i am cleaning the things he wants to work on, since most of them are covered in grime.  Last Saturday i unloaded the two storage closet floors and swept them, and cleaned and polished a wine cooler he is going to sell on Craigslist and an old dentist's cabinet he is going to convert to yet another tool storage unit.  The one thing that man has is tons and tons of is tools.

Finally, we are back in business, the kitten business, that is.  Two girls, mama was run over, they are doing well.

They never hold still for a photo, even if they are at the "rubber legs" stage.

Today is:

Canadian Multiculturalism Day -- Cananda

Day of National Unity -- Tajikistan

Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art -- Turkmenistan

Day Sacred to the Lares -- Ancient Roman Calendar (personal household gods); also

     Festival of Jupiter Stator -- Jupiter, Stayer of the Rout, god who helped soldiers especially to stand their ground

     Initium Aestatis -- three day festival for the goddess of summer, which season they saw as beginning on this day

Decide to Be Married Day -- sponsored by Barbara Gaughen-Muller; to focus n the joy of couples deciding to be married

Findle-Fritter's Stoat Wheedling Event -- Fairy Calendar

"Happy Birthday to You" Day -- tune composed this day in 1859

Independence Day / National Day -- Djibouti

Industrial Workers of The World Day -- founded this day in 1905

Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum Smith -- Mormon

Mixed Races Day -- Brazil

National Columnists' Day -- on the fourth Tuesday of June each year, set aside some time to thank your favorite newspaper columnists, whether local or syndicated

National HIV Testing Day -- US 

National Indian Pudding Day

National Orange Blosssom Day

National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day -- US (by Senate resolution) 

Seven Sleepers Day (Siebenschläfertag) -- Germany (according to legend, today's weather determines the pattern for the next seven weeks)

St. Ladislaus' Day (Patron of Szekszard, Hungary)

Sunglasses Day -- a reminder to wear those shades, protect your eyes from UV damage!

Birthdays Today:

Gabi Wilson, 1997

Madylin Sweeten, 1991

Ed Westwick, 1987

Drake Bell, 1986

Tobey Maguire, 1975

J.J. Abrams, 1976

Jason Patric, 1966

Isabelle Adjani, 1955

Julia Duffy, 1951

James Daughton, 1950

Norma Kamali, 1945

Shirley-Anne Field, 1938

H. Ross Perot, 1930

Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan, 1927

Helen Keller, 1880

Patrick Lafcadio "Koizumi Yakumo" Hearn, 1850

Charles Stewart Parnell, 1846

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Live and Let Die(Film), 1973

"Dark Shadows"(TV), 1966

"Captain Video and His Video Rangers"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

General James Wolfe begins the siege of Quebec, 1759

Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail, 1844

George Dixon becomes the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion, 1890

The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia, 1898

Sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian Battleship Potemkin, denouncing the crimes of autocracy, demanding liberty and an end to war, 1905

Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane, 1923

The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War, 1950

The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow, 1954

The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield, London, 1967

The President of Uruguay dissolves Parliament and heads a coup d'état, 1973

U.S president Richard Nixon visits the U.S.S.R., 1974

France grants independence to Djibouti, 1977

The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, ILO 169 convention, is adopted, 1989

Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before, is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft, starting the Ten-Day War, 1991

Bill Gates resigns from Microsoft to focus on his charity work, 2008

The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held, 2010

Tests show radioactive cesium is present in small quantities in residents of Iitate and Kawamata, Fukushima, towns located 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 2011
NASA launches IRIS, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun, 2013

Awww Monday: She rules the roost.

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 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!

My newest client, Ms. SE, has a beautiful family pet.  She's the first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel i've met in person, and her name is Nana.  She's 16 and mostly blind and deaf and sweet as she can be.

She's the queen of the house!

Today is:

Alexandra Rose Day -- anniversary of the tradition started by Queen Alexandra on this day in 1912, in which roses and rose emblems were sold in London and the UK, with the money going to smaller charities that are not usually in the national spotlight; also by tradition, the Lord Mayor of London bought the first rose

     Alexandra Rose Charities still exists, but uses other forms of fundraising and now supports healthy eating initiatives among lower income mothers and children

Armed Forces Day -- Azerbaijan

Barcode/UPC Day -- the first scanner, at Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, scanned its first item, a pack of Wrigley's gum at 8:01am this day in 1974

Beautician's Day -- on a couple of websites, while other list other days; if yours puts the "beauty" in beautician, remember her next time you go have your do tended to

Discovery Day -- NL, Canada

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 28th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

Handing Back of Tiger-Get-By's Presents -- Fairy Calendar

Holiday for the Shemsu of Heru -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Madagascar[Fetin'ny Fahaleovantena]; Somalia

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking -- UN

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -- UN

National Canoe Day -- Canada

National Chocolate Pudding Day

Please Take My Children To Work Day -- originally sponsored by mamasaid.net; a tongue-in-cheek way to request that you give a full- or part-time stay-at-home mom a break today!

St. Pelayo's Day (Patron of abandoned people, torture victims; Castro Urdiales, Spain; Torreira, Portugal) 

Sunthorn Phu Day -- Thailand (celebration of the country's best-known Royal Poet)

Ziua Tricolorului -- Romania (Flag Day)

Birthdays Today:

Jennette McCurdy, 1992

Jason Schwartzman, 1980

Derek Jeter, 1974

Gretchen Wilson, 1973

Chris O'Donnell, 1970

Paul Thomas Anderson, 1970

Sean P. Hayes, 1970

Harriet Wheeler, 1963

Greg LeMond, 1961

Chris Isaak, 1956

Claudio Abbado, 1933

Eleanor Parker, 1922

Charlotte Zolotow, 1915

"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, 1914

Colonel Tom Parker, 1909

Peter Lorre, 1904

Pearl S. Buck, 1892

Sir Robert Laird Borden, 1854

Lord Kelvin, 1824

Abner Doubleday, 1819

Arthur Middleton, 1742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

For Your Eyes Only(Film), 1981

"Absurd Person Singular"(Play), 1972

"A Hard Day's Night"(Album, US version, release), 1964

"The Valkyrie"(Opera, WWV 86B), 1870

Today in History:

Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire; General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield, 363

The legendary Pied Piper leads 130 children out of Hamelin, German, 1284

Richard III is crowned king of England, 1483

Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima, 1541

W. K. Clarkson patents the first bicycle, 1819

The Christian  holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States, 1870

The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity, 1909

The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco, 1945

William Shockley files the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor, 1948

The Berlin Airlift begins, 1948

The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships, 1959

The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, 1974

Indira Gandhi establishes emergency rule in India, 1975

The CN Tower, then the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, is opened to general public, 1976*

Biologists J. Craig Venter and Francis S. Collins announced that their research groups had mapped the human genome, 2000

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, the four thousand year-old ridge-top monastery in Bhutan catches fire and is destroyed; no relics were lost in the fire because the monastery was under renovation, 2012

*It is still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere

Weather or Not

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs.  The rules are simple, just have fun.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other bloggers and have a laugh or two in the process.

Here is how it works: Laugh and Link Up!

This past week, we had a bit of tropical weather.  How do we know this?  Why, Mr. Jim Cantore came to town, of course.  They send that guy into the worst weather situations, so if he gets sent to town, you know they are expecting something exciting, weather-wise.  As one young man noted around here, "It's not bad weather until the bald guy shows up."

Boudreaux like to watch him de weather on de TV.  One day he see de local weather man, Mr. Savoie, makin' groceries.*

He go to Mr. Savoie an' ax, "How come you don' go outside when de weather be bad, like dem guys on de national TV channel?"

An' Mr. Savoie say, "Mais, dem people be crazy!  It be my job to tell you what de weather be, not to get wet to prove it!"

*"makin' groceries" means grocery shopping; no, none of us know why it's called that down here

Today is:

America's Kids Day -- founded to encourage US parents to teach their children the value of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Arbor Day -- Philippines

Color TV Day -- CBS broadcast the first program in color on this day in 1951

Day of the Seafarer -- The International Maritime Organization (this year’s theme is “Seafarers Matter”) 

Descendent's Day -- on the final Sunday of June each year, an encouragement for all the world's citizens to take an accounting of their activities during the prior year and how those will affect those who come after us

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; begins at sundown, and runs through sundown on the 28th, but local dates and official government observances may vary)

Elf Thumping Day -- Fairy Calendar (no details on what the Elves thump, and no, no one is allowed to thump an Elf!)

Feast of the Optional Holiday -- pick one, and celebrate it or don't, your option!

Festival of Ranting and Vaporing -- sponsored by The Daily Bleed

Gioco Del Ponte -- Pisa, Italy (the Battle of the Bridge or Game of the Bridge, a medieval parade and contest for possession of the bridge)

Global Beatles Day -- read about the meaning of this day, and why this date was picked, here 

Gotanshin Sai -- Kitano Tenmangu, Kyoto, Japan (festival to commemorate the birth of Lord Sugawara, with ceremonies to ward off summer infections)

Independence Day -- Mozambique(1975)

La Festa Dei Gigli -- Nola, Campagna, Italy (Festival of the Lilies, in honor of St. Paulinus; through tomorrow, with the traditional Ballad of the Lilies on June 28)

Leon Day -- Noel spelled backward, the turning poing on the calendar when Christmas starts getting closer; those who make Christmas/Noel gifts need to start thinking about their projects

Log Cabin Day -- The Log Cabin Society, dedicated to preserving log cabins and the old fashioned ways of life; many places that have historic log cabins plan big events the last Sunday in June to celebrate

Ludi Taurii -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Games of the Bull, a two day festival held once every five years)

Mother's Day -- Kenya

National Catfish Day

National Fried Okra Day

National Strawberry Parfait Day

Sense of Humor in Bed Appreciation Day -- i'm not touching this one

Singing on the Mountain -- Grandfather Mountain, Linville, NC, US (traditional and modern gospel music, with local and nationally known artists and speakers)

Slovenian Sovereignty Day / National Day -- Slovenia

Statehood Day -- Croatia

St. Eurosia's Day (a/k/a Orosia; Patron of Jaca, Spain; against bad weather)

     Fiesta de Santa Orosia -- Jaca, Spain

St. Molaug's Day (Patron of Argyll, Scotland; against mental illness)

Windjammer Days -- Boothbay Harbor, ME, US (the premier maritime event on the coast of Maine, with something for everyone; through Saturday)

Anniversaries Today:

Virginia becomes the 10th US State, 1788

Birthdays Today:

Scott Terra, 1987

Linda Cardellini, 1975

Dikembe Mutombo, 1966

George Michael, 1963

Ricky Gervais, 1961

Sonia Sotomayor, 1954

Jimmie Walker, 1949

Phyllis George, 1949

Carly Simon, 1945

Willis Reed, Jr., 1942

June Lockhart, 1925

Sidney Lumet, 1924

Anne Revere, 1903

George Orwell, 1903

Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, 1886

Rose Cecil O'Neill, 1874

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Het Achterhuis. Dagbrieven van 14 juni 1942 tot 1 augustus 1944(First publication of excerpts from Anne Frank's diaries), 1947

"It Pays To Be Ignorant"(Radio), 1942

Today in History:

The Book of Concord or Concordia, the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, is published, 1580 

Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy, from the University of Padua, 1678

Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary, 1741

Lucien B. Smith of Ohio patents the first version of barbed wire, 1867

Battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, 1876

Dr. Douglas Hyde is inaugurated the first President of Ireland, 1938

The Diary of Anne Frank is published, 1947

The Berlin airlift begins, 1948

The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, 1950

CBS broadcasts the first color television signal, 1951

First live global satellite television programme – Our World, 1967

Mozambique achieves independence, 1975

Microsoft  is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington, 1981

Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence from Yugoslavia, 1991

Kim Campbell is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and becomes the first female Prime Minister of Canada, 1993

An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir, 1997

The Soufrière Hills volcano in Montserrat erupts resulting in the death of 19 people, 1997

The Harvard School of Health Study concludes that since 1980 the number of adults with diabetes has doubled, 2011

A portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protects minority voting rights, is struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that Congress has not taken into account the nation's racial progress when singling out certain states for federal oversight, 2013

Thankful Times Ten

Friday a week ago, for the answer to one of the Friendly Fill-Ins, i came up with the challenge to list three things for which you are thankful each day.  It's a habit i've been cultivating, and i promise that making lists of what you are thankful for helps you look on the bright side.

On Saturdays i up the ante a bit.  The more i exercise my thankful muscles, the stronger they become and the more cheerful i feel.

There have been some things that could have put a crimp in my style, but i am choosing to look on the bright side and find thankful things even among challenges.

This week, i am thankful that Tropical Storm Cindy sucked up a bit patch of dry air and broke up.  Yes, there has been lots of rain, yes, some areas have flooded, yes, there was damage.  As someone who lived through Katrina i can tell you it could have been much, much worse.  We have had bands of clouds that bring rain, then sun for a few hours, then another band of clouds and rain, over and over for days on end.  Trust me, i am grateful even for the rainy times when i think of the big storms and the floods of last August.

Little Girl and i went dress shopping and i found two very nice outfits, one for the rehearsal dinner and one for the wedding.  They and the shoes were on sale, and the one pair of shoes will go with both outfits.  She also found a dress to wear, and shoes (same style as mine, different color).  She and i both hate clothes and shoe shopping and we got into and out of the mall (where i haven't been for several years) in under two hours, and that's something to be thankful about in and of itself, as far as i am concerned.

My Wednesday morning client, Ms. G, got called out of town this week, which means a bit less pay.  That's okay though, because i got to go to the new every-other-Wednesday-afternoon client, Ms. SE, several hours earlier than i would have otherwise.  It was great timing on Ms. G's part, as Ms. SE's house is big and a first cleaning is always slow.  As it was, i am thankful Sweetie and i got it done and still had some time left in the day.

The Jalopy, poor thing, has three warning lights on and needs an oil change.  It makes me grateful to have a mechanic's shop i can trust, they know the warning lights are usually just Jalopy having a short in the electricals and they turn them off for me and change the oil for a reasonable price.

Sweetie is finding his new phone a steep learning curve.  (He went from a flip phone that was built like a tank so even he couldn't break it to one of the latest-and-greatest  smartphone models, mostly so he could take better pictures.)  There have been a couple of frustrated rants, and i'm grateful that he is figuring things out, including that if he sends a text to a person's land line by accident, he needs to check the number and resend it.

Bigger Girl is disappointed that her friend Hugging Sam hasn't had as much time to apartment hunt with her as she wants.  While i know she really wants to spread her wings, and i want to see her do so, it makes me grateful that we can offer our children to let them stay at home if they need to.

It's costing what seems like a lot of money for us to keep the cats flea free this summer, and i am grateful we live in a time where flea prevention is possible if expensive.  Imagine what it was like when wealthy people kept small dogs they carried around with them specifically for the purpose of making sure the fleas that were everywhere bit the dogs instead of them!

Another challenge that involves the cats for which i am thankful is the battle of the healthier cat food.  They are not happy about it, but they are learning to accept that they will be fed lower calorie, healthier food, and if they want to eat, they will eat what is served.  They are mad at me, but they are eating it, and i hope it trims them all down some.

It's summer in south Louisiana, where you supposedly cannot exist without a central A/C unit in your house.  We are grateful to be surviving with the window units and portable quite well.

It's been raining.  That saves us money on getting the lawn mowed until it stops!

If you feel so inclined, list your thankful things and link up at Ten Things of Thankful, see if it brightens your mood, too.

Today is:

Araw ng Maynila -- Philippines (Manila Day)

Armed Forces Day -- Great Britain

ARRL Field Day -- American Radio Relay League's ham radio operators practice and drill for communications during emergencies; through tomorrow

Bannockburn Day -- Scotland (decisive battle of the first Scottish War of Independence, led by Robert Bruce)

Baymen's Seafood and Music Festival -- Tuckerton, NJ, US (this year including a micro-brewers tent with the seafood and music; through tomorrow)

Burning of the Lamps in Egypt at Sais -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar, a celebration of Isis and Neith (date approximate)

Calcio Fiorentino -- Florence, Italy (reviving 16th century style football in period costumes, through the 28th)

Carabobo Day -- Venezuela (battle commemoration)

Celebration of the Senses -- Wellcat Holidays urges you to enjoy all five (six?) of your senses today

Countryman's Day -- Peru (one of Peru's three Fiestas Patrias Peruanas)

Day of the Caboclo -- Amazonas State, Brazil

Eastern Music Festival --  Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, US (an acclaimed festival and school, with world-class guest artists; through July 29)

Feast of Rahmat (Mercy) -- Baha'i

Flying Saucer Day -- anniversary of Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting, while flying near Mt. Rainier, of 9 metallic, circular objects he could not identify

Fors Fortuna -- Ancient Roman Calendar (rites and festival for the goddess of good luck and fortune)

Gettysburg Civil War Relic and Collectors Show -- Gettysburg, PA, US (featuring leading collectors and dealers; through tomorrow)

Great American Campout -- sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, the theme this year is Help America's Wildlife Survive

Great American Picnic Day -- various dates given, with the most common being the final Saturday of June

International Fairy Day/Faerie Day -- day for collectors, believers, and artists to share their love for the little folk 

Ladies of Country and Bluegrass Music Show -- Waretown, NJ, US (at the historic Albert Music Hall)

Long Beach Bayou and Blues Festival -- Rainbow Lagoon, Long Beach, CA, US (celebrating Cajun/Creole culture, food, music, arts and crafts, and even a Mardi Gras parade; through tomorrow)

Lost Handkerchief Day -- Fairy Calendar

Midsummer's Day -- Aland; Finland; Sweden

Mineral Collecting Field Trips -- Bancroft, ON, CA (every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday through July and August, geologists lead mineral collecting field trips, educating participants about mineral identification, collecting techniques, and earth sciences)

Museum Comes to Life Day -- another fun and funny day someone came up with

National Creamy Pralines Day

St. John the Baptist's Nativity Day and related Midsummer celebrations (Patron of baptism, bird dealers, converts, children with convulsions, epileptics, farriers, French Canadians, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors; against convulsions, epilepsy, hail and hailstorms, and spasms; Patron of over 60 cities and countries around the globe)

    Inti Raymi -- Peru (Incan Sun Festival)

    Jaanipaev -- Estonia

    Jani -- Latvia

    Jónsmessa -- Iceland (feast of St. John the Baptist, considered a magical night when cows can speak, seals take on human form, finding magical stones and herbs is propitious, and rolling naked in the dew is healing.)

    Macau Day -- China (celebrating the defeat of Dutch invasion forces in 1622 and paying homage to St. John as the port's Patron Saint)

    Midsummer Day -- England

    National Holiday -- Quebec, Canada (Sant Jean-Baptiste)

    Saint John the Baptist Day -- Andorra

    Saint Jonas Festival or Jonines -- Lithuania

    San Juan -- CT and GA, Spain

    Surinal -- North Korea

    Zuni Buffalo, Corn, and Comanche Dances -- Zuni Native Americans (for fertility of land and people; Vespers is also observed, as San Juan is their Patron Saint)

Swim a Lap Day -- just for fun!

Swing a Kid Day -- if swimming isn't right for you

Veteranendag -- Netherlands (Veterans Day)

Anniversaries Today:

Eton College is founded by Henry VI, 1441

Birthdays Today:

Sherry Stringfield, 1967

Joe Penny, 1956

Nancy Allen, 1950

Phyllis George, , 1949

Peter Weller, 1947

Mick Fleetwood, 1947

Ellison Shoji Onizuka, 1946

Jeff Beck, 1944

Michele Lee, 1942

Claude Chabrol, 1930

John Anthony Ciardi. 1916

Phil Harris, 1904

Jack Dempsey, 1895

Roy O. Disney, 1893

Ambrose Bierce, 1842

Henry Ward Beecher, 1813

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Catch-22(Film), 1970

"Hopalong Cassidy"(TV), 1949

"American Mercury Presents:  Meet the Press"(Radio), 1945

Today in History:

Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place, 972

A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion, 1374

John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland; the first European 

exploration of the region since the Vikings, 1497

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, 1571

Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1604

The colony of New Jersey is founded, 1664

Kingston, Jamaica is founded, 1692

The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London, England, 1717

The first republican constitution in France is adopted, 1793

The decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain, the Battle of Carabobo takes place, 1821

First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français, 1880

The first exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens, 1901

Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract, 1916

The first airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto begins, 1918

Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Pibulsonggram, the third prime minister, 1939

The Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with West Berlin impossible, 1948

The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government, 1963

Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud completes his first mission, becoming the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a Payload Specialist, 1985

John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in professional tennis history, 2010

The last known Pinta Island Tortoise, Lonesome George, is found dead in the Galapagos Islands, 2012