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Today is March 25 2014

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

Waffle Day: More

Other celebrations/observances today:
  • Old New Year's Day: More
  • National Lobster Newburg Day: More
Events in the past on: March 25
  • In 421, The beautiful city of Venice, Italy, is founded at 12 noon.
    From Wikipedia: 'Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 117 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. It is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the mouths of the Po and the Piave Rivers. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, their architecture, and artwork. A part of the city is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon.'

    'The traditional founding is identified with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo on the islet of Rialto (Rivoalto, "High Shore") — said to have taken place at the stroke of noon on 25 March 421 (the Feast of the Annunciation)'.
    - At FamousDaily.com: More
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1863, Congress made the Medal of Honor a permanent decoration.
    From Wikipedia: 'The Medal of Honor is the United States of America's highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the U.S. Congress to U.S. military personnel only. There are three versions of the medal, one for the Army, one for the Navy, and one for the Air Force. Personnel of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard receive the Navy version

    The Medal of Honor was created as a Navy version in 1861 named the "Medal of Valor", and an Army version of the medal named the "Medal of Honor" was established in 1862 to give recognition to men who distinguished themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity" in combat with an enemy of the United States. Because the medal is presented "in the name of Congress," it is often referred to as the "Congressional Medal of Honor". However, the official name is the "Medal of Honor," which began with the U.S. Army's version. Within United States Code the medal is referred to as the "Medal of Honor", and less frequently as "Congressional Medal of Honor".'

    The Medal of Honor is usually presented by the President in a formal ceremony at the White House, intended to represent the gratitude of the American people, with posthumous presentations made to the primary next of kin. According to the Medal of Honor Historical Society of the United States, there have been 3,514 Medals of Honor awarded to the nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen since the decoration's creation, with just less than half of them awarded for actions during the four years of the American Civil War.]

    In 1990, Congress designated March 25 annually as "National Medal of Honor Day". Due to its prestige and status, the Medal of Honor is afforded special protection under U.S. law against any unauthorized adornment, sale, or manufacture, which includes any associated ribbon or badge.'

    'Medals of Honor were authorized for officers of the Army (37th Congress, Third Session, 12 Stat. 751). The Secretary of War first presented the Medal of Honor to six Union Army volunteers on March 25, 1863 in his office'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1954, At the 26th Academy Awards:
    From Wikipedia: More
    Best Picture is, From Here to Eternity
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actor is William Holden for 'Stalag 17'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actress is Audrey Hepburn for 'Roman Holiday'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Supporting Actor is Frank Sinatra for 'From Here to Eternity'
    Best Supporting Actress is Donna Reed for 'From Here to Eternity'
    Best Song is Secret Love from 'Calamity Jane'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- On YouTube: More
  • In 1960, Roy Orbison recorded 'Only the Lonely'.
    From Wikipedia: '"Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)" is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Orbison's recording of the song, produced by Fred Foster for Monument Records, was the first major hit for the singer. As an operatic rock ballad, it was a sound unheard of at the time except It's Now or Never by Elvis Presley, described by the New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". seen as a seminal event in the evolution of rock and roll. Released as a 45rpm single by Monument Records in May 1960, "Only the Lonely" went to No. 2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts on 25 July 1960 (blocked by Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry") and No. 14 on the Billboard R&B charts. "Only the Lonely" reached Number One in the charts. "Only the Lonely" reached Number One in the United Kingdom, a position it achieved on 20 October 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a total of 24 weeks spent on the UK singles chart from 28 July 1960). The personnel on the original recording included Orbison's session regulars Buddy Harman on drums, Floyd Cramer on piano and Bob Moore on bass, with Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitar.

    In 1999, "Only the Lonely" was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 232 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1961, Elvis Presley performed his last live show for the next eight years in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The show raised $62,000 for the U.S.S. Arizona memorial fund.
    From Wikipedia: 'The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona (BB-39) during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 and commemorates the events of that day. The attack on Pearl Harbor and the island of O?ahu was the action that led to the United States' direct involvement in World War II.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1963, The Beach Boys released the album 'Surfin' U.S.A.'.
    From Wikipedia: '"Surfin' U.S.A." is a song with lyrics by Brian Wilson set to the music of "Sweet Little Sixteen," written by Chuck Berry. It was first recorded by Wilson's band the Beach Boys and released as a single on March 4, 1963, then appearing as the title track to their album Surfin' U.S.A. Also produced by Wilson, the single peaked at number two in the chart of the Music Vendor trade paper (within a year renamed Record World) and at number three on the Billboard and Cash Box charts. It was backed with "Shut Down".

    Billboard ranked "Surfin' U.S.A." the number 2 song of 1963. It has since become emblematic of the California Sound. The song "Surfin' U.S.A." is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1967, The Turtle's 'Happy Together' goes #1 on The Billboard Hot 100.
    From Wikipedia: '"Happy Together" is a 1967 song from The Turtles' album of the same name. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the number one slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's only chart-topper. "Happy Together" reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1967. The song was written by Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon, former members of a band known as The Magicians. The song had been rejected a dozen times before it was offered to The Turtles, and the demo acetate was worn out'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1979, The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch.
    From Wikipedia: 'Construction began on Columbia in 1975 at Rockwell International's (formerly North American Aviation/North American Rockwell) principal assembly facility in Palmdale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Columbia was named after the historical poetic name for the United States of America, like the explorer ship of Captain Robert Gray and the Command Module of Apollo 11, the first manned landing on another celestial body. Columbia was also the female symbol of the United States. After construction, the orbiter arrived at Kennedy Space Center on March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch. Columbia was originally scheduled to lift off in late 1979, however the launch date was delayed problems with both the SSME components, as well as the thermal protection system (TPS). On March 19, 1981, during preparations for a ground test, workers were asphyxiated while working in Columbia's nitrogen-purged aft engine compartment, resulting in (variously reported) two or three fatalities'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1982, the first broadcast of 'Cagney and Lacey' premiers on TV.
    From Wikipedia: 'Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982 to May 16, 1988. A police procedural, the show stars Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless as New York City police detectives who lead very different lives: Christine Cagney (Gless) was a single, career-minded woman, while Mary Beth Lacey (Daly) was a married working mother. The series was set in a fictionalized version of Manhattan's 14th Precinct (known as "Midtown South"). For six consecutive years, one of the two lead actresses won the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama (four wins for Daly, two for Gless), a winning streak unmatched in any major category by a show'.
    - At Wikipedia: More
    - On YouTube: More
  • In 1985 At the 57th Academy Awards:
    From Wikipedia: More
    Best Picture is, Amadeus
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actor is F. Murray Abraham for 'Amadeus'
    Best Actress is Sally Field for 'Places in the Heart'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Supporting Actor is Haing S. Ngor for 'The Killing Fields'
    Best Supporting Actress is Peggy Ashcroft for 'A Passage to India'
    Best Song is Purple Rain from 'Purple Rain'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- On YouTube: More
  • In 1991, At the 63rd Academy Awards:
    From Wikipedia: More
    Best Picture is, Dances with Wolves
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actor is Jeremy Irons for Reversal of Fortune
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actress is Kathy Bates for 'Misery'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Supporting Actor is Joe Pesci for 'Goodfellas'
    Best Supporting Actress is Whoopi Goldberg for 'Ghost'
    Best Song is Sooner or Later from 'Dick Tracy'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- On YouTube: More
  • In 1996, At the 68th Academy Awards:
    From Wikipedia: More
    Best Picture is, Braveheart
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actor is Nicolas Cage for 'Leaving Las Vegas'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actress is Susan Sarandon for 'Dead Man Walking'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Supporting Actor is Kevin Spacey for 'The Usual Suspects'
    Best Supporting Actress is Mira Sorvino for 'Mighty Aphrodite'
    Best Song is Colors of the Wind from 'Pocahontas'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- On YouTube: More
  • In 2001, At the 73rd Academy Awards:
    From Wikipedia: More
    Best Picture is, Gladiator
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Actor is Russell Crowe for 'Gladiator'
    Best Actress is Julia Roberts for 'Erin Brockovich'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- At Internet Movie Database IMDb: More
    -- On YouTube: More
    Best Supporting Actor is Benicio del Toro for 'Traffic'
    Best Supporting Actress is Marcia Gay Harden for 'Pollock'
    Best Song is Things Have Changed from 'Wonder Boys'
    -- At Wikipedia: More
    -- On YouTube: 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

  • She Loves You - The Beatles: More
    I Want To Hold Your Hand, has been displaced by another Beatles song. 'She Loves You', which will hold the no. 1 spot until April 4th, when another Beatles song, Twist And Shout, takes over.

Top movie

  • The Pink Panther More
    Having displaced 'Kissin' Cousins', it will be there until the weekend box office of April 12, 1964 when, 'The Carpetbaggers', takes over.
  IV.
Today in the Past (reference sites): March 25
   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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