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Today is March 8 2014

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

National Peanut Cluster Day: More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • nternational Women's Day: More
  • Genealogy Day: More
Events in the past on: March 8
  • In 1817, The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is formally established.
    From Wikipedia: 'The earliest recorded organization of securities trading in New York among brokers directly dealing with each other can be traced to the Buttonwood Agreement. Previously securities exchange had been intermediated by the auctioneers who also conducted more mundane auctions of commodities such as wheat and tobacco. On May 17, 1792 twenty four brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement which set a floor commission rate charged to clients and bound the signers to give preference to the other signers in securities sales. The earliest securities traded were mostly governmental securities such as War Bonds from the Revolutionary War and First Bank of the United States stock, although Bank of New York stock was a non-governmental security traded in the early days.

    In 1817 the stockbrokers of New York operating under the Buttonwood Agreement instituted new reforms and reorganized. After sending a delegation to Philadelphia to observe the organization of their board of brokers, restrictions on manipulative trading were adopted as well as formal organs of governance. After re-forming as the New York Stock and Exchange Board the broker organization began renting out space exclusively for securities trading, which previously had been taking place at the Tontine Coffee House. Several locations were used between 1817 and 1865, when the present location was adopted'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1910, In France, Baroness de Laroche became the first woman to obtain a pilot's license.
    From Wikipedia: 'Raymonde de Laroche (22 August 1882 – 18 July 1919), born Elise Raymonde Deroche, was a French pilot and the first woman in the world to receive an aeroplane pilot's licence.'

    'In October 1909, de Laroche appealed to her friend, aviator and aeroplane builder Charles Voisin, to instruct her in how to fly. On 22 October 1909, de Laroche went to the Voisin brothers' base of operations at Chalons, 90 miles (140 km) east of Paris. Voisin's aircraft could seat only one person, so she operated the plane by herself while he stood on the ground and gave instructions. After she mastered taxiing around the airfield, she lifted off and flew 300 yards (270 m).:11–13 De Laroche's flight is often cited as the first by a woman in a powered heavier-than-air craft; there is evidence that two other women, P. Van Pottelsberghe and Thérèse Peltier, had flown the previous year with Henri Farman and Delagrange respectively as passengers but not as pilots'.

    'On 8 March 1910,:14 de Laroche became the first woman in the world to receive a pilot licence when the Aero-Club of France issued her licence #36 of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (International Aeronautics Federation or F.A.I.).
    More
  • In 1911, International Women's Day is launched in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany.
    From Wikipedia: , 'International Women's Day (IWD), also called International Working Women's Day, is celebrated on March 8 every year. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political, and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily in Europe, i ncluding Russia. In some regions, the day lost its political flavor, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner. This is a day which some people celebrate by wearing purple ribbons'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1936, the 'Daytona Beach and Road Course' holds its first oval stock car race.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set.'

    'Daytona Beach officials asked local racer Sig Haugdahl to organize and promote an automobile race along the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) course in 1936. Haugdahl is credited for designing the track. The city posted a $5,000 purse. The ticket-takers arrived at the event on March 8 to find thousands of fans already at the track. The sandy turns became virtually impassable, which caused numerous scoring disputes and technical protests. The event was stopped after 75 of 78 laps. Milt Marion was declared the winner by the AAA (the sanctioning body). Second place finisher Ben Shaw and third place finisher Tommy Elmore protested the results, but their appeal was overturned. France finished fifth in the event'.
    More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1965, The Beach Boys released 'Help Me Rhonda'.
    From Wikipedia: '"Help Me, Rhonda" (originally published as "Help Me, Ronda") is a song written and composed by Brian Wilson with additional lyrics by Mike Love for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released as "Help Me, Ronda" in March 1965 on The Beach Boys Today!. A rerecorded version with a significant different arrangement was issued for its single release where it was respelled "Help Me, Rhonda". The single peaked at number one in the United States, making it the second Beach Boys single to reach that position after "I Get Around" in 1964. The single version was later released on the Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) album in June 1965.'.
    More
    On YouTube: More
  • In 1980, At the - 6th People's Choice Awards:
    -- Favorite All-Around Male Entertainer is Alan Alda.
    -- Favorite All-Around Female Entertainer is Carol Burnett.
    -- Favorite Male TV Performer is Alan Alda.
    -- Favorite Female TV Performer is Carol Burnett.
    -- Favorite TV Dramatic Program is 'Dallas'.
    -- Favorite TV Comedy Program is 'M*A*S*H'.
    -- Favorite New TV Dramatic Program is 'Hart to Hart'.
    -- Favorite Male Performer in a New TV Program is Robert Wagner.
    -- Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Program is Stephanie Powers.
    -- Favorite Motion Picture is 'Rocky II'.
    -- Favorite Motion Picture Actor is Burt Reynolds.
    -- Favorite Motion Picture Actress is Jane Fonda.
    -- Favorite Theme/Song from a Motion Picture is 'Main Event'.
    -- At PeoplesChoice.com: More
  • In 1994, At the 20th People's Choice Awards:
    -- Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture is 'The Firm'.
    -- Favorite Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture is Julia Robertsb.
    -- Favorite Comedy Motion Picture is 'Mrs. Doubtfire'.
    -- Favorite Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture is Robin Williams.
    -- Favorite Actress in a Comedy Motion Picture is Whoopi Goldberg.
    -- Favorite Male TV Performer is Tim Allen.
    -- Favorite Female Performer in a New TV Series is Brett Butler.
    -- Favorite Female TV Performer is Roseanne Arnold.
    -- At PeoplesChoice.com 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 21st, when another Beatles song, She Loves You, takes over.

Top movie

  • Dead Ringer More
    It will be there until the weekend box office of March 8, 1964 when, Kissin' Cousins, takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): March 8
   V.
This month March 2014 (updated once a month - last updated - )

National Celery Month, National Flour Month, National Nutrition Month, National Noodle Month, National Peanut Month, National Sauce Month


March is:

March origin (from Wikipedia):
'The name of March comes from Latin Martius, the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. It was named for Mars, the Roman god of war who was also regarded as a guardian of agriculture and an ancestor of the Roman people through his sons Romulus and Remus. '

March 'is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of seven months that are 31 days long. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20th or 21st marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where September is the seasonal equivalent of the Northern Hemisphere's March. '

March 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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