Today is January 3 2014

National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day.: More

• National Drinking Straw Day.: More
  
• Fruitcake Toss Day: More

• In 1823, Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico. From Wikipedia: ' Austin traveled to Mexico City, where he persuaded the junta instituyente to approve the grant to his father, as well as the law signed by the Mexican Emperor on January 3, 1823. The old imperial law offered heads of families a league and a labor of land, 4,605 acres (1,864 ha), and other inducements. It also provided for the employment of agents, called empresarios, to promote immigration. As an empresario, Austin was to receive 67,000 acres of land for each 200 families he brought to Texas. According to the law, immigrants were not required to pay fees to the government. Some of the immigrants denied Austin's right to charge them for services at the rate of 12.5 cents/acre (31 cents/ha)'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1870, The Brooklyn Bridge construction begins and was completed May 24, 1883. From Wikipedia: 'The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It has a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1938, The March of Dimes campaign to stomp out polio is organized. From Wikipedia: 'The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.It was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to combat polio. It has since taken up promoting general health for pregnant women and babies.'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1951, The TV show 'Dragnet' premiers. It ran for 276 episodes. From Wikipedia: 'Dragnet is an American television series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police Detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The series is a spin off from the radio play of the same name. Both shows take their names from the police term 'dragnet', meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects.' 'The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music (titled 'Danger Ahead') is instantly recognizable (though its origins date to Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film version of The Killers).' The radio series ran from June 3, 1949 to July 26, 1957. There were also a 1967 and 2003 revival on TV. More
  - On YouTube (original TV): More
  - On YouTube (radio): More
  - On YouTube (1967) TV: More
• In 1957, The Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. From Wikipedia: 'In horology the term electric watch is used for the first generation electrically-powered wristwatches which were produced beginning in 1957, before the commercial introduction of the quartz wristwatch in 1969 by Seiko with the Astron. Their timekeeping element was either a traditional balance wheel or a tuning fork, driven electromagnetically by a solenoid powered by a battery. The hands were driven mechanically through a wheel train. They were superseded by quartz watches, which had greater accuracy and durability due to their lower parts count'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1959, Alaska becomes the 49th state of the U.S. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1962, Ground is broken for the Houston Astrodome. From Wikipedia: 'The Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome, and officially named the NRG Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, USA. It served as the second home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from its opening in 1965 until 1999, and the home to the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996, and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1987, Aretha Franklin becomes the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 2004, After hosting the show for over 30 years, Casey Kasem gives up the hosting duties of 'American Top 40' to Ryan Seacrest. From Wikipedia: 'American Top 40 (commonly abbreviated to AT40) is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. The program is hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who took over the program from Kasem upon his 2004 departure'. More
  - On YouTube: More

Nothing. Looks like I was lazy on this day.

No. 1 song

• There I've Said It Again - Bobby Vinton: More
  This song will stay no. 1 until Jan. 25, when the Beatles hit the no. 1 US charts with, I Want To Hold Your Hand.
• There are differences in the number one song by country, rating category (top 10, 40 , 100) and chart. The Cash Box 100 has the no. 1 pop hit as:
  Louie Louie More
  For those who, 50 yrs later still can't understand the words, this has the lyrics.

Top movie

• The Sword in the Stone More
  It will stay on top until the weekend box office ratings of February 2, 1964, when Dr. Strangelove takes over

• FamousBirthdays.com: January 3 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: January 3 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 3rd January More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 3rd January More
• On-This-day.com history 3rd January More
• On-This-day.com music history 3rd January More
• Wikipedia.com: History January 3 More

National: Egg Month, Hot Tea Month, Oatmeal Month, Soup Month.

January is:

January origin (from Wikipedia): 'January is named after Janus, the God of beginnings and transitions; the name has its beginnings in Roman mythology, coming from the Latin word for door since January is the door to the year.'

'January is the first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. The first day of the month is known as New Year's Day. It is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of winter) and the warmest month of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere (where it is the second month of summer). In the Southern hemisphere, January is the seasonal equivalent of July in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.'

January at Wikipedia: More

If you couldn't afford 90 cents for a movie ticket, 50 years ago, or your 45 RPM record player was broke, you might watch one of these shows on TV.
From this Wikipedia article: More

Best selling books of 1964 More

• Astronomy Picture of the Day: More
• NOAA: - National Hurricane Center - Atlantic Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook: More
• Listen to Old Radio Shows: (streaming mp3 with schedule) More
• NASA TV: (video feed) More
  NASA TV schedule: More
• Public Domain eBook Links

  Sites for downloading or reading free Public Domain eBooks. Available in various formats. More

• Podcast: A Moment of Science. Approximately 1 minute general science facts.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: The Naked Scientists. Current science, medicine, space and other science
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Podcast: Quirks & Quarks. Current science news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Articles and videos: Universe Today. Current space and astronomy news.
  Home page: More
  RSS: More
• Old Picture of the Day - "Each day we bring you one stunning little glimpse of history in the form of a historical photograph."
  Home page: More
  RSS: More

Below, are listed several holiday sites that I reference in addition to other holiday researches.

US Government Holidays

• 2014 Postal Holidays More
• 2014 Official Federal Holidays More

Holidays Worldwide

• List of holidays by country More
• Holidays and Observances around the World More