Today is May 11 2014

Eat What You Want Day: More

• Mother's Day: More
  
• Twilight Zone Day: More

• In 1910, In Montana, the Glacier National Park is established.
  From Wikipedia: 'Glacier National Park is a national park located in the U.S. state of Montana, on the Canada–United States border with the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The park encompasses over 1 million acres (4,000 km2) and includes parts of two mountain ranges (sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains), over 130 named lakes, more than 1,000 different species of plants, and hundreds of species of animals. This vast pristine ecosystem is the centerpiece of what has been referred to as the "Crown of the Continent Ecosystem", a region of protected land encompassing 16,000 square miles (41,000 km2).
  
  Glacier National Park has almost all its original native plant and animal species. Large mammals such as the Grizzly bears, moose, and mountain goats, as well as rare or endangered species like the wolverines and Canadian lynxes, inhabit this park. Hundreds of species of birds, more than a dozen fish species, and a few reptile and amphibian species have been documented. The park has numerous ecosystems ranging from prairie to tundra. Notably, the easternmost forests of western redcedar and hemlock grow in the southwest portion of the park. Large forest fires are uncommon in the park. However, in 2003 over 13% of the park burned.
  
  Glacier National Park borders Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada—the two parks are known as the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and were designated as the world's first International Peace Park in 1932. Both parks were designated by the United Nations as Biosphere Reserves in 1976, and in 1995 as World Heritage sites'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1927, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is opened - would later create the prestigious Academy Awards.
  From Wikipedia: 'The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion pictures. The Academy's corporate management and general policies are overseen by a Board of Governors, which includes representatives from each of the craft branches.
  
  Several organizational meetings were held prior to the first official meeting held on May 6, 1927. Their first organizational meeting was held on May 11. At that meeting Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was elected as the first president of the Academy, while Fred Niblo was the first vice- president, and their first roster, composed of 230 members, was printed. That night, the Academy also bestowed its first honorary membership, to Thomas Edison. Initially, the Academy was broken down into five main groups, or branches, although this number of branches has grown over the years. The original five were: Producers, Actors, Directors, Writers and Technicians.
  
  The initial concerns of the group had to do with labor." However, as time went on, the organization moved "further away from involvement in labor-management arbitrations and negotiations." One of several committees formed in those initial days was for "Awards of Merit," but it was not until May 1928 that the committee began to have serious discussions about the structure of the awards and the presentation ceremony. By July 1928 the Board of Directors had approved a list of 12 awards to be presented. During July the voting system for the Awards was established, and the nomination and selection process began. This "award of merit for distinctive achievement" is what we know now as the Academy Award'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1947, Goodrich develops tubeless tire.
  From Wikipedia: 'Tubeless tires or tyres (in some Commonwealth Nations) are pneumatic tires that do not require a separate inner tube.
  
  Unlike pneumatic tires which use a separate inner tube, tubeless tires have continuous ribs molded integrally into the bead of the tire so that they are forced by the pressure of the air inside the tire to seal with the flanges of the metal rim of the wheel.
  
  Many patents had been filed covering tubeless tires. Killen Tire applied for a patent in 1928 and was granted GB patent 329955 in the UK in 1930. The Wingfoot Corporation, a subsidiary of Goodyear Tire were granted a patent in South Africa in 1944. Due to technical problems, most of these designs only saw limited production or were abandoned.
  
  Frank Herzegh working for BF Goodrich applied for a patent in 1946 and eventually received US patent 2587470 designs. The primary difference between the BF Goodrich design and their predecessors was the usage of butyl rubber, which was more resistant to air leakage than the natural rubber used in the other designs'.
  - At FamousDaily: More
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1959, The song 'Kookie, Kookie Lend Me Your Comb' by Byrnes and Connie Stevens hits #4.
  From Wikipedia: 'Edd Byrnes (born July 30, 1933) is an American actor best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie -- Lend Me Your Comb" (with Connie Stevens).
  
  His enduring and most famous role was as Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III, on the ABC/Warner Brothers detective series 77 Sunset Strip. He played a continually hair-combing serial killer in the pilot, Girl on the Run, but he was so popular (a national teen sensation) that the producers brought him back the following week as a regular cast member in the role of a chrome-plated hotrod-driving, hipster-talking ("Kookie-talk") parking valet and sometime protégé private investigator. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., explained the situation to the audience: We previewed this show, and because Edd Byrnes was such a hit we decided that Kookie and his comb had to be in our series. So this week, we'll just forget that in the pilot he went off to prison to be executed.
  
  To the thrill of teen viewers, Kookie spoke a jive-talk "code" to everyone, whether you understood him or not, and Kookie knew better than others "the word on the street." Some say the Kookie character borrowed much from James Dean's character in the film "Rebel Without a Cause", and was the progenitor to Henry Winkler's The Fonz character of the Happy Days series (switch hot rod for motorcycle; same hair, comb and a leather jacket).
  
  Kookie's constant onscreen tending of his ducktail haircut led to many jokes among comedians of the time, and resulted in the 1959 charted 'rap' style recording (13 weeks), "Kookie, Kookie--Lend Me Your Comb", recorded with actress and recording artist Connie Stevens, and which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA. The song also appeared on the Edd Byrnes album, entitled (what else) Kookie. He and Stevens appeared together on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom. During the run of 77 Sunset Strip, Byrnes, as the "Kookie" character, was a popular celebrity (Elvis Presley-level national attention), and Byrnes received fan mail volume that reached 15,000 letters a week, according to Picture Magazine in 1961, and rivaled most early rock recording stars in the day'.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1964,The Beach Boys single 'I Get Around' was released.
  From Wikipedia: '"I Get Around" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released as a single in May 1964 with "Don’t Worry Baby" as its B-side and became the group's first number-one charting song in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it charted at number seven and was the band's first top ten single there. It was included as the opening track on their studio album All Summer Long in July 1964.
  
  In 2004, it was ranked at #316 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time'
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1974, 'Tubular Bells' by Mike Oldfield hits #7.
  From Wikipedia: 'Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, recorded when he was 19 and released in 1973 when he was 20.
  
  It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success. Vivian Stanshall provided the voice of the "Master of Ceremonies" who reads off the list of instruments at the end of the first movement. The opening piano solo was used briefly in the soundtrack to the William Friedkin film The Exorcist (released the same year), and the album gained considerable airplay because of the film's success.
  
  The following year the piece was orchestrated by David Bedford for The Orchestral Tubular Bells version. It had three sequels in the 1990s, Tubular Bells II (1992), Tubular Bells III (1998) and The Millennium Bell (1999). Finally, the album was re-recorded as Tubular Bells 2003 at its 30th anniversary in 2003. A newly mixed and mastered re-issue of the original album appeared in 2009 on Mercury Records, with bonus material.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More
• In 1985, Madonna's 'Crazy For You' single goes #1.
  From Wikipedia: '"Crazy for You" is a song by American singer Madonna from the soundtrack album to the 1985 film Vision Quest. It was released on March 2, 1985 by Geffen Records as the first single from the soundtrack. The song appears remixed on the greatest hits compilation The Immaculate Collection (1990) and was re-released on February 24, 1991 by Sire Records to promote the album. The song was also included on the ballads compilation Something to Remember (1995) and the greatest hits compilation Celebration (2009)
  
  "Crazy for You" received positive response from music critics and earned Madonna her first Grammy Award nomination in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category in 1986. The song became Madonna's second number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top position in the charts of Australia and Canada as well. It also peaked at number two in Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it was released twice, once in 1985 and again in 1991.
  - At Wikipedia: More
  - On YouTube: More

Nothing. Looks like I was lazy on this day.

No. 1 song

• Can't Buy Me Love - The Beatles: More
  'Twist and Shout' has been displaced by 'Can't Buy Me Love', which will hold the no. 1 spot until May 16th, when 'Hello, Dolly!', takes over.

Top movie

• The Carpetbaggers More
  Having displaced 'The Pink Panther', it will be there until the weekend box office of May 17 , 1964 when, 'Crack in the World', takes over.

• FamousBirthdays.com: May 11 Birthdays More
• FamousDaily.com: May 11 History More
• History.com: Historical Events on 11th May More
• HistoryOrb.com: Famous Deaths on 11th May More
• On-This-day.com history 11th May More
• On-This-day.com music history 11th May More
• Wikipedia.com: History May 11 More

National Asparagus Month National Barbeque Month National Chocolate Custard Month National Egg Month National Gazpacho Aficionado Month National Hamburger Month National Salad Month National Strawberry Month

May is:

May origin (from Wikipedia):
The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman era goddess of fertility, Bona Dea, whose festival was held in May. Conversely, the Roman poet Ovid provides a second etymology, in which he says that the month of May is named for the maiores, Latin for 'elders,' and that the following month (June) is named for the iuniores, or 'young people'

May ' is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.
May is a month of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere (Summer in Europe). Therefore May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa. '

May 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