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Today is January 29 2014

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   I.
Today's Holidays and Historical Events (updated daily)
Today's Food Holiday

National Corn Chip Day: More
And: Fritos More Cornchip Day More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • W. C. Fields birthday (180-1946) and thus, Curmudgeons Day: More
    I don't know anyone like that, but wipe your feet before you come in my house and stay off my lawn. Bah humbug!
  • Freethinkers Day: More
    Well, that is, if that's OK with you. I don't mean to offend. What do you think?
  • The Raven published.: More
    Three recitals:
    Peter Bradley More
    Christopher Walken More
    Vincent Price More
Events in the past on: January 29
  • In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Raven' is first published.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Raven is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow fall into madness. The lover, often identified as being a student, is lamenting the loss of his love, Lenore. Sitting on a bust of Pallas, the raven seems to further instigate his distress with its constant repetition of the word "Nevermore". The poem makes use of a number of folk, mythological, religious, and classical references.

    'The Raven was first attributed to Poe in print in the New York Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845. Its publication made Poe widely popular in his lifetime, although it did not bring him much financial success. The poem was soon reprinted, parodied, and illustrated. Critical opinion is divided as to the poem's literary status, but it nevertheless remains one of the most famous poems ever written'. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - At Project Gutenberg: More
  • In 1856, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a Warrant under the Royal sign-manual that establishes the Victoria Cross to It was clear acts of valour by British military personnel during the Crimean War.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It is first in the order of wear in the United Kingdom honours system, and takes precedence over all other orders, decorations, and medals, including the Order of the Garter. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. The VC is usually presented to the recipient or to their next of kin by the British monarch at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1861, Kansas is accepted as the 34th US state.
    From Wikipedia: 'Kansas is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name (natively kka:ze) is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind", although this was probably not the term's original meaning. Residents of Kansas are called "Kansans". More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1886, The first successful gasoline-driven automobile is patented by German car designer, Karl Benz.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Motorwagen was patented on January 29, 1886 as DRP-37435: "automobile fueled by gas". The 1885 version was difficult to control, leading to a collision with a wall during a public demonstration. The first successful tests on public roads were carried out in the early summer of 1886. The next year Benz created the Motorwagen Model 2, which had several modifications, and in 1887, the definitive Model 3 with wooden wheels was introduced, showing at the Paris Expo the same year'. More
    - On YouTube: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1929, The Seeing Eye, is established.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Seeing Eye, Inc. (TSE) is a guide dog school located in Morristown, New Jersey, in the United States. Since 1929, The Seeing Eye has assisted people who are blind, helping them gain independence, self-confidence, and dignity through the use of Seeing Eye dogs. The Seeing Eye, the founding member of the U.S. Council of Guide Dog Schools and a fully accredited member of the International Guide Dog Federation, is a lead researcher in canine genetics, breeding, disease control, and behavior.'

    'The Seeing Eye, Inc., owns the registered trademarks "Seeing Eye" (registration number 376,160, registered March 12, 1940) and "The Seeing Eye" (registration number 2,165,163, registered June 16, 1998), and only dogs from The Seeing Eye school in Morristown, N.J., can be called Seeing Eye dogs'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1937, Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded the famous, Song of India.
    From Wikipedia: '"Song of India" is an popular song adapted from the aria "Pesni?a? indiiskogo gostia" from Rimsky-Korsakov's 1896 opera Sadko. In January 1937, Tommy Dorsey recorded an instrumental jazz arrangement featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet, which became a jazz standard. Coupled with "Marie", the 78 rpm disc (Victor #25523) was a major shit for Dorsey, containing two of his most enduring recordings on one record, and which helped make him and his band into a household name as a popular music artist in the United States'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1944, The USS Missouri, the last battleship commissioned by the US Navy, is launched.
    From Wikipedia: 'USS Missouri (BB-63) ("Mighty Mo" or "Big Mo") is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship and was the third ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the US state of Missouri. Missouri was the last battleship commissioned by the United States and was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1953, The first movie filmed in Cinemascope, 'The Robe' premieres.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Robe is a 1953 American Biblical epic film that tells the story of a Roman military tribune who commands the unit that crucifies Jesus. The film was made by 20th Century Fox and is notable for being the first film released in the widescreen process CinemaScope. Like other early CinemaScope films, The Robe was shot with Henri Chrétien's original Hypergonar anamorphic lenses.'

    'CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, for shooting widescreen movies. Its creation in 1953 by Spyros P. Skouras, the president of 20th Century Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection'. More
    - On YouTube (anamorphic projection): More
    - On YouTube (The Robe, trailer): More
  • In 1959, The movie, Walt Disney's 'Sleeping Beauty' is released.
    From Wikipedia: 'Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney based on The Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault and Little Briar Rose by The Brothers Grimm. The 16th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, it was released to theaters on January 29, 1959, by Buena Vista Distribution'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1964, The movie, Dr. Strangelove, premieres.
    From Wikipedia: 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, more commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 political satire black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the USSR and the US. The film was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, stars Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and features Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens. Production took place in the United Kingdom. The film is loosely based on Peter George's thriller novel Red Alert'. More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1988, A United Airlines Boeing 747SP, circles the world in 36 hours 54 minutes 15 seconds, with 2 stops for fuel.
    From Wikipedia: 'Friendship One—Flown January 29–31, 1988 from Seattle/SEA, to raise funds for Friendship Foundation. Two stopovers were made, at Athens Airport and Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (formerly the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport). The record lasted less than a month, as it was beaten by a Gulfstream IV piloted in part by Gulfstream Aerospace CEO Al Paulson. The round-the-world flight took 35 hours and 54 minutes over 23,125 miles'. More
  II.
Henry's Heads Up! - previous days social media post (updated daily)

Nothing. Looks like I was lazy on this day.

 III.
Top Song & Movie 50 years ago today

No. 1 song

  • I Want To Hold Your Hand - The Beatles: More
    The Beatles have there first hit the No. 1 in the US.This will hold the no. 1 spot until March 21th, when another Beatles song, She Loves You, takes over.

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
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): January 29
   V.
This month January 2014 (updated once a month - last updated - )

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

  VI.
TV fifty years ago 1964 (updated yearly - last updated Jan. 1 2014)

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

 VII.
Best selling books fifty years ago (updated yearly - last updated Jan. 1 2014)

Best selling books of 1964 More

VIII.
Fun (Last link added October 1 2014, but content on each site may change daily)
  • 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
  IX.
Other Holiday Sites (Last link added October 1 2014. Link content changes yearly)

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
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